It's been a challenging year, both politically and economically. It's also been interesting to watch the reactions. As the job market has tanked, many have given up on the job hunt, turning their searches instead to themselves to explore new careers and new possibilities. As government belt-tightening has taken place, private firms are stepping in to fill the void that hitherto would have been handled by the government sector. Nowhere has this been more visible than with the end to the shuttle program, which has been seen as the end of an era to many in the US.

As a percentage of gross revenue, technology budgets are growing. At the same time, the contribution that technology can make to the business is expanding. The key is to identify the technology acquisition, deployment, and support strategies most likely to help you save/make money. This Executive Report outlines a framework of assessments pertaining to strategy, leadership, culture, organization, awareness, technology, metrics, and sourcing. This framework yields the following audit areas: strategy; applications; networks; data; organizational structure, people, and corporate culture; metrics; benchmarks; security; and delivery. The report also highlights an approach for conducting optimization audits designed to determine where companies might save/make money through technology investments, the organization of technology, and how technology is delivered.

Most advice centered on reducing IT costs centers around ideas like renegotiating vendor contracts, off-shoring, and deferring upgrades. Deferring systems development projects is yet another way companies attempt to reduce costs. But, unfortunately, most organizations have already gone down these roads. So what's next? How can substantial cost reductions be found in IT? In this interactive webinar Consultant Bob Benson reveals two often-overlooked areas business and IT exec can carefully explore to uncover the less-obvious opportunities for IT cost reduction.

Assertion 193: The market momentum behind cloud computing continues to grow. Many organizations will likely move some of their IT operations into the cloud, some at greater risk than others. This movement cannot be stopped, but organizations should head into the cloud with their eyes open. Viewing migration to cloud computing solely as an exercise in cost cutting may blind organizations to other risks.