From Engineering.com
While this is a fun time waster. What does it tell us about the future of interactive technology? Will 3D TV etc. be big? What does this mean for business? How can you use the emerging 3D technology to create competitive advantage?
What do you think?
From CNN
Technology has enabled the “officeless” generation. Do you think this will continue to grow as a way of working? Will this just become an extension of our offices and work anywhere/everywhere world? Is this a good thing?
Should we as managers encourage and plan for this work-style?
What do you think?
Thanks Hugh
From Government Technology
Enterprise Architecture Demystified
From the article, and very well said:
“Enterprise Architecture is derived from the understanding that technology exists to fulfill business needs. Which technologies are chosen should not be a matter of “coolness” and is only partially a matter of cost: more properly it is a matter of what technologies get the job done. And what constitutes “the job” must, of course, be defined by the executive branch, the legislature, the agency head, etc., not by the technologists who, while perhaps experts at what they do, are often more interested and aware of bits and bytes than in agency purposes or political needs.”
So, who should be setting the agenda for IT?
From CIO Insight
“In many of the companies I wrote about, IT was absolutely central to the business model. The CIOs were very front and center in the design of the business. Even if the companies weren’t IT-based, there was a sense of IT as the great enabler that allows them to do much of what they do.
That’s contrary to the notion that IT is no longer strategic because it’s ubiquitous. That’s a very dangerous argument, because the extension of that argument is that because it’s ubiquitous and no longer strategic, it can be relegated deep into the organization.” “At every one of these companies I’ve written about, IT was very strategic and enabled them to adapt and develop new business models. Therefore, it was critically important to the executives and the founders to understand not just how IT was working inside their company, but what it could do.”
And there you go.
What do you think?
From the Harvard Business School Blog…..
How will Augmented Reality affect Your Business
Check out the five “things”. Personally, of these, the “nature of location” will have the most profound impact.
What do you think?
While checking out the CDC for social media (Thanks Chris) I noticed that there is a CDC Island in Second Life.
They are also on Facebook
The CDC seems to be adapting “all” of the newest technologies on the web. Interesting.
Have you visited either?
Thanks Chris
The CDC is using Social Media to get the word out about what is happening related to H1N1 etc.
According to the CDC website, ” Help us spread the word and prevent novel H1N1 flu by sharing interactive tools with friends, co-workers and family members!”
Specific Website for H1N1 and Social Media
Seems like a great way to spread the word (I could not resist). What do you think?
In an article from CIO.com called “Why Security Matters Now” we can read about how some of the newest technologies such as Twitter and Blogs are causing us to think about security even more. Additionally, we can read about SaaS or “Cloud Computing” and how it is causing us to think more about security. The article also lists the top 10 security priorities such as Biometrics and Web 2.0. The article also describes some of the trends along with some data regarding about concerns “in the cloud”.
What jumps out at you as a managerial concern? What keeps you up at night — related to IT?
In a Baseline Magazine article (July/August 2009) entitled “Keeping a Lid on Risk” there is a section I feel is particularly important. This section is called “Understanding Risk“. The section goes on to explain the differences between business risk, technology risk, legal/regualtory risk, and external risk. EVERY project has risk. EVERY IT project has these types of risk. All risk must be actively managed and mangement requires mitigation as well as contingency during project planning as well as during project management. Proper governance must include risk management.
Another posting on Project Risk Management “Forecasting the Success of Technology Projects”
How well does your firm manage risk? Does your firm or organization have a governance plan or approach?
What did you think about this article? What dis you learn?
According to Forbes, in an article entitled “New Revenue Waves for Google” there are at least three ways for GOOGLE to generate revenue with upcoming WAVE. Posting about WAVE
What do you think?
What do you suggest?
An article in FORTUNE Magazine entitled “How Facebook is Taking Over our Lives” discusses the profound impact that Facebook is having on all of our lives. As a technology, it is fascinating. The online article has some great data that presents some amazing facts about the growth of Facebook users, daily users, time of use per day etc.. As a technology, it took only 5 years for it to reach 150 million users. The telephone took 89 years, TV took 38 years. Usefulness aside, it is a huge phenomenon. Microsoft has taken a stake in Facebook, has been collaborating on some projects while competing in some respects. Why?
What do you think about Facebook?
Where will it go?
What is the role of Facebook in the “corporate world”?
According to an article in Strategy and Business there are over 6,000 IBMers in virtual worlds. According to the article, ” An estimated 300 million people worldwide have registered for participation in some form of this activity, according to Kzero, a virtual world marketing and development company. In 2008, according to trade group Virtual Worlds Management, venture capitalists and other investors bet nearly US$600 million on more than 60 software producers involved in the fledgling technology.” Wow. Just a fad?
Further, the article states, ” IBM estimates that, with an investment of roughly $80,000, it saved more than $250,000 in travel and venue costs for a recent corporate Academy of Technology event and enjoyed more than $150,000 in additional productivity gains, because these virtual participants were at their computers and able to dive back into work immediately at the conclusion of the meeting.” Wow, a payback too?
What do you think? Ready to go virtual for business?
An article appeared in Chief Learning Office Online Magazine with the title “The Future of Knowledge Management“ (Note this link takes you to an online magazine reader)
The article stresses human interaction and relationships. It offers four steps 1. Understand who the Knowledge Sources are 2. Measuring Where and How the Knowledge Flows 3. Getting Knowledge to Flow more Rapidly and freely 4. Reinforcing Knowledge and Supportive Relationships.
As you may recall, this has been the thrust of my paper on Knowledge Management esopecially with an emphasis on expertise location.
The article brings intp play “social networking” and by association, Web 2.0 Technologies. It also suggests that we must have a “collaborative knowledge sharing platform”.
What do you think about this article? What are the Lessons to be Learned?
An article in CIO Magazine by Chris Potts discusses the difference of running IT “like” a business versus “as” a business. He says, and I agree, running it as a business does not work.
Is it Time to Reset Your IT Strategy?
From the article linked above “With the bulk of IT spending shifting from investment in new and exciting technologies to maintaining and replacing existing ones, applying sound business discipline has kept that spending under control and has driven a necessary focus on IT operational performance and efficiency.”
Potts goes on to say later in the article “your IT department isn’t a business. It is, after all, a part of a business: a significant contributor to a value chain, not a self-contained value chain of its own. And the harder you try to create a separate value chain for IT, the harder it becomes for the IT department to become integrated with the business of which it is truly part.”
And this statement, as if it were from one of our textbooks, “After the technology-centric strategy, then the efficiency-centric one, the strategic IT focus is now on exploiting technology to create new business value. Today’s successful CIO is one that is primarily valued as leader of a corporate strategy in which the company is an “expert customer” of IT. Managing operational delivery of IT services in a businesslike way is simply expected, if the CIO still does it at all. ”
What do you think? Should IT be run “as” a business or “like” a business?
