Subscribe w3w3® Blog

393_ There is an Ever-Growing IT Shortage in Colorado
Changing roles of CIOs has added new challenges and has opened doors to those who are 'people savvy' as well as technically competent. Larry talks with Rina Delmonico, a retired Corporate Fortune 500 CIO and since 1997 is CEO and Founder REN, Inc an IT consulting firm specializing in IT project and systems maintenance management. There is a growing shortage of IT professionals just when things are getting better. CIOs are now an important part of the management and leadership teams. New and changing skills are required which includes globalization requirements, organizational change expertise and an Agile approach to development. This new environment requires CIOs to become 'change agents' as well as 'turn around agents'. Multiple dimensions and security challenges are requiring many companies to employ a Chief Security Information Officer (CSIO) and it wasn't that many years ago that most business people didn't even know what a CIO was. Rina tells it the way it is explains what we will be facing down the road.
Related Links:   Ren Consulting || CITI Business Leaders || PodCast Directory || Find It || Keywords:Rina Delmonico, REN Consulting, CIO, CSIO, Change Agent, Globalization Requirements
10/15/07 Bytes: 12654866 LISTEN

392_ Identity, Security and Privacy are Going Head to Head
Your fingerprint doesn’t change significantly over your lifetime. So now you have a problem. If I’m using that fingerprint as a way of paying (and now you have 3.5 – 4 million registered shoppers) – Or if I’m using it for high security, once that data is compromised, what do I do? Terry Boult, co-founder and CEO of Securics and El Pomar Professor Innovation and Security at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs brought up a number dicey issues concerning security and the unseen challenges of biometrics. If I’m the one holding the data base, what’s my company’s liability? What happens once that data gets out, either to the person whose data it was or the company who is the storehouse of all that. Traditional biometrics is a big problem waiting to happen. When that data is compromised, there’s no cancelling them. Terry has tapped into SBIR and STTR grants since 2004, receiving $1.5M so far. He feels that the CU System has good foresight in that they’re looking forward. ”So our company competed and won $100,000 proof of concept investment in our company." CU TTO comes through again.
Related Links:   Vision And Security Technology Lab || Securics || Tech Transfer Channel || CU TTO Offices || CU Innovation Alliance Breakfast || Keywords: Terry Boult, Securics, University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, CU TTO, Security, Biometrics >10/15/07 Bytes: 11249270> 10/15/07 LISTEN

391_ Discover and Invent Your Own Disruptive Technology (DT) Part 2 of 2
Today part of the entrepreneurial process is ‘disruptive technology’. It disrupts businesses, processes and industries, or the way in which people or businesses interact with each other. Mark Richtermeyer & Kimberly Lucas, co-founders of the Spitfire Group and producers of the new "Disruptive Technology" Channel on w3w3.com point out various examples of Disruptive Technology such as Google and Yahoo. They have impacted ways that marketing is executed, have wide reaching impacts in several industries such as news print and television. How do companies accomplish this? Managers have to do a few key things right. First, they have to provide an innovative environment and culture. They need to create businesses where the idea is to come up with new ideas where people won’t be afraid to take risks, and to find new ways to do things. They also have to stay close to their customers – understand what they want and how they want to get it. Pay attention to your competitors and to market trends. We’ve also developed these ‘Agile Methodologies’ into our business that allows us to reprioritize the business requirements on a regular basis. The lengths of time in which we do that, are getting shorter and shorter all the time.
LISTEN  Part 2 of 2  Published 10/15/2007  ( LISTEN  Part 1 of 2  Published 10/8/2007)
Related Links:  Spitfire Group || Creative Destruction || Software Channel || PodCast Directory || Find It || Keywords:Disruptive Technology, Spitfire Group, Mark Richtermeyer, Kimberly Lucas, Bottom-line > Bytes: 11034021> LISTEN Part 2 of 2

