Stories by Beth Stackpole

When RehabCare executives started asking IT for the Apple iPad several months back, CIO Dick Escue didn't skip a beat.

Last summer, about 30 hand-picked IT managers convened in an executive classroom for the third session of CIO University, a leadership development program for would-be CIOs. The agenda was chock-full of sessions covering best practices for stakeholder management along with role-playing exercises to explore the Thomas-Kilmann model of conflict resolution. Guest speakers included C-level executives as well as former attendees who had gone on to become CIOs. A post-session happy hour and dinner gave participants a chance to network, exchange insights and simply blow off steam.

A high school physics teacher. A hockey coach and referee. An intern at the National Science Foundation.

Let's say you're a young IT manager, in your 20s, 30s or even early 40s. It's not unheard of for you to put in 10-hour workdays in front of your computer, or some other user's.

You just rolled out Microsoft Windows Vista companywide, only to find your help desk flooded with calls. Or you spent hours with the mobile sales group going over the basics of laptop and wireless security, only to discover team members still opening rogue e-mail attachments and stumbling over password protocols.

Using real-time simulations, manufacturers are working out kinks in their processes and plant layouts - before bending metal and without building costly prototypes

A study reveals that CIOs act just like CEOs — with one big difference

CIOs know about ERP, CRM, SCM and other enterprisewide, energy-sapping, three-letter acronyms. Well, it's now time to come up to speed on another: PLM, short for product lifecycle management

On TV, cops learn about their suspects with a few keystrokes. In real life, it's not that easy. But now state CIOs are building integrated systems to speed investigations and reduce mistakes.

The founders of e-Steel needed to forge a strong IT foundation to make the promise of B2B work in the real world.

Is the grass really greener on the other side of the IPO?

XML promises to simplify data exchange for the masses . . . as soon as industries can chase down standard definitions of key business terms. But companies needn't wait to join the game