Authors: James Taylor. Neil Raden.
Paperback, 432 pages
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Publication Date: 2007-07-09


Reviews :

   

“Automated decisions systems are probably already being used in your industry, and they will undoubtedly grow in importance. If your business needs to make quick, accurate decisions on an industrialized scale, you need to read this book.”

Thomas H. Davenport, Professor, Babson College, Author of Competing on Analytics

 

The computer-based systems most organizations rely on to support their businesses are not very smart. Many of the business decisions these companies make tend to be hidden in systems that make poor decisions, or don’t make them at all. Further, most systems struggle to keep up with the pace of change.

 

The answer is not to implement newer, “intelligent” systems. The fact is that much of today’s existing technology has the potential to be “smart enough” to make a big difference to an organization’s business. This book tells you how.

 

Although the business context and underlying principles are explained in a nontechnical manner, the book also contains how-to guidance for more technical readers.

 

The book’s companion site, www.smartenoughsystems.com, has additional information and references for practitioners as well as news and updates.

 

Additional Praise for Smart (Enough) Systems

“James Taylor and Neil Raden are on to something important in this book–the tremendous value of improving the large number of routine decisions that are made in organizations every day.”

Dr. Hugh J. Watson, Chair of Business Administration, University of Georgia

 

“This is a very important book. It lays out the agenda for business technology in the new century–nothing less than how to reorganize every aspect of how a company treats its customers.”

David Raab, President, ClientXClient

 

“This book is an important contribution to business productivity because it covers the opportunity from both the business executive’s and technologist’s perspective. This should be on every operational executive’s and every CIO’s list of essential reading.”

John Parkinson, Former CTO, Capgemini, North American Region

 

“This book shows how to use proven technology to make business processes smarter. It clearly makes the case that organizations need to optimize their operational decisions. It is a must-have reference for process professionals throughout your organization.”

Jim Sinur, Chief Strategy Officer, Global 360, Inc.

 

...

Authors: Douglas J. Landoll.
Hardcover, 504 pages
Publisher: CRC
Publication Date: 2005-12-12
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    The Security Risk Assessment Handbook: A Complete Guide for Performing Security Risk Assessments provides detailed insight into precisely how to conduct an information security risk assessment. Designed for security professionals and their customers who want a more in-depth understanding of the risk assessment process, this volume contains real-world advice that promotes professional development. It also enables security consumers to better negotiate the scope and rigor of a security assessment, effectively interface with a security assessment team, deliver insightful comments on a draft report, and have a greater understanding of final report recommendations. This book can save time and money by eliminating guesswork as to what assessment steps to perform, and how to perform them. In addition, the book offers charts, checklists, examples, and templates that speed up data gathering, analysis, and document development. By improving the efficiency of the assessment process, security consultants can deliver a higher-quality service with a larger profit margin. The text allows consumers to intelligently solicit and review proposals, positioning them to request affordable security risk assessments from quality vendors that meet the needs of their organizations....

Authors: Andy Crowe.
Hardcover, 228 pages
Publisher: Velociteach
Publication Date: 2006-10-15


Reviews :

    ...

Authors: Bill Holtsnider. Brian D. Jaffe.
Paperback, 632 pages
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Publication Date: 2006-10-13
Edition: 2

Reviews :

    Many technical professionals are tossed into their new position of managing an IT department without enough training or experience - let alone a clear idea of what is expected of them. Other technicians are trying to decide if they should join the ranks of management, and want the real facts about managing - and managing other technical pros - before they decide.

To compound the issue, most companies have become highly dependent on their IT departments for their day-to-day business operations - often including revenue generation - so the tasks are critical and the learning curve is steep.

The IT Manager's Handbook, 2nd edition provides essential information needed to manage the new responsibilities thrust on you (or the ones you would like to have): vital tasks such as creating budgets, evaluating technologies, administering compliance, and managing staff.

A completely updated and expanded second edition that provides practical, easily accessible management advice written specifically for new IT managers:
· Brings you up to speed on those business practices most critical to effective IT operations: recruiting, budgeting, resource planning, managing personnel, and working with vendors.
· Includes expanded coverage on such critical IT management topics as security, disaster recovery, storage, government/regulatory compliance, and project management.
· Organizes information modularly so you can delve directly into only the topics that you need.
· Provides a unique management perspective on those specific technical issues with the most significant business ramifications.
· Includes new material on key technology topics such as open source, wireless, handhelds, outsourcing, offshoring, and operations, as well as updated coverage of e-commerce, remote access, intranets, and LAN/WAN management....

