How to Reinvent Your Technical Support Team
August 26, 2008
Randy Miller knows that technical support often is viewed as an unglamorous task. But handling problems proactively is a vital part of the process. In the first of a three-part series, the Director of Services for Journyx says that a well run technical support team can reinvigorate a company. Management must back these moves, which can change complaints into compliments.
Podcast: Where Does Telepresence Fit In?
August 25, 2008
The growth of powerful end point technology and bandwidth- rich networks makes telepresence–a step beyond tele-conferencing–a feasible tool for a wider variety of corporate workers. Jim Kaufold, the Senior Vice President of Global Sales for Teliris, tells The IT-Finance Connection that a cohesive deployment strategy agreed upon by IT and end-users is necessary to make sure that these projects succeed.
The View from Here: The Economist Intelligence Unit, Cisco Get it Right
August 20, 2008
Earlier this month, the organizations released a survey suggesting that IT departments understand the need for transformation and that better alignment with the business units is one of their key goals.
The IT-Finance Connection Storage Resource Guide
August 19, 2008
Storage is changing and becoming more challenging. Concepts such as storage-in-the-cloud, storage-as-a-service and virtualized storage offer a high level of customization–and an equally high level of complexity.
IT and Finance: Implementing an Efficient Data Security Model
August 18, 2008
True security extends through an organization’s databases. Tom Van Horn, the director of product marketing for Application Security Inc., provides a rationale for IT and finance to work together and five steps toward more effective and comprehensive database security.
The View from Here: Portable Devices Now Can be Confiscated at Customs
August 9, 2008
New rules allow customs agents to confiscate electronic devices and share contents with other agencies and private companies. IT departments must make sure that traveling executives are aware of the issue and that vital data is available elsewhere.
CFOs and CIOs Should Work Together on Licensing
August 8, 2008
Scott Rosenberg, the CEO and Founder of Miro Consulting, says that the CIO should include the CFO in software licensing negotiations. If done correctly, such cooperation strengthens bonds between the departments, improves the licenses and creates a better understanding of the complex tasks IT performs.
The IT-Finance Connection Virtualization Resource Guide
August 6, 2008
There are very few changes an organization undergoes greater than virtualization. This new platform enables resources–storage, PCs, etc.–to be “abstracted,” or separated, from the underlying hardware. This means, for instance, that data can be stored in a pool of repositories instead of a dedicated server, or a single PC can support multiple operating systems. The bottom line: More efficient use of resources.
Security and Compliance: IT and Finance Must Work Together
August 5, 2008
The CFO and the CIO and their departments must reach a new level of understanding as regulatory and security issues coalesce. Avishai Wool, the CEO and Co-Founder of AlgoSec, says that the interplay of the two departments is particularly important in PCI-related issues because the data that is being stored and provided to regulators belongs to the CFO’s office.
Getting to Know Carrier Ethernet
August 4, 2008
Carrier Ethernet offers unique advantages as organizations seek to handle unprecedented stress to their networks. David Strauss, the Vice President of Marketing for Optimum Lightpath, says that a key is the simplification that comes from the use of the same family of protocols that are employed in most local-area networks. IT’s task: Convince the CEO and the CFO that Carrier Ethernet is not just another way to slice a bunch of dumb cables.
