Cutter Consortium: Enterprise Risk Management & Governance

Emotional Consciousness and Its Impact on Agility

17 Jun 2009 19:57:07 GMT

Sampath, Kalpana | E-Mail Advisors | 17 June 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

When all resources are well in place, what is it that stalls a project, drawing extra time and energy? Why so managers have to remind teammates so often to keep their emotions in check? Most leadership workshops seek to understand emotional intelligence and to teach a whole set of emotional management skills. Is there truly clarity on what emotions are and how to live with them?

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090617.html

Key to Encouraging Planning Lies in Communication

3 Jun 2009 16:13:53 GMT

Phillips, Dwayne | E-Mail Advisors | 03 June 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Plans are important to me; they are not important to everyone. The same is true of many intellectual products in our workplaces. One challenge for managers is to arrange situations where the right people become interested enough to think and communicate their thoughts.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090603.html

Part of the Process: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

27 May 2009 16:02:22 GMT

Andriole, Stephen J. | E-Mail Advisors | 27 May 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

It's not the technology, stupid; it's the processes. Processes are good, bad, ugly, or indifferent depending on how well -- or poorly -- you provide incentives to promote their efficacy. Let me repeat: it's not the technology. In fact, among the triumvirate of people, process, and technology, technology is the least likely case of failure. Then comes people. But at the top of the list are the processes we anoint as our problem-solving saviors.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090527.html

Outsourcing Strategies to Weather a Recession

1 May 2009 15:55:28 GMT

Cullen, Sara | Journals | 01 May 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Even under normal circumstances, outsourcing presents many challenges for buyers and sellers. In the current economic climate, when the value-for-money proposition of outsourcing becomes skewed toward the money side of the equation, existing outsourcing deals and prospective ones face new and different challenges. Buyers will want to reduce the costs of current contracts and obtain substantial savings in new ones. Sellers can't afford to reduce existing prices given projections of decreased revenue plus the bigger discounts required to win new work. Can both parties achieve their financial goals while maintaining a good long-term relationship?

http://www.cutter.com/itjournal/fulltext/2009/05/index.html

Real Virtuality: Preparing for a Long-Term Paradigm Shift

20 May 2009 15:39:53 GMT

Sivan, Yesha Y. | E-Mail Advisors | 20 May 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

IT managers need to have a split personality: they must be both conservative and innovative. On the one hand, they have to maintain older systems and keep current processes working smoothly. On the other hand, they have to continually examine new IT technologies that can alter the business. Around 1990, a "game-changing" technology, the Internet, emerged. New businesses that embraced the Internet in innovative ways -- such as eBay, Amazon, and Google -- thrived. However, companies that failed to embrace the Internet early -- such as Tower Records, Barnes & Noble, and Rand McNally -- were less fortunate. Tower closed, Barnes & Noble missed the online business that now belongs to Amazon, and Rand McNally failed to capture the online mapping business.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090520.html

As to What Really Matters, How Does BI Stack Up?

6 May 2009 15:59:45 GMT

Di Maio, Paola | E-Mail Advisors | 06 May 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Although a relatively new practice in modern IT management, business intelligence (BI) has turned out to be central to achieving and maintaining competitiveness in enterprise operations. Yet the more the BI culture develops and becomes adopted by contemporary organizations, the more obvious the challenges and limitations of some BI approaches become.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090506.html

Mobile Technologies: Still Capturing Attention Despite Shrinking Budgets

29 Apr 2009 15:48:11 GMT

Piccoli, Gabriele | E-Mail Advisors | 29 April 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Mobile technology, its applications, and the services that are delivered over the wireless channel continue to evolve. A recent survey by Cutter Consortium spans from consolidated hardware form factors, such as the laptop, to evolving applications, such as Twitter and location-based contextualized messaging services exploiting the capabilities of such devices as the smartphone (for more on this survey, see Cutter Benchmark Review, Vol. 9, No. 3). According to our analysis, the importance of the mobile platform as a tool in the arsenal of modern organizations is undeniable, but there is no clarity as to how firms should incorporate mobile technology in their overall infrastructure.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090429.html

Making Management Manage Metrically

22 Apr 2009 15:36:07 GMT

Gilb, Tom | E-Mail Advisors | 22 April 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Every time I am asked to look at a suffering project, I see the same very basic failing: all the project objectives are vague.

