News

Next Step in Virtualization: Consolidating Network Appliances in the Data Center

New virtualization technologies make it possible to corral and organize the myriad network appliances in the data center that monitor network performance and usage as well as provide security.

By Dan Joe Barry

Jun 30, 2011 7 mins

Data Center Virtualization

Best BlackBerry PlayBook Cases: Protect Your Tablet in Style

CIO.com's mobile maestro Al Sacco handpicks seven great-looking and functional BlackBerry PlayBook cases to help protect your shiny new tablet, add comfort and features–and give you some extra style points in the process.

By Al Sacco

Jun 30, 2011 5 mins

Small and Medium Business Smartphones Tablets

LinkedIn Quick Tip: How to Listen to Today’s Top Headlines

LinkedIn's new feature for browsers and iPhones, "SpeechIn," uses text-to-speech to read you the day's top news headlines — a great feature for people on the go, with some tweaks.

By Kristin Burnham

Jun 30, 2011 2 mins

LinkedIn Social Networking Apps

RIM Scraps Planned 10″ PlayBook Tablet: Why That’s Good for BlackBerry Users

Gadget geeks and CrackBerry addicts won't see a larger BlackBerry PlayBook tablet anytime soon, according to a recent report. But CIO.com's Al Sacco says that's actually a good thing, Here's why.

By Al Sacco

Jun 29, 2011 4 mins

Small and Medium Business Smartphones Ultrabook

Employees: Now’s the Time to Request Perks From Your Employer

With corporate hiring once again on the rise and competition for the best and brightest heating up, employees are well-positioned to ask for perks like flexible work schedules or tuition reimbursement.

By Meridith Levinson

Jun 29, 2011 3 mins

Careers IT Leadership Remote Work

Is Your CRM System Meeting Your Enterprise’s Needs?

Your customer needs have been changing. Is your CRM system keeping pace? If you deployed your system 10 years ago, chances are that it's probably not.

By Todd R. Weiss

Jun 29, 2011 5 mins

CRM Systems Cloud Computing Enterprise Architecture

What We’re Reading from the July 1, 2011 Issue of CIO Magazine

Books, blogs and research about IT, management and leadership

By CIO Staff

Jun 29, 2011 3 mins

How AmEx Disciplined Unruly Software Updates

The company is using repeatable processes to roll out software updates more efficiently

By Kim S. Nash

Jun 29, 2011 3 mins

Developer

4 Steps to Help Your IT Team When Disaster Strikes

CIOs who have been through disasters share ideas to help employees cope personally and professionally in a catastrophe, so they can help with business recovery.

By Kim S. Nash

Jun 29, 2011 2 mins

CIO Disaster Recovery

5 Things You Need to Know About Google Chromebooks

The simplicity of cloud computing might be appealing to some users, but connectivity and security are still concerns.

By Lauren Brousell

Jun 29, 2011 3 mins

Cloud Computing IT Leadership Productivity Software

For San Francisco Giants, Dynamic Pricing Software Hits a Home Run

Factors such as starting pitchers and Friday-night fireworks help the San Francisco Giants boost revenue by matching ticket prices to demand

By Stephanie Overby

Jun 29, 2011 3 mins

Business Intelligence Cloud Computing Innovation

Time to Put Your Money on Mobile

If youu2019re not shifting your IT budget into the mobile Web, youu2019re at a competitive disadvantage

By Adam Hartung

Jun 29, 2011 3 mins

Budgeting Consumer Electronics Small and Medium Business

Why Personal Leadership Style Matters When Disaster Strikes

CIOs say helping workers cope is key to recovery

By Maryfran Johnson

Jun 29, 2011 2 mins

IT Leadership

How to Be a Better Leader in a Disaster

From Japanu2019s triple disaster to tornadoes in the United States, catastrophe can strike anywhere. And when it does, your leadership will matter more than the specifics of your business-continuity plan. CIOs who have been through earthquakes and mo

By Kim S. Nash

Jun 29, 2011 15 mins

CIO Disaster Recovery

Turning an Outsourcer Into a Strategic Partner

How Hallmark Cards transformed an outsourcing relationship from one that just supplied IT support into a partnership that provides strategic advice.

By Kim S. Nash

Jun 29, 2011 3 mins

Enterprise Architecture Retail Industry SaaS

Office 365: It’s Not Just for SMBs

Microsoft's focus at the Office 365 launch event in New York City was on small and midsize businesses. For enterprises, however, moving to Office 365 is more complicated, but benefits await those big businesses that plan accordingly.

By Shane O'Neill

Jun 29, 2011 5 mins

Internet SaaS Servers

How Random House Overcame 3 Common Enterprise Collaboration Obstacles

Enterprise collaboration tools can foster better communication and elicit transparency from business units. Here's how Random House implemented an enterprise collaboration suite, encouraged adoption and is measuring its success.

By Kristin Burnham

Jun 29, 2011 6 mins

Collaboration Software Innovation Small and Medium Business

Virtualization Check-Up: How’s Your Strategy Shaping Up So Far in 2011?

