The Business-Oriented CIO

The IT executive's ultimate handbook for survival in a rapidly changing economy The Practical CIO: A Common Sense Guide for Successful IT Leadership provides needed advice for modern executives competing in a challenging global environment. Proactively establish goals for IT Hold all vendors accountable Extract maximum value from existing IT investments Manage and market the IT brand Build relationships up, down and sideways across the enterprise and beyond its traditional boundaries Act like a CEO Brimming with interviews and case studies from leading global enterprises such as Microsoft, Prudential, Citigroup, Chiquita Brands, Smithfield Foods and West Marine. The Practical CIO is designed for clear-eyed IT and C-level executives with no patience for hype or overly optimistic visions of a «better tomorrow.» Truly a commonsense guide for successful IT leadership, this book delivers exactly the kind of hard-nosed, actionable advice that executives urgently require.

Business rules management system (BRMS) is a software tools that work alongside enterprise IT applications. It enables enterprises to automate decision-making processes typically consisting of separate business rules authoring and rules execution applications. This proposed title brings together the following key ideas in modern enterprise system development best practice. The need for service-oriented architecture (SOA). How the former depends on component-based development (CBD). Database-centred approaches to business rules (inc. GUIDES). Knowledge-based approaches to business rules. Using patterns to design and develop business rules management systems Ian Graham is an industry consultant with over 20 years. He is recognized internationally as an authority on business modelling, object-oriented software development methods and expert systems. He has a significant public presence, being associated with both UK and international professional organizations, and is frequently quoted in the IT and financial press.

Be the most effective CIO you can be—by learning from the best in the business Today's Chief Information Officers must be an entirely new breed of technology leader. With ever-changing demands from the business, and in an increasingly technology-centric business environment, CIOs must find game-changing innovations and process improvements that make a real impact on the bottom line. Business executives need their CIOs to be real partners—speaking the language of the business and donning their strategist caps—not just commodity managers. Those IT leaders who fail to break out of the order-taker, utility manager mold will, simply put, be looking for a new job. In Confessions of a Successful CIO: How the Best CIOs Tackle Their Toughest Business Challenges, current and future CIOs will gain invaluable perspectives from the stories of today's best IT leaders. These acclaimed leaders—each profiled in their own chapter—explain the toughest business decision they had to make, and how the outcome influenced and impacted their leadership style. These in-depth anecdotes take the reader inside some of the most challenging business climates imaginable and chronicle how these elite CIOs made the decisions that mattered. Read detailed case studies of how some of the best CIOs have handled their most challenging business problems Learn how the best CIOs anticipate changes to their business and respond—before the business comes knocking Explore how these top-flight CIOs make critical decisions around strategy and IT to not only benefit their companies, but in some cases, to save them from becoming obsolete. Analyze their perspectives on managing people, crises and balancing the risks and rewards of their «bet the farm» strategies Confessions of a Successful CIO is the new playbook for learning how to take risks, respond to crises, and create more value from IT. Each chapter presents a different challenge, giving present-day and future IT leaders the chance to examine, analyze and learn so that they can be just as successful as the CIOs they're reading about.

A comprehensive Java guide, with samples, exercises, case studies, and step-by-step instruction Beginning Java Programming: The Object Oriented Approach is a straightforward resource for getting started with one of the world's most enduringly popular programming languages. Based on classes taught by the authors, the book starts with the basics and gradually builds into more advanced concepts. The approach utilizes an integrated development environment that allows readers to immediately apply what they learn, and includes step-by-step instruction with plenty of sample programs. Each chapter contains exercises based on real-world business and educational scenarios, and the final chapter uses case studies to combine several concepts and put readers' new skills to the test. Beginning Java Programming: The Object Oriented Approach provides both the information and the tools beginners need to develop Java skills, from the general concepts of object-oriented programming. Learn to: Understand the Java language and object-oriented concept implementation Use Java to access and manipulate external data Make applications accessible to users with GUIs Streamline workflow with object-oriented patterns The book is geared for those who want to use Java in an applied environment while learning at the same time. Useful as either a course text or a stand-alone self-study program, Beginning Java Programming is a thorough, comprehensive guide.

