System News for Sun Users

Can IT Survive Digitization?

2013-06-12T16:00:00+01:00

"The role and operations of IT are set to change, as departments build up their own IT expertise.

According to research from analyst Forrester, the chief operating officer (COO) used to dominate IT priorities but now, sales, marketing and R&D set corporate strategy. Forrester vice-president, Kyle McNabb, says: 'The business does not view digital as someone else problem.'

The survey showed that 44% of business departments were hiring their own technology staff..."

CEOs: Five Reasons Your CIO Quits

2013-06-12T16:00:00+01:00

"Sometimes it is because a better job comes along, and sometimes it is because no other job could be worse. Whatever the reason, when a CIO quits, it should be less of a mystery to a CEO why this has happened. Scott Lowe writes a blog post addressed to CEOs about five reasons why CIOs quit:"

Relegating IT to 'keeping the lights on'
Locking the CIO out of strategy sessions
Ignoring governance
Ignoring critical advice from the CIO
Making no effort to understand what IT can do

Read on for details.

3 Lessons Learned From a Failed Customer Feedback Test

2013-06-11T16:00:00+01:00

"Things didn't go exactly as planned when we gave three retail businesses a customer feedback system to test for a customer service software buyers' guide . The goal was to see how the features worked in a real-life setting. However, we discovered that testing customer service software in a real-life setting involves more than simply installing and using. It requires a certain amount of planning, and there were several key issues we realized we should have addressed before beginning to test.

From our experience came three important lessons, here's a look at what those lessons were and what they taught us about how CIOs and other technology buyers should go about evaluating customer feedback systems..."

6 Emerging Technologies and What They Mean to CIOs

2013-06-11T16:00:00+01:00

Here are six Emerging Technologies and a brief discussion of what they mean for CIOs:

Mobile Robots
3-D Printing
Online Electric Vehicles
Remote Sensors
Virtual Currency
Video Facial Recognition

Read on for details.

From Tactics to Strategy

2013-06-11T16:00:00+01:00

"When Peter Drucker made the comment 'Culture eats strategy for lunch' little did he know that this quote will become one of the most widely used phrases for business community. In fact I am also a fan of this statement for simple reason of my close association with change management in different organizations where I witnessed the conflict between culture and strategy and saw how difficult it becomes when they contradict.

My experience of successful changes tells me that when culture is in conflict of any strategy, use tactics. Usually tactics is meant for implementing a strategy but can it flow upwards? My answer to this is yes, many a times..."

Why Innovation Fails: The Past vs. Future Problem

2013-06-11T16:00:00+01:00

"Having worked with business leaders for years in the pursuit of innovation, I have come to realize that there is a fundamental reason for failure. Companies have two modes of operation that often are viewed as incompatible. One mode focuses on the past and one focuses on the future, and the inability to integrate the two explains why companies find it so hard to innovate.

Established businesses are great at maintaining value through greater efficiency and effectiveness, but over time these businesses become irrelevant. Start-ups are great at spotting unmet needs and driving a relentless charge -- only to find that they have an unsustainable business model..."

CIOs Need To Improve Budget Practices, Says Study

2013-06-10T16:00:00+01:00

"To keep up with the fast pace of business, CIOs must shift their budget strategy to bolster employee productivity.

CIOs need to be more strategic about budgeting if they want to use technology to better deal with the rapid pace of business change. That's the advice of experts at CEB, formerly the Corporate Executive Board, a global member-led advisory group that has just published a new study on the trends that will shape corporate IT in the next four years..."

Eight Is Enough! IT's Biggest Frenemies

2013-06-10T16:00:00+01:00

"You probably have a good idea about who your enemies are. But what about your frenemies?

These are people you deal with on a regular basis, largely because you have no choice. But even when their intentions are good, they can still cause you all manner of grief. They range from BYOD Betty, who insists on using her iPhone at work (but wants you to support it) to Cloudy Claudette, who's running her own shadow IT organization with the help of public cloud providers..."

Legacy Larry
BYOD Betty
Pedro de las Pajamas
Leaky Louise
Slippery Sam
Cloudy Claudette
HR Harriet
Frightened Frank

Read on for details.

Improve the Image of Your IT Department

2013-06-10T16:00:00+01:00

"Sometimes the stereotypical image of your department keeps you from getting the job done. Learn how to fight this image to benefit your employees and the company as a whole...

