What We’re Reading from the Nov. 1, 2010 Issue of CIO Magazine

Decide and Deliver

Five Steps to Breakthrough Performance in Your Organization

By Marcia W. Blenko, Michael C. Mankins and Paul Rogers

Poor decision making isn’t a personal problem, it’s a corporate liability. These three consultants pool their knowledge to share an organizationwide view of how to make good decisions quickly. They include tips for pinpointing where, exactly, things are getting held up and case studies from companies they say are doing things right, such as Ford and Intel. Harvard Business Review Press, $29.95

Management Strategies for the Cloud Revolution 

How Cloud Computing Is Transforming Business and Why You Can’t Afford to be Left Behind

By Charles Babcock

Book You’ve probably read dozens of articles about cloud computing—where it’s going, what it’s doing, who should use it, whether it’s really safe. It’s time to take a step back and try to gain a broader perspective. Babcock, an InformationWeek editor at large and a former editor at CIO sister publication Computerworld, covers it all, starting with what the cloud is and how it’s changing the way we handle data and do business. He then works through the differences between public, private and hybrid clouds, explains how IT will need to reorganize, gives tips for getting others on board, and warns of some security concerns. McGraw Hill, $27.95

Why New Systems Fail

An Insider’s Guide to Successful IT Products

By Phil Simon

Book Three-fifths of all IT projects miss deadlines, run over budget or just don’t deliver the way they were supposed to, says Simon, a tech consultant. To help you beat the odds, he identifies four types of failures and provides detailed explanations for avoiding them, illustrated by case studies. All types of systems are covered, from custom-built and off-the-shelf ERP systems to CRM software and internal tools. Cengage Learning, $24.99

Social Media and Business Insights

Helping make sense of all things ­business, technical and social media

By Mark Silver

BLOG About half of Silver’s blog is devoted to practical advice for corporate users of social media—how to build a trustworthy online presence, how to prepare for an interview, the potential costs of not using social media or of using it poorly. The other half is the Siemens Healthcare CIO’s thoughts on the issues you consider every day. He discusses, among other things, the difficulty of getting several internal systems working together smoothly, security, compliance and the increasingly strategic role of the CIO. https://markasilver.wordpress.com

The New Era of Enterprise Business Intelligence

Using Analytics to Achieve a Global Competitive Advantage

By Mike Biere

Book Set up like a textbook, with a summary at the end of each chapter, this book aims to teach you everything you need to know about business intelligence, from definitions to provisioning models, so you can get the most out of it. It also includes an end-user guide and checklists to help you stay on track. IBM Press, $44.99