T2P Hiring, Sourcing & Staff Management News

Cloud contracts gone astray

2011-03-23T11:00:09Z

IT may be prepping for a move to the cloud, but finance needs to make sure that the savings this new technology brings won’t be cancelled out by poorly executed contracts for service. That’s the word from the folks at Gartner, who’ve recently issued some guidelines for agreements with vendors.

Cloud computing done right can bring big cost savings for IT. But contracts and deals must be closely examined so shortcomings can be addressed.

Here are the biggest risks, according to a recent Gartner report:

Cloud contracts aren’t mature for all markets – Some cloud services have been around longer than others, and providers venturing into newer areas may not have figured out how to handle the security, performance and other needs required by most businesses.
Contract terms generally favor vendors – The way cloud services are structured makes it difficult to customize contracts based on customers’ needs. That can often result in standardized contract terms that better serve the vendor’s interests. And there may not be room for much negotiations, so companies should adjust their expectations accordingly.
Contracts are easily changed by the vendor – Cloud service contracts are often long and confusing, making it easy for some vendors to change terms without all of their customers noticing. Business must completely understand all terms of the contract before signing it.
Contracts don’t have clear service commitments – One key weapon IT has in dealing with a cloud provider is a service guarantee. But too often, service guarantees are vague and don’t include any real penalties for the vendor. Businesses should make sure those terms are acceptable before entering into an agreement.

Outsourcing: Why CIOs Hate How You Sell IT Services

2011-03-10T18:36:00Z

IT vendors spend $25 billion a year on lead generation, while CIOs have become skilled at the art of evasion. The technology marketplace is inefficient and often acrimonious. CIO.com talked to xPeerient CEO Mark Hall about why the IT marketplace is broken and what he thinks could fix it.

Infosys job ad automatically rejected older workers, claims lawsuit

2011-03-17T20:48:00Z

A New Jersey man filed a lawsuit charging that outsourcer Infosys listed job ads on Monster.com that automatically discrimated against older workers.

Lies my vendor told me: Tech relationships gone wrong

2011-03-25T10:00:00Z

Unmet expectations, inferior products and services, arrogant staff... There are many reasons an IT-vendor relationship can go off the rails. Read and learn from these true tales.

CIOs aren't CIOs for long

2011-03-23T10:00:00Z

A U.S. president, especially if they win reelection, will have a much better chance of staying in the same job longer than many CIOs, new survey data suggests.

A blueprint for open source software adoption

2011-03-14T16:39:00Z

Open source software is probably the most defining element of software innovation in the last decade. But the complexity of today's development environments makes open source license violations a real and common possibility.

Customer sues Infor after ERP license audit

2011-03-07T18:07:00Z

A New York manufacturer is suing ERP (enterprise resource planning) vendor Infor following a dispute over whether it should have to pay nearly $150,000 in additional license fees.

Employee Communication: How to Calculate the Cost

2008-09-25T04:00:00Z

Tips on building a cost calculator to estimate what communications costs will be for moving or adding employees.

Careers in Application Security

2011-03-27T21:45:28Z

IT Security Pros Face a Bright Future in Software Development
Emerging technologies, application vulnerabilities and regulatory compliance force organizations to bridge the development and security silos and find avenues for interdisciplinary cooperation to produce secure software.

Legal Issues Concerning Social Media Use by Employees

2010-12-03T13:39:31Z

Please join the webcast about Social Media Use with my good friends Michelle Cheng, Yvonne Gierczyk-Skasko, and me sponsor by the ALI-ABA (American Law Institute – American Bar Association) which be live on December 7, 2010 at 12:30pm CST. Michelle, Yvonne, and I will discuss our experiences with Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, and many other Social Media sites. We will discuss the Coca Cola Social Media Principles, a recommended Law Firm Social Media Policy, and this top ten list of the legal risks associated with employee use of Social Media:

