Effective IT report

A responsive future
2006 was a good year for IT. 2007 will be even better, says Effective IT's research director Phil Jones.

A balancing act
IT effectiveness is a moving target. To keep a clear aim, users must take a balanced approach to new technology deployments.

Effective IT in action
The winners of the Effective IT Awards 2006 share the secrets of their success.

The new computing platform

Building a service oriented infrastructure
Server consolidation and autonomic technology creat a flexible SOI and support a responsive business application estate.

Building a platform
The use of granular processing and stoage components is contributing to the creation of service oriented infrastructure (SOI).  

The green data centre
Introducing technologies and strategies that optimise the power and performance profile is not just socially reposonsible; it is also good for business.

Desktop 2.0
Personal computing is no longer just abouit the Wintel PC - new technologies promise to improve the flexibility of the client computing infrastructure.

Software infrastructure

Service oriented software
The IT world has "crossed the chasm" into a service oriented world. And it likes it.

Open opportunities
How is open source software impacting the economies of the data-centre and the desktop?

IT at your service
Transforming the IT function into a business service-centric operation begins with the hard graft of IT asset management.

The age of events
To be a truly real-time business, it is critical to react to events as they happen.

Be agile
Writing software using agile methods is not just quicker, it saves money and produces better systems too.

SOA and enterprise apps
Many established business application vendors are intent on providing customers with SOA platforms. Customers' needs may be better served by an alternative approach.

Information Management 

Information lifecycle management
A strategic approach to 'cradle to grave' management of information is now an essential element in the IT strategy of any company.

Business intelligence
Offering decision makers the tools to extract meaningful information can provide a competitive advantage.

Tell the truth
Today, fractured view of customers and companies can be remastered with master data management.  

The semantic web
The web has made electronic publishing simple. The semantic web will make data truly useful, by making it accessible to computers.

Enterprise content management
ECM continues to be a key investment for organisations, but the frenzy of consolidation has created a market filled with uncertainty.

To tag or not to tag?
Business can now keep better track of goods than ever, thanks to radio frequency identification.

Collaboration and social computing

The Web 2.0 effect
MySpace and Flickr have empowered consumer to build their own services. Now similar is promised in the business space.

Riding the fourth wave
A new generation of information management tools is set to produce the first fundamental advance in productivity since the spreadsheet.

Communications

IP: infinite possibilities
IP-based services will support a hug range of new applications and service - eventually.

On the go
Mobile working has become de rigeur, as the sophistication of devices allows access to data and applications, regardless of time and place.

Services

Build an IT Utility?
Processing capacity will son be as easlity available as power. But why aren't companies taking up the utility computing challenge?

Outsourcing 2.0
Enterprise-wide outsourcing deals are losing ground as businesses look for greater control from more tactical IT service developments.

Offshoring & BPO
The business community has reached the end of a wave of offshoring and can now reflect upon the promises of this global phenomenon.

Security

A balanced approach
Effective protection of vital IT assets demands a balanced approach to security system delpoyment and security policy enforcement.

A biometric future
Biometric technologies are now available, but what are the good for and how can they be used?

Business continuity
It's expensive, unglamorous and easy to ignore, but business continuity planning is still an essential consideration for all companies.