Opinion

BlackBerry PlayBook, Smart Card Reader Get U.S. Gov Security Cert

Both RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and its BlackBerry Smart Card reader are now sanctioned for use within U.S. government federal agencies. The PlayBook is currently the first and only tablet to received the FIPS 140-2 certification.

A New Source of Value

Everywhere I look through my social networks this week, I see tweets and links to a recent piece by New York Times columnist and noted global thinker Thomas Friedman. Friedman’s column took the traditional career mindset to task in today’s era of spe

Microsoft’s Gamble: Metro UI as the New Face of Windows

The tile-based Metro user interface that runs on Windows Phones will soon be the look and feel of all devices in Microsoft’s ecosystem. Is this smart streamlining or a foolish consistency?

Keeping Current

Do you upgrade on a case-by-case basis because “it’s a business decision, not an engineering decision”? If so, you aren’t being businesslike at all.

The Tablet Revolution and Your Company

Over the past few weeks, numerous articles have been published citing the CFO’s increasingly influential role in IT. So, as I read an advance copy of Nathan Clevenger’s book iPad in the Enterprise, I realized it should be required reading for many fi

Pundits Were Right About Mobile Cybersecurity Risks

Industry pundits predicted escalating cybersecurity threats, and they were right.

What We’re Reading From the Aug. 1, 2011 Issue of CIO Magazine

Books, blogs and research about IT, management and leadership

New PlayBook Update But Still No @#$%! Native E-Mail, Android Player

RIM today released another OS update for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. But CIO.com’s Al Sacco is disappointed in RIM and its latest minor software enhancements. Here’s why.

Google News Badges: The Price Is Your Privacy

You can now earn badges just by reading Google News…but there’s a catch: You must allow Google to track your online activity. Is it worth it to you?

A Stronger, Not a Weaker, S.E.C.

It’s perfectly natural for Americans — whether Republicans or Democrats — to be concerned about government spending.

Cloud CIO: The Cost Advantage Controversy of Cloud Computing

There is an enormous amount of controversy about whether the capex or opex approach to cloud computing is less expensive. CIO.com’s Bernard Golden explores some possible outcomes of a shift from capex to opex and utilization risk.

Windows Phone 7: Well-Liked But Far from Popular

Despite miniscule market share and anemic sales, Windows Phone 7 beat Android in a mobile customer satisfaction survey. So why can’t Microsoft sell these things?

IT Failure: Some Ideas Deserve a Second Chance

The secret behind many innovations is trying until you succeed — a concept Iridium Communications knows a lot about. Here’s what you can learn from them and why your company should consider this important mantra.rnrn

Monster.com Brings Professional Social Networking to Facebook

BeKnown, a service from Monster.com, gives users a new space to connect with professionals and search for jobs, all from within Facebook.

Hands On Video: The Lenovo Thinkpad X1

Lenovo, the biggest name in business-class laptops, has gone on a diet and the result is the Thinkpad X1, its lightest and thinnest Thinkpad model ever and an ideal machine for the enterprise mobile workforce.

A Simple Strategy for Acing a Job Interview

If you want to ace a job interview, you need to get inside the hiring manager’s mind. Here’s how.

CIO Time Management at the Speed of Light

A big five list of where to invest your time. Not subjects that matter. Responsibilities that are essential.

RIM Patches New BES Security Flaw, Releases BES 5.0.3 MR3 Update

RIM this week issued new security and maintenance updates for many versions of its BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) software, and the company says BES administrators should update immediately to avoid potential security issues.

iPad, iPhone Content Creates Apple Stickiness

How much cash have you spent on iTunes and the App Store? You’re probably pretty invested, at least enough to keep you stuck on Apple.

RIM Has Six Months to Justify Joint CEO/Chairman Roles

RIM reportedly has until the end of January, 2012, to convince a handful of concerned shareholders that its current co-CEOs need to retain their co-chairmen titles for the better of the Canadian company, or face another investor-proposal that calls f

That’s What He Said: Ballmer on the State of Microsoft

Steve Ballmer’s WPC 2011 keynote turned into a lengthy state of the state of Microsoft, as he expounded on products like Skype, Windows Azure and Bing and how they will affect enterprises, partners and competitors. Here are some of Big Steve’s most q

Your IT staff should be as flexible as your technology

Google+ Tip: How to Cross-Post Updates to Facebook, Twitter

If your social networks are becoming too hard to handle, try this Google Chrome extension that lets you post to Twitter and Facebook from Google+.

Is UNIX dead?

Linux supporters have for years touted the benefits of Linux over UNIX, yet many in enterprise IT still lean on the trusted old operating system for some of the most business-critical workloads. Is that still the case? Read about the latest research

Virtualization: Bump Up Your Server Utilization for Big Enterprise IT Gains

Are you getting all the savings out of your virtualized servers that you expected? You may be surprised to learn that there’s much you can do to make your data center even more efficient.

Business Architects Are Overly Optimistic About Their Ability To Create Business Architecture

Forrester’s July 2011 State Of Business Architecture survey found that organizations are optimistic about the effort it takes to create a business architecture – overly optimistic.

Track Your Training

I strongly believe in training and development in the finance organization. Rules, regulations, technology, and competition change too rapidly for finance professionals to use yesterday’s knowledge for today’s world. One recent CFOworld article empha

Summer Camp for Enterprise IT: Bolster Your Team’s Skills

IT skills constantly need to be honed and grown to be ready for anything that happens inside a business. Are you making sure that your IT staff is staying up to speed? How about an ERP Boot Camp?

iPhone 5: Balancing Performance, Battery Life and Size

Will the iPhone 5 be faster? Smaller? Or both?

A Video Look at RIM’s BlackBerry Balance in Action

A recent video from RIM offers a firsthand look at the BES interface for the new BlackBerry Balance technology and shows what Balance looks like on users’ smartphones.