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Getting Work Done Through People
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Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Baseline Magazine Update
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U.S. Entered Recession December 2007
Monday, December 1, 2008
The National Bureau of Economic Research said the U.S. economy slipped in to a recession in December of 2007. The NBER does not define a recession as two consecutive quarters of decline in real gross domestic product, as is the rule of thumb in many countries. Instead, it looks for a decline in economic activity, spread across the economy and lasting more than a few months.
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy slipped into recession in December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research, the prestigious private research institute that is regarded as the arbiter of U.S. recessions, declared on Monday. The NBER's business cycle dating committee said its members me... |
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13 Ways to Cut IT Costs Now
Monday, December 1, 2008
Baseline examines easy, practical technology strategies that will cut IT costs quickly and streamline IT management so you are more efficient in the long run.
- With the economy headed the direction it is for at least another quarter or two, many in the IT industry are being tasked with doing more with less as we begin heading toward 2009. st1\:* When youre talking about saving money in IT organizations, theyre in a tough spot, because s... |
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Baidu Vows Overhaul After Search Scandal
Monday, December 1, 2008
Baidu was accused of letting unlicensed medical services pay for prominent positions on its pay-for-performance (P4P) search platform, netting them more clicks for expensive but useless treatments. The claims sparked widespread public criticism of the Chinese search giant and dragged down Baidu's stock. And now Baidu's chief executive officer, Robin Li, has promised action.
- BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Internet search leader Baidu said on Friday it will overhaul operations after state media said it allowed unlicensed medical services to buy high search rankings to win more customers. Nasdaq-listed Baidu was accused on a state television show this month of letting t... |
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Mobile Phones Distract Drivers More than Passengers
Monday, December 1, 2008
Using a hands-free device does not make things better and the researchers believe they know why -- passengers act as a second set of eyes, shutting up or sometimes even helping when they see the driver needs to make a maneuver. The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, adds to a growing body of evidence that mobile phones can make driving dangerous.
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mobile phone calls distract drivers far more than even the chattiest passenger, causing drivers to follow too closely and miss exits, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. Using a hands-free device does not make things better and the researchers believe they know why -- pa... |
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Microsoft Yahoo Deal Total Fiction
Monday, December 1, 2008
Microsoft is not commenting, and Yahoo says it does not comment on rumors, but a key executive is quoted as saying a deal to replace the old leadership of Yahoo and get a deal done with Microsoft is not happening.
- LONDON (Reuters) - A report in the Sunday Times that Microsoft Inc is in talks with Yahoo Inc to buy the U.S. internet company's online search business for $20 billion is quot;total fiction, quot; according to a key executive cited by an influential U.S. blog. The Sunday Times, which did not c... |
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Baseline Issue December 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
- FEATURES IT Trends for 2009 In todays tough economic environment, many organizations are stretched to the limit in terms of people, resources and budgets. To deal with this situation, forward-thinking enterprises are turning to information technology to help them maintain and enhance their competi... |
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IT Tool: Ranking Hardware Proposals
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Before sending out a request for proposal for hardware to selected vendors, you need to have an agreed-upon rating/ranking system that is fair and objective, in order to help remove any bias or politics during the selection process.
- Using the matrix below can help you identify which vendor offers the best solution for your enterprise, by comparing its strengths and weaknesses by category. Keep in mind that your main objective in choosing a vendor is to select the best overall solution based on the criteria thats most important ... |
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Office Politics: The Ten Demandments
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Political skills in the workplace can determine ones ability to perform at a high level, foster camaraderie and ultimately, be the difference-maker between a successful company and failing one. The following are common-sense management principles that can harness political energy between IT and business groups to foster highly-effective teams.
- In the workplace, political skills can determine ones ability to perform effectively. The following Ten Demandments are common-sense principles that can harness political energy to foster successful teams. 1. If youve seen one relationship, youve seen one relationship. The key to managing rela... |
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The New IT Alignment Gap
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The gap between application development and IT operations management is escalating. With the rise of new technologies, the lack of energy spent on maximizing existing IT infrastructure, the lack of coordination between application groups and operations, and the lack of retiring legacy systems and older software, the IT alignment gap is showing signs of being widened by IT itself.
- CIOs are continuously challenged to partner effectively with the enterprises business side. At the same time, the gap between application development and IT operations management is escalating at an alarming rate. In many organizations, this gap results in a staggering amount of unplanned cost, risk... |
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CIOs Must learn to Deal With Social Networking
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
When it comes to balancing accessibility and security for employees using social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and other Web applications, CIOs must navigate a fine line that gets grayer every day. With the proliferation of social networking to empower these workers, our jobs as CIOs have become even more multidimensional, and these employees will continue to challenge our notions about how, when and under what conditions to provide access to information.
- Todays techno-culture has spawned a generation of info-brats who demand immediate gratification when it comes to getting the information they want from the Net. Whether for personal use (MySpace and Facebook) or for business (blogs and instant messaging), this new way of communicating is a major c... |
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POS System Pay Off
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Point of sale systems can cut operating costs, integrate accounting systems, track inventory and improve supply chain efficiency. Well-engineered POS equipment can improve customer transaction times, save hours of accounting drudgery and help verify actual sales data.
- Point of sale (POS) systems are what we used to call electronic cash registers, which really werent much more than a cash drawer bolted onto the bottom of a PC. But as these systems have gotten more sophisticated, theyve played an ever-increasing and important role in how a business can integrate it... |
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Leveling the Developer Field
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
We are going to see a more nuanced approach to developing software on a global scale. It may cost less to develop software locally, but that does not mean there will be a movement of software development back to the U.S. Competitive factors such as total project cost, domain expertise and the quality of software will be the driving forces in software projects regardless of location.
- As our collective economic circumstances continue to change worldwide, its interesting to note that many senior IT executives have come to the conclusion that it actually costs less to develop software in a local market than it does to manage the process of creating software halfway around the globe... |
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Nothing to Fear?
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Down markets present opportunities for companies that focus on key business and IT initiatives.
- Most if not all of us are facing the coming year with an uneasy blend of anxiety and hope. The anxiety is understandable. The stock market has been on a roller coaster ride with a lot more downs than ups. Respected companies are being bought out or are going under. Jobs are disappearing: Estimates... |
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An IT Management To Do List for 2009
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Want to improve your IT efficiency in 2009? Here are some suggestions on: what to outsource, what to make virtual, where to add server hardware, the type of laptops to use and how to have solid-enough security on Windows systems.
- I want to ring in the New Year with some suggestions on technologies to check out and strategies to pursue that will help improve your own IT efficiency. Outsource your e-mail hosting. There are so many inexpensive solutions that will host your e-mail domain that it doesnt make sense to have this ... |
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What Can IT Expect in 2009?
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Three E words-- energy, economy and employment-- are driving a lot more than just IT.
- What can we expect in these uncertain times of 800-point stock index swings? Well, when it comes to IT, my pick for the top 10 trends we can expect in 2009 are GreenExpenseCuttingCloudVirtualizationMobilitySaaSWirelessProcessManagementArchitectureInvestments. That about covers it unless youre in... |
