IT Strategy — Comments Off on Computerworld – Want project success? Engage stakeholders
31
Jul 12

Computerworld – Want project success? Engage stakeholders

Situation: You know how important stakeholder engagement is in ensuring project success so you have made a genuine effort and have spent a lot of time trying to get stakeholders involved only to find that they are disinterested, or even worse, against the project altogether. You ask: ‘What am I doing wrong?’

The key to engaging stakeholders in any project is to have a good understanding of their priorities, Kaylene O’Brien, a technology partner at Deloitte Consulting, said. As much as you may want your project to be at the top of their minds, show that you understand they have other business demands and priorities.

“Quite often there is push back from the business units and the stakeholders because often that expectation comes from very little notice and the stakeholders continue to have their business-as-usual demands.

More of the Computerworld article from Rebecca Merrett

Get Better / IT Strategy — Comments Off on GigaOM – News flash: company boards are starting to ‘get’ IT — Cloud Computing News
30
Jul 12

GigaOM – News flash: company boards are starting to ‘get’ IT — Cloud Computing News

Techies know how important IT is to a company’s success — what IT pro would ever say that IT doesn’t matter? But new research indicates that the boards of directors that are supposed to guide corporate strategies, are starting to get that message as well.
A survey of 175 board members by Gartner and Forbes found that improving IT was rated as important as boosting sales in terms of overall priorities.

This is particularly interesting since directors are not a particularly tech-savvy bunch — only 16 percent of directors have any background in IT, according to Gartner VP and Distinguished Analyst Jorge Lopez.

The takeaway for IT professionals is that they must paint the IT investments they want to make in business terms that the board understands, for example showing how these improvements can cut costs, streamline the supply chain and/or improve the product mix. (In related news, The Technology Business Management Counsil released a publication Monday that talks up the need for CIOs to run IT as a business.)

GigaOM – News flash: company boards are starting to ‘get’ IT — Cloud Computing News

Uncategorized — Comments Off on Inc.com – Be More Optimistic. Here’s Why
27
Jul 12

Inc.com – Be More Optimistic. Here’s Why

Whenever I post about the impact of beliefs on lives and careers, I tend to get at least one comment contrasting “optimism” and “realism.” That’s an odd comparison to make, because they’re actually the exact same thing.

Let me explain.

Because you are human, you are not capable of discerning “reality.” Everything you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste is being channeled through your mind, which assigns meaning to all of those events.

So your experience of reality is actually an experience of your interpretation of reality.

Now, the world around you consists of a long list of things that you can’t control and a short list of things that you can control. That short list, in fact, consists of exactly one item: the actions that you take.

Inc.com – Be More Optimistic. Here’s Why

IT Strategy — Comments Off on ZDNet – Why the 2012 Summer Olympics might melt the Internet
26
Jul 12

ZDNet – Why the 2012 Summer Olympics might melt the Internet

Summary: The 2008 Beijing and 2010 Vancouver Games streamed Olympics video without a hitch. But 2012 could be different.

Way back in 2008 I wrote a series of articles highlighting the video streaming technologies behind the Beijing Summer Olympics. At the time, there was actually some some real concern that demand for watching the video feeds that were live broacast from the event using personal computers would overwhelm Internet pipes at at major ISPs, causing widespread broadband performance issues for residences and businesses.

As it turned out, the video was delivered just fine, and no services at ISPs were disrupted. Much of this was credited towards the resiliency of the solutions and partners that NBC chose — Akamai Technologies was used for static content and Limelight Networks was used for the live video streams.

That they were both able to accomplish this from around the world and through their network of distributed datacenters and peered ISP connections is nothing short of incredible.

In 2010, Akamai itself was chosen for the streaming technology for Vancouver, and yet again, the video streamed with no problems.

ZDNet – Why the 20112 Summer Olympics might melt the Internet

Business Development — Comments Off on FBI Issues Warning on Hotel Internet Connections CIO.com
22
May 12

FBI Issues Warning on Hotel Internet Connections CIO.com

The FBI today warned travelers there has been an uptick in malicious software infecting laptops and other devices linked to hotel Internet connections.

The FBI wasn’t specific about any particular hotel chain, nor the software involved but stated: “Recent analysis from the FBI and other government agencies demonstrates that malicious actors are targeting travelers abroad through pop-up windows while they are establishing an Internet connection in their hotel rooms.

FBI Issues Warning on Hotel Internet Connections CIO.com.

