Compliance remains a key concern for many IT managers. Frameworks like ITIL and COBIT are very popular, but the NIST 800 guidelines and ISO 17799/27002 may be more beneficial. Regardless of the approach, IT leadership is sacrificed when violations occur.

Although moving to a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) can enhance business and IT agility, the sheer complexity and scope of the migration make this a potentially pitfall-ridden process. When embarking on an enterprise SOA initiative, IT leaders must heed key lessons learned by seasoned implementers.

BPM is not an exercise in vendor or software selection. Tools and software only support and/or implement the BPM paradigm. Focus instead on what processes and level of processes the enterprise should tackle. Avoid BPM altogether if the enterprise perspective, process documentation, and change management components are missing.

Data integration technologies deliver effective integration of enterprise data and provide timely, accurate, and trustworthy information that is the basis for effective decision making. Companies should deploy data integration technologies to ensure that Business Intelligence (BI) systems deliver a single version of the truth.

In the rush to implement a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) in the enterprise, IT decision makers tend to overlook one critical element – data. It is a mistake to assume that existing databases and data infrastructure can handle the change to SOA. The flood of multiple requests from different services will break an SOA without data services. Implement data services as part of the SOA adoption...

Business integration through Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a major driver for integration technologies. Buyers in large enterprises that are in the market for a robust and scalable integration solution should start looking at Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) technologies.

Different enterprise problems may be solved by different levels of forms automation. Forms automation can enable simplistic department routing or mission-critical enterprise processes. Use this tool to determine the appropriate level of forms automation needed to satisfy project requirements.

Business forms are the windows through which process participants provide and receive information concerning process execution. Understanding the basics of forms automation technology architecture and the constituent technology components will help IT professionals understand when formal systems are appropriate and how to leverage forms automation tools in solution design and process automation...

Designing a high-quality project management approach will inevitably lead to projects that are on track, on budget, on scope, and satisfy the needs for which they were undertaken. Once the enterprise has mastered project management fundamentals, conduct regular quality audits by assessing the nine project management knowledge areas. Doing so will help identify inefficient or incomplete processes...

Leading enterprise voice vendors have aligned their Unified Communications (UC) portfolios with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles and are poised to play a key role in the design and delivery of Communications Enabled Business Processes (CEBP). IT leaders must ensure that internal application and infrastructure planning efforts are in step.

Data integration plays a vital role in an enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) strategy. Understand the value and importance of data integration to the creation of data services and how upfront planning can help maximize SOA benefits and mitigate risk.

Designing a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a major undertaking. Understand the benefits of the approach, avoid the "baker’s dozen" of common pitfalls, and get armed with key mitigation strategies before commencing the initiative.

Mature processes can help IT managers garner control over projects and daily operations while increasing their efficiency and effectiveness. This research note will help managers understand the current state of department processes, the costs and benefits of process maturity, and the tools that are available to transition between the four phases of maturity.

Budget overages, missed deadlines, and strategic misalignment are just a few of the problems stemming from undefined, non-standard processes in today's IT organizations. This tool will help managers understand the current state of their processes and the implications to their operations at each of the five levels of the Process Maturity Model.

Aligning enterprise infrastructure teams with the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) strategy is an important but potentially overlooked governance task. Make the necessary adjustments to bridge SOA and Unified Communications (UC) efforts and objectives.

Economic concerns that are compelling many enterprises to reassess current IT projects may also affect broader initiatives that are fundamentally important to business strategy, such as Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). IT leaders must incorporate flexibility into near-term targets in order to avoid a haphazard shelving of SOA plans.

Enterprises that are in the early stages of pursuing a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) strategy have a host of issues and challenges to consider. Get started on the right track with a beginning framework for SOA governance.

The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model can offer considerable operational benefits, but it also challenges enterprises to better manage data that is dispersed across multiple stores and locations. IT leaders must ensure that their SaaS strategy encompasses key integration considerations for sharing data between on-premise and in-the-cloud sources.

In the age of terabytes, effective data management is imperative to business success. Turn to data integration solutions to provide stakeholders, both internal and external, with a unified view of enterprise information in preparation for the trends that are shaping the coming future of IT.

Convince business stakeholders to buy into Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) by demonstrating the benefits that enhance the business and by highlighting the factors that make a positive impact on enterprise revenue. Focus on the long term, shifting the persuasive focus from how SOA saves money to how SOA makes the organization more money.

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a vast topic fraught with many challenges. IT leaders considering SOA for their enterprise should start here to maximize their chances for success. This note helps managers gain an understanding of the SOA concept, learn about related technologies, and become aware of common implementation pitfalls.

Growth through acquisition is common in the IT industry, and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) greatly enhances the speed and success of technology integration between firms. A merger is most often a business decision that is made with little thought spared for IT concerns. Minimize the headache by adopting SOA today for the organization's future growth through merger/acquisition.

CIOs must be able to understand and select the right Web services specifications for their SOA initiative. Use this selection strategy to identify the Web service specifications that are essential to a successful SOA transition.

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) can provide solid, near-term benefits to enterprises if they invest in the right messaging technologies. IT executives should build their SOA deployment using ESB to gain the benefits of security, scalability, and reliability.

Enterprises have addressed information glut and compliance concerns by instituting document management and archiving solutions. They now face a growing threat from many discrete and unintegrated repositories. The reality of managing these data silos negates many of the promised benefits of archiving and document management. After-market indexing and search products address repository sprawl and...

A records retention schedule is a crucial input to document management and Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) initiatives. Developing a schedule requires contributions from various stakeholders and a dedicated project plan.

Data quality problems dramatically affect the bottom line. Enterprises must view data quality initiatives not as a one-off project but as a way of life. This entails strong business commitment, organizational changes, and the centralization of accountability in a corporate Data Steward.

The retention schedule template provides a first step for enterprises in the early stages of records management or Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) projects.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions are only as effective as the data they contain. Moving legacy data into these systems presents challenges to many enterprises. Preparing for SaaS bulk uploads enables enterprises to support growth and expansion in a controlled manner.

Data quality problems significantly increase the cost of doing business. Data quality initiatives are not one-off projects – they are a way of life. This guide provides concrete steps that serve as the basis to prepare a detailed project plan to resolve data quality problems once and for all.

The implementation of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a difficult process for many clients. Info-Tech provides this guide to help IT leaders manage the changes in the roles, processes, and enterprise culture involved in SOA implementation. This note coaches managers on how to staff SOA roles to improve the crucial link between business and IT.