iVision

Are All Products Created Equal? Ask a Friend

2010-10-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like there are just too many choices in this world? Have we come to the point where there are several versions of like products that do the same thing - or do they? If you are like me, all too often the quest for a purchase can end up in the "no decision" category. Sales people hate this - but can you blame us buyers? With the plethora of endless options, how are we to determine what is what and what we need? In order to assist you in your next evaluation, I might suggest a few key guidelines on organizing your requirements. Sit down and be honest with yourself; what exactly is the problem you are trying to solve? Make a short list of options that solve that problem. Depend on references to help filter out the many options--whether it’s a friend, a colleague, or a reputable organization, references can be key to understanding the true reality of a potential purchase. Beware of marketing, a pretty slogan or fluff packaging. At the end of the day, the options may all look the same but when it comes to implementation and practical use, not all products are created equal!

Not All Products Are Created Equal

2010-09-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like there are just too many choices in this world? We have come to the point where there are several versions of similar products that all do the same thing - or do they? If you are anything like me, all too often the quest for a purchase can end up in the "no decision" category. Sales people hate this - but can you blame us buyers? With the plethora of endless options, how are we to determine what is what and what we need? In order to assist you in your next evaluation, I might suggest a few key guidelines on organizing your requirements. Sit down and be honest with yourself, what exactly is the problem you are trying to solve? Make a short list of options that solve that problem. Look to references to help filter out the many options; whether its a friend, a colleague, or a reputable organization, references can be key to understanding the true reality of a potential purchase. Beware of marketing! A pretty slogan or package is just that! At the end of the day the options may all look the same but when it comes to implementation and practical use, not all products are created equal!

My Information Is Not Just Another Policy Initiative

2010-05-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

To all of the IT Professionals out there who live and breath technology and the implementation of policies, do you ever stop to think about not just what you are doing but why? This past winter I was the victim of a "security mishap". In the rush to immunize our community against yet another flu pandemic, my local government did not follow security procedures and managed to lose the health records of over 40 thousand community members. Recently, a polite letter of apology was sent to me and my family explaining that our personal data was on a memory stick which a government employee dropped by accident in a parking lot - never to be found again. The fact that this happened aside, this data was not encrypted! As a community member who entrusts my personal information to others, I need to be able to trust the policies and procedures are in place to protect me from fraud and identity theft. As architects of policy and security solutions, you are vital to my personal security - security is not just another policy initiative to me, but a feeling and a right.

"Metadata, Is That What It's Called?"

2010-03-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

As I settled in Monday night for my weekly dose of "24", thoughts of work had long left my mind, replaced by wonderment of what the toughest guy I know, "Jack Bauer" that is, would do in the span of one hour. If you watched it, you too likely caught the tech term "metadata" dropped into "24" conversation. In that moment, it made me laugh.

I thought that terms like metadata were reserved for people in the "biz"--has it come to the point where metadata is a commonly used term or only by parole officers? I see I am not the only one who noticed. Check out Jim Ericson's blog of Information Management http://www.information-management.com/blogs/metadata_TV_24-10017450-1.html?ET=informationmgmt:e1422:2192651a:&st=email

Do you Practice Integration?

2010-02-05T12:01:00.000-08:00

As my day to day work centers on the development and delivery of integration software, I often focus on the technology of integration rather than the principle. And yes, the technology is what we do and how we help our customers solve their business problems, however it’s the principle of integration which really drives us. Not only the integration of information but the integration of people. The other day I participated in a meeting where it was mentioned that the IT department was working on a new reporting capability. On very little information as to what they were actually doing, I thought that perhaps I could offer assistance with the tools that my team develops (integration software). I randomly called people until I was pointed in the right direction. That led to a lengthy conversation where I not only found an internal customer who was in fact using our integration solution and loved it, but new insight and offers of assistance for requirements, testing, and promotion! As a result, we are now working on a joint project to both better our internal systems as well as educate new employees as to the power of our solutions. The end result was not a product of software but that of the integration of people. Good old fashion conversations – learning about new ideas, new capabilities, and new peers. Have you practiced integration today?

