Patrick Spencer

The full repercussions of a cover story in CIO magazine in August 2002 would not be realized for another decade with the arrival of Customer Marketing 3.0. Written by Sarah D. Scalet, the exposé, titled “The Truth About Customer References,” argued that IT suppliers build contractual agreements with customers that taint their reference reliability and forge purported realities that are inaccurate.

The beginnings of PEER 1 Hosting, which touts over 22,000 customers today, go back to a chance meeting between the two co-founders in an elevator in the 1990s. The cloud hosting company takes no chances when engaging potential customers on its website; PEER 1 Hosting started using live digital engagement eight years ago and never looked back. The business outcomes continue to justify the decision: average order value for transactions touched by chat are 36 percent higher than those where chat… Show more

The beginnings of PEER 1 Hosting, which touts over 22,000 customers today, go back to a chance meeting between the two co-founders in an elevator in the 1990s. The cloud hosting company takes no chances when engaging potential customers on its website; PEER 1 Hosting started using live digital engagement eight years ago and never looked back. The business outcomes continue to justify the decision: average order value for transactions touched by chat are 36 percent higher than those where chat isn't involved, while chat delivers a 24 percent better conversion rate than traditional engagement channels.

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With more and more customers conducting their banking needs online, Extraco Banks took its SWARM banking methodology and extended it to digital channels. The in-banking experience, which includes greeting customers within a few seconds of them entering a bank and training employees on virtually all banking systems and products, is now available digitally. Customers have warmly embraced live chat, with more than 1,000 interactions conducted through chat each month and a 90+ percent satisfaction… Show more

With more and more customers conducting their banking needs online, Extraco Banks took its SWARM banking methodology and extended it to digital channels. The in-banking experience, which includes greeting customers within a few seconds of them entering a bank and training employees on virtually all banking systems and products, is now available digitally. Customers have warmly embraced live chat, with more than 1,000 interactions conducted through chat each month and a 90+ percent satisfaction rate. Show less

Brand engagement is something that should concern not only enterprise leaders but also small businesses. Customers desire—or perhaps demand—meaningful connections across multiple channels. And despite the emergence of social media, company websites remain the number one channel for brand engagement.

Small businesses that understand how to leverage digital engagement generate better outcomes than those that do not. Indeed, research shows that digitally engaged small businesses are more… Show more

Brand engagement is something that should concern not only enterprise leaders but also small businesses. Customers desire—or perhaps demand—meaningful connections across multiple channels. And despite the emergence of social media, company websites remain the number one channel for brand engagement.

Small businesses that understand how to leverage digital engagement generate better outcomes than those that do not. Indeed, research shows that digitally engaged small businesses are more than twice as likely to be growing than those with low levels of digital engagement. Show less

In a post on CustomerThink.com, "Five Ways to Destroy Customer Goodwill," Richard Shapiro discusses five ways that organizations typically destroy customer goodwill. Each of them are related to how organizations say "No!" Many companies spend millions of dollars attracting new customers each year but fail to capitalize on their investments by not delivering a great customer experience.

Shapiro's list comes from recently personal experiences. The third one resonates particularly well when… Show more

In a post on CustomerThink.com, "Five Ways to Destroy Customer Goodwill," Richard Shapiro discusses five ways that organizations typically destroy customer goodwill. Each of them are related to how organizations say "No!" Many companies spend millions of dollars attracting new customers each year but fail to capitalize on their investments by not delivering a great customer experience.

Shapiro's list comes from recently personal experiences. The third one resonates particularly well when it comes to the potential impact digital engagement can have—or fail to have—on customer experience. He cites a scenario where he had to call his credit card company with a question. He attempted to self-serve on the company's website but wasn't able to resolve the issue; the tools weren't available. Calling them was his next—and only—resort; it was the only engagement channel listed. However, when he called, rather than getting put into the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) call queue or even reaching a live person from the Contact Center, he was pushed to a recorded message: "We are experiencing a high volume of calls and customers should contact us at another time."

What are the alternatives to IVR "hell"? Show less

Chat agents are like shopping superheroes. They have the potential to surprise, delight, and even protect brands’ most valuable assets: customers.

At this year’s Aspire event on October 8, LivePerson recognized 10 exceptional chat agents with its Meaningful Connection Awards. Winners were nominated by fellow colleagues based on their ability to demonstrate innovation, personality, conflict resolution, and more—all through chat.

Cloud-based event management provider Cvent understands the importance of meaningful connections. After all, the company has over 137,000 active users on its platform. Just as it connects organizations and individuals through hosted events, Cvent believes it is important to connect with customers--or prospects--when they are exploring event management solutions and visiting the Cvent website. To enable these connections, Cvent relies on a digital engagement solution from LivePerson.

Cvent, a cloud-based events management company with more than 12,000 customers aspires to connect with its customers and prospects in meaningful ways. Most are introduced to the company and its different product and services offerings on its website. But events have a lot of moving parts and thus questions frequently arise when customers are looking at the different options on Cvent's website. This was the principle factor for Cvent's decision to deploy LivePerson's digital engagement solution… Show more

Cvent, a cloud-based events management company with more than 12,000 customers aspires to connect with its customers and prospects in meaningful ways. Most are introduced to the company and its different product and services offerings on its website. But events have a lot of moving parts and thus questions frequently arise when customers are looking at the different options on Cvent's website. This was the principle factor for Cvent's decision to deploy LivePerson's digital engagement solution back in 2011.

I recently had a chance to catch up with Dave Phillips, the senior. manager of Digital Marketing at Cvent, who spoke about the evolution of the LivePerson implementation over the past four years. Some of the core initiatives that Dave has helped spearhead include building out digital campaigns that encompass live chat, comprehensive A/B testing, integration of live chat with social media monitoring, and data analytics for constant permutations to digital marketing programs. Show less

Kiley Francis joined Davinci Virtual Office Solutions eight years ago, only six months after the company was formed and has played a critical role in the company's growth strategy. The company provides a platform from which companies can do business virtually, with solutions that include telephony, messaging, meeting and workspaces that can be reserved around the world, and concierge-level live receptionist services.

Kiley distinguished herself as a top performer from the beginning. And… Show more

Kiley Francis joined Davinci Virtual Office Solutions eight years ago, only six months after the company was formed and has played a critical role in the company's growth strategy. The company provides a platform from which companies can do business virtually, with solutions that include telephony, messaging, meeting and workspaces that can be reserved around the world, and concierge-level live receptionist services.

Kiley distinguished herself as a top performer from the beginning. And as the team grew, she was promoted—first to supervisor, then to manager of the entire 45-person receptionist team. While she was a supervisor four years ago, Davinci Virtual began marketing live chat support for its customers as a part of the live receptionist services. The company’s sales and customer service departments had been using live chat for several years, and they had generated great results that the management team wanted to extend to the receptionist team. Kiley was tagged to supervise the agents who would tackle this new initiative. Show less

More than 800,000 people take their own lives every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). That’s one person every 40 seconds. This is a frightening number.

But here’s the good news, according to the WHO, “Suicides are preventable.”

There are risks and warning signs, but in a desperate moment, immediate intervention is critical. Further, we are fortunate that today’s technologies make it possible to offer live support through digital engagement—a valuable addition… Show more

More than 800,000 people take their own lives every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). That’s one person every 40 seconds. This is a frightening number.

But here’s the good news, according to the WHO, “Suicides are preventable.”

There are risks and warning signs, but in a desperate moment, immediate intervention is critical. Further, we are fortunate that today’s technologies make it possible to offer live support through digital engagement—a valuable addition to phone and in-person support. This blog post looks at some of the ways that digital engagement is providing comfort to those in distress and helping to save lives. Show less

German immigrants played a central role in the formation of 19th-century Texas--from the state's cultural heritage to its rich political history. They also left an indelible geographical imprint, what is known as the "German Belt" of the Texas Hill Country. The area offers travelers and history buffs a rich cultural heritage to experience. Check out the 7 Pit Stops we identified as the most important locations when visiting the Hill Country and checking out its German heritage.

Ecumenical thought and actions marked the early German settlers, likely influenced by the religious and philosophical though of the Freethinkers. More conservative in its makeup, due to being comprised primarily of working-class Germans, New Braunfels quickly saw the establishment and erection of permanent church buildings. Settled by the second wave of German settlers, Fredericksburg is the home of the Vereins Kirche or Society's Church. Nicknamed the Kaffeemuhle (coffee mill) for its… Show more

Ecumenical thought and actions marked the early German settlers, likely influenced by the religious and philosophical though of the Freethinkers. More conservative in its makeup, due to being comprised primarily of working-class Germans, New Braunfels quickly saw the establishment and erection of permanent church buildings. Settled by the second wave of German settlers, Fredericksburg is the home of the Vereins Kirche or Society's Church. Nicknamed the Kaffeemuhle (coffee mill) for its octagonal design, the Vereins Kirche was the first public building in Fredericksburg, serving as a school, town hall, fort, and church. Though the first Vereins Kirche was torn down to make way for progress (a road through town), a replicate was built to commemorate it and the earliest German settlers to the region. Show less

The 1850s were a difficult period for German immigrants, as there was a backlash against Irish and Germans--partially due to their Roman Catholic faith--in the U.S. It was also a period of political and social upheaval leading up to the Civil War, when anguish over slavery polarized the country. Most of the Texas Hill Country Germans were opposed to slavery and in favor of a strong Union, though the were not particularly involved in politics, allowing their worlds to revolve around their farms,… Show more

The 1850s were a difficult period for German immigrants, as there was a backlash against Irish and Germans--partially due to their Roman Catholic faith--in the U.S. It was also a period of political and social upheaval leading up to the Civil War, when anguish over slavery polarized the country. Most of the Texas Hill Country Germans were opposed to slavery and in favor of a strong Union, though the were not particularly involved in politics, allowing their worlds to revolve around their farms, ranches, and local communities. This began to change in 1853 when several religious leaders and area newspapers began to advocate for abolition. And once the war started, all hell broke lose in the Texas Hill Country, culminating in what is know as the Massacre on the Nueces, when members of the Union Loyal League attempted to flee to Mexico and were intercepted by Confederate troops. Show less

Indianloa became a ghost town following two "killer" hurricanes in the late 1880s. Its once bustling port with a thriving population dwindled to nothing after the second of the two hurricanes in 1886.

Until the early 1830s, people of German ancestry were a rarity in Texas. The first German settlement was established at Industry in Austin County. When one of the founders of that community wrote a letter to a friend back in Germany describing Texas in glowing terms, he unleashed a flood of immigrants. It was led by German nobles who hoped the mass immigration to settle the Hill Country would result in a German colony in the Americas. It also included German freethinkers who hoped to make Texas… Show more

Until the early 1830s, people of German ancestry were a rarity in Texas. The first German settlement was established at Industry in Austin County. When one of the founders of that community wrote a letter to a friend back in Germany describing Texas in glowing terms, he unleashed a flood of immigrants. It was led by German nobles who hoped the mass immigration to settle the Hill Country would result in a German colony in the Americas. It also included German freethinkers who hoped to make Texas a utopia, one where intellectual debates and conversations would last well into early morning. Show less

Nestled between the rolling hills north of San Antonio in the valley of Sister Creek in what is now Kendall County, Sisterdale was established by Nicolaus Zink and a group of other Forty-Eighters in 1847. The Forty-Eighters came to Texas following the failed European Revolutions of 1848 with the hope of forming utopian communities based on rights for all; in addition to a number of other stances, the Freethinkers advocated for the abolition of slavery.

When two brothers, Robert and Jeffrey Wolfe, opened Moosejaw’s first brick-and-mortar store in 1992, the outdoor recreation apparel and gear company did so with the intent of creating a unique customer experience. They formulated a nonsensical marketing approach, dubbed “Moosejaw Madness” right out of the gate—and it stuck.

Extending this same brand experience to its digital channels has been a hallmark for the company. Live chat is something that has been a critical piece in the… Show more

When two brothers, Robert and Jeffrey Wolfe, opened Moosejaw’s first brick-and-mortar store in 1992, the outdoor recreation apparel and gear company did so with the intent of creating a unique customer experience. They formulated a nonsensical marketing approach, dubbed “Moosejaw Madness” right out of the gate—and it stuck.

Extending this same brand experience to its digital channels has been a hallmark for the company. Live chat is something that has been a critical piece in the company's larger digital marketing strategy since 2002. In this blog post, I examine the reasons the company selected live chat and how the deployment has evolved to the present. Show less

The self-storage industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the United States commercial and real estate market today. Indeed, every man, woman, and child could stand concurrently within all of the country’s storage units and still have elbow room!

Extra Space Storage, Inc. is major player in this market, having grown over its 36-year history to 667,000 units and more than 1,000 properties in 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

While it might initially… Show more

The self-storage industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the United States commercial and real estate market today. Indeed, every man, woman, and child could stand concurrently within all of the country’s storage units and still have elbow room!

Extra Space Storage, Inc. is major player in this market, having grown over its 36-year history to 667,000 units and more than 1,000 properties in 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

While it might initially seem that renting storage is a fairly straightforward process, there are many nuances that need to be addressed—particularly in a day when the first interaction a customer has with a vendor is digital. Add that customers are at a variety of different stages in the buying cycle, and the digital connection becomes a sophisticated process. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. The lens through which Extra Space Storage views digital engagement is multi-faceted. Show less

E-commerce wasn’t always the norm at Newark element14. Six years ago, with less than 5 percent of business conducted online, the company recruited Kurt Gehring to lead e-commerce operations, with a charter to make e-commerce the primary sales channel for the company.

Upon his arrival, Gehring discovered that digital engagement solutions were in place—key to fostering a successful e-commerce program. Static Click-to-Chat buttons were placed on various webpages to facilitate customer… Show more

E-commerce wasn’t always the norm at Newark element14. Six years ago, with less than 5 percent of business conducted online, the company recruited Kurt Gehring to lead e-commerce operations, with a charter to make e-commerce the primary sales channel for the company.

Upon his arrival, Gehring discovered that digital engagement solutions were in place—key to fostering a successful e-commerce program. Static Click-to-Chat buttons were placed on various webpages to facilitate customer service issue resolution. Chat also had evolved into a feedback tool, allowing customers to tell Newark element14 about specific features and functionalities they’d like to see in future products.

This blog post investigates the different initiatives Gehring and his team have overseen during the past five-plus years as they have evolved digital engagement to a precise science. Show less

Mathematician, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer, Leonardo Davinci, the epitome of the Renaissance, possessed unquenchable curiosity unbridled imagination. These ideals were foundational pillars when two business partners—Bill Grodnik, CEO, and Martin Senn, COO, came together in 2005 to form Davinci Virtual Office Solutions.

Check out this blog post to find out how digital engagement became a driving force behind… Show more

Mathematician, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer, Leonardo Davinci, the epitome of the Renaissance, possessed unquenchable curiosity unbridled imagination. These ideals were foundational pillars when two business partners—Bill Grodnik, CEO, and Martin Senn, COO, came together in 2005 to form Davinci Virtual Office Solutions.

Check out this blog post to find out how digital engagement became a driving force behind Davinci Virtual's business model. Show less

The Chief Customer Advocate at Snapfish by HP, Kirsty Traill, turned to digital engagement strategies with live chat at the crux to transform how the online photo service engages with its customers--both during the sales cycle and for ongoing support. The data accumulated via live chat is proving to be valuable business intelligence, which Traill and her team aggregate using LivePerson Insights. Indeed, digital engagement has become an important differentiator for Snapfish by HP and is driving… Show more

The Chief Customer Advocate at Snapfish by HP, Kirsty Traill, turned to digital engagement strategies with live chat at the crux to transform how the online photo service engages with its customers--both during the sales cycle and for ongoing support. The data accumulated via live chat is proving to be valuable business intelligence, which Traill and her team aggregate using LivePerson Insights. Indeed, digital engagement has become an important differentiator for Snapfish by HP and is driving a long list of quantified business results. The result is picture-perfect customer engagement. Show less

A couple years ago, the Call Center for the Community College of Denver found itself in a predicament. Enrollment had nearly doubled in just a few years and the number of incoming calls for support had skyrocketed. But available resources had not followed the same course; they had remained the same. Call Center Manager Gustavo Rivas elected to use live chat to deflect some of those incoming calls, extending it to all of his 16 agents in the Call Center. It was such a success that the Call… Show more

A couple years ago, the Call Center for the Community College of Denver found itself in a predicament. Enrollment had nearly doubled in just a few years and the number of incoming calls for support had skyrocketed. But available resources had not followed the same course; they had remained the same. Call Center Manager Gustavo Rivas elected to use live chat to deflect some of those incoming calls, extending it to all of his 16 agents in the Call Center. It was such a success that the Call Center was able to extend support beyond Enrollment Services to include Financial Aid and Cashiering. The results are impressive, and Rivas and his management team are evolving the solution from just live chat to digital engagement, a decision that will matriculate even more quantifiable results. Show less

The words "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are some of the most famous words ever uttered. With the passage of time they've become a timeless lens from which the government is judged. And while the advent of the Digital Age was more than a century away when Lincoln delivered his famous address, the words still ring true today. The maxim "IT of the people, by the people, and for the people is an applicable description of how… Show more

The words "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are some of the most famous words ever uttered. With the passage of time they've become a timeless lens from which the government is judged. And while the advent of the Digital Age was more than a century away when Lincoln delivered his famous address, the words still ring true today. The maxim "IT of the people, by the people, and for the people is an applicable description of how citizens view technology and the government. Citizens simply assume they can conduct business online with their local, state, and federal government entities. They also demand that those same government agencies deliver services and manage operations efficiently and effectively, using IT as the fulcrum to to do. Yet at the same time, most government entities are under unprecedented budgetary pressures and "doing more with less is the mantra facing most public sector IT organizations.

