CIO

Cloud service providers urge lawmakers to postpone legislation

Only a science fiction writer might have imagined that consumer technologies like smartphones -- coupled with a cloud computing service like Facebook -- would be dissidents' weapons of choice in toppling regimes, as we have seen these last few months in the Middle East.

Facebook, the...

In the cloud, even custom apps will be a commodity

I'll make this short because God knows you've read enough about cloud computing and its software variation, SaaS. This concerns the cloud and custom apps, in particular the proprietary apps and IT systems...

Multi-tenancy leads to risky development on cloud platforms

Why buy when you can rent?

It's the new credo among savvy spenders everywhere -- IT shops included. More and more companies are renting space on a cloud (Infrastructure as a Service) or paying for what they use of applications hosted on one (Software as a Service). In either situation,...

Cloudsourcing and lean methodology tap customer input

Whether your IT organization is thinking about becoming lean or using cloudsourcing techniques, it all boils down to customer input. After all, they're the...

Perfecting the elevator sales pitch by channeling your inner Hollywood

Why don't a CIO's ideas stick? Your ideas are too complex. They're not spoken in the language of the business. They solve the wrong problem. Customers don't see what's in it for them. Your boss doesn't believe they will work. You come off as a

Disasters both natural and financial challenge technology innovations

The Q factor in IT transformation

It's just an impression, but are CIOs determined to be like the coolest cats in the room? At the two conferences on IT transformation I attended this month, I kept hearing about...

IT innovation isn’t new, but essential to maintain a competitive edge

IT innovation: It's the buzzword of the year. But what does it actually mean?

According to Dictionary.com, to innovate means to introduce something new or to make changes in anything established. In IT, that's hardly a new concept: Advances in technology have always led to IT innovation...

Using social media and networking to spy on, er, understand employees

Businesses so know they need to track what customers are saying about them on social media and networking sites. Tracking customer sentiment online can contain, if not...

Companies eyeing cloud brokers to manage multiple cloud services

Some IT departments are aggressively adopting "cloud-first" strategies for new deployments. Instead of buying new servers, they're looking at Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS); rather than renewing expensive software licenses, they're evaluating whether applications -- from customer relationship...