Stories by Thomas Hoffman

10 career killers to avoid

Like other types of workers, IT professionals can be vulnerable to committing career sabotage -- sometimes without even recognizing it.

Advice on protecting kids from online predators

The numbers are downright frightening: One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log onto the Internet say they have received unwanted sexual solicitations via the Web, according to the U.S. Crimes Against Children Research Center. And, the center says, 25 percent of children have been exposed to pornographic material online.

IBM executive explains company's buying spree

IBM has been on an acquisition spree, having recently snapped up DataMirror, a data management vendor in Markam, Ontario; Princeton Softech, a data archiving company in Princeton, New Jersey; and Watchfire, a Web application security provider in Waltham, Massachusetts. Computerworld US' Thomas Hoffman talked with Deborah Magid, director of software strategy at IBM's Venture Capital Group in Menlo Park, California, about the company's strategy.

Deloitte & Touche exec looks drive innovation

For nearly 30 years, John Hagel has advised corporate executives on how to use IT to push business strategies or create new business models. So when the renowned author and management consultant was recently approached by officials at Deloitte & Touche USA to help launch a research center for technology and business strategy in Silicon Valley, he leaped at the chance. But Hagel isn't taking the plunge alone. He will share the role of co-chairman of the as-yet-unnamed research center with his long-time cohort and co-author John Seely Brown. The center was started in San Jose a few weeks ago and will eventually move to Palo Alto, California.

Change agents

I can remember when CIOs wore short-sleeved shirts and pocket protectors and didn't have any status in the company," says Cathy Hotka, who was vice president of IT at the National Retail Federation from 1995 to 2002.

Where does the time go?

When John Halamka first became the CIO at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston in 1998, he was told that being an IT chief was a 9-to-5 job. He quickly discovered that they had it backward. "It turned into a 5-to-9 job," says Halamka, meaning 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Survey: Most corporate boards neglect IT issues

Although many corporate board members believe that IT strategy is important, most directors admit that they don't pay adequate attention to information technology issues, according to a study slated to be released next week by Deloitte Consulting.

Caught in the IT pay squeeze

Tim Ramsay faced numerous challenges in his search for a security manager for the University of Miami late last year. For starters, the tight IT labour market in southern Florida was forcing the university to compete with international banks, travel companies and other organizations for the same scarce talent.

Three questions for Warren Bennis

The era of the single leader is over, says Warren Bennis, one of the world's foremost authorities on organizational development, leadership and change. And if that's a surprise, it shouldn't be.

[]