When we discuss software operations, we are often implicitly referring to the technical activities involved with day-to-day operations; that is, the parts of operations that are related to the infrastructure of a running system. This includes setting up and configuring hardware (whether virtual or physical) as well as the installation of operating systems and the base software needed for the final system.

According to our research, approximately 24% of organizations have standardized on tablet platforms for enterprise use. Another 27% say they plan to do so within the next 12 months or so.

On the face of it, photo processing is a fairly mundane business. Having taken a few photos, the photographer would like to produce copies to share with others. Traditionally, the image was latent on the photographic film. One had to physically take the film to an outlet that would expose the latent images and turn them into visible images. A second trip to the outlet would be required to pick up the photos (and the film).

With the advent of cloud computing and SaaS, there is a new business model that can be adopted by the IT industry that forces a direct linkage between the cost of IT and the value that the customer receives. First, cloud computing introduces a new business model where organizations can manage IT as an independent entity outside of the customer's business or business unit.

I was talking with a colleague this past week. He is not at all tech savvy. In fact, his remedial understanding of things is even self-proclaimed. And he just got a Microsoft Surface tablet.

"I love it," he blurted.

"Why?" I asked.

Jens Coldewey's Advisor "Why 'Agile vs. CMMI' Leads Down the Wrong Track" rightly argues that "Agile vs. CMMI" is not the right direction to go.

While conducting business process reviews has become a core activity for many business analysts, I have observed that there is still room for improvement on how these reviews are done in some organizations.

Think back for a moment to the best project experience you have ever had. It may have been in the workplace, part of some team sport you were involved with, or perhaps it was a major trip you undertook with your family. What are the characteristics that made that a great project experience?

The tablet market is currently very dynamic; not only are new products by the leading providers like Apple, Google, and Samsung getting introduced with hyper-frequency, but new vendors -- the most recent and notable being Microsoft -- are also appearing, while other players are fighting for their lives.

"Risk management was regarded as a constraint on the business rather than integral to it."

In his Advisor "Why 'Agile vs.

There has been a lot of discussion on some business architecture forums lately about the relationship between capabilities and processes and their role in business architecture.

Is it possible to learn from experts in other disciplines? Indeed, can we improve our own practices by watching other professionals ply their trade?

Racing and medicine are not normally reckoned to have a lot in common. Formula One racing offers many thrills to viewers and fans, but apparently it can also offer instructive lessons in process improvement.

Last year, organizations across almost every industry became really serious about using mobile technology.

It is so easy, and tempting, to try to envision precisely how 2013 will unfold. Levels of business uncertainty abound, and yet for some reason, we invest significant chunks of our time trying to forecast what's going to transpire in the world around us and determine its lasting effects on our actions and lives.

CMMI is the de facto standard for process improvement in the software development domain. This standard encourages a systematic approach to process improvement. On the other hand, agile software development fosters high customer collaboration, rapid feedback, and empowerment of the individual developer. Both approaches have already been proven to be compatible and synergistic. Nevertheless, there is still great debate about CMMI's ability to "be agile" and agile methods' capacity to adapt to CMMI requirements without losing agility.

Welcome to the eighth-anniversary edition of my enterprise architect's New Year's resolutions. I hope it will give you food for thought and some inspiration for architectural growth in 2013.

Visualization has always played an important role in BI and analytics, aiding in our ability to process complex numerical information and improving our understanding. Graphics are an important part of BI dashboards, with graphs, plots, and speed dials providing instant and automatic access to analytics results.

[From the Editor: This week's Cutter IT Advisor is from Cutter Senior Consultant Roger Evernden's introduction to the December 2012 issue of Cutter IT Journal, "Enterprise Patterns" (Vol. 25, No. 12).

As has been our tradition for the last several years, we've compiled the most intriguing articles published by the Agile Product & Project Management practice this year for today's Advisor. How did we come up with this list?

As has been our tradition for the last several years, we've compiled the five most intriguing articles published by the Business & Enterprise Architecture BI practice this year for today's Advisor. How did we come up with this list?

As has been our tradition for the last several years, we've compiled the five most intriguing articles published by the Cutter IT Journal this year for today's Advisor. How did we come up with this list?

As has been our tradition for the last several years, we've compiled the five most intriguing articles published by the Data Insight & Social BI practice this year for today's Advisor. How did we come up with this list?

"Clear your mind of cant," admonished Samuel Johnson in the 18th century, referring to foolish thinking.