Abstract: Written for the IT outsourcing community, this document describes an approach for measuring the business value of IT in order to focus service provision activities on areas that are of priority to the client. It introduces a quality improvement process that can decrease the cost of service provisioning without impairing service quality. The intended audience includes those responsible for designing a solution, managers of an existing service, and people bidding for new business looking to differentiate their services. By measuring and reporting on the business value of an IT service, outsourcers' clients see the contribution being made to the success of their clients' business ventures. As a result, the outsourcers' relationships will transition from supplier to partner, they become better placed to exploit new business opportunities, and save money by focusing efforts on areas that are important to their clients.

Abstract: Many organizations do a poor job of measuring the business value of their IT investments. Simple financial metrics are not good enough. But there are a number of consistent, repeatable, and credible measurement methodologies that hold both business users and IT departments accountable. Compare four methodologies, and learn how adding one of them to your overall governance framework can improve your IT investment returns.

Abstract: If the underlying business assumptions change, the cash flow projections may be critically flawed but the KPI’s can still be relatively reliable indicators of the impact of an IT project. In the long run, IT project KPIs may be the best indicators for IT managers to use in evaluating the results of their IT investments.

Abstract: Experience teaches us to be wary of the outcome of mergers and acquisitions as the market has witnessed both success and disaster stories. While we believe that the above mergers might be synergistic in the long run, some growing pains, integration issues, and discontinuation of redundant products are always to be expected.

Abstract: Since supply chains, by definition, are about the end-to-end inter-enterprise process, we highlight the growing importance of looking outside your four walls when thinking about supply chain performance management. If you are overwhelmed by the number of supply chain measures you are tracking, it’s better to focus your energies on a few that can have a significant impact.

Abstract: Evaluating the cost of outsourcing can be challenging because most organizations cannot fully estimate the financial impact of such a decision.

Abstract: The Worldwide Retail Exchange (WWRE) and the Global NetXchange (GNX) have merged their complementary Web-enabled product sets to form Agentrics LLC. One outcome is the ProductVine PLM solution, which is clearly designed for and targeted to private label retailers.

Abstract: Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are becoming the centerpieces of broader customer-centric strategies to manage and coordinate information flow throughout a company. Users are increasingly using CRM to manage all phases of the business process, including sales force management. Discover nine strategies for using CRM software so you can make better use of sales metrics—for better sales management.

Abstract: In data center design projects, flawed management frequently leads to delays, expense, and frustration. Effective project management requires well-defined responsibilities for every manager, tight coordination among suppliers, well-defined procedures for managing change, and consistent terminology. Learn how enforcing these requirements can help your company achieve an efficient process with a predictable outcome.

Abstract: An estimated two-thirds of IT projects aren’t completed on time or budget, while 15 percent are cancelled entirely. But your IT project doesn’t have to be a gamble. By knowing the most common causes of project failure, your company increases the potential for a successful project outcome. Learn more about how inadequate initial project planning can be one of your greatest obstacles to success—and how you can overcome it.

Abstract: Wellman Thermal, a make-to-contract (MTC) manufacturer of boilers and industrial furnaces, needed an information system to record actual costs and allocate resources for each project from beginning to end. It also wanted help forecasting the outcome of individual projects. The system Wellman implemented allows the company better control of factory capacity planning and high visibility into operations. Get the details.

Abstract: Identifying and managing the risks associated with water resource projects is a challenge due to the variables of water systems. To overcome this challenge, you need to compile all available information into a framework that can be used to predict the outcome of alternatives. Find out how a computer simulation model can help water resource engineers improve the financial and environmental performance of their operations.

Abstract: Quicker than you can say “Sarbanes-Oxley” or “regulatory compliance,” the enterprise search market has gone from a relatively quiet existence as a nice-to-have technology to playing a critical role in today’s emerging information management solutions. This means that the need for search now extends far beyond satisfying the demands of the public sector. Find out how to make sense of the market and its players.

Abstract: As with any hot market, point-to-point wireless is bait for the pathologically opportunistic. In this atmosphere—often termed 'anarchy'—trust can t be a matter of faith. To get in on the wireless opportunity without getting shafted, you need to know a few basic and incontrovertible facts concerning the difference between licensed and license-free wireless. In fact, a successful outcome depends on choosing the right one.

Abstract: The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) provides a common process framework for driving service quality improvements and cost reductions. That’s why organizations must ensure they clearly understand the objectives of their ITIL implementations, while implementing robust governance processes to measure and report progress—or else risk implementations that fail to live up to stakeholder expectations.

Abstract: There is a considerable need to understand how technical performance and the problems within the technical infrastructure impact the capabilities of the business itself. The majority of companies can only measure specific asset and application performance, whereas many issues within the infrastructure lie at the transport level, where packet switching can present both great opportunities and major issues.

Abstract: Most organizations have already taken steps to extend IT access to employees in remote locations. The questions is, should they continue to extend this process—and how? Mobile technology benefits are often difficult to measure, but the costs of hardware, software, and services are often of such a magnitude that the benefits need to be tangible to justify the cost.

Abstract: Ignoring the warning signs of missing metadata? Gramm-Bliley-Leach, Sarbanes Oxley (also known as “SOX” and “Sarbox”) and the Patriot Act are forerunners of the regulatory trend that has elevated the need for metadata. Increasing consumer demand for privacy and fallout from corporate accounting scandals are spurring regulatory agencies to putting better teeth into regulations; compliance increasingly depends on an ability to “prove it”—not just by certifying content, but also by demonstrating the process by which the information was developed and managed—and metadata is the key to traceability.