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Using ROI Strategically in E-Learning
by WatchIT
Emad Rizkalla, president and cofounder of Bluedrop Performance Learning, an e-learning consultancy, explains how to unleash the value of e-learning by ensuring that content, delivery, and technology are aligned to achieve corporate as well as learner objectives. For organizations with limited budgets, the ability to determine when e-learning makes business sense and how to define and measure ROI is increasingly critical. In this program, Rizkalla shows organizations how to quantify the costs and benefits of e-learning initiatives, and determine which projects to pursue. He begins by describing the business benefits of e-learning, explaining how it can be the centerpiece of an effective and continuous learning strategy. Next, he provides an example of ROI in action by drawing on his experiences with a key client. Rizkalla concludes by presenting a formula that shows how to assign monetary value to the costs and benefits of an e-learning project. ...
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XBRL = A Way of Life for Corporate America
by WatchIT
XBRL is the long-awaited ‘tagging' technology that allows companies to electronically communicate their business and financial data to the users of their financial statements. In this program longtime SEC observer Gary Purnhagen predicts that it is just a matter of time until all U.S. publicly traded companies are required to file audited XBRL financial statements. ...
$59.98
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WPF, Silverlight and XAML: An Introduction
by WatchIT
This program features Rockford Lhotka, Principal Technology Evangelist for Boston based Magenic Technologies, a Microsoft focused IT consulting firm. Rockford is the author of numerous technology books on topics such as Visual Basic.NET, C # Business Objects and CSLA.NET among others. He contributes to major technology magazines and regularly presents at conferences around the world - including Microsoft PDC, Tech Ed, VS Live! and VS Connections. In the program Rockford will introduce you to Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), the Microsoft browser plugin Silverlight, and the Extensible Application Markup Language known as XAML. ...
$59.98
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Working Knowledge
by WatchIT
In this program, Larry Prusak of the IBM Institute for Knowledge Management, Cambridge, MA, looks at how knowledge can be nurtured in organizations. Prusak asserts that building trust throughout a company is the key to creating a knowledge-oriented corporate culture in which employees are encouraged to make efficient, productive, and innovative decisions. Prusak presents examples of successful knowledge projects at global companies such as British Petroleum, 3M, Mobil Oil, and Hewlett-Packard. These examples come from research Prusak conducted while writing his book, "Working Knowledge." This program is an excellent resource for managers who want to harness the experience and wisdom within their organizations more effectively. ...
$59.98
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When Hackers Attack! Incident Response Planning and Forensics
by WatchIT
Cliff Riggs, senior member of the technical staff at Hill Associates, discusses in detail the practices and procedures involved in incident response planning and forensics. In an interview, Hugh Pierce, owner and principal of Forensec, a Vermont-based forensics firm specializing in computer crimes, explains how to handle evidence of such crimes. According to Riggs, a security incident can be either a controlled situation or a slowly spiraling disaster. The difference between the two is the planning that occurs prior to the first incident. In the program, Riggs outlines the need for creating an incident response plan. He then lists and describes the required equipment and documentation aids to use when creating an incident response plan. The program also thoroughly details the phases associated with the plan, and offers some training resources to investigate when creating your company's incident response team. ...
$59.98
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When Bad Data Is Good Enough
by WatchIT
All decision support systems depend on good data. Any company that wants to perform analyses, run reports, and create queries depends on good, clean data. Unfortunately, no company's data is 100% perfectly clean and accurate. That doesn't mean that it's not still valuable and can't be used. In this program, Don Gerundo, a Principal of the Business Intelligence practice and Chief Methodologist of Exigent Partners, describes ways to improve the usefulness of even marginal data. Gerundo begins by describing two solutions for cleansing data, and explains how a data mart can cleanse your data. He provides background information and examples that explain how to work with attributes and metrics. Gerundo discusses where to fix your data, and explains what to do if you're using data that's not perfectly accurate. He concludes by discussing techniques for data verification, and offers advice on prioritizing data elements. ...