Get Better — Comments Off on How Stupid Companies Treat Customers – CRM – News & Reviews – Baseline.com
07
May 12

How Stupid Companies Treat Customers – CRM – News & Reviews – Baseline.com

Memo to senior execs: Your customers have changed greatly over the past decade, but, in many cases, you haven’t made the adjustments necessary to accommodate their expectations. At least, this is the message conveyed in the book, “Smart Customers Stupid Companies: Why Only Intelligent Companies Will Thrive, and How to Be One of Them” Business Strategy Press/Available in May. Authors Michael Hinshaw and Bruce Kasanoff present a candid perspective on how organizations are falling far behind in recognizing and responding to the growing sophistication and empowerment of consumers. Of course, technology is fueling much of this revolution, especially with respect to the cloud, mobility, social media and the ever-growing bring-your-own-device trend

via How Stupid Companies Treat Customers – CRM – News & Reviews – Baseline.com.

Get Better — Comments Off on Actress Marilu Henner Speaks Of Rare Mental Condition That Allows Her To Remember Almost Every Moment Of Her Life « CBS New York
03
May 12

Actress Marilu Henner Speaks Of Rare Mental Condition That Allows Her To Remember Almost Every Moment Of Her Life « CBS New York

Most people are able to recall big moments in their lives, but a select few are able to recall minute details of almost every day.

Marilu Henner recently explained to CBS 2′s Katie McGee how her Highly Superior Auto-Biographical Memory, or H-SAM, has allowed her to hold onto even the most minor of moments.

“You say April 3, 1992 and all of a sudden the whole week starts presenting itself to me. That was a Friday and I was in New York, actually. Early that week I had won $1,760 at a winner-take-all Academy Awards pool. It was a clean sweep of the Oscars, ‘Silence Of The Lambs’, Jodie Foster,” Henner said.

Actress Marilu Henner Speaks Of Rare Mental Condition That Allows Her To Remember Almost Every Moment Of Her Life « CBS New York.

Business Development / Get Better — Comments Off on What’s so special about you?
30
Mar 12

What’s so special about you?

Today I finished a request for proposal (RFP) for a prospective Lifeline Data Centers client.

The RFP was unusually concise and simply written, and Lifeline’s response was in the same style. I checked to make sure we hit all of the specific points that the company requested. Then I finished the RFP by adding what we believe to be Lifeline’s differentiators; how Lifeline is different, and the reasons why companies choose Lifeline. I attempted to answer the question that all potential clients have in the back of their mind: “What’s so special about you?”

If you’re in business development, or if you represent your organization, you should have answers to that question. Don’t forget that the answers need to be framed from the prospective client’s point of view. Companies don’t care if you try and maintain high margins. They may not care about how you’ve grown and changed. Be careful with words like I, me, mine, our, and us. If it doesn’t help the potential client, and if it’s something others offer, you may not be that special.

The same is true for your personal life. What’s special about you? How do you introduce yourself in a way that makes you memorable?

In your business and personal lives, do you have good answers to the question “What’s so special about you?”

Get Better / Play Hard / Uncategorized — Comments Off on Fatty diet may cause new brain cells to sprout – Fox News
29
Mar 12

Fatty diet may cause new brain cells to sprout – Fox News

Eating too many burgers and fries? Your brain might show the effects, if new mouse research holds true in humans. Researchers have discovered that a high-fat diet causes new brain cells to sprout in an area of the brain that seems to regulate eating.

Interestingly, if the researchers stopped new brain-cell growth, mice gained less weight and stayed more active, even while eating their “supersize me” diet.

“We really don’t understand the function of these neurons in the normal brain,” study researcher Seth Blackshaw, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told LiveScience. “Our data suggests that these neurons may have an important role in regulating feeding.”

Fatty diet may cause new brain cells to sprout – Fox News

Business Development / Get Better — Comments Off on 7 Competition Crushing Value Propositions : Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
27
Mar 12

7 Competition Crushing Value Propositions : Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

One of the biggest challenges that any small business faces in the area of marketing is standing out from everyone else that say it’s doing what you’re doing.

Until you can firmly offer a solid reason for why you should buy from or hire us over everyone else, you’ll compete on price.

As you develop a marketing strategy for your business you must proactively create the value proposition of “why us” and build all of your marketing messages, products, services, processes and follow-up communication around supporting that proposition.

This is how you use strategy to dominate your market. This is how you define value in terms that matter to those you are trying to attract.

Below are seven ways to think about defining and refining your core value proposition.

7 Competition Crushing Value Propositions : Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →