12 effective habits of indispensible IT pros

How do you keep your job -- or get a better one -- in an era when hiring is in a freeze and budgets are perpetually squeezed? Follow these 12 maxims and find out.

By Dan Tynan | 17 January, 2012 22:08

Tags: Technology Consulting, Technology Business, IT training, it strategy, it management, IT jobs, Information Technology Careers

ERP makes a comeback

They couldn't put it off any longer. The ERP system for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) had reached the end of its useful life.

By Dan Tynan | 20 December, 2011 22:17

Tags: software, sap, oracle, ERP, enterprise resource planning, applications

5 hot tech projects to boost your IT career

Too many projects, too little time: That's the sad lament of many IT professionals who must constantly balance the needs of the enterprise against the desires of business users -- all while keeping a close eye on the newest technologies coming at them from every direction.

By Dan Tynan | 07 November, 2011 22:06

Tags: software, social networking, security, mobile technology, mobile security, IT training, it management, IT jobs, Internet-based applications and services, internet, Information Technology Careers, hardware systems, disaster recovery, Devops, data mining, Data Center, Configuration / maintenance, business intelligence, Big Data, applications, application development, agile development

IT inferno: The nine circles of IT hell

Spend enough time in the tech industry, and you'll eventually find yourself in IT hell -- one not unlike the underworld described by Dante in his "Divine Comedy."

By Dan Tynan | 03 October, 2011 21:11

Tags: Misadventures, IT training, it management, IT jobs, Information Technology Careers, american express

IT admins gone wild: 5 rogues to watch out for

You can't survive without them. They wield enormous power over your systems, networks, and data -- the very lifeblood of your organization. Few people outside IT have any understanding of what they do, and fewer still exercise any oversight over their actions.

By Dan Tynan | 21 June, 2011 01:51

Tags: staff management, security, it management

Your new Facebook friend might be a spy

Is that new friend really your friend, or just someone pretending to be your friend so he can spy on you? No, I'm not just being more paranoid than usual. This really does happen - especially if you're a member of an anonymous collective determined to do battle with the forces of corporate evil (not to mention Tom Cruise, Soulja Boy, and your mom).

By Dan Tynan | 20 February, 2011 02:54

Tags: soul, social media, Internet-based applications and services, internet, Facebook

15 awesome things you probably shouldn't do

Sometimes you gotta bend the rules. And when it comes to technology, some rules are begging to get bent.

By Dan Tynan | 04 November, 2010 00:31

Tags: laptops, hardware systems, Apple

How to tame the social network at work

They're a productivity sink and a bandwidth suck. They're a vector for malware and a gift for corporate spies. They're a data spill just waiting to happen. And like it or not, they're already inside your enterprise.

By Dan Tynan | 18 October, 2010 21:14

Tags: twitter, software, it management, Facebook, collaboration, careers, applications

The technology pro's greatest enemies

How to spot -- and take down -- the six most nefarious adversaries of IT

By Dan Tynan | 07 October, 2010 10:55

Tags: IT professionals

News quiz: The week in tech

Got a Facebook phone? If so, either you've got a lot of company or none at all, depending on which Internet rumors you believed this week. In other news: Twitter got hacked, the RIAA and MPAA were attacked, HP and Oracle buried the hatchet, and Mark Zuckerberg just joined the big kids' table. Are you ready to dazzle us with your geeky brilliance? Give yourself 10 points for each correct answer. Now let's get started.

By Dan Tynan | 25 September, 2010 00:48

Tags: twitter, oracle, Misadventures, it management, Facebook, careers

5 reasons IT pros should be paranoid

IT organizations have a lot on their plates, and keeping the data center humming is only part of the equation. Factor in the threats coming at IT from every direction, and you can see why IT pros have ample reason to be paranoid. The invasion of consumer devices into the workplace, the rush toward cloud computing, the constant vigilance to prevent data spills, all while managing a meager budget in an era when your career can be cut short at any time can cause even the most level-headed IT pro to start looking over his shoulder.

By Dan Tynan | 17 August, 2010 02:04

Tags: it management, it careers

10 technologies that should be extinct (but aren't)

Got an urgent message you need to transmit immediately? Sending a telegram is likely not the first option that comes to mind. And when it's time to boogie down, you probably don't shove a cassette into your 8-track player or slap an LP onto your phonograph.

By Dan Tynan | 06 July, 2010 07:22

Tags: CRT, consumer electronics, computers

10 things the Internet has ruined and five things it hasn't

For some people, the Internet is the killer app--literally. From newspapers and the yellow pages to personal privacy and personal contact, the Net has been accused of murdering, eviscerating, ruining, and obliterating more things than the Amazing Hulk. Some claims are more true than others, but the Net certainly has claimed its share of scalps.

Tech apocalypse: Five doomsday scenarios for IT

Technology drives just about everything we do, and not just at our jobs. From banks to hospitals to the systems that keep the juice flowing to our homes, we are almost entirely dependent on tech. More and more of these systems are interconnected, and many of them are vulnerable. We see it almost every day.

By Dan Tynan | 16 March, 2010 04:01

Tags: wall street, terrorism, hackers, Google

Five classic Apple marketing tactics that lock you in

Once you enter the Big Tent of Apple, it's exceedingly hard to find the exit.