Research Notes

02-06-2008: ECM Overview - Update

Recently, a client asked for a mid-level comparison against some of the major players in the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) market. ...more details

02-06-2008: POS Systems

Over the past two weeks, we have had a few clients ask us about point of sale (POS) Systems. ...more details

02-06-2008: Where Will WiMAX Make it in 2008?

Experton Group believes Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) will start to make some significant inroads in the United States in 2008, but wide adoption will not occur before chipsets are developed that will let end users access this network without any special external appliances. ...more details

02-06-2008: Organizational Models

In an effort to improve compliance, efficiency, productivity, quality, and service to users, a number of business and IT executives are redefining and restructuring their IT organizations. ...more details

26-05-2008: Network Support Alternatives

Recently, a client would like us to give them the five world class network support models that work best in academia. ...more details

26-05-2008: Asset Management Best Practices

A number of our clients have recently looked for guidance on asset policies and enforcement.  ...more details

26-05-2008: An Examination of Desktop Virtualization in Financial Institutions

Experton Group believes desktop virtualization will become a mainstream technology within the next three years as financial institutions leverage Web 2.0 technologies, seek better security, look to minimize risks and eliminate data duplication and integrity issues, and reduce overall costs of operations. ...more details

26-05-2008: Virtualization Trends

Client Challenge: Experton Group has many clients looking at the new wave of virtualization products and services that are coming on to the market. ...more details

19-05-2008: Contact Center Two Pack

We recently had two different inquiries that addressed different aspects of contact center operations. ...more details

19-05-2008: Database Encryption Best Practices

In response to a recent audit, our client needs to protect their critical data, i.e., customer information, in Oracle and SQL server. ...more details

19-05-2008: Trends in Desktop Virtualization

Desktop virtualization solutions have been around in various incarnations since the 1990s when the first of the latest wave of thin client products came on the scene. ...more details

19-05-2008: HP Services Bulks Up with EDS

Experton Group Believes Hewlett Packard Co.'s acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS) puts HP squarely in the services camp, but poses the question "can HP transform itself from a product company to a services company?" ...more details

12-05-2008: Open Source Policy

Open Source Policy clearly describes the rules limiting the risks related to acquisition and use of open-source software. ...more details

12-05-2008: Peer InSite - Academic eMail Alternatives

Client Challenge: In the January 11, 2008 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education there is an article that begins on page 1 on “Colleges Get Out of E-Mail Business.” ...more details

12-05-2008: Trends in "Green" Computing

Experton Group believes much progress has been made in efficiency across all elements of the data center. ...more details

12-05-2008: Chargeback Models

Enterprises are still struggling with creating equitable chargeback methodologies that business executives will accept and allow to be implemented. ...more details

05-05-2008: The Open Groupware Architectural Framework

The objective of this inquiry is to learn more about The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF). ...more details

05-05-2008: Application Testing and Performance

Recently, one of our clients asked for guidance on reducing the amount of time spent performing testing. ...more details

05-05-2008: Is it Time for Web 2.0 Collaboration?

Experton Group believes corporations should be piloting and deploying Web 2.0 collaborative service offerings to enable user bases with diverse differences in function, geography, and perspective to exchange ideas across the corporation. ...more details

05-05-2008: Sizing Enterprise Systems Management Platforms

An Experton Group client wanted to know what the appropriate costs were for network management systems for their organization. ...more details

28-04-2008: Software Development Documentation – Part III

Over the past few years, Experton Group has had a number of requests for assistance in documenting their system software requirements. ...more details

28-04-2008: Internet/Intranet Best Practices

Our client is in the process of redesigning their internal (Intranet) and their external (Internet) web sites. ...more details

28-04-2008: Business Uses of High Performance Computing

Clients have inquired of Experton Group what some of the reasons are that a company might want to use high performance computing (HPC) equipment. ...more details

21-04-2008: WAFS vs. WADS

There is some confusion between Wide Area File Services (WAFS) and Wide Area Data Services (WADS). This research note is an attempt to detangle the confusion and set things straight. ...more details

21-04-2008: A Guide to Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting

Corporations have achieved various levels of success with devising new corporate social responsibility reporting programs to demonstrate commitments to improving their enterprises' environmental impacts. ...more details

21-04-2008: Equitable Chargebacks

Experton Group Believes that although changing or modifying chargeback methodologies are still highly political, most IT executives need to correct their current method, so business executives are truly paying for what they use. ...more details

