Book Description

PRAISE FOR ACHIEVING BUSINESS VALUE FROM TECHNOLOGY

"Clearly, IT investments have never before played such a critical part in business growth. The book addresses the weakness existing in most management systems involving the lack of a systematic process to realize the economic benefits of the IT investment and provides a clear A-Z methodology for business to bridge this gap. This book is clearly written for all levels and backgrounds in business management and is a must-do for those whose business involves IT, is considering IT, or would like to significantly tailor IT investments for their economic advantage."
–Professor Richard P. Wool, University of Delaware
President and CEO, Cara Plastics Inc.

"Tony Murphy addresses the difficult question of the value of IT investments head on. He translates an elegant theory into effective practice. The case studies in the book effectively reinforce his key messages."
–Dr. Dermot Moynihan
Senior Vice President, World Wide Chemical Development, GlaxoSmithKline

"This book is the answer to most CIOs’ need for a well-structured, pragmatic, and easily implemented set of tools and practices designed to answer the universal problem of managing and measuring IT’s contribution to the business. Tony Murphy’s unique blend of practical experience, industry best practice, and excellent communication skills provides the reader with a valuable–and highly readable–guide on how best to achieve that elusive objective of reliably realizing the business benefits of IT investments."
–Michael Rice
Group Director of IT, Kerry Group plc

"At Oxfam we are one year into a three-year IT strategy based on the principles Tony Murphy lays out in this book, and there is a real, positive difference in how IT is perceived, and in its real strategic position within the organization. If you have ever wondered just how you can gain strategic alignment for your IT function, and then how to make the practical link to IT investment for the organization, Tony has provided a framework that joins them both."
–Simon Jennings
Head of Information Systems, Oxfam GB ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Clear modern thinking about Business Value
Clearly written, this book debunks some myths and sets a modern path towards pursuit of business value. We need plain talking books that bridge the business/IT divide and tell it the way it is.

Great reading and immediately useful.

Well written, well organized, very practical
I was leary when I saw the words "practical guide" in the title as I find that the phrase is often far from the truth. I guess I was in a gambling mood because I took a shot and found that this is a rare case where the advice here is actually implementable. The book includes detailed case studies, very specific advice on appropriate measures or "pillars" as the author calls them of IT project value, and lists of sample questions and metrics for each pillar.

All in all this is a very useful book for justifying IT projects particularly in today's environment when your pal the CFO is squeezing every penny trying to get blood out. ... Read more

Book Description

Why we are on the cusp of a new economic era that will make the changes and challenges of the Information Era seem like child’s play

From the bestselling authors of Blur—a defining book of the Information Age—comes a startling glimpse into the near future and the emerging economy that awaits us. It’s Alive foretells the jolt the world is about to receive as the science of molecular evolution races out of the laboratories and into the business world.

Think back to the early 1970s. Imagine the opportunities for your business, career choice, and investments had you received an advance report on the ways in which computer and information technology would revolutionize the world. It’s Alive provides that opportunity today: a realistic and persuasive look into the future—the molecular economy—and how it is starting to overtake and reshape the Information Age. Today’s gene mapping and molecular engineering are equivalent to the introduction of transistor radios at the advent of the information economy. Solid-state technology moved from the labs into the business arena, providing in turn the transistor, the microprocessor, and the modem—and the information business. During the next ten years, molecular technology will follow the same pattern, moving from the lab and into the basic operation of the corporation itself.

Chris Meyer and Stan Davis are our guides in understanding this new future. They show that not only biological systems evolve. The rules of evolution help explain the process of change in biology, business, and the economy, thereby providing a management guide to the business world around the corner.

It’s Alive is not science fiction or futurism. It bases its insights and predictions on the impact the molecular economy is already having in such diverse business environments as manufacturing, financial services, and energy. Through in-depth case studies of Capital One Financial, the U.S. Marine Corps, British Petroleum, and the biotech firm Maxygen, Meyer and Davis show how adaptive behavior works in the real world. As the rules of evolution combine with the connected economy, our business world will become unpredictable, volatile, and continually adaptive—in other words, alive.

Also available as an eBook. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Packed with Knowledge!
Running a business these days feels like going on a blind date with the future. Most efforts to understand what lies ahead take on a rather breathless quality, lapsing into technobabble as they struggle to avoid the future's central truth: unknowability is its essence. Marshall McLuhan once observed that anticipating the future is like steering an automobile by looking into your rearview mirror. Yes, seeing where you've been does give you some idea of where you're going...but not much. That said, We strongly recommends this look into the crystal ball of technology. It's a clear improvement over most works of the future-shock genre. Soundly rooted in practical business applications, and presenting surprising examples and possibilities without resorting to mind-numbing jargon, this book will prove very useful to anyone savvy enough to realize that just improving your business is no longer enough.

A Look at the Future from the Laboratories of Today
It's Alive has an unusual perspective. The authors argue that the valuable innovations of the next ten years are being developed in the research laboratories and advanced developments of organizations and companies today. The template is looking backward at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center in 1971 as a way to have gotten a preview of today's computer-connected society.

The book will primarily appeal to those with an interest in applying complexity science and biological analogies through information technology to large organizations. Most of the applications here require tens of millions of dollars to do. So for those in small organizations, the examples will seem out-of-reach.

The main advantage of this book over similar books is that it has more and more contemporary examples and a further development of its concepts than the predecessors that I have read.

From looking at technological developments that are available now and those that are in process, Christopher Meyer and Stan Davis see the maturing of the information technology revolution occurring at the same time as the commercialization of various "molecular" technologies (such as nanotechnology, biotechnology and materials science). Because the two fields operate conceptually in similar ways, the authors point to a convergence that has begun between the two fields that will probably grow in the future. They also draw key lessons from the way that evolutionary biology operates to prescribe for business organizations in the future.

