The business sector is continually watching consumer-spending statistics -- and for good reason.

The business sector is continually watching consumer-spending statistics -- and for good reason.

Enterprise architecture is a strange, somewhat amorphous domain. Like all new fields, it is made up largely of people who set out in life to do something else. I understand what this is like. I started life as a mathematician and then a philosopher and accidentally wandered into computing and somehow never emerged.

Technology governance is something every company needs. But it's also something that most companies would prefer not to discuss -- or publish. The fact is that without explicit, consistent, well-communicated and well-supported governance, you will experience some degree of chaos in the technology acquisition, deployment, and support process.

Technology governance is something every company needs. But it's also something that most companies would prefer not to discuss -- or publish. The fact is that without explicit, consistent, well-communicated and well-supported governance, you will experience some degree of chaos in the technology acquisition, deployment, and support process.

Back in October (see "Master Data Management Picks Up Speed," 27 October 2009), I said that I was witnessing a growing interest by end-user organizations in master data management (MDM).1 Several recent developments have taken place that illustrate just how fast the MDM market is advancing.

Back in October (see "Master Data Management Picks Up Speed," 27 October 2009), I said that I was witnessing a growing interest by end-user organizations in master data management (MDM).1 Several recent developments have taken place that illustrate just how fast the MDM market is advancing.

As presented in this Executive Report by Bhuvan Unhelkar, an Environmentally Responsible Business Strategy (ERBS) for green business transformation starts with four drivers -- sociocultural/political, regulatory/legal, enlightened self-interest, and respons

The accompanying Executive Report aspires to make a significant contribution to the literature on environment, sustainability, and green ICT as these issues relate to business.

There's a digital revolution descending squarely upon an industry that time (and TCP/IP) nearly forgot: our aging, yet highly reliable, electric utility grid. The Smart Grid is to be borne upon the innovations and technologies of the Internet, melding with traditional electric utility generation, transmission, and distribution protocols of the past century. How will the Smart Grid influence consumers in their use of energy? Who will collectively manage (and secure) the Smart Grid's "digital exhaust"?

There's a digital revolution descending squarely upon an industry that time (and TCP/IP) nearly forgot: our aging, yet highly reliable, electric utility grid.

This month's Cutter Benchmark Review, taking its inspiration from the current economic situation, termed by many the "great recession," tackles management in a crisis. Amidst all the turmoil, IT shops within firms and governmental institutions have to keep the operations humming while contributing to the survival of the organization. Setting the course for the IT function in a financial and economic storm is a subject that requires insight from some special contributors. We have assembled one of the best duos of CBR contributors since I took over editing of the publication in 2006. On the academic side we have Dorothy Leidner, the Randall W. and Sandra Ferguson Professor of Information Systems and Director of the Center for Knowledge Management at Baylor University (USA). On the practitioner side, we have one of my favorite IT leaders: Tom Murphy, Senior VP and CIO of AmerisourceBergen, a US $54 billion wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals and related healthcare products.

This issue of CBR focuses on a phenomenon of a magnitude that far exceeds the typical realm of IT management concerns. In fact, as far as business and governmental institutions go, the issue we take on today -- managing during an economic crisis -- is as big as it gets. The global financial and economic crisis that began in 2007 has had huge impacts on organizations and individuals the world over, even raising the question of whether the capitalist system is still viable.

This survey examined organizations' IT strategy during normal economic periods and during the current economic decline. Fifty-six percent of the 45 responding organizations are headquartered in North America, 29% in Asia/Australia/Pacific, 9% in Europe, with the remaining 6% in South America and Africa. The number of IT professionals working in responding organizations tend toward the lower side, with 51% reporting fewer than 100 IT professionals, 27% reporting between 100 and 1,000, and 22% reporting more than 1,000.

Business intelligence (BI 1.0) is turning the performance corner toward the next generation (BI 2.0).

The promise of business intelligence (BI 1.0) is finally turning the performance corner. While we're still cleaning, migrating, and securing data -- and worrying about platform compatibility -- we've also connected BI to business performance management, a step that reflects rising expectations about what the BI endgame looks like.

Documentation is one of those unclear and foggy issues in the agile community. How much documentation should we create and maintain?

Documentation is one of those issues that many of us in software development feel are sometimes wasteful. It is also one of those issues that is unclear in the agile community. How much documentation should we create and maintain? Which documents should we create?

What will the 2010s bring? It is not easy to look into the future; however, CIOs will have to do just that if they want to build and mold a staff capable of taking on the new challenges coming with this decade. CEOs and CIOs have many responsibilities and priorities, but the two most important ones are defining strategy and building the best team to achieve strategic goals and objectives.

What will the 2010s bring? It is not easy to look into the future; however, CIOs will have to do just that if they want to build and mold a staff capable of taking on the new challenges coming with this decade. CEOs and CIOs have many responsibilities and priorities, but the two most important ones are defining strategy and building the best team to achieve strategic goals and objectives.

In a previous Advisor on leading organizations (see "Making Middle Managers Catalysts for Agility," 25 November 2009), I identified a number of practices or areas of responsibility for agile leaders.

One of the keys to effective organizational risk management is transparency. Sharing information freely is a vital consideration. The more we can do to ensure that everyone in the organization is attuned to the bad things that may happen to us, the more we can affirm that they'll be sufficiently sensitive to address such concerns. That's the argument.

One of the keys to effective organizational risk management is transparency. Sharing information freely is a vital consideration. The more we can do to ensure that everyone in the organization is attuned to the bad things that may happen to us, the more we can affirm that they'll be sufficiently sensitive to address such concerns. That's the argument.