News

As Microsoft integrates SharePoint and Yammer, enterprise social networking is at a crossroads, with vendors large and small vying for space. Here we offer strategy tips for CIOs regarding SharePoint, Yammer and competing ESN tools.

Everybody knows data warehousing is big data. But when you want to understand what's really going on with your customers' social interactions, terabytes may seem small. It's a laborious process, but the insight it provides can reap big

By David Taber

Apr 18, 2013 6 mins

Big Data CRM Systems Data Warehousing

‘Chat Heads’ Feature is a Valuable but Limited Addition to Facebook for iOS

It is easier than ever to simultaneously chat with several friends using the new Facebook app for iOS. But Apple's iOS "walled garden" makes the new "Chat Heads" feature less useful than the app's Android counterpart.

By James A. Martin

Apr 17, 2013 2 mins

iPad iPhone

15 Windows 8 Apps for Staying Productive at Work and Play

Windows 8 comes with built-in apps such as Mail, People and Calendar, but that's just scratching the surface. If you really want to step up your productivity both in the office and at home you've got to tap into the Windows Store for these

By Shane O'Neill

Apr 17, 2013 8 mins

Mobile Apps Personal Software Small and Medium Business

LinkedIn Profile Makeover for Developers

Software developers are constantly learning new things, and should be updating their LinkedIn profile to reflect new experiences. The following examples of real LinkedIn profiles will help guide you on what to do (and not) when making over your qual

By David Strom

Apr 17, 2013 4 mins

Careers Devops Social Networking Apps

Samsung Galaxy S4 US Pricing, Release Dates

All but one of the "Big Four" U.S. wireless carriers have announced pricing information and release dates for the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone.

By Al Sacco

Apr 17, 2013 2 mins

Android Small and Medium Business Smartphones

How Your Authentication Scheme Could Hurt Your Business

Consumers often fail to perform transactions online due to authentication failure. But while they struggle, they also distrust websites with weak authentication procedures.

By Thor Olavsrud

Apr 17, 2013 6 mins

Biometrics Cybercrime E-commerce Software

Social media startups aren't typically as well-funded as cloud or mobile startups, but they can have just as much impact and potential in how a business functions and succeeds. After evaluating more than 40 social media startups and then turning

By Jeff Vance

Apr 17, 2013 16 mins

Collaboration Software Financial Services Industry Small and Medium Business

6 Skills, Habits and Traits of Successful CIOs

Everybody wants to be the boss, but do you really have what it takes to be a CIO? We talked to the experts and peeked into this year's CIO Executive Council's Ones to Watch awards nominations to home in on what it takes to succeed as a CIO.

By Rich Hein

Apr 17, 2013 10 mins

CIO IT Jobs IT Strategy

30 Apps That Improve Microsoft Office 2013

Want to improve your Microsoft Office experience? These 30 apps, most of them free, extend the capabilities of your core Office 2013 and Office 365 applications.

By Vangie Beal

Apr 17, 2013 10 mins

Microsoft Office Small and Medium Business Tablet PCs

SugarSync iOS App Gets New Features, Polished UI

Following up on recent Android, desktop and Web-interface refreshes, SugarSync released an updated app for iPhone and iPad, making the service a stronger competitor in the crowded file-sync/sharing market.

By James A. Martin

Apr 16, 2013 2 mins

iPad iPhone

The $15M iPhone (Yes, 15 MILLION Dollars)

The world's most expensive phone is supposedly this iPhone with a 26-carat, black-diamond home button, 135 grams of 24-karat solid gold and more than 650 white, flawless diamonds. The price? A cool $15.3 million.

By Al Sacco

Apr 16, 2013 2 mins

Small and Medium Business Smartphones iPhone

CIOs Sound Off on a Role in Flux

Add business partner, co-collaborator and, um, anthropologist to the growing list of IT executive skills, said CIOs at a recent panel in San Francisco.