14-04-2008: Software Development Documentation – Part II

Over the past few years, Experton Group has had a number of requests for assistance in documenting their system software requirements. ...more details

14-04-2008: Wireless Order Entry

Experton Group has a client who is interested in getting an update on mobile
technology that would allow their customers to order products via mobile phones
using scanning technology.
...more details

14-04-2008: Software Development Documentation

Over the past few years, Experton Group has had a number of requests for assistance in documenting their system software requirements. ...more details

14-04-2008: A Powerful New IBM Server and Financing Offering

IBM Corp. has announced that it is merging its System p and System i server product lines into a single, consolidated hardware product line known as the Power System. ...more details

14-04-2008: The Need for True Straight-Through-Processing

Experton Group Believes business requirements to support improved business performance management (BPM) and compliance initiatives are placing increased pressures on IT to enable a "straight-through processing" (STP) vision in all aspects of the business. ...more details

07-04-2008: Help Desk Vendor Assessment

A client of ours wanted an overview of the Help Desk Vendor market. ...more details

07-04-2008: Intel Mac vs. PC Standard

A client of ours has requested input on using Apple's Intel MacBooks as the standard for computing in higher education. ...more details

07-04-2008: WebSphere Application Server Comparisons

Experton Group has had a client that wanted to know the key differences between version 5 and version 6 of WebSphere Application Server (WAS). ...more details

07-04-2008: The Evolutionary z10

Experton Group Believes IBM Corp.'s new System z10 Enterprise Class (EC) mainframe processor is an evolutionary advancement over the z9 EC and enterprise IT executives should include it in the strategic evaluation of target platforms. ...more details

31-03-2008: Legal Business Services Outsourcing

Within the Legal Department there are many pressures to incorporate eDiscovery on top of the traditional document management services. ...more details

31-03-2008: Webwasher vs. Websense

Experton Group believes both Webwasher and Websense are good products for protecting companies against new multi-layered web attacks that are present with Web 2.0 technologies. ...more details

31-03-2008: Architecting for Consolidated/Virtual Systems

Many IT executives have expressed frustration that they are not getting the gains they were led to believe they would achieve. ...more details

31-03-2008: Securing Enterprise Data from Theft

Experton Group believes controlling the access and theft of enterprise data is one of the most important issues for business and IT executives today. ...more details

25-03-2008: ECommerce Providers

Experton Group has received a number of questions regarding eCommerce providers. For some companies that are about to “make-the-plunge”, the following response provides a basic understanding of what is involved and what you should look for. ...more details

25-03-2008: Enterprise IT-Empowered Collaboration in 2007 and Beyond: Observations and Recommendations

Experton Group believes Windows Vista, Exchange 2007, Office Communications Server, Office communicator and other new Microsoft Corp. communications and collaboration offerings are compelling many enterprise IT decision-makers to review and rethink their commitments to these offerings. ...more details

25-03-2008: Networking Best Practices for Educational Institutions

Experton Group has spoken with clients in educational institutions that want to understand the network support models that work best in academia. ...more details

25-03-2008: Financing the Z

Experton Group believes IBM Corp. has devised numerous financing incentives that allow corporations to trade-in or upgrade older systems to the System z10 in a manner that can effectively reduce monthly payments while increasing total processing capacity. ...more details

25-03-2008: Core Banking System RFP

A client of ours recently asked for sample templates for Core Banking System RFPs. ...more details

25-03-2008: Renewal of Core Banking Systems

A key strategic IT question for many banks is renewal of their core banking IT system, e.g. due to end-of-lifecycle technology, excessive complexity and/or cost-efficiency pressure. ...more details

25-03-2008: A Green Light for Blu-Ray

After several years of bickering between the HD-DVD (backed Toshiba Corp.) and Blu-Ray (a Sony Corp. technology), the standards battle in the high definition DVD space has finally come to an end. ...more details

25-03-2008: Mitigating Global Risks To and From Data

Experton Group Believes business executives that have not been burnt due to data exposures do not perceive IT-related liabilities such as risks to and from data to be significant enough to make the portfolio cut of investments. ...more details

25-03-2008: What Every IT Executive Needs to Know About PCI

If your company accepts credit cards in selling its goods or services, or if it transmits or processes credit card data, your IT department needs to be concerned with the PCI Data Security Standard. (PCI DSS) ...more details

25-03-2008: Workstation Administrative Rights

Our client is concerned about un-standardized treatment of workstation administrative rights. ...more details

