Complex enterprise-wide information systems (IS) packages are very popular today, and many organizations are implementing them in the hope that they will improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness. While the benefits can be significant, many organizations struggle to implement the selected system. Some organizations even bankrupt themselves during the process, while many more fail to fully exploit their systems and gain the expected benefits.

Putting the power of useful information into more hands in the organization has been a goal of business intelligence (BI) efforts beyond reproach, but what obstacles has achieving this objective created from a technology and management perspective? "Data democratization" in the BI domain is a trend worth watching because it reveals how chaotic and raucous democracy can be.

Putting the power of useful information into more hands in the organization has been a goal of business intelligence (BI) efforts beyond reproach, but what obstacles has achieving this objective created from a technology and management perspective? "Data democratization" in the BI domain is a trend worth watching because it reveals how chaotic and raucous democracy can be.

I had the privilege of working as a member of groups that performed what we would now call "data mining" at Bell Labs in the early 1980s though the mid-1990s. Though I haven't done any hands-on data mining recently, I've seen dozens of similar projects in the ensuing years.

When data analysts (myself included) are engaged by a business customer, we have an unfortunate tendency to suggest more complicated analyses than are immediately necessary or desirable for the end goal of improving business practices and profits. We are armed with sophisticated software that will allow the application of impressive and complex algorithms -- this is like candy to an analyst.

In his call for papers, Guest Editor Ken Collier wrote:

"Business intelligence" (BI) has become the de facto umbrella term for describing all activities related to using business data to run the business. For decades business leaders have relied on cross-tab style reports for analysis and decision making, and they have always sought easier and more powerful tools for better analysis.

In his call for papers, Guest Editor Ken Collier wrote:

"Business intelligence" (BI) has become the de facto umbrella term for describing all activities related to using business data to run the business. For decades business leaders have relied on cross-tab style reports for analysis and decision making, and they have always sought easier and more powerful tools for better analysis.

In his call for papers, Guest Editor Ken Collier wrote:

"Business intelligence" (BI) has become the de facto umbrella term for describing all activities related to using business data to run the business. For decades business leaders have relied on cross-tab style reports for analysis and decision making, and they have always sought easier and more powerful tools for better analysis.

Material for this article has been adapted from Sid Adelman, Larissa Moss, and Majid Abai, Data Strategy (Addison-Wesley Professional, 2005).

In recent years, there has been an ever-increasing need for long-term database management systems to support the research of natural resource monitoring and assessment. As governmental regulation and public awareness of environmental issues increase, the growing number of these systems can and will present a different set project objectives, data storage and management requirements, and analytical result capabilities.

Today's fast-paced project environments coupled with organizations that lack good formal project management are creating project lifecycles short on the necessary up-front planning. These accelerated lifecycles can be the beginning of runaway (off schedule and budget) and distressed projects.

Whenever the performance of a project falls outside nominal values, it will be judged to be a project in distress and likely to fail unless some intervention strategy brings it back under control. How it got to that state is a question that needs answering. But more important is how it can be returned to a state of normalcy -- if at all.

A plethora of resources exists that attempts to assist organizations in drafting their outsourcing arrangements. Well-meaning individuals frequently publish, on the Internet, contracts they have developed in their organizations. These, while undoubtedly useful to the writer at the time, are often less useful to others (who are not from the same organization, are not using the same vendor, are not in the same country, do not have the same scope, do not have the same issues but have other issues not addressed, and so on).

A plethora of resources exists that attempts to assist organizations in drafting their outsourcing arrangements. Well-meaning individuals frequently publish, on the Internet, contracts they have developed in their organizations. These, while undoubtedly useful to the writer at the time, are often less useful to others (who are not from the same organization, are not using the same vendor, are not in the same country, do not have the same scope, do not have the same issues but have other issues not addressed, and so on).

Outsourcing contracts are difficult to prepare. Perhaps that explains why a recent Google search on "IT outsourcing contract" yielded 22.4 million results! Many books and articles on the subject are written by lawyers for lawyers, which makes the language inaccessible to the" legalese challenged," thus presenting a high risk of unintentional noncompliance by both parties. There are also many contracts you can buy sight unseen, which means their particular usefulness for your situation is unknown.

Outsourcing contracts are difficult to prepare. Perhaps that explains why a recent Google search on "IT outsourcing contract" yielded 22.4 million results! Many books and articles on the subject are written by lawyers for lawyers, which makes the language inaccessible to the" legalese challenged," thus presenting a high risk of unintentional noncompliance by both parties. There are also many contracts you can buy sight unseen, which means their particular usefulness for your situation is unknown.

Much has been reported lately about companies and government entities mistakenly releasing consumer records or allowing them to be compromised by malicious third parties.

Much has been reported lately about companies and government entities mistakenly releasing consumer records or allowing them to be compromised by malicious third parties.

Imagine that you are a CIO responsible for negotiating next year's annual contract with a large software vendor. On the one hand, you are charged with getting the best possible deal for your company from this vendor. On the other hand, this vendor is the only provider of the particular software package that is ideal for your application, and selecting any other vendor would cause a painful and expensive redesign of the software and procedures on your end.

Imagine that you are a CIO responsible for negotiating next year's annual contract with a large software vendor. On the one hand, you are charged with getting the best possible deal for your company from this vendor. On the other hand, this vendor is the only provider of the particular software package that is ideal for your application, and selecting any other vendor would cause a painful and expensive redesign of the software and procedures on your end.

Negotiations with vendors present many challenges to buyers. Deciding what approach to take and how far you can push to get the best deal before you damage the relationship with the other party is not a simple task, especially in cases where the partners and suppliers are large, powerful organizations with whom you will need to negotiate and work in the future.

Negotiations with vendors present many challenges to buyers. Deciding what approach to take and how far you can push to get the best deal before you damage the relationship with the other party is not a simple task, especially in cases where the partners and suppliers are large, powerful organizations with whom you will need to negotiate and work in the future.

As the IT and BPO markets mature, customers expect more ambitious outcomes from suppliers beyond cost savings on baseline services. Customers want suppliers to completely transform their back offices: they want slick shared service facilities; superior services; reengineered business processes; integrated technology including self-serve, Web-based applications; highly empowered back-office leadership; and motivated back-office staff. Some customers even expect suppliers to commercialize their back offices once the transformation is complete.

Market mechanisms

The growing phenomenon of "infinite inventory" and nearly free distribution of goods, combined with increasingly sophisticated search mechanisms like Google, has begun shifting attention away from the familiar 80-20 Pareto Principle. In the coming years, more companies will begin focusing on the "long tail" of products and services, selling less and less to more and more niche markets.

Market mechanisms

The growing phenomenon of "infinite inventory" and nearly free distribution of goods, combined with increasingly sophisticated search mechanisms like Google, has begun shifting attention away from the familiar 80-20 Pareto Principle. In the coming years, more companies will begin focusing on the "long tail" of products and services, selling less and less to more and more niche markets.