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 16, 2013 3 mins

CIO Collaboration Software Small and Medium Business

When it comes to developing enterprise applications, organizations are increasingly realizing that user experience is as important as functionality. In response, vendors are taking a more agile approach to building those apps in order to better meet

By John Moore

Apr 16, 2013 7 mins

Agile Development BPM Systems CRM Systems

Apple to Pay $53 Million to Settle Wet iPhone Warranty Lawsuit

If Apple wrongly refused to honor your warranty for a iPhone or iPod Touch, you could be eligible for a $200 payment.

By Bill Snyder

Apr 15, 2013 3 mins

Small and Medium Business Smartphones iPhone

Why Bitcoins are Just as Viable as Any Other Currency

The true value of any currency is a reflection of how much people believe it's worth, according to CIO blogger Constantine von Hoffman. But it's wise to remember just how fast beliefs can change.

By Constantine von Hoffman

Apr 15, 2013 4 mins

Government Technology Industry

Red Hat Advances Enterprise OpenStack Distro to Early Adopter Program

Red Hat Distribution for OpenStack, or RDO, is designed to provide a place for the community to add upstream features to Red Hat's enterprise OpenStack distribution, similar to the role the open source Fedora Project plays for its Red Hat Enterp

By Thor Olavsrud

Apr 15, 2013 3 mins

Cloud Management Hybrid Cloud Linux

How to Choose the Right Software Vendor

How do you sort through all the choices and find the right software vendor for your business? IT executives offer eight suggestions (along with four bonus tips) about what questions to ask software vendors as well as how to properly vet them and thei

By Jennifer Lonoff Schiff

Apr 15, 2013 6 mins

Budgeting Enterprise Applications IT Strategy

Is Healthcare IT Interoperability (Almost) Here?

Thousands of EHR systems crowd the market. Few are even integrated, let alone interoperable. But five of the largest EHR vendors have formed an alliance committed to interoperability, and a second, community-driven interoperability effort is also und

By Brian Eastwood

Apr 15, 2013 9 mins

Healthcare Industry IT Strategy Markets

4 Mobile Security Predictions to Help CIOs Plan for the Future

Few IT issues keep CIOs up at night the way mobile and BYOD do. Four mobile security trends will bring CIOs both restful nights and new challenges in 2013, says Forrester Research.

By Thor Olavsrud

Apr 15, 2013 7 mins

Mobile Device Management Mobile Security Small and Medium Business

Best iOS and Android Apps, Spring 2013 Edition – Part II

CIO.com blogger James A. Martin picks three more of his favorite iOS and Android apps so far this year, including an Evernote competitor, a calendar that gives you context, and a weather app.

By James A. Martin

Apr 13, 2013 3 mins

Small and Medium Business Smartphones iPhone

Would Elected Officials Really Oppose Internet Freedom?

Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee object to a bill that would legalize 'government control' overseas, claiming it could be used to undermine the FCC's Net Neutrality order.

By Kenneth Corbin

Apr 12, 2013 5 mins

Government Internet Regulation

How Benchmarking Can Improve IT Outsourcing Deals

As IT outsourcing has evolved so have IT outsourcing customers' benchmarking needs. As a result, a new approach to benchmarking is necessary. Kathy Rudy, partner with outsourcing consultancy ISG, discusses pros and cons of benchmarking for trans

By Stephanie Overby

Apr 12, 2013 7 mins

IT Leadership Outsourcing

7 Ways to Get Your CEO Fired

It's hard to train good CEOs. It's much easier to set them up for failure. Follow these seven steps and your chief executive officer is bound to be out of a job sooner or later.

By Rob Enderle

Apr 12, 2013 10 mins

Collaboration Software IT Leadership Small and Medium Business

16 Mobile Digital Disrupter Apps

Exciting mobile apps such as Pandora, Yelp and Hailo along with features running on smartphones and tablets have disrupted entire industries. The old ways of serving customers and bridging supply and demand are being upended by the more efficient one

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 12, 2013 3 mins

Mobile Apps Small and Medium Business Smartphones

Best iOS and Android Apps, Spring 2013 Edition – Part I

CIO.com blogger James A. Martin picks his favorite iOS and Android apps that he's reviewed this year. Today's winners: apps that make video editing easy, turn email browsing into a pleasurable experience, and banish paper junk mail.