1. Copyright Infringement – posting content without permission from the owner
2. Trademark Infringement – showing third party logos/TMs without permission
3. Right of Publicity/Privacy – showing a person’s image/likeness without permission
4. Defamation, Libel and Slander – making false claims about a person
5. False Advertising/Unfair Competition – making false claims about a product or service
6. FTC Guides on Endorsements & Testimonials in Advertising – truth in advertising principles apply in digital media and word of mouth marketing. Bloggers or Social Media influencers that are compensated to blog/post/tweet about the Company must disclose the fact that they were compensated. Employees should disclose the connection to their employer when blogging/tweeting/posting about the Company’s products or services in Social Media.
7. Disclosure of Proprietary/Confidential Information –disclosure of material information
8. Labor – FLSA issues - e.g. non-bargained for employees engaging in Social Media during off-hours.
9. Employee/HR issues – employee conduct on Social Media
10. Collection and Retention of Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Please join us on December 7th AT 12:30pm CST and of course we welcome your comments and feedback.

Tech’s big myth might actually be a reality

2010-12-08T11:38:38Z

For years now we’ve been hearing the hype about “cloud computing,” technology’s new frontier where data and software go to live and be tended. Looks like all the hype is actually driving cloud adoption — if you believe job stats and leading analysts.

First, the job stats, courtesy of the folks at Dice.com: Tech firms are looking to hire workers with cloud skills. While companies that mention them aren’t the most in number on the Dice site, the number of organizations looking for these skills increased over the last year by a mind-boggling 258%. No sector of the tech skills market has grown that dramatically.

If companies are increasingly looking for help from techies with cloud expertise, it must mean they’re planning to move at least some of their operations in that direction.

In addition, the experts at Gartner have listed cloud computing as the top strategic technology for the coming year.

Because these services can be either public or shrouded in privacy, there will be a wide range of options for organizations to experiment with in the coming months.Gartner predicts that in the next three years will see the delivery of a range of cloud service approaches that fall between public and private.

Vendors will offer packaged private cloud services that deliver their public cloud service technologies. Who’s going to make these decisions? Likely companies will form a team that understands business needs, finance priorities and tech capability.

How to negotiate better enterprise software deals

2010-12-06T11:00:00Z

With the sluggish economy and new licensing models, IT managers are in a strong position to negotiate with software vendors and get more for their money. But it requires doing more homework than usual.

How to add depth to your IT team's bench

2010-11-22T11:00:00Z

Tech managers must constantly think in terms of establishing bench depth and grooming the key players of tomorrow. CIOs and other experts explain how.

IT jobs outlook modest for 2011

2010-12-08T11:00:00Z

Perhaps the best thing that will be said about 2010 and IT hiring is that large layoffs have tapered off and the overall trend seems to favor hiring.

Top Ten Business Predictions for 2011

2010-11-23T23:00:00Z

Michael Friedenberg, president and CEO of IDG Enterprise, offers up what he thinks will be the top ten trends in the IT community in 2011.

H-1B at 20: How the 'tech worker visa' is remaking IT in America

2010-11-17T11:00:00Z

The H-1B visa program is taking some surprising turns as it marks a milestone. What does it mean for IT in America?

Why IT Jobs Are Never Coming Back

2010-12-09T14:46:00Z

U.S. IT job loss may level off in coming years, but the likelihood that corporate IT will ever contribute to job creation again is minimal, according to a recent study by the Hackett Group. CIO.com talked to Hackett's lead researchers about what's driving IT jobs offshore, what roles will remain stateside, and why some American IT professionals may have to send their resumes to China.

Why Security Pros Fail (and What to Do About it)

2010-12-06T05:00:00Z

You've probably heard the phrase, "Failure is the key to success." But are security professionals really learning from their mistakes? As identity theft and online risks keep growing, is our industry rising to the challenge or repeating the miscues of the past? While security technology is improving, the bad guys also have access to better tools. So are the good guys working smarter?

SaaS's Troubled Adolescence: Three Signs of Immaturity

2010-06-01T04:00:00Z

A new Forrester Research survey of enterprise software buyers sheds light on SaaS's blind spots: troubling security concerns, hidden integration costs, and data migration challenges.

PCI Council Launches Certification Program for IT Staff

2010-04-30T04:00:00Z

The organization responsible for administering the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard has launched a new program to help enterprises conduct self-assessments of their compliance with the standard.