News

Fast-Food CIOs Are Fast Learners

This $707 billion global industry is building more intimate customer relationships by pushing the IT envelope on technologies like real-time data analysis, inventory-tracking sensors and mobile payments

Does Technology Makes Us Smarter Or Dumber?

IDG Enterprise CEO Mike Friedenberg ponders a bleak future where self-driving cars, smart appliances and drone technology leave humans without much to do–except get fat and push buttons.

Workday Focuses on Its Post-IPO Future

Workdayu2019s HR software-as-a-service tool wins praise for ease-of-use, but it remains to be seen whether the company's financial module will be adopted as quickly

10 Ways Tech Is Making Fast Food Personal

Fast food restaurants want to use technology–theirs and yours–to create a highly intimate customer experience. Your personal device and the restaurant's own systems will exchange data, for your convenience and their profit. Fast food becomes n

Flipboard for iOS Gets Online ‘Magazine’ Publishing Tools

CIO.com blogger James A. Martin only used Flipboard occasionally in the past, but a new software update added tools that make the app much more useful. Here's why.

Captain Chaos: Superhero CIO of 2013

US Wasted $60B on Iraq Rebuilding Projects, Report Says

The U.S. military chose not to use any sort of financial-management software to track money it spent in Iraq. Thanks to a report from auditors and investigators, the government now has some idea of where all that cash went. But the report does not pa

Windows Blue Marks a Faster, Nimbler Microsoft

Leaked screenshots of a Windows 8 update, code-named Windows Blue, show improvements to the touch-friendly Start Screen and less emphasis on the Desktop. But more importantly, it shows Microsoft can drive in the fast lane.

13 Tips to Get Business Teams to Use Your CRM System

Having a great new customer relationship management system won't be worth much until you figure out how to get everyone to use it. CRM experts provide tips on how to get members of your sales, marketing and customer service teams to actually use

Office 365 Mixes New Features, Familiar Feel and Bridge to the Cloud

The new Office 365 and its enterprise-grade cloud services are a good option for a business of any size. We look at the Windows 8 experience, the desktop-cloud connection and which of the new features will most appeal to both end-users and IT admins.

Why Diversity Matters in IT Hiring

Building a network of diverse IT talent–people who will be ready for your next job opening–is a year-round task with a big payoff, says a former divisional CIO at GE

How a CIO at ING Japan Transformed Its IT Operation

The CIO at ING Insurance in Japan explains how he provided a new vision and framework for improving the reputation and effectiveness of the IT department

Great CIOs Are Politically Savvy

Despite all our objective metrics, executing a business strategy requires a personal touch, says Brand Velocity's Jack Bergstrand

Airport’s CIO Turns to Mobile App Helps Harried Travelers

Dallas-Fort Worth airportu2019s smartphone app makes it easier for customers to find their gate, food and a parking place

11 Time Management and Productivity Apps for Android

In the demanding world of IT, it seems as if everyone's workload has increased, making productivity and time management critical workplace skills. Balancing it all can seem unmanageable, but help is at your fingertips–if you know where to look.

Words of Wisdom from Leading CIOs

CIOs from Best Buy, Motorola, Visteon and more, offer valuable career advice.

T-Mobile Gets Apple’s iPhone, But Think Twice Before You Sign Up

T-Mobile's new no-contract iPhone deal has some good points, but is full of gotchas. Make sure you read the fine print.

Windows 8 Update: Ad-Free Pandora; Slow App Growth; Software Enhancements

Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 have been getting a lot of attention in recent days. Most of the news is good for Windows 8 users, but maybe not so much for Microsoft, according to CIO.com blogger James A. Martin.

Android Tablets Challenge iPad on the Factory Floor

iPads have become a staple in many factories, but cost-conscious plant managers are opening up to cheaper, and increasingly popular, Android tablets.

Does Big Data Spell the End of Business Intelligence As We Know It?

Traditional BI requires human input to decide what correlated factors to query. As predictive data analytics gets increasingly powerful, the algorithms do the deciding. That spells the end of BI as CIO.com columnist Bernard Golden knows it–and he do

Social Networking Drives Business Processes at Pandora and Rosetta Stone

Pandora and Rosetta Stone have embraced social business tools and the cloud to cut costs, increase productivity and improve collaboration. Learn how these two companies overcame security concerns, gained executive buy-in and more.

6 IT Security Innovations to Keep You Ahead of Attackers

Hardly a day goes by without a new security threat emerging. Traditional security tools aren't always up to the task of keeping sensitive business information in safe hands. These six innovations will help you stay a step ahead.

How Play at Work Can Lead to IT Innovation

All work and no play does more than make Jack a dull boy. It can stifle creativity. A playful office helps corporate problem-solving and sparks innovation.

10 Real-World Big Data Deployments That Will Change Our Lives

The amount of data in the world is increasing exponentially, doubling every 18 months. Here are 10 real-world big data deployments you may not have realized were driven by big data.

10 Tech Products to Boost Your Small Business Productivity

From mini storage arrays to IP cameras to print servers, these 10 hardware devices will help you run your small business more efficiently whether you're in the office or hitting the road to close a deal.

Shattered BlackBerry Z10 Display ‘Spells Death,’ iFixit Says

A recent "teardown" component analysis of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone by iFixit found the gadget to be uncommonly easy to take apart and repair. But it also uncovered the Z10's Achilles heel when it comes to durability: Its display.