This applies to projects costing more than US $100 million and ongoing for eight years, as well as smaller projects. In fact, I have concluded that management everywhere has not got a clue as to how to set clear objectives for projects. The problem is management's vague, nice-sounding phrases: though not in deadlines, sales targets, and budgets.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090422.html

The Convergence of Information Security, Privacy, and Compliance

1 Apr 2009 15:09:14 GMT

Herold, Rebecca | Journals | 01 April 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

There has been much talk recently regarding a convergence of information security and privacy. Not that this is anything particularly new - convergence has been happening ever since privacy became a concern. After all, privacy requires the implementation of robust information security controls and appropriate safeguards. There are at least 46 privacy breach notice laws in the US alone; understanding and complying with their multiple requirements (to say nothing of the growing number of other national and international privacy laws) will require privacy and information security areas to work together for effective enterprise-wide management.

In this issue of Cutter IT Journal, we'll examine the critical - and overlapping - areas of information security, privacy, and compliance. Security expert Ron Woerner will tell you how collaborative risk management can bring the right groups together to find your organization's privacy and security "sweet spot." From attorney Bill Zucker and his colleagues, you'll hear four (often rollicking) stories about the costly information security, privacy, and compliance mistakes their clients have made, "in the hope that from these cautionary tales, you, like us, will develop good judgment from experience - with the understanding that, unfortunately, experience comes from bad judgment"! And security/privacy professional Ilene Klein will show you how to create an effective and thoroughgoing security awareness program, which she calls "the first line of defense against security's weakest link" - your own people. Be sure to join us as Cutter Senior Consultant Rebecca Herold, one of Computerworld's "Best Privacy Advisers" of 2008, leads the search for a safe path through one of IT's most mine-filled areas.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/2009/04/index.html

Coming Out the Other Side: Keeping Your Head Up in Bad Times

15 Apr 2009 14:59:46 GMT

Orr, Ken | E-Mail Advisors | 15 April 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090415.html

Seeking a Balance: Neither Pure Art Nor Pure Science

8 Apr 2009 13:16:54 GMT

Brosseau, Jim | E-Mail Advisors | 08 April 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

The March 2009 edition of Harvard Business Review has an excellent article titled "When Should a Process be Art, Not Science?" by Joseph M. Hall and M. Eric Johnson. The article contains many great insights, but there is a sense in the article that we need to choose; that the answer be one or the other: art or science. This appears to be true with most things that we try to categorize.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090408.html

The Curse of COTS

1 Apr 2009 13:09:39 GMT

Phillips, Dwayne | E-Mail Advisors | 01 April 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) products are great. Someone else does all the research, development, design, and manufacturing; we just read the spec sheet and buy the products. What could be better? Beware, however, the curse of COTS.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090401.html

New Metrics for Managing Turbulent Times

1 Mar 2009 14:37:16 GMT

Mah, Michael C. | Journals | 01 March 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

The current economic downturn has cut a deep gash in the economies of virtually every country and industry, affecting people's lives in ways not seen in over 50 years. There is no doubt that we are now firmly on the scarcity side of the abundance/scarcity continuum, so the question is, where do we go from here? For many, cost cutting is now the order of the day. Others may see opportunity. In the last economic downturn, as their competitors slashed investments, companies such as Intel and IBM famously invested in R&D, thereby generating record profits in technologies like Wi-Fi once the economy recovered. Will organizations try to cost-cut their way out of this crisis, or can they find ways to invest through the downturn? How will IT managers make tough decisions in light of the economic conditions their companies face?

What they need is reliable information with which to navigate these turbulent waters. In this issue of Cutter IT Journal, we explore metrics that can help IT managers make sound decisions in hard times. If your cost-cutting efforts include offshoring, you'll discover financial measures to help ensure your sourcing contracts deliver not only lower costs but project success. Hear how you can demonstrate the value enterprise architecture offers both to initial projects and later initiatives, enabling your organization to "make it through the current problems and be ready to compete when times improve again." If, as Cutter Fellow Tom DeMarco famously said, "you can't control what you can't measure," join us to regain a measure of control.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/2009/03/index.html

Bold CIO -- It Is SOA Time!

