The upside of shadow IT

First, a scary statistic: Gartner predicts that in less than three years, 35 per cent of enterprise IT expenditures will happen outside of the corporate IT budget. Employees will regularly subscribe to collaboration, analytic and other Cloud services they want, all with the press of a button. Others will simply build their own applications using readily available Cloud-based tools and development platforms.

By Julia King | 23 April, 2012 23:55

Tags: Gartner, it management

Premier 100 IT Leaders: Earning the rewards of risk-taking

Editor's note: Each year, Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders awards program honors the best and brightest IT executives. This year's class of 100 men and women are especially unique, in that many have made their marks by successfully executing on bold, high-risk decisions that are yielding big business benefits.

By Julia King | 28 February, 2012 05:36

Tags: business issues, personnel

IT's winning (and losing) job titles

Sure, there are still some Cobol systems on their last legs in the deep recesses of just about every large IT organization. But they are most assuredly on their way out -- as are the programmers who coded them.

By Julia King | 20 December, 2011 03:39

Tags: careers, it management

When IT gets to play: Skunk works projects deliver value

It's called the technology petting zoo. Stocked with the latest high-tech gadgets, games, systems and software that could potentially be of business value, it's a place where engineers and other IT users at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory can try out the steady stream of hot, new consumer technologies and imagine the possibilities.

By Julia King | 06 December, 2011 02:51

Tags: it management, NASA

IT workers with heart

At first glance, you might think Steve Kranson, who works at Comerica Bank in Auburn Hills, Mich., is your average IT manager. But he's been known to put in some time dressed as the Easter Bunny, to the delight of local kids.

By Julia King | 08 November, 2011 03:50

Tags: it management

Talent wars: Are your IT staffers being poached?

Dan Herrington says his first inkling of a brewing IT talent war came early this spring, when he noticed that "college kids weren't accepting our offers on the spot."

By Julia King | 09 August, 2011 01:06

Tags: careers, it management

The grill: Frank Wander

"In my experience, the best creative work is never done when one is unhappy."

By Julia King | 19 July, 2011 04:33

Tags: business issues, Guardian Life Insurance

Beyond CRM: SaaS slips into the mainstream

Customer relationship management applications are still the largest segment of the ballooning software-as-a-service market.

By Julia King | 23 February, 2010 08:56

Tags: CRM, SaaS, software-as-a-service

Gotcha! Pursuing software pirates

You might not realize it, but two out of every 10 of your co-workers might be using pirated software, according to industry statistics. You might be, too, for that matter, particularly if you work in manufacturing or at a small or midsize company with 100 to 500 PCs. You just might not know it.

By Julia King | 15 September, 2009 08:06

Tags: anti-piracy, movie piracy, piracy, software piracy

Open source, Web 2.0 gain appeal as IT budgets shrink

CPS Energy, the largest municipality-owned gas and electric company in America, needed to get a better grip on its budget and its budgeting process. Since CPS Energy was an enterprise SAP user, more SAP AG software was the obvious and lowest-risk way for CIO Christopher Barron to go.

By Julia King | 23 June, 2009 08:25

Tags: amazon.com, Facebook, web 2.0

Layoff backlash: Five steps to protect your business from angry ex-employees

A senior corporate executive leaves the company, taking with him his framed family photographs, his prized gold pen-and-pencil set -- and the passwords of several hundred employees.

By Julia King | 03 March, 2009 08:17

Tags: disgruntled employees, global recession, layoffs

Becoming an IT consultant: Do's, don'ts, disasters to avoid

As companies continue to cut costs, consolidate staffs and eviscerate executive salaries, more and more senior-level IT professionals are eyeing corporate exits -- or being shown them against their will.

By Julia King | 20 February, 2009 09:36

Tags: consulting services, it careers

Girl power! US summer camp grooms tomorrow's techies

It's 10 o'clock on a sunny April morning in Balboa Park. In a spacious Girl Scout cabin tucked away amid lush green palm trees, 20 girls ranging in age from 11 to 14, most wearing jeans and pigtails, are gearing up for today's camp activities. But there are no sit-upons or s'mores, potholders or paper crafts -- just 21 laptops, two color printers, 10 digital cameras, two scanners and a palpable abundance of preadolescent energy and creative enthusiasm.