By James A. Martin

Apr 11, 2013 3 mins

Compliance Small and Medium Business iPhone

The IRS Doesn’t Bother with Warrants Before Reading Your Emails

Warrants! The IRS don't need no stinking warrants! Thanks to the ACLU we now know the IRS thinks it's just fine to read your emails and texts without a warrant.

By Bill Snyder

Apr 11, 2013 3 mins

Government Internet Privacy

5 New LinkedIn Tips for Power Users

Have you kept up with LinkedIn's latest features? To help you zero in on the most significant enhancements and maximize your social networking success, here's a rundown of the latest changes and updates.

By Kristin Burnham

Apr 11, 2013 4 mins

IT Jobs LinkedIn Relationship Building

Cyber Threat Protections vs. Personal Data Privacy

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), a modified information-sharing bill, passes the House Intelligence Committee by a wide margin, in order to help better protect American businesses from cyber looters. However, despite ammendm

By Kenneth Corbin

Apr 11, 2013 4 mins

Cybercrime Government Privacy

Clearing Up Microsoft SkyDrive Pro Confusion

Microsoft SkyDrive Pro gives storage space to individual users in an organization with SharePoint Server 2013 Enterprise. It's conceptually similar to, but not the same as, the free consumer SkyDrive cloud storage service. Here's what else

By Jonathan Hassell

Apr 11, 2013 7 mins

Cloud Management Microsoft Office Small and Medium Business

Why ‘Agile Project Management Controls’ Isn’t an Oxymoron

George Carlin made phrases like 'jumbo shrimp' famous. But the need to control agile projects is no joke. Ask the right questions along the way, though, and you'll bring order to a process than can easily turn chaotic.

By David Taber

Apr 11, 2013 7 mins

Agile Development IT Governance Frameworks Project Management Tools

7 Tips to Help Project Managers Track Their Tech Teams

IT executives and project managers provide practical advice on how you can best monitor your team and head off potential problems.

By Jennifer Lonoff Schiff

Apr 11, 2013 5 mins

CIO IT Governance IT Strategy

No Surprise: Docs Show Obama Administration Lying About Drones

President Obama has repeatedly said drones would only be used against members of al Qaida and allied groups. However, leaked intelligence documents show the administration has been using them to settle political and tribal feuds for at least four yea

By Constantine von Hoffman

Apr 10, 2013 3 mins

Government Regulation

How to Turn Off LinkedIn Endorsements

If your connections are endorsing you for skills you donu0019t want to be known for (or donu0019t have), removing the feature from your LinkedIn profile is easy. Here's how to do it.

By Kristin Burnham

Apr 10, 2013 2 mins

LinkedIn Relationship Building Social Networking Apps

BYOD Gets Messy with AT&T Class Action Lawsuit

With a BYOD twist, AT&T agreed to settle a class action lawsuit for overcharging corporate customers for almost seven years. But like most things involving BYOD, this gets complicated.

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 10, 2013 3 mins

Carriers Legal Smartphones

Untangling Microsoft’s Communication and Collaboration Strategy

nIf you find Microsoft's current jumble of consumer and enterprise communications and collaboration products a bit confusing, you're not alone. However, the software giant is planning a vast network based on Lync, Skype, Yammer, SharePoint

By Paul Rubens

Apr 10, 2013 6 mins

Collaboration Software Small and Medium Business Unified Communications

10 New Business Travel Apps for Busy Executives

Headed on a last-minute business trip? These 10 apps will keep you organized, on time and on track.

By John Brandon

Apr 10, 2013 5 mins

Android Smartphones iPhone

Show Me the Money!

As many CIOs are proving, now is the time for CIOs to get closer to the revenue.