25 Mar 2009 14:25:55 GMT

Cohen, Pini | E-Mail Advisors | 25 March 2009 | Enterprise Architecture; Cutter IT Journal

A lot has been said lately about service-oriented architecture (SOA). Still, I would like to take a look at another angle of SOA adoption in the light of the current economic turmoil.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090325.html

Zen and the Art of Agile "Motorcycle Maintenance"

18 Mar 2009 14:08:30 GMT

Sampath, J.M. | E-Mail Advisors | 18 March 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

The term "agile" has been used extensively over the years. "Agile leaders," "agile teams," "agile projects": these are some of the common phrases we get to hear often in the context of agile project management (APM). When a new concept takes birth, the core understanding behind it also evolves over a period of time. With time, however, it also presents a danger of getting camouflaged and of being taken for granted. Hence, revisiting the same from time to time can bring a deeper level of understanding and clarity to the existing concept and keep its essence intact. This Advisor is an attempt to explore the possible meaning of the term "agile" using the "5W 1H" process (what, why, when, where, who, and how).

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090318.html

What It Takes To Be an Informed, Competent Enterprise

11 Mar 2009 19:50:35 GMT

Wiig, Karl M. | E-Mail Advisors | 11 March 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Enterprises need to be competent to perform well and succeed. However, it is often less clear what enterprise competence means. In our context of knowledge management (KM), we focus on ways in which knowledge contributes to competence and how KM-related initiatives must be considered to maintain and build it.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090311.html

Get a Clear View of Clouds, and Then Venture into Them

4 Mar 2009 19:39:09 GMT

Murugesan, San | E-Mail Advisors | 04 March 2009 | Cutter IT Journal; Sourcing & Vendor Relationships

Like electrical service, computing has become a utility. You can draw on your required computing resources -- hardware, software, storage, applications, and infrastructure -- when and where you need them and in the amount you need. Known as cloud computing, this new model of computing allows users to access programs, applications, and other computing resources through the Internet, even from a thin client, which may be a desktop PC, or a mobile device such as a smartphone or a laptop. Of course, cloud computing has limitations, presents risks, and raises concerns, and all these need to be addressed satisfactorily. The recent outages of some popular cloud applications and services instruct us to carefully consider the pros and cons of adopting cloud-based applications and services.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090304.html

Modern Risk Management: Record the Pain as It Happens

25 Feb 2009 14:01:10 GMT

Pritchard, Carl | E-Mail Advisors | 25 February 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Lessons learned are often the most overlooked aspect of risk management. They are seen somehow as a secondary follow-on to the risk management effort rather than as the cornerstone on which we build. The inverse should clearly be true. Lessons learned can be drawn not only from our own efforts but also from those of other organizations if those efforts (and their pain and angst) are well documented.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090225.html

Iridium Satellite Collision in Space

18 Feb 2009 22:18:08 GMT

Barry, Douglas K. | E-Mail Advisors | 18 February 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

You might have seen the recent news reports about the collision between US and Russian communication satellites (see "Debris Spews Into Space After Satellites Collide," New York Times, 11 February 2009). The US satellite was one of the Iridium satellites. What wasn't reported and you probably don't know is that an object database management system (ODBMS) is an important part of the Iridium system. It is a technology with which I've been involved since the late 1980s. So I'm adding some technical detail to this story. (For background on ODBMSs, see www.service-architecture.com/object-oriented-databases/articles/.)

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090218.html

Choosing the Right Fight: Battling Metrics Glut

11 Feb 2009 21:54:31 GMT

Kellen, Vince | E-Mail Advisors | 11 February 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

The problem in IT isn't whether we can measure things but how many ways can we measure the same thing. I have worked with IT shops that maintain a portfolio of hundreds, if not thousands, of daily, weekly, and monthly metrics. Given the plethora of metrics available, what should an IT metrics scorecard look like? How many metrics should it contain? What kinds of metrics should be in it? Should there be one scorecard or many, depending on the level and area within IT? What metrics, beyond those that may be mandated, should be reported to internal business clients and externally to government, audit, or other interested parties?

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090211.html

What Are Your Web 2.0 Ethics?

