'Smart and gets things done'
304467
Employ the best rather than merely the good Book review Smart and gets things done is a pretty apt description of the kind of people we want to recruit into our development teams.â¦
670205
The people who rise through the ranks of IT, or some other business unit, to become CIOs don't necessarily need charisma. But they have to be savvy and know how to listen, according to participants in an IT leadership panel discussion.
760340
Daphne Koller is pushing the limits of building computer programs that learn efficiently and reason intelligently. Third in a series profiling this year's MacArthur 'genius award' winners. By Kari Lynn Dean.
612139
After years of hearing that investing in IT was a smart strategic plan, business executives seem to have gotten the message, according to a new Gartner CIO survey released today -- but only when the dollars are going to technology efforts that have visible benefits for the bottom line, primarily externally facing initiatives involving customers or partners.The good news is that, despite the softening economy, IT budgets are going up 3.3 percent across the nearly 1,500 companies that Gartner surveyed. The data that matters for IT execs: Budgets for companies focused on bottom-line-oriented efforts are increasing 4.9 percent, said Mark McDonald, a Gartner Group vice president. Those organizations whose IT strategy involves only an efficiency focus will typically see budget increases of just 1.7 percent.The survey shows that a sea change has occurred in IT priorities, McDonald noted. The top three priorities in 2008 are improving business processes, attracting and retaining new customers, and creating new products and services. The sea change is the third priority, which was the No. 10 priority in 2007. Gone from the top three is reducing enterprise costs, which has slipped to No. 5. The decline of cost-cutting as a priority and the rise of innovation show the sea change that has occurred, McDonald says.But IT managers hoping for a return to the 1990s glory days of annual budget increases of 15-plus percent will be disappointed, McDonald said. In that era, IT budgets were driven by technology initiatives done almost for their own sake, as businesses both experimented with the new Internet and began to use technology widely within their walls. "Today, it's more about specific business needs," he said, "We're seeing strategies well grounded in business operations changes, not chasing a fad."And it's not CIOs driving the budget growth; it's the C-suite executives who now finally see IT as a business enabler, McDonald added. If anything, CIOs who promote IT as a force for business change were typically dismissed as self-interested. He noted, "Calling attention to yourself is never very positive."Although there is a mounting possibility that the U.S. economy may be entering a recession, McDonald doesn't believe IT will see its budgets slashed, as happened in the 2000-2001 recession. That recession came after years of unbridled IT spending whose specific business benefits were often unclear. The more moderate budget growth predicted for 2008 won't give businesses the same easy cuts they had then, he noted. "If you cut IT's budget by 10 percent, you might just see a 0.2 percent effect on the whole budget," McDonald explained, "You can get more bang for your buck by lowering [overall] operations costs through investing in better IT." That's why businesses are looking to increase IT spending for bottom-line-oriented initiatives, he said.
282804
I've gone back to an old-fashioned approach to make sure I get things done.
368351
Itâs hip, itâs fuel-efficient, and itâs cheap. Smart USAâs president explains why he's betting on this tiny Euro two-seater gainingÂ  traction in the United States.
118814
By Phyllis Coulter, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.  Jun. 24--NORMAL -- It may be a challenge starting and maintaining your own "smart yard," but it can also be a challenge showing the concept to others.
272835
Usually, he just finds a way to move faster, to cram more into the day. But some things cannot be rushed, and that is one of the hardest parts.
195333
Time served and well behaved, but maybe too old to change.
315152
A few parts technical know-how, a dash of diplomacy and a few other staples make up the traditional leader profile. The Premier 100 talk about their top seven must-have skills.
526229
Works 8 adds utilities to productivity suite that delivers all the basics.
400033
Mark Hall hears about the benefits of automating support best practices.
35360
Here's a smart way to take advantage of what isn't working.
75838
Making sure you're prepared is easier than ever.
437063
After years of hearing that investing in IT was a smart strategic plan, business executives seem to have gotten the message, according to a new Gartner CIO survey released today -- but only when the dollars are going to technology efforts that have visible benefits for the bottom line, primarily externally facing initiatives involving customers or partners.
32875
This weekâs issue recognizes the smartest, most creative, and, well, coolest IT projects of 2004. But the InfoWorld 100 is more than simply another collection of well-meaning (and well-deserved) awards. It is also a blueprint -- a living document that provides real, useful editorial direction.
676285
Opinion Stepping in and taking charge