There are numerous reasons why outsourcing could be detrimental to innovation. Perhaps one of the most self-evident is that outsourcing firms are unlikely to innovate, as their work is confined by stringent, unbending contracts. Suppliers find it difficult to justify innovation unless it directly helps their ability to meet their contractual obligations and internal revenue/profitability targets. Clients commonly assume that innovation during an outsourcing engagement will naturally come about.

Do you think data mining and predictive analytics are too complex to deliver via the cloud? Better think again, because that's what Predixion Software is now doing. Moreover, what Predixion has done with its Predixion Insight offering is not simply host some complex data-mining workbench in the cloud.

In a recent Cutter Business Technology Council Opinion ("Managing Differences: The Critical 21st Century Management Skill," Vol. 10, No.

The confluence of cloud computing, smart mobile devices, and social networks is usually discussed in terms of its transformative effect. The cloud enables offering products and platforms as services. Smart mobile devices consume those services and contribute to them in an "always-on" mode.

These are tough times. Organizations have to do more with less. Managers have to stop being afraid of their staff and they need to get more done with less. This doesn’t mean that they should ignore new technologies. Indeed, there are some technologies out there that are mature and would improve productivity by orders of magnitude if used correctly, but they require discipline, and discipline requires management and commitment.

The idea of managing demand has gained much traction in recent years -- especially with demand for resources outstripping the budgets for those resources. It is an idea that increasingly has become part and parcel of our everyday lives. We are urged to control our energy consumption to better match generation capacity and efficiency.

Security and data privacy/regulatory considerations are two of the biggest bottlenecks standing in the way of more organizations adopting cloud computing.

Technology governance is something every company needs. But it's also something that most companies would prefer not to discuss -- or publish. The fact is that without explicit, consistent, well-communicated, and well-supported governance, you will experience some degree of chaos in the technology acquisition, deployment, and support process.

The term "big data" gets thrown around a lot these days. The vendors are all talking about the need for organizations to meet their "big data" requirements. The same is true for the data warehousing and BI gurus. But just what actually constitutes big data depends a lot on whom you're speaking to.

Requirements define things that a product or service are supposed to do to satisfy the needs of the client. A more formal definition is given by the International Institute of Business Analysis in "A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge" (PDF):

The worst mistake is not telling the boss.

Or so said an article a few years ago in the Washington Post about the importance of immediately disclosing problems or mistakes to your boss.1

It has been just over 50 years since preeminent IBM computer scientist Hans Peter Luhn coined the term "business intelligence." And ever since then, BI has been viewed as getting information to the people who need it in a timely fashion and in a form that is easily consumed and acted on (the right data to the right people at the right time).

David Van De Voort, a partner in human capital consulting services at Mercer, recently authored a report in Workforce Solutions Review summarizing a study of 193,283 employees representing 1,033 organizations ("

Sometimes I wonder if, as an industry, we ever learn. Two recent projects that I've worked on got me thinking about this. In both cases, the companies are replacing existing custom-built applications with new commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications.

The digital age is in full force. Organizational assets are not merely physical; they are becoming more and more digital. Executives and boards have the responsibility to protect both the physical and digital assets of their organizations.

Budgets are plans for spending money.

Earlier this year, I discussed an apparent growing interest by organizations in using data mining and predictive analytics ("How Do Your Data Mining and Predictive Analytics Grow?" 23 February 2010). I noted that several developments account for this trend.

Just a few years ago, many companies were trying to avoid deploying any social media applications. The turnaround has been astonishing; just about everyone has now jumped on the social media bandwagon. Now the questions relate to ROI and TCO -- and, ultimately, the business value of social media. The Luddites lost the battle.

Everybody loves firefighters. As young children, many of us had the desire to be firefighters when we grew up, but very few ever accomplish that goal. For many, firefighters are the real-world heroes. They rescue our pets and save people from car accidents, burning houses, and many other hazards. They are great at taking care of difficult situations.

While Web 2.0 enthusiasts continue to wax eloquently about the promise and virtues new technologies bring and others, less optimistic, bemoan the negative effects they bring to our brains, I'm not so sure we've been paying attention to even darker forces gathering. A spate of recent events made me shudder. Maybe it's just the times, or maybe it's just me. I'll let you decide.

In my recent Advisor ("How to Make MDM Go: Start with Architecture,"), I discussed the role of enterprise information architecture in Master Data Management (MDM). In this Advisor, I look at the steps to implementing MDM once you have your information architecture in place.

We’ve just completed the fifth annual Cutter Benchmark Review (CBR) issue on IT budgets (see "IT Budgets on a Roller-Coaster Ride," Vol. 10, No. 7).

In my last Advisor ("How to Make MDM Go: Start with Architecture," 18 August 2010), I discussed the role of enterprise information architecture in Master Data Management (MDM).

In fits and starts, green IT is emerging as a significant issue for the public sector. The driving forces are practical and virtuous. Soaring energy costs, the threat of catastrophic climate change, and the more mundane (but nevertheless very real) risk inherent in fossil fuel-based air pollution have compelled regional and national governments to take remedial action.

A survey [1] we conducted in February/March 2010 offers some interesting insights into corporate data warehouse data volume trends. Specifically, when asked, "What is the size of your organization's current data warehouse?" survey participants responded as follows: