Knowledge@W. P. Carey -- Managing Technology

Privacy Practices: The Challenge of Safeguarding Digital Data

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:21:26 EST

Privacy once meant drawing the drapes. Now that we depend on technology to do the world's business, privacy means securing data, protecting personal information and keeping hackers at bay. Drawing the drapes in an electronic sense will call for a complex system of safeguards and require policymakers to create guidelines. On January 28, Data Privacy Day was observed across the U.S., Canada and 27 European nations. The W. P. Carey School of Business celebrated the day with a symposium for privacy leaders in the public, private and academic arenas. The event was hosted by the Center for Advancing Business Through Information Technology (CABIT) and Intel.

Bob Anderson: Innovating from the Bottom Up at Best Buy

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:27:51 EST

In the opening moments of Bob Anderson's presentation at a recent conference sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Business through Information Technology, the IT executive used the words "innovation" or "innovative" or "innovate" seven times. He has reasons to harp on that theme. Now chief technologist for Best Buy Co., Inc., the nation's largest consumer electronics outlet, Anderson defines innovative thinking as creative, inventive, radical and fearless. And when you're a retailer of products sold by everyone from Sears to Circuit City, coming up with new and better ways to service customers is crucial to survival, he said.

Sustainable Servers: How IT Can Help Companies Preserve the Environment and the Bottom Line

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:30:51 EST

An explosion of electronic data is creating more demand for more storage capacity and for more servers. More servers mean more energy demands, increased costs and a greater impact on the environment. The situation represents an opportunity for IT to play a greater role in helping companies achieve green goals and reduce or contain costs, says Fred Mapp, former Chief Information Officer at AMD and author of "Mapping Information Technology ... to Your Business." Mapp was speaking at the Spark 2008 IT Invitational sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Analysis: Kevin J. Dooley Asks Are Political Blogs Predictive?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:54:52 EST

2008 will be remembered for the classic battles between Obama and Clinton and McCain and Obama, but political wonks will also note the historical nature of this presidential campaign because of the profound impact that the Internet and social media have had on the dynamics of the race. Here, Professor Kevin J. Dooley, an expert in web communication, writes about the way blogs fit in the panoply of news and information media and the impact they have on politics.

Smart Services: Customer Focus Turns Technology into Solutions

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:33:37 EST

To many participants at the recent Digital Smart Services Leadership Summit hosted by Qualcomm in San Diego, the phrase "smart services" is digital by definition. This new and slightly broader catch phrase covers the field also know as M2M, which means machine-to-machine communications to some or machine-to-man communications to others. But "smart services" refers to more than just the technology that links systems and devices together. Amid all the talk of broadband data rates and RFID (radio frequency identification), marketing Professor Mary Jo Bitner, the academic director of the Center for Services Leadership at the W. P. Carey School of Business, reminded the engineers of what might be called an analog or pre-Internet era definition of smart services: focusing on the customer.

First-Class Cloud: Google Opens Its Computing Power to University Students

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:31:05 EST

Corporations want employees to "think big." Some want them to "think many," as well. Servers, that is. We're talking about thousands of servers linked together and delivering the power of "cluster" or "cloud computing." That's what people are calling the computing model that takes vast amounts of computational horsepower, produced by many machines working in parallel, and makes that resource available via the Internet or some other network. This kind of "Internet-scale" computing is what Google does -- and now the Academic Cluster Computing Initiative (ACCI), a program offered jointly by Google and IBM, is making such an environment accessible to academic researchers. This fall, students and faculty at Arizona State University are becoming part of this Google/IBM effort to bring cloud computing to college campuses.

Jamming Out Web Services? Maybe You Need a Conductor

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:08:49 EST

Anyone who's ever watched a jazz ensemble jam knows it's a fluid process. Players have to listen to each other, yield the stage sometimes, take the spotlight every now and then and always stay in sync with the group. The same could be said for the shift to application development that revolves around web services. With service-oriented applications, functionality comes together in "content mash-ups" that unite multiple web services to give users a comprehensive application. Considering that application developers used to look at their task as a start-to-finish process, service-based software development presents managerial challenges, say Haluk Demirkan and Michael Goul, professors of information systems at the W. P. Carey School of Business. They believe the new development model demands new IT positions, and they call one such role "the conductor."

Podcast: Are Self-Service Technologies Making Your Business Better?

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:59:37 EST

Self-service technologies, which automate routine interactions between companies and customers, are a source of convenience and efficiency to both parties -- until something goes wrong and the customer cannot make the system work. Many companies should be focusing more closely on the overall customer experience, says Michael Goul, a professor of information systems and a researcher at the Center for Advancing Business Through Information Technology. Curiously, here's a case where businesses could learn something from government!

Video: Collaborative Technology Poses Challenges for Businesses

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:40:06 EST

Collaborative technology can advance business through innovation if it can be managed, translated and used creatively. At the "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration" symposium, hosted by the Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business, Knowledge@W. P. Carey talked to presenters about challenges for businesses that are using collaborative technologies.