25-03-2008: Evaluating Data as a Service

Experton Group Believes a number of new data services can provide the agility and flexibility needed to quickly deploy new data applications, but security of the data must be considered when evaluating the application environment. ...more details

25-03-2008: E-Discovery Processes and Tools

Experton Group finds that legal discovery costs could be cut by more than 50 percent through improved e-discovery processes. ...more details

25-03-2008: Peer InSite - Complaint/Case Management

Our client is in need of a solution that helps them manage, record and report against cases where they have received complaints/concerns about their products/services. ...more details

25-03-2008: Peer InSite - SAP Business Intelligence Review

The client is looking for new tools that should cover reporting, analysis, and to a certain degree data mining. Another important decision criterion is user friendliness. ...more details

25-03-2008: Practical Blade Workstation Considerations

Many IT executives are looking at alternatives for deploying and maintaining legacy desktop systems. In an effort to decrease maintenance costs and enhance security, one alternative that executives are asking Experton about are blade servers. ...more details

25-03-2008: As The Apple Grows

Experton Group Believes interest levels in using Apple Inc. Mac computers is growing in many higher education and non-profit settings. These enterprises tend to be highly decentralized in nature and consider IT's function to support business and user requirements. ...more details

03-03-2008: Incident Response Best Practices

One of our clients wanted us to delineate the best/common practices related to user notification ...more details

03-03-2008: Time Tracking Application System Vendor Review

This past year, we have received a number of inquiries requesting information on Time Tracking Systems. The following is a review of the top seven (7) product/service providers. ...more details

03-03-2008: Wireless World in Flux

Smartphones and other handheld devices have traditionally been the most rapidly changing aspects of the wireless world, with significant updates to devices typically arriving every nine to 12 months. ...more details

03-03-2008: Post Secondary School Security Systems

Our client is interested in implementing a physical security system for their post secondary schools. ...more details

03-03-2008: ERP Trends and Tools

Over the next 3-5 years most global 2000 corporations will have to make a major change in their ERP systems. ...more details

03-03-2008: Global Risks To and From Data

Over the past year the nature of risk has significantly changed. Executives are now struggling with the impacts of global enterprise risks to and from corporate data. ...more details

03-03-2008: Trends on Environmental Monitoring in the Data Center

Experton Group Believes IT executives need to become more proactive in monitoring the environment in the data center so that they can reduce the energy usage costs of data center operations by up to 40 percent. ...more details

03-03-2008: IT Checklist for Acquisitions

During a career, many CIO’s will be faced with consolidating their existing IT operations/infrastructure with an acquired company. The following is a set of tables that can be used to evaluate the scope of the consolidation effort as well as the potential costs and savings. ...more details

03-03-2008: Data Center Audit Guidelines

Over the past few months, we have received a number of requests for assistance in migrating and/or consolidating Data Centers. ...more details

03-03-2008: Securing Teleworker Systems

The number of companies worldwide allowing users to work remotely has been steadily on the rise over the last decade, with more than 40 percent of U.S.-based companies now offering some form of telecommuting option. ...more details

03-03-2008: A Perspective on IBM’s Future Hardware Strategy

Experton Group Believes IBM is shifting its focus from vertical hardware offerings to integrated solutions focused on targeted enterprise and SMB markets. ...more details

13-02-2008: Organizational Productivity – Effective Listening

Throughout last year we published the first four notes on Organizational Productivity. In this note, effective listening is explored, from its challenges to effective listening to strategies to overcome those barriers. ...more details

13-02-2008: Blade Comparison

Based on several inquiries over the past year, Experton Group has created the following contrast and compare analysis between HP and IBM Blade systems. ...more details

13-02-2008: Platforms as a Service

The market for utility computing platforms is morphing once again – this time into a new phenomenon known as platform as a service (PaaS) that has a number of different go-to-market manifestations. ...more details

13-02-2008: New Trends in Notebooks

Recently, a slew of new portable devices has hit the market, including less expensive notebooks and highly portable sub-notebooks and ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs) signifying a directional for the marketplace. ...more details

11-02-2008: Is There A Wireless Personal Area Network In Your Future?