Authors: AnnaLee Saxenian.
Paperback, 240 pages
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Publication Date: 1996-03-01


Reviews :

    Why is it that business in Silicon Valley is again flourishing while along Route 128 in Massachusetts it continues to decline? The answer, Sexanian suggests, has to do with the fact that despite similar histories and technologies, Silicon Valley developed a decentralized but co-operative industrial system while Route 128 came to be dominated by independent, self-sufficient corporations. The result of more than 100 interviews, this analysis highlights the importance of local sources of competitive advantage in a volatile world economy....

Authors: Dean Lane. With Members of the CIO Community of Practice. and Change Technology Solutions Inc..
Hardcover, 448 pages
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Publication Date: 2003-08-04


Reviews :

    This is the practical survival guide for every CIO and IT manager who is fighting the battle to do more with less. Covers everything from budgeting and measuring, to planning, sourcing, and architecture. Each chapter is introduced with a real-life story that shows how the common themes that have emerged from each author's unique experiences are related. The critical skills that every IT manager needs to master are covered in detail with real-life insights and practical examples. Whether your IT organization is wrestling with outsourcing maintenance issues, or critical infrastructure problems, the solutions you need can be found in this book....

Authors: Susan Snedaker.
Paperback, 456 pages
Publisher: Syngress
Publication Date: 2007-06-08
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Increase Your Company's Odds of Surviving a Major Disaster

Powerful Earthquake Triggers Tsunami in Pacific. Hurricane Katrina Makes Landfall in the Gulf Coast. Avalanche Buries Highway in Denver. Tornado Touches Down in Georgia. These headlines not only have caught the attention of people around the world, they have had a significant effect on IT professionals as well.

As technology continues to become more integral to corporate operations at every level of the organization, the job of IT has expanded to become almost all-encompassing. These days, it's difficult to find corners of a company that technology does not touch. As a result, the need to plan for potential disruptions to technology services has increased exponentially.

Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) are emerging as the 'next big thing' in corporate IT circles. With distributed networks, increasing demands for confidentiality, integrity and availability of data, and the widespread risks to the security of personal, confidential and sensitive data, no organization can afford to ignore the need for disaster planning.

The British Standards Institute is releasing a new standard for BCP this year, the Disaster Recovery Institute has developed a certification for DRP/BCP professionals in conjunction with the British Standards Institute, trade shows are popping up on this topic and the news is filled with companies facing disasters from all sides.

In this book you will find:

* Complete coverage of the 3 categories of disaster: natural hazards, human-caused hazards, and accidental/ technical hazards.
* Updated information on risks from cyber attacks, rioting, protests, product tampering, bombs, explosions, and terrorism.
* Extensive disaster planning and readiness checklists for IT infrastructure, enterprise applications, servers and desktops.
* Clear guidance on developing alternate work and computing sites and emergency facilities.
* Actionable advice on emergency readiness and response.
* Up-to-date information on the legal implications of data loss following a security breach or disaster.

Featuring Case Studies from:
Deanna Conn, Partner, Quarles & Brady, LLP, information security expert
Debbie Earnest, Disaster Recovery and IT expert
Patty Hoenig, Communications and PR expert

* Complete coverage of the 3 categories of disaster: natural hazards, human-caused hazards, and accidental and technical hazards.
* Only published source of information on the new BCI standards and government requirements.
* Up dated information on recovery from cyber attacks, rioting, protests, product tampering, bombs, explosions, and terrorism....

Authors: Mark Gurry.
Paperback, 112 pages
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Publication Date: 2001-11-15
Edition: 1st

Reviews :

    One of the most important challenges faced by Oracle database administrators and Oracle developers is the need to tune SQL statements so that they execute efficiently. Poorly tuned SQL statements are one of the leading causes of substandard database performance and poor response time. SQL statements that perform poorly result in frustration for users, and can even prevent a company from serving its customers in a timely manner.