4 Feb 2009 13:31:07 GMT

Light, Ben | E-Mail Advisors | 04 February 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Many are engaging with Web 2.0 technology in their personal lives, and increasingly at work. Even if you don't think there's much new in Web 2.0 technologies, that it's merely a renaming of extant things, you can't ignore the power of them as presented now, and as widely adopted. It is perhaps the level of adoption of these technologies, combined with the potentialities for social interaction of different kinds, that make Web 2.0 so interesting from an ethical perspective. For years, it has been well recognized that there are inextricable interplays between our home and work lives -- many people meet their life partners at work; we have rules governing the use of office equipment for personal use, such as phones and PCs; and, of course, who can forget the office Christmas party! These examples immediately bring to mind ethical issues surrounding them. I would argue that Web 2.0 -- particularly Web 2.0-enabled social networking sites -- complicate this even further. In this short communication, I want to look at a few examples, consider some of the ethical questions arising, and discuss what we can do about them -- if anything.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090204.html

Improving the Forecast: Cloud Models in the Applications World

28 Jan 2009 19:03:51 GMT

Shimoni, Einat | E-Mail Advisors | 28 January 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

The cloud hype continues to spread into just about any IT category, whether it's computing infrastructures (IAAS), platforms (PAAS), storage (scaling on-demand), applications (software as a service [SaaS]/cloud software), and even newer categories, such as integration on the cloud (IAAS). The list goes on.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090128.html

When the Dust Clears From an IT 'Battle,' Try an After-Action Review

21 Jan 2009 18:53:41 GMT

Kellen, Vince | E-Mail Advisors | 21 January 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

It's 2:12 am. The cell phone is ringing. What now? It's Amy, a data center technician. She wouldn't be calling me unless something is wrong. Very wrong. She tries to explain that the primary storage network is failing. And the path to the backup is failing, too. She can't tell what it is. Everything is coming down. In the middle of the call, Rick, who manages the storage systems, is calling. I put Amy on hold. Rick says it isn't the storage network at all. All the information says it's the database server having issues, but from his perspective, it doesn't make sense. He is checking. As soon as he hangs up, Bill calls me. He's the manager of the database group. I tell him to wait a minute and tell Amy I have to hang up on her. Amy is upset and says she needs to get back to the manufacturing group since this is affecting their big processes for tomorrow and these seasonal processes represent tens of millions of dollars in revenue. I go back to Bill. He explains the situation. All his metrics say the system outage, which now appears to be widespread, isn't a database problem. He is agitated, saying everyone keeps blaming the database group. Just because he has the best metrics doesn't mean everyone has to blame him each time there is an issue. He thinks the problem is in the manufacturing application. After all, yesterday the manufacturing group put into production some significant vendor patches. In the middle of this, Lynn calls. She heads up the manufacturing group. She is furious because she says the database group switched some database drivers last night out without telling her, and she thinks the driver changes may be at fault. She says all their testing on the manufacturing changes checked out just fine. She is angry, too.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090121.html

Call for Papers: The Convergence of Information Security, Privacy and Compliance

15 Jan 2009 16:19:15 GMT

Herold, Rebecca | 10 January 2009 | Cutter IT Journal The April 2009

Cutter IT Journal -- with Guest Editor Cutter Senior Consultant Rebecca Herold, recently named one of the "Best Privacy Advisers" and "Best Privacy Consultancies" of 2008 by Computerworld -- invites insightful debate on and analyses of approaches organizations are taking to ensure that information security, privacy and compliance areas collaborate, and how to address the associated convergence issues. What are the information security, privacy and compliance issues that impact organizations most significantly? What are the best practices for addressing the associated compliance requirements? What are the best ways to manage convergence? How can gaps be avoided? How can conflicts be resolved?

http://www.cutter.com/content-and-analysis/journals-and-reports/cutter-it-journal/callforpapers03.html

Some Less Obvious Factors Curtailing Cloud Computing Progress

14 Jan 2009 16:08:40 GMT

Cohen, Pini | E-Mail Advisors | 14 January 2009 | Cutter IT Journal; Sourcing & Vendor Relationships

Cloud computing is a prominent concept in the IT technology world. Cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS) promise fast return on investment, agility, improved scalability, availability, and more.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090114.html

Software Process: With Long Experience Comes Deeper Practical Faith

7 Jan 2009 15:51:00 GMT

Brosseau, Jim | E-Mail Advisors | 07 January 2009 | Cutter IT Journal

Generally, in software development, process is described as the steps we take to get things done. It is often captured as a specified approach to building our products that involves some sort of lifecycle, a collection of roles and responsibilities, a series of artifacts we produce along the way, perhaps some milestones, and some checks and balances to help keep the whole system running smoothly. There is more than meets the eye, though, if we want our approach to be successful.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2009/itj090107.html

The Next CRM Challenge: Manage the Customer Experience

24 Dec 2008 19:46:23 GMT

Shimoni, Einat | E-Mail Advisors | 24 December 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

A new three-letter acronym has hit the customer relationship management (CRM) market in the past few years: CEM (customer experience management) [1].