7 Tools to Build Websites Using Responsive Design

As smartphone and tablet use continues to grow, it's increasingly important for your business website to look good on a small screen. These seven tools will help you build a fully functional site for phone, tablet and traditional desktop devices

Mobile and Personalization Technologies Drive Fast Food Chains to the Future

The future of burger joints and smoothie bars involves customer-friendly technologies that will make fast food more of a service and less of a destination.

Don’t Think Your Cloud Data Is Safe from the Cops

Police around the world asked Microsoft for user data stored in the cloud 76,000 times in 2012. And most of the time, they got it.

Microsoft Says Windows RT Is the Future, But Can it Survive the Present?

A Microsoft exec defends Windows RT as a disruptive technology that will get stronger in time. But RT may run out of time if the Windows Store can't compete with Android and iOS.

Why Google’s New ‘Keep’ Service Might Not Be a Keeper

Google this week released a new Android app and associated Web-based service, called Keep, to help users collect and organize thoughts, ideas and notes. But CIO.com blogger James A. Martin wonders, given Google's track record, if Keep will prove

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt Cheating on Android with BlackBerry (GASP!)

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is cheating on his company's own mobile platform, Android, with a BlackBerry smartphone. At least that's what most of the media outlets reporting on the story would have you think.

Bribery Charges Against HP, Oracle and IBM Validate Gov’t Regulation

HP, Oracle and IBM are being investigated for bribery by Polish authorities, and the United States probably isn't far behind. It's common to hear complains about government regulation of business, but such regulation is essential, according

Killing the Help Desk Softly – or Blowing It Up

A "bring your own support" movement is sprouting up within BYOD programs as employees become more self-sufficient. Is this a death knell for the IT help desk? One possible savior: an enterprise Genius Bar.

BlackBerry Z10 Review, Tips, Tricks, Best Apps and More

CIO.com's Al Sacco got his hands on the BlackBerry Z10 long before its official U.S. release. Here's a BlackBerry Z10 round up that includes an in-depth review of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, BlackBerry 10 tips and tricks, BlackBerry 10 a

Will Obamacare Tax Your iPhone as a Medical Device?

Food and Drug Administration official addresses concerns that the agency will impose heavy regulations on consumer devices in health IT rulemaking and discusses possibility of iPhone tax under Obama's health care law.

Big Data Success Is All in the Analysis

IT executives are starting to realize that there's little value in big data without robust analytics systems that can crunch the numbers and give key decision makers (read: their bosses) easy-to-digest information. With so few real solutions on

Healthcare CEO Expects IT to Keep Firm Ahead of the Curve

For Craig Smith, of Owens and Minor, IT is essential to employee collaboration, innovation and maintaining a competitive edge in a fast-changing industry.u2002

Will Microsoft’s Cash Offer to Windows 8 Developers Pay Off?

Microsoft's promise to pay developers $100 for each Windows 8 or Windows Phone app does not reflect a company confident in its mobile strategy. But it could be the only way to kick start the lethargic Windows 8 app ecosystem.

Amazon’s New ‘Send to Kindle’ Button Perfect for Offline Reading

Amazon released a button for website owners that lets visitors quickly and easily send articles to Kindles for reading offline or in the future.

As Twitter Turns 7, Here’s How to Revisit Your First Tweet

Twitter celebrates seven years with a video highlighting its most memorable moments. Plus, here's how you can find out when you joined the social network and rediscover your first tweet.

Best Tech Careers for Introverted IT Pros

Being an introvert isn't easy in the constantly evolving and networked world of technology. The banter that comes so easy to some is a mystery to the shy. Those who are able to 'fake it' spend a great deal of time recharging their batt

Best Tech Careers for Introverted IT Pros

Being an introvert isn't easy in the constantly evolving and networked world of technology. The banter that comes so easy to some is a mystery to the shy. Those who are able to 'fake it' spend a great deal of time recharging their batt

Iran Is a More Volatile Cyber Threat to U.S. than China or Russia

Cyber threats from larger, more advanced nations that have diplomatic relations with the United States focus on cyber espionage and theft. But Iran is a more irrational actor and is building a cyber capability that is retaliatory in nature.

6 CSS Tools to Help You Build a Better Website

Version 3 of Cascading Style Sheets give website designers more control over page layout and page elements. If you plan to build (or rebuild) your small business website using CSS, these six applications are worth a look.

How to Tell You’re Being Lied To (Iraq War Edition)

America's reasons for invading Iraq were always utter nonsense. On the 10th anniversary of the start of the war, CIO.com blogger Constantine von Hoffman spotlights some basic questions very few people were willing to ask at the time about why th

Five Shopping Myths That Will Cost You Money

Don't believe it when a salesperson tells you should buy an extended warranty on your new HDTV or pay an extra $100 for a faster processor. Here's the myth-busting truth.

Twitter’s Instant Replays Keep You on Top of March Madness

NCAA basketball tournament fans can get a quick fix of all the top plays minutes after they happen by following the official March Madness Twitter account.

BlackBerry 10 Has US, German Security Nod but No UK Okay (UPDATED)

Reports suggest the United Kingdom rejected BlackBerry 10 for secure government use, but BlackBerry denies the claims and says the approval process is just taking longer than expected.

4 Ways Federal Fiscal Austerity Will Impact CIOs

First there was the fiscal cliff. Now there's the sequester. Neither caused the sky to fall, but both will have a slow, steady impact on the economy. That means CIOs should tread carefully when crafting IT budgets for the next couple years–and