Cloud Computing: The Evolution of Software-as-a-Service

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:40:06 EST

The next big upgrade to your corporate systems department may be something you will use but never see -- "cloud computing," the next step in the evolution of software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology. As with SaaS, cloud-computing customers tap into computing resources off-site and hosted by another company. The difference is scale. Cloud computing represents a "much larger-scale implementation," says Haluk Demirkan, professor of information systems at the W. P. Carey School of Business. "Now we're talking about thousands of computers" linked together via the Internet or some other network, he explains.

Implementing Collaborative Communities: Three Case Studies

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:40:06 EST

Collaboration is not a new concept, and companies have no trouble imagining the gains to be had from collaborating within the firm, with suppliers and with customers: creativity, productivity, profits. The technology tools already exist to make it happen. But how do you get started? Three case studies from "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration," a symposium hosted by the W. P. Carey School's Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology, highlight collaboration technologies that are transforming how individuals, organizations and industries operate.

Video: Industry Leaders Discuss What's on the Horizon for Collaboration

Wed, 21 May 2008 15:26:31 EST

Collaborative technology is continuing to evolve -- fostering innovation, connecting experts and creating relationships, between companies and their customers. At the "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration" symposium, hosted by the Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business, Knowledge@W. P. Carey talked to presenters about the most exciting developments on the horizon for collaboration.

Podcast: Digital Management Solutions Are Basic Competitive Necessity

Wed, 21 May 2008 15:26:31 EST

Digital universe. Exabytes. Data fluidity value. Master data management solutions. This is the language of the future of business. As the amount of data companies attain and store grows, so too must the ability to deal effectively with this digital avalanche. Michael Goul is a professor of information systems at the W. P. Carey School of Business. Here, he discusses how businesses will have to learn to manage unprecedented amounts of data as a means of gaining a competitive edge.

Security and Governance: Balancing Collaboration and Control

Wed, 21 May 2008 15:26:31 EST

In late 2006, hackers stole information concerning 45.7 million debit and credit cards from the parent company of discount retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. In another security breach last year, the confidential information of some 1.3 million job seekers was stolen from the website of Monster.com, the online job forum. The two incidents show the importance of governance and compliance, and illustrate the sticky problem of balancing collaboration and control -- topics discussed by a panel of experts at the "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration" symposium, hosted recently by the Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business.

The Move to Mashups: How the Millennials are Redefining Software Development

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:40 EST

The Millennial generation -- usually defined as people currently under age 30 -- is demanding major changes throughout the wired workplace. In fact, the high-tech expectations of the Millennials are changing the way software applications are built, according to Michael Goul, a professor of information technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business. Goul moderated a panel discussion of the Millennial workforce as part of the "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration" symposium hosted by the Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Hospitals and Doctors Work Together to Improve Patient Care and the Bottom Line

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:40 EST

Banner Health System saved $5 million and saw misdiagnosis claims from patient lawsuits drop 58 percent in just a year thanks to an insightful collaboration between hospitals and doctors determined to change the status quo. Before the hugely successful collaboration began in 2004, the hospital and its physicians, even when sued jointly, fought patient allegations separately. Each party had its own insurance coverage, claims administration process and attorneys. It was an inefficient and even adversarial strategy, said Dale Schultz, system vice president of business health at Banner. Schultz' presentation was part of the "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration" symposium hosted by the Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Stagecoach Island: Nexus of the Nexters

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:40 EST

GMoney is young and loves to shop, but unlike most young women, she's already a homeowner with a low, low mortgage and a respectable savings account. GMoney is the avatar, or online image, of Gina Fung, who in real life is vice president of experiential marketing for Wells Fargo & Co. Online, Fung is the Pied Piper of Stagecoach Island, a virtual world designed to lure teens and young adults into becoming bank customers. Fung recently addressed a group of business managers gathered for the "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration" symposium hosted by the Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Multitasking Millennials Work Well in the Web 2.0 World

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:40 EST

The wild and wooly world of Web 2.0 development is a comfortable work environment for 20-something employees, says Harbrinder Kang, director of collaboration technologies for Cisco Systems, Inc. "This generation functions differently. They're able to multitask and bounce around," Kang told information technology managers gathered for the "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration" symposium hosted by the Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Good Idea: Creating an Online Community of Innovators

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:40 EST

A recent survey found that $20 billion is spent annually on market research, and yet 80 percent of new items fail, according to Bart Steiner, founder and CEO of Phoenix-based Bulbstorm.com. "Everyone has ideas, and everyone needs exposure and marketing feedback," Steiner said to a morning crowd at the "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration" symposium hosted recently by the Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business. But market surveys are expensive, so where can innovators go for this vital input?

'Digital Diva' Helps the Famous and Their Fans Come Together over the Internet

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:40 EST

Ruth McCartney's first true exposure to the needs of fans came while growing up around the McCartney clan. Stepsister of Sir Paul McCartney of the Beatles, Ruth earned her pocket money as a child helping her mother sort through Paul's fan mail. That experience grew into the idea behind McCartney's business. She is the CEO and co-founder of McCartney Multimedia and iFanz.com, a company that helps clients track who and where their fans are, and what those fans want and need. McCartney recently spoke at the "Achieving Innovation through Collaboration" symposium hosted by the Center for Advancing Business through Information Technology at the W. P. Carey School of Business.