I’ve always liked to think of myself as somewhat of a techie. I have always had the latest computers, I had e-mail fairly early on, and I was an early adopter of Skype.

This Executive Update, the final in a four-part series,1 is about negotiating an outsourcing contract with a longtime business partner. Unexpectedly, that which has been a relationship built on trust must be converted into an arm's-length, formalized contractual agreement.

Many years ago, I tore a page from a newspaper and framed it (see below).

Who is, and who should be, responsible for carbon management within a corporation? As climate change relentlessly seeps into the public consciousness, and corporations face increasingly widespread and intense pressure to adhere to regulatory requirements and demonstrate their civic virtuosity by contributing to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, the question of where accountability of carbon management should lie has become a subject of growing interest within the C-suite.

Who is, and who should be, responsible for carbon management within a corporation? As climate change relentlessly seeps into the public consciousness, and corporations face increasingly widespread and intense pressure to adhere to regulatory requirements and demonstrate their civic virtuosity by contributing to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, the question of where accountability of carbon management should lie has become a subject of growing interest within the C-suite.

Home entertainment is undergoing a revolution. We are in the midst of a multimedia content insurgency fueled by people creating, sharing, and watching video online. There is no longer any need to set your recorder or even wait for a DVD release, since all your favorite programs are online, and at the click of a button, they can be streamed to a TV, computer, or mobile device at your convenience.

Home entertainment is undergoing a revolution. We are in the midst of a multimedia content insurgency fueled by people creating, sharing, and watching video online. There is no longer any need to set your recorder or even wait for a DVD release, since all your favorite programs are online, and at the click of a button, they can be streamed to a TV, computer, or mobile device at your convenience.

At least, we certainly hope this statement is so. There's no question that organizations -- both government and business -- are paying more attention. Compared to a couple of years ago, when "IT governance" didn't appear on most radar screens, this year has seen many clients coming out and looking for improvements.

One of the seemingly perpetual issues that we face is "business-IT alignment." First, we might ask what that really means. Then, we can look for ways to specify and achieve the alignment.

I've been thinking a lot about the findings from a new study cowritten by Carnegie Mellon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Union College researchers, which was recently published in the journal Science [1].

I'm a firm believer in complex projects having a team composed of both specialists and generalists. The argument in support of the generalist is that he or she has the ability and skills to keep options open and may see solution details that would otherwise be missed.

There is nothing better than risk mismanagement and not learning from past mistakes to steal away from an organization's or even an industry's future. The banking and mortgage underwriting community is -- once again -- painfully relearning this truism.

There is nothing better than risk mismanagement and not learning from past mistakes to steal away from an organization's or even an industry's future. The banking and mortgage underwriting community is -- once again -- painfully relearning this truism.

On a recent drive to a client site, my navigation system suggested that I drive away from my destination rather than drive toward it. In clear, succinct, familiar tones, my online guide told me to "Continue 1-point-2 miles. Then turn left." Like a lemming, I obeyed.

There's a brand-new layer of digital intelligence being conceived upon the world's century-old electric power grid by way of your regional electric power utility, through your new smart meter, and extending into your future home and business energy management systems and smart appliances. It's called the Smart Grid.

The Electric Power Research Institute defines it as follows:

One of the most dramatic outcomes from our 2010 survey on IT budgeting (see "IT Trends 2010: IT Shop Holds Own in Turbulent Economy," Cutter Benchmark Review, Vol. 10, No. 1) comes from a question about the work that respondents are currently or planning to outsource.

One of the most dramatic outcomes from our 2010 survey on IT budgeting (see "IT Trends 2010: IT Shop Holds Own in Turbulent Economy," Cutter Benchmark Review, Vol. 10, No. 1) comes from a question about the work that respondents are currently or planning to outsource.

In August, I said that we are seeing an increasing number of organizations developing mobile BI applications (see "Mobile BI Comes of Age," 10 October 2010).

In August, I said that we are seeing an increasing number of organizations developing mobile BI applications (see "Mobile BI Comes of Age," 10 October 2010).

We all talk about acting in a culturally correct manner. We know that some cultures take a negative view of giving someone a thumbs-up sign or even shaking with the left hand. And when we travel to emerging markets, we try to follow these cultural rules.

We all talk about acting in a culturally correct manner. We know that some cultures take a negative view of giving someone a thumbs-up sign or even shaking with the left hand. And when we travel to emerging markets, we try to follow these cultural rules.

"I really like these agile ideas and our pilot project was quite successful," an executive told me recently, "but now it comes to transforming the organization, and we must not be dogmatic here.

The devastation in traditional publishing needs precious little mentioning.

The devastation in traditional publishing needs precious little mentioning.