Comprehensive Software Reviews to make better IT decisions

Being Agile requires a change in focus on the skills that we value. While face-to-face contact is generally preferred, it is not always possible. This does not mean that being Agile is not possible, but it does require a different level of focus.

BizDevOps transforms product delivery into a team sport that is centered around collaborative and collective ownership of delivery using the best of Agile and Lean development methods.

RPA projects fail more often than one would expect. The ease with which RPA tools allow workflows to get designed and implemented makes it easy to avoid building a strong foundation for the work being done.

We live in a metrics-fixated world where having more metrics is always thought to be better than having less, and Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) metrics are no exception. But the truth is that any badly chosen or managed metric will do more harm than good to your organization. To avoid these pitfalls, take ownership for SDLC metrics away from managers and put it into the hands of those who can best manage it: your development teams.

Configuring online learning can take time and resources not all organizations have, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. D2L is assisting with this through a Quick Start Care Package to help organizations rapidly transition to online learning.

Breezy HR has made video assessment and interviewing tools free for business clients for a minimum of 60 days, in light of efforts to prevent COVID-19 pandemic spread.

BizDevOps transforms product delivery into a team sport that is centered around collaborative and collective ownership of delivery using the best of Agile and Lean development methods.

Databricks has launched a new Data Ingestion Network, made up of partners whose integrations to Data Ingest provide hundreds of connectors and enable automation to move disparate data into Databricks’ new storage layer, eliminating the need to maintain siloed data in a data lake and data warehouse.

Neo4j, a popular open source graph database, introduced a managed cloud service called Aura. Neo4j’s enterprise product is growing faster and allows it to support small and large customers without on-prem deployment and management of the graph database.

Orchestra Networks was earning attention even before TIBCO’s acquisition. Now that it is part of the TIBCO family of software products, it can become the centerpiece of a very powerful data management, governance, integration, and analytics platform.

All types of collaboration tools have become essential in the wake of COVID-19 and the mass shift to work from home, but some, like instant messaging, present challenges. Managers should work with their teams to set guidelines on how to make the most of remote communication without disrupting productivity.

The categorization of Sars-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) as a global pandemic is turbo-charging traditional health care firms’ efforts toward the provisioning of digital and virtual healthcare in an attempt to treat the masses while minimizing risk to the limited pool of care providers.

Configuring online learning can take time and resources not all organizations have, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. D2L is assisting with this through a Quick Start Care Package to help organizations rapidly transition to online learning.

What is changing in the HR technology space as a result of COVID-19? Some organizations are seeing an uptick in interest and customer support, while others are providing free access to their product.

Evaluating vendor proposals is one of the most critical aspects of the RFP process, secondary only to negotiations. The ironic thing is that we've seen too many clients try to abbreviate this activity, take short cuts, or even avoid it altogether. Providing ample time for your team to review the vendor RFP responses is critical to a quality review process, while not rushing the evaluation process ensures that you understand their complete offer and proposal.

When leasing IT equipment, the lessor (the company providing the equipment) has one main obligation. However, most leases overlook this critical aspect completely, exposing the lessee (the organization leasing the equipment) to unnecessary risk.

If you want to lease IT equipment, you have many options with regard to potential lessors (the leasing companies). In fact, some manufacturers lease equipment directly to their customers … or do they?

An enterprise application selection or implementation has most likely been heavily impacted by COVID-19. Do not hit the brakes; stopping and restarting projects increases the risk of failure. Slow down or speed up? Which is the right strategy for your organization?

Configuring online learning can take time and resources not all organizations have, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. D2L is assisting with this through a Quick Start Care Package to help organizations rapidly transition to online learning.

Breezy HR has made video assessment and interviewing tools free for business clients for a minimum of 60 days, in light of efforts to prevent COVID-19 pandemic spread.

What is changing in the HR technology space as a result of COVID-19? Some organizations are seeing an uptick in interest and customer support, while others are providing free access to their product.

