A CIO's Guide to Negotiating Cloud Contracts

By Paula Klein
As businesses and government agencies increasingly begin to host applications in the public cloud, they realize that it's a new frontier in terms of contract negotiations. Service levels, data access, scalability and security are just a few of the issues that CIOs need to ensure before the services are deployed. And while some of these concerns are similar to outsourcing contracts of the past, there are new wrinkles to consider as well.

Seven Tips for Cloud Computing

By Paula Klein
What steps should business and IT take now to deploy cloud services in the future? Judith Hurwitz, president of Hurwitz & Associates, says if you're considering cloud services for a major enterprisewide rollout, it's best to do the following first:

Reinvigorating IT for Business Growth

By Paula Klein
As summer winds down and it’s back to work in many parts of the world, it’s a good time to assess IT priorities for the remainder of 2010. In particular, growth and innovation seem to be the operative words for many CIOs who are ready to jettison the sluggish economy.

Social Media Takes Hold of the Enterprise

By Paula Klein
Social media is becoming firmly established at most enterprises today, but in various ways. In a research note last year, Forrester analysts predicted that in 2009, nearly half of all businesses would make use of enterprise 2.0 software, “a staggering number given that the application of social software to employee collaboration and productivity goals is just three years old.”

Computing, Naturally

By Craig Mundie
Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie sees technologies converging to transform how humans and computers work together.

How To Make Better Decisions, Faster

By Joe Mullich, Microsoft.com
Widespread use of business intelligence tools and carefully chosen metrics can create an agile organization.

IT Valuation: The New Math

By John Soat, TechWeb
The fact is, information technology never stops its relentless and disruptive evolution. Just when many CIOs were lulled into a sense of stability and control through the implementation of ERP systems and other monolithic IT structures, along came virtualization, clustering, software as a service and cloud computing to shake things up.

Lesson Learned: Green Needs to Be a Priority

By John Soat, TechWeb
Due to the cost savings and performance enhancements of environmentally attuned IT strategies, it's not necessary for your upper management to buy into the whole "green" movement to make a strong case for the implementation of those strategies. But it doesn't hurt."

Cut Costs or Go Green: Can You Do Both?

By Paula Klein
Steady, incremental savings can make a difference to the bottom line. And even better, they might also improve the environmental efficiency of the business. That's what many CIOs are learning as they address the dual – and usually conflicting – pressures of lowering costs and advancing corporate sustainability.

The Global CIO: Anthony Christie, Global Crossing

By Paula Klein
When Anthony Christie heard that a Virgin Atlantic flight en route from London to Newark Airport in June unexpectedly landed in Connecticut, where it sat grounded for four hours without any fresh air or food, he was troubled. "I told my wife that it could have been me," he said. "That's my regular carrier in and out of Heathrow, and they're usually very good about notifying you of problems."

Continuing Education

By Polly Schneider Traylor, CIO Custom Solutions Group
Honing Your Skills - Flexible continuing education options for CIOs.
The thought of going back to school when your plate is already overflowing can seem daunting. But what if you lack the skills necessary to remain influential in your current position or the knowledge required to move your career to the next level—either inside or outside of IT? Whether you have all the time in the world or almost no time to spare, there are continuing education options to fit nearly every schedule.

My Career

By Polly Schneider Traylor, CIO Custom Solution Group
Survival Skills - Don't let the economy dampen your spirits. Here's how to get ahead and stay ahead in 2009.
No job is safe today–not even that of the seasoned CIO. In this economy, a company may opt to outsource its highest-paid positions to quickly boost the bottom line when business turns grim. "2009 is all about cash and survival," says Wayne Mitchell, who places senior IT professionals for executive search firm Stanton Chase International. "There are a lot of CIO resumes on my desk now."

Confidence in the Cloud

By Stephanie Stahl, TechWeb
Perceived or real, security breaches in the cloud are on the minds of many CIOs as they utilize or evaluate cloud computing.
We caught up with Brad Smith, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs at Microsoft, to find out how the company is helping to ease those concerns through the Cloud Computing Advancement Act and other legislative initiatives.

Changing Waterfalls: The Consumerization of IT

By Stephanie Stahl, TechWeb
In this Thought-Leadership Series Interview, Paul Heller, Managing Director & CIO for the Information Technology Division of Vanguard, one of world’s largest mutual fund firms, discusses the consumerization of IT, including meeting employee expectations, security policies, IT infrastructure and Enterprise 2.0.