The growth of inexpensive devices has transformed the system comprised of a computer and a few devices into a Personal Area Network (PAN).  With the growth of intelligent devices, the PAN will assume a pivotal position in the computing environment. ...more details

11-02-2008: Web 2.0 Overview

Recently, we have had a number of clients ask us to present or participate in discussions regarding web 2.0/enterprise 2.0. The following is an overview of the history, technology, and business applicability. ...more details

11-02-2008: Rethinking Desktop Management and Security

Experton Group believes both internal and external threats including improper system use, insufficient IT control over user practices and software configurations, malware, spyware, and viruses pose significant enterprise risk and frequently result in lost revenues and productivity. ...more details

11-02-2008: Centralized IT – a Best Practice

As companies scrutinize different ways to reduce costs and improve productivity and service, the question of organizational structure – centralized, decentralized, or federated – comes to the fore. ...more details

11-02-2008: Trends in Technology

Sony Orchestrates Warner Blu-Ray Win to Highlight Resurgence at CES
Philips Video Fingerprints to Work Side by Side With Gracenote’s Audio

...more details

11-02-2008: Extract, Transform, and Loading (ETL) - Best Practices and Alternatives

Some enterprises with data warehouses find the most difficult part of the workflow is moving data. ...more details

11-02-2008: Non-Compliance with e-Discovery Rules Costly

A recent study shows that only about one third of U.S. businesses are prepared to meet the strict court requirements for e-discovery and handling of e-records. ...more details

11-02-2008: Best Practices for Service Desks

Experton Group believes executives can dramatically improve business operational performance by evaluating and improve help and service desk functionality. ...more details

17-01-2008: Data Security Classification Guidelines

Client needs to review both their data classification and security practices. The first step is to refine the data classification scheme, solidifying ownership and potentially migrate data to a few “secured” locations. ...more details

17-01-2008: IT Governance Best Practices and Guidelines

Client Challenge: The Project Management Office within the Company is looking for information to support their IT Governance Program. ...more details

17-01-2008: Environmental Technologies in Abundance at CES And Beyond

Interest in energy conservation is at an all-time high, particularly as energy costs rise and consumers and enterprises aim at reducing carbon emissions. One recent survey of 5,000 U.S. adults conducted by an IT research advisory firm found that 12 percent of participants would pay more for electronics exhibiting environmentally friendly characteristics. ...more details

17-01-2008: Top Five Resource Risk Management Challenges

Experton Group believes executives must aggressively pursue a comprehensive resource balancing and staffing initiative so that their companies are able to effectively compete throughout their strategic horizon. ...more details

17-01-2008: Weekly IT News Snapshots

IT and Organizational Issues - Wireless Space Springing into Action - Dell, EMC, and NetApp Storage News - Microsoft to Improve Enterprise Search, Netscape Ends, Surveys Report - Security Standards Improve Compliance, yet Security Protection Remains Elusive ...more details

17-01-2008: Insurance Certificate Management Systems

Recently, a client’s procurement department was interested in a product and/or service that would provide insurance certificate management or tracking. ...more details

17-01-2008: Evaluating Middleware Options

Experton Group Believes IT executives should look at the business requirements along with the existing application environment in order to determine the best middleware architecture to implement. ...more details

17-01-2008: Data Stewardship Roles and Responsibilities

As enterprises work to close the gaps in their information policies and data governance processes, many organizations are creating data stewardship positions. In some companies these individuals are responsible for the data across the enterprise while in others they are line of business (LOB) assignments. ...more details

29-12-2007: Client Hot Topic – eForm Management

A client of ours is working on a Service Document Management Initiative and is now ready to start their RFP process. They were wondering if there are any RFP content/best practices for the initiative described below. ...more details

29-12-2007: Annual Inquiry Review for 2007

Many of our clients (prospective and existing) are frequently asking us what other clients are using us for. Therefore, we felt that it would be worthwhile to summarize and analyze the types of inquiries we have received in 2007.

...more details

29-12-2007: Balancing Hardware End-of-Life Costs & Responsibilities

Experton Group believes the majority of IT and business executives understand their responsibilities for safe data destruction and hardware disposal at end-of-life; however, significant confusion regarding end-of-life best practices still remains. As international requirements exist in both developed and developing nations regarding data removal and electronic waste (e-waste) disposal, corporate executives have struggled to identify the proper mix of reusable procedures and optimal costs.

...more details

29-12-2007: Practical Steps for Improving Data Center Efficiency Today

Experton Group finds that there are tactical, mid-term, and strategic actions that can be taken to mitigate power and cooling problems today, while preparing for implementing next-generation data centers. ...more details

19-12-2007: Where Is Linux on the Desktop?