Here's the book's structure:

Introduction

Part I The Next Ten Years
Chapter 1 Economic Evolution: Learning from Life Cycles

Part II Code Is Code
Chapter 2 General Evolution: Learning from Nature
Chapter 3 Biology and the World of the Molecule
Chapter 4 Information and the World of Bits

Part III The Adaptive Enterprise
Chapter 5 Adaptive Management
Chapter 6 Seed, Select, and Amplify at Capital One
Chapter 7 Breeding Early and Often at the U.S. Marine Corps
Chapter 8 Creating the Capacity to Respond at BP
Chapter 9 Born Adaptive at Maxygen
Chapter 10 Becoming an Adaptive Enterprise

Part IV Convergence
Chapter 11 The Adjacent Possible

To me, the most interesting parts of the book involved advanced experiments and applications of technology to solve problems. Most of these I had not read about before. For the most part, these are written in ways that a lay person can easily follow.

The organizational examples were helpful to applying the concepts of an adaptive enterprise. Apply the six memes (gene-like qualities of ideas) for managing:

Self-organize; recombine; sense and respond; learn and adapt; seed, select, and amplify; destabilize.

Of the organizational examples, I found the Capital One and Maxygen examples the easiest to understand. The BP and U.S. Marine Corps examples seemed a little sketchy.

My favorite example in the entire book was of artist Eduardo Kac turning Genesis 1:28 into Morse code and translating the results into a DNA sequence. He then had the sequence inserted into live bacteria, and displayed the bacteria publicly where viewers could zap the bacteria with UV to create potential mutations. Now, that's technological convergence!

The book ends with some speculation about new applications of convergent technologies such as matter compilers, personal hospitals, universal individual lifelong mentors, experience machines and social-science stimulators.

Don't let the book's conceptual structure scare you off. Underneath the new definitions and concepts, there's a lot of common sense that most will agree with: Get experience fast; learn from your experience; keep it simple; be agile; get to the most valuable places first with the most; and communicate in all directions.

After you've finished reading the book, I suggest you think about how the book's principles could be accomplished on a shoe-string by an organization that you know well. In that way, you will play a valuable role in being a commercializer of advanced laboratory results.

It's Alive and Well
This is an original work that provides rich detail about why and how companies must adapt. As a college professor, working on an article about contingency marketing, I found "It's Alive" to have numerous insights and examples that will greatly help my work, if not my teaching. While many of the concepts are abstract, the authors almost always manage to make their points effectively and realistically. I enjoyed reading this book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Although mailing lists are hardly one of the more glamorous aspects of Internet communications, they remain one of the most useful, effective, and popular methods for group discussions. Many organizations and businesses use them to keep in touch with members and customers. But while mailing lists are simple to use, they can be confusing for newcomers to run.

This comprehensive guide is for anyone who wants to run or manage a mailing list, including the busy system administrator who needs to ensure that user-owned mailing lists run as trouble-free as possible. Schwartz concentrates on Unix systems and software because they are well proven, stable, and free (plus, most mailing lists are based in Unix systems). Discussions of Unix systems and commands can be dry, but Schwartz is thoughtful enough to interject some humorous examples. He covers the technicalities of list operation, including the selection and use of all the leading software. He also goes into the pros and cons of the various strategic questions that list managers must face, such as whether or not a list should be moderated or whether or not to allow nonsubscribers to post to a list. This book will save any new list manager a great deal of time and trouble. -- Elizabeth Lewis ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not a lot of help
I wouldn't recommend this book to anybody trying to set up a mailing list. This would be more appropriate in the hands of some manager who just wants a quick rundown on how e-mail works and then hire someone to set up a mailing list for him/her.

Through all the pages of the text, this book didn't provide any useful information on setting up mailing lists. The author is vague and never focuses on any mailing list manager program, instead he just gives little facts on all different ones. One cannot possibly set up a mailing list from the info in this book.

Often the book would raise questions and leave them unanswered. He would describe certain problems with mailing lists (i.e. malicious attacks, susceptibility to human errors), but it was up to you and a lot of web surfing to find out how to solve these problems.

Not the kind of text I would expect O'Reilly to print.

Essential for Majordomo list administrators
I don't know about the other MLMs described in this book, but if you must administer a Majordomo mailing list, this book is essential. You should also subscribe to the majordomo users list and the list moderator's list (if that applies to you) at GreatCircle.com too, but for having the information you need about how to set up the config files and the users etc for generating digests and so on, this book is quite useful. However, it has some shortcomings - not much information about setting up web archives, or dealing with MIME, etc. And there is nothing at all about Mailman, the other heavyweight mailing list manager. Perhaps an update is due that covers Mailman?

Quite useful!
I bought this book because I needed to familiarize myself with ListProc, Listserve and Majordomo, all 3 of which are used at my University. I got just what I needed. This book covers everything you need to know about these, plus it has some extras which help round out the book. I became convinced that SmartList was useful for my home system, and have installed it, and I also enjoyed some of the articles posted in the book.

My only coplaint about this book was the lack of clarity regarding email headers (which came up pretty often throughout). I supposed I should have read the intro chapter more closely. Still, it really wasn't hard to follow along the book. I enjoyed this book much and can't wait to see the Second Edition. :)

Somewhat narrow
I really hate to give what is a basically negative review to ANY O'Reilly book. However, the focus of this volume -- entirely on four free UNIX mailing list packages -- falls short in two ways: 1. With the exception of LISTSERV, it totally neglects the commercial sphere of mailing list software. Not liking commercial packages is okay; pretending they don't exist, or that there might not be excellent reasons to use one is not. I run two mid-size lists for a non-profit on a commercial web-based service (Onelist, recently become E-list) and felt the omission of this option (even if I do pay for these by including their ads) would be a disservice for anyone just getting started with mailing lists. Just as there are plenty of users for whom Windows is just fine (Linux is not for everyone -- yet), not everyone who runs mailing lists needs to use UNIX freeware. 2. I would like to have seen some sample FAQs. In my experience, running a mailing list is NOT a technical problem, it is a people problem. There is too little in the book addressing that aspect. If you are a sysadmin or ISP deciding which mailing list software you need to provide for free, and how to install it, this is the book for you.

