The term "ombudsman" comes from an Old Swedish word meaning "representative." An ombudsman's role is typically to provide an objective and supervisory role for issues that involve human rights, as well as provide the processes and resources to assist in resolving problems.

Benchmarking of outsourcing contracts has recently become a highly desired practice by client organizations, but it is often poorly executed. It can be a difficult and expensive process regardless of how services are sourced, internally or externally.

Benchmarking of outsourcing contracts has recently become a highly desired practice by client organizations, but it is often poorly executed. It can be a difficult and expensive process regardless of how services are sourced, internally or externally.

IT technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology never died; rather, it became the secret sauce in many of today's most successful technologies and now offers brave IT departments the opportunity to deploy truly innovative solutions to enable business success.

IT technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology never died; rather, it became the secret sauce in many of today's most successful technologies and now offers brave IT departments the opportunity to deploy truly innovative solutions to enable business success.

2008 could well be a watershed year for environmental concerns in the US, and this has a number of important consequences for IT. Although the concern is greatest in Europe and Asia, the UN Climate Change Conference 2007 in Bali has reinforced the fact that "green" issues now have global importance. Increasingly, they will be used as a bargaining chip in political and economic negotiations.

2008 could well be a watershed year for environmental concerns in the US, and this has a number of important consequences for IT. Although the concern is greatest in Europe and Asia, the UN Climate Change Conference 2007 in Bali has reinforced the fact that "green" issues now have global importance. Increasingly, they will be used as a bargaining chip in political and economic negotiations.

Collaboration has been a widely recognized concept for practitioners in the Internet-driven age of this 21st-century business world.

When asking a typical IT manager about a single area where an enterprise architecture (EA) effort should be able to prove its value, probably the most expected answer would be "giving support to projects being run." It is not my ambition here to present the whole scope of possibilities in which EA could support running projects but rather to focus on the refactoring needs concept introduced in Part of this series. Recall that Part II presented refactoring needs in the context of an actual case study in which I worked. Here in Part III, I continue with that case and get into more details about how the refactoring needs built on an EA could support and synergize ongoing software development projects.

Over the last few years, it has become clear to many practitioners that a portal can add distinct value, agility, robustness, and versatility to their business applications [1, 3, 4, 6]. A portal can introduce the doorway to a common view while providing access to applications in multiple organizations of the enterprise.

The Web has been constantly evolving. The nature and structure of the Web, as well as the way we use it, have been continuously changing; extending opportunities for the IT community. The Web's evolution had been exerting pressure on IT professionals and executives and businesses.

The Web has been constantly evolving. The nature and structure of the Web, as well as the way we use it, have been continuously changing; extending opportunities for the IT community. The Web's evolution had been exerting pressure on IT professionals and executives and businesses.

collaboration = innovation

collaboration = innovation

The primary goals of master data management (MDM) are to promote a shared foundation of common data definitions within your organization, to reduce data inconsistency across the enterprise, and to improve overall return on your IT investment.

OK ... hold on ... what is he talking about now, you ask?

The last two of our seven planning questions deal with the scheduling of the initiative and the means by which it will be accomplished.

A recent New York Times article "Google Gets Ready to Rumble With Microsoft" (16 December 2007) talks about the growing perception that Google is set on attacking Microsoft's base with a whole set of Web- and mobile-based software applications.

As more organizations face transitions to agile methods, and those transitions involve larger segments of those organizations, the need for transition or transformation strategies increases.

Managers know that the total of information security risks runs as wide and deep as IT's reach up, down, and across the organization. As IT departments begin the new year with vulnerability assessments to strengthen the overall security posture, managers can approach the issue with a fresh perspective.

Managers know that the total of information security risks runs as wide and deep as IT's reach up, down, and across the organization. As IT departments begin the new year with vulnerability assessments to strengthen the overall security posture, managers can approach the issue with a fresh perspective.

I've been saying for years now that I believe that one of the most important developments in business process management (BPM) involves the application of analytics to monitor and analyze the efficiency of distributed business processes.1 Today it is possible to monitor business processes as they execute and to display the findings -- based on calculated key performance indicators

As IT organizations march into 2008, cost containment and reductions will once again appear at the top of managers' dance cards. Managing costs might prove a priority even more acute than usual if economists' predictions come true and we fall into a recession next year.

For most businesses, buying the items needed to run the business is simple: order the item, pick it up or have it delivered, perhaps inspect it, pay for it, and it belongs to the business. Whether the item is a box of paper clips or a supertanker, the process is essentially the same.

For most businesses, buying the items needed to run the business is simple: order the item, pick it up or have it delivered, perhaps inspect it, pay for it, and it belongs to the business. Whether the item is a box of paper clips or a supertanker, the process is essentially the same.