Linux has been recognized as a viable option for server application and database deployments since very early in this decade. Since that time, it has proven itself to be a stable platform capable of achieving high amounts of uptime on a variety of hardware platforms and become a preferred operating environment in a majority of enterprises. ...more details

19-12-2007: Solid Ink Wants its Stamp on the Market

Experton Group believes Xerox Corp.'s solid ink technology, though far from new, has a very real chance at changing the color printing market purchasing dynamics. ...more details

19-12-2007: Requirements for Next-Generation Operating Systems

Experton Group believes IT executives should review the number of operating systems being used by the business. ...more details

19-12-2007: Drilling Down on Resource Risks

Executives must be able to manage the shift in the diversity of  the workforce – employees and non-employees of all types. This goes beyond human capital management (HCM) ...more details

19-12-2007: Firewall and VPN Best Practices

Following are suggestions that Experton Group has given to
clients and seen used as best practices for better safeguarding corporate network
access.
...more details

19-12-2007: Enhancing Database Security

Many Experton Group clients see security issues both increasing in importance and constantly changing in nature. While existing threats do not go away, new threats appear and old threats show up in new contexts. ...more details

19-12-2007: The Long Journey to Truth

The terms "single version of the truth" and "master data management" have become buzz words amongst IT practitioners and providers, yet the full scope of implementing such a strategy is not well understood. ...more details

19-12-2007: The Recipe for a Successful Environmental Strategy

Experton Group believes corporate and IT-guided adoption of environmentally friendly business practices is well underway, particularly in the data center. Businesses are now looking to understand how these successes can be leveraged more broadly to reduce cost and improve public relations. ...more details

19-12-2007: Client Hot Topic: Telecom Expense Management

A global enterprise is looking for a TEM solution and looking for benchmark or TEM evaluations. ...more details

19-12-2007: Experton Group’s Predictions 2008

Process initiatives will consume a significant amount of resources for most large enterprises and will trickle down to the upper end of the SMB market. This will be driven by the annual drive to do more with less, to use resources more efficiently, and to better control and manage the organization and its resources. Experton Group expects 2008 to be a year of limited success with unexpected barriers to success cropping up, as enterprises move into previously unexplored territories. ...more details

19-12-2007: Annual Review of Experton Group’s Predictions

Experton Group was fairly accurate in its process predictions for the past year. Its prognostications fell short in areas where it underestimated the people and political undercurrents within enterprises as well as certain vendors' aggressive acquisition road maps. Nonetheless, process focus, improvement, and initiatives showed good momentum in 2007 and Experton Group believes process activities are poised for further strong advancements in 2008. ...more details

19-11-2007: EMC's Quiet Metamorphosis – Does Anyone Know?

EMC is in the middle of a transformation from being a storage company to a full service information management company whose message and thought leadership business and IT executives should be listening to. ...more details

19-11-2007: Going Green: A Working Definition for the Enterprise

Awareness of green-related issues has grown exponentially over the last few years in the wake of oil and energy price escalations. ...more details

19-11-2007: Building a Green Server Infrastructure

IT executives can dramatically reduce data center operational costs by improving the energy efficiency of servers in the data center. ...more details

19-11-2007: Resource Risk Management Balanced Scorecard

While executives have always addressed human capital management (HCM), the shift in the diversity of the workforce, including non-employees, and the accelerated pace of change in the business world have changed how executives need to handle resource risks. ...more details

19-11-2007: Business Intelligence Overview

Over the past six months, a number of our clients have inquired about the Business Intelligence market, changes and who the leading players are in this market. The following is a summary of those responses. ...more details

19-11-2007: Femtocells

Femtocells are wireless technology’s “Next New Thing”. They extend the reach of wireless in a very cost effective manner. ...more details

19-11-2007: Samsung and TI line up behind ARM to shape the fightback against Intel

TI, Samsung and Freescale, among others, are now uniting in an ARM-led initiative to create a unified Linux platform for cellphones and ultra-mobile PCs. This aims to leverage ARM strengths such as power efficiency and a strong mobile heritage, and form a Linux platform optimized for true mobility—to challenge similar efforts such as the Motorola-inspired LiMo Foundation. ...more details

19-11-2007: Release Delivery Management

How are other IT shops beginning to deliver services like SaaS? A client of ours wants to be able to deliver their software updates in batches or versions, set customer expectations and meet them. ...more details

19-11-2007: Strategic Planning

A client of ours wants to reformulate their IS strategy in seven (7) areas. ...more details

19-11-2007: Monthly Practitioner: Technology Use Best Practices

Keep in mind that lists of Best Practices are approaches, methodologies, and technologies that have been demonstrated to produce favorable results under generic conditions. ...more details

