Corporate survival and growth depend on innovation to provide new products and new ways of doing business. Innovation cannot exist without risk, yet organizations must be risk-averse to survive in difficult times. This creates a paradox, as a key risk is the inability to innovate. The relationship between risk and opportunity is a difficult one. Risk presents both challenges and new possibilities.

Again and again, I'm reminded that customer relationship management (CRM) involves more that just up-selling and cross-selling. In fact, I sometimes wonder whether organizations sometimes use CRM merely as an excuse to placate themselves for failing to address bad business practices.

Again and again, I'm reminded that customer relationship management (CRM) involves more that just up-selling and cross-selling. In fact, I sometimes wonder whether organizations sometimes use CRM merely as an excuse to placate themselves for failing to address bad business practices.

Cloud computing has a lot in common with longstanding forms of outsourced data processing services. There are some key differences, however, and these differences need to be appreciated. The expertise that user organizations have garnered from these older practices will serve them well in harnessing cloud computing, but it is advisable to extend that expertise. The potential benefits need to be sifted through, and measures need to be put in place to ensure that the full potential of cloud computing is realized.

People born in the last two decades have grown up with electronic devices in their hands. Their patterns of device use, thought, and behavior are different from those of previous generations.

The accompanying Executive Report investigates the impact of two contrary impacts of device usage on corporate IT. On the one hand, young and progressive users are adopting new devices and using them on the move. On the other, large numbers of people move much more slowly and retain a strong preference for the devices, interfaces, and behaviors that worked well for them in the past and that they are habituated to.

There is an increasing realization that enterprise architecture (EA) cannot work in technological isolation but must work collaboratively as a capability within the culture of the organization.

There is an increasing realization that EA cannot work in technological isolation but must work collaboratively as a capability within the culture of the organization. The EA team should act as one -- albeit key -- cog in the organizational engine with the overall goal of improving the effectiveness of the business itself.

Corporate enterprise architecture (EA) departments often have a hard time dealing with business units (BUs), even if it is clear that there are benefits in a centralized architecture and common solutions. BUs, pursuing their own targets, don't want to be bothered by central rules because these are perceived as restrictive in doing business.

For any central guidance to succeed, two conditions are important:

With this month's CBR we crafted one such issue on a topic that is losing some of the buzz surrounding it -- and for that very reason may be moving into its most productive phase! Let me take a tangent here. Have you ever noticed how there are largely two broad sets of people: those who talk and those who do? OK, that may be an oversimplification (how uncharacteristic for an academic you may say), as there are plenty of variations between these two extremes, but go with me here for a minute. I'm sure you remember the many people you have met in your life who have told you how good they are, how much they have achieved, how close they were to getting that new position, and so on. Very often this façade of certainty and bravado hides a relatively thin record of real accomplishments; conversely, there is a broad group of extremely accomplished people who let the facts speak for themselves.

The participants for this 2010 Web 2.0 survey were asked the same questions as in the 2007 study, with one exception.

This survey examined current views on Web 2.0 and its importance to the enterprise. The geographic distribution of the 78 respondents is worldwide, with 47% of respondents' organizations based in North America, 28% in Europe, 10% in Asia, 8% in Australia/Pacific, and the rest in other parts of the world.

The overall mission of operational and business intelligence (BI) is to make sense of and to strategically leverage data and information, much of which can be unstructured. In the near future, thanks to the proliferation of sensor-based information networks, the typical opportunities and challenges linked to knowledge mining will intensify.

Science fiction has been preparing us for what the future of artificial intelligence may bring: doors that open without keys, lights that switch on and off as people enter or leave rooms, ambient temperatures that automatically regulate themselves, watches that monitor our healthcare and call the ambulance if something is wrong, coffee that makes itself, fridges that order food directly when fresh supplies are needed, components that self-assemble,

There has been much written about the challenges associated with leading inside an IT organization. Books talk about the need to understand the mind of the highly technical employee. IT magazines have recently touted the "new" style of CIO that is shaping the organization within successful companies across the world. Despite the attention, many companies find they lack effective leadership among their midlevel and frontline managers. Our authors have differing views about what makes a good leader, but there is one common thread. The success of an IT organization is directly affected by the kind of leader you are -- and the kind of leaders you develop. As you read through these articles, I'm sure you will find many insights that apply to you or your team leaders. (Not a member? Download your complimentary copy here.)

The articles in this Cutter Business Technology Journal (formerly titled Cutter IT Journal) present differing views about what makes a good leader, but there is one common thread. The success of an IT organization is directly affected by the kind of leader you are -- and the kind of leaders you develop. (Not a member? Download your complimentary copy here.)

The articles in this Cutter Business Technology Journal (formerly titled Cutter IT Journal) present differing views about what makes a good leader, but there is one common thread. The success of an IT organization is directly affected by the kind of leader you are -- and the kind of leaders you develop. (Not a member? Download your complimentary copy here.)

The articles in this Cutter Business Technology Journal (formerly titled Cutter IT Journal) present differing views about what makes a good leader, but there is one common thread. The success of an IT organization is directly affected by the kind of leader you are -- and the kind of leaders you develop. (Not a member? Download your complimentary copy here.)

The articles in this Cutter Business Technology Journal (formerly titled Cutter IT Journal) present differing views about what makes a good leader, but there is one common thread. The success of an IT organization is directly affected by the kind of leader you are -- and the kind of leaders you develop. (Not a member? Download your complimentary copy here.)

The articles in this Cutter Business Technology Journal (formerly titled Cutter IT Journal) present differing views about what makes a good leader, but there is one common thread. The success of an IT organization is directly affected by the kind of leader you are -- and the kind of leaders you develop. (Not a member? Download your complimentary copy here.)

This Executive Report by Robert K. Wysocki defines a robust requirements management lifecycle (RMLC) that adapts to any project. The report begins with a bird's eye view of the RMLC and then gives a description of the project landscape.

In the accompanying Executive Report, we first get a bird's-eye view of a robust requirements management lifecycle (RMLC) and then a description of the project landscape. This gives us a foundation to discuss how the RMLC and the various project management lifecycles (PMLCs) integrate and interact.

A new variant of outsourcing -- cloud computing -- is being trumpeted as a more advantageous way for executives and managers to pay someone else to worry about the reliability, integrity, and security of data processing activities.