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081224.html

Beyond Skills and Knowledge: Attitude, Understanding, Ethics

17 Dec 2008 19:08:10 GMT

Wiig, Karl M. | E-Mail Advisors | 17 December 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

Consider the "competent performer" who possesses good skills and knowledge. However, good skills and knowledge are not sufficient. In order to deliver acceptable work, the competent performer must have a good attitude, conviction that he or she is doing the right thing, and an understanding of how to support enterprise intents and strategy. In addition, and most important, the competent performer must have appropriate access to pertinent information that describes the actual task situation. This makes information management a crucial cocontributor to enterprise performance.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081217.html

Taming the Menagerie: Turn Stuff Off

10 Dec 2008 14:40:42 GMT

Lister, Tim | E-Mail Advisors | 10 December 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

Y2K was great for IT housekeeping. It forced us into answering the question: do we make that application compliant, or can we toss it? Well, we are almost nine years past Y2K, and I am finding that during this period many organizations have been concentrating on adding new functionality, and rarely changing it, let alone replacing it.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081210.html

Waste Not, Want Not: An Agile/Lean Approach to Managing the Project Portfolio

3 Dec 2008 16:59:53 GMT

Rothman, Johanna | E-Mail Advisors | 03 December 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

If you've been succeeding with agile in your organization for a while, you've experienced projects that make more visible progress, are done earlier, and provide a high level of satisfaction for everyone involved.

But some people who try to move to agile in their organizations are not entirely successful. The teams are not dedicated to just one project at a time, or the support from a previous release is overwhelming their ability to move a project forward, or they have too many emergency projects. While these problems don't prevent agile adoption, they certainly don't help. All these problems are symptoms of management's having insufficient tools to manage its project portfolio. But management doesn't need fancy-dancy tools to manage the portfolio. All a management team needs to do is answer one question and select one answer from three options.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081203.html

In Weighing References or Proof of Concept, Favor the Former

26 Nov 2008 16:38:09 GMT

Cohen, Pini; Shimoni, Einat | E-Mail Advisors | 26 November 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

All want to reduce risk when they make decisions. IT organizations invest a great deal in the decision process of new technologies. In the ideal world, before deciding on strategic technology, IT organizations conduct a comprehensive proof of concept (POC) and also talk or, preferably, visit several references. In a less-than-ideal world, however -- the one we all know -- IT organizations do not have all the resources for the decision-making process. Therefore, in many cases, IT organizations have to choose: should they invest in POC or in meeting with or talking to references?

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081126.html

Summit 2009 | Interact with the Experts in IT

24 Nov 2008 17:07:29 GMT

Summit 2009: 4-6 May 2009 Cutter Consortium | Events | 04-06 May 2009 |
Now, More Than Ever ...
IT is being challenged to scrutinize every expenditure and make sure that every dollar is invested -- not just spent -- on high ROI efforts. Summit 2009 is one of those high-value items. Join us at Summit 2009 and explore the issues and strategies you should be considering to ensure you’re maximizing today's return and keeping ahead of the competition.

Summit 2009: Unlike Any Other IT Conference.
You'll get advice that is insightful and forthcoming. You'll have a chance to voice your opinion and hear the opinions of international experts and of other IT professionals. You’ll debate with, and listen to the debate among, some of the most experienced and clear-thinking business technologists today. And you'll return home with ideas to implement right away. Our only agenda is to support you, to give you a forum for thinking about your business world, outside of the box. Don't miss this opportunity.

Register today and save $200.00!

http://www.cutter.com/summit/2009.html

Sustainability in an Unpredictable World -- Seeking Causes, Not Symptoms

19 Nov 2008 16:58:39 GMT

Sampath, Kalpana; Sampath, J.M. | E-Mail Advisors | 19 November 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

The business world could not be in more crisis. What has led to this? Who caused it? Who is right? Who is wrong? Who is to blame? How do we deal with it? These are some of the questions that are running through most of our minds.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081119.html

Leveraging IT’s Wisdom to Shape Corporate Strategy

1 Nov 2008 17:14:45 GMT

Leveraging IT’s Wisdom to Shape Corporate Strategy Cohen, Moshe | Journals | 01 October 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

The business world today is increasingly information-driven: in the way that companies operate internally, in the way they interact with their customers and suppliers, and in the choices they make regarding their products and services. With their finger on the pulse of technology and information, IT organizations can be important strategic assets to their companies, helping them take advantage of new technology opportunities and averting the disastrous consequences of making poor technology bets.