Great book -- several typos -- indispensible info
I needed to get a listserver up and running in two weeks... I knew perl and linux... O'Reilly came to the rescue.

Managing Mailing Lists helped me choose the right MLM, install it, and configure it with little to no hassle. I would like to have seen the book focus on majordomo solely, since the others probably have software manuals and are supported by their vendors. But the info was adequate, and the other chapters on LISTSERV, ListProc, and SmartList helped thicken the book up so that it fits nicely on my O'Reilly bookshelf..

The book had quite a few typos, some contradictions, and even some misprints that downright hosed up performance and functionality. But once I got through the installation, I was able to go back and easily spot the errors, as the book does a good job explaining the what's and why's of its code. (if the editor reads this, please contact me for a list of corrections for the next edition)

As far as I know it's the only book on majordomo. With a step by step approach (a simple method I wish more books would follow these days) and great hints and tips (BTW, excellent loop-check script incl.) this book gets a 4/5 from me. Typos on critical info/code knocks a point. Second ed. should remedy that... *-) ... Read more

Book Description

How do firms like Hewlett-Packard, DuPont, Dow Chemical, IBM, and Texas Instruments routinely convert the ideas of their employees into profits that sustain the corporation?

How can buyers and sellers calculate the assets of the acquired firm in a merger or acquisition?

How can an organization affect the firm's stock price using the leverage of intellectual assets?

Identifying a firm's assets, especially its intellectual assets-the proprietary knowledge expressed as a recipe, formula, trade secret, invention, program, or process-has become critical to a company's overall vision and strategic plan and essential in such transactions as stock offerings or mergers. In the era of the knowledge-based company, where the firm's genius and future lies in its ideas, a firm's collective know-how has become a measurable commodity-and as much a part of its bottom line as the condition of its cash investments, plant, and equipment. Extracting and measuring the real value of knowledge is essential for any corporate head who knows how high the stakes have become for corporate survival in the information age-where the innovative idea is as good as, if not better than, gold! Value-Driven Intellectual Capital is a corporate and financial executives' handbook to the new world of intangible assets-what they are and how to convert them into cash or strategic position. Written by one of the seminal thinkers in the field, and the key organizer of the ICM Gathering, a group of leading-edge knowledge-based companies, Value-Driven Intellectual Capital explains the new, boundary-expanding world of intellectual assets-where translating an innovative idea into bottom-line profits involves a tightly focused strategy with clear directives for making it happen. A blueprint for turning corporate knowledge, know-how, and intellectual property into a sustainable competitive weapon that will build a firm's reputation and market share, this practical, insightful book outlines:
* Basic concepts underlying IC (intellectual capital) and corporate value creation
* The linkage between IC, business strategy, and profits
* The different kinds of value-including qualitative and quantitative -firms realize from their IC
* Activities required to produce the value firms desire from their IC
* Methods for calculating the dollar value of companies-for market capitalization and mergers or acquisitions
* An economic model of an IC company

The book's appendix is a valuable distillation for corporate and financial executives, managers, researchers, and analysts of IC's basic working concepts and definitions, including the principles underlying value creation and value extraction, the concepts and strategies used by successful companies, the sources of value for knowledge companies, and the mechanisms used to convert that value into real profits. And since it is managerial talent that turns intellectual property into business assets, the book provides an arsenal of key concepts, methods, and processes for aligning with and using intellectual property as an active element of a firm's business strategies. It concludes with a discussion of how value is extracted from human capital, focusing on its elusive magnetic core: creativity and productivity. In an era in which firms are increasingly accountable to shareholders and success is judged solely by stock price, knowing how to measure and extract the value of a firm's intellectual assets has become one of the most critical and essential skills needed by CEOs today. Reflecting the most innovative thinking from some of the most sophisticated firms in the world, Sullivan's Value-Driven Intellectual Capital is a manifesto, a clarion call to excellence for any corporate or financial executive, merger and acquisition partner or investor who understands how much future corporate survival and success depends on the simple enduring genius of a good idea and the need to convert those ideas into corporate value.

Visit our Web site at: www.wiley.com/ ... Read more

Reviews (10)

An Excellent Teaching Tool within the Corporate Setting
An important story to tell. Pat's new book is both an eye catcher and recipe for success. "Value Driven" takes the subject matter out the hypothetical and moves it into the real world where the bottom line counts. This is definitely suggested reading for any business manager charged with the responsibility extracting maximum value from the firms intellectual assets or more broadly, intellectual capital.

Written in a down-to-earth fashion, this is the first book of its kind to outline a roll-up-the-sleeves systematic approach to choosing the best options to leverage the firm's intangibles. Dr. Sullivan draws from his own experience as a leading consultant on the subject as well as that of companies who are recognized leaders in intellectual asset management.

As a practitioner, I will use this book within my own firm to help guide our business leaders as they wrestle with how to better manage their IA portfolios in order to achieve maximum shareholder value. A daunting task viewed by many, managing intangibles is made workable, providing a disciplined and systematic approach is adopted as Sullivan describes in his book.

Outstanding and thought provoking
I found this book to be extremely valuable in thinking about intangible assets in a new light. The use of charts and diagrams was especially helpful for me to grasp the value extraction concepts. This book will be valuable for anyone trying to realize value from the intellectual capital within their organization.

