Posts for "IT Management"

It may have taken weeks, months or years; but finally, the Big Bosses have agreed that your company needs to implement software “A,” which you’ve dedicated (what seems like) your entire life to in studying, reviewing, testing, and proving. You’re convinced it’s the King Daddy of all software that will make the business buzz like never before. Elation! Joy! That glorious feeling of movement! A job well done! But wait! It’s not over. You still have to get what you’ve agreed to purchase. If your vendor isn’t ready to go when you are, those feelings of joy can quickly evaporate as pressure is ... READ MORE

Within the ERP industry, there is no common glossary of terms to describe various implementation processes, and there probably never will be. Most terms are marketing slogans coined by software vendors or consulting firms that imply their implementation methods are better than their competitor’s. Over the years rapid deployment methodologies have evolved to address the age-old problems: ERP projects can take too long and cost too much. In its purest sense, rapid deployment focuses on compressing the project timeline by employing several project management strategies. While at times these strategies should be used when managing any ERP project, it is the ... READ MORE

The ideas, concepts and themes around big data have matured over the past couple of years from a vague buzzword, to a must-know topic for management. It seems like everyone now is required to provide their own opinion, view or strategy on big data, regardless of whether big data is relevant to their business goals, or whether they actually understand it. There is no denying big data has become mainstream, or that it is now a ‘big deal’. What is perhaps most important is how it can generate value for specific markets and businesses – especially in the mid-market where business ... READ MORE

The IT industry has gone from taking baby steps to giant strides forward in its adoption of cloud computing technology in a very short span of time. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is one of the cloud-based services that has earned widespread acceptance in the enterprise world; however, there are still a few pressing issues that need to be addressed before SaaS solutions can really be marketed as game-changers. Nearly 20 percent of SaaS deployments have failed to live up to their potential due to improper data integration. Business organizations often fail to undertake proper protocols to synergize their existing data with SaaS solutions, ... READ MORE

Adoption rates for Cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions are rising despite some people’s concern over Cloud security. The fact is, security and protection of confidential business data should be a concern whether it resides on an in-house server or a Cloud environment. Moreover, server locations of companies are not necessarily better protected than the Cloud. In fact, reputable Cloud applications are usually far more safe because they have better means to protect, secure, and back up data than any small-to-medium company ever could in-house with an on-premise solution. The advantage of the Cloud is economies of scale. Have you ever ... READ MORE

Active Directory Management software is not the most exciting piece of technology you’ll be considering for your new or growing business, but it could be one of the most important. This article will discuss some of the functions performed by Active Directory tools and the types of companies that may need or benefit from those tools. Employee Base Active Directory is essentially the system that manages the login process. Companies with a large base of employees working on secured computers will use Active Directory for authentication and authorization of users. Remote Access Businesses that operate across multiple networks, servers, and locations via the internet, or via ... READ MORE

Think for moment about the amount of technological change we’ve all experienced in the last 25 years. I once listened to music with a clunky eight-track player. Now I have Spotify, which lets me instantly stream nearly any song from the cloud for free. I once booked trips with a travel agent, manually entered business contacts into a Rolodex, and physically carried important documents on a floppy disc. Now all those functions have been subsumed by my iPhone. A final example: decoding the first human genome began in 1990, took 10 years to complete, and cost $3 billion. Today it ... READ MORE

While the security issues surrounding cloud computing have garnered much attention in recent years, many companies have fallen victim to dangers of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend they adopted more readily. Oddly enough, adopting BYOD means vicarious integration of cloud computing, though BYOD is where security fails rather than the cloud vendors themselves. According to an August 2012 Trend Micro study, "Security breaches have been experienced by nearly half of all companies that allow BYOD and immediate changes to security protocols typically follows such breaches, with data access right restrictions (45 percent) or security software installation (42.9 percent) ... READ MORE

Conferences are great. In fact, the SunView Software team is about to participate in the Pink 13 conference in Las Vegas. At about the same time, our UK partner will be working the Service Desk IT and Support Show with great attendance expected. Following these shows and others, IT professionals feel energized and ready to change their IT Organizations for the better. It’s a great time to be part of a business that is ready to embrace change and make a difference. Unfortunately, what tends to happen more often than not is the “high” from attending a conference quickly fades away. ... READ MORE

As businesses needs evolve, software companies must constantly reinvent their products and services to stay on the cutting edge. The most innovative companies in IT in 2013 are those that are changing up the way companies interact with their customers and their data. We're taking a look at game-changing companies in four segments that are striving to reinvent IT software as more mobile, socially-oriented and data-driven than ever before.   Mobile Device Management: MobileIron The BYOD movement is on the rise, but bringing your own devices also brings concerns with making sure your data access is seamless and your security is sound.  Mountain View-based MobileIron has ... READ MORE