In this podcast, Theresa Lanowitz, former Gartner Group analyst, provides some down-to-earth discussion about cloud computing as a disruptive technology, moving one step closer to pervasive utility computing.

Every household doesn't need its own energy grid. If you follow this logic, then each enterprise does not need to be in the business of creating massive infrastructure. Why not take advantage of the some of the world's largest infrastructure offered to you by Amazon.com's Web Services or Google Apps Engine? That is the view of Theresa Lanowitz, a former Gartner Group research analyst and the founder of voke, a research firm focused on breakthrough technologies, such as cloud computing.

She says that while Salesforce.com has revolutionized customer relations marketing by elevating it as a platform as a service, Amazon.com and Google.com have the opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise with every enterprise. She adds, "By making their massively scalable, highly available, high-performance environment, and a solid security infrastructure available, both Amazon.com and Google.com have moved one step closer to software as a service and pervasive utility computing. As a result, companies will be able to lower the cost of doing business and to remain innovative, competitive, and profitable. Enterprises of all sizes need to focus on delivering value to the marketplace of their core competency, regardless of what it is."

In this podcast, Theresa Lanowitz discusses the following:

• What type of impact Amazon.com Web Services and Google Apps Engine will have on cloud computing;
• What other areas of cloud computing and Web 2.0 will prevail;
• Why CIOs are hesitant to embrace cloud computing; and
• What three cloud computing takeaways CIOs need to think about in making decisions about this app?

Bio
Theresa Lanowitz, is founder of founder of voke, inc., an industry research firm specializing in breakthrough technologies. From 1999 through 2006, she was a research analyst with Gartner, where she was the lead analyst for Mercury. At Gartner, Lanowitz was the founder, creator, and chairperson of the highly successful Application Development conference. She is the founding member of AppSIC (the Application Security Industry Consortium), a member of the German ComputerWoche.de "Expert Panel on Quality IT Practices" and a frequent guest on SD Times "Week in Review" podcast.

She began her professional career with McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) where she worked on the C-17 transport plane. While at Borland Software, she shipped the ground breaking Java development tool JBuilder. Lanowitz also played instrumental roles at Taligent in the areas of product management and international marketing. At Sun Microsystems, she was responsible for the strategic marketing of the Jini project – a precursor to emerging convergence market.

Lanowitz holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Resources
Theresa Lanowitz's Blog

http://voke.blogspot.com/

Ka-ching! Don't Sell Your Test Team Short, Software Test & Performance

http://www.stpcollaborative.com/users/195-theresa-lanowitz

N requirements.net, Exclusive Podcast: Theresa Lanowitz on the Economy and IT Spending

http://www.requirements.net/2008/12/04/exclusive-podcast-theresa-lanowitz-on-the-economy-and-it-spending/

Production Credits
Elizabeth Ferrarini, Executive Producer
Tom Parish, Host and Audio Producer
Audio Editing by Doug Marcis

Sponsored by BMC Software

In this podcast, Heller talks about Vanguard’s initiatives to use Web 2.0 tools to empower both employees and to work more effectively with customers.  He also talks about the challenge of dealing with compliance issues around social media, and the process for fielding new ideas to drive innovation.

The Vanguard Group, one of the largest mutual funds companies in the country, has managed to live up to its name for the past 35 years. Today, Vanguard manages about $1.1 trillion in assets with roughly the same amount of employees it has had for the past decade. Vanguard also differs greatly from its publicly traded competitors, such as Fidelity Investments. Vanguard’s customers – both retail and institutional -- literally own the company. Eighty percent of Vanguard’s business takes place through its various Web sites. The rest of the business occurs either via the telephone or mail. By leveraging its unique structure and technology prowess, Vanguard has some of the lowest management fees of any mutual fund company.  Paul Heller, Vanguard’s CIO, says that technology enables the company to focus on its core mission – preserving and creating wealth for customers.