Non-Quantitiative & of Limited Value
For individuals actually interested in quantitative measurements of intellectual property value, this book is largely a waste of time. The text is full of a lot of business school "value creation" idealism and has little practical value in my opinion. Indeed, for those really interested in valuing intellectual property and intangible assets, see the associated book by Gordon V. Smith and Russell L. Parr. This text has everything you are looking for and this book is unnecessary.

Good quick Introduction
This book has its good points and its bad points. The good thing is that it is very well written, concise and easy to read. It brings important points to light and is a good start at dealing with a large complex issue. The bad aspect is that the book tends to rely on the experience of the author in developing the models that are at the heart of the book, rather on validated and tested truths.

A good place to start....

An invaluable introduction to IC Management
"In 1999, CEO Magazine and Arthur Andersen hosted a roundtable luncheon for CEOs interested in discussing intellectual capital (IC) and its impact on the firm as we know it. The luncheon drew 17 CEOs representing both manufacturing and service industry companies. All were intrigued by the potential hidden value that the intellectual capital perspective suggests lies untapped within their businesses, but none knew what kinds of value they could obtain from their company's intangible assets or how they might go about it. They just knew that there was hidden value in their companies and that it was somehow wrapped up in the thoughts, skills, innovations, and abilities of their employees. They wanted to learn more about this value: how to harness it, direct it, and extract value from it. This book is written for those CEOs and for anyone else who wants to know how to extract the hidden value that resides within the firm's intellectual capital. As of this writing dozens of firms actively engage in extracting value from their IC. The people directing the activities for these firms have formed a community (called the ICM Gathering) to share their ideas and success stories. With the expectation of a very few proprietary bits of information that could be useful to competitors, these firms are willing to share their knowledge, and this book draws heavily on their experiences. The purpose of this book is to help businesses profit from one of their most important assets, their intellectual capital" (from the Introduction pp.3-4).

In this context, Patrick H. Sullivan divides his book into three major parts as follows:

I. The Relationship Between Intellectual Capital and Corporate Value (Chapters 1-4). In this part, he basically:

* defines and discusses intellectual capital and its importance, and outlines some of the basic concepts underlying corporate value.

* describes a three-dimensional IC framework that reveals the IC aspect of the firm, and outlines the four key elements of the IC framework.

* discusses the kinds of value that intellectual capital provides to the firm, including direct and indirect, offensive and defensive, and internal and external value.

* discusses the ways managers may determine which activities are required to produce the firm's anticipated IC value.

II. Valuing Knowledge Companies (Chapters 5-7). In this part, he basically:

* discusses the concepts that underlie determining the amount of value that intellectual capital has for an organization.

* discusses the quantitative value of knowledge companies in two different kinds of situations: the value as a going concern (the stock market value), and the value in a merger or acquisition scenario.

* discusses the following questions: When determining how much to pay for a knowledge company being acquired, how does the potential purchaser make the calculation? Is the frame of reference an accounting or financial one? Or is it an intellectual capital one?

III. Managing Intellectual Capital (Chapters 8-12). In this part, he basically:

* describes the key elements involved in extracting value from intellectual property, including key decisions and decision-making processes, including who is involved, what information is needed by the decision-makers, what work processes are necessary to provide this information, what databases are needed to store the information, and how each decision will be implemented.

* discusses the similarities and the differences between intellectual property and intellectual asset and the implications this has for the intellectual capital management process.

* describes the relationship between knowledge, knowledge types, and intellectual capital, and introduces the relationship between knowledge and profits, the concept of value creation and value extraction.

* discusses management of the firm's core human capital and how they may be best employed.

* identifies the steps required of companies that want to implement and intellectual capital management capability.

In addition to these three parts, to reinforce the reader's knowledge, he discusses basic intelectual capital management (ICM) concepts and definitions, and provides a brief overview of the evolution of ICM as a working discipline in the appendix.

I highly recommend this invaluable study to all executives and HR practitioners. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Primer for Disaster Recovery Planning
reader who want to start their DRP, and do not know where to start with, this is the book that you can kick off with your DRP meeting with this guide. A good book that you can trust and work around with your IT DR on this subject.

Case studies, project timelines, statistics, organisastion charts of a DRP, and some questionairs and forms help readers to quickly have all these information in your finger tips.

As a planner, I find it very useful too. It also act as a check lists of your current planning and be sure to cover as many area as possible. The Appendix is very useful that provide flowcharts, charts, diagrams, forms, questionair, procedures and more.

A book that should not be miss.

Disaster Recovery Planning
As an IT Manager for a mid-sized (140 emp) company, I found the primer to be extremely helpful as a starting point for planning. Hiatt clearly explains the nature of risk and planning. Statistics are lengthy but drive the point home. Most importantly, she reveals that DRP isn't only about IT.

If you are an IT person in charge of starting the process, this is an excellent primer that points out all the other areas you have to consider. Hiatt outlines in 100 pages all the elements of research, planning, implementation, and maintenance. She reveals who should be involved in the process and what type of people should maintain the accuracy and currency of the plan. She even gives criteria on how to choose your team. Hiatt references many times throughout the manual when/how/if to use an outside consultant and off-site storage facilities. The following 150+ pages of vendor listings, charts and appendices are extremely helpful. She doesn't just write about planning, but gives you the checklists, plans, and questionnaires to help you get started. It will be much easier for me to use some of her lists and customize for our needs instead of having to write it all from scratch. Plus, she gives a thorough objective listing of vendors which saves me from searching the Internet. As Hiatt recommends, I will continue to research but, her primer will be my main reference. I can now get started without buying expensive software.