State of Green IT in California

Interview with Teri Takai, the CIO of the State of California. She has since been named the CIO of the Department of Defense.
In this Thought leadership Series interview, Teri Takai, CIO, State of California, discusses the status of the State’s IT reorganization plan, and outlines California’s current and future green IT initiatives, including her biggest challenges.

Q&A with Alastair Behenna

By Stephanie Stahl, TechWeb
Alastair doesn’t think businesses are out of the woods yet in terms of the economy. But while he’s had to put some major IT projects on the back burner, he isn’t content to let innovation slow down.
Find out what concerns him about IT and where he thinks the game-changing can occur.

Q&A with Josh Henretig

By Paula Klein
There’s a dual benefit to Josh Henretig’s sharp focus on IT sustainability at his own company.
Besides leading many of Microsoft’s internal green efforts, Henretig can offer lessons learned and best practices to customers looking for environmental sustainability solutions as well.

Greening the Data Center

By Paula Klein
Jim Thomas, Pella Corp.’s director of IT operations, knows all about keeping his data centers running more efficiently without affecting the environment.
As a leading manufacturer of windows and doors for the past 85 years, Pella follows building industry best practices — and some Midwestern common sense — as the basis of its own energy conservation programs.

Cameron Says Microsoft's Role in 'Avatar' Was Key

By Jake Siegel
Director James Cameron relied on Microsoft technology to store the massive amounts of data generated during the filming of "Avatar."
As technology's role in moviemaking expands, Microsoft looks to be a player in film's digital revolution.

Consumer Technologies Seep into the Enterprise

By Paula Klein
Steve Glynn seems like an improbable choice to speak to a CIO forum, especially in Milwaukee in the midst of a recession.
Glynn says, "The IT exec level is starting to realize that social media is here to stay; it's where young people live." CIOs may not need to tweet for themselves, "but they can't ignore it."

Andrew McAfee on Enterprise 2.0

By John Soat, TechWeb
Andrew McAfee talked to the Microsoft CIO Network about the state of Enterprise 2.0 efforts and what CIOs should be doing right now.
The largest adoption I've seen is in high tech. These are fast moving, dynamic, turbulent environments. These organizations have to open themselves up to technology that lets them ride the whirlwind.

Phil Morel Q&A

By Paula Klein
It's a familiar problem at global businesses: Mobile employees have too little time to attend online training sessions or corporate seminars.
The centerpiece –– short podcasts to use on the go — has also sparked more collaborative learning among the team and more social media tools are planned.

Enterprise 2.0 Collaboration Tools: On the Cusp of Proliferation

By Paula Klein, TechWeb
Enterprise 2.0 Collaboration Tools: On the Cusp of Proliferation
Offering up Enterprise 2.0 tools for business collaboration is easy. The tougher assignment for many IT executives in the months ahead will be managing the proliferation of platforms and technologies and demonstrating their benefits across the enterprise.

No Users, No Glory: 10 Principles of Enterprise Social Software Adoption

By Yuri Alkin
Microsoft's Enterprise Social Computing team lead discusses lessons learned in building a social internal system at the world's largest software company.
Unlike traditional business software, enterprise social systems have a very strong dependency on user adoption – just like a new service offered by a fresh Web 2.0 company.

Cloud Computing: Once Caution Clears, Future Looks Bright

By Paula Klein, TechWeb
Enterprise cloud computing has a bright future once CIOs thoroughly evaluate product offerings against their business goals and IT infrastructures.
As indicated by a recent InformationWeek survey, IT executives understand the benefits that new service-driven computing models represent – primarily, agility, low maintenance and better collaboration.

Listen Before You Tweet

By Ryan McBride, CIO Custom Solutions Group
Many CIOs appear to be kicking the tires on Twitter
The micro-blogging sensation that has risen in prominence among social networking and collaboration technologies. With the help of several new Web applications, they can "listen" to Twitter chatter and decide whether it's the right technology for them.

How to Measure BI Value

By Paula Klein, TechWeb
A thorough assessment will help you demonstrate the effectiveness of your BI investments. We offer 8 factors to consider.
Now is the perfect time to assess the value of your business intelligence investments, experts say.

BI Case Study: Cascade Tissue Group

By Polly Schneider Traylor, CIO Custom Solutions Group
Efficiency, Productivity, Profitability: BI Scores a Hat Trick for Recycled Products Company
Web-based software and SQL Server is helping a recycled products company deliver custom reporting functionality to managers across the business.