For those of us that have worked in the IT industry, we are well aware of the image of the IT department at most businesses. Arrogant, rude, obstructive; these are just a few words that have typically been associated with IT. Stereotypes likes these can limit effectiveness and make it difficult for your IT department to do its job. Improving the image of your IT department is something that is not only beneficial to your employees, but also the company as a whole..."

Make Your Employees Happier: Limit Multitasking

2013-06-10T16:00:00+01:00

"Did you ever have one of those days where you were so busy from 9 to 5 that the day just blew by? But at quitting time, you looked back and realized nothing really got done?

That's the dilemma that multitasking has long presented to the individual. But now it seems that employers are driving their employees crazy as well--causing them to hate coming to work--thanks to the hefty demands of multitasking, according to Maura Thomas, a productivity guru who runs the website RegainYourTime.com..."

Why Conferences Matter

2013-06-10T16:00:00+01:00

"I recently attended and contributed to a major CIO conference. I was fortunate to meet many new people and have conversations with many old friends and colleagues. This experience reminded me of a number of lessons that all of us can take away from these types of events.

Regardless of how long you've been in the IT industry, you should never stop learning. I learned a great deal about gamification and crowdsourcing, which are two topics I was somewhat familiar with but hadn't given a great deal of thought to regarding how we could leverage them. The opportunity to unhook from work and attend a conference got my brain working on ways we can use these tools for our competitive advantage..."

5 Ways to Create a Collaborative Risk Management Program

2013-06-10T16:00:00+01:00

"How do you handle understanding the enterprise risks in a corporation where all of the risk management functions are dispersed in differential line management �' General Counsel, Finance, Technology, Facilities? How do you define the participating functions? Yes, the ideal situation is having these groups housed under a Chief Risk Officer or Head of Operational Risk, but in the absence of organization structural shifts, here are some tips for you..."

Be a Leader in bilateral conversations of risk partners
Conduct joint awareness programs
Capitalize on the success of low-hanging fruit
Establish a joint threat heat map
Benchmark with peer companies to collect best practices

Read on for details.

10 Questions to Ask Before Planning for the Future IT Organization

2013-06-06T16:00:00+01:00

"Executives agree that the old IT organization is on its way out. What�'s less clear is what the next generation of enterprise IT will look like, but stale assumptions about future operating environments or available technologies won�'t bring them any closer to the answer. Use these 10 questions to explore what all possible futures could mean for a completely re-designed IT department..."

Why will IT matter to my company?
What would our IT organization look like if we could rebuild it from scratch?
How will our IT executives and other executives share and approve IT decisions?
How do you get all available data anywhere it�'s needed?
Are we winning or losing the fight for information security?
What kinds of cloud services will dominate?
How urgently must we accommodate consumer technologies?
Which IT skills will we need to succeed, and where will we need them?
Where will IT talent come from?
How will our spending priorities change?

Read on for details.

CMOs Set To Spend More On New Tech than CIOs

2013-06-06T16:00:00+01:00

"Executives and business users from all industries are embracing social, mobile and cloud technologies to enhance their day-to-day operations. Marketing technology specifically has experienced tremendous growth and innovation due to social media, mobile device usage and Web 2.0. Within the next five years according to Gartner, marketing will see CMOs spending more on new digital technology than CIOs.

As IT capabilities become more accessible to business users, marketing departments have shown they are ready and willing to adapt. What could be better than a real-time case study or demographic analysis tool? Marketing analysis from a logistical point of view is centrally about assessing data regarding the people who keep a business profitable..."

Despite Uncertainties, 46% of IT Employees Are Looking

2013-06-06T16:00:00+01:00

"The percentage of IT employees interested in getting a new job is rising, even as they lose confidence in the economic outlook, new survey data shows.

Randstad Technologies, a staffing and recruiting firm, found that 46% of technology workers are likely to look for a new job this year, an independent survey taken in the first quarter found. In the quarter a year ago it was at 41%.

One sign of trouble among IT employees concerns 'discretionary effort,' or the extra effort above what workers are required to put into their jobs. Discretionary effort, which is measured in surveys by consulting firm CEB, has declined from last year's high point..."

Is Data Fragmentation Putting Businesses At Risk?

2013-06-06T16:00:00+01:00

"IT managers believe that fragmentation of corporate data across their IT infrastructure and an emerging 'Shadow IT' network of user devices or consumer cloud services outside their control, is putting their organizations at risk and driving up costs.