Review for A Primer For Disaster Recovery Planning In An IT
The book has very little meat to it, although it has 200pg it ends on page 100 and gives you a bibliography. It does not go deeply into how to develop a disaster recovery plan. The second half of the book pretains to irrelevant information. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Gene therapy, electronic commerce, intelligent sensors, digital imaging, micromachines, superconductivity, and other emerging technologies have the potential to remake entire industries and obsolete established strategies," write George S. Day and Paul J.H. Schoemaker in the opening to Wharton on Managing Emerging Technologies. Their book is a comprehensive look at the high-tech future facing existing firms and the ways they must weigh and accommodate its impacts in order to compete in the future. Based on six years of research with Charles Schwab, Amazon.com, and other techno pioneers, Day and Schoemaker present "insights, tools, and frameworks" developed by Wharton's Emerging Technologies Management Research Program for managers who want guidance in this fluid, new arena.For example, in demonstrating how the upstart PalmPilot solidly captured its market despite established competition, they identify the traps that stymied rival products from Apple, IBM, Sony, and Microsoft as "delayed participation, sticking with the familiar, reluctance to fully commit, and lack of persistence." They then detail solutions that, in this case, are characterized as "widening peripheral vision, creating a learning culture, staying flexible in strategic ways, and providing organization autonomy." Other similarly specific yet universal sections address public policy, financing, and alliances. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (3)

It's a tremendous book. Very much applied to real life.
It's a tremendous book about emerging technologies which many medium to large companies and executives have to tackle with in this new era. Although the book has been written by a group of academics it's very much applied to real life cases and companies. Even the first two chapters of the book can be sold seperate as an executive summary for the subject.Mr.Hakan Eminsoy hakan.eminsoy@fibabank.com.tr from Istanbul , Turkey

Great Stuff !
I bought this book on the advice from a friend and was pleasantly surprised. As a founder/CEO of a rapidly growing fiber optic business (where today's Intellectual Property can become tomorrow's dogfood) , I found the book to be a great combination of well-researched information and street-smart insights. A great companion for developing pre-emptive strategies in a technology driven economy.

A "Must Have" Handbook
This book covers all the bases including human resource planning, financing, managing markets and the all important role of assessing the technologies. A "Must Have" text for anyone chartered with the task of managing the chaotic and fast paced world of emerging technologies.

This book is extreemely well organized and carries the reader through the entire management process. It reinforced and validated many aspects of managing this type of technology that were I personally had to learn by trial and error. Likewise, it provided new alternatives and other key learnings that made reading the book a worthwhile experience. It provides an alternate and improved framework for evaluating this new type of technology, while exposing the pitfalls of applying traditional evaluation techniques. ... Read more

Book Description

A revision of the bestselling book that shows IT departments how to take on new challenges
As technology becomes more mainstream and accessible, companies must develop new ways to use their IT resources in order to compete. In this extensive revision, IT expert Bernard Boar provides a methodology that shows readers how to use IT as a competitive business asset. He tackles the latest challenges facing IT departments over the next several years, including how to devise a complete strategy to make the department more effective and how to choose the best strategy framework for a company. Boar also shows how technologies like e-commerce, data warehousing, architectures, and Java can be used to make a business more competitive. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A very good attempt to intewave IT startegy to Business
In my 23 years of experience of working in IT, I would say that this is the first book on IT strategy that attempts to make IT a PART of startegic intent of the business.

No doubt, the book is hard to read and comprehend, but the effort is worth it.

I would have given it an higher rating but for the fact that practical examples is missing which would have made the book more complete.

Wordy hogwash
An inane pill to swallow. The book says little in its 341 pages. I'll never get that time back.

Wordy Hogwash
This was an inane pill to swallow. The book says little at all in its 341 pages. I'll never get that time back.

Too theoritical and far too convoluted
This book uses convoluted methods to explain strategic planning. It is all theory without any examples of how to use the author's methods (probably because even he couldn't figure them out!). Avoid it like the plague, if you can. Unfortunately, it's required reading for a textbook for some IT strategic planning classes. ... Read more

Book Description

Written by leading industry experts, the Data Management Handbook is a comprehensive, single-volume guide to the most innovative ideas on how to plan, develop, and run a powerful data management function - as well as handle day-to-day operations. The book provides practical, hands-on guidance on the strategic, tactical, and technical aspects of data management, offering an inside look at how leading companies in various industries meet the challenges of moving to a data-sharing environment. ... Read more

Book Description

All companies rely on e-mail as a critical business tool, but few have considered the policies and systems necessary to safeguard their interests. Important information including transaction details, trade secrets, and confidential documents contained within messages are business assets with serious legal and financial implications. If an organization is to be safe, it needs a practical system for handling everything that comes into-and leaves-its computers. A toolkit forprotecting any company's electronic capital, E-Mail Rules shows how to:

* Use technology, policy, and employee training to minimize the loss of data * Create enterprise-wide retention rules for the saving and disposal of messages * Gain control of transmission and ensure a secure electronic environment * Develop strategies for related technologies like instant messaging, list serves, and online chat

E-Mail Rules shows readers how to maximize the effectiveness of their organizations' e-mail systems, and put an end to lost or compromised information. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Book
Nancy Flynn is brilliant. Love this book! I also heard she's speaking at two conferences. I'm going to Enterprise Messaging Decisions in Chicago in early May. I think the url is enterprisemessagingdecisions.com. She's also speaking at another conference in June in San Fran. Maybe I'll go to both!

It Will Pay for Itself a Hundred Times Over
This book covers it all. From email etiquette to how to protect yourself in case of a law suit. Email is a major part of any business --- large and small. And if you're not prepared to handle it; if you don't know how to use it, what to save and what to get rid of, you're going to end out in one big mess.