This cover story in the July 2013 issue of CIO Digest examines the ways in which public sector IT organizations are addressing these IT challenges. Based on interviews with subject-matter experts, both analysts who watch the public sector space and several IT leaders who live in the trenches of public sector IT every day, the article maps out six IT trends and ways in which IT leaders are addressing each. It also provides guidance on the public sector IT road map, along with the different routes IT leaders can take to get to the new destinations that have appeared on their navigational systems. Show less

History is filled with ironies, and the final months of Stephen A. Douglas' life are no exception. The most lasting influence the "Little Giant" left for leaders today is when he probably felt his leadership mattered the least; his party had splintered, his opponent for many years had become president, and his health was slipping away. However, it was then that it mattered most.

Most assume that little innovation and advancement is needed for website security; there are no threats on the frontier and the strategies and technologies of the past are more than adequate in suppressing the warring threats at the border. Perhaps this would be true if the threat landscape and technology stood still in time, but this is far from being the case. Cyberthreats are morphing and the strategies hacktivists and criminals employ are increasingly malicious and impervious to traditional… Show more

Most assume that little innovation and advancement is needed for website security; there are no threats on the frontier and the strategies and technologies of the past are more than adequate in suppressing the warring threats at the border. Perhaps this would be true if the threat landscape and technology stood still in time, but this is far from being the case. Cyberthreats are morphing and the strategies hacktivists and criminals employ are increasingly malicious and impervious to traditional modes of thwarting them. And SSL certificate breaches pose a serious threat. Successful decryption of a certificate could translate into the theft of millions--or billions--of dollars, the loss of valuable intellectual property, or a compromise of national security. This article, which includes interviews with four thought leaders in the space of website security, looks at some of the ways in which website security technologies and practices are evolving to address both opportunities and challenges. Show less

When Gary Weiner arrived at Community Healthcare System (CHS) as a consultant in 2008, he discovered that CHS had two of everything. "It was like Noah's Ark," he quips. "We had a lot of redundant software and hardware. It was not only expensive but was time-intensive to maintain. It was time to sink it and build a new one." This is exactly what Weiner, who was named CIO in 2010, and his team did. Standardization, shared services, and the cloud have played an important role as they have… Show more

When Gary Weiner arrived at Community Healthcare System (CHS) as a consultant in 2008, he discovered that CHS had two of everything. "It was like Noah's Ark," he quips. "We had a lot of redundant software and hardware. It was not only expensive but was time-intensive to maintain. It was time to sink it and build a new one." This is exactly what Weiner, who was named CIO in 2010, and his team did. Standardization, shared services, and the cloud have played an important role as they have eliminated the redundancies and inefficiencies in constructing a new ark. This article looks at some of the ways Weiner and his team have done so--from virtualization, to integrated protection, to information lifecycle management, to layered endpoint security, to data stewardship, to trust services. Show less

A few years ago, the last thing you would associate with a CIO or a CISO was something out of a James Bond movie or a riveting spy novel by Tom Clancy involving counterintelligence and sabotage. That's no longer the case. In just a few years, critical business requirements for IT leaders went from keeping email and ERP systems up and running and provisioning desktops and laptops, to thwarting attempts to seal intellectual property and blocking efforts to infiltrate and shut down critical… Show more

A few years ago, the last thing you would associate with a CIO or a CISO was something out of a James Bond movie or a riveting spy novel by Tom Clancy involving counterintelligence and sabotage. That's no longer the case. In just a few years, critical business requirements for IT leaders went from keeping email and ERP systems up and running and provisioning desktops and laptops, to thwarting attempts to seal intellectual property and blocking efforts to infiltrate and shut down critical systems supporting national infrastructure. Indeed, in a day when little political consensus exists, there is unanimous agreement that breaches of cybersecurity are a real and imminent danger. Organizations--private and public, small and large--must give immediate heed to ensure they have the technologies and processes in place to manage those risks. But it is much broader than just implementing a set of technologies and instituting the right assemblage of policies. In this Executive Q&A Interview, Samir Kapuria, the vice president of Information Security Services at Symantec, argues that security intelligence is a critical lynchpin when it comes to information security. Organizations lacking security IQ may simply find themselves overwhelmed by and unable to withstand the burgeoning onslaught of attacks. Show less

The importance that Servicio Publico de Empleo Estatal (SEPE)--Spanish Employment Agency--plays in Spain, both economically and socially, canot be underestimated. SEPE is responsible for the National Employment System and tasked with issuing unemployment benefits and coordinating employment policies. It is also responsible for various research and publishing activities, including compilation and analysis of the labor market and measures to improve it. SEPE's charge is truly immense. Before the… Show more

The importance that Servicio Publico de Empleo Estatal (SEPE)--Spanish Employment Agency--plays in Spain, both economically and socially, canot be underestimated. SEPE is responsible for the National Employment System and tasked with issuing unemployment benefits and coordinating employment policies. It is also responsible for various research and publishing activities, including compilation and analysis of the labor market and measures to improve it. SEPE's charge is truly immense. Before the onset of the financial crisis, Spain's unemployment rate was below eight percent; late last year, it surged above 26 percent--or in excess of five million people. SEPE finds itself between two opposing forces: the need to reduce cost and complexity, and the demand for better, enhanced services. Playing a critical role in addresses these juxtaposed requirements is the IT organization. This article looks at the innovative ways in which the IT organization is addressing these juxtaposed requirements. Show less

Superstorm Sandy isn't the first or will be it the last natural disaster to underscore the importance of having the right business continuity and disaster recovery solutions in place. However, because of the extend of its damage, Sandy served as a wakeup call for many. Organizations--large and small, private and public--experienced devastating system outages and lost data that directly affected their businesses. The impact varied depending on the location, critical systems went down anywhere… Show more

Superstorm Sandy isn't the first or will be it the last natural disaster to underscore the importance of having the right business continuity and disaster recovery solutions in place. However, because of the extend of its damage, Sandy served as a wakeup call for many. Organizations--large and small, private and public--experienced devastating system outages and lost data that directly affected their businesses. The impact varied depending on the location, critical systems went down anywhere from hours to weeks. The consequence to employees was bad enough; the repercussion to customers was worse.