New research from Freeform Dynamics shows over 80% of respondents believe effective business decision making is hampered by data availability and inconsistency issues. 83% are concerned about the security of their corporate data as it is increasingly dispersed across their network and outside..."

Why IT Departments Won't Exist In Five Years

2013-06-05T16:00:00+01:00

"Consumerization of IT and self-service trends will lead to a restructuring of the today's IT shop, leaving behind a hybrid model consisting of tech consultants and integrators.

"The business itself will be the IT department. [Technologists] will simply be the enabler," said Brandon Porco, chief technologist & solutions architect at Northrop Grumman.

Porco was part of a four-person panel of technologists who answered audience questions during a town hall-style meeting at the CITE Conference and Expo here this week.

Among concerns raised is whether IT is losing control as consumer technology becomes part and parcel of everyone's work in the enterprise, and the data center is left behind..."

Cerf Sees a Problem: Today's Digital Data Could Be Gone Tomorrow

2013-06-04T16:00:00+01:00

"One of the computer scientists who turned on the Internet in 1983, Vinton Cerf, is concerned that much of the data created since then, and for years still to come, will be lost to time.

Cerf warned that digital things created today -- spreadsheets, documents, presentations as well as mountains of scientific data -- won't be readable in the years and centuries ahead..."

An Evolving View of Outsourcing

2013-06-04T16:00:00+01:00

"Only a few years ago, businesses couldn't get enough of offshoring and outsourcing. India, China, Costa Rica, the PhilippinesWherever there was a chance to save a few bucks, companies were there.

But, alas, the concept of sending labor and tasks overseas hit a few snags. For one thing, wages in these countries spiked as American and European companies stampeded in. This is a function of basic economics, and it was entirely predictable. For another, service levels often lagged and dissatisfied customers frequently complained. As a result, many businesses have recently pulled the plug and brought operations back to the U.S. The list includes NCR Corp., The Coleman Co., Ford Motor and Peerless Industries..."

5 Ways IT Can Improve Customer Satisfaction

2013-06-03T16:00:00+01:00

"As an IT guy at heart, when people ask me for my top tips to improving customer service, they�'re always surprised to hear how simple and automate-able they are. So often, IT managers layer technology upon technology to solve problems, but, at the end of the day, you can�'t have happy customers if the technology you provide was never informed by the fundamentals of what they want and how they want it.

Know your customer
Knowledge management
Do-it-yourself intelligence
Crystal clear service level agreements (SLA)
Risk mitigation via CMDB

Read on for details.

6 Ways Effective Listening Can Make You a Better Leader

2013-06-03T16:00:00+01:00

"When leaders judge, they expose their immaturity and inability to embrace differences. These leaders may enjoy a long track record of success in one company, but often find it difficult to make the successful transition into a new company.

Leaders must not grow complacent. The 21st century leader must embrace new ideas and ideals. They must be more active listeners, constantly learning and adapting to change:"

Show That You Care
Engage Yourself
Be Empathetic
Don�'t Judge Others
Be Expansively Mindful
Don�'t Interrupt

Read on for details.

8 IT Hiring Trends You Can't Ignore

2013-06-03T16:00:00+01:00

"The job market, like any market, is not a static beast. It's subject to trends, disruptions, and ups and downs like any other marketplace. You can't manage your current job search -- or your career in general -- with the exact same strategies you used, say, five years ago... We asked IT recruiter Paul DeBettignies, head of Minnesota Headhunter, for his take on some of the top hiring trends on both sides of the interview table:"

Social Media Profiles Aren't A Fad
Resumes: Not Going Away, But No Longer The Calling Card
Look Within First
Learn The Language Of Business
Meet With Prospective Employers Even If You're Not Job Hunting
Prioritize Skills In The Job Description
Develop "Talent Pools:
"Too Busy" To Recruit? Prepare For Mediocre (Or No) Talent

Read on for details.

How to Get Executive Involvement

2013-06-03T16:00:00+01:00

"While the need for an executive steering committee is widely recognized, I've seen great resistance to establishing this committee at numerous companies. Proceeding without executive support entails a great risk, but companies struggle with how to garner the needed involvement. Ideally, several executives will volunteer to serve on a steering committee and to provide visible support on an ongoing basis. In the absence of volunteerism, what options can the business intelligence director pursue to gather executive support?..."

