BPM to Help Increase Efficiency if 2009

The Metastorm News Blog recently highlighted that the results of the Gartner EXP CIO report shows that IT budgets will most likely remain flat in North America and Europe and slightly increase in Latin America and Asia/Pacific.

The results of the survey also show that senior executives will try to reduce enterprise costs by changing business processes and not by cutting costs directly. Business process management is on the top list of priorities for CIOs since these solutions can help improve efficiencies.

Quick Guide to Enterprise Architecture

Here’s a presentation I came across from Colin White on a quick guide to what is enterprise architecture. Take a moment to flip through the slides and view the concepts discussed.

60 Second Guide To Enterprise Architecture

View more presentations from Colin White. (tags: enterprise architecture)

Citrix expands to visualization market

Citrix is planning on entering the visualization market with the new system Citrix Essentials. Its goal is to make hypervisions more manageable, scalable and flexible. The new system is specifically for XenServer and Hyper-V.

The pairing with Microsoft on XenServer is part of what Citrix has code-named Project Encore, and effectively expands the two companies' 20-year relationship into the arena of application management. Under Project Encore, the partnership will be expanded from applications and desktops to servers, will center on a joint marketing strategy and will "add significant enterprise value" to Microsoft's Hyper-V, the companies said.

For more, read the article here.

Human Interactivity is a Huge Problem for BPM

I came across this post on the Action Blog that discusses how the human factor and human interaction is a big problem for business process management. Ayal Steiner explains how human work is:

• Dynamic
• Tacit
• Ad hoc
• Crossins boundaries and silos
• Saturated with peer to peer interaction

Workflow that involves a human element does not fit into this rigid process. Does anyone have an examples of how they have gotten around this?

Yahoo Mobile coming at end of March

Announced yesterday, Yahoo will be releasing an a software at the end of March that will bring iPhone like capabilities to everyone's mobile phone. The program will work on the majority of mid- to high-range smart phones. This new application will be promoted with the 70 partnerships it has formed with operators. For more information, read this article at eWeek.

Browsing the web I came across this presentation from Shiv Singh, the VP & global social media lead at Razorfish entitled Web 2.0 and the Enterprise: A Symbiotic Relationship. Early in the presentation he notes 5 reasons why it is a symbiotic relationship, and his 1st reason was “Facebook enters the Enterprise.”

This does not shock me as Facebook has been around for quite some time, and only now does it seem that the enterprise is finally beginning to realize the business benefits of social media. What are your thoughts?

Web 2.0 and the Enterprise: A Symbiotic Relationship

View more presentations from shivsingh. (tags: timeshifting trust)

What BPM can do in the current economic situation

Elise Golding recently shared with WhatPC? what business process management can do for a company in this current time of economic crisis. She points out that business processes are at the core of a business, and now is a great time to start controlling the processes. She also outlines some of the major activities that go on in BPM program management: Sponsorship, Objectives and Outcome, Education and Training, Opportunity Analysis, and BPM Programme Road Map.

For a more in-depth look, read the article here.

Microsoft's Enterprise Search Road Map Leads to SharePoint

According to PCWorld.com, Microsoft will release a new server that integrates the enterprise search technology it gained by acquiring Fast Search &Transfer with its SharePoint collaboration and content-management platform, the company said Tuesday, Feb 10. Microsoft also has two other enterprise search products, Search Server 2008 and the free Search Server 2008 Express. Are you using Search Server 2008 or the free version? Will the enterprise search techonology that Microsoft is holding be worthwhile in the industry--can it compete? We'd like to hear your thoughts.

TrueSwitch aligns with Google

TrueSwitch has recently teamed up with Google in order to make it easier to import data from old email services into GMail. It can import information from e-mail servers such as AOL, Yahoo and Hotmail. It also allows the user to chose what they'd like to import, from contacts to messages, and defines which messages were imported from the older accounts. For more information, read the article here at CNet.

EA, BPM, Collaboration Together on E3

Starting next week, E3 will encompass two more facets of IT: BPM and Collaboration. We're going offer our readers a wide range of news, reviews and networking that surround the global world of IT. Taking content from trusted news sources, speakers and educators in the field, we're going to continue to provide you with information on IT that can move your business and career forward. Thanks for your readership and we look forward to continue to serve you.

Common Misconceptions on Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a phenomenon that has hit the IT industry with full force. There are many advantages with cloud computing, but as always with new processes come many misconceptions. Cath Everett from ZDNet has recently looked at the 5 most common myths about cloud computing. Here they are:

Myth 1: Cloud equals SaaS, grid and utility computing
Myth 2: Cloud computing will take over the world
Myth 3: You can use competing cloud services
Myth 4: Flick a switch and your IT shifts to the cloud.
Myth 5: Switching cloud vendors is easy

Take a couple of minutes to read through the full post here. Are there any other myths out there?

