Return on Technology

ALTOM: When it comes to big purchases, don’t follow the crowdRestricted Content

May 18, 2013
Tim Altom
The most popular tech product isn't necessarily the one that is best for your business.
More

ALTOM: The closing words in most emails aren't worth the troubleRestricted Content

May 4, 2013
Tim Altom
Electronic communication isn't the same as a hand-written letter, so traditional sign-offs don't usually work.
More

ALTOM: CIOs are hard to find, so mentor promising candidatesRestricted Content

April 6, 2013
Tim Altom
A CIO has to blend business and technical skills in ways that aren’t taught to technicians.
More

ALTOM: Google disregards consequences, kills another productRestricted Content

March 23, 2013
Tim Altom
Years ago, the high-tech company that drove me closest to the edge of madness was Microsoft. That firm treated its customers as if they were lucky to have computers. But for sheer frustration, I think Google tops Microsoft.
More

ALTOM: Hire a chief information officer before it's too lateRestricted Content

March 9, 2013
Tim Altom
The position is meant to be more than a glorified tech support desk. It should be the office where infrastructure growth is planned and merged with the company’s overall goals.
More

ALTOM: How safe is your storage on the cloud? Not veryRestricted Content

February 23, 2013
Tim Altom
The cloud is what we call the storage areas we never see except in our browsers—that online, cyberspace world that holds our files and often our working applications.
More

ALTOM: Technology takes (some) jobs but also creates themRestricted Content

February 9, 2013
Tim Altom
In the aftermath of the Great Recession, the economy continues to grow, but it’s becoming obvious that unemployment isn’t going to nosedive the way it has after previous recessions.
More

ALTOM: Firms must think carefully about policies on devicesRestricted Content

January 26, 2013
Tim Altom
“BYOD” is tech-speak for “bring your own device,” and it refers to whether you want to allow employees to transact your business using their own laptops, notebooks or smartphones, or if you want to impose your own standards and supply what you think they should have so you keep control of the technology.
More

ALTOM: Being present at work doesn't have to mean being thereRestricted Content

January 12, 2013
Tim Altom
Employers have to contend with a new generation of workers who expect to work from home at least part of the time, and entirely from home when feasible.
More

ALTOM: Just because it's new doesn't make it worth buyingRestricted Content

December 29, 2012
Tim Altom
If you’re one of those businessfolk who buy new gadgets just because you can, you might want to move on to the food reviews now. I’m going to be talking today about when to upgrade devices or software.
More

ALTOM: Blessed are the tech-sector risk-takers who make the leapRestricted Content

December 15, 2012
Tim Altom
This is the last column before Christmas, and in keeping with long tradition, I’m writing a year-end column about screw-ups and techno-pratfalls that should make you glad you’re not in the hottest of hot seats.
More

ALTOM: Passwords are passe, but there's no good alternativeRestricted Content

December 1, 2012
Tim Altom
Even the most supposedly secure password is toast from the time you first use it, because today’s hackers have a veritable arsenal of ways to get through or around any password scheme.
More

ALTOM: It's easy to fill gaps in business knowledge onlineRestricted Content

November 17, 2012
Tim Altom
The online world is blossoming with education, both good and questionable. It was one of the first uses for the Web. The Web brought technical people together to share information, and often it was in the form of a tutorial to answer the question, “How do I get this to do that?”
More

ALTOM: Whether you're a Mac or PC person says a lot about youRestricted Content

November 3, 2012
Tim Altom
Today, the two worlds cross over almost effortlessly, but the divisions between them have spawned entirely different design and usage paradigms.
More

ALTOM: 'Mechanical Turk' puts humans to workRestricted Content

October 20, 2012
Tim Altom
Most repetitive tasks can be done by computer nowadays, but many can’t.
More

ALTOM: Excel can be used as database in a pinchRestricted Content

October 6, 2012
Tim Altom
Microsoft Excel has features that are reminiscent of a database, although it’s not a database application and never will be.
More

ALTOM: Who owns your data? The answer might surprise youRestricted Content

September 8, 2012
Tim Altom
When you reveal information about yourself, do you still own or control it? And if you reveal something about someone else, who owns it then?
More

