In theory, software as a service (SaaS) should be a cost-effective option for IT executives who don't want to deal with the hassle and expense of installing and supporting software for users. By tying into a Web-based software service that users can access with a browser, IT departments can avoid the costs of adding servers, powering servers or even setting aside space for them in a data center. And since the software is supported by a managed service provider, IT managers don't need dedicated staffers to deal with help-desk-related issues.
With nearly 300 brand-name products sold around the world, Procter & Gamble is renowned for its innovation. Throughout its 169-year history, the consumer products giant has applied its technological know-how to everything from super-absorbent nappies to structured paper towels.
Robert Metcalfe is a general partner at Polaris Venture Partners, a venture capital company in the U.S. Metcalfe co-invented Ethernet and founded 3Com in 1979. The following year, Metcalfe received the Association for Computing Machinery Grace Murray Hopper Award for his work in developing local networks. Metcalfe, who has also served as a publisher and columnist for InfoWorld magazine, was also awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor in 1996 and was bestowed with the National Medal of Technology by President Bush in 2003. He is also the creator of Metcalfe's Law, which states that the value of a network grows proportionally to the increase in the square of the number of the system's users. Metcalfe spoke recently with Thomas Hoffman.
On Feb. 10, the XX Olympic Winter Games will begin in Turin, Italy, and Enrico Frascari, managing director of technology for the Torino Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, says he will be ready. It takes years to design, implement and test the IT infrastructure needed to support the Winter Olympics, said Frascari, formerly CIO at Olivetti Lexikon. He leads a consortium of 11 companies responsible for IT at the upcoming games, which includes the timing, scoring, imaging and telecommunications. He speaks with Computerworld about the challenges of running such a big IT operation and some of the new technologies being unveiled in Torino.
It's a dream situation that most CIOs never get to experience -- the chance to build an IT organization from the ground up. That's essentially what Sam Coursen is doing. Coursen, who had been the CIO at NCR for the past seven years, was hired in August by Freescale Semiconductor in Austin to help the firm develop a set of world-class IT processes following its spin-off from Motorola late last year.
Enterprise content management (ECM) is a hot market in IT, because corporate executives are pushing hard for new ways to draw on customer and market data to increase revenue and strengthen customer loyalty. In addition, many companies are utilizing ECM systems to help document internal controls to comply with regulatory requirements such as those included in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. It's little surprise that Vignette has continued to amass consistent earnings and revenue growth in recent quarters. But there are other factors at play behind the way the Austin-based ECM software provider has repositioned itself, according to Vignette President and CEO Thomas E. Hogan. Hogan met with Computerworld to discuss the company's business strategy and trends he sees in the market.
Much has been written and said about the latest book from the Pulitzer Prize-winner and New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman.
Since the first serve of the 2005 US Open Tennis Championships on Monday, IBM has been using virtualisation technologies to distribute data processing workloads between the three IT centers managing traffic to the USOpen.org Web site.
Smart leaders give serious thought to succession planning, especially in IT. By Thomas Hoffman
When eCourier developed an innovative online package-tracking system for its customers last summer, it had to coordinate activities between front- and back-end developers working in Italy, Germany and the U.K. But instead of using traditional project management software to monitor the project, the company's developers used weblogging tools from Traction Software to generate project updates and provide a record of the work that was done.
Power companies are rarely front of mind when you think about industries on the leading edge of technology adoption. But utilities are at the forefront of using wireless systems for a wide range of activities, from managing mobile workforces to reading meters and monitoring plant control systems.
Political savvy is a critical skill for IT executives, who must compete against other business unit leaders when they lobby for project prioritization and budget allocations.
Wrenching changes to how companies can operate globally, combined with massive investments in fiber optics and other technologies, have paved the way for a truly transformational period in IT, said F. Warren McFarlan, a professor at the Harvard Business School.
Like other IT managers, Sean Jameson is at a turning point in his career. He knows that he has to take the right steps to get to the next level -- whether that means an internal promotion or a position with another organization.
Ask any small business owner, and they will tell you that starting and running a business takes a massive amount of work. Some IT executives who are trying to run their IT operations like a business are beginning to discover the same thing.