Latitute: The Ultimate Mobile Social Networking

Yesterday, Google announced the release Latitude, which is deemed the next step in mobile social networking. Read Write Web is a way to track where your friends are using your mobile phone. Read Write Web then goes on to question if users are going to feel like Google is too much a part of their life, and they already use other social networking sites like Facebook on their phone. What do you think?

SoftLayer Adds SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

According to TheWhir.com, on-demand virtual data center services provider SoftLayer Technologies has added SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from Novell to its portfolio of server operating systems, giving all customers an enterprise-grade distribution of the open source Linux OS for no additional cost.

SUSE provides the open source benefits of Linux along with important enterprise features, including support for Microsoft Management Tools and Xen virtual machines, as well as the scalability to run unlimited virtual machines.

The ability to run enterprise-grade distribution and unlimited virutual machines. Are we dreaming? Is this really something to herald or is it a dud? If you've used it let us know.

Use Web 2.0 to Move Forward Through the Economic Downturn

Dion Hinchcliffe recently posted on ZDNet a list of eight ways businesses should use Web 2.0 technology to move forward through the economic downturn. An advantage for businesses just entering the 2.0 era now is that most of the groundwork has already been laid out for them. There is an abundance of enterprise ready solutions out there. Now without further ado, here’s a quick list (provided by Dion Hinchcliffe) of strategic use of web 2.0 that companies should follow in 2009. Enjoy!

1. Move to lower-cost online/SaaS versions of enterprise applications.
2. Use Enterprise 2.0 to capture the knowledge and know-how of employees.
   
3. Strategically move IT infrastructure to the cloud.
   
4. Embrace new low-cost models for production such as crowdsourcing.
   
5. Lower customer service costs by pro-active use of online customer communities.
   
6. Reduce application development and integration time/expenditures with new platforms and techniques.
   
7. Open your supply chain to partners on the Web.
   
8. Overhauling and reinventing paper and digital workflow.

Read the full article here.

Dell may enter SmartPhone market

In a recent release at eWeek, they anticipate Dell to release a new SmartPhone they've been working on. They saw their computer shipping business fall 16% in the last quarter, and hope to bring a new customer into their portfolio with these products. For more on the story, read this article at eWeek.

Will Cloud Computing Be the Biggest 2009 Trend?

Paul Krill seems to think that Cloud Computing will be the trend for 2009--and he's got the backup to prove it. Judging from his article in InfoWorld.com, he and others are standing behind this inexpensive process. What do you think? We've covered Cloud Computing before, but with the release of this article, its worth discussing again. Share your thoughts with us here.

Idea Sharing in an Enterprise Near You

Browsing through my reader today, I came across this post in the Content Economy in which Oscar Berg highlights Bob Buckman’s ideas for an ultimate idea-sharing system. After all, the enterprise is still missing this element. Here’s the list, enjoy!

1. One transfer step in the transmission of ideas between individuals, to avoid distortion.
2. All employees have access
3. All employees can contribute content
4. Available anywhere, 24/7
5. Search function that indexes every word
6. Users contribute in their native language. Translation provided where appropriate.
7. Content updates automatically

Do you trust cloud computing?

Read Write Web recently took a look at how cloud computing is being accepted by the public. As a major buzz word of 2008, there are many people who are not convinced of the power of cloud computing. They're looking at it as one way to back up data, not a cloud that will keep data safe in one spot.

Some said the cloud was trustworthy enough for non-critical data, but not for secure and private communications, such as those used in the enterprise. And still others noted that trusting cloud services was risky, especially given the recent shutdowns of the once-hot services like I Want Sandy, Pownce, Google Notebook, and Jaiku.

Do you use cloud computing on a regular basis? What are your thoughts? Do you keep multiple backups other than your data in the clouds?

Enterprise IT and the Mobile Data Struggle

Enterprise IT departments are being pressured to integrate more new mobile technologies, but the disparate formats and systems in which the data are stored cause problems. Check out this great podcast by Dana Gardner at TechNewsWorld.com. He discusses how IT departments can increase their use of mobile data.

Listen to the podcast (37:20 minutes).

AOL beefs up email software

According to a recent article at eWeek, AOL announces that it will now have one click access to other email providers including GMail and Yahoo.

Ted Cahall, president of AOL products and technologies, had this to say about the new technology:
"Web Mail is an integral part of the AOL experience and at the heart of our product offerings. With this new release, we can showcase the important role AOL products continue to play in the company. Enhancing products that already attract a large, engaged audience is a key goal for our organization."