ITKE grandparent

IT spending is down: Now what?

Analyst firm IDC has predicted a significant slowdown in worldwide IT spending in 2009. The newly revised estimate brings IT spending at 2.6% growth in 2009, down from IDC’s earlier projection of 5.9%...

The Web 2.0/social media revolution inches along

More evidence this week that the Web 2.0/social media revolution may be advancing, but it ain’t here yet:

• Instant messaging hasn’t become the preferred method of communication among IT staff; nor has texting. We have Robert Half to thank for these...

Google Flu Trends: What is it?

Chills, body aches, fever -- it’s flu season. Am I sure of these symptoms? Of course, I Googled them. If you find yourself doing the same as cold and flu signs creep up around you, you may be contributing to Google’s newest effort to mark trends --

Google Chrome: How secure is your information?

Google is growing. From Chrome to G1, it’s not just for searching anymore.

As the Google giant is creating new breeds of consumers (“cross-consumers,” I call them -- spanning email, news, mobile devices, Web browsers, etc.), what is happening...

How user-friendly is your website?

Are “user-friendly” projects more likely to catch on? It makes sense – the easier it is for the average user, the more likely it is that they will continue using it. You know, the whole “keep it simple, stupid”?

A survey of John McCain’s...

Gmail apps: Text your contacts

Google Gmail users now have the option to send text messages to mobile phones. The experimental app, found in Gmail Labs, was made available to all users Thursday night. The feature is very similar to chat – find your contact (if the mobile number is saved in your contacts list) and the option...

Halloween costumes only an IT geek could love

What could be scarier than IT security breaches and software audits? For those of you who want to impress your friends and co-workers with a little bit of Halloween creativity (while sending along some subtle hints), Rachel Lebeaux, associate editor of SeachCIO.com, and I...

Geekin’ out with Google’s G1

On Wednesday, the G1 Google phone for T-Mobile with Android – the first “free, open source and fully customizable mobile platform” – was made available in stores to the general public. A geek at heart,...

Obama’s CTO of the USA

Barack Obama, if elected president, will be looking for a cabinet-level chief technology officer (CTO) – a first in the White House. Job responsibilities will include ensuring the U.S. is caught up with technologies, infrastructure and services for the 21^st...

Microsoft hosts midmarket CIOs – Vote for the biggest CIO challenge

A midmarket CIO’s challenges are many, and I’m always amazed by the stories I hear when I’m out on the road meeting many of you.

This week I touched down in Redmond for Microsoft’s US Midsize Business CIO Summit, an...