David Edelstein is using technology to battle poverty, and his weapon of choice is the mobile phone. Edelstein is director of the Grameen Technology Center and vice president of technology programs at Grameen Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit that supports microfinance practitioners worldwide. Edelstein holds the top technology job, guiding the foundation's efforts to create innovative and sustainable technology approaches to benefit the world's poor.
The Internet has changed how people plan their travel needs and book reservations, but that doesn't mean they are completely sold on using technology to do all the work on their own. A 2010 study by Forrester Research Inc. found that 28 per cent of U.S. leisure travelers who booked their trips online would be interested in going to a good traditional travel agent. That statistic doesn't surprise Kathryn Akerman, CIO and part owner of Hurley Travel Experts in Portland, Maine. A 24-year veteran of the industry who worked as a travel agent before moving into IT, Akerman says technology can help the travel planning process, but it can't replace human experience.
The phrase "team-building exercise" has a literal meaning for the IT staff at JM Family Enterprises Inc.
Albuquerque Public Schools CIO Tom Ryan believes IT can do more than help teachers and administrators; he says technology has the power to actually transform how schools teach and how students learn. A former teacher and principal, Ryan is putting that belief into practice. As CIO of the largest K-12 district in New Mexico, with 139 schools and nearly 90,000 students, Ryan delivers IT services to the district's administration and teachers. He advocates for an education system where technology doesn't merely deliver content electronically but creates a new standard of individualized learning available 24/7 to teachers as well as students, their families, guardians and mentors.
You can't run a company without technology, but you can't invest in technology without the blessings of the finance department. And thanks to the long-stagnant economy, the pendulum of power between finance and IT is swinging decidedly toward the chief financial officer's door these days.
Eric P. Bloom, president and founder of Manager Mechanics talks about "letting go"
Can signing a standard workplace document derail your career plans? Yes, says Jerry Luftman, executive director of graduate IS Programs at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. He says a former student almost lost out on a big break because he had signed a noncompete agreement, a contract that prohibits employees from doing certain work for a set period of time following the end of their current job.
Aaron Yu wants to share his enthusiasm for Kiva, a nonprofit microfinancing organization. He sees Facebook as a prime way to do that.
It's a scary new world, but IT leaders who adjust can still deliver prosperous projects.
The road to thought leadership is fraught with peril. Here are some things to consider before you get behind the lectern.
Now more than ever, experience outside IT counts.
Rebecca Paddock needed a way to prepare for her move from a test engineer job to a systems engineer position. So, inspired by the 100-day plans US presidents historically use when they first take office, she developed a list of tasks to tackle.
Project management skills produce results. As a former project manager, Joe Ruck knows that. And he knows that those same skills that produce corporate results are also personal assets.
Given the murky economic outlook, budgetary efficiency is an increasingly important part of every IT leader's job. In fact, according to "The State of Enterprise IT Budgets: 2008," a March report from Gartner, 75 per cent of enterprises say improving the efficiency of IT is a critical or high priority.
CIO Ron Kifer wants to ensure that the outsourcing providers he hires are aligned with his own company's objectives. But Kifer uses more than the usual questions that examine whether the work can be delivered on time and on budget. He looks at social and ethical factors, too.