Viewpoint

It could be the most important decision you ever make. Selecting a consultant can be a tricky business, with varying levels of expertise and quality associated to different specialists. How can you go about finding a consultant that will help you make the most of your business' IT resources?

For the last five-or-so years, grid computing has promised a more efficient model for technology use. Now - under the cloud computing label - suppliers are delivering utility-based services that can help businesses share resources and improve IT optimisation. How might cloud computing impact your business' performance?

Talking green is one thing; acting green is another issue altogether. IT managers can help prevent the over-utilisation of resources by making workers turn off PCs at night and to think more carefully about printing. But turning users’ attention to the under-utilisation of existing technology assets can create big gains in IT optimisation. What strategies will help technology leaders turn the business’ assets green and improve operational efficiency?

Complex-sounding concepts sometimes lead to simple solutions. Many IT managers, for example, fear service-oriented architecture because of the potential integration requirements of linking resources on-demand. The reality, however, can be much more straightforward. Take the data centre - where a service-oriented approach can help the business create a cost effective and flexible facility that is aligned to the business and optimised for Ernergy-efficiency and other environmental concerns.

Concerns surrounding the rising levels of carbon emissions and the increasing cost of electricity meant IT managers faced pressure at two levels last year. Chief executives were keen for their firms to be environmentally sensitive and suppliers were keen to hype green processes and systems. Now, in the cold light of 2008, how can IT managers cut through the green wash and take back control of IT operations in order to slash carbon emissions and improve cost-saving efficiencies?

Time, in the information economy, is most definitely money. Businesses have very little time to maintain IT services - and planned outages need to be scheduled with care and attention. Managing outages and unplanned outages is, therefore, a complicated task that places a considerable strain on the IT infrastructure. How can IT managers improve infrastructure availability by automating tasks and increasing staff efficiencies?

Attempting to deliver top quality service within your budget is all well and good. However, it can be difficult to monitor and manage performance across a broad IT infrastructure as you aim to improve operational management. What type of service, storage and management systems will help you ensure delivery and improve financial management?

IT managers are under tremendous pressure to achieve more with less: budgets are tight and wastefulness must be curbed. Under such conditions, blade server technology allows IT organisations to potentially create simplified infrastructures. Is the time right for your organisation to invest in blade servers?

Take a long, hard look at your IT processes and check to see if you are running at the most optimal levels. Chances are there’s a good deal of IT consolidation that needs to take place across your physical assets and applications. How can you optimise costs and lower infrastructure complexity through consolidation?

Managing all the applications and associated data in the IT organisation can be a difficult challenge - but if you look at your attempts to meet the challenge, would you say you are succeeding or failing?

Just two or three years ago, being green was an impressive business statement - something to make a company look more thoughtful than its rivals.

In the information age, the business is likely to have an ever-changing series of technology demands. Chances are, however, that one department leads the other, which could mean users either have unrealistic expectations of the IT department, or the technology organisation initiates projects without checking the requirements of the business. How can IT managers help align IT and the business - and make technology professionals the heroes of the company?

Nothing is more important than the security of your client data - the integrity of your business relies upon it. However, just 20 per cent of consumer businesses have a formally defined information security strategy, according to consultant Deloitte. In such a situation, your first port of call should be identity and access management, specialist software that can help your business establish a risk-based approach to security policy.

Data, data everywhere - and such an explosion in information require the organisation to take a tight grip on information governance. Defining tight policies for information usage is particularly crucial given the increasing demands of legislation and the need to comply with associated range of data laws. What are the dangers of not taking a strong approach to governance and what processes can technology leaders introduce that will help the business control the information explosion?

Information is a strategic asset for the modern business, allowing users to process and manipulate data to an organisation's advantage. Such an advantage relies on careful IT management, particularly as the rate of information produced continues to increase and businesses face an increasing range of external and internal security threats. How can IT managers use information risk management (IRM) to protect the integrity of crucial information and ensure data governance?

Do not wait for your worst fears to materialise. Your organisation could be hit by a serious crisis tomorrow. If it is, you will need to react quickly to ensure your employees are safe and the technology team is able to support the business. What sort of best practices and collaborative tools will help your technology leaders prepare for a worst case scenario?

Your business users demand resilient technology systems that are flexible enough to cope with the peaks and troughs of an online environment. Providing top-level service management across such an environment is a big job. How can IT managers provide best practice support and help meet the business' needs?

The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard places strict requirements on IT managers, with merchants across a range of industries facing new levels of accountability with regards to credit card information. What systems and processes can help IT managers deal with the added bind of PCI standards and also help ensure the security of credit card information?

IT managers in all sectors have to deal with an increasingly broad range of regulations. Such regulations mean technology organisations now have to comply with a series of agreed standards, often auditing systems and processes as part of everyday working practices. What are the tools, systems and processes that can help the IT manager cope with the legislative burden?

The recent floods across parts of Britain have shown the dangers of not having a well-honed disaster recovery plan in place. How quickly could your business recover from a disaster? Could you do more to avoid one in the first place - and what strategies can help ensure data back up is as easy as possible?

