Let's face it, nobody today is thinking about anything other than the unraveling global economy and its effect on our companies and our lives. So we'd be crazy to write about any other subject. Our topic is trends, and this is the mother of all trends.

Strategic orientation toward customers and innovation needs to be grounded, understood, and directed in response to the business strategic plan. Businesses that develop a comprehensive strategic plan will have the insight to know which strategic-orientation mode will best help them reach their goals.

Strategic orientation toward customers and innovation needs to be grounded, understood, and directed in response to the business strategic plan. Businesses that develop a comprehensive strategic plan will have the insight to know which strategic-orientation mode will best help them reach their goals.

I read with interest recent Advisors by Cutter Senior Consultants Jens Coldewey and Bartek Kiepuszewski (see "An Agile View of Software Engineering," 16 October 2008, and "Put Agile Projects on Firm Foundation -- System Analysts' Responsibility," 2 October 2008).

Virtual worlds are brave new worlds on the Web. These three-dimensional, interactive Web environments can deliver an immersive experience that is much richer than what we currently experience with the traditional Web.

Virtual worlds are brave new worlds on the Web. These three-dimensional, interactive Web environments can deliver an immersive experience that is much richer than what we currently experience with the traditional Web.

Now that the economy is apparently in shambles, it may sound strange to assert that every business now needs to rethink its IT vision. Yet now's the time, for in chaos there often is opportunity.

Over the past few months, I've discussed in several of my EA Advisors cloud computing as well as the various issues that go with it. Basically, I've said that security is the chief concern typically cited by end-user organizations when it comes to cloud-based applications and services.

Until humans, applications, and networks become infallible, computer systems are going to generate errors. Identifying and correcting these errors is a task as critical to perform as it is unglamorous. As a veteran programmer said to me early in my career, "The older you get, the less time you'll spend thinking about new functionality and the more time thinking about handling errors in what you've already got."

Last week, former Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan addressed the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in an attempt to explain what he believes led to the biggest meltdown of the financial industry since the Great Depression.

Getting noticed by search engines is a problem common to all rich Internet applications (RIAs).

Search engines were not built with RIAs in mind, and they are not able to index RIA content. This is not a big problem for internal applications, but if you want Web-surfing prospects to find your RIA-based Web site, you have to make it visible to searches.

Developers of videoconferencing have struggled for years with the many problems involved in replacing the face-to-face meeting. While the reasons for videoconferencing are strengthened year by year, actual use of videoconferencing facilities has hardly kept pace. At the same time, new requirements for online meetings are emerging as we move into a collaborative, interactive, high-definition, high-bandwidth future.

Developers of videoconferencing have struggled for years with the many problems involved in replacing the face-to-face meeting. While the reasons for videoconferencing are strengthened year by year, actual use of videoconferencing facilities has hardly kept pace. At the same time, new requirements for online meetings are emerging as we move into a collaborative, interactive, high-definition, high-bandwidth future.

Producing a successful product has more to do with satisfied customers than with code elegance. Even more important than meeting project time and budget goals, a successful product meets customer's needs and quality requirements. The adoption rate, whether the number of customers purchasing a product or the number of internal company customers using a product, is a key measure of success. Getting the business requirements right and then supporting the users upon delivery are essential ingredients for adoption.

I read with interest Jens Coldewey's recent Advisor (see "An Agile View of Software Engineering," 16 October 2008), as well as some others like it that come from the agile community these days. I agree with the principles of agile, that it can be considered an alternative draft of software engineering.

Everyone, eventually, gets somewhat comfortable. Be it with a car, a chair, a project, a job, or a business strategy, human nature drives us to strive for a comfort zone. Unfortunately, that's not a healthy place to be. We all remember 9/11, but it is with a memory that has been softened for many by the passage of time.

Everyone, eventually, gets somewhat comfortable. Be it with a car, a chair, a project, a job, or a business strategy, human nature drives us to strive for a comfort zone. Unfortunately, that's not a healthy place to be. We all remember 9/11, but it is with a memory that has been softened for many by the passage of time.

Often, I get into discussions with clients and students about IT planning and portfolio management. Recently, I had a discussion that touched one of my most serious concerns: an extremely short turnaround on strategic projects. Here's how the conversation goes:

Systems manager: "If we can't get an ROI of 18 months or less, we just don't do it!"

Collective Intelligence (CI) is an emergent, pervasive, and very complex phenomenon resulting from the interaction of all the other existing social and technological advances currently taking place.

Collective Intelligence (CI) is an emergent, pervasive, and very complex phenomenon resulting from the interaction of all the other existing social and technological advances currently taking place.

I remember the phone call well. My boss asked for a 13% reduction in budget quickly. A bit numb, my first reaction was to object, but the tone in his voice suggested that I shouldn't. I had to let a day pass to get over the emotional reaction and then I got to work. How can I cut costs without making my future a living hell?

I remember the phone call well. My boss asked for a 13% reduction in budget quickly. A bit numb, my first reaction was to object, but the tone in his voice suggested that I shouldn't. I had to let a day pass to get over the emotional reaction and then I got to work. How can I cut costs without making my future a living hell?

I remember the phone call well. My boss asked for a 13% reduction in budget quickly. A bit numb, my first reaction was to object, but the tone in his voice suggested that I shouldn't. I had to let a day pass to get over the emotional reaction and then I got to work. How can I cut costs without making my future a living hell?

It's often said that a picture is worth a thousand words -- especially in the context of modeling, whether it be software modules or business processes that are depicted.

A reader asked recently why I thought that data mining techniques are not in use at more organizations. This question is interesting in that the typical organization today tends to have huge amounts of data at its disposal. In addition, there have been significant advances in data collection, integration, and storage, with the data warehousing concept now quite widely accepted.