Stories by Mary K. Pratt

Books that can change your life

Andrew Galbus was a programmer/analyst at a food manufacturing company in the mid-1990s when he read Edward Yourdon's Decline and Fall of the American Programmer. Galbus says the book made him realize that his employer was not helping him build a sustainable career in the IT sector. "It made me think, 'Do I want a job or a career, and do I want just a career in a company or a career in the IT industry?'" Galbus says.

Eight ways to boost your career in '08

Today's IT professionals are an evolving breed. The job keeps morphing as companies demand not just technical know-how, but more business acumen, analytical skills and industry knowledge as well.

IT wrestles with workplace blogging

There's no question that blogs are multiplying in cyberspace. Now they're infiltrating businesses, too, even if the IT departments haven't sanctioned their implementations.

Great career advice I ignored

Climb the corporate ladder. Keep your eye on the ball. Pay your dues. A lot of the conventional wisdom about how to succeed in your career is sound, and the oft-recommended linear path upward frequently works well enough.

Get a life: 10 tips for a better work/life balance

As president of Encompass, a 16,000-member user group for business customers of Hewlett-Packard, Nina Buik comes in contact with a wide variety of technology professionals who all seem to log a lot more than the traditional 40-hour workweek. "I rarely talk to anyone putting less than 60 hours a week into their jobs," says Buik, who is also senior vice president of MindIQ, a designer of technology-based training materials.

IT job swapping at FedEx for fun and profit

IT managers at FedEx find that the company's six-month job-rotation program sharpens their skills, provides invaluable perspective, builds networks, breaks down silos and allows lower-level staffers to shine

Why should I hire you?

Brian A. Young likes to spend time with potential hires, even if they won't report to him. "It's the most important thing you have -- the people -- so we take a lot of time in hiring," explains the vice president and CIO at Creighton University in Omaha.

Next-gen storage for SMB

It's a simple equation: as data storage needs to grow, so do storage costs. And as the costs for physical space and energy (for both powering up and cooling down the hardware) continue to rise, storage efficiency will become a higher priority. Here are four next-generation technologies that could help.

How to build a better Web site

The Internet has brought a lot of business to My1Stop, a Kansas, U.S.-based printing company. About half of its $US20 million in annual revenue comes from Web traffic, says Michael Joseph, vice president of e-commerce.

The IT pro as consultant

Jeff Ansell is trying to think less like an IT guy and more like a business person. "There are times when I'm in a conversation with a client and I have to step back and think, 'If I were that person, would I know what I'm talking about?' Because they don't care about servers; they want to know they can click a button and pull up what they need," he says.

Next-gen storage

It's a simple equation: As data storage needs grow, so do storage costs. In fact, even as prices continue to come down, storage equipment now accounts for 19 percent of the IT hardware budget, according to a report from Forrester Research. And that figure doesn't include costs such as energy and management.

Tech trash

The days of tossing out corporate electronic waste like common trash are pretty much over. Environmental concerns and data security regulations are driving more companies to develop rigorous disposal policies. Yet there's more to the proper interment of IT equipment than many executives realize, and many companies still fail to handle their electronic waste wisely. Even those who think they're doing the right thing could find their technology trash coming back to haunt them in unexpected ways.

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