Joe Stangarone, Author at mrc's Cup of Joe Blog

Weekly recap: 10 hard-earned lessons from a lifetime in IT, essential CIO technologies, and more…

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on essential CIO technologies, mobile BI, and more. I hope you find them useful:

4 technologies for every CIO’s roadmap
As a CIO, what areas must you focus on going into next year? While it varies by company, this article lists 4 game-changing technologies that must be on your radar. I personally feel that #2 and #3 are two of the most important areas a business can focus on.
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7 worst practices of Business Intelligence

By Joe Stangarone / Business Intelligence

Imagine waking up at 2 a.m. to the sound of a screaming smoke alarm. Would you go back to bed? Of course not! You’re scrambling to get up and get the family out of the house as fast as possible!

Now, let’s compare that smoke alarm to your Business Intelligence (BI). Like a smoke alarm, a BI solution gathers data and alerts you to issues–but it ultimately falls on you to take action. This is where many businesses stumble. They either ignore the signals from their BI solution, or aren’t prepared to act when an issue arises. It’s like going back to bed when you hear the smoke alarm, or removing the battery so it won’t wake you up anymore.

I know that’s an extreme example, but it illustrates just one common “worst practice” of BI–a topic that we’re going to examine today. Now, chances are, you understand the concept and the value of BI. It helps you better understand your business and improves decision making, with the end goal of increased revenue.

The problem is, many businesses misuse BI, rendering their Business Intelligence either less effective or completely ineffective. What are these mistakes, and how can you avoid them? To help you answer those questions, I’ve compiled a list of 7 of the biggest “worst practices” of Business Intelligence, and outlined them below:
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The rising need for software flexibility (with example)

By Joe Stangarone / Enterprise Software

One of the points mentioned in this recent article on buying software you won’t later regret was, “Look for adaptability.” Any software you purchase must be flexible, scalable, and easily adapt to future technology.

That being said, “flexible software” is still a rather vague term. What does it mean? What does it look like in real life? Today, I’d like to dive into this topic a little more, and explain what it means, how it helps your business, and even give you a real-life example of flexible software in action. Sound good? Let’s get started:
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Weekly recap: 6 technologies you should learn this year, the ROI of BI, and more…

By Joe Stangarone

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on the ROI of BI, technology you should learn, and more. I hope you find them useful:

More mobile, more apps: Is your business ready?
This article asks an important question: Is your business ready for mobile? It’s becoming more and more important for businesses to invest in a long-term mobile strategy. Not sure where to start? Here’s a short white paper that outlines some key considerations for businesses approaching mobile apps.
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Modernization with limited resources

By Joe Stangarone

Modernization. It sounds like such a daunting task. Just the thought of converting old systems into new, modern systems is enough to make IT executives cringe in fear.

Bimba Manufacturing knew that modernization was a big job, and that their IT staff didnâ??t have the time or the capabilities to take on a big modernization project. In fact, they even looked into ways to put a “bandaid” on their old solution until more time and resources became available. Then, they discovered m-Power. …

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7 things experienced web developers wish they knew earlier

By Joe Stangarone / Web Applications, Web Development

We just passed our 30th anniversary of software development earlier this year. As I reflect back over that time, it’s largely positive…but there are things I know now that I wish I knew starting out. After all, the more time you spend in any profession, the more you learn (hopefully).

That got me thinking: I’m sure everyone is like that. I’m sure everyone could name one or two specific pieces of advice that they wish they knew earlier. Wouldn’t that advice be useful to those just starting out? I think so.

photo credit: andy.brandon50 via photopin cc

Today, I’d like to explore that topic from a web application development angle. What do experienced web app developers know now that they wish they knew starting out? If developers could go back in time, what advice would they give to younger versions of themselves?

We posed those questions to some experienced web app developers, and they provided some excellent advice–which can help web application developers of any skill level. I’ve outlined their advice below, along with a few of my thoughts under each point. Here are 7 things that experienced developers wish they knew earlier:
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15 must-have features of a good reporting solution

By Joe Stangarone / web reporting

A few weeks back, we examined the question, “How can you buy business software that you won’t regret later?” While that article is loaded with great advice for software purchasing, the points are all very general.

What if you need a specific type of software, like reporting, Business Intelligence, or a development platform? While the points in that article still apply, how do you know what essential features to look for in each type of software?

Today, let’s answer that question from the reporting side of things. What features must you look for in an enterprise reporting solution? While your needs will (of course) vary depending on your company, all enterprise-class reporting solutions must include certain essential features. Buy software missing any of these features, and you’ll soon regret that purchase.

What are these features?

We’ve put together a handy little reporting checklist that lists and explains which features you must look for in any reporting solution. You can find it here: mrc’s 15-point reporting checklist.

Weekly recap: 10 hottest IT jobs, applications are money, and more…

By Joe Stangarone

Every week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on the hottest IT jobs, how to bridge the Business/IT communication gap, and more. I hope you find them useful:

IT Cause And Effect: Applications Are Money
While CIOs get inundated with experts telling them which trends to watch and which priorities deserve their attention, it really all boils down to one area: Application development. How quickly can your development team create business solutions? Fix that issue, and many other problems will instantly fix themselves.
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7 things every IT leader should know about mobile

By Joe Stangarone / Mobile, Mobile apps

Can you believe that smartphones (as we know them today) have only been in existence for slightly over 6 years? Yet, despite their relatively short existence, user adoption in the U.S. has already surpassed 50%. That sort of growth is absolutely incredible.

The mobile trend isn’t confined to the consumer world either. Over the past couple of years, we’ve really seen mobile usage and mobile apps gain traction in the enterprise. This will only increase in the coming years.

The explosive growth of mobile puts CIOs and IT leaders in a tricky spot, as they’re forced to adapt to this major trend on the fly. They’re stuck figuring out how their companies can best capitalize on the advantages of mobile while avoiding the drawbacks.

So, what must IT leaders understand about mobile? Today, I’d like to help answer that question. I’ve compiled a list of things every IT leader should understand about mobile, which you can find below:
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m-Power: The modern CIO’s trump card

By Joe Stangarone / Web application development platform

The modern Chief Information Officer (CIO) faces a daunting task. Gone are the days of simply supporting the business. Gone are the days of hard-to-use technology that’s controlled solely by the IT department.

These days, the expectations placed on the IT department are at an all time-high. CEOs and business executives now demand more business value from the IT department. Tech-savvy end users now bring personal devices and consumer applications into the workplace. All the while, technology continually evolves at a quickening pace.

These days, the modern CIO faces a growing list of challenges. For instance–while their challenges vary by company–most modern-day CIOs must: …

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Author name: Joe Stangarone