IT organizations need the right strategies, technologies, and processes in place to ensure that their operations remain unaffected when disasters such as Sandy strike. This organization looks at some of those best practices via interviews with three IT leaders who experienced the impact of Sandy--or more specifically the lack thereof because of the business continuity and disaster recovery strategies and infrastructure they had in place. Show less

Data protection keeps getting more difficult. Data volumes are exploding, backup policies must be customizable to application and data layers, and recovery point objectives need to be aligned with disaster recovery targets and regulations. In addition, data centers are changing quickly. The rapid adoption of virtualization and moves to the cloud make it hard for organizations to maintain a single data protection solution. One way IT organizations are addressing these challenges is through the… Show more

Data protection keeps getting more difficult. Data volumes are exploding, backup policies must be customizable to application and data layers, and recovery point objectives need to be aligned with disaster recovery targets and regulations. In addition, data centers are changing quickly. The rapid adoption of virtualization and moves to the cloud make it hard for organizations to maintain a single data protection solution. One way IT organizations are addressing these challenges is through the use of integrated appliance solutions that combine backup, deduplication, and recovery. Mapping out the reasons why IT shops are moving to appliances for data protection is not a one-size-fits-all-delineation. In many ways, data protection appliances are the Swiss Army Knife of storage solutions, an all-in-one tool that can be used to address a number of different technology and business requirements. This article maps out six use cases for the adoption of data protection appliances based on interviews with two industry analysts and four IT thought leaders. Show less

Founded and based in Lansing, Michigan, REO Motor Car Company was one of the pioneers in the engineering, design, and manufacturing of cars and trucks in the first part of the 19th century. Its most enduring brand, the REO Speed Wagon, was a small truck built for power, durability, flexibility, and quality, attributes that apply to the City's IT team. Local municipalities demand committed IT leaders like Eric Tumbarella--Lansing's CIO for the past 14 years--who see opportunities when confronted… Show more

Founded and based in Lansing, Michigan, REO Motor Car Company was one of the pioneers in the engineering, design, and manufacturing of cars and trucks in the first part of the 19th century. Its most enduring brand, the REO Speed Wagon, was a small truck built for power, durability, flexibility, and quality, attributes that apply to the City's IT team. Local municipalities demand committed IT leaders like Eric Tumbarella--Lansing's CIO for the past 14 years--who see opportunities when confronted with challenges and relish the change to give back to the communities where they serve.

This article looks at some of the ways Tumbarella and his team have done so for Lansing, from deploying the City's first email system and website to overhauling its data protection strategy and infrastructure. Readers are invited to climb inside the Speed Wagon and take a ride with Tumbarella. Show less

Very few businesses can lay claim to both the Industrial Revolution and the Digital Revolution. One that can is CSX Transportation, Inc. The company's rots date back to the charter of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company--the first commercial line in the United States and one of the first in the world--in 1828. Barrel down the tracks 180 years, and one finds that technology is an essential truss for the company today. Indeed, CSX Technology, the technology arm of the company, is embedded… Show more

Very few businesses can lay claim to both the Industrial Revolution and the Digital Revolution. One that can is CSX Transportation, Inc. The company's rots date back to the charter of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company--the first commercial line in the United States and one of the first in the world--in 1828. Barrel down the tracks 180 years, and one finds that technology is an essential truss for the company today. Indeed, CSX Technology, the technology arm of the company, is embedded within most aspects of the business--not to mention being a critical enabler. This cover story looks at some of the ways that CSX is protecting its business by using different security and data protection technologies. Show less

Leadership strong enough to leave a lasting legacy assumes many different forms and does not always come from the most expected places. Consider Moon Lim Lee. Born into anonymity in 1903 to Chinese immigrant parents seeking to strike it rich in the gold fields of Northern California, Lee and his legacy garner not only unwavering respect from his hometown of Weaverville, but the grateful admiration of the State of California and the President of the United States of America. This Think Tank… Show more

Leadership strong enough to leave a lasting legacy assumes many different forms and does not always come from the most expected places. Consider Moon Lim Lee. Born into anonymity in 1903 to Chinese immigrant parents seeking to strike it rich in the gold fields of Northern California, Lee and his legacy garner not only unwavering respect from his hometown of Weaverville, but the grateful admiration of the State of California and the President of the United States of America. This Think Tank column explores Lee's legacy and spells out four leadership lessons for today. Show less

In a special Q&A cover story, Visa's CIO Michael Dreyer explains how continual innovation and transformation serve as the company's navigational compass. While the challenges facing Dreyer and his team are substantial, the rewards are even greater because of the many business requirements attached to IT and the symbiotic, intertwining relationship of the business and IT. Tried and tested, Visa's strategic approach to IT can serve as a useful benchmark to other IT organizations seeking to… Show more

In a special Q&A cover story, Visa's CIO Michael Dreyer explains how continual innovation and transformation serve as the company's navigational compass. While the challenges facing Dreyer and his team are substantial, the rewards are even greater because of the many business requirements attached to IT and the symbiotic, intertwining relationship of the business and IT. Tried and tested, Visa's strategic approach to IT can serve as a useful benchmark to other IT organizations seeking to replicate results in areas such as resiliency, scale, operational efficiencies, security, and compliance. Show less

Managing the IT systems for a public school district that is the eighth largest in the United States and covers an area larger than Rhode Island requires just the right mix of technology, processes, and people. Get it right, and the learning curve is greatly diminished. Get it wrong, and the learning curve becomes very steep. This case study looks at the steps the Hillsborough County Public Schools' IT team took around endpoint security and management to ensure that the district's systems and… Show more

Managing the IT systems for a public school district that is the eighth largest in the United States and covers an area larger than Rhode Island requires just the right mix of technology, processes, and people. Get it right, and the learning curve is greatly diminished. Get it wrong, and the learning curve becomes very steep. This case study looks at the steps the Hillsborough County Public Schools' IT team took around endpoint security and management to ensure that the district's systems and information are protected, and that faculty and staff remain focused on educating the more than 190,000 students who matriculate in the district each year. Show less

Several years ago, PGi found itself at a critical crossroads. Founded in 1991, the company had achieved tremendous success as an audio conferencing provider, with an impressive lineup of annual awards in its trophy case. But its market was rapidly changing with the emergence of cloud computing and social media and digital mediums; its growth trajectory forecasts were stagnant. Understanding what lay on the horizon, the executive management team made a decision to undertake a comprehensive… Show more

Several years ago, PGi found itself at a critical crossroads. Founded in 1991, the company had achieved tremendous success as an audio conferencing provider, with an impressive lineup of annual awards in its trophy case. But its market was rapidly changing with the emergence of cloud computing and social media and digital mediums; its growth trajectory forecasts were stagnant. Understanding what lay on the horizon, the executive management team made a decision to undertake a comprehensive business transformation. Today, the company is a virtual meeting SaaS provider, delivering services via audio, Web, and video mediums enhanced with social networking and digital sharing. This transformation had various implications on security and compliance toolsets and processes, which was already battling changes in the threat landscape and new regulations. This interview with the VP of Global IT and the Director of Information Security looks at how the company remained nimble and entrepreneurial in its approach to security and compliance. Show less

History is filled with myriad examples of leadership, lessons that leaders today should heed. And not all of them are found in most high school and college textbooks. One such person is John O. Meusebach, the second commissioner of the Adelsverein (Society for the Protection of German Immigrants), which had the charter of establishing a new German colony on Texas soil via organized mass immigration. This Think Tank column compares Meusebach to his predecessor and extracts three leadership… Show more

History is filled with myriad examples of leadership, lessons that leaders today should heed. And not all of them are found in most high school and college textbooks. One such person is John O. Meusebach, the second commissioner of the Adelsverein (Society for the Protection of German Immigrants), which had the charter of establishing a new German colony on Texas soil via organized mass immigration. This Think Tank column compares Meusebach to his predecessor and extracts three leadership lessons for today. Show less

Just a few years ago endpoint management involved traveling around and installing standard images onto desktops--and perhaps a few laptops--using a CD ROM. But with the evolution of the Internet, changes in the threat landscape, and ongoing pressure to reduce cost and complexity, the function has evolved considerably; it has become much more strategic--and much less tactical. This article looks at the essential building blocks that are needed for a comprehensive, long-term endpoint management… Show more

Just a few years ago endpoint management involved traveling around and installing standard images onto desktops--and perhaps a few laptops--using a CD ROM. But with the evolution of the Internet, changes in the threat landscape, and ongoing pressure to reduce cost and complexity, the function has evolved considerably; it has become much more strategic--and much less tactical. This article looks at the essential building blocks that are needed for a comprehensive, long-term endpoint management program through interviews with four IT thought leaders and identifies five emerging endpoint management trends that IT organizations either are in the midst of addressing or need to prepare to tackle. Show less

Mary Washington Healthcare tackles risk management in overlapping, interrelated phases. An important piece of the larger solution was aligning IT with business priorities and creating a culture focused on security and compliance. The latter included the formation of a Security Program Office and the naming of a CISO who is leading the charge to reengineer the healthcare provider's IT security infrastructure and processes. Risk management is now reported to and reviewed by the entire executive… Show more

Mary Washington Healthcare tackles risk management in overlapping, interrelated phases. An important piece of the larger solution was aligning IT with business priorities and creating a culture focused on security and compliance. The latter included the formation of a Security Program Office and the naming of a CISO who is leading the charge to reengineer the healthcare provider's IT security infrastructure and processes. Risk management is now reported to and reviewed by the entire executive management team. Show less