You have what it takes to be a CIO. Do you have a strategy for getting there? Now you do. «Gregory Smith has written the definitive work on how to achieve leadership success in IT. This well-written and carefully researched book is a must-read for any IT professional with aspirations toward the top IT spot. Years from now, seasoned IT leaders will be crediting Smith's book with playing a role in their success.» —Martha Heller, Managing Director, IT Leadership Practice, Z Resource Group, and cofounder, CIO Executive Council «Wow! Put all the tips, advice, and strategies in this book to use now. The road to the top is rarely straight—follow Gregory's advice and the path will reveal itself to you!» —John R. Sullivan, CIO, AARP «While most professions have a distinct road map to the top, there is no standard career path to becoming a CIO. Smith addresses this unique challenge and provides aspiring CIOs with encouragement, advice, and essential skills based on years of his own and other CIOs' cumulative experience – an important effort for the profession that Smith's fellow members in the CIO Executive Council embrace and applaud.» —Mark Hall, General Manager of the CIO Executive Council «Teaching students what a CIO really does has been tough. We've had to choose between anecdotal treatments based on trade press articles and integrated academic frameworks that offer little in the way of lived experiences. Greg's book fixes that. By organizing interviews with leading technology executives, trade press reports, and his own experiences as a CIO, he provides an organized and comprehensive view of the job and its important role in modern organizations.» —Fred Collopy, PHD, Professor and Chair of Information Systems and Professor of Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University

Praise for Service-Oriented Architecture «This book provides a superb overview of the SOA topic. Marks and Bell provide practical guidance across the entire SOA life cycle-from business imperatives and motivations to the post-deployment business and technical metrics to consider. With this book, Marks and Bell demonstrate a unique ability to take the complex dynamics of SOA, and through an eloquent set of metaphors, models, and principles, provide an understandable and insightful how-to manual for both technical and business executives. This will become a required handbook for any organization implementing SOA.» —Dan Bertrand, Enterprise Technology Officer & EDS Fellow, EDS Corporation «A fundamental breakthrough in the business and technology perspectives of SOA-this book belongs in every software developer, architect, and IT executive library. Marks and Bell demonstrate a creative and practical approach to building complex, service-oriented systems. I especially liked the hands-on perspective brought to multiple aspects of SOA. A must-have guide in the technology turbulence of the future.» —Ariel Aloni, Chief Technology Officer, SunGard Data Management Solutions «This outstanding text gets straight to the heart of the matter, cutting through the hyperbole and discussing how to drive real business value through SOA. It will certainly impact my behavior, our governance models, and, subsequently, the successful business outcomes we derive as we continue to embrace SOA. A must-read for battle-scarred SOA veterans and fledgling architects alike.» —Christopher Crowhurst, Vice President and Chief Architect, Thomson Learning «Too often, SOA has been perceived as 'all about the technology'-standards, technology stacks, operational monitoring, and the like. In this book, Marks and Bell expand beyond the technology to provide a refreshing business-driven perspective to SOA, connecting the dots between business requirements, architecture, and development and operations, and overlaying these perspectives with tried-and-true governance techniques to keep SOA initiatives on track. A must-read for those leading the charge to adopt SOA within their enterprise.» —Brent Carlson, Chief Technology Officer, LogicLibrary and coauthor of San Francisco Design Patterns: Blueprints for Business Software «Marks and Bell have captured a wealth of practical experience and lessons learned in what has become the hottest topic in software development. In this book, they explain in detail what works and what does not, from procedural issues to technical challenges. This book is an invaluable reference for organizations seeking the benefits of SOAs.» —Dr. Jeffrey S. Poulin, System Architect, Lockheed Martin and author of Measuring Software Reuse: Principles, Practices, and Economic Models «One of the last things companies often consider when implementing a business solution such as SOA is the impact on people. Marks and Bell provide an in-depth look at 'what has to change' from a process standpoint to make any SOA implementation a success. A great read for those considering to embark on an enterprise SOA and looking for the right mix of people, process, and products.» —Alan Himler, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing, LogicLibrary SOA is a complex topic and a complex organizational goal Service-Oriented Architecture: A Planning and Implementation Guide for Business and Technology shows you how to plan, implement, and achieve SOA value through its prescriptive approach, joining the business and strategic perspective to the technical and architectural perspective. Applicable to all industries, technology platforms, and operating environments, this innovative book provides you with the essential strateg