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Web Site Practices: Creating a Better Visitor Experience
by WatchIT
Between half to three-quarters of visitors who come to a Web site for the first time, or for something new, leave without finding what they were looking for – even when it is on the site. Not surprisingly, when Web sites fail to meet customer expectations, the overall brand image of the company is tarnished. Steve Telleen, Founder, iorg.com, demonstrates a proactive approach to creating a better visitor experience. Telleen begins with a look at the traditional reactive approaches to managing the visitor experience, including usability testing, the heuristic review, and satisfaction surveys. He then explains why proactive approaches are better, and explains why they have such a positive impact on IT. Telleen next examines how to develop and refine Web site practices; this section includes a discussion on practice definitions and their requirements. The final section explores ways to use these practices, and includes an in-depth look at their pragmatic purposes: as a checklist for specific attributes; to identify design requirements; to set and audit standards; as a framework for testing, and for knowledge capture, as well as commentary on implementation. ...
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Web Site Business Alignment: Attaining Measurable Value
by WatchIT
Business owners must clearly articulate their business objectives and Web site practices in order to obtain measurable results. Steve Telleen, Founder, iorg.com, delves into these issues and offers specific solutions for aligning your Web site with your business. In addition, this program includes a case study with the Web executive team of Torchiana, Mastrov & Sapiro, a career management consulting firm that shows how it has derived significant business benefits from the alignment of business objectives with Web site functionality. Telleen begins by examining barriers to Web site business alignment, and explains how the Web site as a business asset requires an investment of time and money. Next, he discusses the key specifications that business owners must provide to designers and developers: Web site business objectives, key visitor scenarios, and stripped home pages. Telleen also describes a workshop for developing these specifications. Then, he explores where and how to use the specifications, and demonstrates how they have value for business owners, designers, and implementers. Finally, Telleen looks at how to obtain these specifications from the business owners. ...
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Understanding RSS
by WatchIT
‘Information overload' is a common complaint among Internet users. There is simply too much information -- and too little time. But what if there was a way to quickly and conveniently see what's new on all the Web sites you're interested in, and you could click through to any particular item you wanted to examine in detail? Such utilities exist, called ‘feedreaders' or ‘newsreaders,' or sometimes ‘news aggregators.' They ‘read' what are known as RSS, or really simple syndication feeds, which you can subscribe to, and they show you what's new in those feeds. In this timely program, consultant Ted Demopoulos explains how RSS works and how you can get the most from it. He begins by explaining how ordinary Internet users can effectively benefit from RSS, and continues by showing how Internet content publishers can benefit from RSS as well. Next, Demopoulos examines RSS technical fundamentals, and considers what should go into an RSS feed. He also takes a quick look at the evolution of RSS, and describes different versions of RSS. Demopoulos rounds out the program by looking at the similar but rival format to RSS, known as Atom. He concludes with some thoughts on the probable evolution of RSS. ...
$59.98
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Understanding Blogs and Their Business Value
by WatchIT
Blogs have quickly evolved from quirky Internet diaries to the next wave in the information revolution. Seen as a cutting edge information dissemination and marketing technique, blogs are now part of many companies' Web sites. In this program, consultant Ted Demopoulos explains how blogs can boost Web site traffic, increase sales, and provide an excellent platform to communicate with customers. He describes how companies use traditional Web sites, examines their shortcomings, and shows how blogs overcome these shortcomings. Demopoulos looks at the practical business uses of blogs and provides several instructive examples. He also addresses the critical issue of who should be blogging for your company. Demopoulos offers guidelines for blog writing, and considers defensive blogging strategies. He describes how feeds are used for aggregating blog content. Demopoulos concludes by looking at the future of blogs as an evolving business tool. ...
$59.98
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The Software Cost Estimation Process
by WatchIT
Doug Brindley, President of Software Productivity Research, and estimation gurus Lawrence Putnam and T. Capers Jones, detail successful practices associated with software cost estimation. Lead presenter Brindley provides a brief history of software cost estimation, explains the six general forms of estimation, looks at the key drivers of project behavior, describes commercially available estimation tools, and lists the characteristics of successful software cost estimation. In on-camera interviews, Putnam, Founder and President of Quantitative Software Management and creator of the SLIM family of estimating and software management tools, and Jones, Founder and Chief Scientist Emeritus of Software Productivity Research, discuss best practices and the impact of software cost estimation. ...
