News

Data Management

It’s Time for CIOs to Get in the Game

IT-business alignment is no longer the conversation, finds CIO magazine Editor in Chief Maryfran Johnson. Todayu2019s top IT executives know itu2019s all about creating business value.

By Maryfran Johnson

Business IT Alignment

Is Your Domain Safe from Seizures for Copyright Infringement?

A group questions the governmentu2019s process for shutdowns, but corporate sites are likely protected under safe-harbor provisions

By Grant Gross

Government

Companies Explore Private Virtual Worlds

Alternatives to Second Life provide security while boosting productivity

By Maria Korolov

Privacy Productivity Software

IT Value Is Dead. Long Live Business Value.

Business outcomes from technology investments are all that really matter. The CIOu2019s challenge is finding new ways to prove ITu2019s worth.

By Stephanie Overby

May 12, 2011 17 mins

Business IT Alignment

Numbers You Need to Know: Employees Take Tech to Work

A Forrester survey shows a growing number of employees are using their own apps and devices to do their work more efficiently

By Lauren Brousell

IT Leadership Mobile Small and Medium Business

Can Video Analytics Rev Up Marketing?

Harley-Davidson Canada road tests a video analytics system to better target its marketing to customers in its stores

By Stephanie Overby

Business Intelligence Retail Industry

Few Options Exist for Managing Multiple Mobile Platforms

Logistics company adopts containerization model, but is still searching for all-in-one solution

By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Consumer Electronics Mobile Small and Medium Business

How to Make Time for Your Professional Development

Larry Bonfante, CIO of the United States Tennis Association, has 3 tips you should know

By Larry Bonfante

Careers

Time to Showcase America’s Tech

The United States needs a big, public technology event to show off our IT innovations.

By Gary Beach

Innovation

How to End an IT Turf War

Sports Authorityu2019s CIO put a stop to finger-pointing and backbitingu2002

By Cindy Waxer

BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat Behind the Firewall: Ports and Port Forwarding

Research In Motion (RIM) has posted information for IT admins to help ensure BlackBerry PlayBook tablet Video Chat functions properly via firewall-protected corporate networks.

Small and Medium Business Smartphones VoIP

Encourage innovation? What does that mean?

There are reasons companies don't encourage employee innovation. None of them are good, but there are reasons.

By Bob Lewis

May 11, 2011 5 mins

CFO Outlook Positive, but Energy, Inflation Worries Grow

Finance executives at U.S. corporations remain optimistic about the next 12 months, as the large gains in the profits they expect balance out their concerns about energy cost rises and inflation. That's the conclusion of the quarterly "CFO

By Roy Harris

May 11, 2011 4 mins

Cloud Computing Disaster Recovery

Disaster Recovery is Everyone’s Job

I was discussing my article on the Amazon EC2 Cloud failure, and a related blog (as well as reaction from the Twittersphere) with my editor, and the issue came up of cloud-related disaster recovery falling under the responsibility of IT. Having cover

By Sandra Gittlen

May 11, 2011 2 mins

VM Stall: How to Avoid A Sneaky Virtualization Project Enemy

Cost and organizational mistakes can bring virtualization projects to a virtual stall at dangerous times. Consider this expert advice on how to keep your virtualization project moving through four key phases.

By Kevin Fogarty

May 11, 2011 9 mins

Virtualization

Cloud CIO: Like Open Source, Cloud Hides in Plain Sight

Open source caused many embarrassing conversations for CIOs: A CIO would say we have no open source software — then walk the halls and find it in use. This same scenario is playing out with cloud services, says CIO.com's Bernard Golden.

By Bernard Golden

May 11, 2011 7 mins

Cloud Computing Virtualization

BlackBerry PlayBook Tips for All RIM Tablet Users

Got yourself a shiny new BlackBerry PlayBook? Learn how to get more done in less time, boost tablet security, manage applications and more, using these seven easy PlayBook tips and tricks, courtesy of CIO.com's Al Sacco.

Small and Medium Business Smartphones Wi-Fi

May 11, 2011 9 mins

CIO Salaries, Satisfaction, and Standing Rise

Results of a recent CIO survey conducted by executive search firm Harvey Nash show that CIOs are earning more money, expanding their responsibilities, and enjoying greater strategic standing and job satisfaction inside their companies.

