See results from our survey of more than 5,000 IT pros, and use our Smart Salary Tool to compare your pay with IT workers in similar jobs across the U.S.
How Does Your Paycheck Compare?...
Read the articleBack to top
Editor's note: The author was not satisfied with the way he expressed himself in the article as it originally appeared, and so he has rewritten it extensively. The article below is substantially different from what was posted on Dec. 1, though the overall message remains the same. As the author told us, "I believe the message is important enough to get it right."
A couple of months ago, the author wrote "The unspoken truth about managing geeks" to illustrate how common, fundamental flaws produce stereotypical behaviors among IT professionals. These flaws have a source, he writes in his current column, and they cost an incalculable amount of time and money.
Garbage
Back in the fifth grade, I was in a school musical, The GIGO Effect, in which the evil Glitches attempted to corrupt a computer named Mabel with "dirty power." The point of the show was that technology is unable to produce intelligent results without intelligent direction, a truism encapsulated in the formerly popular
computer acronym GIGO, "garbage in, garbage out." I don't think any business leaders are inclined to get their insights on running IT from a bunch of singing fifth-graders, but they could do worse (and generally do, to tell the truth). Intelligent direction is a product of competence, which IT professionals view as a
mix of technical knowledge, creativity and judgment. Everyone prefers competence. Everyone wants to do the right thing. But just as IT pros act and react logically according to their perceptions, so do the executives who employ them. Both approach
IT with the same intention, but the outcome -- for lack of a better term -- sucks. And it sucks more as time goes on. Don't take my word for it; ask...
Read the articleBack to top
Panel of Microsoft distinguished engineers offers views on the state of programming.
Microsoft Corp. has done more to popularize graphical programming than any other vendor. The company's development tools, led by Visual Basic and Visual Studio, have been used by millions of software developers over the past two decades. But during a revealing and often humorous panel discussion on the future of programming at last
week's Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft's own superstar developers espoused their loyalty to old-school methods of coding software. "I will fight you if you try to take away my text editor," said...
Read the articleBack to top
Among them: AT&T loses its iPhone exclusive deal.
Looking at smartphone growth by the numbers, it's a cinch to predict that sales will continue to boom in 2010. But the real story of the smartphone's future is not in the numbers. It's a personal one told in many different ways by many smartphone users. One such user, John Davis, has been a physician for many years.
He owns a new Droid smartphone, purchased at a Verizon Wireless store near Boston in November. Davis cites many reasons for buying a Droid, the main one being that it is the closest thing to Apple Inc.'s fantastically successful iPhone that runs on the Verizon network. Having been a Verizon customer for years, Davis said he trusts the
Verizon network more than he does the one offered by AT&T, the wireless carrier with exclusive rights to the iPhone in the U.S. Aside from some initial voice echo problems, Davis sees the Droid as being...
Read the articleBack to top
Some IT functions are perfect for cloud computing. Others need to stay in your data center. Here's how to determine which are which.
Cloud computing is poised to win the title of most popular, and populist, buzzword of 2009. It certainly is gaining traction outside of IT. In fact, the idea of cloud computing has become so popular that executives and employees who don't even work in the IT department are starting to ask for it by name. Budget-minded CEOs are telling IT managers to look into cloud computing to reduce the amount of expensive hardware running their data centers; CFOs are interested because they've heard the model can slash costs associated with new IT projects; tech-savvy employees are asking for it because they think it sounds cool. To be clear, the actual number of corporations that have deployed cloud computing remains small... [Still, IT departments large and small feel obligated to at least look into cloud computing's potential to save money, reduce overhead and increase efficiency and flexibility ... But where to start? ... Computerworld gathered advice from tech execs, analysts and experts on how IT managers should go about determining which of their corporations' applications, tasks or services are best suited for the cloud...]
Read the articleBack to top
Cloud computing signifies a transformational approach in the way businesses consume and utilize IT resources.
Based on the efficient use of on-demand computing, cloud computing is the logical evolution of efficiencies IT managers strive for as they manage the IT infrastructures they own today. In the future, virtualization and cloud computing will offer financially attractive options leading to reduced capital expenditures,
freeing money for other investments. But how does cloud computing affect application performance and management and, in turn, how does application performance in virtualized and cloud environments affect your end users? Where should you focus your efforts in the management of applications in these environments?
Good Technology's new clients give BlackBerry-level security to the two top Web-oriented smartphones.
I've been very frustrated by the lack of business-level security and manageability on most smartphones. The BlackBerry triumphs for being secure and manageable if you deploy the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), but the BlackBerry is not a good devcie for anything other than messaging. I want more from my smartphone than that.
Windows Mobile also offers good security and some manageability through Exchange, but Windows Mobile devices are a mess that most people now avoid. It's the devices that people actually want -- the iPhone, the Motorola Droid, the HTC Droid Eris, and the Palm Pre -- that lack the security and management capabilities that would let,
say, lawyers, nurses, police, bankers, soldiers, defense contractors, compliance officers, HR reps, and CEOs use them. Of these, the iPhone provides the best security and manageability, but still not enough. So I was happy to see that Good
Technology has released its iPhone and Android clients, bringing BlackBerry levels of security to these two devices,...
Read the articleBack to top
IT professionals need a lot more than a computer and a smartphone to get their jobs done. Here are 10 mostly nontech tools they can't function without...