A Healthy Data Diagnosis

By Peter Fretty, CIO's Custom Solutions Group
HMO adopts BI solution for better decision-making.
In the healthcare industry, making the wrong gut decisions can result in serious ramifications, and even fatalities. Clalit, the world's second-largest HMO with headquarters in Israel, believed the best way to combat purely intuitive decision-making was with information"–but needed its 30,000-plus employees to remain focused on doing the jobs they were hired and trained to do.

Meshing Security and Privacy Teams

By Polly Schneider Traylor, CIO Custom Solutions Group
Enterprise threats such as data breaches require that IT security and privacy professionals closely work together.
At Standard Chartered Bank, a global company of 75,000 employees, managing the privacy of both employee and customer data is no simple affair. With operations in 56 countries, the bank has 56 legal departments"–each of which must enforce privacy at the local level while also reporting into the global legal department.

Good Tools For a Bad Economy

By Peter Fretty, CIO Custom Solutions Group
Microsoft's resident business intelligence expert describes how BI helps companies thrive in a recession.
Business intelligence technology has the brains and the brawn needed to guide organizations through rough, economic waters. These tools can help the C-suite cut costs, become disciplined and use information as an asset.

Network Data Breach: Preventive Action

By Paula Klein, Techweb
How to respond the right way when dealing with a data breach.
It may not be headline news, but data breaches are still taking place at corporations and institutions worldwide.

Credit Union Fights the War on Fraud

By Doug Bartholomew, Techweb
User-keystroke verification validates the identity of its Internet banking customers
A user-authentication method, used during World War II to distinguish ally from enemy, is being used in the war on fraud by an Indiana credit union to distinguish members from impostors.

Build a Mentoring Program That Works

By Fawn Fitter, CIO's Custom Solution Group
A formal mentoring program helps shape technically skilled IT staff into business-savvy future leaders. Here's how to begin.
A background in technology isn't sufficient preparation for an IT management position. To rise to the top, even the most brilliant network wrangler needs business know-how, plus the kind of people skills that can't be found in a book.

From Strategy to Practice

By Polly Schneider Traylor
You've Established a green IT strategy. Now what?
So, you've worked with the business side of the house and created a blueprint for your organization's green IT strategy. You have a vision for the energy efficiencies you want to achieve, but how do you make it a reality?

12 Best Practices for Mobile Deployments

By Paula Klein, Techweb
Here are 12 best practices for CIOs to consider before they deploy widespread mobile networks, based on advice from a variety of experts.

Credit Union Fights the War on Fraud

By Doug Bartholomew, Techweb
User-keystroke verification validates the identity of its Internet banking customers
A user-authentication method, used during World War II to distinguish ally from enemy, is being used in the war on fraud by an Indiana credit union to distinguish members from impostors.

Build a Mentoring Program That Works

By Fawn Fitter, CIO's Custom Solution Group
A formal mentoring program helps shape technically skilled IT staff into business-savvy future leaders. Here's how to begin.
A background in technology isn't sufficient preparation for an IT management position. To rise to the top, even the most brilliant network wrangler needs business know-how, plus the kind of people skills that can't be found in a book.

Help Wanted

By Polly Schneider Traylor, CIO Custom Solutions Group
Experts weigh in on the most in-demand job titles in IT.
If you're in the market for a business intelligence (BI) expert or enterprise architect, you're not alone. Emerging technologies and solutions such as virtualization and SOA are putting CIOs in the hot seat to hire individuals with matching skill sets. Here are the positions they are looking to fill:

IT Staffing: Make HR Your Ally

By Polly Schneider Traylor, CIO Custom Solutions Group
When it comes to recruiting, are you making the most of your relationship with the HR department?
Attracting the best candidates with the most diverse skill sets is a huge challenge for CIOs seeking specialized full-time staff. "Many companies continue to struggle [with recruiting, retaining and skills development], and no one strategy fits all," says Doug White, managing director in the Chicago office of management and technology consulting firm BearingPoint.

CIO Leadership

By Paula Klein, TechWeb
Six Ways to Stay Sharp in 2009
As you begin this tough new year, the list of required skills for CIOs keeps lengthening. Businesses and IT organizations are continually being revamped, and new management prowess is needed, as well. But what type?

Leading in a Regulatory Environment

By Polly Schneider Traylor, CIO Custom Solutions Group
Regulations continue to place heavy requirements on data protection, storage and recovery. Here's how to adapt.
CIOs must create business value from IT–satisfying customers and enhancing products and strategic direction with technology-based solutions. Though it may seem mundane, compliance is equally important. Not giving it the proper attention could expose companies to legal risks and expenses, and even brand damage.

