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.
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.
The Road to Compliance
July 17, 2008
Compliance is a tricky job even if all the data, devices and people are in the office. 
Introducing mobility to the equation makes the task significantly more complex. Amanda Finch, the CEO of ADV Group, says that the conversation between IT and the more financially-oriented parts of the organization often starts too late — after something bad has happened.
IT Risk, and the Solutions, Run Deep
July 7, 2008
Companies spend as much as 80 percent of their compliance budgets securing IT, says Patrick Conte, the CEO of Agiliance. It’s a complex area featuring three interdependent layers that must be addressed: These areas–or, as Conte calls them, stacked dependencies–are the applications, the databases and the underlying infrastructure.
Unified Communications: No Overnight Sensation
June 18, 2008
Unified Communications is featured in the second of an ongoing podcast series looking at how communications 
between IT and the other departments impacts deployment of platforms and applications. Charles Thompson, the Manager of Systems Engineering for Network Instruments says that, among other things, successful rollouts depend on careful planning, reasonable expectations and a robust underlying infrastructure. CIOs and their staffs must have a deep understanding of the business in order to make the best recommendations.
CIOs Gain by Seeing Beyond Technology
June 3, 2008
The increasingly strategic role played by technology is an opportunity for CIOs and their departments to raise their profile and get a full seat at the corporate table. The most important step is to shift from a narrow concentration on technology to the bigger picture of the company’s goals, says Prevoyance Group president and founder Patrick Gray.
The Maturing of GRC
May 28, 2008
In the immediate aftermath of Enron, Adelphia and other scandals, the Governance, Risk and Compliance sector focused on very fundamental things–helping companies follow the law and stay out of trouble. Today, says Gordon Burnes, OpenPage’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, the sector has matured to become an integral part of an organization’s internal structure.
Building Better Reports
May 20, 2008
The report creation process is changing. Until now, IT put together reports that people on the business side invariably found lacking, says Doug Sheehan, a principal in Investment Conversions & Consulting. The more efficient approach is to create processes that puts reporting capabilities in the hands of the business people.
IT’s Integral Role in Compliance
May 16, 2008
DataFlux president and CEO Tony Fisher says that IT can help their employers—and themselves—by proactively overseeing the compliance process and recommending ways to further leverage the infrastructure that has been built.
IT’s Changing Role in VoIP Adoption
May 13, 2008
Jon Arnold & Associates’ Principal Jon Arnold tells The IT-Finance Connection that the rationale for VoIP has gone beyond simple cost savings. IT must help management think about the new telephone platform in a strategic manner. That will help the organization–and help IT raise its profile.