By Martha Heller

Apr 9, 2013 3 mins

CIO IT Jobs IT Strategy

Springpad iOS, Android App Now Lets You Embed Notebooks Online

Evernote competitor Springpad adds useful new features with version 4.0 for iOS and Android, including the ability to embed Springpad notebooks on a Web site or blog for others to follow.

By James A. Martin

Apr 9, 2013 2 mins

Mobile Device Management Small and Medium Business iPhone

4 Barriers Stand Between You and Big Data Insight

A majority of organizations believe that big data can give them a competitive advantage, but nearly 60 percent also believe that moving from data to insight is a major challenge. Consulting firm PwC says four barriers stand between your operation and

By Thor Olavsrud

Apr 9, 2013 8 mins

Big Data Business Intelligence Data Warehousing

How to Deal With Software Development Schedule Pressure

The work is due next month, but you know it won't be done for three months. Now what? A group of programmers and consultants met at a recent software development conference to swap war stories and discuss management and firefighting challenges.

By Matt Heusser

Apr 9, 2013 1 min

Agile Development IT Governance Frameworks Project Management Tools

What Will the iPhone 5S and iOS 7 Look Like?

The iPhone 5S rumors are swirling. Pundits and Apple watchers are predicting models with different screen sizes, cheaper prices, face recognition and NFC support.

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 9, 2013 4 mins

Smartphones iOS

What Cloud Computing Means For the Future of IT Organizations

At this year's Cloud Connect conference, discussion moved from defining cloud computing to discussing practical enterprises applications of the cloud. That is, until two McKinsey consultants suggested that the cloud could spell the end of IT org

By Bernard Golden

Apr 9, 2013 6 mins

CIO Cloud Management Hybrid Cloud

4 Facebook Home Privacy Facts

Facebook's new software for Android phones, called Facebook Home, puts the social network's photos and messaging front and center on your mobile device. Here's a look at how it does–and doesn't–affect your Facebook privacy.

By Kristin Burnham

Apr 9, 2013 4 mins

Facebook Privacy Social Networking Apps

Bank of America or EA: Vote for the Worst Company in America

Revenge can be sweet. It's your chance to let the bozos know what we think of them by voting in the Consumerist "Worst Company in America" contest.

By Bill Snyder

Apr 8, 2013 3 mins

Consumer Electronics Internet

Windows XP Support Ends in a Year, So What Are You Gonna Do About It?

To mark the one year remaining on the Windows XP support clock, Microsoft steps up its upgrade warnings and advice and offers a 15 percent upgrade discount for SMBs.

By Shane O'Neill

Apr 8, 2013 2 mins

Operating Systems Small and Medium Business Windows

12 Ways to Write a Better Cover Letter

Writing a solid cover letter can help you gain a competitive edge in a tough IT job market. Here are some tips that will help move your resume into the 'yes' pile.

By Rich Hein

Apr 8, 2013 6 mins

Careers IT Jobs

IT Spending on (Slight) Rise, Mobile Tops the List

Forty-eight percent of the CIOs surveyed expect to increase spending this year, up slightly from this time last year. Mobile, business intelligence, and cloud infrastructure and services are the most cited categories.

By Dan Muse

Apr 8, 2013 2 mins

Budgeting IT Leadership IT Strategy

HP Looks to Moonshot for Data Center of the Future

Seeking to reverse its flagging fortunes and build the foundational layer for the 'Internet of Things,' HP unveils a new class of software-defined server: the HP ProLiant Moonshot.

By Thor Olavsrud

Apr 8, 2013 4 mins

Big Data Enterprise Architecture Green IT

12 Ways to Improve the Healthcare User Experience

Technology is a great way to engage patients in managing their health, but poor design–whether it's a bad interface or an app that doesn't meet patients' needs–often stands in the way. These 12 tips will help designers and developers

By Brian Eastwood

Apr 8, 2013 12 mins

Developer Healthcare Industry IT Governance