Read the article
Back to top
For long-term IT effectiveness, leaner planning processes will help CIOs spend more time leading, and less time planning, says CIO.com's Chris Curran. Consider this practical advice for tweaking your planning process.
Since we're nearing the end of the 2010 planning cycle, it's as good a time as any to review how we plan projects and whether our processes are as effective as they could be. IT planning never truly ends and tends to eat up more time than we think. As a result, CIOs and their teams have an opportunity to lead the charge to get
leaner in planning. IT planning for most companies originates with several IT leaders (with titles like business consultants and portfolio managers) eliciting business requirements for the year, part of a "bottom-up" process. But a CIO needs the ability and the platform within his or her company to say: Here are the 10
projects on our multi-year roadmap and these will guide the majority of our investments, thus greatly streamlining the process. Diamond's Digital IQ research, in which we...
Read the articleBack to top
There's been a lot of well-deserved rage directed at Wall Street this year; maybe Silicon Valley should get a dose of the same. The technology industry does too little to help or support buyers once they've opened their wallets.
I had a problem with the power steering on my old Toyota, so I took it to a mechanic, and he told me, "We'll try and fix it." "Excuse me, you'll try?" "Right, we'll try, but if we can't, we'll charge you anyway." That exchange would be ridiculous, of course, and it didn't happen. But scams like that really do happen
every day in the world of technology. Buyers of PCs, networking gear, cameras, cell phones and everything else that's digital put up with levels of service and support that would never be acceptable in other parts of the economy. In many cases, we don't even have the right to sue. If you're one of the few buyers who has actually
read the user license agreement that comes with boxed and downloaded software you know that vendors typically disclaim responsibility for the quality of their products. And as the law is generally applied today, that means an aggrieved customer can't sue. Would we allow, say, an auto manufacturer, the same luxury?...
Read the articleBack to top
CIO.com's mobile guru Al Sacco scoured the Web for the best and most affordable stocking stuffers sure to bring joy to the hearts of smartphone-lovers this holiday season - iPhone, BlackBerry, Window Mobile, Palm and Android users alike. With our smartphone accessory gift guide, you can quickly please every handset hound on your list.
The hottest "toys" on the market this holiday season are smartphones. And nobody knows this better than gadget-accessory-makers, who've pulled out all the stops to help make every smartphone the best it can be. From custom leather cases and Bluetooth gizmos that boost your smartphone-multimedia experience, to unique...
Read the articleBack to top
Microblogging, or short-form text updates via the Web, has become a hot trend for enterprises that want to help employees share information internally. Here's a look at how three businesses are using Twitter alternatives for microblogging, plus best practices for implementing it.
When Twitter launched in 2006, few people could have predicted how microblogging would change online communication. Today, microblogging, or short-form text updates posted to the Web, has exploded in popularity. As a result, a number of
microblogging applications for the enterprise—Twitter alternatives that do just a bit more—have surfaced. The latest example is...
Read the articleBack to top
iPhone, BlackBerry are popular smartphone development choices; Android seen as wild card.
Let's say that you're a software developer who has created a hot new application for smartphones that you're certain is about to take the world by storm. Your work isn't quite done and here's the problem: not only will your brilliant and innovative application have to compete with several other applications that have similar
ambitions, but it will have to compete with them over multiple platforms. With so many different mobile operating systems on the market right now, it can be daunting for an upstart software developer to make a name for itself. Not surprisingly, there's no one solution for software developers looking to thrive in the mobile
application business. Every operating system has different strengths and weaknesses and something to offer developers. Take the...
Read the articleBack to top
Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan, whose SpaceShipOne took the $10 million Ansari X Prize in 2004, unveiled the VSS Enterprise Monday, a sleek commercial rocket plane that represents the ultimate thrill ride for well-heeled space tourists and amateur astronauts.
Seating six passengers and two pilots, Virgin Space Ship Enterprise--also known as SpaceShipTwo--will begin test flights next year with commercial launchings carrying paying customers starting after government regulatory requirements are met. More than 300 people have already put down deposits or paid the full $200,000 cost of a
ticket for future sub-orbital up-and-down flights aboard the new spacecraft. Most of those ticket holders, along with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, were on hand for the SpaceShipTwo unveiling Monday at Mojave airport, braving...
Read the articleBack to top
Forward to a Friend:
Do you have a friend that would like to receive TechWatchsm?
Perhaps you know a peer within your organization, or associate at a partner company that would
benefit from applying to receive this publication. Inviting a friend to experience the benefits
of joining the BusinessWatch Network is easy! Just FW: this newsletter to the person you know who
may have an interest and ask them to click here http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com Your friend will be glad you did!
If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from TechWatchsm
simply change your status,
or send a letter requesting opt-off to:
The BusinessWatch Network Privacy Mailbox, 1321, Marblehead, MA. 01945
DISCLAIMER: TechWatchsm and the BusinessWatch Networksm are service marks of DMS.
All other trademarks or service marks contained in this email are the property of their respective owners.
At the time of publication, all links in this e-mail functioned properly. However, since many links point
to sites other than businesswatchnetwork.com, some links may become invalid as time passes.
DMS Inc. supports the DMA Privacy Promise and
Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice. We are committed to the proper use of
email and to protecting consumers from fraudulent or inappropriate
offers. Privacy Policy
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
DMS Inc. supports the DMA Privacy Promise and
Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice. We are committed to the proper use of
email and to protecting consumers from fraudulent or inappropriate
offers.