Samuel Greengard

Planning and managing large events is a complex and challenging task. Scheduling sessions, preparing brochures, overseeing registrations and payments, and addressing myriad other tasks can overwhelm even the most sophisticated organization. At the University of Rhode Island (URI), which hosts major conferences, symposiums and meetings, a staff of five must process a steady stream of […]

Serving as IT captain for today’s enterprise is a bit like herding cats. It seems as though every department has a different yet urgent initiative and every user has a clear idea about how things should work and what tools and tech is necessary. Constructing an IT framework that appeals to everyone is impossible. Nevertheless, […]

The complexities and subtleties of cyber-security continue to grow—and, unfortunately, enterprise business and IT leaders aren’t keeping up. According to Gartner, 95 percent of cloud breaches are the fault of the enterprise rather than the service provider. However, a new report from cloud enablement and security vendor Skyhigh Networks, Cloud Adoption and Risk Report, delivers a deeper dive […]

One of the epic struggles for all businesses is balancing personalization and privacy. As the digital age unfolds, organizations—and particularly retailers—are recognizing that consumers are increasingly turned off by carpet bombing methods that dump the same message, promotion or coupon into everyone’s inbox or mailbox. Yet they also don’t want to have a business abuse […]

Protecting a university network is no simple task. Intrusions, malware and other cyber-maladies pop up on a regular basis, and the transitory nature of students and visitors—along with staff and faculty requirements—introduces enormous challenges. One institution attempting to deal with the problem is Asbury University, a private Christian liberal arts school in Wilmore, Ky., with […]

The complexities and subtleties of cyber-security continue to grow—and, unfortunately, enterprise business and IT leaders aren’t keeping up. According to Gartner, 95 percent of cloud breaches are the fault of the enterprise rather than the service provider. However, a new report from cloud enablement and security vendor Skyhigh Networks, Cloud Adoption and Risk Report, delivers […]

Few businesses are as inherently inefficient as waste collection. For a typical firm that collects trash from multiple sites, a fleet of trucks canvases routes and empties commercial Dumpsters whether they contain only a few items or they’re overflowing with waste. “Companies spend a lot of labor hours, gasoline and other resources running the business […]

The intersection of marketing and IT represents huge opportunities and challenges for organizations. Over the last several years, there has been plenty written about the need for CIOs and CMOs to collaborate and cooperate. Some studies show that up to half of IT buying decisions now originate from the CMO. While the use of marketing […]

Managing and operating IT test environments is no simple task. In many cases, it requires substantial resources. For Cox Communications, which provides cable television, Internet and digital phone services to 6.2 million customers throughout the U.S., designing and building next-generation systems and services—including routers, switches and networking equipment—is critical. “The test environment is the size […]

Few businesses face the IT complexities of a major cruise line. Managing systems and connectivity across a network of offices and a fleet of ships can sink even the most tech-savvy CIO. For Carnival Cruise, which operates 24 vessels worldwide, ensuring fast and reliable communication is at the center of the business is critical to […]

A quarter century ago, generations of information technology were measured in years or decades. Today, change is typically measured in months or even weeks. A need to keep up with business and IT at warp speed is the new normal. But for CIOs, balancing various demands—keeping the lights on and the motor running while embracing […]

The rapid and radical pace of change in business and IT is enough to give any CIO a serious case of whiplash. But one of the most nettlesome areas is balancing internal capabilities with contracted services. A newly released report from Accenture and HFS Research, “Beware of the Smoke, Your Platform is Burning,” notes that […]