http://www.ittoday.info Large collection of highly informative articles on many hot topics from industry thought leaders. en-us Mon, 05 May 2008 08:08:45 EST Managing global development risks will be the critical skill that project managers must master to be successful, essentially having their current skills evolve to become true global development managers. Global development will require mastery of core project management principles such as budgeting and estimating, resource optimization, and measuring and tracking productivity combined with cultural awareness. To be successful, global development managers must learn to apply new tools along with the techniques to engage all development team members. Here is a roadmap and tools to help you successfully manage your global development project. Excerpted from Global Software Development Handbook by Raghvinder Sangwan, Matthew Bass, Neel Mullick, Daniel J. Paulish and Juergen Kazmeier. New York: Auerbach Publications, 2007. http://www.ittoday.info/Articles/Foundation_of_Global_Development_Management.htm rich.ohanley@taylorandfrancis.com Mon, 05 May 2008 08:08:45 EST Whether a security system serves the purposes of information asset protection or provides for general security outside the scope of IT, it is common to have three main security processes working together to provide access to assets in a controlled manner. These processes are a authentication, authorization and accounting. This is sometimes referred to as auditing. The following sections discuss these three processes and the relationship between them. http://www.infosectoday.com/Articles/Authentication.htm rich.ohanley@taylorandfrancis.com Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:08:45 EST Assuming that your motivation is to apply a discipline to information security to be better at planning, implementing, and maintaining information security and achieving a highly effective information security program that is capable of receiving ISO 27001 certification, this chapter from "How to Achieve 27001 Certification: An Example of Applied Compliance Management" discusses such a discipline with an overview of security standards and with specific attention to existing and emerging International Standards Organization (ISO) security standards. http://www.infosectoday.com/Articles/27001.htm rich.ohanley@taylorandfrancis.com Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:53:45 EST IT is a strategic differentiator. Often, it is a single force that determines the speed and agility of an organization. Decisions about IT spending are a series of trade-offs. The key to making the right decisions lies in first knowing the compelling needs to achieve the business strategy. Establishing the strategic enablers generates the focus for planning activities to achieve this desired future state. Performance is defined differently depending on the strategic enablers critical to the business. (From The Business Value of IT: Managing Risks, Optimizing Performance and Measuring Results. http://www.ittoday.info/Articles/HowMuchIT.htm rich.ohanley@taylorandfrancis.com Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:30:45 EST How can we use social networking tools to create a virtual community among those we work with? The answer is so complex, we needed to carve out a couple of issues to get the job done. This first part provides some guidelines for success and a framework for getting started. The next part in the series will explore how specific social networking tools can best be applied for virtual teams that are serious about getting down to business. http://www.itperformanceimprovement.com/Articles/NS_SocialNetworking.htm rich.ohanley@taylorandfrancis.com Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:30:45 EST In today's business world with all its complexities and nuances, specialization in operational tasks is really the better way to go. Every operation requires so much specific knowledge that it's impossible for any one person or even one organization to possess it. While taking a holistic approach may sound good in theory, in practice it tends to lead more to frustration and disappointment than success. When that happens, the business almost always suffers, and often a very good supplier for certain things winds up getting judged more for what it can't do very well than what it can. http://www.ittoday.info/Articles/DBAD-Mediocrity.htm rich.ohanley@taylorandfrancis.com Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:48:45 EST The latest Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), Volume XIII released today by Symantec concludes that the Web is now the primary conduit of attack activity, as opposed to network attacks, and that online users can increasingly be infected simply by visiting everyday Web sites. The report also found that attackers are seeking confidential end-user information that can be fraudulently used for financial gain and are less focused on the computer or device containing the information. http://www.infosectoday.com/Articles/ThreatReportg.htm rich.ohanley@taylorandfrancis.com Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11.13:45 EST The technology designed to protect highly sensitive data from leaks through networks is complex and expensive in terms of acquisition and ongoing operation costs, and its effectiveness is dependent upon what type of traffic an organization allows to permeate through its periphery. To combat information leaks effectively through networks, organizations must follow the continuous information security plan cycle: assess, design, implement, educate, monitor, and correct. The security personnel's awareness and understanding of vectors that could be used by ill-intentioned persons to sneak sensitive or confidential information out of a network are key to mitigating its risk. http://www.infosectoday.com/Articles/NetworkContentFiltering.htm rich.ohanley@taylorandfrancis.com Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08.32:45 EST