In 2007, Vanguard received an annual InformationWeek 500 award for being the third best and most innovative company in the country. At that time, the company unveiled its $10 million portal which gives employees better tools to facilitate communications with each other. Much has happened in the past two years. Heller says that the company has expanded its use of Web 2.0 tools both for employees and customers. He says, “For years, we have been hosting e-meetings with our institutional customers. We are now doing this on the retail side where we will invite 25,000 people to a meeting on a specific topic. They can see each others’ questions. “

Bio
Paul Heller is managing director and CIO, for Vanguard Group’s IT division. His team leads all aspects of the company’s use of technology to provide high quality, cost-effective services to the company’s shareholders. Heller has been with Vanguard since 1984. His experience over the prior two decades includes overseeing the core retail business, the institutional defined contribution business, the systems integration division of IT, and investment-only business. Before joining Vanguard, Heller worked for Mellon Bank in Philadelphia. He has a B.S. in engineering and economics from Tufts University and is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.

Resources
ResourcesCIO Values – Paul Heller - InformationWeek
How Multimedia Tools Make Vanguard a Better Company - CIO
At the Vanguard - Enterpriseleadership.org Podcast with Paul Heller – 2007

Production Credits
Elizabeth Ferrarini, Executive Producer
Tom Parish, Host and Audio Producer
Audio Editing by Doug Marcis

Sponsored by BMC Software

In this podcast, Marie Hattar, Cisco’s vice president of network and security systems solutions and a social media devotee, talks about some of the company’s key social media initiatives and the benefits they provide; the challenge of dealing with the security issue that surrounds social media; the role of the almost-forgotten Second Life concept; and the types of social media products the company is developing for the marketplace.

Consumer products companies such as Procter & Gamble aren’t the only ones reaping the benefit of social media. A world leader in networking, Cisco Systems isn’t resting on its laurel when it comes to Web 2.0 tools and technologies, especially social media. The company is integrating social media with customer and partner communications. This approach includes using Facebook to leverage the AXP developer Contest and other groups to grow new communities.

For example, the company is also linking Cisco Twitter followers with Facebook, as well as communicating through blogs (Cisco Geeks), cross-promoting social media sites on invitation, banner ads, etc., outreach through YouTube for User/Partner/Sales submitted segments, communications through the LinkedIn Cisco professionals Group, and more. One of the more interesting things Cisco has recently done is launching The Realm, a multi-dimensional, animated webisode campaign that consists of super hero security characters and villains that Cisco developed with well-known Marvel Comics illustrator Mike Mayhew. The characters are linked to real-life Cisco engineers, as well as its products, but uses entertainment to appeal to the Web 2.0 crowd.

Bio
Marie Hattar brings more than 18 years of industry experience to her role as vice president of network systems and security systems solutions at Cisco. Under Hattar’s guidance, her organization creates and markets innovative routing, switching and security solutions focused on enterprise and mid-market organizations.

She has been instrumental in building security and network architectures for leading Fortune 500 companies. An industry expert in data communications, convergence, and security, Hattar was previously chair of the Broadband Content Delivery Forum and is co-author of IPServices at the Network Edge (Addison-Wesley). She holds a master’s degree in business administration in marketing from York University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto.

Resources
Fierce CIOs - Study Highlights Security Disconnect
Cisco: Networking is hot again - InternetNew.com
Cisco Blogs - Marie Hattar

Production Credits
Elizabeth Ferrarini, Executive Producer
Tom Parish, Host and Audio Producer
Audio Editing by Doug Marcis

In this podcast, Diane Bryant describes the benefits of Intel's various social media platforms, provides an overview of Intel's code of conduct for electronic communications, touches on Intel's cloud computing architecture within the firewall, as well as cloud computing product's Intel is developing, and discusses why women do a good job of driving social media.

With more than $30 billion in annual revenue, Intel Corporation both innovates and invents microprocessor technologies that reside at the heart of most of the PCs and servers. Likewise, Intel also innovates and invents when it comes to deploying social media, both within the company and with external customers. In fact, in 2003, instant messaging became the company's first collaboration method outside of email and audio conferencing. Diane Bryant, Intel's vice president and CIO, says, "Within less than three years, we went from not using instant messaging to a 90 percent adoption rate."