In this issue of Cutter IT Journal, we'll discuss how IT managers can take a more proactive, strategic role within the companies they support. You'll learn how, by rendering transparent the largely invisible networks that connect people and work, IT enables everyone to function more intelligently and makes them more capable of achieving shared goals. You'll hear how IT can contribute to building leadership in a company by identifying and training the right managers to partner with the business units -- and not promoting the wrong ones (no matter how much you think they deserve a raise!). And you'll discover how a business design-centric approach to process automation allows organizations to go from using IT as a tool for cost reduction to releasing its capability as a tool for competitive advantage. If you'd rather lead than "follow or get out of the way," join us as we discuss IT's strategic leadership potential.

http://www.cutter.com/itjournal/fulltext/2008/11/index.html

Environmentally Responsible Business Strategies and Green ICT

12 Nov 2008 16:14:40 GMT

Unhelkar, Bhuvan; Dickens, Annukka | E-Mail Advisors | 12 November 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

We stressed in our recent Cutter IT Journal article (see "Lessons in Implementing "Green" Business Strategies with ICT," Vol. 21, No. 2) the phenomenal importance of businesses assuming greater responsibility toward the environment than before. This, we argue, is not only because business activities have a significant effect on the environment but also because the business community has more resources (e.g., money, human capital, technology, and software systems) at its disposal than do individuals. In addition to our arguments and the approaches we offered in that article for formulating environmentally responsible business strategies (ERBS), we also underscored the tremendous significance of the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) and the role they play in implementing ERBS. An ERBS, we explained, exploits the entire ICT domain, including judicious use of software applications and systems, modeling and modification to its business processes, and changing the attitude and working style of its people in order to reduce environmental impact. These initiatives are already in place at HP, where coauthor Annukka Dickens works as a regional environment manager. In this Advisor, we provide our additional thoughts and actions regarding the relationship between ERBS and ICT.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081112.html

Unlocking Business Value from an Integrated Management Approach to IT, Environment, and Supply Chain

5 Nov 2008 14:20:57 GMT

Sarkis, Joseph; Park, Jacob; Wu, Zhaohui | E-Mail Advisors | 05 November 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

Creating economic value and promoting environmental stewardship are typically regarded as a zero-sum game. A company has to choose. If you want to focus on environment, then you have to naturally assume some loss of economic value. We argue that one important way to get out of this zero-sum trap is an integrated approach to IT, environment, and supply chain management. The US Environmental Protection Agency has categorized environmental costs and benefits in organizations along a spectrum from conventional costs to image and relationship costs. Minimizing these costs and adopting what we call an integrated management approach can unlock substantial business value for companies and organizations. Here are four ways to make that happen.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081105.html

Buyer Beware: Today's Web Frontier is Like Deadwood in the 1860s

22 Oct 2008 15:47:02 GMT

DeMarco, Tom | E-Mail Advisors | 22 October 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

When Adam Smith wrote about the "invisible hand" of the market in The Wealth of Nations, he was referring to strictly legal actions by individuals, which in their aggregate contributed to market efficiency. What he didn't talk about was illegal tendencies that the invisible hand might bring about. That's because the England and Scotland of his time -- like most of the Western world today -- had strong governments that kept illegal action in check. These governments acted quickly to criminalize antisocial actions and enforced their laws stringently.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081022.html

Can IT Make or Break a Corporate Acquisition?

1 Oct 2008 16:49:49 GMT

Rasmussen, David N. | Journals | 01 October 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

When companies get the urge to merge, two things have to happen: due diligence on the target company and integration of two distinct organizations. It would seem like a no-brainer to involve the acquiring company's IT organization in both activities -- after all, it's IT that will have to support the operational systems and processes of the newly merged enterprise. Yet IT is frequently shut out of the due diligence process, primarily because of the need for secrecy before a merger is publicly announced. And once the deal is consummated, the acquirer's IT organization is tasked with integrating the two IT departments quickly, usually with little notice or advance planning. Not surprisingly, it's often at this point that the acquiring IT group uncovers daunting integration challenges that should have been identified before the deal went through.

