In a study of midmarket organizations that have implemented HP ProCurve in a production environment, IDC found that HP ProCurve provides more than sufficient functionality for their current needs and the scalability to grow into the future. more
Doing more with less. Enhanced business agility. Reduced costs. The demands on IT have never been greater, particularly in light of lower revenue and uncertain demand for the goods and services offered by many companies. There are many ways that IT can help organizations adjust to this new economic environment. Learn about five key technology trends that can immediately impact your organization's bottom line, and how to build a strategy to implement these technologies within your current budget. more
Dear Bob ...I read your Advice Line post, "Problems with project estimation," (2/5/2007), in which you stated that trust is a precondition for successful project estimation and execution.Trust? TRUST?!?No one trusts the IT guys in the room. They make more money than the business people, and business people always think IT projects take way too long. The business people want something, but don't have time tell yo
I read your Advice Line post, "Problems with project estimation," (2/5/2007), in which you stated that trust is a precondition for successful project estimation and execution.
Trust? TRUST?!?
No one trusts the IT guys in the room. They make more money than the business people, and business people always think IT projects take way too long. The business people want something, but don't have time tell you what it is once, let alone being part of a project every day. I can almost never get a single room dedicated for a project.
I can't start by asking how the business operates, I will be laughed out of the room, or my boss will be asked to get someone who knows the business already.
Trust? Companies will out-source IT in a minute. You have to provide a service, fast and accurate, and then move on to the next thing.
...and I agree that estimating is often useless -- try estimating the requirements, let alone the actual development --- but people want to know what its going to cost, because they have options like buying a package, or cloning something from another part of the mega-corporation. So avoidance is not a solution.
...and unless you get the business people on the project, participating every day providing needs and feedback, then you are going to need those documents, because the development work might be shipped overseas before you know what happened.
Sorry, but that's the truth.
- Distrustful
Dear Distrustful ...
Huh. I thought it worked that way. Maybe it's because, when my consulting company, IT Catalysts, works with clients that have dysfunctional IT organizations, one of our top priorities is to find ways to reestablish trust between IT and the rest of the organization.
It can be done, and yes, it is that important.
The folks in IT earn more so they can't be trusted? Last I looked, trust wasn't dependent on equality of compensation. IT projects take longer than business people would like? Sure they do - so do construction projects, product development projects, and just about every other kind of project. That doesn't automatically result in distrust. It can, and often does, especially when IT says, in effect, "Trust us - it has to take this long."
It certainly does when IT fails to involve its business partners in the estimation process.
You say business people want something but don't have time to tell you what it is? That's the heart of my point: You shouldn't ask them what they want. When I've asked how a business collaborator wants to change how the business operates, I've yet to hear any respond, "What? You don't know?"
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
An Alternative to Virtualization for Datacenter Cost Savings
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Why Your Firewall, VPN, and IEEE 802.11i Aren't Enough to Protect Your Network
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect businesscritical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.