390_ SpitFire Group (DT): The Winners and the Losers Part 1 of 2
In 1942 the noted economist Joseph Schumpeter described the process of Creative Destruction. In his vision of capitalism, entrepreneurs would be encouraged via the use of new technology and ideas to replace, even crush, products, services, and indeed whole industries and economies. Spitfire Group Mark Richtermeyer & Kimberly Lucas, co-founders of the Spitfire Group and producers of the new "Disruptive Technology" Channel on w3w3.com point out that the word disruptive often implies a negative connotation. To those people whose lives are severely changed or impacted by a disruptive technology, there can certainly be negative impacts, but as a whole, disruptive technologies are meant to create a better standard of living for society as a whole. The way we view Disruptive Tech is thru the theory that new ideas in technology will negatively impact and even crush other technologies, industries and even in some cases, entire economies. Larry asked, "Does this mean disruptive technologies are bad?" Mark answered, "Well they are for some people. You always have to be inventing, or reinventing or adjusting the way you do business to make sure you stay on the forefront of where your market is going."   LISTEN  Part 1 of 2  Published 10/8/2007

389_ Integrating Money with Ethics, Values and Morals
When we start talking about money, quite often our value structure, our ethical structure, our moral structure gets somewhat separated and somehow put on hold. It's time that ethics, morals and values are integrated into our business and personal decision making. Bob Kenney, Boston College, Associate Director, Center on Wealth and Philanthropy and Visiting Professor, Marpa Center for Business and Economics, Naropa University is helping people look at the impact that money is having on their life and the various places money impacts – How they make sense of money – how they think about money, and then think about what’s really important to them. Larry asked," Are you taking the position that money is evil?" Bob replied, "No not at all, money is actually very neutral. It’s how we make sense of money and where we put money in our own value structure that starts to make a really big difference. Try to stay really clear about what you think money is for and simultaneously what you think is really important. Keep checking, is your money helping you get what you really want or is your money getting in the way of what you want? Other people are asking these questions, find someone to talk to – we need to be a community with similar values and goals. Stay conscious of your values."  LISTEN

Related Links:  Marpa Center || Authentic Leadership || Money and Values Project || Authentic Leadership Channel || Keywords: Bob Kenney, Marpa Center, Business and Economics, Naropa University, Money, Ethics, Values, Morals > Bytes: 13873217> 10/8/07 LISTEN

388_ Identity Theft: The Fastest Growing Criminal Activity
Somebody collects your personal information, SS#, date of birth, other personal identification that you may use in connection with financial transactions, such as your mother’s maiden name or the city where you were born. The number one source for this information is mail theft and computer theft. Chris Ottele of HRO had as their guests, Daniel Bradley, who is the Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI and Lisa Tennyson, Certified Fraud Examiner at Wells Fargo. They shared some statistics along with some advice on how to avoid identity theft. Approximately 30-40% of the information is obtained in either the form of stolen pursesand wallets, taken from an individual's home during a burglary – or stolen by a friend or relative or someone who has access to your residence or your employment where you may maintain that information. Some steps are common sense, but most victims don't contact the following: Social Security Fraud Hotline; Federal Trade Commission; Local Police Department and of course your Credit Card Company and your Bank as well as Credit Card Reporting Agencies. Stay protected. probing. LISTEN

Related Links:  Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law Channel || Social Security Fraud Hotline || Federal Trade Commission: Identity Theft || Keywords: Identity Theft, Daniel Bradley, FBI, Lisa Tennyson, Wells Fargo, Christopher Ottele, Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, HRO > Bytes: 11627105 > 10/8/07 LISTEN

385_ Delivering High Performance - The Challenges and the Choices
David Walker, Software Division President for the American Society for Quality (ASQ) along with Linda Westfall and Granville Jones, co-chairs of the International Conference on Software Quality (ICSQ) share some insights why users, developers and organizations of all sizes are feeling the software-pinch in our ever-changing environment with a focus on the sometimes elusive topic, software quality. On October 16 & 17 the 2007 conference is being held in Denver. It provides a forum for individuals and organizations seeking technologies, concepts, and techniques to improve the quality of their software products, processes, and services, and looking to enjoy networking and learning opportunities. Ken Schwaber, co-developer of Scrum and Dr. Richard Turner, Fellow, Systems and Software Consortium are keynote speakers. Introducing Agile Methods into Traditional Environments with a top-notch Agile panel is also part of the conference. There are other extras available during that week. LISTEN
Related Links:  ICSQ || Agile Panel || American Society for Quality || Associations || Keywords: Software Quality, ICSQ, ASQ, David Walker, Linda Westfall, Granville Jones, Scrum, Agile Channel: In the News > Bytes: 12196365 > 10/1/07 LISTEN