Sometimes you think you are so smart. And to be honest, your confidence is misplaced.

Traditional business intelligence (BI) tools help provide the right information. However, changes are afoot - and next generation BI will allow faster and automated decision-making. Rather than allowing users to work with data after an event, next generation tools will allow the business to process information in real-time. How will new BI tools give users a crucial competitive advantage?

Modern businesses rely on the availability of their information systems - and one of the most crucial components of a technology operation is the supply chain. IT managers must ensure the flow of goods and information between employees, partners and customers is seamless because a broken supply chain can have disastrous consequences. What systems and processes will help IT managers ensure 24/7 supply chain availability?

Although IT managers are often slow to deal with the security and compliance risks associated with unstructured data, the concerns associated with the information are not subsiding. Such concerns mean technology leaders are likely to turn their attention to Enterprise Content Management (ECM) this year to address their compliance needs - tools and strategies that allow the management of unstructured information across the organisation.

Innovative plans to centralise resources could save public sector organisations millions of pounds - but are plans for shares services more hype than reality? Although such operational initiatives can potentially improve effectiveness and performance, many local government organisations remain sceptical about the benefits.

Is your organisation managing the information explosion strategically? Users across the organisation are demanding access to information from a broader range of systems. Employees across the business need such information to be trusted and in context. Technology leaders must be ready - and understand who needs crucial information when and why. What business benefits can be gained from managing the information explosion strategically to ensure knowledge is trusted and in context?

Global wealth grew by 7.5 per cent in 2006 to reach $97.9trn, according to The Boston Consulting Group. Despite the industry's strong performance, wealth managers still have room for profitable growth. Such opportunities will require increasingly sophisticated approaches to technology, with researcher Datamonitor reporting that spending by financial services firms on wealth management IT will reach $28.5bn by 2012. What type of IT systems and strategies will help financial institutions cope with the changing demands of wealth management?

IT managers are struggling to manage the information associated with their technology. It can be a tough job. The amount of data in circulation is immense and continues to grow.

IT managers can have a tough job meeting the business' needs for information, especially when it is scattered in disparate silos. But with technology providing an able partner in the fight for information unification, there is no excuse for a slow response. Setting the right platform for integration is crucial - what sort of tools and processes should IT managers call upon as they attempt to serve the business' information requirements?

While it is vital to store information from the different parts of the business, the IT manager must know how to make use of that knowledge for the benefit of the firm. How important is the data warehouse to the business? And how can the IT manager make the most of the information it stores?

It seems like a simple mistake to make - putting the wrong information in the wrong hands. But the business needs to know it can trust the information the technology team provides. What techniques can IT managers adopt to help ensure data quality and accuracy is at the highest level?

Developing an information lifecycle management (ILM) strategy should be a fundamental for technology organisations that are forced to cope with an ever-increasing raft of rules and regulations.

You have analysed the latest and greatest tools and processes. You may have spent some of the chief executive's cash on a series of systems - but one key problems remains: your legacy systems. How can IT managers deal with legacy systems and help ensure all systems - both old and new - work seamlessly to enable business flexibility?

The key for pressurised line of business managers is to have the right information at their fingertips so that they can make the crucial decisions required.
More and more organisations are exploring business activity monitoring (BAM), specialist processes that can make the most of business process management systems and provide real-time operational data to leading executives. How should organisations implement BAM and how will the technology help provide information on-demand?

So, you've seen the potential benefits and are keen to move towards a service-oriented architecture (SOA) approach. You're also concerned, however, that moving to SOA might be a step too far for your current infrastructure. What systems and processes will help your business cope, such as network adjustments, hardware capacity planning and service level agreements?

Just what you need: another three letter acronym that supplier hype suggests will change your organisation's approach to technology forever.

IT managers are under constant pressure to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Under such conditions, business process management (BPM) - which can help technology leaders to progress toward more efficient workflows and streamline everyday tasks - should be a consideration for the IT organisation. What processes and systems will allow the IT manager to make the most out of BPM?

Modern technology leaders are often scared of taking a risk. With the chief executive demanding success and the finance director looking for justification from every pound invested, IT managers might be excused for selecting the safe option. But with innovation a crucial factor for business success, how can technology leaders encourage originality in their departmental processes to improve efficiency?

It can be hard work being an IT manager - just when you’ve got round one system or process implementation, another raises its head to create more issues. Take service-oriented architecture (SOA), for example.

Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration - the future of system implementation and information use in the workplace is governed by one magic term. Web 2.0 technologies - such as social software, mash-ups and wikis - will be your key to collaboration. But many executives are still sceptical about Web 2.0 and you will need to prove how the right collaborative technologies - and an associated cultural shift in processes - will provide benefits to the business.

It is a commonly used business expression: your people are your most important asset. While the sentiments of the expression are crucial, many executives could be accused of not practicing what they preach. What systems and processes can you put in place to help the business make the most of its people and their intellectual capital?