It doesn't have to be this way. In this issue, we'll discuss how IT can add value to an M&A and how CIOs can increase their chances of being invited to the negotiating table. You'll hear about three distinct M&Amp;A types and how they can determine the extent of IT's involvement before the merger and what IT will be asked to do afterwards. A former CIO and veteran of 45 company acquisitions will tell you how to spot potentially costly M&A pitfalls and what to do about them once you do. And you'll learn how savvy IT departments can exploit the opportunity a merger presents to reengineer technology acquisition, deployment, and support. Tune in, before the value of your next M&A goes MIA!

http://www.cutter.com/itjournal/fulltext/2008/10/index.html

A Sober View of Web. 2.0 Technologies

15 Oct 2008 16:47:28 GMT

Andriole, Stephen J. | E-Mail Advisors | 15 October 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

Web 2.0 technologies -- such as wikis, blogs, RSS filters, mashups, podcasts, folksonomies, crowdsourcing, social networks, and virtual worlds -- are very hot. Everyone is excited about deploying them, especially because they're fast and cheap. But what do they really deliver?

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081015.html

How Simple Tools and Practices Can Help Your Organization Innovate to Become More Competitive

8 Oct 2008 15:03:43 GMT

Filev, Andrew | E-Mail Advisors | 08 October 2008 | Innovation; Cutter IT Journal

There is a lot of interest at the present time in the role that Enterprise 2.0 Web applications can play in enhancing business performance. In a survey recently conducted by Trampoline Systems, a London-based provider of social networking software, 94% of UK and 82% of US businesses believe the new technologies will be beneficial to use at work. Other recent research shows similar results.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081008.html

Centers of Leadership: The Marriage of COEs and Servant-Leadership as an Effective Way to Lead IT, Part III

1 Oct 2008 15:26:51 GMT

Dols, Jeffrey | E-Mail Advisors | 01 October 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

In Part II of this series (see "Centers of Leadership: The Marriage of COEs and Servant-Leadership as an Effective Way to Lead IT, Part II," 3 September 2008), I talked about the need for IT servant-leaders to "get small" in their approach to building community and wielding authority. In this segment, I'll touch on a somewhat-related approach: getting lean. Cutter Senior Consultant Sanjiv Augustine and Arlen Bankston advocate both of these complementary styles in their research on agile project management best practices (see [1]).

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj081001.html

Finding the Real-World Value in Virtual Worlds: Issues and Challenges

1 Sep 2008 14:56:05 GMT

Murugesan, San | Journals | 01 September 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

Virtual worlds are a hot topic right now. These 3D, interactive Web environments can deliver an immersive experience that is much richer than what we currently experience with the traditional Web. As a result, virtual worlds are emerging as communal places for a wide range of activities, including, of course, highly popular MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft. IT departments in many enterprises are now being asked to explore how their organizations can embrace virtual worlds and create, deploy, regulate, and monitor these new applications. But do virtual worlds offer any real business value, or are they only good for fun and games?

In this issue of Cutter IT Journal, we will investigate this intriguing new space in cyberspace. You’ll discover how IBM’s Virtual Business Center went from a cutesy attention getter (virtual cappuccino, anyone?) to a full-fledged technology showcase that effectively, and cost-effectively, demonstrates the company’s most complex enterprise solutions to prospective clients. You’ll also hear about the dark side of virtual worlds — avatar harassment, phishing attacks, even money laundering — and what your organization can do to manage the risks. Is it time for you to take the virtual plunge? Join us and find out!

http://www.cutter.com/itjournal/fulltext/2008/09/index.html

Extending BI Technology to More Enterprise Users

24 Sep 2008 14:17:27 GMT

Hall, Curt | E-Mail Advisors | 24 September 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

For years, employees who have used Internet search engines such as Google and Yahoo! to find information on the Web frequently ask why searching for and accessing the information they really need to perform their jobs at their own organizations is so difficult. As I discuss in a recent Cutter Business Intelligence Executive Report (see "The Convergence of BI and Enterprise Search: Toward True Self-Service Business Intelligence," Vol. 8, No. 6), there are a number of reasons that this is the case. One has to do with the way corporate data is structured. Another has to do with the fact that employees typically require more from searching than just finding and accessing information; they need to manipulate it in some fashion. Yet another is because easy-to-use enterprise search tools provide limited functionality for manipulating data, while more capable business intelligence (BI) tools are typically too difficult for casual users to work with.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj080924.html

How to Move an SOA Initiative from IT to Business

17 Sep 2008 13:51:31 GMT

Balmes, Geoffrey | E-Mail Advisors | 17 September 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) looks and sounds very technical. The word "architecture" certainly makes it sound technical, and the fact that it is "service-oriented" makes it sound even more mysterious. So, it is no wonder that SOA is viewed as an IT-driven initiative.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj080917.html

Integration: Key to Bringing Social Networks to Project Managers

10 Sep 2008 13:42:10 GMT

Coleman, David | E-Mail Advisors | 10 September 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

In the Web 2.0 consumer world, social networks are very hot. In the enterprise, people are still struggling with tracking down expertise and getting it applied to projects. However, there are some new tools in the project manager's arsenal. Some large vendors have not only encouraged a social network within the enterprise, but they have also supported extensive profiles, which can be tagged (with keywords or terms), helping you find these elusive experts. In addition, some companies have been able to link "work products" to the profiles and also enable these documents and objects to be part of your search.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj080910.html

Centers of Leadership: The Marriage of COEs and Servant-Leadership as an Effective Way to Lead IT, Part II

3 Sep 2008 13:58:43 GMT

Dols, Jeffrey | E-Mail Advisors | 03 September 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

When I'm away on vacation, one of my favorite activities is to rummage through old record albums at the flea market, looking for some long, lost treasure from my youth. On one such expedition last summer, I ran across Steve Martin's comedy album Let's Get Small. Pleased by my rare find, I gladly paid my 50 cents, brought the record home, and then completely forgot about it until it surfaced as I was looking for another album last week.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj080903.html

Confronting the Generational Culture Clash at Work

27 Aug 2008 17:38:05 GMT

DeMarco, Tom | E-Mail Advisors | 27 August 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

During a recent Cutter Business Technology Council meeting, we hashed over the "Moat" opinion for nearly two hours. I went into the meeting thinking the matter was a slam dunk: yes, there's a culture clash, and no, management shouldn't hunker down and enforce the old outdated rules. To my surprise, there was almost instantly a lot of heat in the room, with Council members differing markedly on how management should respond. I came away feeling that there were no good choices in this complicated matter, only bad and less bad ones.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj080827.html

IT Usability: Bridging the Gap Between Machines and People

1 Aug 2008 22:26:48 GMT

Snyder, Carolyn | Journals | 01 August 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

For decades the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) has studied the relationships between computers and the people who use them. But HCI isn't limited to just ivory tower researchers. The real-world decisions made by IT professionals have an impact on the effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of users across the organization. Yet while it's easy enough to understand what usability might mean for a task like creating a spreadsheet, changes in the IT landscape (the advent of Web 2.0, the proliferation of data on corporate intranets, growing security threats, even the aging of the user population) pose new challenges and thrust usability issues once again to the forefront in IT.

In this issue of Cutter IT Journal, we'll investigate these new usability challenges. You'll hear how Web 2.0 is raising expectations for corporate intranets -- and what you can do to meet those expectations. You'll discover a three-part strategy for ending the security versus usability "standoff." And you'll learn how designing solutions with an aging population in mind can make your applications more user-friendly for everyone. Don't leave your users gnashing their teeth and rending their garments. Join us and become part of the usability solution!

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/2008/08/index.html

Urban Legends (at Work)

20 Aug 2008 22:20:40 GMT

Phillips, Dwayne | E-Mail Advisors | 20 August 2008 | Cutter IT Journal

I recently stumbled upon a book by Thomas Craughwell about urban legends [1]. While reading Craughwell's book, I realized that I have been the victim of urban legends at work. Someone (sometimes me) has taken a legend as truth, acted on it, and had it end badly. Understanding what is legend and what is truth can help when managing IT and other work.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj080820.html

Toward a Business Architecture Dashboard

6 Aug 2008 19:18:40 GMT

McWhorter, Neal | E-Mail Advisors | 06 August 2008 | Cutter IT Journal; Innovation

Almost all organizations have some level of ability to see a snapshot of how their organization is faring on a regular basis. That ability allows them to keep an eye on how well the organization is meeting its objectives on a daily or sometimes even a real-time basis. These dashboards typically cover the organization's financial data at the very least and often extend into monitoring of production line outputs and related metrics. In the logistics arenas, organizations have moved to having real-time data to track where shipments are from the postal sorting location down to the boxcar number of a particular train traveling across the country. Yet these dashboards provide only a very limited view into an organization.

http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2008/itj080806.html