1. The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

The U.S. is in a recession, massive layoffs are occurring at an alarming rate, and the trend will continue into 2009. So it's time to party like it was 1999. Right? No! By Maria A. DeGiglio In early December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor

2. It's Still a See-Saw Economy

As the economy wanes, IBM Global Financing serves up good year-end news for the SMB sector, while jobs decline and fraud plagues H-1B. By Maria A. DeGiglio While the topics covered in this article could not be more disparate, they do de

3. On Becoming Indispensible

IT employees must develop multiple strategies to protect their jobs during this economic upheaval. By Maria A. DeGiglio Cathie Black--media mogul, president of Hearst Magazines, and author of the book Basic Black: The Essential Guide fo

4. Are Old Workplace Paradigms Obsolete?

While each generation has left its imprimatur upon the workplace environment, the old workplace paradigms are arrantly still in effect today. By Maria A. DeGiglio Remember the 1990 movie Joe Versus the Volcano with Tom Hanks and Meg Rya

5. Personal Health Records May Be Dangerous to Your Privacy

Many entities are offering consumers a way to store their healthcare information, but are these pie-in-the-sky offerings anathemas to privacy? By Maria DeGiglio  Many entities--from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to many

6. To Be or Not to Be: The State of IT Jobs

Recent news articles are rife with confusing--and often conflicting--reportage on the state of the IT job market. by Maria DeGiglio On Friday, May 23, I participated in the commencement ceremony at Sarah Lawrence College. I was awarded

7. IBM: Financially Sound and Well-Poised for Cognos Acquisition

In October, IBM reported third-quarter results, which met Wall Street expectations, and last week IBM announced plans to acquire Cognos, Inc. On the heels of a solid third quarter, in which Big Blue reported total revenues of $24.1 billion, a

8. Audits: What They're Good for and How to Survive Them

IT staffers can survive SOX or other audits—unscathed—even when the business of IT is to run the business. An impending audit—whether internal or external—arouses visceral reactions (or overreactions) in company employ

9. System i Schism: Much Ado About Nothing

The System i Division is splitting into two new business units. So what?

10. System i Divides and VIP Could Conquer

While the System i Vertical Industry Program (VIP) was announced in February, the advent of the i-divide invites further discussion-and informed speculation.

11. Is Health IT Sick?

With the advent of Michael Moore's new movie (which for purposes of full disclosure I have not seen yet), it's high time to weigh in on the health of Health IT (HIT).

12. SMB ERP Centers of Excellence (COEs): The Undiscovered Country

While large organizations are more likely to implement ERP COEs, there can be significant value for SMB companies to both blaze new trails and elevate IT in the organization.

13. IBM BladeCenter S: A System i-Like Kindred Spirit for the SMB

With a value proposition that sounds more System i than Blade, the BladeCenter S addresses some of the IT-and business-challenges facing SMBs.

14. Playing the Waiting Game

With all the brilliant and useful technology we have amassed over the last decade, patients must still play the infuriating waiting game for medical test results and diagnoses.

15. Bloodsuckers in Your Midst

Every company has them. You know who they are: the people who stonewall projects and drain the passion and drive from those unwitting souls who work with them.

16. Intranet Best Practices

Whether the company is large or an SMB, the corporate intranet is the company bible.

17. The Keyboard Is Mightier Than You Think

Urban legend has it that IT professionals cannot string two coherent sentences together. The time has come to debunk this myth; here's how.

18. Telecommuters: Driven to Distraction or Achieving Equipoise in Life?

Myths surrounding this equivocal practice abound and need to be debunked, while practical guidelines on telecommuting viability and decorum need to be imparted.

19. Women in IT: Find Us If You Can

Recent articles indicate the presence of women in IT is declining; however, numbers can be misleading and data misinterpreted.

20. Are You the Go-To Person?

"Go-to" people have a line of people at their office doors from morning to close of business and beyond. They're the ones who get things done-often without recognition or remuneration.

21. When Exempt Employees Get Screwed

There is still little quid pro quo for IT staff who work virtually, virtually 24x7 even when they are ill or are on vacation.

22. IT's Ivory Tower of Babel or Corporate HR Policies Gone Bad?

Amid predictions from Gartner that IT organizations are doomed to "suffer an imbalance" due to lack of business skills, the fact is the whole business model is going to have to change.

23. In the Ongoing Saga of Mergers and Acquisitions, Customers Continue to Be Victims

When data conversions, as a result of mergers and acquisition, go "bad," it is often the customers and the under-trained, underpaid employees who pay the price.

24. Has Mediocrity Become the Gold Standard in IT?

As in its brethren business units, IT seems to have adopted the 80/20 rule as status quo.

25. IMHO: SMB IT Still Gets Little or No Respect

It's the 21st century, and IT shops and professionals in SMB organizations continue to be exploited. The time for change is now.

26. The Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future: Predicting SMB IT Trends for 2007

You say SOA; I say business differentiation. Should SMBs just call the whole prediction thing off?

27. The State of Healthcare IT

Are healthcare providers (and the vendors who sell to them) practicing safe health IT (HIT), and do they have a realistic vision for the future of HIT?

28. The IBM Express Lane: One-Stop Shopping

IBM Express Advantage program consolidates across IBM divisions, IGF introduces a new program, and IBM Business Partner VAI takes advantage of Express.

29. October Roundup: SOX, SOA, and IBM's Buying Spree

The news is replete with controversy over SOX, IBM's reported acceleration of its SOA offerings, and IBM's unquenchable acquisition mania.

30. SOA: Intriguing But Still Only for Early Adopters in the Mid-Market

Emergent technology is likely to change how consultants and their clients engage.

31. Oracle JDE World Customers Won't Have to Fight or Switch

Oracle is turning the tables on JD Edwards' customers by making the World products indispensable to them while "infusing" future World releases with SOA.

32. IBM Giveth and Taketh Away

IGF announces an aggressive financing offering for System i "Regatta" lessees, and STG announces increased flexibility for System i CBU as well as hardware withdrawal and replacements.

33. Good Things Come in Threes

IBM STG provides 2H06SMB market update, introduces "all-in-one" System i 520 for Oracle JDE, and simplifies System i Capacity BackUp.

34. The Times They Are A-Changin' for Lawson

A new day dawns for Lawson as it consummates its merger with Intentia, rebrands its product lines, releases Version 9, and renews its alliance with IBM System i.

35. Not Your Father's Project Management

Small and mid-sized businesses have long decried formal project management protocols as expensive, overly complex, and inefficient, but times are changing.

36. March 2006 Roundup: An IBM Trifecta

IBM recently made a triumvirate of announcements including Tivoli Express, enhancements to its storage product line, and a new open-source initiative, largely aimed at SMBs.

37. February 2006 Roundup

Mergers and acquisitions continue to make headlines, and top industry vendors are focusing on improving the consumer experience.

38. Elaine Lennox Appointed VP of Marketing for System i5

The System i5 marketing team is the strongest it has been in over a decade.

39. January 2006 News Roundup

2006 is shaping up to be a year of change tempered with continuity both in the global marketplace and in information technology.