Innovation cannot occur within a vacuum but must be integrated into all elements of the business. For a technology company like Symantec, the Office of the CTO plays a critical role in helping to ensure this is the case. A 16-year Symantec veteran and CTO since 2011, Stephen Trilling and his team are busy at work helping to ensure that this is always front-and-center in what they do. In this Executive Q&A, Trilling expounds upon how the threat landscape has changed since he joined Symantec… Show more

Innovation cannot occur within a vacuum but must be integrated into all elements of the business. For a technology company like Symantec, the Office of the CTO plays a critical role in helping to ensure this is the case. A 16-year Symantec veteran and CTO since 2011, Stephen Trilling and his team are busy at work helping to ensure that this is always front-and-center in what they do. In this Executive Q&A, Trilling expounds upon how the threat landscape has changed since he joined Symantec, what some of the most critical security challenges are today, and where he sees cyber security going in the next couple years. Show less

Data center virtualization still holds signficant value for most enterprises: IT organizations can optimize server hardware while reducing the total number of physical servers needed. The latter improves IT staff productivity and slashes power consumption. But virtualization is currently a job half done according to most experts. While most organizations have embraced a move toward virtualization, the preponderance still has a substantial distance to go. This article looks at six strategies… Show more

Data center virtualization still holds signficant value for most enterprises: IT organizations can optimize server hardware while reducing the total number of physical servers needed. The latter improves IT staff productivity and slashes power consumption. But virtualization is currently a job half done according to most experts. While most organizations have embraced a move toward virtualization, the preponderance still has a substantial distance to go. This article looks at six strategies that will help IT organizations to reach business-critical virtualization. Show less

Broadridge is responsible for the infrastructure and information that handles millions of trades each day. This velocity and volume dictates that security is ingrained in nearly everything the company does. When ADP spun Broadridge off as a separate entity in 2007, the new leadership team began looking at ways to drive greater levels of cost efficiency while evolving and expanding the company's solutions portfolio. VP of Corporate IT Frank McGinnis and his team of approximately 55 IT… Show more

Broadridge is responsible for the infrastructure and information that handles millions of trades each day. This velocity and volume dictates that security is ingrained in nearly everything the company does. When ADP spun Broadridge off as a separate entity in 2007, the new leadership team began looking at ways to drive greater levels of cost efficiency while evolving and expanding the company's solutions portfolio. VP of Corporate IT Frank McGinnis and his team of approximately 55 IT professionals have played a critical role in this transformation, leading efforts to develop and institute security standards that helped drive technology innovation. They've leveraged various Symantec products and services as part of their larger security program. Show less

Yapi Kredi Bank doubled in size when it merged with Kocbank Nederland N.V. in 2007. Once the bank had stabilized and standardized the systems of the two merged entities, it turned its attention to growth and expansion, naming Cahit Erdogan as CIO. To enable this to happen, the Yapi Kredi Bank team is focusing its attention on IT infrastructure with the development of new services and products and establishment of various key performance indicators as an important component of what they call IT… Show more

Yapi Kredi Bank doubled in size when it merged with Kocbank Nederland N.V. in 2007. Once the bank had stabilized and standardized the systems of the two merged entities, it turned its attention to growth and expansion, naming Cahit Erdogan as CIO. To enable this to happen, the Yapi Kredi Bank team is focusing its attention on IT infrastructure with the development of new services and products and establishment of various key performance indicators as an important component of what they call IT industrialization. This article looks at the strategies that comprise the bank's IT industrialization approach, one that is enabling the IT team to double the capacity of IT delivery every couple years while addressing new market opportunities. Show less

This past summer, my wife, daughter, and I had a chance to visit the Paletine Hill in Rome and the ancient domus (homes) of Augustus and Livia (his third wife). Augustus is a facinating figure and one worth examination. Certainly, when one thinks of the Roman Empire, Augustus likely comes to mind as the most famous and celebrated of its leaders. Though he was never known as the first Roman emporer until after his death, but rather Princeps Civitas ("First Citizen"), he brought order to a… Show more

This past summer, my wife, daughter, and I had a chance to visit the Paletine Hill in Rome and the ancient domus (homes) of Augustus and Livia (his third wife). Augustus is a facinating figure and one worth examination. Certainly, when one thinks of the Roman Empire, Augustus likely comes to mind as the most famous and celebrated of its leaders. Though he was never known as the first Roman emporer until after his death, but rather Princeps Civitas ("First Citizen"), he brought order to a chaotic Roman Republic through an almost unending list of military triumphs, architectural innovations, and political, administrative, and legal transformations.

This "historical" venture to the ancient Roman ruins and some reading on Augustus prompted me to think about possible lessons of leadership. In this Think Tank column, I identify five different leadership traits and actions of Augustus that can serve as exemplary models for leaders today. Show less

Symantec's VP and CISO Patricia Titus doesn't possess the typical resume of a high-tech executive. Her unique background and diverse experiences provide her with the ability to look at challenges and opportunities through a different prism than other CISOs. In this Executive Q&A interview, Titus discusses everything from the time she spent in public and private sector roles, to foreign service assignments in geographical locations with distrinctly disparate cultures, to the time she spent as… Show more

Symantec's VP and CISO Patricia Titus doesn't possess the typical resume of a high-tech executive. Her unique background and diverse experiences provide her with the ability to look at challenges and opportunities through a different prism than other CISOs. In this Executive Q&A interview, Titus discusses everything from the time she spent in public and private sector roles, to foreign service assignments in geographical locations with distrinctly disparate cultures, to the time she spent as the CISO at the TSA following 9/11, to the changing role of the CISO. Show less

If you’ve eaten perishable food, shipped a fragile package, or spent any time in the hotel or office, chances are you’ve used a product or service from Sealed Air Corporation. Over the past decade and a half, the IT organization has become an increasingly critical part of the business. No longer is the IT organization only known for running back-office systems; rather, it is seen as a strategic busines partner responsible for everything from ensuring that equipment onsite at customer locations… Show more

If you’ve eaten perishable food, shipped a fragile package, or spent any time in the hotel or office, chances are you’ve used a product or service from Sealed Air Corporation. Over the past decade and a half, the IT organization has become an increasingly critical part of the business. No longer is the IT organization only known for running back-office systems; rather, it is seen as a strategic busines partner responsible for everything from ensuring that equipment onsite at customer locations is highly available, to facilitating the rapid interation of acquisitions, to protecting business-critical information. In this exclusive CIO Digest interview, Sealed Air Warren Kudman explains how IT has become a strategic part of the business and specifically how risk management is an important business catalyst for the company. Show less

The threat landscape was changing and the mission of protecting a nationally critical bank demanded a dedicated security group and a strategic leader who possessed the passion and knowledge to build the new group from the ground up. This was the situation which Banjercito found itself in 2002. Responsible for the banking services provided to the Mexican Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with managing the temporary import and entry of vehicles, Banjercito has a serious charge, one that warrants… Show more

The threat landscape was changing and the mission of protecting a nationally critical bank demanded a dedicated security group and a strategic leader who possessed the passion and knowledge to build the new group from the ground up. This was the situation which Banjercito found itself in 2002. Responsible for the banking services provided to the Mexican Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with managing the temporary import and entry of vehicles, Banjercito has a serious charge, one that warrants careful consideration when security and compliance are concerned. This article delineates the strategic decisions and technology components Banjercito implemented under the direction of Tadeo Gutierrez, the chief information security and technology officer for the bank, to address these critical requirements. Show less

Healthcare is not for the faint of heart. It is understandable that some professionals prefer other industries. That is not the case for Humberto Quintanar, the CIO at Antelope Valley Hospital. He joined the hospital under adverse circumstances in 2003. When CEO Edward Mirzabegian joined the hospital in 2005, Quintanar found the right business partner. With Mirzabegian's support, Quintanar and his IT organization have helped contribute to a dramatic business turnaround for Antelope Valley… Show more

Healthcare is not for the faint of heart. It is understandable that some professionals prefer other industries. That is not the case for Humberto Quintanar, the CIO at Antelope Valley Hospital. He joined the hospital under adverse circumstances in 2003. When CEO Edward Mirzabegian joined the hospital in 2005, Quintanar found the right business partner. With Mirzabegian's support, Quintanar and his IT organization have helped contribute to a dramatic business turnaround for Antelope Valley Hospital. Show less

Innovation is something for which Danya Cebus, a multinational construction firm based in Israel, is known. The company is recognized for bringing high tech to the construction industry, one that is highly complex and heavily reliant on technology. The IT foundation that the company has built is an essential business pillar, and various Symantec technologies and services comprise that pillar. In this article, the conmpany's CIO and Head of the Project Management Office, Tal Natanovitch, and… Show more

Innovation is something for which Danya Cebus, a multinational construction firm based in Israel, is known. The company is recognized for bringing high tech to the construction industry, one that is highly complex and heavily reliant on technology. The IT foundation that the company has built is an essential business pillar, and various Symantec technologies and services comprise that pillar. In this article, the conmpany's CIO and Head of the Project Management Office, Tal Natanovitch, and Head of IT, Gabby Rokach, and walk through the blueprints of their IT strategy and infrastructure. Show less

Imagine running a business without adequate IT.

