Achieving Breakthrough Performance With Six Sigma Gary Gack, a Founder and Managing Partner of Six Sigma Advantage, explains the concepts of Six Sigma, and their application to business processes, with a focus on software and IT.
Achieving, Measuring and Communicating IT Value How does an organization define, create, measure, and manage IT value? Dean Nelson of Deloitte’s Technology Consulting Practice explains how to tell if IT is delivering value and contributing to the success of an enterprise.
Aligning Human Potential With Resources You don’t need to constantly restructure to propel your organization into the future. Consultant Hellen Davis of Indaba explains how to use the RA2 Interface model to define responsibility, accountability and authority guidelines.
Application Security Principles Consultant Ted Demopoulos explains the principles for developing secure software, explores threats, vulnerabilities, and risks, and describes threat modeling techniques. He also examines secure programming concepts and implementation issues.
Are You on the Software Police's Most Wanted List? Peter Vogel, a partner in the law firm of Gardere Wynne Sewell, explains why you should conduct a 'self-audit' of your company's computers to check for unlicensed software.
Best Practices in Asset Management Consultant Tim Schmidt shows IT leaders how to carry out an effective asset management program that can save their organizations money on contracts and license fees.
Best Practices in E-Procurement A well-designed e-procurement system can pay for itself in six to eighteen months, and provide benefits for years to come, says Mike Hugos of Network Services, who describes the sequence of activities and best practices to implement.
Business Continuity Plans: Insights and Best Practices In this program expert Dwayne Bethea, a business continuity manager for Richard Fleischman & Associates, offers insight and best practices that will help IT professionals and enterprise leaders build and implement effective business continuity plans for their organizations.
Business Intelligence: Best Practices for Successful Project Management Why does business intelligence project management require different techniques to succeed? Consultant David Sterling shows how to pick the right tools, leverage your resources, use effective training procedures, and avoid common pitfalls.
Business Process Reengineering: Today's Battleground What should a corporation's leaders do when they realize that their company has lost its competitiveness? James Champy urges financial executives to become actively involved in, rather than merely support, the redesign of business processes.
CSLA.NET: An Introduction In this report, Rockford Lhotka, the creator of CSLA and Principal Technology Evangelist for Boston based Magenic Technologies, introduces CSLA.NET, discuss its features, benefits and visions for the future.
Calculating Your Security Risk How can you protect your organization from what really goes wrong in computer security? Peter Tippett of Cybertrust shows how to make good decisions through the risk equation, and provides practical advice for securing an enterprise.
Can Anyone Document Processes? In this program, Scott Helmers, a partner with Boston based Harvard Computing Group, discusses how process mapping can enable organizations to achieve more efficient internal operations,improved customer service and satisfaction.
Cloud Computing Insights In this report Don Norbeck, Director of Product Development for SunGard Availability Services presents advice and make recommendations that will help you evaluate Cloud Computing and to assess the potential impact its implementation could have on your enterprise.
Cloud Computing for the Enterprise In this report Faisal Hoque, a former senior executive at General Electric and founder and CEO of BTM Corporation offers expert advice to CIOs and IT professionals who may be considering adopting enterprise-wide cloud computing solutions in their organizations.
Cloud Computing: Is It Right For Me? This WatchIT Straight Talk program features expert Anthony Velte. By watching this program viewers will learn if Cloud Computing is a good match for all organizations, the benefits as well as the limitations of Cloud, possible security concerns and what the future may hold for Cloud Computing.
Cloud Computing: Key Vendors, Products and Solutions In this program, Anthony Velte, an award-winning author of over a dozen books, including the popular, Cloud Computing a Practical Approach, discusses the major technology vendors and the Cloud products and solutions they offer.
Communication Strategies for Global Organizations Peter Harrison,CEO of Global Logic, offers advice and best practices to IT and business professionals on how to best utilize communication applications and tools
Convergence: IT and Business Working Together In this report, business guru and author, Faisal Hoque, discusses and explores the agile, innovative enterprise. He also introduces the concept of the “converged” organization, where transformed companies emerge into “whole-brained” enterprises, enabling growth and driving improved profitability.
Corporate Espionage: Spies Among Us Ira Winkler, who made a career out of identifying the weaknesses in corporate security systems, disclosed the truth about these devastating losses and the steps you need to take to help prevent them.
Creating Effective Email Policies Not having a written e-mail usage policy can result in lawsuits, loss of sensitive information, and a reduction in productivity. Michelle Drolet CEO and founder of Towerwall (formerly CONQWEST)explains how to create an effective policy and ensure its enforcement.