A must-have guide for all companies undertaking service-oriented architecture (SOA) and IT governance Service-Oriented Architecture Governance for the Services Driven Enterprise expertly covers the business, organizational, process, compliance, security, and technology facets of SOA and IT governance. This book provides a comprehensive enterprise view of governance from a strategic and tactical perspective, as well as modeling and planning tools to help evolve a company's ongoing governance requirements. Written by Eric Marks and the industry's leading SOA authorities, this essential book provides a refreshing business-driven perspective to SOA and IT governance.

In mechanical engineering the trend towards increasingly flexible solutions is leading to changes in control systems. The growth of mechatronic systems and modular functional units is placing high demands on software and its design. In the coming years, automation technology will experience the same transition that has already taken place in the PC world: a transition to more advanced and reproducible software design, simpler modification, and increasing modularity. This can only be achieved through object-oriented programming. This book is aimed at those who want to familiarize themselves with this development in automation technology. Whether mechanical engineers, technicians, or experienced automation engineers, it can help readers to understand and use object-oriented programming. From version 4.5, SIMOTION provides the option to use OOP in accordance with IEC 61131-3 ED3, the standard for programmable logic controllers. The book supports this way of thinking and programming and offers examples of various object-oriented techniques and their mechanisms. The examples are designed as a step-by-step process that produces a finished, ready-to-use machine module. Contents: Developments in the field of control engineering – General principles of object-oriented programming – Function blocks, methods, classes, interfaces – Modular software concepts – Object-oriented design, reusable and easy-to-maintain software, organizational and legal aspects, software tests – I/O references, namespaces, general references – Classes in SIMOTION, instantiation of classes and function blocks, compatible and efficient software – Introduction to SIMOTION and SIMOTION SCOUT.

Architecture is on the brink. It is a discipline in crisis. Over the last two decades, architectural debate has diversified to the point of fragmentation and exhaustion. What is called for is an overarching argument or set of criteria on which to approach the design and construction of the built environment. Here, the internationally renowned architect and educator Michael Hensel advocates an entirely different way of thinking about architecture. By favouring a new focus on performance, he rejects longstanding conventions in design and the built environment. This not only bridges the gap between academia and practice, but, even more significantly, the treatment of form and function in design. It also has a far-reaching impact on knowledge production and development, placing an important emphasis on design research in architecture and the value of an interdisciplinary approach. Though ‘performance’ first evolved as a concept in the humanities in the 1940s and 1950s, it has never previously been systematically applied in architecture in an inclusive manner. Here Michael Hensel offers Performance-Orientated Architecture as an integrative approach to architectural design, the built environment and questions of sustainability. He highlights how core concepts and specific traits, such as climate, material performance and settlement patterns, can put architecture in the service of the natural environment. A wide range of examples are cited to support his argument, from traditional sustainable buildings, such as the Kahju Bridge in Isfahan and the Topkap? Palace in Istanbul to more contemporary works by Cloud 9, Foreign Office Architects, Steven Holl and OCEAN.

Designed as the go-to reference for managing a consulting business, The Business of Consulting is candid, practical, and eminently useful. Fine-tuned to address the changes in today’s business environment, this vital resource outlines the basics for managing a consulting practice and shows how to: Develop a business plan Market your business Charge for your services Build a client relationship Grow the business Ensure your continued professional growth Make money in the profession