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There are some things that I don't want to end - a great book, an exciting movie, a nice bottle of wine. But there are other things that I would prefer that never came up-dental emergencies, gutter cleaning and answering telemarketing calls. Neither of those lists is exhaustive, and I'm sure you have your own personal favorites.
However, I'd guess that for many business and IT managers, risk management would be something they'd want to add to that second category. Unless you enjoy ruminating on disasters, spending large amounts of time or resources planning for events which may never happen, or just have dark and pessimistic side, risk management isn't fun.
The more some things change, the more they stay the same. Let's take the example of IT and business challenges. Over the years, we've seen a wide variety of changes in both IT and business. In IT, we've seen organizations undergo an evolution from mainframes to minicomputers to PCs to the Internet and beyond. At the same time, organizations have undergone a wide range of business changes and challenges-from economic evolution to globalization.
Although the hype has been around for a while, we’re really still just at the start of Web 2.0—especially when it comes to enterprise applications and enterprise infrastructure components. I believe that over the next few years we’re going to see some significant changes in how both enterprise applications and enterprise infrastructure components are designed and deployed.
A key driver for these changes will continue to be the evolution of mobile platforms, the need for greater user interaction and control, and on-going changes in user interface approaches.
Before you take the leap into a new enterprise resource planning system, it’s wise to look closely at your current systems and information technology (IT) environment, business needs, and vendor options.
According to a September 2002 report by the Center for Studying Health System Change, healthcare costs for privately insured Americans jumped 10% in 2001-the first double-digit increase in more than a decade. Rapidly rising healthcare costs also drove an average 15% increase in the cost of employer-sponsored health insurance in 2002, forcing many organizations to make managing healthcare costs a top priority.
Microsoft Corp. is finding it can help control those rising costs with MicrosoftHealth, a healthcare portal for U.S.-based workers that's designed to make employees and dependents better informed and more empowered as medical consumers. That, in turn, reduces healthcare costs by keeping users healthier and reducing unnecessary physician office visits. The portal also cuts mailing costs, since enrollees can access information online. Looking forward, it will provide a flexible infrastructure for further integration with healthcare providers, claims processors, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and benefit programs like disease management services.
Media and entertainment companies use technology to deliver digital content to an increasingly multichannel world.
For companies involved in the media and entertainment world, the shift from physical media such as videotapes to digital distribution, where content can be sent around the world in seconds, promises far greater efficiencies. It also raises a host of issues like digital rights management, security, and interoperability concerns.
India is handling red-hot growth with real business intelligence.
India was everywhere at the Davos World Economic Forum earlier this year, as Indian executives and government officials used the event to promote India's position as the fastest-growing democratic economy in the world. Beyond its borders, the country is sometimes seen as an immense and exotic land. For many consumers, it's also the voice on the other end of the phone when they call technical support for their computers, telephones, or television sets.
But call centers are far from the only area that Indian businesses are focused on. Businesspeople who are paying attention know that India's best years are still ahead, and opportunities are there for the taking.
Next-generation usability makes users happier and more productive.
Sue Shaw knows the importance of usability. As the enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications architect at Shell Canada, she's tasked with serving the IT demands of Shell Canada's 4,200 applications users. She knows that the success or failure of an IT project comes down to one thing—value to the employee. "It's really our employees who determine how effective a piece of software is," says Shaw. "For them, it's always about being able to get their jobs done quickly and accurately."