News

CIO Salaries, Satisfaction, and Standing Rise

Results of a recent CIO survey conducted by executive search firm Harvey Nash show that CIOs are earning more money, expanding their responsibilities, and enjoying greater strategic standing and job satisfaction inside their companies.

By Meridith Levinson

May 11, 2011 4 mins

CIO Innovation Salaries

Microsoft-Skype Deal: Three Ways It Benefits Enterprises

Microsoft bought Skype to beef up its consumer products and keep Google at bay. However, the union will help enterprise users in less obvious ways as Skype becomes a key Microsoft weapon in "the consumerization of IT."

By Shane O'Neill

May 11, 2011 3 mins

Small and Medium Business Smartphones Social Networking Apps

Drenched By the Cloud

Thursday, April 21, is a day that Michael Downing, the CEO and CFO of social media start-up Tout, won't soon forget. In the wee hours of the morning, Downing learned a harsh lesson: cloud computing is not bulletproof.

By Sandra Gittlen

May 9, 2011 5 mins

Cloud Computing

BlackBerry PlayBook Apps: 8 Great Free Downloads

CIO.com's Mobile Maestro Al Sacco recommends another batch of quality BlackBerry PlayBook apps. Access your favorite social networks, quickly take notes, draw sketches and build scrapbooks, kill time with simple games and much more with these fr

By Al Sacco

May 9, 2011 5 mins

Enterprise Applications Small and Medium Business Tablets

IT Pay Creeps Up After Two-Year Downward Spiral

IT staffing executives predict pay for permanent and contract workers will increase as companies undertake infrastructure and application development projects they had put on hold during the recession.

By Meridith Levinson

May 9, 2011 5 mins

Careers IT Jobs Salaries

Buying SaaS: 3 Ways to Ensure Cloud Benefits Meet Enterprise Needs

Before you purchase those increasingly popular and cost-effective SaaS apps for CRM, collaboration or business intelligence, make sure you understand the long-term benefits and usage metrics and plan an exit strategy, writes research firm Forrester.

By Shane O'Neill

May 6, 2011 4 mins

Microsoft Office Office Suites SaaS

BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (MVS) 5.1: Three New Features for Enterprises

RIM announced a new version of its BlackBerry Mobile Voice System at its annual BlackBerry World Conference. CIO.com's Al Sacco spotlights the three most notable new business features in BlackBerry MVS 5.1.

By Al Sacco

May 6, 2011 3 mins

Small and Medium Business Smartphones VoIP

Finance Lessons From Abbottabad?

Corporate finance lessons from the dramatic turn of events in Abbottabad, Pakistan, may be few and far-between this week. But among the reports from the tech-based IDG network of publications, as well as from Bloomberg News, are numerous articles tha

By Roy Harris

May 4, 2011 4 mins

IT Leadership

RIM's new social networking VP explains how social networks can be valuable tools for of business and how the BlackBerry maker is making social networking safer and easier for enterprise customers.

By Al Sacco

May 4, 2011 4 mins

Facebook Small and Medium Business Smartphones

Google Apps for Business: 10 Powerful Add-Ons

Check out these 10 Google Apps add-ons designed to enhance the Google Apps experience and help you take care of business — from data protection to project management and more. All add-ons can be found at Google Apps Marketplace, and most of them are

By Shane O'Neill

May 3, 2011 5 mins

Enterprise Applications Internet

RIM, Microsoft Announce New BlackBerry Partnership with Focus on Bing

Microsoft's Bing will now be the default search engine for all new BlackBerry devices, as part of a new deal between RIM and Redmond.

By Al Sacco

May 3, 2011 2 mins

Mobile Small and Medium Business Smartphones

First Look at BlackBerry PlayBook Native Email, PIM Apps; Coming “This Summer”

RIM recently demonstrated the much-anticipated native e-mail, contacts and calendar applications for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, at the company's BlackBerry World Conference. CIO.com's Al Sacco shares images of the apps.

