The Edge

The Edge is a business novel that educates senior business leaders how to get an edge in running their companies through the strategic use of Information Technology. It gives executives the knowledge and tools to guide their company as it transitions from a mid-level to a high-level competitor in the marketplace. It takes the wondering out of the picture and shows business leaders what software applications and specialized technologies can do. Through its narrative, it simultaneously tells the tale of a company and the struggles of the family that runs it, while describing principles of technology management.

The Art of IT Leadership

The Art of IT Leadership is a business novel that educates senior IT leaders how to get an edge in running their IT departments through the strategic use of Information Technology and management processes. It gives readers the knowledge and tools to guide their company as it transitions from a mid-level to a high-level competitor in the marketplace. It takes the wondering out of the picture and shows IT leaders what key skills they need to develop and improve to become more effective leaders. Through its narrative, it simultaneously tells the tale of a Chief Information Officer as he makes a set of progressive transitions in his career.

IT Governance

Business executives intuitively understand the importance of Governance for organization assets such as human capital, financial assets and physical assets. But they don’t necessarily appreciate the need to govern information and IT assets. Given the intangibility of information and the resources invested in IT by the average business, it makes perfect sense to govern IT assets to control and mitigate risks and ensure performance.

The New Face of IT

The future of IT is not in building and maintaining technology, but in the application of technology in solving business problems. This new IT organization should not be focused on maintaining a technology infrastructure, but in using IT as a value-added tool to enhance the operation of the business.

Technology Strategy Development

Developing a technology strategy is not about figuring out what servers or networks to put into place, but rather putting in to place a framework within which a set of business applications can be deployed.

Service Provider Contract Essentials

There are some essential elements of an Application Services Provider contract that you should look for before signing anything.

The Outsourcing Continuum

The decision to outsource some or all of your IT infrastructure support is one that shouldn’t be taken lightly, or without a significant amount of due diligence when considering which partner(s) to work with. Managing and maintaining the portions of your IT functions that are critical, but not strategic, requires considerable time and effort. You have to think about what elements of IT are contributing directly to your company’s business strategies and which ones are providing “back office” type support.

Assessing Risk

There are always risks associated with using any kind of technology. The challenge is to discern whether the reward outweighs the risk.

Crossing the Line between Strategic & Utility

Technologies change constantly. When a technology becomes ubiquitous, i.e. it’s only noticed when it’s not there, it’s become a utility. What happens when a technology moves from being a competitive advantage to being a utility?