12-10-2007: SAP Business ByDesign

SAP A1S becomes SAP Business ByDesign – massive investments into a rapidly growing market segment ...more details

12-10-2007: Top 10 Money Savers for 2008

Experton Group believes IT executives still have a number of major initiatives available to them for cutting capital expenses and operational costs in 2008 that can trim the overall IT budget by five percent or more. ...more details

12-10-2007: Client Hot Topic: WAN Accelerator Alternatives

A client of ours is interested in understanding WAN acceleration technology and its key players. They are particularly interested in a comparison between Riverbed and Cisco. ...more details

12-10-2007: Competency Centers

Over the past month, we have received a number of inquiries regarding competency centers of centers of excellence. This paper presents the different characteristics of a competency center, its challenges and best practices. ...more details

12-10-2007: Organizational Productivity: Effective Time Management

This paper is the fourth in the series that addresses organizational productivity. ...more details

12-10-2007: Wi-Fi and Municipalities

A year ago, hardly a week went by without news of a major municipal wireless project in the US, supporting free or subsidized access and a host of shiny business models. Now hardly a week goes by without news of the death of one of these plans. ...more details

12-10-2007: eMail Archiving Assessment

There continues to be significant interest in eMail Archiving; over the last 6 months, we’ve had a number of clients who wanted information about eMail Archiving solutions. Interestingly enough, while Symantec and EMC continue to be the main players, some of the smaller, yet innovative vendors are making significant inroads. ...more details

13-09-2007: Client Hot Topic: Enterprise Content Management Systems

Over the last month, many of our clients have asked for an overview of the ECM market. In addition, it appears that the key driver in this interest is management of unstructured data. ...more details

13-09-2007: Client Hot Topic: ERP Best Practices

A client of ours is looking to develop an optimal organizational model and structure for years 2, 4, and 6 during their ERP implementation. ...more details

13-09-2007: Securing Service-Oriented Architectures

We believe service-oriented architectures (SOAs), while important for business development and adaptability, create a new set of security issues for companies that fail to take into consideration the unique security requirements SOAs create. ...more details

13-09-2007: Google Puts $4.6B Behind its Mobile Internet Vision, But May Overstep the Mark

It was Google, once again, that really upped the ante in the increasingly acrimonious debate over the rules for the upcoming auction of this beachfront mobile spectrum, pledging to spend at least $4.6bn on frequencies if the FCC adopts its proposed rules. ...more details

13-09-2007: Stop Spending Money on Sarbanes Oxley NOW!

There is a dirty little secret neither your auditor nor your attorney will tell you.  Sarbanes-Oxley reform is now law and you can reduce compliance spending. ...more details

13-09-2007: The Open Source Ecosystem Matures: Vendors Respond

This research note outlines how key enterprise IT solution vendors have responded to the evolution of the open source ecosystem. ...more details

13-09-2007: Monthly Practitioner: Every Customer Has an Opinion (ECHO)

When we started the Innovation Corner, we were impressed by the innovative ideas that came out of unusual places. In that vein, we have identified another example of where academia crosses over into the corporate world and we believe, in this case, it sets an example of how theory can be set into practice. ...more details

13-08-2007: Organizational Productivity: Effective Meetings

This paper is the third in the series that addresses organizational productivity. Effective meetings are a cornerstone of successful enterprises. Contained within this note are guidelines, best practices, and templates to aid enterprises to increase productivity, enhance communication, and meet operational/strategic objectives.

...more details

13-08-2007: Building Service Level Agreements

IT executives should persevere when it comes to making SLAs work. Indeed, most clients are pursuing multiple initiatives within IT to formalize services in all functional parts of the organization. To be successful with SLA development efforts, executives must be willing to treat all customers the same, whether they be within IT, non-IT within the enterprise, or external business partners. ...more details

13-08-2007: Client Hot Topic: Telecom Service Level Agreements

The client is looking for industry standard telecommunication/networking metric benchmarks so they can use these to compare to their vendors service level agreements. ...more details

13-08-2007: Intel’s Bid to Drive Mobile Linux Standards

Intel has made only half-hearted—if much-hyped—moves to support mobile Linux so far, notably with the release of an UltraMobile PC platform running the Red Flag version of the open source OS. But with other would-be leaders of the mobile internet market , such Nokia, taking a more proactive stance, the chip giant is stepping up its activities and has created the inevitable ‘initiative’ to seek to dominate emerging standards. ...more details

13-08-2007: Ten Steps to an Enterprise Technology Strategy

Few enterprises have a clear vision of the future application and technological environment within the IT function.  While business planners are aware of the opportunities and impacts new technologies will have on the enterprise, detailed, strategic plans are not created in a methodical fashion. ...more details

13-08-2007: Best Practices for Voice and Data Integration

As voice and data networks continue to converge, the issues that need to be considered by IT management do not remain static.  Companies that considered - and then decided against - IP telephony in the past need to re-evaluate whether the disadvantages that drove that decision have been addressed by recent technology advances. ...more details

13-08-2007: Who is the European Commission aiming at with DVB-H Mandate?