By Al Sacco

May 3, 2011 2 mins

Mobile Small and Medium Business Smartphones

Bringing IT Back Home: 10 Prime Locations for Onshore Outsourcing

As offshore outsourcing grows more complex and costly, American IT departments are increasingly turning to onshore providers to procure IT services. Here are 10 popular destinations for IT outsourcing in the U.S.

By Meridith Levinson

May 3, 2011 5 mins

IT Leadership Outsourcing

Fuel Cost Supplants Health Care As Chief CFO Worry

Fuel prices and the Mideast political tumult appear at the heart of a dramatic fall-off in CFO optimism about corporate profit prospects, according to the latest Bank of America Merrill Lynch "CFO Pulse Survey."

By Roy Harris

May 2, 2011 3 mins

Database Administration Healthcare Industry IT Leadership

BlackBerry Bold 9900 Hands-On First Impressions, Images

CIO.com's mobile maestro Al Sacco shares his hands-on first impressions of the brand new BlackBerry Bold 9900 from BlackBerry World 2011. Hint: BlackBerry addicts and gadget geeks are going to love this handheld.

By Al Sacco

May 2, 2011 6 mins

Carriers Small and Medium Business Smartphones

BlackBerry Enterprise Solution to Get iOS, Android Management Features

Later this year, RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Solution will offer BES-like management and control features for iOS devices, including Apple's iPhone and iPad, and Android smartphones and tablets, thanks to a recent acquisition of software fi

By Al Sacco

May 2, 2011 3 mins

Small and Medium Business Smartphones iPhone

How We’re Using SharePoint 2010 to Connect Our People

Commercial real estate firm Colliers implemented SharePoint 2010 to help its global workforce collaborate. So far it has been a huge success, but the firm had to customize SharePoint's search tools and user interface design before getting all it

By Shane O'Neill

Apr 28, 2011

Collaboration Software Microsoft Office Small and Medium Business

Hear That Tune? is it CFO Musical Chairs At Oracle Again?

The familiar game of musical CFO chairs may be on again at Oracle Corp.

By Roy Harris

Apr 27, 2011

IT Leadership

What About Bob? LinkedIn’s Top Names for CEOs, Engineers and More

Maybe you won't ever have to worry about looking presidential — but perhaps you will wonder if a Rose by another name would sound more like a CEO.

By Kristin Burnham

Apr 27, 2011

Careers LinkedIn Social Networking Apps

Corporate Tax Reform? Don’t Hold Your Breath

Nearly half of all CFOs and other top executives (48%) don't expect reforms in the corporate tax rate structure until 2013 or later. That's according to a recent survey of 1,400 company CFOs, tax directors, and members of corporate audit co

By Roy Harris

Apr 26, 2011

IT Leadership Technology Industry

Forrester: Public Cloud Growth to Surge, Especially SaaS

Long after the buzz about Amazon's two-day cloud outage dies down, the public cloud will be a growth trajectory. Here's Forrester Research's take on how the IaaS, PaaS and SaaS cloud models will shake out over the next 10 years and who

By Shane O'Neill

Apr 26, 2011

Developer Social Networking Apps Virtualization

Is IT Tracking Your Location via Smartphone?

Lost in all the iPhone location tracking buzz is one big reality: If you carry a company-issued smartphone, chances are IT knows where you go — though not for the reasons you might think.

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 26, 2011

Carriers Manufacturing Industry Smartphones

BlackBerry PlayBook Apps: 10 Must-Have Downloads, All Free

Quality apps for RIM's new tablet are few and far between right now, but they do exist. CIO.com's Al Sacco recommends 10 great PlayBook apps currently available and worthy of your attention.

By Al Sacco

Apr 25, 2011 6 mins

Consumer Electronics Small and Medium Business Tablets

How to Get More Twitter Followers: 5 Do’s and Don’ts

Twitter can be a powerful tool for branding yourself as an expert, promoting content and networking. Check out these five tips for expanding your reach and gaining more followers — the right way.