If the chief executive is keen to foster an innovative culture within the business, he or she will need to consider collaboration - and fast-advancing Web 2.0 technologies provide a significant networking tool. However, convincing the boss that Web 2.0 is more than just a tool for the kids could be a complicated sell. Your job will be to unravel the business benefits and illustrate how social software tools could become part of your firm’s collaborative and innovative environment.

Why should your firm consider unified communications? Well, tentativeness is ill advised because unified communications is likely to be a crucial platform for twenty-first century collaboration.

Using portals to improve collaboration in public sector services Public sector organisations need to hit electronic transformation targets and the efficient processing of data is crucial to such strategies. Collaborative technology needs to be a core element of electronic strategies - and portals can encourage self-service and be personalised to provide a valuable system to specific users. How can such self-service portals raise collaboration amongst internal employees and increase the efficient processing of services for external citizens?

More and more business are using portal-based solutions to empower users and make the most of out of emerging web 2.0 collaboration technologies. Researcher IDC projects the enterprise portal software market will grow by more than 50 per cent to reach $1.4bn by 2011. How can contemporary portal systems help users monitor company performance and make informed decisions about business issues?

The boss demands being first to market: your job is to provide the collaborative processes that will allow the business to communicate ideas in real-time. What innovative technologies and processes will help you promote the growth of knowledge in the business - how do you transform the organisation so individuals use new technologies to the organsiation's benefit?

The Holy Grail for technology leaders is to safely advocate purchasing a series of tools that will increase productivity for line managers across the business. But the challenge for IT managers is to find a range of solutions that people can use to unlock productivity and create business growth. What types of tools should businesses be using and how will they improve business performance?

Users need faster access to information from a variety of different collaboration platforms and tools - and unified messaging applications allow individuals to access knowledge from a range of services. With the market still emerging, should IT managers be prepared to install unified messaging?

Knowledge is the crown jewels of the organisation; it is the crucial component that allows employees within the business to operate more effectively than workers in rival firms.

For some IT managers, working with a supplier is a bit like having a personal bank account: you know there are other providers out there that might offer more competitive deals, but you are not sure you can be bothered with the hassle of switching. Chances are it is time you learn to deal with the potential aggravations of switching suppliers and look for more competitive deals. If you grab the opportunity, how will you analyse the potential strengths of various suppliers and how will you manage the switchover?

New environmental recycling directives mean IT managers must be aware of how their technology is recycled. Such directives, however, also place an obligation on suppliers to ensure white goods are disposed sensitively. How can you use the directives to help your environmental policies work more effectively and how can providers become a key element of your green strategy?

Your firm has worked with one supplier for as long as anyone can remember - and why not? After all, the supplier has met service level targets and kept users happy. But now in the information age - where your users also require information on-demand through multiple channels - is it realistic to expect one supplier to provide quality service across all areas?

Driving transformation in the IT department can be a tricky test, especially when the chief executive is talking about restrained budgets and an on-coming downturn. Help comes in the form of financing, a flexible approach that allows IT managers to carefully manage and afford IT resources. Why should your company look at financing and how might the approach improve business efficiency?

When your job could depend on the outcome, selecting a supplier is a crucial decision. What is more, businesses are now expected to deal with an increasing range of system, services and information sources. How can you select a provider that will help serve your business specific needs?

IT managers need to reduce power consumption in IT infrastructure. Blades servers - which provide a more efficient form of computing than traditional servers - could provide an answer. How can technology leaders reduce power consumption through blades, and what type of power and cooling efficiencies do they provide?

Times are undoubtedly tight, and the bad news for IT managers is that the finance director is likely to be even tighter. In a fast-changing economic climate, technology leaders will come under more pressure to ensure their IT investments deliver a quick return on investment. How can IT managers convince the business that cutting technology spending is simply one risk too many?

Sometimes the bark is worth the bite. Take cloud computing, where the noise emanating from experts would suggest that service provision through the internet is likely to be the next big thing in business technology. This time, however, the concept is worthy of the hype - and IT managers must take note or risk being left behind. What are the implications of cloud computing for IT managers and the business at-large?

Emerging Web-based platforms are creating real change for service provision and communication. Now - more than ever before - IT managers are required to understand a broad range of communication channels and associated information formats. Which communication platforms will move from niche technologies to strategic technologies during the next three-or-so years? And how will such web-based technologies change the way users collaborate, helping the business to stay competitive and to improve efficiency in the workplace?

Sitting back and letting other IT managers investigate the value of strategic technologies is not an option. And spending on some areas will seem like a no-brainer – and that means for all IT managers, regardless of sector or budgetary constraints.

Despite the seemingly all-pervasive nature of web-based software, a large proportion of the world’s business data is still processed by mainframe applications. IT managers tasked with unifying business processes across the organisation have to find ways of making the most of legacy resources. Service-oriented-architecture (SOA) can help integrate two complex worlds and provide effective knowledge for executives across the business.

When it comes to the data centre, IT managers are under tremendous pressure to work at best value and with due consideration for the environment. It can be a complicated task, as the data centre is often one of the technology leader's biggest demands on resources. How can virtualisation and consolidation - two complimentary approaches that help to cut replication in the IT organisation - help to reduce cost and increase efficiency in the data centre?