Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »
Public Council Teleconference: Application Rationalization — Hidden Costs and Smart Decisions
November 17 at 11:00 am US/Eastern (GMT-5)
Join Honorio Padrón, of The Hackett Group, who will share the drivers for companies to tackle application rationalization and the results of research that define the hidden cost of complexity. Additionally, we will discuss key decision milestones—to start or not, holding the course steady and fulfilling expectations.
Virtual Desktop Cost-Benefit Analysis — Michael Jacobs, Catlin Group
The analysis contained in this presentation measures the cost of everything from the machines and licenses to the infrastructure for virtual vs. traditional desktop environments.
Honor your best senior team members - Apply for the CIO Ones to Watch Award
Get well-earned public recognition for your top up-and-coming team members, your IT organization and your enterprise. Award winners will be announced, publicized and feted in May 2010, great timing to help attract new IT recruits to your company.
Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »June 15, 2007 — CIO —
Needs change. For years my laptop carrier of choice was a now-unavailable Briggs & Riley backpack that had survived a decade of abuse and still didn't look much worse for the wear. Unfortunately, such durability has a downside. It left me stuck with a perfectly good computer bag in an unfortunate shade of bright blue that made me look like a balding third-grader on his way to grammar school.
The bag had other problems, too. While it was great for carrying a laptop and a sheaf of paperwork, it had precious few other pockets—just a pair of unpadded narrow slots on the sides and a back zippered section with spots for pens, business cards and maybe some spare change.
It was time for something new. Something with a more professional aura. Something with more space to hold the cables, cell phone, PDA, camera and other paraphernalia that have come to define my working life. Yet it still needed to hold paperwork. (The paperless office is nothing more than a 20-year-old cruel lie, after all.) And a shoulder strap; a nicely padded shoulder strap.
I started hunting at the local electronics, computer and luggage stores as well as online, but what I encountered was a mix of depressingly shoddy and unimaginative or outrageously expensive laptop bags.
While poking around the eBags.com website, however, I discovered their top-selling Firewall laptop brief. It seemed to have everything I was looking for, and users were raving about the thing. $69.95 and a few days later, I had my bag. And I (almost) couldn't be happier.
First, the downside: The interior is orange. Bright, blaze orange. Turn the bag inside out, put it on your head, and you' d be legally compliant for deer hunting in most states. If orange isn't your color, you'll be unhappy. That said, the orange makes it very easy to find things. Nothing gets lost against this bright hue the way it could against a darker background.
Another negative: The bag is a touch tippy. Based on comments on the eBags site, the amount of tippiness seems to depend on the size and shape of laptop you carry, but with my ThinkPad T42, the Firewall has a tendency to keel over slowly unless I lean it against something. A flip-down floor stiffener in the bag' s bottom apparently makes it less of a slouch than previous versions, but it' s still a bag that would rather be on its side. A problem? Not really, but it might annoy some people.