Data Centers: Going Green In this WatchIT Straight Talk program expert Peter Curtis, the founder of Power Management Concepts LLC, discusses the efforts that organizations are undertaking to turn a green corner with the Data Center. These green initiatives will not only reduce carbon footprints, but also lower operational costs, and can improve an enterprises bottom line.
Directions in Learning for Software Professionals In this report featuring software engineering author and expert Capers Jones, we’ll explore new trends and directions in learning for software professionals and offer advice on how to secure management support for education programs in your organization.
Disaster Recovery Planning: Insights & Best Practices In this program Don Norbeck, Director of Product Development for SunGard Availability Services, provides IT professionals with up-to-date insights and best practices they must be considered when creating new or updating existing disaster recovery plans.
Due Diligence and Don’t Be Sorry Which specific IT contract elements should be addressed to avoid potential legal disputes? Attorney Peter Vogel focuses on the issues IT managers should negotiate with vendors to help improve working relationships and avoid lawsuits.
E-Learning: Life Inside the Virtual Classroom Diane Bauer, senior manager for Cisco Systems, discusses technical and business factors that can make or break a successful e-learning program; people, process and systems issues; and the practitioner level concerns raised by e-learning.
E-Mail Disclaimers: Worth the Paper They're Not Printed On? Peter Vogel, who chairs the electronic discovery team at Gardere Wynne, explains why, as a general rule, it may be counterproductive for you to append an automatic 'disclaimer' to each e-mail you send.
Effective Presentation Skills for IT Professionals (Third Edition) The ability to explain technology, influence others, and get buy-in for your ideas and services is critical for success. Marjorie Brody of Brody Communications demonstrates the skills IT pros need to deliver presentations more effectively.
Effective Techniques for the Balanced Scorecard Howard Rohm, VP, Balanced Scorecard Institute, shares his experience with balanced scorecard performance systems, and offers practical tips and advice to help you decide if a balanced scorecard system is right for your organization.
Effective Website Privacy Policies Peter Vogel an attorney and technology expert from the firm of Gardere, Wynne Sewell LLP, discusses the key elements of effective website privacy policies and the role of IT in there design and enforcement.
Ensuring Data Quality in Your Enterprise Data quality management is the most critical initiative you can implement in your organization, according to Claudia Imhoff of Intelligent Solutions. She explains why -- and shows how to improve data quality for better business decisions.
Ensuring High Quality Software Metrics Doug Brindley of Software Productivity Research examines the powerful techniques best-in-class companies use to collect and analyze software metrics.
Establishing an Effective Ethics and Compliance Program Will your company know how to respond if charged with ethical breaches or illegal conduct? Consultant Bruce Hamm explains why organizations need a formal ethics and compliance program and outlines the steps necessary to create one.
Ethics: Beyond Compliance to Performance In this program, Catherine Finamore Henry, vice president of Working Values, discusses the impact on performance of an organizational culture where ethical breaches are simply not tolerated.
Extreme Project Management: How to Survive Fast-Track Projects How can your organization manage its projects efficiently and effectively? Howard Rubin offers insights, as well as strategic and tactical plans that map a clear path to bringing projects in on time.
Facilitation Methods to Improve Business/IT Decision Making Gig Graham of WatchIT, explains how workshops and other decision-making exercises can help executives and managers define business problems and employ consensus-building processes.
Global Connectivity: Revolutionizing the Way We Do Business In this program, Emily Nagle Green, President and CEO of Yankee Group, a technology research and consulting firm explores the “Anywhere Network,” and the impact that ubiquitous connectivity will have on individauls, businesses and the global economy.
Globalizing Software R&D: Insights & Best Practices Peter Harrison, CEO of Global Logic, discusses the benefits and challenges of global development projects and offers insight and advice to those considering globalizing software R&D.
Green IT: Insights and Best Practices In this report David Howe, SVP of Strategy and Client Services at CloudBlue Inc. discusses how IT professionals can move their organizations toward greener environmental practices in a manner that reduces costs and reduces risks, related to information security and end-of-life disposition of IT infrastructure.
Guidelines for Pandemic Planning This WatchIT report features expert Jim MacMicking from SunGard Availability Services. This presentation is designed to guide IT and business professionals in planning for a pandemic as well as other public health emergencies that may threaten their organizations.
How To Make Your Ethics Program Work In this program, Dr. Stephen Grace uses his research finding to show that, first and foremost, an ethical organization must have a governance process that is built on a rigorous set of checks and balances.
IT Organizational Strategies, Roles and Responsibilities How an IT organization is structured has a great impact on the success of a business. This program presents strategies and models for organizing IT, and outlines the roles and responsibilities of key IT personnel.
IT Project Management: Part 1 (First Edition) Part 1 of a series is a case study of a software development project. Analyzes the successes and failures of the project: what went right, what went wrong, and how problems were addressed. Explains how to set up a strategy for project management.
IT Security Essentials for the Business Professional The experts featured in this program show business and technology managers how to recognize and overcome the hazards associated with insufficient security, and how to measure ROI for a security initiative.
IT Security and Regulatory Compliance What are you doing to ensure that your IT security policies comply with recent regulations? Ken Smith of Akibia walks you through the regulatory minefield, highlights best practices, and explains how to conduct a vulnerability assessment.
Implementing Wi-Fi Enterprise-Wide How do you avoid the most common pitfalls when setting up a Wi-Fi network? Consultant Damien Holloway walks you through the dos and don’ts as he presents a step-by-step Game Plan for implementing a wireless enterprise solution.
Implementing the Order-to-Cash Business Process The order-to-cash process represents an untapped opportunity at many companies to improve business performance. Technology writer and consultant Roger Grannis walks viewers through the five steps that can yield additional profit.
Information Integrity: What You Need to Know The two top executives at Infogix, Inc. – Madhavan Nayar and Ed Gourley - clarify why information integrity is cited as the most important technology issue facing organizations today.
Information Security Certifications Ted Demopoulos founder and principle of Demopoulos Associates offers helpful advice to security professionals looking to expand their career through a professional certification.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems Ted Demopoulos, founder and principal of Demopoulos Associates offers expert advices and insight into Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems and how the technology is evolving.
Just What Is Enterprise Business Intelligence? Consultant Chris Silbernagel discusses the perspectives through which people and organizations view enterprise business intelligence, identifies key values to be derived from BI solutions, and recommends first steps for implementation.
Keeping Up With IT Staff Competency Requirements How can you avoid the pitfall of the hire-fire-and-hire approach to staffing? Author and manager Joe Santana explains how to keep your IT staff on top of changing competency requirements while optimizing your organization’s IT processes.
Legal Issues in Virtual Worlds In this program Peter Vogel an attorney and technology expert from the firm of Gardere, Wynne Sewell LLP,discusses the legal issues and concerns that have surfaced as businesses increase their presence in virtual environments.
Limiting Liability Exposure for the IT Manager Attorney Peter Vogel addresses liability issues regarding IT breaches and management accountability, discusses the basics of liability insurance coverage, and describes actions to take when breaches are discovered.
Malware: An Evolving and Growing Threat In this report Michael Davis of Savid Technologies and Aaron Le Masters from the consulting firm Mandiant discuss why Malware is such a rising danger to system security today. They offer advice to CIOs and IT security professionals about defending their systems and networks and keeping the cyber-criminals at bay.
Managing Change Altering the status quo and implementing change requires that people go through process adjustments and psychological stages. Hellen Davis of Indaba explains how to use change models to lead people successfully through change.
Managing E-Procurement Risks Brook Foust, analyst at Doculabs, a Chicago-based research and consulting firm, offers expert views, advice, and best practices based on his experience helping organizations manage e-procurement risks.
Managing External Service Providers Author and consultant Dr. Wendell Jones explains how to identify and select the best service provider for a business, negotiate sound contracts, devise appropriate performance criteria, and effectively manage the relationship.
Minimizing Harm from Layoffs and Downsizing In this report Capers Jones, Chief Scientist Emeritus of Software Productivity Research (SPR) discusses downsizing and layoffs in technical and software development organizations. He offers advice and recommendations to managers and CIOs to help minimize the harmful effects of staff reductions.
Mobile Device Security: Insights and Best Practices In this program Julian Croxall, Director of Business Strategy for Richard Fleischman & Associates, offers insight and best practices that will help secure employee’s mobile devices and maintain effective levels of enterprise network and data security.
Modern Information Systems - IT Infrastructure: Part 1 By clearly explaining the inner working of modern information systems, technology writer and consultant Roger Grannis enables the viewer to recognize the issues, ask the right questions, and have confidence in tackling IT-related problems.
Modern Information Systems - IT Infrastructure: Part 2 By clearly explaining the inner working of modern information systems, technology writer and consultant Roger Grannis enables the viewer to recognize the issues, ask the right questions, and have confidence in tackling IT-related problems.
Offshore Development: Why Projects Fail and How to Make Them Succeed How can companies avoid the inherent risks involved in offshore development? Peter Harrison of Global Logic examines why these projects often fail, tells how to keep them on track, and explores reasons behind this megatrend.
Optimizing IT to Meet Business Objectives How can companies ensure that IT services are optimized to implement critical business objectives? IT consultant Wendell Jones describes techniques that will help IT managers think and communicate like business executives.
Outsmart the Competition In this program, management guru and best-selling author Jim Champy tells us about the surprising – and counterintuitive – lessons learned from high-velocity companies that have achieved super-high growth for at least three straight years.
Outsource Governance Metrics: We're Lost, But We're Making Good Time How can your company improve its chances for success in outsourcing relationships? Doug Brindley of Software Productivity Research explains the key principles and best practices you must follow to achieve your organization’s goals.
Project Management Roles and Responsibilities Has your organization properly defined the roles and responsibilities required to manage IT projects successfully? Answerthink’s Bob Jones offers an in-depth look at the skills, tools, and processes that determine a project’s success or failure.
Project Management for CRM Initiatives Jonathan Geiger, Executive Vice President for Consulting and Educational Services for Intelligent Solutions offers expert advice - cultural, organizational and technical - facing the CRM program manager, and the measures necessary to run a successful CRM project.
Protecting Personal Information In this report Peter Vogel an attorney and technology expert from the firm of Gardere, Wynne Sewell LLP, offers clear insight into current and emerging issues regarding the protection of personal information.
Relationship Management for Senior IT Executives How can IT managers engage business partners in more productive relationships? Gig Graham explains how to help them apply information technology to serve customers, defeat competitors, and build stockholder wealth.
Requirements Engineering Artifact Modeling: An Introduction This WatchIT Core Technologies program features Daniel J. Paulish, a distinguished member of the technical staff at Siemens Corporate Research in Princeton, NJ. By watching this informative report viewers will learn about RE artifact modeling, and why it is so essential for the definition of requirements engineering processes.
Rootkits: A Growing Security Threat In this program viewers will learn about Rootkits and the danger they present to system security today. In addition, the program experts offer advice to IT professionals about defending their systems and networks from the Rootkit threat.
Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance: Managing Technology Controls Consultant and author Scott Green discusses the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and details a nine-phase IT action plan for compliance. In addition, he outlines the benefits, pitfalls, and impact of the compliance process.
Semantic Intelligence: The Enabler of Mobile Search and Advertising In this WatchIT Horizons program, Semantic Intelligence, The Enabler of Mobile Search and Advertising, Brooke Aker, CEO of Expert Systems, explains how you can use semantic technology to bring your information to life, to leverage it, and monetize it in ways both surprising and straight forward.
Semantic Technologies: Enabling Next-Generation Web Advertising In this case study report, Amiad Solomon, founder and CEO of Peer 39, explains how he and his firm use Semantic Technology solutions to enable the delivery of more effective and well-targeted ads to online consumers.
Semantic Web Concepts: A Technical Overview This program features Christine Connors, the founder of TriviumRLG who discusses the benefits and challenges and the technology components of the Semantic Web.
Service Level Agreements for Cloud Computing Services In this program technology expert and attorney Peter Vogel, from the firm of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP based in Dallas Texas, offers advice and best practices that will help you craft a strong Cloud Computing SLA for your organization.
Service Level Agreements: Negotiating a Win-Win Deal Explains why an SLA is the best tool for ensuring optimal network services. Specifies elements needed for a well-structured SLA and examines who should be involved in negotiations. Describes what you must do to create a mutually beneficial relationship.
Social Networking: Does it Work at Work? In this program, Alan Brill, senior managing director for technology services at Kroll Ontrack explains how organizations are coping with social networking and offers best practices to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks that it brings to the enterprise.
Software Licensing: Insights and Best Practices Peter Vogel from the firm of Gardere, Wynne Sewell LLP, shares important lessons to help you negotiate effectively with software vendors, lower risk, and aid compliance with software licenses in your organization.
Software Project Management: Practices That Save Projects Don’t let waste and inefficiency sabotage your next software project. In this program, Richard Sheridan of Menlo Innovations explains how to implement the pragmatic best practices necessary to prevent the most common problems in the software industry.
Software and Systems Requirements Engineering: Insights and Best Practices This WatchIT Core Technologies program features Daniel J. Paulish, a distinguished member of the technical staff at Siemens Corporate Research in Princeton, NJ. By watching this informative report viewers will learn about software and systems requirements engineering (RE) and why it has become such a critical aspect of product development today.
Storage Optimization: An Introduction In this report Jim MacMicking, Director of Professional Services, for Sungard Availability Services discusses the current trends in storage management and optimization and offer insight for IT professionals who are coping with the ever-increasing demand for electronic storage in their organizations.