By Kristin Burnham

Apr 22, 2011 4 mins

Consumer Electronics Social Networking Apps Twitter

BlackBerry PlayBook Security Tips: How to Protect Your Tablet

Boost your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet security and protect your personal privacy with these simple tips and tricks, from CIO.com's mobile maestro Al Sacco.

By Al Sacco

Apr 22, 2011 7 mins

Laptops Small and Medium Business Ultrabook

Office 365 Tips: Adding a Registered Domain Name

Adding your registered domain name to Office 365 lets you use your domain with the cloud service's e-mail, instant messaging, and Web hosting capabilities, and create new users. Here are detailed tips on how to get this done.

By Shane O'Neill

Apr 22, 2011

Microsoft Office Office Suites SaaS

CFOs Will Start Hiring — When Results Surge

A survey of large-company CFOs suggests that they are waiting for proof of a solid economic turnaround — in the results in their own companies — before committing to major hiring.

By Roy Harris

Apr 21, 2011

Careers IT Jobs IT Leadership

iPhone Location Tracking Draws Fire, Shrugs

Tech analysts differ on the seriousness of the iPhone location-tracking controversy.

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 21, 2011

Carriers Mobile Security iPhone

Two Open-Source Cloud Standards: What It Means to You

VMware's new CloudFoundry platform emerged last week, marking a new alternative to the existing OpenStack standard. What's really going on here and what does it mean to your cloud migration plans?

By Kevin Fogarty

Apr 20, 2011

Cloud Computing

iPhone App Spotlight: Chaikin Power Tools for Stock Traders

The Chaikin Power Tools iPhone app delivers real-time stock data and analytics to your fingertips for free.

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 20, 2011

Small and Medium Business Smartphones iPhone

Outsourcing: IT Customers Disappointed With Results

A survey of IT and business executives reveals that they're not achieving their desired results from outsourcing, and many of them blame their own management practices for outsourcing's ineffectiveness.

By Stephanie Overby

Apr 19, 2011

IT Leadership Outsourcing

Material Boys: Tech CEOs with the Highest Net Worth

Many CEOs make the big bucks, but when you're the top exec of a technology giant and can exercise stock options, your wealth can reach the stratosphere. Led by a couple of guys named Larry, each of these eight tech CEOs has a net worth that will

By Shane O'Neill

Apr 19, 2011

Careers IT Leadership Salaries

Best Android Widgets: 19 Apps With a Personal Touch

CIO.com's mobile maestro Al Sacco handpicks 19 must-have Android widgets. With these apps you can put just the data you want onto your Android device's home screen. And most are free.

By Al Sacco

Apr 19, 2011

Consumer Electronics Small and Medium Business Smartphones

My First 48 Hours with iPad 2: One CIO’s Story

One CIO who has already made the iPad a critical part of his organization shares what he liked – and still wished for – after his first couple of days with the iPad 2. Read on for his take on FaceTime, Apple's not-so "smart" cover, an

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 19, 2011

Carriers ERP Systems Microsoft Office

Q&A: Cisco CIO Offers Tips for Talkin’ Business

In this Q&A, Cisco CIO Rebecca Jacoby shares advice on how IT pros can translate technology needs into business terms, manage the devices employees bring to the office and make a variety of collaboration tools work together.

By Shane O'Neill

Apr 14, 2011

CIO Cloud Computing SaaS

When Recruiting is a ‘Growth Business’

External growth — especially the kind that takes a company into new markets — usually means adding headcount in finance, too. And that exercise has been front-and-center for CFO Mark Castaneda since he joined Primo Water in March 2008.

By Roy Harris

Apr 14, 2011

Careers IT Jobs IT Leadership

Leaked BlackBerry Roundup: Torch2 9810; Storm3/Touch 98xx; Bold Touch 99xx

CIO.com's BlackBerry black belt Al Sacco has the latest leaked information — technical specifications, images and video — on three of the most interesting upcoming Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry smartphones.

