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May 2008, Vol. 21, No. 5

The Transformation of the Enterprise Software Market

Guest Editor: Vince Kellen

In this issue, we'll tackle the wide-ranging issues surrounding the enterprise software space. You'll hear how Web-based Enterprise 2.0 technologies are taking on desktop-based ERP systems. You'll learn how to effectively predict the future life of a product line by detecting which of several common design patterns is present in an enterprise solution. And you'll discover which factors are driving organizations to adopt the SaaS model in ever-growing numbers. What's ahead for the enterprise software market? Join us to find out which way the wind is blowing.

 
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Protecting and Developing Your Company's Assets

by Mark Fung-A-Fat

What are your most valuable assets? For many companies, especially those in the knowledge-based industries, their first response is: "Our people are our most important asset(s)." Interestingly, while for many senior executives this idea may hold true, there is confusion between the business and technical staff in terms of how they -- IT staff members -- are viewed and treated.

 
Next Issue

The Art of Innovation

Guest Editor: Daniel Hjorth

In 2003, Cutter Business Technology Council Fellow Rob Austin and Cutter Senior Consultant Lee Devin released Artful Making: What Managers Need to Know About How Artists Work. The book, which explains how knowledge workers can use theatre principles and methods to create business innovations, was called "unique and groundbreaking." Five years on, calls to investigate the relationship between art and management are becoming almost commonplace. Management books want us to learn from maestros and art groups, organizational studies focus on aesthetics and philosophy, and business schools lard student reading lists with literary classics. What is going on?

It seems that something in the competitive landscape has changed radically, requiring new ways of thinking, new practices of managing, and new organizational forms -- and that somehow this change points us in the direction of art. In the July issue of Cutter IT Journal, we'll explore the intriguing, and surprisingly fruitful, relationship between art and innovation. Is your company an innovation-quashing "prison of pure productivity"? If so, you'll learn how to strike a healthier balance between efficiency and creativity. You'll also discover how to identify and leverage "a simple, readily available means of continuous, effective innovation" in your organization -- namely, "positive deviants"! And you'll find out how embracing the dualities of jazz (structure versus improvisation, a tolerance of mistakes versus prodigious technical skill) can fuel creative innovation in your firm. As the Bard famously said, "All the world's a stage." This month, become a player!

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