Hard to picture, but that’s the case for the majority of nonprofits in the United States. A staggering 88 percent do not have an IT professional on staff, and more than half state they lack the necessary technology and IT services to effectively accomplish their work.

Not-for-profit NPower was founded to address this very need. The role IT plays in nonprofits is just one of a number of topics discussed by CEO Stephanie Cuskley in a… Show more

Imagine running a business without adequate IT.

Hard to picture, but that’s the case for the majority of nonprofits in the United States. A staggering 88 percent do not have an IT professional on staff, and more than half state they lack the necessary technology and IT services to effectively accomplish their work.

Not-for-profit NPower was founded to address this very need. The role IT plays in nonprofits is just one of a number of topics discussed by CEO Stephanie Cuskley in a special CIO Digest Executive Q&A. Show less

The story of Yildiz Holding began with a single cookie—a petit-beurre from the company’s flagship and founding company Ülker Bisüvi—in 1944. The company added chocolate products to its portfolio in 1972 and, with its 50th anniversary in 1994, began taking steps to expand beyond the cookie and chocolate markets. Its acquisitions over the past several years include Godiva Chocolates.

IT has always been a critical lynchpin for Yildiz Holding, with operations that encompass eight publicly… Show more

The story of Yildiz Holding began with a single cookie—a petit-beurre from the company’s flagship and founding company Ülker Bisüvi—in 1944. The company added chocolate products to its portfolio in 1972 and, with its 50th anniversary in 1994, began taking steps to expand beyond the cookie and chocolate markets. Its acquisitions over the past several years include Godiva Chocolates.

IT has always been a critical lynchpin for Yildiz Holding, with operations that encompass eight publicly traded companies, 300 brands, 54 manufacturing facilities, and sales in more than 80 countries. But because of its vast network of holdings, Yildiz Holding found that the complexity of delivering IT services had reached a breaking point a few years ago. As a result, in 2010, with the goal of turning IT into a business enabler, the company hired Yekta Caymaz as CIO, who recruited Bulent Soylemez as CTO with the charter to transform the company’s IT infrastructure.
Soylemez and his team have been very busy since his appointment—and various Symantec solutions have been central to their success. Show less

In this executive Q&A, Symantec EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, Rebecca Ranninger, discusses how her role at the company has changed in the 15 years she has been leading Symantec’s HR organization. One of the key items highlighted in the Q&A is the implementation of cloud solutions at Symantec, such as Kenexa and Workday, to improve the overall management of HR operations within the company.

CIOs who inherit a well-run IT environment often have just as interesting stories as the ones who faced fix-it scenarios. They just don't make the headlines. When EVP and CIO Brent Rasmussen took over the IT organization at Carrington Holding Company, this is the situation he encountered; there was already a solid foundation in place on which he was able to build. His charter was to take it to the next level and build a world-class IT organization that would help Carrington Holding Company… Show more

CIOs who inherit a well-run IT environment often have just as interesting stories as the ones who faced fix-it scenarios. They just don't make the headlines. When EVP and CIO Brent Rasmussen took over the IT organization at Carrington Holding Company, this is the situation he encountered; there was already a solid foundation in place on which he was able to build. His charter was to take it to the next level and build a world-class IT organization that would help Carrington Holding Company continue its rapid growth trajectory. Show less

When in graduate school, I had a chance to serve as a minister at a small church in north Texas. The most fulfilling job of my career, I learned more about leadership in my service there than I have in all of the combined business roles that I've held over the past 15 years. One of the most salient lessons was the "tie leadership" challenge; the assertion is that those who exercise pull leadership are significantly more effective than those who employe push leadership.

Leadership is a trait that is not so much an academic exercise but a learned skill; it's not so much an idea but words and action. The "tie" leadership challenge is based on a valuable lesson that I learned while serving as a minister for a small, rural church; it involved a tie and pushing and pulling a tie across the table. The outtake: those who exercise pull leadership are significantly more effective than those who employ pull leadership.

The days of CB radio are long past. But mobile devices are not; they have transformed how consumers, small businesses, and enterprises communicate and conduct business. Mobility offers immense opportunities, yet also entails a number of challenges--from device management to their protection, including the apps and information that reside on them. In this ThinkTank column, I spell out four issues that C-level IT leaders should consider when developing their mobility strategies. The column… Show more

The days of CB radio are long past. But mobile devices are not; they have transformed how consumers, small businesses, and enterprises communicate and conduct business. Mobility offers immense opportunities, yet also entails a number of challenges--from device management to their protection, including the apps and information that reside on them. In this ThinkTank column, I spell out four issues that C-level IT leaders should consider when developing their mobility strategies. The column includes a sidebar on the "Symantec Smartphone Honey Stick Project." Show less

The merger of United Air Lines and Continental Airlines in October 2010 resulted in an airline with the most comprehensive route network in the world, serving 376 destinations on six continents through 10 hub locations. Integrating systems and processes of both airlines into the "New United" is not an easy feat--and not one that will take place over night. Technology has always been important to both airlines, but it took new meaning with the merger. IT is central to everything United is doing… Show more

The merger of United Air Lines and Continental Airlines in October 2010 resulted in an airline with the most comprehensive route network in the world, serving 376 destinations on six continents through 10 hub locations. Integrating systems and processes of both airlines into the "New United" is not an easy feat--and not one that will take place over night. Technology has always been important to both airlines, but it took new meaning with the merger. IT is central to everything United is doing as a company, and this includes security and compliance. Managing Director of IT Security and Risk Management, John Van Hoogstraten, discusses how the company reassessed its overall IT strategy and approach to security and risk management with the merger. Show less

Many IT projects that end up being categorized as green are not initiated on the basis of seeking to be sustainable but rather as business enablers, producing results such as profitability, lower costs, expanded revenues, and improved operational efficiencies. There are a number of ways to achieve business value through sustainable IT. A starting point is understanding the why behind each initiative and then measuring the results. The business lens of sustainability includes Power Usage… Show more

Many IT projects that end up being categorized as green are not initiated on the basis of seeking to be sustainable but rather as business enablers, producing results such as profitability, lower costs, expanded revenues, and improved operational efficiencies. There are a number of ways to achieve business value through sustainable IT. A starting point is understanding the why behind each initiative and then measuring the results. The business lens of sustainability includes Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE), and endpoint power management effectiveness. This article provides a general outline of the different business value measures that IT organizations can use to examine their green IT initiatives. Show less

Symantec EVP and CFO James Beer goes on the record to discuss the career path that led him to Symantec. In this Exec Q&A interview that I conducted with him for the January 2012 issue of CIO Digest, I had an opportunity to explore the evolution of his career, one that is much broader in scope than just finance. It includes 15 years at AMR Corporation (American Airlines) in finance and operational capacities. An experienced pilot, Beer also draws analogies between flying--the navigational… Show more

Symantec EVP and CFO James Beer goes on the record to discuss the career path that led him to Symantec. In this Exec Q&A interview that I conducted with him for the January 2012 issue of CIO Digest, I had an opportunity to explore the evolution of his career, one that is much broader in scope than just finance. It includes 15 years at AMR Corporation (American Airlines) in finance and operational capacities. An experienced pilot, Beer also draws analogies between flying--the navigational elements--and his philosophical approach in executive management. Show less

An original member of the Dow Jones 12 and only one of two remaining companies that were listed in 1896, Laclede Gas Company has been helping customers in St. Louis to keep the lights on and the pilot lights burning bright for 155 years. Throughout its history, Laclede Gas has demonstrated leadership on a number of fronts, constantly seeking new ways to advance its business and deliver enhanced services to its customers. IT is one such area and has been a particular focus over the past several… Show more

