Highlights

Innovation Atrophy: How Companies Can Fight It

It's time for IT leaders to get their teams pumped up again about tech-powered innovation.

These days, information technology giveth.

Web-enabled mobile devices and applications are the biggest game changers since the PC. The cloud has redefined how we think about computing power and even the need for data centers. Big data analytics are a looming business opportunity. The Windows desktop is giving way to a variety of devices--tablets, smartphones, maybe even Google rent-a-Chromes, all working alongside conventional PCs and laptops. IT is being embedded in everything from cars to slot machines to handheld checkout devices in retail stores. read more »

Global CIO: A Framework For Developing Technical Leaders

The organizational challenges of getting the right people into these positions can be daunting. Part one of a two-part series.

No CIO can be successful without a competent technical staff. Even when system development and maintenance are outsourced, the CIO and his or her senior staff need the input of their own technical staff. But if most senior officers fail to develop high-potential directors and VPs, they do even less to develop senior technical leaders. read more »

Cloud Computing: ‘Hockey Stick’ Growth Ahead?

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has sent a message of late that Microsoft is "all in" when it comes to cloud computing. In an interview with InformationWeek editors, Ballmer made clear that this all-in cloud computing bet isn't merely a long-term, over-the-horizon play. The cloud growth--"hockey stick" growth, he said -- is taking off right now. And Ballmer makes a passionate case for how the investment Microsoft has made in cloud computing products and infrastructure over the last five years makes it different from rivals Google, Amazon, and Salesforce. read more »

Two-thirds of businesses plan to increase IT outsourcing this year

Half of businesses that outsource IT are considering using outsourcing services more than they were last year, according to the National Outsourcing Association (NOA).

A total of 60% of business intend to outsource services that are currently run in-house. The financial services sector is the most confident about using outsourcing. read more »

Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Top 10 Reasons Why Mobile Is #1

The mobile future has arrived. And if you think the changes it's causing so far have been crazy, just wait until later this year when it starts to really exert its influence. The big question: are you ready?

A few months ago, when we put together our Global CIO: The Top 10 CIO Issues For 2010 list, one of the 10 was "The Mobile Enterprise and the Mobile Mindset." And a column last month asked, "Global CIO: Will The Mobile Tipping Point Bury You?". read more »