By Al Sacco

Apr 13, 2011 5 mins

Carriers Small and Medium Business Smartphones

10 Must-Have Facebook Apps and Add-Ons

Are you a Facebook user and a music- or movie-buff? Can't wait for an official "Dislike" button? Or always looking to identify connections who've "unfriended" you? If so, download these 10 must-have Facebook apps and add

By Kristin Burnham

Apr 12, 2011 4 mins

Enterprise Applications Facebook Social Networking Apps

Android Market Tips: How to Boost Your Google App Store Experience

Get the most out of Google's official Android mobile software shop, and learn how to find the right apps for you, better manage software and share noteworthy downloads via these 10 simple Android Market tips.

By Al Sacco

Apr 12, 2011

Small and Medium Business Smartphones Tablets

Project Management: 5 Characteristics of ‘Transformational’ PMOs

A new report from Forrester Research describes the characteristics of next-generation project management offices with real-world advice from leading PMO directors on how to get there.

By Meridith Levinson

Apr 12, 2011 5 mins

IT Leadership Project Management Tools

Gartner Tablet Forecast Oddly Overlooks Microsoft

Research firm Gartner omits Microsoft from a recent four-year tablet forecast after predicting a Windows Phone 7 surge for the same time period. But can a smartphone succeed today without a tablet counterpart?

By Shane O'Neill

Apr 12, 2011

Small and Medium Business Smartphones iPhone

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing App Lets You Connect With One Click

Ah the joy of conference calls: dial-in numbers, access codes, endless keypad punching. RIM's new BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing app gives BlackBerry users the ability to connect to the call in one click — and some other handy features, too.

By Al Sacco

Apr 8, 2011

Mobile Small and Medium Business Smartphones

Mind Matters: a New Approach to the IT/Finance Split

Ask Chris Spivey and Keith Karnes if there's a problem with communication between finance and IT teams and you get a resounding "yes!"

By Sandra Gittlen

Apr 7, 2011

Financial Services Industry IT Leadership IT Strategy

iPhone and iPad Crapware: 5 Apps to Avoid

If you're new to the world of iPhone and iPad apps, don't be fooled by these stinkers in the App Store. Here are some apps that have been overpriced or outclassed.

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 7, 2011

Consumer Electronics Tablets iPhone

Meet the Tinker Twins: A Unique Tech Emergency Duo

You're an HP customer struck by a business-critical technology disaster. Your IT department has tried everything. No one can fix it. The clock is ticking. Who you gonna call?

By Kristin Burnham

Apr 7, 2011

Data and Information Security Disaster Recovery Enterprise Architecture

Google Apps: How We Locked Down Documents

Here's how two organizations added extra security and monitoring power to track and protect sensitive Google Apps documents. The bad news: Until Google delivers these capabilities itself, you'll have to turn to a third party vendor.

By Shane O'Neill

Apr 6, 2011

Data and Information Security Microsoft Office Office Suites

Cloud Computing Standards: Too Many, Doing Too Little

The IEEE created a ripple in the cloud computing community this week by weighing in with its own proposals for cloud computing standards. But there's already the OVF standard and a few others — creating duplication and not enough progress, anal

By Kevin Fogarty

Apr 6, 2011

Cloud Computing Virtualization

iPhone-iPad App Spotlight: The Masters Golf Tournament

Golf fanatics can't afford to miss the sporting event unlike any other, so get the official Masters Golf Tournament apps for iPhone and iPad.

By Tom Kaneshige

Apr 6, 2011

Personal Software Tablets iPhone

10 Free Sports Apps for Android and iPhone

Calling all sports fans: Check out these 10 great apps for Google Android and Apple iPhone that will keep you up to date on your favorite sport or team while on the go. And save your spending money for the ballpark.

By Al Sacco

Apr 6, 2011

Small and Medium Business Smartphones iPhone

CFO Style Still Makes a Difference

The tightening grip of regulations, along with the constraints of GAAP, might seem to offer little leeway for personal characteristics when CFOs make accounting and reporting choices. How much, some wonder, can a finance chief's own style or phi

By Karen M. Kroll

Apr 5, 2011

Careers Financial Services Industry Regulation