$59.98
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The Productivity Paradox: Productivity Is Its Own Reward
by WatchIT
Focusing on productivity improvement in software organizations can create opportunities – for cost savings, greater throughput, even headcount reduction. But it can also create problems in other measurable areas of the enterprise, including defect levels and project durations. Doug Brindley, President of Software Productivity Research, describes techniques businesses can use to identify, study, and determine project outcomes. He examines how organizations can anticipate the effects of change, the prudence of contractual incentives, and the real value of productivity improvement. Brindley begins with a detailed look at a ‘big picture' view of project performance. Next, he presents a primer on how you can build your own ‘big picture' and begin to predict the likely impact of behavioral changes in your project environments. Brindley concludes with a discussion of vital considerations in any software metrics analysis. ...
$59.98
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The Principles of Successful CRM
by WatchIT
Claudia Imhoff, President and Founder of Intelligent Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of business intelligence and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) consulting, education and seminars, reveals the differences between operational and analytical CRM. The program looks at the principles of CRM and its critical success factors. Imhoff discusses how operational and analytical CRM are used in support of an overall CRM initiative. She describes each component in the architecture and provides examples of their usage. Imhoff also presents an example of the CRM process, demonstrating how these various components come into play. The five principles of CRM, according to Imhoff, are: (1) Customer knowledge is the lifeblood of business; (2) We recognize the differential value of our customers and invest accordingly; (3) We strive for a 360-degree view of our customers; (4) Our strategic conversation is guided by new technology; and (5) We have a plan, and we're poised to deliver. In her discussion of these principles, Imhoff details how operational and analytical CRM are used in support of an overall CRM initiative. She describes each component in the architecture and provides examples of usage. Imhoff also presents an example of the CRM process, demonstrating how these various components come into play. The program concludes with four critical success factors to ensure a successful CRM project: forging a business partnership between the business community and IT, establishing well-defined and appropriate business requirements, recognizing that change is inevitable, and establishing a dependable supporting architecture. ...
$59.98
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The New IT Economics
by WatchIT
Stock market jitters, falling corporate profits, rising unemployment and a housing crisis to boot, the list of our current economic woes seem endless. In challenging economic times, IT is often one of the first groups to feel the effects of the budget axe. To keep technology assets up to par, CIOs and IT managers need to change the perception of IT being simply - just another cost center. In this program IT Benchmarking expert Dr. Howard Rubin, discusses why bad economic times are always a good time to invest in IT. And, by learning to communicate the strategic value of the IT organization in business not technology terms, CIOs and IT managers will be more likely to succeed in convincing business colleagues to invest in IT for the long-term, no matter the short-term economic outlook. ...
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The New Economics of IT Infrastructure
by WatchIT
Global economic conditions have triggered a tsunami of corporate mergers, acquisitions, and consolidations. As a result enterprises of a “new scale” are being created. These “mega” organizations will have access to information technology and business processes that have never been seen or experienced before. In this report Dr Howard Rubin, IT benchmarking expert discusses the benefits and risks that these “super-sized” organizations may bring, and will offer insight to IT professionals coping with a large-scale merger or acquisitions in their organization. ...
$59.98
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The IT Infrastructure Library: An Introduction
by WatchIT
Public and private organizations around the globe are growing increasingly dependent on IT to meet ongoing requirements as well as reach new goals. In order to deliver high quality IT, organizations are increasingly relying on the IT Infrastructure Library or ITIL, a framework of best practices for the management and delivery of IT services. In this program Scott Helmers, a partner with Boston based Harvard Computing Group presents practical insights into ITIL and explains why enterprises can benefit from its implementation. ...
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The Green IT Two-Step
by WatchIT
Companies need to take a step backward before moving forward with Green IT, and perhaps a step sideways too! A step backward to look at technology sizing and identify the right starting point for moving forward, and a step to the side to look laterally across the organization and focus on options to forestall unnecessary growth. In this program IT benchmarking expert Dr. Howard Rubin will explain how by taking this approach, companies will be getting "Green IT right" and help reduce the negative environmental impact of our growing global IT carbon footprint. ...
$59.98
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The Enterprise Security Organization: Design, Roles and Responsibilities
by WatchIT
Dave Garlick, project manager for Neohapsis, a Chicago-based information security leader, outlines how an enterprise should set up its security organization. The program includes an overview of managing security in the enterprise; management phases; personnel requirements for a strong security program; as well as benefits, costs, and hidden dangers associated with security. Recommendations and action items for managing an airtight security organization are also provided. Peter Tippett, CTO of Cybertrust, Inc., offers advice on hiring, training, and managing IT staff members who handle security-related issues. This program looks at laying the groundwork for enterprise-wide security by covering such topics as setting policies and procedures, increasing security awareness, and using technology to keep out intruders. ...