How a top-to-bottom virtualization review inside your enterprise can help make your systems more efficient.

By Todd R. Weiss

Jun 28, 2011 6 mins

Enterprise Applications Virtualization

While the similarities between Facebook and Google+ are obvious, Google's new network may make it a contender in the social media arena. Here's a look at the features it unveiled today.

By Kristin Burnham

Jun 28, 2011 3 mins

Facebook Internet Social Networking Apps

Android, BlackBerry, iOS Expected to Get New Mobile Payments Apps in July

MasterCard and CSI Enterprises are expected to release a handful of new mobile payments applications for Android, BlackBerry and iOS this summer, but it's unclear whether or not the apps will employ NFC for payment transactions or another techno

By Al Sacco

Jun 28, 2011 3 mins

Carriers Small and Medium Business iPhone

Avoiding Web Domain Mistakes

News of the potential sale of domain name sales giant GoDaddy.com for more than $2 billion sparked me to research how many domains are in use today. And a quick Internet query turned that info right up.

By Sandra Gittlen

Jun 28, 2011 2 mins

Internet

How to Address Failure in a Job Interview

IT failures that occurred on your watch don't have to kill your chances of landing a new job. You just need to know how to discuss them in job interviews. Here are five tips.

By Meridith Levinson

Jun 28, 2011 4 mins

Careers IT Jobs

Five New Android Apps You Don’t Want to Miss

This latest batch of apps for your Google Android smartphone lets you stream your favorite TV shows and films, pay for your morning caffeine fix or just kill some time…and maybe a few zombies too.

By Al Sacco

Jun 28, 2011 4 mins

Internet Small and Medium Business Smartphones

Is Offshoring Different in the Cloud?

IT has been offshoring projects for 20 years. How does cloud computing change the situation?

By David Taber

Jun 28, 2011 5 mins

CRM Systems Cloud Computing Outsourcing

On Eve of Office 365 Release, Google Airs It Out

The cloud brawl between Google and Microsoft heated up today as Google hurled some more fightin' words about Office 365 via a company blog post.

By Shane O'Neill

Jun 27, 2011 3 mins

Microsoft Office Office Suites SaaS

Why You Should Ditch That “Sent from My Mobile Device” E-Mail Signature

Still using an e-mail signature to let recipients know you're sending messages from your BlackBerry, iPhone or other handheld? CIO.com's Al Sacco explains why now is the time to do away with that redundant "Sent from my" mobile de

By Al Sacco

Jun 27, 2011 3 mins

Small and Medium Business Smartphones iPhone

Cloud Computing’s Present and Future: What You Need to Know

Cloud computing is entering companies with the momentum of a locomotive, writes CIO.com virtualization blogger Bernard Golden. Here, he shares the striking facts about cloud computing's present and future that he obtained while attending recent

By Bernard Golden

Jun 27, 2011 9 mins

Cloud Computing Developer Virtualization

Notable Shift: Enterprise Customer Interest in ERP Gaining Some Steam at Mid-Year

Last fall, a Forrester Research study found that most had no interest in investing in ERP. New information, however, is showing a renewed enthusiasm for ERP.

By Todd R. Weiss

Jun 27, 2011 6 mins

CRM Systems ERP Systems Enterprise Applications

How to Overcome New Job Jitters

Don't let your anxiety about starting a new job cripple your performance. Heed these six tips for controlling your new job jitters.

By Meridith Levinson

Jun 27, 2011 6 mins

Careers

Mobile Payments: Don’t Buy into It

Hackers are counting on all of us to use our smartphones for purchases, so don't buy into this ill-equipped technology, writes Bill Snyder of CIO.com. Mobile phones are simply not secure enough yet to be used like a credit card.

By Bill Snyder

Jun 27, 2011 5 mins

Carriers Data Breach Small and Medium Business

Twitter to Kill Older Interface “Very, Very Soon”

Twitter is migrating all users to "the new Twitter" platform imminently. If you haven't already switched, here's what you need to know.

By Kristin Burnham

Jun 24, 2011 3 mins

Social Networking Apps Twitter

Check Out Korn/Ferry’s Career Playbook for Job Search Advice

Executive search firm Korn/Ferry International recently published a primer on how to conduct a job search. Here are five practical highlights from the publication.

By Meridith Levinson

Jun 24, 2011 3 mins

Careers IT Jobs

BlackBerry Co-CEOs Lose Billionaire Status

Recent woes at Research In Motion (RIM) have drastically decreased the net worth of both of the company's chief executives, chopping their total values in half in just a few months.

