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  • Don’t wait for Windows 8

    Windows XP is 10 years old, yet a substantial number of businesses are still using it. They’re not really at fault. Upgrading to Windows Vista was considered too much work for too little payoff, and for many businesses upgrading to Windows 7 has for a long time seemed unnecessary.

    Written by Rhys Evans • 07 Feb. 12 12:40

  • 5 things I've learned - Ben Wrigley

    As the director of information technology for InterContinental Sydney, Ben Wrigley understands the importance of people in the technology equation

    Written by Ben Wrigley • 04 Feb. 11 11:54

  • Are you in IT or business?

    Concerned about IT/business alignment? Is your IT strategy a subsection of the business strategy or a separate document? How does it relate to the core business that your company carries out? If the relationship is hard to see, how do you make sure it provides your organisation with the IT it needs?

    Written by Grant Swinbourne • 26 Nov. 10 09:05
  • 4

    Android vs iPhone

    I picked up my first Android phone at the beginning of this year — the Google Nexus One. Prior to that I had been a BlackBerry user and the IT organisations I managed all ran BES servers and only supported BlackBerry devices so the transition to the Nexus One was quite a significant one.

    Written by Steve Berg • 25 Nov. 10 17:53
  • 3

    Cloud computing - the next industrial revolution

    The term ‘Cloud computing’ continues to receive a lot of attention from the media and within the IT industry there is perpetual debate on definitions and from vendors a relentless succession of press releases on their latest cloud offerings.

    Written by Scott Stewart • 25 Oct. 10 12:34

  • Smart grid security: Critical success factors

    Threats to the smart grid can be classified into three broad groups: system level threats that attempt to take down the grid; attempts to steal electrical service; and attempts to compromise the confidentiality of data on the system.

    Written by Shoaib Yousuf • 01 Oct. 10 14:40

  • Looking gift iPads in the mouth

    My company had excellent news last week, announcing stellar earnings. It was especially welcome after a difficult year of budget cuts, layoffs and a general decline in morale. To address that last issue, the company decided to give every employee a gift, and I'm not talking about a $25 Starbucks gift card. No, the plan was to hand out brand-new iPads to everybody. What could be cooler, right?

    Written by Mathias Thurman • 28 Sept. 10 00:35

  • How to sack your IT supplier

    Clients often come to us asking how they can get rid of their IT supplier. Their reasons are many, and vary from performance-related concerns to wanting to reduce costs by deferring or going without the services. This has especially been the case during the recent economic downturn.

    Written by David Downie • 01 July 10 11:32
  • 2

    Think Tank: Beyond service management

    Most IT service organisations have adopted ITIL or similar service management disciplines. Service management requires new processes for users. Service is provided only after a service request is raised, new initiatives need a business justification, service level agreements need to be in place, and the list goes on. Any experienced IT manager knows that certain disciples are necessary to be able to deliver reliable and cost effective IT service.

    Written by Hemant Kogekar • 22 June 10 10:48

  • The Core Development Team's Role in an Agile Project

    The key to a successful Agile migration is having the change driven from within. The change needs to be driven by key players throughout the company. Once this team is created they will be evangelists to the entire company.

    Written by Gregory S. Smith • 04 Nov. 08 13:21

  • The People Thing

    At Microsoft's CEO Summit this May, Bill Gates took a few moments to talk about time management. He noted that, somehow, his calendar seemed to be filled with commitments that - upon reflection - only seemed like a good idea at the time. In retrospect, he had been foolish to make them

    Written by Michael Schrage • 05 Nov. 07 13:55

  • Power to the Users

    After a working lunch at a workshop, a senior IT manager at a global telecommunications company approached me with a problem. Over the course of several mergers, acquisitions and reorgs, his firm now had three work-order processing systems.

    Written by Michael Schrage • 19 June 07 09:45

  • Aligning Business with IT

    How many times have you heard that IT needs to be aligned with business? If there was a mantra of the past decade, surely this was it. And who can argue with the concept that IT and business need to be in alignment to ensure that IT investments pay off in the form of tangible business benefits?

    Written by Johna Till Johnson • 07 May 07 11:28

  • The Race to Innovation

    Collaborate or compete? That's a core strategic question for organizations seeking margins and market share. When are they better off energetically competing against their rivals? When are they wisest to collaborate and cooperate? That strategic question is even more important for the internal IT marketplace. CIOs have to determine what will better drive desirable results: more collaboration within their IT shops or encouraging smarter competition. The "correct" answer, of course, is "both". Good luck

    Written by Michael Schrage • 02 April 07 13:14

  • Are You in Control?

    Innovation demands discipline as much as it requires freedom

    Written by Michael Schrage • 11 Dec. 06 12:42

  • Digital Subversives

    Are employees compromising security by bringing consumer tech into the enterprise? Perhaps, but if you use too heavy a hand to stop them, you'll be fighting a losing battle

    Written by Michael Schrage • 06 Nov. 06 12:25

  • Process Pantomime

    When form substitutes for substance, you have an IT leadership problem

    Written by Michael Schrage • 09 Oct. 06 14:22

  • The Right Question

    If perception helps define reality, then asking your customers how they perceive IT innovation is a simple and inexpensive way to focus your efforts

    Written by Michael Schrage • 05 Sept. 06 09:00

  • Visibility for the Board

    With boards of directors under increased scrutiny by regulators and other entities, CIOs should consider creating a digital dashboard that gives them a view into the key performance indicators of the business

    Written by Michael Schrage • 04 Aug. 06 12:42

  • Gifts that Keep on Giving

    As top investment banks have discovered, giving away software tools to key customers and suppliers can save both of you lots of time and money

    Written by Michael Schrage • 07 July 06 16:55
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