Managing Risk

By Howard Baldwin, CIO's Custom Solutions Group
Although vendor sales representatives aren't likely to admit it, every technology deployment involves risk. Here's how to minimize and manage yours.
When you buy a new car, the salesperson will tell you all the great things that your new vehicle can do. He or she will never bring up the possibility, however, that the car may one day break down, malfunction or altogether die. The same theory applies to new technology. After all, no one wants to admit that something could go wrong.

8 Ways to Assess Your Own Performance

By Paula Klein, TechWeb
CIOs are in the business of assessing the performance of IT systems and keeping them optimized at all times. But what about measuring their own professional performance and ability to meet objectives? With all the pressures on CIOs to achieve goals in multiple arenas these days, these leaders also need tools to benchmark their executive performance against others and indicate strengths and weaknesses.

Embracing Software Services

By Paula Klein, Techweb
Timothy Chou has a lot of ideas about enterprise software.
The former president of Oracle's On Demand business -- from it's formation in 1999 to 2005 -- he now sits on several corporate boards, teaches at Stanford University, and frequently speaks to business leaders and writes about software trends.

Virtualization Demands New Software Models

By Jennifer Zaino, Techweb
Software licensing models and management tools must evolve to support the dynamism of virtual machine environments.
System virtualization is becoming mainstream, according to a 2007 survey, conducted by Forrester Research, Inc., a research firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The survey found that half of the enterprises polled in North America and Europe were already using x86 server virtualization, and that percentage was expected to grow to two-thirds of all sites by 2009– resulting in a "tipping point," according to the report.

An Enterprise Architecture Strategy for SOA

By Hatay Tuna, MSDN

Key concepts, principals, and methods that architects can practically put to work immediately to help their organizations overcome these challenges and lead them through their SOA- implementation journey for better outcomes.

Enabling Business Capabilities with SOA

By Chris Madrid and Blair Shaw, MSDN

Methods and technologies to enable an SOA infrastructure to realize business capabilities, gaining increased visibility across the IT landscape

Surviving Turbulent Times: Prioritizing IT Initiatives Using Business Architecture

By Hatay Tuna, MSDN

How can you ensure that IT projects have both clear alignment with the strategic goals of the organization and a strong demonstrable impact? Read this article from Microsoft experts on the Benefits Dependency Network.

A Business Manifesto for Cutting Costs and Boosting Innovation

By Ric Merrifield

We focus on process: "how" we're doing the job. And we forget about the bigger issue: "what" we're doing and why we're doing it. That's why we're leaving so much value on the table. In Rethink, business architect Ric Merrifield exposes this problem with vivid examples and introduces breakthrough techniques for overcoming it.

Business Value Assessment (BVA): Microsoft Windows 7 White Paper

This paper discusses the gap between utopian, high-functioning business models and the gains possible in current enterprise environments, and shows the value of Windows 7 as a practical, real-world performance aid.

Business Value Assessment (BVA): Microsoft Office 2010 White Paper

This paper discusses technology-related impediments to higher functioning that enterprise workers might encounter, and illustrates the use of Microsoft Office 2010 as a mitigation strategy.

Visions from the Cloud

By Polly Schneider Traylor, CIO Custom Solutions Group
When it comes to cloud computing, the skies have yet to clear: The big vendors are just starting to launch offerings, while users and analysts are simply confused. Here's a look at the forecast.
Apparently, cloud computing is still a bit too ephemeral for the vast majority of CIOs. Only 2 percent of those from Fortune 1000 companies say that cloud or utility computing is a priority, according to a September 2008 Goldman Sachs survey on IT spending.

Complexities Drive Compliance and Security Costs

By George V. Hulme, Techweb
Managing compliance and IT risk have a common enemy: complexity.
While there are differences in how they are carried out, managing compliance and IT risk are cumbersome and go through too many corporate layers. The biggest cost sinks of managing compliance, for instance, are often redundant efforts such as conflicting policies and conducting multiple audits on the same systems and controls. The costs of managing IT risk, especially when it comes to IT security risks, also lay in the complexity of managing multiple information-security defenses.

Saying 'Yes' to Enterprise 2.0

By Paula Klein, TechWeb
While some CIOs are forging ahead, others remain reluctant about bringing consumer technologies into the corporation.
It might be appropriate to call Dr. John Halamka, the CIO at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Doctor Yes. While many CIOs struggle to find the funding, the buy-in, or the perfect timing to introduce emerging technologies to the data center, Halamka is already there. He has a track record of embracing new IT solutions to improve hospital efficiency and patient care and now he adds social networking and Web 2.0 to his toolbox.

