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Aligning IT & Business Goals

The yearly IT budget exercise is not nearly enough to keep up with the speed of change, and long-term IT projects may become irrelevant even if they meet specifications and are finished on time. Keep in touch with your company's long-term goals to keep your team's work relevant.

Maximizing IT Investments

Companies that get the most out of their IT investments generally follow the five basic steps of value capture. The steps are simple and logical, but too often IT and business executives skip one or more steps and therefore fail to realize value from IT implementations.

Managing Compliance Standards

Compliance efforts must go beyond legislative imperatives such as SABOX and HIPAA to expose vital internal data not only to auditors but also to internal decision makers. It requires more than just a new software package; IT leaders must re-evaluate how information flows through the enterprise.

Integrating the Enterprise

Successful e-business goes much deeper than validating online credit-card orders. From advanced customer pattern analysis to real-time inventory management with trusted vendors, two-way data flow is the key to cutting waste and optimizing profits.

Optimizing Infrastructure

Stretching hardware dollars and cutting support costs has emerged as a key factor in managing tight IT budgets. Open-source platform solutions, smart leasing plans, and the emergence of task-defined "thin" machines are just a few frugal tactics worth watching.

Fortifying Network Security

As you make data more readily available to your users, you also open the door to hackers and other threats. Security doesn't end with VPN and encryption--you must anticipate new technological threats and manage against the ever-present danger of careless users.

Voice & Data Convergence

Voice over the data network was once viewed simply as a way to cut long distance bills. But as VoIP and new presence-aware technologies mature and gain traction in the marketplace, the real benefits of information-rich customer-facing applications -- along with the security concerns that come with all those info packets on one network -- are hitting home for the enterprise.

Leveraging Open Source

Once the exclusive turf of geeks and gearheads, open source has moved into the corporate mainstream with support from major players, including IBM and HP. More and more mission-critical applications run from Linux data centers, and open source apps ranging from content management to customer service are gaining acceptance.