8 things to consider when decommissioning legacy data...

2010-01-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

A recent blog post from AIIM President, John Mancini called out to industry advocates to describe 8 things about some subject that you are passionate about. In an economy where we are still pinching the budget, I shared with John my thoughts on how to decommission legacy data into the corporate ECM Suite - saving on legacy maintenance while leveraging existing investments.
http://aiim.typepad.com/aiim_blog/2009/12/8-things-to-consider-when-decommissioning-legacy-data-to-your-ecm-suite.html

Integrate IT Departments - Evaluate Inventory & Communicate Changes

2009-11-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

I recently spoke with Processor.com, an online information site that offers insight into software trends, products, and services. The topic of conversation highlighted the realities of business restructuring with a corporate acquisition and the issues organizations face. One of those impacts is the nightmare of dealing with integrating IT inventories.

When an organization acquires another firm, and the boss charges you with integrating the IT departments. To add acid to a bitter pill, most of your systems are different from theirs. How prepared are you to deal with such issues as hardware, software, and personnel.

Here are few top tips for consideration

Build a small team of trusted, knowledgeable employees to assess systems in regard to which to keep and which to get rid of.

Include both business and IT input when making decisions.

Base tool choices on available skills, risk assessments, and vendor consolidation/management.

Make sure you communicate what you are doing and also why you are doing it.

Click here to check out the complete article.

Is it time to re-evaluate your legacy systems and investments?

2009-11-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Legacy systems usually have three things in common. They have grown far larger than envisioned, they are filled with inactive data, and they are expensive to maintain. With today’s economic pressures to reduce costs and lean the operation, many companies, therefore, are re-examining the existing corporate IT systems and infrastructure – reviewing each individual system to streamline the IT landscape, and archiving the information assets that are required for long term business, records management, and compliance needs. The dilemma becomes, what should you archive, how should you do it, and what best practices apply?

Aging IT - What's the Problem?

2009-10-15T11:07:00.001-07:00

Legacy systems are often maintained simply to reference historical information. This kind of compliance and discovery strategy is expensive and comes with a high total-cost-of-ownership (TCO). These systems can be difficult to maintain, often require senior resources which become distracted from strategic initiatives, and come with hefty software maintenance budgets. Additionally, these systems are typically susceptible to risks and problems associated with aging and become complex with decreasing knowledge about how to operate the application. The organization is at risk that the system won’t be supported as long as it is required to retain the data. But with compliance requirements, access to this information for audit and discovery is required. In order to balance legacy requirements with new technology landscapes, organizations are examining Legacy Decommissioning Solutions to maximize the value of their data while reducing the cost and overhead of maintaining a legacy system.

Are integration and information independent?

2009-09-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Do you need one in order to achieve the other. My sense is yes. Without a corporate integration strategy, can we really rely on accurate information that truly depicts the pulse of the business. Not likely. We can barely do it with an integration strategy. Come on enterprises - get moving! Too many large organizations are still not tackling even the simplest of application integrations and standardized business reporting for basic business analysis. How many of my customers live in New York, have product sku #436-0076, consistently renewed with us for the past 3 years AND generated revenues over $20K? Who were their Account Reps? Here's the catch, how many of these customers are in the pipline today?

How long does it take you to get this answer?

The Beginning of My "I" Obsession

2009-09-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Today I begin my blog. It was really just a matter of time before I began blogging to anyone that will read. Ask my parents, I always have an opinion, random fact or endless complaint about some issue or another - I might as well see what the masses think. I will try to limit my rants to topics of business and more specifically those of integrating information across the enterprise - however, I am sure once in a while I will let slip some local hot topics such as the incinerator being planned for a town nearby. My iVision will focus on topics I am interested in...Integration...Innovation... and Initiation. I realize that none of us have three eyes - but most of us need the extra.