Lots of people have conflicted views about their assortment of electronic gadgets. On the one hand, they can be expensive and time-consuming. On the other hand, they help people navigate their social and information worlds and can make life easier or more exciting. And it's the excitement that takes over when a cool new toy emerges.
Do you find yourself getting into "fire-fighting" mode when deals need to be finalized? Forrester has found it's not uncommon for sourcing professionals to have contracts thrust upon them by impatient business or IT users that "must get signed in the next two days" or similar situations. This article presents a five part strategy for a better negotiation on your next IT purchase.
How can IT 'sell' an operating budget in a way that makes the accountants accept it? The start point for this exercise is to be able to articulate the value that the service delivery function actually provides. Techniques are available that can be used by astute managers to help both themselves and their financial colleagues understand the value of what they do for a living.
Many managers and executives are placed in difficult positions after having been promoted or transferred to an under-performing department. The intuitive executive understands that, while new leadership is in place, there may be fundamental flaws with the existing group. Because many executives are not fully equipped to diagnose the problem(s) and chart a path forward, they resort to what they do know --"manufactured teambuilding." Such exercises consist of taking a team out of its office environment and engaging in mental and/or physical activities or hiring a consultant to come and present for an afternoon in an effort to promote further unification of the group. Fortunately for training, human resources, and organizational development staff, there is a more substantive way to assist a team improve its performance. Outlined in this article is a seven-step process that can properly align a team of any size or shape so as to establish a foundation for success.
You might think IT's greatest enemies are cyber criminals and malware authors. But far worse are those who make the lives of these evildoers that much easier. In fact, the greatest enemies of IT are members of the community IT serves: from clueless suits to annoying power users, from miserly managers to those friends and family members who are always hitting you up for free tech support. Any one of them can keep you from doing your best -- or getting anything done at all. Here are the classic enemies of IT, how to recognize them, and what you can do to keep them at bay.