ALTOM: A reminder that offices are full of low-tech hazardsRestricted Content

August 25, 2012
Tim Altom
Even laser pointers can be hazardous if they’re pointed right into an unprotected retina.
More

ALTOM: Death of paper has been greatly exaggeratedRestricted Content

August 11, 2012
Tim Altom
When I was a kid, eager futurists predicted what wonderful technologies we’d all have someday.
More

ALTOM: Web begs you to take time to waste timeRestricted Content

July 28, 2012
Tim Altom
I have to confess that I sometimes use technology in a way that is the exact opposite of productivity. I waste good daylight hours using it for short bursts of enjoyment.
More

ALTOM: Online detective work can amaze and find new marketsRestricted Content

July 14, 2012
Tim Altom
Google Earth is one of Google’s odder and spottier applications. It started life as Keyhole, a 3-D mapping program originally paid for by the CIA and subsequently purchased by Google in 2004.
More

ALTOM: Tips for starting an office on a shoestringRestricted Content

June 30, 2012
Tim Altom
First, you’ll need good hardware. Don’t skimp here, because reliability trumps economy.
More

ALTOM: LinkedIn hacking case holds a lesson about passwordsRestricted Content

June 16, 2012
Tim Altom
You often hear that you’re anonymous online, and you can be if you want to be. But if you want to buy or sell, register for newsletters, or get return e-mails, you have to declare your identity. And that identity is your e-mail address.
More

ALTOM: Backups are important—just ask the folks at PixarRestricted Content

June 2, 2012
Tim Altom
Do you know where your backups are, right now? Most of us don’t, or if we do, we don’t know what shape they’re in.
More

ALTOM: Businesses should be suspicious of app trapRestricted Content

May 19, 2012
Tim Altom
Smart-phone app costs can vary by orders of magnitude, just as websites can. The challenge is getting them to pay for themselves.
More
Page  1 2 3 4 5 >> pager
Sponsored by
ADVERTISEMENT

facebook - twitter on Facebook & Twitter

Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ on Facebook:
Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ's Tweets on these topics:
 
Subscribe to IBJ
  1. In my opinion the estridge companies are crooks. They filed bankruptcy on their 'track housing' side of the business two weeks before they closed on one of my clients' homes. When my client first interviewed Estridge as a builder 6 months before, they specifically ASKED about the solvency of their business, knowing that some builders were struggling. Estridge truly misrepresented their financial situation at that time. I suppose I am more unhappy with the whole system than I am with the builder because what the heck==you can file bankruptcy on 'track homes' but still keep building and make money off of 'custom built' homes??? How ridiculous! They are all homes. How can a company be allowed to bilk thousands of dollars from their subcontractors but still be allowed to build houses?? they should have been made to pay back all their unpaid contractors before being allowed to profit from building any more houses! This alone makes them and the system crooks in my eyes. I would never build an estridge home and I would not recommend for my clients either. If they were truly 'bankrupt' how could they afford to keep building homes anyway??? The whole system needs fixed.

  2. I live a couple blocks east of the Angie's campus and my house is assessed for ~$160,000. If I could get that amount, let alone $384,000 (a 140% bonus), I'd sell in a minute. Either Angie's stockholders just got fleeced, or Angie's is getting about a 58% discount on their property taxes, if these properties are actually worth what they paid Mr. Oesterle for them. Which do you think is the case?

  3. Perhaps the IMA board is really to blame! They agreed to hire Charles. They can't seemingly find donors among themselves, or bring in new blood that will support the museums operating budget with an expanded museum and money to provide curators with something to do (ie buy art). The headlines of disarray at the museum and mass firings are hurting the reputation of the museum for some time to come. If people on the board had misgivings, perhaps they shpuld have more forcefully opposed efforts that they have seemingly been unable to fund, like expansion and the costs it has created!

  4. See, I told u Indyman and Dipsicle....this 8 days is overkill. It's barely worth a weekend....great job Tony George! Your dream has been fulfilled....he fans want the I r l back. Thats how good it was.....and that sucked.

  5. I have been in training for a short time now but right off I can see that safety and quality are the number one issues, my experience as of late has been a positive one, the employees along with Jeff the plant manager and the operation supervisor as well as the engineers are a highly motivated group of people, what an asset for the area to have and for company's in need of a quality metal products.

ADVERTISEMENT