This book can save you a lot of time and money by telling you how to deal with spam, what sort of policies to implement in your company or business, what email etiquette is all about and many other topics.

This is a book you should have and use no matter how large or small your business is.

Susanna K. Hutcheson
Executive Copy Director and Owner
Powerwriting.com LLC ... Read more

Book Description

Effectively aligning and using information technology to achieve business objectives is difficult because it requires many elements to be implemented properly.More than 60 business leaders and university faculty members have collaborated to bring together insights from a broad spectrum of disciplines covering the strategic, financial, organizational and technological issues that need to be considered for the successful design and implementation of business driven information technology solutions.This information is conveyed in clearly written, concise answers to 100 questions that every manager needs to know in order to use information technology effectively.Business professional will value the book because it covers a range of important areas that few know completely.University students will find the book a valuable source of necessary information for technology and management course.Rarely is so much diverse expertise brought together and focused in a single book. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Practical Advice
As good as the book is the examples and reference material for further detail is even better.I just finished reading an article by Eric Goldfarb who is a CIO at:

http://www.cio.com/archive/071500_re.html

His work is in the book along with the URL.More detail like this shows the terrific value of both the academic and practical nature of this book.

Incredible! It?s Written in English
This is one of the best (if not the best) books in this field. The answers are obviously written by experts in their areas, yet they managed to convey the ideas in a simple easy to understand manner. I think this is an excellent book for both people that have an IT background as well as for the general public! ... Read more

Book Description

Arms IT professionals with a complete blueprint for developing successful Web hosting strategies
Written by a consultant who helped develop the Web hosting strategies at many of today's top e-commerce vendors, this book fills in IT professionals on the full range of services available. The book provides decision-makers with criteria checklists and other useful tools they need for determining what they need, why they need it, how to find it, and how to evaluate and manage it. Doug Kaye provides a clear, complete roadmap for building an effective Web hosting strategy, and offers practical advice and answers to critical questions. The book covers important topics, including the real cost of bandwidth, domain name services, shared versus dedicated servers, backup and recovery, service-level agreements, security, negotiating with and managing vendors, and hardware maintenance and support.
Companion Web site includes links to Web hosting directories, tools for evaluating hosting services, and online articles and white papers. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

WOW ! Get this book!
Don't listen to the guy who rated this book 2 out of 5 stars. He bought the book for the wrong reasons. If you are looking to learn what it takes to get a company to host your web site(s), this is the book for you. If you don't truly understand what it takes to set up a large web site, this book is a MUST read!

Doug covers everything. The first half of the book is about the different types of web hosts (shared, dedicated, co-location), and managed service providers (the people who can help you with whatever you might need to get done.) He tells you everything about the relationships between the managed service providers and the web hosts that you would have never known otherwise. He practically holds your hand and gives advice as to how you should select your hosting solution.

The second half of the book is where I truly believe the book really shines. Doug gets into Service Level Agreements which is absolutely critical when selecting a web host. He then talks about traffic models and how you should evaluate your site based on its projected traffic, bandwidth and so on. This is critical if you are planning a site, as it gives you a true sense for what's realistic, how many visitors translates into what types of servers and so forth.

Next Doug covers Web-Site Architectures and shows you the various models you will probably want to consider when initially setting up your site. He even goes into content caching, connectivity practices, storage, Backup and Recovery, Security and so forth.

I would have been lost and made so many mistakes without having read this book front to back. It is written well and is easy to understand!

I give this book an A+ as it is one of the top two technical books I've read. And don't take technical the wrong way. It is written in layman's terms, so anyone who feels comfortable with the Internet could pick this book up and understand exactly what Doug is talking about!

Great overview of the Hosting Industry and sourcing process.
As someone whom is very actively involved in the Internet and hosting industry, I have experienced first hand the difficulty in the Hosting Provider selection process, either as a consultant to clients or as an observer to an organization's dilemma. This book should prove to be a valuable resource for enterprises hoping to understand and navigate this complex industry and as well as prepare them for the some of the changes it is currently undergoing.

Any IT decision-maker whom is responsible for mapping out a web-hosting strategy would be well served to spend the time to read this well written book.

Although the focus of the book seems to be from that of a prospective client of a Hosting Provider, this book should also prove to valuable to those Hosting Providers, providing an external but otherwise legitimate insight into the industry and some of the areas where service providers could improve their service offerings.

A definite read, or at least a quick perusal, for those who are sourcing a Hosting Provider or hoping to better manage a current Hosting Provider relationship.

For Customers and Providers
Although the book's description states that it is intended for web hosting customers I found it to be invaluable for both customers and providers.

The first two chapters are clearly intended for hosting and services customers. They form an executive summary of what is to follow. Chapters 3 though 6 discuss various hosting and service options, While these, too, are written for prospective services customers I hope service providers will also take the time to read Mr. Kaye's assessment of service offerings. Where customers will get an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative, service providers will see themselves in a mirror. The providers that want to rise to the top will spot opportunities to differentiate their services.

In a similar manner, the chapters on outsourcing, risk management and SLAs are intended for customers. However, service providers will gain much from reading these chapters because Mr. Kaye points out the many shortcomings in ISP/MSP services and business practices. Aggressive service providers will address those issues to attain competitive advantage. Customers who read these chapters, on the other hand, will have powerful negotiating advantages.

While I am not sure that the ten chapters on technologies and tools fit within the book's theme I learned a lot from them. I'm an IT consultant, but my primary skills and knowledge are IT operations, service level management and process improvement. The information in the final ten chapters got me quickly up to speed in the web technical infrastructure and related tools, but I doubt that the business decision makers, to whom the first part of this book caters, will find them interesting.

