02Jul
Filed in Technology
A panel of software providers (SixApart, NewsGator, SocialText and SpikeSource) listed the same issues around security, compliance and control confronting Enterprise 2.0 implementations seen in the past. Even so, a few companies are beginning to move forward with implementations and some have found creative ways to use these tools.
Adoption is driven less from personal passion and more from significant corporate pain points. Others are looking to provide internal tools for employees that provide the means of communication found in the student/consumer markets.
change, enterprise 2.0, IT, Management, Technology, web
03Feb
Filed in Technology
The McKinsey Quarterly
In recent years, companies have worked hard to reduce the cost of the IT infrastructure—the data centers, networks, databases, and software tools that support businesses. These efforts to consolidate, standardize, and streamline assets, technologies, and processes have delivered major savings. Yet even the most effective cost-cutting program eventually hits a wall: the complexity of the infrastructure itself.
IT, Management, Technology, trends
30Jan
Filed in Economy | Technology
Here are a few of my own observations:
• OUTSOURCING · It looks like a hit-or-miss business but every company wants to do it. The key for the provider is getting to scale quickly enough to be able to provide services superior to in-house folks at a cost effective price. Also the expertise needs to be the biggest differentiator. Its all the same model as Law Firms, CPA’s etc… and it was the same with Viant. Like any other product or service, you need to differentiate on Cost or Quality … you either need to manage/train/hire a workforce in a “LCR” or low-cost region (China, India, Mexico) or have in-house expertise that business can’t develop cheaply on their own.
• INCREASED IT SPENDING · I’ve heard a lot of chatter about it in the press, but I didn’t start seeing it until last quarter when orders started coming in and folks started complaining about being swamped. But that’s just a microscopic view … will it last? will it improve? It’s anybody’s guess and there are a lot of things that could change it: world events ( Terrorism, Iraq, Afghan, SARS); the Fed (raising rates); and the election.
• NEW TECHNOLOGY · There’s a lot of buzz about Nanotechnology these days but I think it needs a “killer app” to get everyone to spend money on it. I don’t know anything about how to get into it but its something that offers the promise of disruptive technology (like computers, the internet, biotech).
Economy, IT, outsourcing, Technology
14Jan
Filed in Economy | Management | Publishing
Stephen Downes in his predictions for 2004 suggest that a form of “non-blog blogging” will begin to emerge. He describes this as a way to tap into the views and opinions held by the vast majority of people who will not write publicly.
Downes also predicts that 2004 will be the year of personalization. He focuses this personalization around topic based feeds, which deliver only the content that is of interest to that user.
Economy, IT, Management, Publishing, Technology, web
25Dec
Filed in Technology
SPECIAL REPORT
InfoWorld’s anniversary: 25 years of technology
A look back at technology developments in the last quarter century and predictions for the future
1979 – 1985: The Dawn of the PC
Personal computers meet the enterprise
1986 – 1995: The Networked Enterprise
LAN, Ethernet, Lotus Notes, Windows 95, and a connected workforce
1996 – 1999: The Internet Era
What a lovely bubble it was
2000 – 2003: The Age of (In)Security
Grappling with worms, viruses, and a devastating terrorist attack
Plus a look at the next 25 years.
The path to pervasive computing
Consumer electronics show us the way
Computers that mimic intelligence
Do computers need ‘brains’ to function intelligently?
The invisible workforce: IT in the future
As IT becomes invisible, so do the workers who keep it that way
After silicon: Biocomputing at work
Organic processes become the model for future technology
The visionaries
IT leaders make predictions about the future
IT, Management, Technology
18Dec
Filed in Management | Technology
At a time when offshore IT companies continue to post excellent results, these firms seem to confirm there is a requirement to have good solid account relationships based near the customer. The Economist November 20, 2003 “Bangalore, Texas”
A study of the value chain suggests this is a very intelligent move by the offshore firms. The standardization of IT development processes reduces the development time and improves the quality of the code and for all players. It is clear the only sustainable superior position is to be the low-cost provider. With operating margins often in the 20% range, there is plenty of room for other offshore firms in the same region or in lower cost regions to offer lower prices.