By Al Sacco

Jun 24, 2011 2 mins

Mobile Small and Medium Business Smartphones

There’s No Place Like ‘Homepage’

The concept of a domain name has always fascinated me — so much so that I at one time pondered writing a book on its history. Seemingly overnight, the whole concept of a "name" that matched an IP address became a must-have for corporate b

By Sandra Gittlen

Jun 24, 2011 3 mins

Internet

How Managing Applications Is Like Managing a Baseball Team

Baseball managers know that unless you monitor their health and performance of your players, you aren't optimizing the performance of the team. The same can be said for your applications and how your employees use them. Or as Yogi Berra put it:

By Lori Wizdo, Vice President, Knoa Software

Jun 24, 2011 6 mins

Enterprise Applications IT Leadership IT Strategy

What IT Vendors Can Learn From an Airplane Redesign

Boeing's redesign of the overhead call buttons should be a reminder to all IT vendors that it's better late than never to listen to your customers.

By Todd R. Weiss

Jun 23, 2011 4 mins

CRM Systems ERP Systems Enterprise Applications

Houston, We Have an Xbox: Microsoft Opens 10th Store

Microsoft may actually be serious about this retail thing as it opens store number 10 in a Houston mall complete with a performance by pop singer Kelly Clarkson. At least four more Microsoft stores are set to open this year.

By Shane O'Neill

Jun 23, 2011 3 mins

Carriers Laptops Small and Medium Business

Leaked Images of Nokia’s First Windows Phone Smartphone

Images of what appears to be Nokia's first Windows-Phone-powered smartphone were leaked today, along with a video of the company's CEO talking up the device during a private presentation.

By Al Sacco

Jun 23, 2011 1 min

Mobile Small and Medium Business Smartphones

RIM to BlackBerry Torch Users: Downgrade Your OS for More Battery Life

RIM has issued an advisory that instructs BlackBerry Torch 9800 users running AT&T's latest official BlackBerry OS to downgrade to another version for extended battery life.

By Al Sacco

Jun 23, 2011 1 min

Carriers Small and Medium Business Smartphones

Foursquare, AmEx Let Credit Card Users “Checkin” and Save

An expanded partnership between American Express and foursquare will allow users of the location-based social network to save money on purchases at certain retailers just by "checking in" and using their AmEx cards.

By Al Sacco

Jun 23, 2011 3 mins

Mobile Small and Medium Business Smartphones

Bankers See Regulatory Reforms Spurring M&a

Banks may well turn to dealmaking as a result of the pressure they're getting from regulatory reforms, a survey of bank executives indicates.

By Roy Harris

Jun 23, 2011 4 mins

Financial Services Industry Mergers and Acquisitions Regulation

CFOs Seek Greater Skills for Managing Financial Risk

The role of the corporate finance department is moving more deeply into the areas of financial risk management, performance management, and enhanced nonfinancial and statistical reporting, according to new survey titled the "Finance Capabilities

By Roy Harris

Jun 23, 2011 4 mins

Careers IT Leadership Risk Management

Outsourcing: How to Avoid Contract Disputes

For all their verbiage and legalese, outsourcing contracts can be surprisingly general and vague, leading to disputes between outsourcer and customer. To quickly resolve conflicts–and avoid costly litigation–consider the following six recommendatio

By Stephanie Overby

Jun 23, 2011 6 mins

Legal Outsourcing

Implementing Territories in CRM Systems

Defining and managing sales territories is one of the key responsibilities of sales management. But territories in CRM systems can be one of the hardest parts of the implementation.

By David Taber

Jun 23, 2011 5 mins

CRM Systems Enterprise Applications

3 Steps for Better Data Center Capacity Planning

Capacity planning is no longer just a process aimed at forecasting hardware needs; it's the key to understanding and optimizing the cost of running business services through platform selection. Forrester recommends updating today's capacity

By Jean-Pierre Garbani

Jun 23, 2011 4 mins

ITIL System Management Virtualization

BPOS Cloud Outage: Microsoft Tweets to Calm Nerves, Give Updates

Microsoft quickly restored today's ill-timed but short-lived BPOS outage, using Twitter as a forum to update and reassure customers. But is this one cloud outage too far?

By Shane O'Neill

Jun 22, 2011 3 mins

Microsoft Office Office Suites SaaS

Social tools that build communities, help find subject experts and connect global workforces were on everyone's mind this week at the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston. Here's a recap plus a handful of product announcements.

By Kristin Burnham

Jun 22, 2011 3 mins

Social Networking Apps

RIM to Discontinue BES Express for IBM Lotus Domino?

RIM could soon stop offering its free BES Express for IBM Lotus Domino to SMBs and other small organizations, though the Microsoft Exchange version should still be available.

By Al Sacco

Jun 22, 2011 2 mins

Mobile Small and Medium Business Smartphones

End of the Wild West for IT?

IT hasn't stabilized into a set of well-defined and accepted practices. This isn't a sign of chaos or bad management. It means we're doing what we're supposed to be doing — constantly innovating and finding better ways of doing t

By Bob Lewis

Jun 22, 2011 4 mins

Know Thyself: Career Advice for the Clueless

Lack of self-awareness prevents multitudes of people from advancing in their careers. The conundrum they face is that they're too enamored with their egos to realize that they're the ones holding themselves back.

By Meridith Levinson

Jun 22, 2011 3 mins

Careers IT Leadership