An original member of the Dow Jones 12 and only one of two remaining companies that were listed in 1896, Laclede Gas Company has been helping customers in St. Louis to keep the lights on and the pilot lights burning bright for 155 years. Throughout its history, Laclede Gas has demonstrated leadership on a number of fronts, constantly seeking new ways to advance its business and deliver enhanced services to its customers. IT is one such area and has been a particular focus over the past several years, with initiatives such as virtualization, green IT, security, disaster recovery and business resiliency, and mobility taking the forefront. At the center of these efforts has been Gary Kay, the director of Infrastructure and Security Services at Laclede Gas. Show less

Just a few years ago the primary association of the CIO was as technologist; this is rarely mentioned nowadays. Rather, business alignment is the most-often mentioned attribute of a successful CIO. Those who grasp the business and its requirements, succeed; those who don't, fail. Trusted Source Pte Limited's CEO Charles Koh understands this well. His understanding of the business in his IT career enabled him to move from the IT suite to the business suite. In addition, in his current role at… Show more

Just a few years ago the primary association of the CIO was as technologist; this is rarely mentioned nowadays. Rather, business alignment is the most-often mentioned attribute of a successful CIO. Those who grasp the business and its requirements, succeed; those who don't, fail. Trusted Source Pte Limited's CEO Charles Koh understands this well. His understanding of the business in his IT career enabled him to move from the IT suite to the business suite. In addition, in his current role at Trusted Source, business requirements have served as a transformative level and guiding principle in the organization's IT initiatives. Show less

When Kim Tracy arrived at Northeastern Illinois University six and a half years ago and took the reins as executive director of University Technology Services, he inherited an IT environment that was highly fragmented and inefficient. Since then, he has spearheaded a number of initiatives that have streamlined faculty and student services while driving down cost and complexity. Key initiatives include virtualization of the data center, adoption of cloud services, and standardizing various… Show more

When Kim Tracy arrived at Northeastern Illinois University six and a half years ago and took the reins as executive director of University Technology Services, he inherited an IT environment that was highly fragmented and inefficient. Since then, he has spearheaded a number of initiatives that have streamlined faculty and student services while driving down cost and complexity. Key initiatives include virtualization of the data center, adoption of cloud services, and standardizing various aspects of IT infrastructure, including backup and recovery and endpoint security. Show less

Owning your space--both as individuals and as a company--is critical to achieving success, according to Symantec SVP and Chief Strategy Officer Angela Tucci. She compares this to the analogy of cycling or riding a motorcycle; you don't ride on the side of the lane but rather in the middle or on the side where you're being challenged. In this exclusive interview, Tucci touches on a number of different subjects that form the basis of this approach to corporate strategy, including her background… Show more

Owning your space--both as individuals and as a company--is critical to achieving success, according to Symantec SVP and Chief Strategy Officer Angela Tucci. She compares this to the analogy of cycling or riding a motorcycle; you don't ride on the side of the lane but rather in the middle or on the side where you're being challenged. In this exclusive interview, Tucci touches on a number of different subjects that form the basis of this approach to corporate strategy, including her background in venture capital. Show less

Over her 33-year carer at Thai Airways, CIO and VP Jirawan Chiasakul has seen IT go from a single application to a cluster of turbines propelling the company down the runway. In this exclusive interview, with her retirement approaching, Ms. Chiasakul discusses some of the key projects in which she has been involved, how she has seen the business and technology evolve, and what she and her team have been doing to prepare for the future as Thai Airways prepares to navigate without her at the yoke.

As the dust settles, business value appears at the principal driver for sustainable IT. With the 2008-09 finanical crisis, many sustainable IT projects would have ended up the chopping block if they hadn't demonstrated the ability to lower capital and operating expenditures.

Evolving and managing and IT infrastructure supporting a business that has grown 1,000-plus percent since 2003 is no ordinary feat. In this exclusive interview, Dmitry Ilin, the director of IT infrastructure at VimpleCom, an integrated telecommunications company with $21.3 billion in annual revenue and more than 181 million subscribers, explains how standardization has been the key to unlocking and sustaining rapid business growth.

In an Executive Q&A Interview, Symantec Group President Rowan Trollope discusses how he and his team are scaling Symantec.com and SMB businesses to new heights. His background in mountaineering and philosophy in thinking big and taking risks is mirrored in his professional career--and has proven quite effective.

Change is afoot. The cloud is taking the IT landscape by storm, and the next technology revolution is coming. Today, a variety of development phases, including infrastructure, applications, and security functions, are moving to a combination of private, hybrid, and public clouds. This column adumbrates some key findings from a recent cloud survey and proposes four strategies that IT leaders should consider when adopting cloud solutions.

Austrlia-Pacific CIO Christopher Johnson is building on a legacy of innovation and vision at Parsons Brinkerhoff. His abilty to gain experience across the IT function has played an important role in his career and its progression--and this includes aligning IT to the business. Key successes during his tenure include various green IT-related projects that lowered PUE and CUE, an archiving and eDiscovery solution that delivered more than a half million dollars in storage savings, and a… Show more

Austrlia-Pacific CIO Christopher Johnson is building on a legacy of innovation and vision at Parsons Brinkerhoff. His abilty to gain experience across the IT function has played an important role in his career and its progression--and this includes aligning IT to the business. Key successes during his tenure include various green IT-related projects that lowered PUE and CUE, an archiving and eDiscovery solution that delivered more than a half million dollars in storage savings, and a next-generation data protection solution with deduplication and virtualization at the center. Show less

Infrastructure is a critical lynchpin for InfoCamere, the IT consortium for the Italian Chambers of Commerce. The IT team at InfoCamere has overseen a complete transformation of the organization's IT infrastructure, migrating to a server platform based on SUSE Linux Enterprise and Red Hat Enterprise Linux and virtualizing all of it with VMware vSphere. Other open source initiatves include the organization's email systems. The results are impressive, starting with more than one million Euro in… Show more

Infrastructure is a critical lynchpin for InfoCamere, the IT consortium for the Italian Chambers of Commerce. The IT team at InfoCamere has overseen a complete transformation of the organization's IT infrastructure, migrating to a server platform based on SUSE Linux Enterprise and Red Hat Enterprise Linux and virtualizing all of it with VMware vSphere. Other open source initiatves include the organization's email systems. The results are impressive, starting with more than one million Euro in hardware and maintenance savings. Show less

BNY Mellon's Managing Director and CISO Daniel Conroy explains how a proactive security and compliance strategy is critical in addressing the rapidly changing changes in the threat management landscape.

Availability, scalability, and business continuity remain some of the top business issues for IT organizations, according to a recent survey by Gartner. In this Exec Q&A interview, Anil Chakravarthy, senior vice president of Storage and Availability Management at Symantec, recommends that IT organizations consider four basic strategies when looking at ways to reduce cost and complexity while becoming more flexible.

Many small businesses have humble origins, and this is true for KWA Blinds, which began in the front bedroom of Founder Ken Wilson's Queensland, Australia home. The company is rapidly growing and relies on technology as a key enabler.

Per a recent survey, more than half of SMBs do not have an IT disaster plan in place and 40 percent of them said that disaster preparedness is not a priority for them. The same survey reveals that 44 percent will lose their data in the event of a disaster, and that an average of six system outages a year cost them $12,500 each. This article explores the decisions--or lack thereof--SMBs are making when it comes to disaster preparedness. It also includes a checklist of five things that SMBs need… Show more

Per a recent survey, more than half of SMBs do not have an IT disaster plan in place and 40 percent of them said that disaster preparedness is not a priority for them. The same survey reveals that 44 percent will lose their data in the event of a disaster, and that an average of six system outages a year cost them $12,500 each. This article explores the decisions--or lack thereof--SMBs are making when it comes to disaster preparedness. It also includes a checklist of five things that SMBs need to consider when building a comprehensive disaster preparedness plan. Show less

Information for most organizations is growing at a rate around 50 percent. Deepak Mohan, Symantec's SVP of the Information Management Group, argues that this is an opportunity versus a challenge if an IT organization has the right information management strategy in place. He suggests there are four primary pillars that need to be addressed.

Everything in a media company must go fast according to Wim Vanhoff, the ICT Infrastructure Manager at Belgium-based media giant de Persgroep, and IT infrastructure is a primary enabler. Vanhoof has led a three-year IT infrastructure transformation that as addressed everything from green IT, to virtualization, to migration to a next-generation data center environment, to storage management, to high availability.

NASDAQ OMX celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2011 and proudly touts that its myriad of exchanges around the world account for 1 in 10 of securities transactions. This exclusive interview with Anna Ewing, the EVP and CIO at NASDAQ OMX, and Carl-Magnus Hallberg, the SVP of Global IT Services Operations at NASDAQ OMX, delves into detail on how business and IT alignment is at the heart of much of the success the company has achieved over the past decade.

When Kelly Christensen and his two partners acquired a small drive inn made out of plywood in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, they bought more than the building and business; they acquired a brand that had become part of the fabric of the surrounding community. Fifteen years later the small plywood drive inn is still there, along with a rapidly growing franchise with restaurants scattered across four states. In addition to good business acumen and great burgers, shakes, and fries, technology has… Show more

When Kelly Christensen and his two partners acquired a small drive inn made out of plywood in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, they bought more than the building and business; they acquired a brand that had become part of the fabric of the surrounding community. Fifteen years later the small plywood drive inn is still there, along with a rapidly growing franchise with restaurants scattered across four states. In addition to good business acumen and great burgers, shakes, and fries, technology has aided in the company's growth and expansion. Show less

Vodafone's Group CIO Albert Hitchcock arrived at Vodafone Group Plc in 2007 and embarked a wholesale strategy to transform the IT group into a high-performance business enabler. Overseeing a team of 5,000 IT professionals scattered across 31 countries, he spearheaded efforts to standardize the company's IT infrastructure, rationalizing 200 versions of desktop software down to a single client, creating standard server, storage, network, and security architectures, and consolidating to single… Show more

Vodafone's Group CIO Albert Hitchcock arrived at Vodafone Group Plc in 2007 and embarked a wholesale strategy to transform the IT group into a high-performance business enabler. Overseeing a team of 5,000 IT professionals scattered across 31 countries, he spearheaded efforts to standardize the company's IT infrastructure, rationalizing 200 versions of desktop software down to a single client, creating standard server, storage, network, and security architectures, and consolidating to single toolsets that provide them with a single view across the entirety of the company's vast IT infrastructure. Get the details on how Hitchcock and his team tackled these different challenges, established priorities, executed on those, and then measured the ongoing results in this exclusive interview with him. Show less

The information security and compliance landscape for Cabela's, Inc., the largest mail-order, retail, and Internet outdoor outfitter in the world, has changed dramatically over the past several years. Recognizing this transformation, Cabela's formed an Information Security Office and appointed James Gill to lead it in 2007. Gill explains in the article how he and his team have designed and implemented a number of IT solutions that are helping Cabela's to protect its brand and achieve rapid… Show more

The information security and compliance landscape for Cabela's, Inc., the largest mail-order, retail, and Internet outdoor outfitter in the world, has changed dramatically over the past several years. Recognizing this transformation, Cabela's formed an Information Security Office and appointed James Gill to lead it in 2007. Gill explains in the article how he and his team have designed and implemented a number of IT solutions that are helping Cabela's to protect its brand and achieve rapid business expansion. Don't miss the extra sidebars in the article, which touch on topics such as the storied history of Cabela's and why Sidney, Nebraska was known as "Sinful Sidney" in the 1870s and 1880s. Show less

Symantec Partner Vitality Consulting Services worked with Cambridgeshire Bathrooms to turn IT into a business enabler. The luxury bathroom and kitchen fixture retailer delivers a unique service experience to its customers through 3D design service and years of industry experience on its sales staff. Prior to the managed IT services from Vitality Consulting Services and the introduction of different Symantec technologies, staff at Cambridgeshire Bathrooms was spending 20 to 30 percent of their… Show more

Symantec Partner Vitality Consulting Services worked with Cambridgeshire Bathrooms to turn IT into a business enabler. The luxury bathroom and kitchen fixture retailer delivers a unique service experience to its customers through 3D design service and years of industry experience on its sales staff. Prior to the managed IT services from Vitality Consulting Services and the introduction of different Symantec technologies, staff at Cambridgeshire Bathrooms was spending 20 to 30 percent of their time dealing with IT issues. This article reveals how Vitality Consulting Services helped Cambridgeshire Bathrooms to turn IT into a business enabler and to refocus their team on selling fixtures and servicing customers. Show less

Starhome is using Symantec technologies and Symantec Partner Spider Solutions to help make all of the right connections. Interview with Yaniv Dinar, the IT and infrastructure manager at Starhome, who discussess the evolution of his 10-year career at Starhome and how IT has become a critical part of the company's focus on delivering the best services in the roaming mobile services market. Without innovators like Starhome and Dinar, mobile roaming would be a completely different experience--or… Show more

Starhome is using Symantec technologies and Symantec Partner Spider Solutions to help make all of the right connections. Interview with Yaniv Dinar, the IT and infrastructure manager at Starhome, who discussess the evolution of his 10-year career at Starhome and how IT has become a critical part of the company's focus on delivering the best services in the roaming mobile services market. Without innovators like Starhome and Dinar, mobile roaming would be a completely different experience--or not even possible--for those who travel outside of their home network. Show less

Eugene is a fictional IT manager created by Symantec who encounters many of the same challenges faced by Symantec customers. His fictional world is consists of co-workers, direct reports, business owners, and executives who exhibit idiosyncrasies representative of the characters found in television sitcoms such as Seinfeld or Home Improvement. Readers will learn how Symantec solutions can help them solve real-world problems while having a good laugh at Eugene and the different individuals with… Show more

Eugene is a fictional IT manager created by Symantec who encounters many of the same challenges faced by Symantec customers. His fictional world is consists of co-workers, direct reports, business owners, and executives who exhibit idiosyncrasies representative of the characters found in television sitcoms such as Seinfeld or Home Improvement. Readers will learn how Symantec solutions can help them solve real-world problems while having a good laugh at Eugene and the different individuals with whom he must deal. Show less

Nearly every scholarly investigation of Luke—Acts today must address the question of unity. It is a hermeneutical hinge and the answer to the question has wide-ranging interpretive implications. The call to dissolve the unity of Luke and Acts—and the "hyphen" Cadbury inserted—focuses on four "bolts": (1) genre, (2) narrative, (3) theology, and (4) reception history. Despite far-reaching argument over the past twenty years favoring removal of the four bolts, the hinge remains securely fastened… Show more

Nearly every scholarly investigation of Luke—Acts today must address the question of unity. It is a hermeneutical hinge and the answer to the question has wide-ranging interpretive implications. The call to dissolve the unity of Luke and Acts—and the "hyphen" Cadbury inserted—focuses on four "bolts": (1) genre, (2) narrative, (3) theology, and (4) reception history. Despite far-reaching argument over the past twenty years favoring removal of the four bolts, the hinge remains securely fastened. In addition, there is significant coalescence around certain issues such as the presence of an intermixing of genre types in Acts and an intertwining of the narrative and theological themes in Luke and Acts. And questions about unity have led to new avenues of exploration and the identification of trajectories that crisscross both volumes and tie them together. Show less

Jesus' four speeches in the Galilean ministry of the Gospel of Luke have received varying degrees of attention. But despite increasing interest in ancient Greco-Roman rhetoric in biblical studies, few scholars examine the speeches through the lens of ancient rhetorical argument. In addition, with the exception of the inaugural speech in Luke 4:14-30, little attention is afforded to the relevance of the speeches for understanding larger nuances of the narrative discourse and how this affects the… Show more

Jesus' four speeches in the Galilean ministry of the Gospel of Luke have received varying degrees of attention. But despite increasing interest in ancient Greco-Roman rhetoric in biblical studies, few scholars examine the speeches through the lens of ancient rhetorical argument. In addition, with the exception of the inaugural speech in Luke 4:14-30, little attention is afforded to the relevance of the speeches for understanding larger nuances of the narrative discourse and how this affects the hermeneutical appropriation by authorial readers. This monograph examines each speech from the context of ancient rhetorical argument and pinpoints various narrative trajectories--as associated with plot, characterization, and topoi--that emerge from the rhetorical texture. In doing so, it is found that the four speeches function as "signposts" that are integral to guiding the Lukan narrative from the "backwaters" of Galilee to the center of the Roman Empire. Show less