Top 10 leading technology projects in 2007

Improving business programs, managing customer relations and analyzing commercial operations are top priorities in the CIO's work category this year.

If someone ever asked the question, why technology innovations are not aimed at business requirements, the answer lies in what Baselinemag readers say, they are being targeted in 2007.

More than three of the top surveys from the beginning of the year have confirmed that those who work in IT are aiming for an advanced business program. Another hot area is customer relationship management and analysis of commercial activities. All require cooperation between information technology experts and financial experts and business managers. Today, no business has invested in areas where they cannot see profits.

' The projects we plan for 2007 are based on the question, what does a business need? ' Says Gabrielle Wolfson, information manager for Spring Valley (New York). ' Now, it's time for you to just deploy technology for technology purposes .'

The tendency to focus on technology has led companies to plan many pilot projects and cut back on investment for some big but risky projects.

The tendency to focus on technology (ROI) also reminds companies to exploit and use more effectively the computer system they have. It is also the push for a service-oriented architecture (SOA) targeted. Although SOA itself is not on the list of the 10 most interesting projects (it ranks 12th according to readers' ratings), but its principles of how to better exploit and use infrastructure, promote the rational use of application programs applied in some top 10 projects, such as Web services (ranked fifth in the list) or develop an enterprise system plan (ranked 9th in the list) book).

In total, 363 IT and business management readers participated in Basline's survey to conduct a January remittance. Let's see the ten most interesting projects in the list below.

The first project: Improving and managing business programs

Participation : Usually a collaborative effort by both IT and business parties. In some cases, such as the BPM project, there is no involvement of any technical expert.

Project cost : From 20,000 USD to 10 million USD.

Implementation time : If it is a departmental test, since the start to complete it takes about 5 days. If a large enterprise project can take several years.

The first area that technology managers come to this year is BPM (Business Process Manager). It is also the fastest growing project. As Chiris Curran, chief technology officer of Diamond Management & Technology Consultants in Chicago, said: ' BPM is one of the volatile projects as fast as you see twenty different points on ten people. It is a term that appears unexpectedly by manufacturers '.

The purpose of BPM projects is to break down business functions, sketch out better ways to implement them and build technology systems with support from many new methods.

The function of the enterprise is assessed according to each industrial sector. Some are usually defined by program type, using new employees and the implementation process.

Of course, there are also some real BPM tools offered by companies like Oracle, BEA Systems. These tools help businesses understand what they have and what they should design. Nearly every company today employs a business analyst, each year identifying the necessary requirements along with the trend of moving in each area for the development team. But the tools they used (business software) were only in the form of 'manual'.

Some newer software automatically generates code that runs the advanced business program. However, scanning code so far has only been done in large enterprises. With billions of dollars to spend on the BPM project in 2007, a lot will be used for mentors, in addition to salary for employees instead of software as before.

Second project: Customer relationship management (CRM)

Participation : Shared by both technology and business units.

Project costs : Streamline the program, the minimum price of $ 50,000. A large-scale CRM project in a large company may cost up to $ 50 million.

Implementation time : The profit usually comes after two or three years.

There are already world-class CRM project development organizations such as professional service firms Deloitte, Infosys and IBM. But many of them missed their future customers. ' Many professional activities of organizations have been transferred or resold ,' said Isher Kaila, a CRM deployment agent for search firm Gartner. ' This is an explosive period .'

Why is that? There are two reasons. Joint venture activities have placed customers in a number of industry choices. Then the impact of globalization, the Internet, two factors that bring new power into the hands of consumers. Companies are trying to do anything to keep customers, rather than risk losing them to a website that offers the same service but faster, cheaper and better.

However, one of the three CRM projects ever implemented still fails. Recognizing this, many companies are actively changing smarter tactics.

Specifically, some choose the type of multiple test implementation, build the most realistic prototype to verify the concept in theory. ' Organizations are reluctant to make detailed CRM plans for multi-year levels, ' Kaila said. CRM is being implemented in parts with larger sizes.

'Software as a service' is another factor that makes CRM implementation simpler and enhances ROI. Some vendors have introduced these types of software such as Salesforce.com. Amicas, a company based in Boston (UK) has provided billing services for radiologists. This company is using its Salesforce.com system, not just to monitor business activity but also to conduct customer satisfaction surveys. ' The details we can collect are amazing, ' said Nancy Elliott, manager of customer services for financial group Amicas.

But companies should not make the mistake that their initiatives have been successful because CRM is easier to implement. ' Because, you can talk more with customers, you can settle things with them, but that doesn't mean business value is increased. At the end of each day, you will need to pay attention to profits '.