Overall this book is a valuable resource to both customers and providers. The strongest part in my opinion addresses service level agreements and vendor management. It stands out for sorting out the complex array of outsourcing and service alternatives, thus supporting sound business decisions. The web site and discussion forum that supports this book (the URL is provided in the book) increase the value because the material will never be out of date and you can pose questions directly to the author.

Only customer-centric guide I've found
This book's stated goal is to explain how to select a web-hosting service or MSP and how to manage that relationship once your site is up and running. It meets that goal in every respect by providing the customer side of the equation with a wealth of factors to consider, and a clear explanation of the significance of those factors.

Although the book has five parts, it can be divided into two sections that will serve two different audiences. The first section, comprised of Parts I through III, is focused on vendor selection, the hosting strategy itself (shared or dedicated servers, colocation or managed service providers), contracts, risk management, service level agreements and traffic forecasting. This is the heart of the book, and the depth of Mr. Kaye's knowledge and experience is nothing short of amazing. If you pay close attention to his advice and the pitfalls he points out, particularly in The Dark Side of Outsourcing and Service Level Agreements, you will be well armed to make informed decisions that will almost certainly avert the plethora of potential disasters inherent in web hosting and managed services outsourcing.

The chapter on service level agreements is essential reading. This is one of my areas of specialty and I came away with insights I hadn't thought of. I especially liked his treatment of traffic models, which underscores why any web hosting initiative (in-house or outsourced) needs to be a joint effort by business and IT. The spreadsheets used in the case study are available for download from the author's site that supports the book.

Technical issues are covered in the second section of the book. Topics include architectures, caching and content delivery (an area in which the author is a world-class expert), and details about connectivity, storage, back-up and recovery and security. This part of the book is more slanted towards IT than the business reader. However, I recommend that the chapter on security be read by all because it touches upon issues of which both the business and technical reader needs to be aware. The last part of the book covers tools. Again, this material is for technical readers, although I thought the chapter on monitoring would also be of interest to the business members of the book's audience.

What sets this book apart is that it's the only one I've found that focuses on the topic from a customer's perspective. Moreover, there is no other book that covers the rocky landscape of outsourcing, vendor selection and management, and contract service level management. If you're considering web hosting or managed services then you need this book.

Well-written and easy to navigate
This is a well-written, no-nonsense book that gets right to the point. An excellent guidebook to building a web-hosting strategy. Lots of information with available updates. Gets to the point - ideal for executives and other IT decision-makers. ... Read more

Book Description

Professional Records and Information Management 2e provides an overview of the field of records and information management. The text identifies the skills that are applicable to the management of records in all fields, including those in specialized areas - medical, legal, financial, and archived records management, as well as records center and depository management and records management consulting. The text discusses employment and career opportunities as a records management professional and addresses legal and ethical issues in the records management field. The basics for both manual filing and electronic records management are addressed and reinforced through text and workbook practice set activities. The text includes a student CD-ROM containing Filing Rules Tutorial, a click-and-drag filing simulation, and templates for electronic activities in the textbook. ... Read more

Book Description

Exceptionally practical in approach, this volume prepares readers for the constantly changing demands of using information systems as managers in today's fast-paced organizations. It relates MIS to management, the organization and technology, focusing on the importance of integrating these elements; tracks emerging technologies and organizational trends; and provides examples taken from real businesses, both domestic and foreign.Managing the Digital Firm. Information Systems in the Enterprise. The Strategic Role of Information Systems in Organizations and Management. Electronic Commerce and Electronic Business. Managing Hardware and Software Assets. Managing Data Resources. Telecommunications and Networks. The Internet and the New Information Technology Infrastructure. Redesigning the Organization with Information Systems. Understanding the Business Value of Systems and Managing Change. Managing Knowledge. Enhancing Management Decision Making. Information System Security and Control. Ethical and Social Impact of Information Systems. International Case Studies.For business managers. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Essentials of Management Information Systems
This book is not just expensive, it contains enough misdirection and inaccuracy to make it difficult going. Add to this the extremely busy style and excesive use of graphics, and statements such as (paraphrase) "Look at the diagram at the beginning of each chapter for the answer to all your questions....."

These diagrams are almost incomprehensible and don't attempt to show a logical flow.

Very good introduction to Managing an Information System
This text book is a good starting place for managers to learn about information systems and how to implement them into their own companies. I bought this book for a class on information systems, and not only did I find the book very thorough, but the web site gives the readers a chance to understand what they read by providing outlines and brief quizzes. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about computer based information systems, or wants to stay up to date on current business practices.

book review
This book came to me in great condition and the sender sent it extremely fast. The sender was kind and considerate and ensured that I recieved the book. I am very happy with my purchase.

Very Good Book
The Book gives the best insight for Information systems and its application to the real world. I congratulate the authors for this. I am reading the B.Sc. in Business and Computing at the University of Malta and I have successfully done two assignments and two exams on informatuion systems. The Help I got from this book is great and it is like having the tutor at home.

Not recommended...
Did not like format of book and added-value from web-site is minimal. A study guide or comprehensive chapter outlines would be helpful - neither are available. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is intended for IT leaders tasked to manage multiple projects. It describes a set of industry-proven processes used to build an effective Program Management Office (PMO) function within a corporate IT setting. Every business that has people performing project management activities has a clear need for these processes. An organization may already have a PMO chartered with responsibility for each project managed in an enterprise. In those rare cases, this book will provide strong validation of their efforts or it will present new techniques and useful approaches that can further improve on their implementation of a PMO. ... Read more

Book Description

Step-by-step, Creating a Reusable Learning Objects Strategy shows how to create and implement a reusable learning objects (RLO) strategy that is flexible enough to accommodate your individual needs or use across a global organization. Creating a Reusable Learning Objects Strategy outlines the benefits and challenges of RLO and shows how to compare your current development process with one based on reusable learning objects. The book also helps evaluate the level of changes you will need to account for during the transition to RLO. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Expected more...
I expected more from this book - at least some concrete, document examples (verbage) on tailoring IT policies. Readers should look here for an overview but elsewhere for mor e detail.