By Meridith Levinson

May 11, 2011 4 mins

CIO Innovation Salaries

Microsoft-Skype Deal: Three Ways It Benefits Enterprises

Microsoft bought Skype to beef up its consumer products and keep Google at bay. However, the union will help enterprise users in less obvious ways as Skype becomes a key Microsoft weapon in "the consumerization of IT."

Small and Medium Business Smartphones Social Networking Apps

May 11, 2011 3 mins

Protect Your BlackBerry PlayBook with an Extended Warranty from RIM

RIM is offering a $130-extended-warranty option to new BlackBerry PlayBook owners to help protect tablets from accidental damage

Mobile Small and Medium Business

May 10, 2011 1 min

LinkedIn Tip: How to Use “Signal” to Job Hunt

LinkedIn's feed of member status updates and Twitter updates deliver big potential benefits for job seekers. Here's how you can use the tool to land a job others may not know about.

IT Jobs LinkedIn Relationship Building

May 10, 2011 5 mins

The Trouble with Coding Across the Clouds, Part 2

Even the best cloud applications offer only one native development language for business logic. What if you really need to leverage software assets in another language? It's not as simple as just using another cloud's code.

By David Taber

May 10, 2011 5 mins

Cloud Computing Data Center

Idea Thieves: Why It’s OK for Tech’s Elite to Steal

Tech's top companies are ripping each other off — not that there's anything wrong with that. So who's robbing who?

May 9, 2011 4 mins

Data Center

Learning to Be Cloud Wary

Recently I talked to several corporate executives who claimed last month's Amazon cloud service outage gave them pause. While none were threatening to build in-house infrastructure, the blinders were off regarding the halo that had been wrapped

By Sandra Gittlen

May 9, 2011 2 mins

Cloud Computing

Drenched By the Cloud

Thursday, April 21, is a day that Michael Downing, the CEO and CFO of social media start-up Tout, won't soon forget. In the wee hours of the morning, Downing learned a harsh lesson: cloud computing is not bulletproof.

By Sandra Gittlen

By Chris Curran, Principal, PwC's Diamond Advisory Services

Cloud Computing

How CIOs Can Become Business Forecasters

The CIO who can help the boss more accurately predict the future and manage profitability across economic cycles can be indispensable. Chris Curran shares some suggestions on how you can be that CIO.

May 9, 2011 4 mins

CIO IT Leadership

BlackBerry PlayBook Apps: 8 Great Free Downloads

CIO.com's Mobile Maestro Al Sacco recommends another batch of quality BlackBerry PlayBook apps. Access your favorite social networks, quickly take notes, draw sketches and build scrapbooks, kill time with simple games and much more with these fr

Enterprise Applications Small and Medium Business Tablets

IT Pay Creeps Up After Two-Year Downward Spiral

IT staffing executives predict pay for permanent and contract workers will increase as companies undertake infrastructure and application development projects they had put on hold during the recession.

By Meridith Levinson

Careers IT Jobs Salaries

Facebook Quick Tips: How to Hide Recent Activity; Shorten Status Tags

Facebook's newest features unclutter your activity stream and simplify tagging. Here's why it's useful and how it works.

Consumer Electronics Facebook Social Networking Apps

May 9, 2011 3 mins

Google Voice: Are You Missing Out on Coolest Features?

Google Voice is a complement to existing wireless or wired phone service; it doesn't replace it. CIO.com's Bill Snyder explains what it can do for you or your business.

By Bill Snyder

Internet Social Networking Apps

IT Offshoring and Data Privacy – Are They Incongruous?

India enacts new privacy laws while China considers adopting them. What are the ramifications to IT outsourcing?

By Beth Bacheldor

May 8, 2011 4 mins

Enterprise Applications

Not Your Grandfather’s Data Warehouse – Big Data and Virtualization Impact your EDW Architecture

EAs should consider Big Data and Data Virtualization impacts on their future DW architecture

By Brian Hopkins

May 6, 2011 3 mins

Enterprise Architecture

BlackBerry by the Numbers: Stats from BlackBerry World 2011

RIM shared a number of noteworthy new statistics on subscribers, applications, developers and more at BlackBerry World 2011.

May 6, 2011 2 mins

Enterprise Applications

5 Google Apps Features Guaranteed to Boost Productivity

From creating custom surveys to collaboratively whiteboarding, here are five Google Apps features that promise to save you time.