An enterprise application selection or implementation has most likely been heavily impacted by COVID-19. Do not hit the brakes; stopping and restarting projects increases the risk of failure. Slow down or speed up? Which is the right strategy for your organization?

Business continuity during COVID-19 will mean leveraging online technologies for all departments, including human resources. IT departments can assist in recruiting efforts by ensuring virtual interviewing technologies are in place and supported.

Culture Amp has enabled a new feature to increase employee confidentiality. With this launch, administrators can no longer identify participants indirectly.

Organizations have been running into capacity constraints on cloud infrastructure in regions with enforced social distancing due to COVID-19. Having a back-up plan will be critical to your business continuity plans.

Microsoft announces the addition of a new plan and changes to its Firstline Worker plans. The new M365 plan will slot in below the current Firstline Worker plan.

Microsoft combined the Windows 10 and Surface teams under Panos Panay. Expect greater innovations to Windows 10, headaches in IT, and feature exclusivity in Microsoft Endpoint Manager.

Ivanti is well positioned to build on a solid ITSM foundation and will deliver expanded capability in areas such as mobility, customer experience, enterprise service management, and artificial intelligence.

A remote code execution vulnerability in ManageEngine Desktop Central, with a CVSS score of 9.8, was recently discovered by a third party. To address this gap, ManageEngine released an update on March 7, 2020 that addresses this. We strongly recommend that all ManageEngine Desktop Central administrators install this update as soon as possible, to minimize susceptibility to remote attacks.

Neo4j, a popular open source graph database, introduced a managed cloud service called Aura. Neo4j’s enterprise product is growing faster and allows it to support small and large customers without on-prem deployment and management of the graph database.

Since its acquisition of Rsam in 2019, Galvanize (formerly ACL) has maintained its high-quality delivery of cloud-based security, risk management, compliance, and audit software. Recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, Galvanize’s comprehensive product offerings have not gone unnoticed.

GTB Technologies has been recognized as “Best Data Loss Prevention Solutions Provider for 2020.” With organizations addressing digital transformation and a growing remote workforce, the risk of data breaches is increased from both insider and outsider perspectives.

SC Media had its recent 2020 SC Awards Honored in the U.S. event and has awarded Qualys recognition for Best Vulnerability Management Solution in the “Trust Awards” category.

RSA Archer, a leader in the governance, risk, and compliance space has been acquired by Symphony Technology Group, based in Palo Alto, California. Symphony, a private equity firm, has investments in a cross section of companies in the analytics space, HR and recruitment, and supply chain among many others.

Qualys announced its new flagship product, Qualys VMDR, at RSA Conference 2020. According to the Qualys website, VMDR will be available after March 30, 2020.

Qualys’ newest product, VMDR (Vulnerability Management, Detection, and Response), will be available in March and will provide an all-in-one cloud-based solution for vulnerability management. VMDR will automate the entire management cycle on all endpoints.

Microsoft announces the addition of a new plan and changes to its Firstline Worker plans. The new M365 plan will slot in below the current Firstline Worker plan.

Configuring online learning can take time and resources not all organizations have, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. D2L is assisting with this through a Quick Start Care Package to help organizations rapidly transition to online learning.

What is changing in the HR technology space as a result of COVID-19? Some organizations are seeing an uptick in interest and customer support, while others are providing free access to their product.

IT leaders have had to learn to facilitate remote meetings overnight. If this transition has been difficult, refer to these guidelines for help.

An enterprise application selection or implementation has most likely been heavily impacted by COVID-19. Do not hit the brakes; stopping and restarting projects increases the risk of failure. Slow down or speed up? Which is the right strategy for your organization?

Web conferencing vendors lined up to offer their software services for free on Monday as workers around the globe started their weeks working from home, complying with social distancing recommendations in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Microsoft announces the addition of a new plan and changes to its Firstline Worker plans. The new M365 plan will slot in below the current Firstline Worker plan.

MEGA International announced the launch of its HOPEX Information Architecture solution, enabling various stakeholders to share the same level of information to make collaborative, informed decisions about the governance of data.

