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Cloud computing: 12 reasons to love it or leave it

"There are reasons aplenty to stick your head into cloud computing, says Forrester Research Inc. analyst James Staten. IT can't keep up with the demands of the business. The best Web services companies have maxed out their data centers for efficiency, and those babies can handle almost anything you throw them. You pay by the drink. You are free of long-term contracts. Most cloud vendors let you come and go as you please, Staten said. And all you need to do is log in."

But is cloud computing ready for enterprise computing. This article examines that question.

IT Business Edge

"Apply Uniform Documented IT Policies at Your Company Today!
Managing IT in any business is like herding cats. You have employees telecommuting, using the internet, instant-messaging, installing software, etc. The one thing that you can expect is the unexpected."

IT Business Edge

"Strategic IT Planning and Governance is an interactive Best Practices Guide from Info~Tech Research Group that walks you though the entire process of creating a strategically-aligned IT plan, as well as the tasks and activities required to carry it out."

IT Business Edge

"Get Aligned With ITIL v3 Principles Quickly With This Complete Guide.
With Version 3 of ITIL, the path to ITIL adoption is now more clear and accessible for smaller companies than it has been in the past."

IT Business Edge

"Get Aligned With ITIL v3 Principles Quickly With This Comprehensive Resource
Now, more than ever, with the release of version 3, the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) sets the world standard for IT service management. Most companies have embraced, and expect compliance with, the IT management disciplines that are documented and detailed in ITIL. And anyone who's delved into the depths of the ITIL library knows that the information, while well organized and sensible, is daunting due to the sheer volume."

Essential for any CIO.

Podcasts & Blogs @ TalkBMC — TalkBMC

"TalkBMC is all about IT and your enterprise. Come here to listen, read, and talk with us about what matters to you."

Another fine resource for IT managers.

Welcome to Enterprise Leadership — EnterpriseLeadership.org

"Read, Listen, Research: Our goal is to provide high-quality, high-interest, and highly useful information you need to help you succeed in the IT space today."

At first glance, an excellent resource site for IT leaders with

• ITIL articles, videos, and eBooks.


• Podcasts


• Blogs

Weaning yourself off service providers: A 12-step approach

InfoWorld | Analysis | 2006-08-28 | By Dan Tynan
"Going in with an exit strategy and exploring alternatives can save money and promote self-sufficiency"

I have been on both ends of this issue, and this article is a fair and balanced approach.

CIO alert: Don't risk ignoring SOAs

"For most of the early part of the millennium, service-oriented architectures were pitched as the next big thing."

CIO priorities: 2006 to-do lists

"In 2006, the top CIO priority is clear: Gain competitive advantages with strategic IT. Alignment won't be enough; IT will need a sharp business edge."

Explaining AJAX to your CIO

"When I was CIO, I often turned to Baseline for ideas about how others were doing things. One of their regular features is a primer on new technology. I guess the idea is to keep CIOs up to speed."

Gartner: CIOs should prepare for 'second' Internet

"During the next year, chief information officers (CIO) should pay acute attention to how technologies such as blogging and podcasting will affect their businesses and be ready for innovation with those technologies by their competitors, Gartner Inc. analysts said Thursday."

Aging Workforce: What Should a CIO Do?

"The aging workforce is on many people?s minds. CSC recently released a survey of A&D; companies in which almost 90% of the respondents see an industry facing a shortage of critically skilled workers in the next five years as legacy employees retire. In response to this need, IBM created a consulting product to help HR departments plan for the next decade when enormous numbers of baby boomers reach retirement age."

CIO Jury: IT is more than a "necessary evil"

"Boardrooms are failing to get full value out of their technology investments by pursuing a short-term cost-cutting approach to IT that focuses on the bottom-line impact, according to leading CIOs."

Global CIO: Take everything IT does, then add exponential complexity.

Global CIOs.

"The demand is emanating from multinational businesses, as well as domestic companies looking to expand their worldwide reach. All want to see candidates who can develop a technology infrastructure that supports business initiatives on multiple continents with diverse cultures and very different business norms. They need individuals who can walk the fine line between developing an overarching technology strategy for the entire company with standard applications for worldwide use and respecting the variances that local business leaders need in order to operate effectively. And they need people who are adept at managing IT staffs whose members speak multiple languages, work in every time zone and follow their own cultural mores. All of this may or may not include dotted-line or full responsibility for country-based CIOs.

Long live the CIO, but kiss the IT dept. goodbye

"Long live the CIO, but kiss the IT dept. goodbye"

Dan Gillmor shouldn't have to play Russian Roulette

"It's always comforting to know that another reporter covering the technology sector has run into precisely the same problem I have (and that millions of other people are running into). "

A discussion on the difficulty of not knowing what to do when your firewall gives you a message asking for a response to something you do not understand.

IT Governance

"Mercury IT Governance Center™ provides visibility and control over the demands being made of IT, your portfolio of IT projects, and the roll-out of strategic changes at the enterprise level."

Corporates adopt IT for compliance

"Compliance is the latest corporate mantra. It has never been as important as it is today and has almost become a survival issue for the corporate world. It means following the rules and more importantly, being able to prove it that you are following the rules."

MindTree Consulting Launches CIO Toolkit

"MindTree Consulting, the international IT services company, today announced the launch of its “CIO Toolkit,” an innovative service suite for CIOs of leading organizations. The new collection of intense workshop sessions will help CIOs better handle leadership challenges by leveraging highly effective training and development modules, rigorous methodologies, and advanced technology solutions. "

CIOs must bridge gap between business and tech

"The CIO must act as the link between IT and the wider strategy of the business, and not get too bogged down in technology alone."

Defining The CIO: An Optimize Research Report

" For the past two years, strategic CIOs have focused primarily on keeping their companies economically solvent by using technology to enable more efficient business operations that cut costs without compromising performance. Many CIOs have been encouraged to emphasize bottom-line results that maximize profit margins in a tough economy. However, with the economic pendulum now swinging in the other direction, the new management imperative is to ride the wave of growth by giving greater consideration to top-line issues."

Spending on IT when you can

"CIO Update has a useful article on how open source can help CIOs save money with open source"

CIO tenure numbers that surprise

"No more packing your bags at 18 months. Recent studies show the average tenure for CIOs is now hovering around four years -- an eternity compared with the abbreviated tours of duty in 2000 and 2001."