The third project: Business Analysis / Enterprise News

Participation : IT staff retrieves data; Enterprise analyzes it.

Cost : A project for a large company can easily lose millions of US dollars.

Implementation time : from a few days to a year or more.

Many of the successes of the business are sometimes fortuitously fortuitous, based on the analysis of what has been and will happen and the formative strategies of responding to them. Wouldn't it be great if we could transfer data from all our companies into real information?

That is the activity of enterprise analysis software. They will take data from a company's separation systems (IT section) and transfer it to business users for analysis.

It is not a simple task. Data in many companies is sometimes on systems with age of 20-30 years. Programs to extract, transmit and download data from IT systems to enterprise systems for analysis are difficult to achieve complete accuracy, even with some software of firms such as ntormatica, Cognos and Ab Initio.

However, it is not surprising that companies are always trying to maintain activities that are potentially effective, usually limited to the scope of projects they are undertaking. For example, Progressive Medical, a $ 150 million industrial insurance brokerage firm in Westerville, Ohio, has incorporated internal data with industry data to determine which items are most important, as time and cost for each plan. ' We are trying to provide a higher level reporting mechanism for our customers ', letting them know how much time and cost will be saved when using Progressive - the information director of Progressive Medical , Angelo Mazzocco said.

The method of 'thinking by part' is also very useful for big companies. A telecom carrier will find that they can learn a lot about success in the price plan just by sending 'two IT employees and some business employees' to survey and explore some of the customers in a certain area. ' Of course you will have to verify the theory before building a multi-million dollar project .'

Fourth project: Upgrading desktop and laptop computers

Participation : IT staff set up plans or policies; businesses pay

Cost : Different according to the configuration level. Prices for computers are currently being reduced somewhat by the introduction of Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system.

The trend of shifting to laptop use will continue to grow this year. IDC figures that 2 out of 5 new computers purchased by companies are laptops, increasing the rate to 3 times compared to 2005.

Improved quality and softer prices are a factor, adding another factor is the increase in wireless Internet service has driven the trend of increasing use of laptops. Wireless local area networks (typically operating over Wi-Fi networks) provide users with the first form of opening. And with the mobile wide area network service, open nature is even bigger.

Companies like to use laptops because they extend the working time of the day. Usually you leave at 5 pm every day. Depending on the distance from the office to the house near or far, you will spend less or more time traveling. But what if I get stuck on the way? If employees are equipped with laptops at home, they will no longer have to worry about it, can work from morning to night, anytime according to the required work.

' Companies want their users to use tools that are not only competitive but also effective and efficient, ' Shim said.

Many companies have cut the cost of buying desktop computers, and some manufacturers have found sales of this product line slow. But even so, the potential to buy desktops is still very strong, especially in companies upgrading Vista, Microsoft's new operating system. This helps to reduce the income level of companies producing desktop hardware.

Fifth project: Web services

Participation : A team of information director (CIO).

Cost : The amount of money to hire 6 excellent software designers throughout the project.

Time : It usually takes about a year or half a year before starting to make a profit. To break even, it is longer.

Source: smbedge

One of the most common errors of technology development for large companies is: applications are built for a certain business unit, but cannot be used for other businesses. Or, data cannot be shared.

Technology towers may still be outstanding, but Web services, including the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) are linking them in a way that considers promise.

By extension, Web services are just the next layer of old-style intermediate connectors. Anywhere used by heterogeneous companies using some of Tibco, WebMethods' software to connect the system, they now use standard protocols and methods. ' Many features are implemented in large mainframme servers and other systems, ' said Vijay Tella, Oracle Fusion Middleware's chief strategy officer. ' Companies want to turn to more modern applications with the ability to understand, change and stimulate their intellectual activities .'

And greater efficiency is coming through creating shared services, applications within a company's department, now implemented to be able to be used by some other departments as well.

For example, a company doing a back-office program is quite perfect. Web services can help that company use the program on a new channel, such as outsourcing to a consulting center or on a website. ' If you share the program three times, you save twice the investment, ' said Gartner analyst Dan Sholler. ' That money will become a huge item, because people often spend a lot of money investing in software .'

But because Web services are a new issue, companies face a number of major challenges. One of them is finding the right developers who understand the model and can deploy it to suit their business. Another problem belongs to the organization sector. Sharing services in a company with multiple departments or between corporations and subsidiaries is inevitable. Therefore, you must run 'programs that solve coherent and unified management'. So far, the organization that deployed the earliest this type is the security service industry. This year, developers hope many government organizations will jump in.

Sixth Project: Plan and restore 'disaster'

Participation : Experienced sales executives, a number of leadership positions questioned, the board of directors is responsible for supervision.