Disappointed reader
I was not at all pleased once I received the book at the full purchase price. I was expecting more formal policies already written. The ones included in the book are very broad and most likely unuseful in their current format to most any business. I recommend that you get the book, but do not pay the full price for it. Find it used.

IT director
This book did a very good job filling in some gaps in my
knowledge of running an IT operation. This book is very
helpful for technical people who find themselves now having
to manage an IT department. Policies and procedures are very
important in making an IT shop run smoothly, and this book
will give you a head start in getting your shop in order. ... Read more

Book Description

Re-engineering or creating new business processes or organisational structures?

Need to identify IT solutions involving workflow, document management or Business Process Management systems?

Preparing process definitions intended for a Quality Management System?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you need a copy of Martyn Ould’s Business Process Management: a Rigorous Approach.

Businesses need to adapt constantly in order to remain competitive, but are often held back by static IT systems that aren't designed to change with the business. The challenge is to create systems that can. Business process management (BPM) is an important emerging technology that overcomes this problem. With the advent of the technology, new methods are required to exploit it effectively.

Riva is a pioneering method addressing the major emerging technology of Business Process Management that is business-focused. It is a method for designing, modelling, analysing and recording business processes. It is about modelling organisational behaviour in a way that is revealing and communicative, showing exactly what processes there are and how they interact. The architecture is derived from an understanding of what business the organisation is in, rather than its current structure or culture. Once the architecture is understood, it becomes apparent what is required from the IT systems supporting these processes.

The sorts of process models that Riva generates are designed to be of real practical use in a number of BPM situations, whether that’s the reengineering or re-design of business processes and operations in a radical change or for improvement in an incremental change or somewhere in-between.

The methods described in Business Process Management: a Rigorous Approach work on a business level, but they are IT orientated, making it essential reading for both IT people involved in understanding business processes as a first step in developing requirement for IT and BPM solutions, and for business-focused people involved in requirements definition, or engaged in process improvement or process design work.

Business Process Management: a Rigorous Approach is an in-depth practical guide divided up into two parts. The first builds up the theory, with lots of examples from real life, while the second puts the theory into action, showing use in process discovery and definition, diagnosis and improvement, design, support and enactment.

What makes this book different?

* With its roots in business theory, rather than software development, the Riva method has gained a reputation for addressing the business aspects of processes in a way that is accessible by the everyday user, whilst giving the analyst powerful tools for process understanding, diagnosis and design.

* Riva is a pioneering method addressing the major emerging technology of Business Process Management.

* Riva addresses current industry concerns over the quality of support given by IT systems to a business and the recognised need to be able to represent and think about business processes in a rigorous fashion.

* Concern about business processes has become more prevalent in the wake of increased interest in BPR, TQM (Total Quality Management) ISO 9001, and enabling technologies such as ERP and workflow management.Business Process Management: a Rigorous Approach can help. ... Read more

Book Description

Just as factory automation revolutionized manufacturing in the 20th Century, business process management (BPM) is poised to dramatically change the way 21st Century organizations conduct business and serve their customers. Although much has been written about the benefits of BPM, this is the first truly practical book that goes beyond the theory to provide an in-depth understanding of BPM and the way it changes the way organizations work.

BPM enables an organization to create automated "production lines" for processing information by leveraging modern software technology with the power and ubiquity of the Internet. Automated business processes enable the modern organization to reduce the time and cost for delivering information, goods and services to customers, while at the same time increasing accountability and metrics-driven performance improvements. Like a production line that effectively integrates workers and machines, BPM binds workers and line-of-business applications in a process that moves work at the speed of the modern network. It is essential for creating an agile organization capable of real-time response to business need.

Propelled by rapid advances in software technology, the pervasive growth of the Internet, and more recently, the rapid acceptance of Web Services, BPM is moving quickly to the business mainstream. It is therefore imperative for anyone concerned with improving productivity in a modern organization to understand the basic facts about this technology and how it is changing the way business is conducted.

This book is a practical guide to BPM. It devotes very little to the many benefits of BPM that have been amply covered by other authors, some of whom are cited in the bibliography. It is also not a book for software developers interested in the bits and bytes. Instead, it is devoted almost exclusively to the space where business meets technology. The goal is to educate the business people who are the ultimate beneficiaries of BPM. Unique to this book, readers who want to bring the concepts to life can request complimentary business process modeling and optimization software and examples for a hands-on BPM experience. ... Read more

Book Description

Business process innovation is on the minds of executives these days, and for good reason. In the 1990s, companies also had a focus on business processes. They used enterprise-wide networks to tear down walls between functional departments and reengineered their companies to remain competitive. Today, the universal connectivity of the Internet makes it possible to tear down walls between companies to reinvent entire value chains. The result? We are now witnessing a grand globalization of white collar work, outsourcing, offshoring and other new forms of extreme competition. Industry and nationalboundaries have become a blur. All is changed, and no industry is exempt. Pioneering companies have already disrupted incumbents and come from nowhere to dominate their industries. Their secret sauce? Business process management (BPM). This book brings together some of the best minds to explore the role and value of BPM, and what it portends. In its pages you will find the essential discussions and insights, straight from the thought leaders. In Search of BPM Excellence is for those who want to sustain the success of their businesses in the midst of the current sea of change. Is your company ready for extreme competition?___________________________________________________________

* Where do you go to gain insight into this thing called BPM?

* Why is business process management so important / how important is it?

* What should you be considering when making BPM Next Practice?

* How will you get there andmake sure you get where you want to go