Stories by Adam Hartung

CIOs must manage the risk of the status quo

Uptime, response time, mean time between failures - the history of IT is full of metrics improved by reducing risk, making sure nothing interferes with operations and productivity.

Written by Adam Hartung03 May 13 11:08

CIOs: Will you be relevant in 2017?

When computing costs dropped like a proverbial stone after 1970, it created a remarkable opportunity for businesses to improve operations and grow. Suddenly, "the guys in the basement" became the IT department, and the data center manager became a very powerful CIO. This new role wielded a large budget and incredible control as companies invested heavily in enterprise applications, immense data repositories and thousands of PCs.

Written by Adam Hartung01 May 12 06:22

Employees refusing to use clunky enterprise software

Don't look now, but many company employees are turning off their company-issued laptops and BlackBerrys. They prefer to use their personal devices-sleek, mobile and intuitive-rather than the company-sanctioned technologies perceived as outdated and hard to use.

Written by Adam Hartung03 Nov. 11 05:42

To add value through IT, pick up the ball

For years, going back to the days of data centers, people in technology thought their first priority was to make sure the computer systems were operational. Key statistics focused on uptime-making sure the servers, networks and applications were functioning. Meeting such targets was considered success.

Written by Adam Hartung18 Dec. 10 05:37

Outsourcing for the right reasons

Most companies outsource for the wrong reasons: to cut costs or to remove "non-core" distractions in order to focus on "core" IT.

Written by Adam Hartung30 Sept. 10 07:31

You Are Not Your Vendor

IT departments have often identified closely with their critical vendors. Using a Microsoft platform made you a PC shop; your ERP choice made you an Oracle or SAP shop. The servers you used aligned you with Sun, Microsoft or IBM.

Written by Adam Hartung22 July 10 06:58

How to Improve IT Performance and Deploy Technology Faster

When the CEO wants to reduce IT costs while increasing how much technology the company has, the CIO is squeezed. She is stuck supporting existing systems while needing to spend money to evaluate and implement new technologies. No one is happy when there is a wide gap between where the money is being spent and where you'd like it to be.

Written by Adam Hartung30 April 10 05:17
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