Responses to a recent Cutter Consortium survey on e-business strategy raise interesting questions about the role IT organizations are playing in the move to e-business.

Figure 1 -- How would you describe the overall quality of the data in your company?

In Cutter Consortium's ongoing business-IT strategies survey, 68% of respondents have formal business strategies, and 61% have formal IT strategies. We might expect these numbers to be closer to 100%, but many companies do not focus their energies on developing strategies. But what about the other end of the planning-doing spectrum -- IT projects? How do companies execute these?

Outsourcing the maintenance of an organization's application portfolio to a third party is an IT strategy that's receiving a lot of attention lately. Typically, the decision to outsource the maintenance of production systems is centered around the need to reduce expenses and free up valuable internal resources.

Outsourcing the maintenance of an organization's application portfolio to a third party is an IT strategy that's receiving a lot of attention lately. Typically, the decision to outsource the maintenance of production systems is centered around the need to reduce expenses and free up valuable internal resources.

Much has been made in the media of the failures of many dot-coms. Throughout much of 1998-1999, investors plunked down billions on the bet that these organizations could defy the odds and succeed, despite weak financial fundamentals -- revenue, earnings ratios, profit margins, etc. Numerous analysts warned of these weaknesses, but investors continued to drive up stock prices, often on the premise of the "greater fool" theory.

Much has been made in the media of the failures of many dot-coms. Throughout much of 1998-1999, investors plunked down billions on the bet that these organizations could defy the odds and succeed, despite weak financial fundamentals -- revenue, earnings ratios, profit margins, etc. Numerous analysts warned of these weaknesses, but investors continued to drive up stock prices, often on the premise of the "greater fool" theory.

Figure 1 -- How would you describe the overall quality of the data in your company?

We all know that tradition can be hard to overcome. This is just as true for the IT-business relationship as it is anywhere else. IT's nascent steps 40 years ago focused on applying mainframes to the business -- the focus was on the mainframe, on the technology.

Retaining IT employees has become one of today's most difficult challenges for CIOs and senior systems management teams. Those who have the drive and insight to consider many possibilities will keep their people. It's too easy to hide behind the belief that the amount of money offered -- or not offered -- is the only reason for retention problems.

The Internet and ever-increasing bandwidth have spawned a new method of delivering software functionality -- the application service provider (ASP) model. An ASP creatively combines aspects of software packages, outsourcing, and Internet delivery, allowing customers to receive all the benefits of using a software application without the associated burdens.

The Internet and ever-increasing bandwidth have spawned a new method of delivering software functionality -- the application service provider (ASP) model. An ASP creatively combines aspects of software packages, outsourcing, and Internet delivery, allowing customers to receive all the benefits of using a software application without the associated burdens.

Sole-source outsourcing relationships are dead. At least that's the feedback from Cutter Consortium's latest outsourcing survey in which 83% of respondents indicated that they are currently involved in multivendor engagements. Gone are the days when a single vendor provided everything necessary to address an organization's IT needs.

Sole-source outsourcing relationships are dead. At least that's the feedback from Cutter Consortium's latest outsourcing survey in which 83% of respondents indicated that they are currently involved in multivendor engagements. Gone are the days when a single vendor provided everything necessary to address an organization's IT needs.

Editor's note: Assertion #4 from the Cutter Technology Council states, "Centralized IT departments will become unsustainable." This assertion will be explored fully in an upcoming Council Opinion.

Editor's note: Assertion #4 from the Cutter Technology Council states, "Centralized IT departments will become unsustainable." This assertion will be explored fully in an upcoming Council Opinion.

During the 1992 US presidential campaign, the Democratic Party entered a new phrase into popular American vocabulary: "It's the economy, stupid!" The phrase echoed its belief (and campaign strategy) that the economy was the most important issue of the day and that many issues and problems could be traced back to it.

During the 1992 US presidential campaign, the Democratic Party entered a new phrase into popular American vocabulary: "It's the economy, stupid!" The phrase echoed its belief (and campaign strategy) that the economy was the most important issue of the day and that many issues and problems could be traced back to it.

Cutter Consortium recently launched a new business-IT strategies survey (if you haven't had a chance to participate, please go to www.cutter.com/consortium/index_surveys.html and complete the online questionnaire). This survey will be kept open as long as it produces valuable data.

With the Internet changing how companies interact at every level, establishing an e-business consortium, or e-consortium, is a growing priority for numerous industries. The goal of an e-consortium can vary, but it typically revolves around a group of companies in a given industry that wish to collectively leverage the Internet to improve some aspect of their business.

Lucky organizations get it right the first time. Wise organizations learn from their experiences and get it right the next time. Really clever organizations learn not only from their own experiences, but from other organizations in similar situations. Organizations responding to the Cutter Consortium Outsourcing Survey provide useful lessons on where to expect the greatest difficulties in an outsourcing arrangement.

Lucky organizations get it right the first time. Wise organizations learn from their experiences and get it right the next time. Really clever organizations learn not only from their own experiences, but from other organizations in similar situations. Organizations responding to the Cutter Consortium Outsourcing Survey provide useful lessons on where to expect the greatest difficulties in an outsourcing arrangement.

The latest statistics from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) show that the number of Capability Maturity Model (CMM) software assessments is rising and that more software development organizations are attaining higher maturity levels than ever before.

The latest statistics from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) show that the number of Capability Maturity Model (CMM) software assessments is rising and that more software development organizations are attaining higher maturity levels than ever before.

The latest statistics from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) show that the number of Capability Maturity Model (CMM) software assessments is rising and that more software development organizations are attaining higher maturity levels than ever before.