IT Projects are characterized by changing technologies, uncertainty, and shifting business needs and objectives. Review core project management basics and increase the chances for ongoing IT project success.

Making the decision to outsource data center processes does not have to be a difficult task, provided that IT uses a formal procedure for separating core processes from commoditized ones. Use the results from this procedure to then make the appropriate vendor selection.

Falling price-points from e-mail hosting providers require enterprises to rethink e-mail provisioning strategy. Enterprises can make an informed decision by determining if hosted e-mail is an option and comparing the cost of in-house e-mail provisioning against hosted e-mail prices.

Recovering from a disaster cannot occur without having key people in place to bring system, equipment, and services back online. Recruit, train, and empower these individuals in order to achieve DRP objectives for mid to large-sized enterprises.

Increasing compliance and security demands are creating an enterprise need for a new role that encompasses and assumes responsibility for risk management. Although risk management is handled on an ad hoc basis by most organizations, it may be time to make risk management a dedicated position.

A recent announcement from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) states that publicly-traded small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) will not be exempt from key provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SarbOx). These developments have serious implications for staffing in SMEs, as internal audit teams are crucial in achieving compliance.

Recovering from a disaster cannot occur without having key people in place to bring system, equipment, and services back online. Use this worksheet to identify team members, record contact information, and delineate responsibilities.

(Sample) End users display a diverse range of IT skills. Use this assessment tool to identify end-user skill levels and determine if they have the knowledge to act as resident experts.

Since IT personnel have greater access to data than non-IT workers, the impact and risk of data theft committed by IT employees tends to be higher. Data integrity and security must begin with solid data privacy principles and practices. Align the enterprise’s access controls with a privacy mindset to mitigate threats of data loss.

Most privacy violations are caused – quite unintentionally – by employees. Training and patience are required from IT leaders to ensure that customer information is kept private and confidential. Use these from-the-trenches stories to improve the effectiveness of privacy initiatives within the enterprise.

(Sample) Reduce training and IT support costs and improve desktop productivity by developing a Resident Expert Support (REXS) system within business units. Resident Experts (REs) are power users that employ their advanced knowledge of desktop systems to help train and support fellow employees on desktop applications, thus reducing the burden on IT.