Strategic Outsourcing Framework: Organizational Readiness In this first program of a three-part series on outsourcing, Mark Power, president of ROS Incorporated, details the critical process necessary for organizations to conduct an outsourcing readiness assessment.
Strategic Outsourcing Framework: Project Transition and Governance In the third program of a three-part series on outsourcing, Mark Power explains how to make the transition from in-house management of a project to an outsourced provider, and identifies processes to be used during the governance phase.
Strategic Outsourcing Framework: Vendor Selection and Contracting In this second program of a three-part series on outsourcing, Mark Power, president of ROS Incorporated, describes the process companies should follow to develop a structured framework to guide them through vendor selection and contracting.
Supply Chain Management: A Business Perspective Scott Helmers, partner with the Harvard Computing Group, Group, explains how efficient management of your organization’s supply chain can make your company more competitive.
Technology Economics: A Driving Force Behind Business Today In this program, IT benchmarking expert, Dr. Howard Rubin, introduces us to “Technology Economics,” and explains how by “recognizing, mapping and understanding the interaction of technology investment and the creation of value, we will fundamentally change the way business is done.”
The Enterprise Security Organization: Design, Roles and Responsibilities Information security expert Dave Garlick outlines how an enterprise should set up its security organization. He covers such topics as setting policies and procedures, increasing security awareness, and using technology to keep out intruders.
The IT Infrastructure Library: An Introduction In this program Scott Helmers, a partner with Boston based Harvard Computing Group presents practical insights into ITIL and explains why enterprises can benefit from its implementation.
The Latest Weapons in Combating Counterfeit Goods Joseph Potenza, a partner in the law firm of Banner & Witcoff, Ltd., details how the damages -- in the case of counterfeit products that are inferior or dangerous -- could be fatal to individual health and safety as well as to corporate revenues and reputation.
The New Economics of IT Infrastructure Dr Howard Rubin discusses how global economic conditions are creating “mega” size organizations with access to information technology and business processes that have never been seen or experienced before.
The New IT Economics In this program IT Benchmarking expert Dr. Howard Rubin discusses why bad economic times are always a good time to invest in IT
The Principles of Successful CRM Claudia Imhoff looks at the principles of CRM and its critical success factors, focusing on how operational and analytical CRM are used in support of an overall CRM initiative.
The Software Cost Estimation Process Software cost estimation experts detail successful practices associated with estimation, and look at the tools and key drivers involved with the process.
Understanding Blogs and Their Business Value Consultant Ted Demopoulos discusses the business uses of blogs, and explains how blogs can boost Web site traffic, increase sales, and provide an excellent platform to communicate with customers.
Understanding Business Intelligence This overview program reviews the fundamentals of business intelligence. Mike Cunningham, founder and CEO of Harvard Computing Group, shows how business intelligence, or BI, can help you reduce operating costs, improve efficiency, increase margins and boost the competitiveness of your organization.
Value Nets: Breaking the Supply Chain to Unlock Hidden Profits This program explains a new approach to business design - a strategic model revolving around "value nets" that connect customer needs to component sources, product assembly, and rapidly delivery.
Virtual Appliances: An Introduction In this program Nelson Ruest, noted author of many popular technology books and a senior enterprise IT architect, introduces viewers to the emerging world of the Virtual Appliance.
Virtualization: An Introduction In this program, Nelson Ruest, IT architect and co-author of the popular book Virtualization: A Beginners Guide, will introduce you to Virtualization technology, explore it's benefits and offer advice and best practices to those considering Virtualization projects for their organizations.
WPF, Silverlight and XAML: An Introduction In the program Rockford Lhotka, Principal Technology Evangelist for Boston based Magenic Technologies, will introduce you to Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), the Microsoft browser plugin Silverlight, and the Extensible Application Markup Language known as XAML.
Web Site Practices: Creating a Better Visitor Experience Between half to three-quarters of Web site visitors leave without finding what they were looking for – even when it is on the site. Steve Telleen of iorg.com demonstrates a proactive approach to creating a better visitor experience.
When Bad Data Is Good Enough Consultant Don Gerundo of Exigent Partners describes ways to improve the usefulness of marginal data, focusing on methods to cleanse, fix, and verify data so that they can be used successfully in enterprise decision support systems.
Working Knowledge This program looks at how knowledge can be nurtured in organizations, and helps managers to harness the collective experience and wisdom within their enterprises more effectively.
XBRL = A Way of Life for Corporate America In this program longtime SEC observer Gary Purnhagen predicts that it is just a matter of time until all U.S. publicly traded companies are required to file audited XBRL financial statements.