IT leaders have had to learn to facilitate remote meetings overnight. If this transition has been difficult, refer to these guidelines for help.

Web conferencing vendors lined up to offer their software services for free on Monday as workers around the globe started their weeks working from home, complying with social distancing recommendations in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Users of GoToMeeting’s webinar-hosting software can now charge registrants and accept their payments natively within the software solution, the vendor announced on Feb. 27.

In this third brief of four on Cisco’s January launch of upcoming collaboration solutions in 2020, I look at Cisco’s new hardware Webex Room USB.

Microsoft announces the addition of a new plan and changes to its Firstline Worker plans. The new M365 plan will slot in below the current Firstline Worker plan.

Configuring online learning can take time and resources not all organizations have, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. D2L is assisting with this through a Quick Start Care Package to help organizations rapidly transition to online learning.

What is changing in the HR technology space as a result of COVID-19? Some organizations are seeing an uptick in interest and customer support, while others are providing free access to their product.

IT leaders have had to learn to facilitate remote meetings overnight. If this transition has been difficult, refer to these guidelines for help.

An enterprise application selection or implementation has most likely been heavily impacted by COVID-19. Do not hit the brakes; stopping and restarting projects increases the risk of failure. Slow down or speed up? Which is the right strategy for your organization?

Web conferencing vendors lined up to offer their software services for free on Monday as workers around the globe started their weeks working from home, complying with social distancing recommendations in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An enterprise application selection or implementation has most likely been heavily impacted by COVID-19. Do not hit the brakes; stopping and restarting projects increases the risk of failure. Slow down or speed up? Which is the right strategy for your organization?

The math did not add up for SAP to sunset license support for legacy ECC/Business Suite 7 clients, as we predicted. I’ve fielded numerous calls asking, “Will SAP hold firm on its 2025 end-of-support date?" We finally have SAP’s answer: a resounding “NO.”

SAP customers seeking to move to S/4HANA must navigate four distinct license models, each tied to a separate deployment model (perpetual license, subscription via HEC, S/4HANA Cloud Single-Tenant, or S/4HANA Public Cloud). This note explores the license characteristics and commercial options available when choosing to procure perpetual licenses for S/4HANA.

SAP’s native-cloud play through S/4HANA dangled the hopes of a simplified license structure to SAP customers. Instead, SAP customers now must navigate four distinct license models, each tied to a separate deployment model.

SAP continues to claim robust adoption of S/4HANA while cajoling customers to migrate. Should ECC customers cave into the demands and promises of S/4HANA? Or should they stay the course and call SAP’s bluff on the looming end-of-support date?

Oracle reported slightly better-than-expected Q2 FY20 results, but despite substantial revenue numbers and high growth areas such as Oracle Cloud, Fusion ERP, and Autonomous Database, it’s unclear when these market segments will accelerate revenue growth materially.

Being Agile requires a change in focus on the skills that we value. While face-to-face contact is generally preferred, it is not always possible. This does not mean that being Agile is not possible, but it does require a different level of focus.

BizDevOps transforms product delivery into a team sport that is centered around collaborative and collective ownership of delivery using the best of Agile and Lean development methods.

Since its acquisition of Rsam in 2019, Galvanize (formerly ACL) has maintained its high-quality delivery of cloud-based security, risk management, compliance, and audit software. Recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, Galvanize’s comprehensive product offerings have not gone unnoticed.

Organizations have been running into capacity constraints on cloud infrastructure in regions with enforced social distancing due to COVID-19. Having a back-up plan will be critical to your business continuity plans.

RPA projects fail more often than one would expect. The ease with which RPA tools allow workflows to get designed and implemented makes it easy to avoid building a strong foundation for the work being done.

Microsoft announces the addition of a new plan and changes to its Firstline Worker plans. The new M365 plan will slot in below the current Firstline Worker plan.

The emergence and growth of Rainforest QA has shone a different light in a market that is dominated by big-name players like HP and IBM. Rainforest streamlines test design and management and expands test coverage through its extensive tester network.