The image of the European Commission suddenly abandoning its “open” principles and insisting that mobile TV services in Europe are based on DVB-H, has caused comment, uproar and consternation this week, but I should elicit little surprise. ...more details

13-08-2007: Monthly Practitioner: Mobile Video


Unsurprisingly, Mobile Video has taken hold and the supply, in many instances, has not kept up with demand.
...more details

10-07-2007: Client Hot Topic - eMail Etiquette

We received a recent request to list out a clear and concise set of guidelines for eMail use. Even though this topic may not be overwhelming, overarching or disruptive, it is clearly something that we occasionally take for granted. ...more details

10-07-2007: Web 2.0 and SOA for the Enterprise (Part 2)

SOA and Web 2.0 are both large conceptual application development foundations that enjoy increasingly widespread use in industry today. Web 2.0 is clearly working its way into the enterprise, and in many ways SOA and Web 2.0 are converging due to some similarities of focus. ...more details

10-07-2007: Mid Year Inquiry Review

Many of our clients (prospective and existing) are frequently asking us what other clients are using us for. Therefore, we felt that it would be worthwhile to summarize and analyze the types of inquiries we have received in the first six months of 2007. ...more details

10-07-2007: Open Source Growth

Numerous clients are attempting to derive business benefit from open source solutions. However, actual adoption of at least some open source software solutions is being stymied by several factors. Key among these is industry confusion over evolving open source licenses, and the twin challenges of integration and indemnification for the enterprise. ...more details

10-07-2007: Risk Management: Managing the Risk of Engaging Small Vendors – Part Two

IT executives seeking to use the most innovative technologies have little choice but to turn to smaller, emerging technology vendors. But smaller vendors can have trouble adequately supporting large enterprises. IT executives should seriously consider products and services from small companies, but only after adequately weighing the potential risks and rewards. ...more details

10-07-2007: Innovation Corner: Autonomy

Autonomy is a vendor that offers information management products and services. The key difference between what they do and their competitors is that they derive metadata and build taxonomies based on the context of the unstructured information itself. ...more details

10-07-2007: Being Disruptive

This Research Note is not a technological one; well, not all together.  It is really all about people, what they buy, how they use it, and why people are the true decision makers (deciders) on what products will succeed, and which will not. ...more details

10-07-2007: Wireless Technology -Vendor Positioning

Recently, we received many questions from our clients regarding the potential future of one wireless technology vs. another. Related to ubiquitous access (monthly practitioner), there are battle lines being drawn up between WiMAX and GSM/EDGE. ...more details

10-07-2007: Monthly Practitioner: Ubiquitous Access

There has been a significant interest from both the consumer and supplier side in terms of the use and development of web-based, wireless applications. ...more details

12-06-2007: $100 Laptop vs. Cellphone – India’s Efforts

This research “footnote” provides an update and a new perspective on the $100 laptop. It appears that India “dropped-out” of the OLPC effort in order to create its own version targeted for $10. ...more details

12-06-2007: Innovation Corner: Ajax and Its Implications

AJAX is a new programming paradigm that affects web design by making web sites richer and more appealing, being able to develop applications to run on everything from a cell phone or PDA to the largest servers and reducing bandwidth requirements.

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12-06-2007: Data Center – Build vs. Buy

During one’s career in IT, we usually get involved in one way or another with the subject of data centers.  We are a consumer of the services they provide or perhaps we get to run one, we may build one, or we are involved in decisions around outsourcing to one. ...more details

12-06-2007: Motorola Shakes Up Handset Approach but Apple Still Stealing Limelight

Motorola’s CEO Ed Zander rather over-excited the market when he promised a ‘media monster’ handset, since the product turned out to be the previously announced Z8, an impressive video device but nothing unexpected. ...more details

12-06-2007: Risk Management: Managing the Risk of Engaging Small Vendors – Part One