What Technologies do CIOs Dream About?

By Karen Bannan, Techweb
More mobile products and bulletproof security top the wish list.
There's a reason people play the lottery. It gives them a chance to dream, to imagine what they might buy if Lady Luck had her way. Even in an economic downturn, and times of IT belt-tightening, CIOs need to keep innovating and staying on the leading edge. We asked four top IT executives to do a little dreaming of their own, and tell us what emerging technologies they would buy with their IT lottery winnings. Here are their answers.

Don't Let Tech–Savvy Business Execs Do An End Run Around IT

By John Soat, InformationWeek
More businesspeople think they know enough technology to bypass the CIO. Tech chiefs must step up their game or get left out.
CIOs consider it a good thing to have tech–savvy colleagues with whom they can talk turkey, for some it's a case of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Senior execs, line–of–business managers, and even end users are trying to influence IT policy or, worse yet, attempting end runs around the CIO to get favorite IT projects or products deployed.

From Strategy to Practice

By Polly Schneider Traylor
You've established a green IT strategy. Now what?
So, you've worked with the business side of the house and created a blueprint for your organization's green IT strategy. You have a vision for the energy efficiencies you want to achieve, but how do you make it a reality?

Enterprise Mobile Management:
The Next Challenge

By Paula Klein, Techweb
CIOs must consider that every application is integrated in some way. Here's how to make your next broad deployment successful.
When research firm Gartner released its list of top IT trends for 2008 last December, the first five topics-power efficiency, unified communications, business process modeling, enterprise information management and virtualization-were familiar to CIOs. Still, the list also presented a clear challenge: Each of the items demands an enterprise-wide deployment.

Make Effective Enterprise-Wide Investments

By Howard Baldwin, CIO's Custom Solutions Group
CIOs must consider that every application is integrated in some way. Here's how to make your next broad deployment successful.
When research firm Gartner released its list of top IT trends for 2008 last December, the first five topics-power efficiency, unified communications, business process modeling, enterprise information management and virtualization-were familiar to CIOs. Still, the list also presented a clear challenge: Each of the items demands an enterprise-wide deployment.

Build or Buy

By Fawn Fitter, CIO Custom Solution Group
Faced with a specific software need, should you invest in a solution from a qualified vendor or ask your IT staff to build your own?
There's no single answer–and the decision process may lead you to an unexpected conclusion.

Good Governance = Holistic Security, Privacy and Compliance

By George V. Hulme, Techweb
When it to comes to keeping information secure and business technology systems within regulatory compliance, there's no standing still. Just a few years ago, the burden of managing IT security and privacy fell squarely on the shoulders of security managers and chief information security officers.

Summer Reading: Grab These Books!

by Paula Klein, TechWeb
Here's a sampling of five new titles that will help you strategize your plans, collaborate better with peers, and even offer some humor and fresh insights.
Heading out to the beach, the mountains, or the sailboat for that long-deserved getaway vacation? Although the last thing you may want to do is think about work, it might be a great time to catch up on some new business books that you've been meaning to read, or even download to your Kindle.

Finding Your Way at the Top

July, 2008
by Fawn Fitter, CIO's Custom Solution Group
Once you reach the executive suite, solid career advice is harder to find, but more important than ever.
CIOs often consider it their responsibility to help rising members of their team find mentors, or even to fill that role themselves. But from whom do CIOs seek professional feedback? The need for savvy career advice doesn't vanish when you reach the topmost layer of management-it increases.

Blogs in the Boardroom

August 4, 2008
by Jason Compton, Techweb
Consumer Technologies Creep Into the Enterprise
Web surfing, USB flash storage and blogs were first introduced to many companies by their employees–mostly young and tech savvy. As technology becomes a bigger part of daily life, corporate IT departments must keep pace, or risk being seen as laggards or even control freaks. And while most consumer–driven technologies rarely come with enterprise–grade security, they often solve problems more quickly and elegantly than many button–downed internal applications. The best IT strategy is to stay ahead of the curve.

Coping with the Sluggish Economy

August 4, 2008
by Bob Violino, Techweb
Research Shows CIOs Are Lowering Expectations for the Remainder of the Year
The sluggish economy clearly is having an impact on IT spending. Many CIOs are reconsidering large–scale projects and capital investments and are generally putting budget items to tougher scrutiny than usual. For IT chiefs, it's more important than ever to demonstrate the business value of technology and to show quick return on IT investments to senior executives.