This survey investigates how organizations view their customers and competitors, innovations in their products and services, their IT suppliers, the business environment, and their employees. More than half (52%) of the 84 responding organizations have more than 1,000 employees, 30% have between 100 and 1,000 employees, and the remainder have 100 or fewer employees.

Knowledge management (KM) and business intelligence (BI) have developed in a mutually isolated fashion. I consider KM and BI as distinct but interrelated in terms of common foundation, mutual effects, complementarity, and synergy.

Knowledge management (KM) and business intelligence (BI) play crucial roles in the effective management of intellectual capital (including data, information, and knowledge), which is widely recognized as a source of sustainable competitive advantage for contemporary organizations.

"A good user experience doesn't just happen -- it first needs to be envisioned and researched, and then deliberately designed using the right mix of skills and technologies."

-- Carolyn Snyder, Guest Editor

Increasingly, users expect the kind of flexible, interactive, collaborative applications that Web 2.0 makes possible. Every successful consumer site or application with a "wow" factor raises the bar.

On 13 May 2002, Blockbuster, Inc., the leading US video rental chain, hit its highest stock price to date at almost $30 per share. Six years later, the price has fallen below $3 per share. The biggest reason for the decline? A Web site.

Not just any Web site, though. I'm talking about the Web site of a small startup named Netflix, which has now grown to have a market cap that is three times that of Blockbuster's. While Blockbuster is shutting down its stores and laying off employees, Netflix is experiencing year-after-year profits.

Consider these two facts.

First, the collection of ideas and techniques known as Web 2.0 has had a profound effect on the way Web sites work, the manner in which they are perceived, and the nature of the proposition that they offer their visitors. These changes have already affected the way that many people experience the Web. They have new expectations of how things work and what can be achieved using this technology.

Second, your intranet can have a strong influence on how your organization's employees feel about their job.

Until recently, users did not expect the same rich experience in Web browsers as in desktop applications. For example, drag-and-drop and other types of interactivity were not possible in traditional HTML Web pages. Now technologies are being introduced to provide rich interactive applications on the desktop, in a Web browser, or on mobile devices. These technologies intensify traditional usability challenges and create new ones.

It has happened to all of us, and no matter what, it makes us feel stupid every time. It does not matter if it's a new Web site, a new application we need to use at work, or even a new kitchen gadget, the frustration is the same. We think it should work a certain way, respond a certain way to our actions, but all we get is the growing sense of despair and doom that comes from needing to read a manual or call tech support. It's an awful feeling.

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle says the more you try to know about a particle's position, the less you can know about its momentum. A similar dilemma affects IT security. It seems the more features you load into a product, the less usable it can be. Figure 1 illustrates this principle. The problem is particularly acute with security products, because safety and security are at stake.

This Executive Report by Sam Bayer explores the application of an agile approach to the selection and implementation of COTS software.

All agile methodologists share a common foundation: they all believe that delivering iterative demonstrations of real software to real customers provides the shortest and safest path to delivering real value.

How compatible are agile software development processes, such as XP, with the production of secure code? I am often asked this question and sometimes, indeed, confronted with the suggestion that they are not. Yet, my experience shows that not only is agile development compatible with secure code, it is an enabler. This Executive Update examines a recent unusual incident in the world of open source software, providing some insights in support of this position.

Certain things, such as death and taxes, are inevitable. Conflict is one of them. If you know it is coming, even if unlikely, shouldn't it be part of the risk management plan? We plan for other contingencies; why not conflict?

Certain things, such as death and taxes, are inevitable. Conflict is one of them. If you know it is coming, even if unlikely, shouldn't it be part of the risk management plan? We plan for other contingencies; why not conflict?

Certain things, such as death and taxes, are inevitable. Conflict is one of them. If you know it is coming, even if unlikely, shouldn't it be part of the risk management plan? We plan for other contingencies; why not conflict?

This Executive Report by Bhuvan Unhelkar discusses sourcing as a formal business strategy that enables organizations to focus on their core competencies and alleviates pressure to carry out all of their business activities themselves.

This Executive Report by Bhuvan Unhelkar discusses sourcing as a formal business strategy that enables organizations to focus on their core competencies and alleviates pressure to carry out all of their business activities themselves.

The accompanying Executive Report discusses the practical importance of considering sourcing as a business strategy. The report begins with a discussion on the philosophical background for sourcing. Sourcing becomes smart when it (1) becomes a formal part of a business strategy and (2) has a repeatable and manageable process to follow.

The accompanying Executive Report discusses the practical importance of considering sourcing as a business strategy. The report begins with a discussion on the philosophical background for sourcing. Sourcing becomes smart when it (1) becomes a formal part of a business strategy and (2) has a repeatable and manageable process to follow.

This Executive Update is the first of three in a series that aims to share different viewpoints regarding three phases of an outsourcing strategy: feasibility analysis, implementation, and operation. Each phase features different levels of complexity. In the first phase, we assess the likelihood of putting outsourcing into effect. During the implementation phase, the decision has been made, and we are challenged to implement it the best way possible, avoiding operational disruption and future problems. Nevertheless, the biggest challenge is the operation phase; when we get there, outsourcing has been implemented, and our responsibility is to handle the new arrangement efficiently.

Market mechanisms

Apple's App Store represents a new value proposition, one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the IT world.

The sale of software through a brokered clearinghouse is likely to usher in an era of drastically changed software pricing and an entirely new take on the notion of open source software.

Market mechanisms

Apple's App Store represents a new value proposition, one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the IT world.

The sale of software through a brokered clearinghouse is likely to usher in an era of drastically changed software pricing and an entirely new take on the notion of open source software.

Oddly enough, American universities may be leading the way in outsourced e-mail. Both Microsoft and Google have made inroads within universities across North America. For budget-strapped universities, it's almost a no-brainer, and many are voting with their feet. Why manage the rapidly growing size of e-mail when someone can do it for you? And for free, too.

Oddly enough, American universities may be leading the way in outsourced e-mail. Both Microsoft and Google have made inroads within universities across North America. For budget-strapped universities, it's almost a no-brainer, and many are voting with their feet. Why manage the rapidly growing size of e-mail when someone can do it for you? And for free, too.

Oddly enough, American universities may be leading the way in outsourced e-mail. Both Microsoft and Google have made inroads within universities across North America. For budget-strapped universities, it's almost a no-brainer, and many are voting with their feet. Why manage the rapidly growing size of e-mail when someone can do it for you? And for free, too.