In this book, Mark Gurry shares his in-depth knowledge of Oracle's SQL statement optimizers. Mark's knowledge is the result of many hard-fought tuning battles during his many years of providing Oracle tuning services to clients. Mark provides insights into the workings of the rule-based optimizer that go well beyond what the rules tell you. Mark also provides solutions to many common problems that occur with both the rule-based and cost-based optimizers.

In addition to the specific problem/solution scenarios for the optimizers, Mark provides a number of handy SQL tuning tips. He discusses the various optimizer hints, telling you when they can be used to good effect. Finally, Mark discusses the use of the DBMS_STATS package to manage database statistics, and the use of outlines to specify execution plans for SQL statements in third-party applications that you can't otherwise modify....

Authors: Gregory S. Smith.
Hardcover, 256 pages
Publisher: Wiley
Publication Date: 2006-04-12


Reviews :

    You have what it takes to be a CIO. Do you have a strategy for getting there? Now you do.

"Gregory Smith has written the definitive work on how to achieve leadership success in IT. This well-written and carefully researched book is a must-read for any IT professional with aspirations toward the top IT spot. Years from now, seasoned IT leaders will be crediting Smith's book with playing a role in their success."
—Martha Heller, Managing Director, IT Leadership Practice, Z Resource Group, and cofounder, CIO Executive Council

"Wow! Put all the tips, advice, and strategies in this book to use now. The road to the top is rarely straight—follow Gregory's advice and the path will reveal itself to you!"
—John R. Sullivan, CIO, AARP

"While most professions have a distinct road map to the top, there is no standard career path to becoming a CIO. Smith addresses this unique challenge and provides aspiring CIOs with encouragement, advice, and essential skills based on years of his own and other CIOs' cumulative experience -- an important effort for the profession that Smith's fellow members in the CIO Executive Council embrace and applaud."
—Mark Hall, General Manager of the CIO Executive Council

"Teaching students what a CIO really does has been tough. We've had to choose between anecdotal treatments based on trade press articles and integrated academic frameworks that offer little in the way of lived experiences. Greg's book fixes that. By organizing interviews with leading technology executives, trade press reports, and his own experiences as a CIO, he provides an organized and comprehensive view of the job and its important role in modern organizations."
—Fred Collopy, PHD, Professor and Chair of Information Systems and Professor of Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University...

Authors: Steve Williams. Nancy Williams.
Paperback, 240 pages
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Publication Date: 2006-12-19
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Business Intelligence (BI): It's not just a technology. It's not just a methodology. It's a powerful new management approach that - when done right - can deliver knowledge, efficiency, better decisions, and profit to almost any organization that uses it.

When BI first came on the scene, it promised a lot but often failed to deliver. The missing element was the business-centric focus explained in The Profit Impact of Business Intelligence. Written by BI gurus Steve Williams and Nancy Williams, The Profit Impact of Business Intelligence shows step by step how you can achieve the promise of BI by connecting it to your organization's strategic goals, culture, and strengths while correcting your BI weaknesses.

Features:

* Provides a practical, process-oriented guide to achieve the full promise of BI.

* Shows how world-class companies used BI to become leaders in their industries.

* Helps senior business and IT executives understand the strategic impact of BI and how they can ensure a strong payoff from their BI investments.

* Identifies the most common mistakes organizations make in implementing BI.

* Includes a helpful glossary of BI terms.

* Includes a BI readiness assessment for your organization.

* Includes Web links and extensive references for more information.

Steve Williams, President and founder of DecisionPath Consulting, is a leading advocate of business-driven BI design and development. His consulting firm is one of the largest in the specialized field of Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing. Steve has over 23 years experience in information systems and systems engineering and has co-authored a training course on the BI Pathway Method. Nancy Williams is Vice President of DecisionPath Consulting. With over 21 years of business and technical experience, she provides technical and strategic leadership on business intelligence as well as hands-on guidance for client engagements.

* A practical, process-oriented book that will help organizations realize the promise of BI
* Written by Nancy and Steve Williams, veteran consultants and instructors with hands-on, "in the trenches" experience in government and corporate business intelligence applications
* Will help senior business and IT executives understand the strategic impact of BI and how they
can help ensure a strong payoff on BI investments...