' Big-minded thoughts ' are getting more and more attention in businesses. But in the last few years people have also noticed that big is not necessarily good.

After the September 11 terrorist attack, many businesses have set their sights on vigilance and precaution, preparing themselves for the ability to not only lose data but also face many problems. more afraid. ' What will happen if telecommunications and mobile infrastructure services are destroyed? '' Jon Oltsik, Enterprise Strategy Group's information security expert, asked. ' And what happens if someone is killed? Who will continue to handle the job? '.

' People are thinking more deeply about this issue. It's a pity, but that's necessary '.

Services will provide office buildings with shelters, where insurance ensures safety for people in case something goes wrong.

Financial firms are the largest customers in disaster insurance services. This is partly due to the mandatory requirements of some organizations such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, but the main reason is the preparation for future terrorist attacks. Many financial firms have spent millions of dollars each year on disaster recovery services.

Project 7: Detection and prevention of infringement

Participation : managers in both security and network teams.

Cost : Hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Time : continuous.

Source: thegadgetnet

Last year, a laptop was stolen in the US Veterans Office, taking 250,000 personal information of veterans. This year, many customers said that a series of computers were stalled at retail stores. It seems that no time is the computer placed outside the scope of intruders and thieves.

Until recently, companies still focused primarily on dealing with outbound issues. They use firewalls, perimeter defense systems to prevent hackers from attacking the system via the Internet. Many companies are still interested in this issue. Information Director of Progressive Medical, Mazzocco recently brought a consultant team to perform some infringement checks. Their mission is to: try to break the systems of Progressive. Mazzocco believes, they can find some problems to help us handle.

With more secure belt systems, some companies turn their attention to internal internal problems, such as viruses that accidentally enter due to laptop users joining the network, or due to activities. sabotage old-fashioned electronics of dissatisfied people or simply neglected by employees.

For fortunate companies, events are merely hindering normal activities. But in some cases, these activities take away millions of dollars of businesses.

'There is no shortage of tricks ' with all kinds of causes, said Oltsik, a security expert.

When operating well, the security system will help CIOs to put their pillows to sleep. But if any system is like being in chemotherapy, it may be the cause of 'giving way' to the intruders to 'bite home chickens'. Even they cannot distinguish which activity is good, which activity is destructive. ' The last thing you will want to do is turn off all legitimate traffic, because it will probably cause your phone ring to ring at midnight to make you go to fix it .'

Project 9: Upgrade the server

Participation : Tasks are usually performed and controlled by the technical department.

For most companies, upgrading the server after 3 to 5 years is almost mandatory. Therefore, it is not surprising that this project is listed in the top 10 most voted projects.

Some companies are stuck with financial issues, so they cannot upgrade every five years, but Progressive does not. The company is growing rapidly and is trying to double employee performance. They are investing in new infrastructure, helping Progressive move to a new level.

' Moore's Law, the prediction of the rate of computing power growth is still ongoing, with a positive rate. We will see the cost for each storage and the cost for each execution, even when reducing the source '.

Project 9: Develop a plan for the enterprise system

Participation : Technical staff with the most extensive view of the company's systems. Usually, they will need some assistants from the finance department.

Cost : time-consuming.

Source: site-designs

You must have heard many times about successful companies with this project. They have dozens of database firms, or even seven systems to build enterprise resource plans.

Developing an enterprise system plan is a set of disciplinary regulations applied by companies to impersonal applications. It starts with defining the requirements required for the business, then identifying the corresponding technology that the company has to deal with.

' I worked with a company that has 25 different CRM systems ,' said Curran of Diamond Management. ' The question is:' Do you have a chance to drop from 25 to just 3? ' And will you get support from one, instead of the 5 professional organizations like before? '.

Building enterprise systems is an indispensable part of business operations if it wants to be effective after joint venture. Therefore, it is not surprising for businesses to start paying for this problem.

10th project: Financial report

Participation : need close cooperation of information managers (CIOs) and financial directors (CFO).

Cost : most companies use 5% of the total IT budget for this project.

In most organizations, especially large companies, financial reporting is a very important job. They built their own systems for the field. The idea is to pack data rigorously and have a single virtual table for them. Any data can be locked if the Exchange and Security Council requests it. ' Everything ends in finance, ' said Wolfson, Par Pharmaceutical's chief information officer.

That may be true, but the method of technology experts to fully implement their responsibilities in this area is very rich. While some financial directors prefer to use simple methods, do all the work with a financial software from SAP or PeopleSoft, many people choose to create their own method.

Like Wolfson, she will use Hyperion as a financial data repository, but will also go to software companies to analyze SAS for forecasting and get some other functions.