As the process standardization has moved from programming processes to design techniques, these activities have also moved to the low-cost provider. Will this continue right up the value chain to business strategy and financial advisors? Not likely. Oh, it will happen in a few isolated situations and there will be parts of the process, such as research and graphics production capabilities, which will move to lower cost providers.
The activities from business strategy through business rule verification will continue to be provided locally with lots of interation with the client. Offshore companies must develop this capability before their current business becomes a pure commodity. Local organizations should develop offshore capabilities or build relationship with several smaller offshore firms in order to provide a range of application development alternatives for their clients. There are numerous offshore companies seeking just such relationships.
Local companies will have difficulty moving from a fully integrated model to one based on development partners, as it means slow or negative growth for their local application development capabilities. An unenviable position at best. This opens the opportunity for a new breed of IT strategy consulting which provides application development through several relationships with local and offshore firms.
Offshore IT Article
IT Careers Caught in a Cross-Current
November 10, 2003
By Sharon Gaudin
IT, Management, outsourcing, Technology
10Dec
Filed in Economy | Management | Technology
At a time when offshore IT companies continue to post excellent results, these firms seem to confirm there is a requirement to have good solid account relationships based near the customer. The Economist November 20, 2003 “Bangalore, Texas”
A study of the value chain suggests this is a very intelligent move by the offshore firms. The standardization of IT development processes reduces the development time and improves the quality of the code and for all players. It is clear the only sustainable superior position is to be the low-cost provider. With operating margins often in the 20% range, there is plenty of room for other offshore firms in the same region or in lower cost regions to offer lower prices.
As the process standardization has moved from programming processes to design techniques, these activities have also moved to the low-cost provider. Will this continue right up the value chain to business strategy and financial advisors? Not likely. Oh, it will happen in a few isolated situations and there will be parts of the process, such as research and graphics production capabilities, which will move to lower cost providers.
The activities from business strategy through business rule verification will continue to be provided locally with lots of interation with the client. Offshore companies must develop this capability before their current business becomes a pure commodity. Local organizations should develop offshore capabilities or build relationship with several smaller offshore firms in order to provide a range of application development alternatives for their clients. There are numerous offshore companies seeking just such relationships.
Local companies will have difficulty moving from a fully integrated model to one based on development partners, as it means slow or negative growth for their local application development capabilities. An unenviable position at best. This opens the opportunity for a new breed of IT strategy consulting which provides application development through several relationships with local and offshore firms.
Offshore IT Article
IT Careers Caught in a Cross-Current
November 10, 2003
By Sharon Gaudin
IT, offshore, outsourcing, Technology
02Dec
Filed in Economy | Management | Technology
Let us begin analyzing the investment trends for 2004 by reviewing the predictions for IT spending in 2004. What better way to begin a discussion around the near term performance of technology companies than with near term IT spending?
Here is a summary of common themes from the articles listed here. It is by no means inclusive of all the predictions.
IT spending growth returns in 2004 with growth in the 4-8% range
Computer sales growth is higher than software growth
Infrastructure growth is higher than applications growth
Suites continue to be winners in the application battle
Business Intelligence bucks this trend with pure plays beating suite purchases
IT vendors struggle to adapt their marketing strategy toward solving business needs
Pricing pressure continues, as cost controls remain a high priority
IT services does not enjoy spending growth as movement to offshore providers doubles in 2004
CIOs Still Have A Cautious Outlook For 2004 IT Budgets
Forrester Business Technographics
November 7, 2003
Outlook for 2004 App Budgets: Conservative Growth
Forrester Business Technographics
December 1, 2003
Tech Resurrection Will Be Accompanied by Significant Structural Change, According to IDC Predictions 2004
09 Dec 2003
See full report. Registration is required.
Predicts 2004: IT Management and IT Services & Outsourcing
Gartner
24 November 2003 Acrobat
Gartner Sees IT Spending Rebound
November 11, 2003
By Roy Mark
Some IT Purse Strings May Be Loosened Next Year
DECEMBER 01, 2003 ( COMPUTERWORLD )
IT Spending to Rebound in Early 2004, Says SIIA Survey;
Web services, Security, Wireless to Benefit from Recovery
SIIA Technology Spending Horizons Survey
October 2003 Acrobat
Tech spending ‘to surge in 2004′
BBC
Economy, IT, Technology