Internet Personal Software Social Networking Apps

May 6, 2011 4 mins

Buying SaaS: 3 Ways to Ensure Cloud Benefits Meet Enterprise Needs

Before you purchase those increasingly popular and cost-effective SaaS apps for CRM, collaboration or business intelligence, make sure you understand the long-term benefits and usage metrics and plan an exit strategy, writes research firm Forrester.

Microsoft Office Office Suites SaaS

May 6, 2011 4 mins

BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (MVS) 5.1: Three New Features for Enterprises

RIM announced a new version of its BlackBerry Mobile Voice System at its annual BlackBerry World Conference. CIO.com's Al Sacco spotlights the three most notable new business features in BlackBerry MVS 5.1.

Small and Medium Business Smartphones VoIP

May 6, 2011 3 mins

Workplace Culture at LinkedIn, Facebook and Google: 4 Lessons For You

Four characteristics set these young, successful businesses apart from more "established" ones.

May 5, 2011 4 mins

Enterprise Applications

Watch Out IE: Google Gets Serious with Chrome TV Spots

Google has gone surprisingly mainstream with emotional TV ads for Chrome, proving it will invest big to compete with IE.

May 4, 2011 3 mins

Data Center

BlackBerry App World Expected to Get Secure Enterprise Features This Summer

A recent rumor suggests RIM's consumer-oriented BlackBerry App World mobile appstore will soon get some new enterprise features.

Mobile Small and Medium Business

May 4, 2011 2 mins

Why You Shouldn’t Take a Pay Cut to Telecommute

A recent survey shows that more than one-third of IT professionals would take a 10 percent pay cut to work from home.

By Meridith Levinson

May 4, 2011 4 mins

Careers

Finance Lessons From Abbottabad?

Corporate finance lessons from the dramatic turn of events in Abbottabad, Pakistan, may be few and far-between this week. But among the reports from the tech-based IDG network of publications, as well as from Bloomberg News, are numerous articles tha

By Roy Harris

May 4, 2011 4 mins

RIM's new social networking VP explains how social networks can be valuable tools for of business and how the BlackBerry maker is making social networking safer and easier for enterprise customers.

Facebook Small and Medium Business Smartphones

May 4, 2011 4 mins

IT Outsourcing in China: What CIOs Need to Know About New Data Privacy Guidelines

China has proposed strict new data security regulations that could hamper the country's nascent IT outsourcing industry if made into law, even as they aim to give foreign business leaders confidence in the way the Chinese handle sensitive busine

By Stephanie Overby

May 4, 2011 6 mins

Outsourcing Privacy Security

How We Moved Almost Everything to the Cloud: 5 Lessons

In 2010, creative services firm Aquent moved even its custom ERP system to the cloud — where most other key business apps such as e-mail were already running. The result: Better agility and IT spend slashed by 50 percent.

By Robert Lemos

May 4, 2011 6 mins

Cloud Computing

Cloud CIO: Lessons from the OpenStack Design Summit

The recent OpenStack Design Summit delivered some interesting insight on cost and infrastructure — whether you're working with this open source technology, or other cloud platforms, says CIO.com's Bernard Golden. Check out two lessons lear

By Bernard Golden

May 4, 2011 6 mins

Cloud Computing Virtualization

Tablets won’t be disruptive ’til the future gets here

"Disruptive technology" used to mean something important. Now it means "good." That's too bad..

By Bob Lewis

May 3, 2011 5 mins

Google Apps for Business: 10 Powerful Add-Ons

Check out these 10 Google Apps add-ons designed to enhance the Google Apps experience and help you take care of business — from data protection to project management and more. All add-ons can be found at Google Apps Marketplace, and most of them are

Enterprise Applications Internet

May 3, 2011 5 mins

RIM, Microsoft Announce New BlackBerry Partnership with Focus on Bing

Microsoft's Bing will now be the default search engine for all new BlackBerry devices, as part of a new deal between RIM and Redmond.

Mobile Small and Medium Business Smartphones

May 3, 2011 2 mins

First Look at BlackBerry PlayBook Native Email, PIM Apps; Coming “This Summer”

RIM recently demonstrated the much-anticipated native e-mail, contacts and calendar applications for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, at the company's BlackBerry World Conference. CIO.com's Al Sacco shares images of the apps.