Irving Wladawsky-Berger's Insights on Technology

2013-06-03T16:00:00+01:00

"Few IT industry executives boast a resume as impressive as Irving Wladawsky-Berger. After spending 37 years at IBM�'where he was responsible for identifying emerging technologies and marketplace developments critical to the IT industry�'the Cuban born engineer (who came to the United States at age 15) has worked on cloud, Internet, e-business and supercomputing initiatives for IBM and served as a strategic advisor to Citigroup since 2008. He is also a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and a visiting lecturer at MIT's Sloan School of Management and Engineering Systems Division..."

Rules for Radical CIOs

2013-06-03T16:00:00+01:00

"I'm obviously not the only activist who turned to the dark side, but I might be the only one who unashamedly believes that the right way to transform "too big to fail" is to infuse its culture with a little Alinsky, from the inside.

Here are the first five of Alinky's Rules for Radicals, changed slightly to apply to competitors and the business of technology. I'll cover rules six through 13 in the next installment of this column:"

Power isn't only what you have, but also what your competitors think you have.
Never go outside the experience of your people.
Wherever possible, go outside the experience of your competitors.
Make your competitors live up to their own book of rules.
Ridicule is a company's most potent weapon.

Read on for details.

Top Killers of Office Productivity

2013-06-03T16:00:00+01:00

"Despite indications that telecommuting is gaining steam, the traditional office setting remains alive and well, according to a recent 'Office Workplace Productivity' study from Ask.com. Actually, a majority of professionals say they thrive best in a classic office setting, as opposed to home. However, the usual-suspect list of workplace distractions�'such as noisy co-workers and relentless meeting sessions -- is keeping employees from focusing on their work:"

Noisy Neighbors
Process Fixation
Lesser Evils
What Constitutes "Unpleasant"?
Solo Effort
Office Space
Open Space
Male Bonding
Fixed Location

Read on for details.

Do You Really Need Real-Time Data?

2013-06-03T16:00:00+01:00

"Real-time. It sounds so compelling, so important, so current, so... real! Of course you want real-time data in your data warehouse. Right?

As with so many things, it really depends upon the application and the need. For example, if you're conveying medical monitoring data to a physician so he can diagnose a patient's current condition, then, yes, absolutely you need real-time data. Even if you're checking on inventory availability at point-of-sale you want the data returned to be real-time. Perhaps not as dire as the medical example, unless of course you're the customer looking for the item...."

Ten Considerations for CIOs Seeking to Insource

2013-06-03T16:00:00+01:00

"Many organizations are now looking to transition outsourced assets and functions to an in-house model. CIOs, of course, are frequently in the loop here because many of these initiatives involve IT. So why are companies making this move?... Pace Harmon has come up with the following 10 top considerations for an insourcing business case:"

Total Cost of Ownership
Contractual Obligations
Technical Complexities
Schedule Logistics
Technology Infrastructure
Space Concerns
Staff Recruitment and Retention
HR Resources
Transformation Readiness
Process Maturity

Read on for details.

Five Tough Job Interview Questions

2013-05-29T16:00:00+01:00

"In a recent feature, we presented eight job-interview techniques to better assess a promising job candidate's genuine traits and values. As indicated, much is on the line as bad hire will cost organizations at least $25,000, according to research from CareerBuilder. And since you can never equip yourself with enough resources to weed out true professionals from those who are good at 'faking it,' we're following up with these five tough questions to ask during an interview...

What Are You Most Proud of in Your Career?
Why Do You Want to Work Here?
Why Are You Asking for That Salary?
Which Past Manager Liked You the Least, and What Would He or She Say About You?
What Was Unfair About Your Last Job?

Read on for details.

Five Big New Responsibilities for Today's CIO

2013-05-27T16:00:00+01:00

"Here's the profile of the modern CIO. He or she is an expert at doing more with less and is adroit at whittling down the traditional costs associated with keeping the lights on. But the CIO is also absolutely ahead of the rest of the company in implementing cloud computing, mobility, social networks and big data.

The CIO is also a security expert, as well as a department-to-department ambassador, and is always ready to listen to even the most out there technology idea. The CIO knows more about business than the CEO and more about digital marketing than the CMO, and takes the lead in retraining the current IT staff and nurturing the kid in the mailroom, who is the social network wizard. And, oh yeah, the email system never goes down, the data is always real time, and the data center is all virtualized..."