$59.98
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Spam, Worms and Viruses! Managing Malicious E-Mail
by WatchIT
The rising tides of unsolicited commercial e-mail – spam – and e-mail-borne security risks, such as viruses and worms, not only pose special challenges for enterprises, but also add significant costs. Ray Everett-Church, privacy consultant and author, explains how spam affects your organization and discusses tools and techniques you can use to reduce this threat. In an interview, Karl Barth, E-mail Administrator, Office of Information Resources and Technology at Drexel University in Philadelphia, describes how the university employed new solutions to combat the crippling volumes of e-mail it was receiving. Everett-Church discusses the history of spam, explains how spammers operate, and shows what spam costs your company. He points out why spam is so difficult to stop, and then describes the first generation of anti-spam solutions and their overall effectiveness. Everett-Church examines the next wave of solutions and explains how they can help IT departments reduce costs. Finally, he describes the technologies that are your best bet to solve your spam problem. ...
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Software Licensing: Insights and Best Practices
by WatchIT
CIOs and IT managers are under the gun to negotiate cost effective software license agreements that address an organizations specific needs, including enhancements, fixes, training, support, and compliance with a wide variety of requirements. In this program attorney and software licensing expert Peter Vogel from the firm of Gardere, Wynne Sewell LLP, shares important lessons to help you negotiate effectively with software vendors, lower risk, and aid compliance with software licenses in your organization. ...
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Relationship Management for Senior IT Executives
by WatchIT
IT leaders today have the opportunity, authority, and responsibility to engage business partners in a genuine business relationship. Therefore, relationship management is a dominant responsibility of a senior IT manager. In this program, Gig Graham of WatchIT, discusses how to improve the working relationship between IT and business managers. He presents ideas on how IT leaders can negotiate their shared needs, resolve their unique needs, communicate regularly, and survive when services and plans have to be adjusted for economic, political, and technical reasons. ...
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Protecting Personal Information
by WatchIT
Protecting the personal information of customers, employees and business partners is becoming an increasingly challenging task for IT. Personal information that falls into the wrong hands can lead to identity theft, fraud and costly litigation for companies. CIOs and IT managers must take a proactive approach to protect personal information across the enterprise. In this report Peter Vogel an attorney and technology expert from the firm of Gardere, Wynne Sewell LLP, offers clear insight into current and emerging issues regarding the protection of personal information. ...
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Project Management Roles and Responsibilities
by WatchIT
Bob Jones, Managing Director of Answerthink's Program Management consulting practice, offers an in-depth look at the roles and responsibilities required to manage IT projects successfully. In an interview, Dan Hill, Vice President, Projects and Solutions Delivery for Exelon Business Services Company, talks about his experiences managing projects for one of the nation's largest electric utility companies. Jones discusses the competencies and processes required to be an effective project manager. He also highlights enabling tools and technologies, and outlines attributes of one successful and one unsuccessful project via two real-world case studies. ...
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Outsource Governance Metrics: We're Lost, But We're Making Good Time
by WatchIT
Doug Brindley of Software Productivity Research, explains the key principles for success in application development and maintenance governance in outsourced projects. He also discusses the relative strengths and weaknesses of software metrics in outsource governance. In an interview, noted software metrics guru Capers Jones, founder and Chief Scientist Emeritus of SPR, shares some of his experiences in studying outsource relationships gone bad. Brindley begins the program by explaining the five key principles for success in using metrics in outsource governance. He continues by describing the ten best technical practices for outsourced organizations. Brindley concludes with a detailed, seven-point checklist for outsourcers and their clients as they contemplate their future relationships. ...
$59.98
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Optimizing IT to Meet Business Objectives
by WatchIT
How can companies ensure that IT services are directed and optimized to implement critical business objectives? Wendell Jones of Cutter Consortium helps IT managers cope with what has become one of the most difficult -- yet exciting -- jobs in any organization. The program describes techniques that will help IT managers think and communicate like business executives, build relationships with key stakeholders, manage suppliers and providers, achieve two-way alignment between IT and business, anticipate and adapt to changing business requirements, and recruit, develop and retain quality staff. ...
$59.98
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