IT executives seeking to use the most innovative technologies have little choice but to turn to smaller, emerging technology vendors. Such vendors are a primary source of significant innovation, and are usually at the forefront of the newest trends. ...more details

12-06-2007: Project Risk Management: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

The outset of a new project is an exciting time when people don’t like to think about the problems and pitfalls that lie ahead, a tendency made worse by human decision biases or cultural traits within organizations that can feed overconfidence.  But nowhere is it truer that “a stitch in time saves nine.” ...more details

12-06-2007: Technology Transfer Program

A good technology transfer program allows multiple revenue streams to accrue from a single new technology.  It increases the return on investment (ROI) in new or existing technologies.   However, one approach is usually insufficient to establish a good technology transfer program.  ...more details

12-06-2007: Innovation Corner: 4R Systems - Modern Portfolio Theory Applied to Inventory Management

Innovation Corner is a new addition to our research package where we will explore new ideas, concepts and approaches to improve business environments; both internal and external. Our first selection is the result of an inquiry that we performed for a client interested in Inventory Management. ...more details

12-06-2007: Monthly Practitioner: Green Computing

In our January 2007 edition of the monthly Practitioner, we identified a number of Disruptive Trends & Technologies. The following is a more detailed presentation of what efforts are being made relative to the Green Computing. ...more details

16-05-2007: Client Hot Topic: Identity Management

The client would like Experture to provide a high-level review of Identity Management (IdM) solutions from Sun and IBM.  This review will include each vendors tools and their usage within higher education. ...more details

16-05-2007: Client Hot Topic: All in One versus Network Printers

The CFO of one of our clients needed to investigate a number of printer alternatives including the use of multi-function printers as a replacement for traditional network single function printers. ...more details

16-05-2007: Organizational Productivity: Effective Presentations

This research note will review key guidelines and actions that an IT executive can take to ensure that your organization is able to proactively capitalize on opportunities to present. ...more details

16-05-2007: Giants Enhance Mobile Browser as T-Mobile Brings MyFaves to Europe

We have spent increasing amounts of time recently analyzing the belated, but now accelerated, evolution of a user interface and services that can support a genuine mobile internet experience. ...more details

16-05-2007: Web 2.0 and the Enterprise

Web 2.0 has become nothing short of a business revolution in the computer industry. Web 2.0 is mostly a new way of leveraging existing web concepts and standards to better harness collective intelligence. ...more details

16-05-2007: Technology Innovation and Competition 101: It’s about Design

The growth of breakthrough innovation and world-class product design in South Korea, China and India is beginning to bypass the traditional leadership of the United States. ...more details

16-05-2007: Monthly Practitioner: Emerging Markets and the $100 Laptop

In our January 2007 edition of the monthly Practitioner, we identified a number of Disruptive Trends & Technologies. The following is a more detailed presentation of what efforts are being made relative to the $100 Laptop. ...more details

10-04-2007: Client Hot Topic: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Impact on Electronic Evidence

A client recently requested information on the recently enacted amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) and how they affected their electronic documentation. ...more details

10-04-2007: Client Hot Topic: Scanning and Indexing Service Providers

An Experture client recently requested that we identify and compare external service providers that scan and classify paper documentation to satisfy operational and regulatory requirements. ...more details

10-04-2007: Disruptive Trends & Technologies Expersigns: Focus on Ubiquitous Access

This research note highlights selected recent announcements in concert with Experture’s 2007 Disruptive Trends and Technologies. This report also provides a focus on potential proactive actions to leverage mobility-related technology solutions across your enterprise. ...more details

10-04-2007: CIO as Chief Innovation Officer

IT leaders are in a unique position to provide essential leadership to drive innovation within their respective enterprise. This research note provides background and guidance regarding how IT executives can position themselves in a strategic leadership role to make an enduring difference for their enterprise. ...more details

10-04-2007: Wireless View: Unified Communication Developments

Unified Communications is a critical part of most major vendors' pushes for enterprise dominance in 2007, and at its heart lies a fundamental stand-off between Cisco and Microsoft, which will affect the whole area of fixed/mobile and voice/data convergence, and the evolution of the mobile corporation. ...more details

10-04-2007: Delivering Results through an IT Balanced Scorecard

The term “balanced scorecard” evokes the image of a set of metrics to describe the performance or health of an organization. While there may be some value to periodically conducting a health assessment, that value would be too limited to sustain an ongoing process. ...more details

10-04-2007: Service Desk Software Options

Over the last two years we have seen a significant amount of growth in the adoption of ITIL. This is viewed as a very positive occurrence as