As a globally diverse company with more 83,000 employees, numerous suppliers, and millions of external customers, Intel has continued to keep pace with effective ways for all constituencies to collaborate effectively. In 2004, the company began internal blogging with the CEO leading the charge. Two years later, Intel opened up external blogging as a way to reach out and communicate directly with specific manufacturers that use Intel products, and with end users. Bryant says, "As the devices based on the Intel architecture have become more solutions-based and directed at end users around the world, we needed to have direct connection with these end users. Social media or social networking provided us access to this external community."

In 2008, Intel launched Open Port, a series of external communities for end users. Bryant says that today more than 75 percent of all the content on these communities comes from end users, not Intel. "We have seen a strong viral pick up on solutions. We have examples of customers coming together to solve their real problems." Intel also uses social media for software development. Some of these software development communities allow people to collaborate about how they have optimized their software suite for the Intel architecture."

While Intel has begun to reap the benefits of social media, this company knows that the pervasive nature of social media means that proper controls need to exist.  Bryant says, "Most executives I talk to say that their social media initiatives tend to self-police themselves." Intel has adopted a code of conduct that defines how people must act when they engage in all forms of Intel electronic communications, both internally and externally. The code also has provisions for maintaining legal compliance.

Bio
Diane M. Bryant is vice president and CIO of Intel Corporation where she is responsible for Intel's IT organization of 5,700 employees. A 25-year veteran of Intel, Bryant has held several key general manager and director positions in various business units at Intel. She was general manager of the server platforms group, director of the corporate platform office, and general manager of the enterprise processor division. Before joining the enterprise group in 1998, Bryant was director of engineering of the mobile products groups. She received her B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of California, Davis. She holds four U.S. patents.

Resources
Intel CIO Diane Bryant on IT's Enterprise Role in Innovation - Podtech
Intel and the Economic Environment - Intel Inc.
Diane Bryant on Empowering Entrepreneurial Women - Metacafe
New Intel CIO Plans Cloud Computing Trials - CIO

Production Credits
Elizabeth Ferrarini, Executive Producer
Tom Parish, Host and Audio Producer
Audio Editing by Doug Marcis

Dr. Norman Jacknis has much experience finding innovative ways to use technology. For 10 years, he served as the CIO for Westchester Country, one of the most prosperous counties in New York State. His mission focused on working with business leaders to create real business impact from IT. Because he had extensive knowledge of the business, Dr. Jacknis used every opportunity to speak to the CEO, who he reported to, about how to improve things, some of which didn't necessarily involve technology, but management issues or policy issues. He says, "I wasn't afraid to say we can use technology here, but you first need to address this issue."
 
One of Dr. Jacknis' innovative solutions involved establishing a unit that   analyzed all of the data Westchester County collected from its transactional systems. He says, "We fed the analyzed data back to the business lines according to what actions made them successful and visa versa, based on long-term criteria. For example, the police department might look at programs that kept repeat offenders out of jail or programs that helped to prevent traffic accidents."
 
Under Dr. Jacknis leadership, Westchester County earned many technology innovation awards, including the Center for Digital Government's top ten digital countries in the country, and American City & County's Crown Communities Awards for technology. Government Technology Magazine named Dr. Jacknis as one of the country's Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers who broke bureaucratic inertia to better serve the public.
 
In 2008, Dr. Jacknis left his post at Westchester County and joined a think tank within Cisco Systems, established by John Chambers, Cisco's CEO. He says, "People kept asking Chambers what they needed to do if they wanted to run a successful business such as Cisco." As director of the state and local government strategic consulting unit within Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group, Dr. Jacknis speaks to business leaders and government professionals about how to use technology in innovative ways in their organization. He says, "We don't charge anything, we don't sell anything, and we don't ever talk about products, especially Cisco's products. We are out there as strategic advisors."
 
Because many government agencies have an interest in Web 2.0 technologies, Dr. Jacknis is working on a concept within the government to take advantage of Web 2.0's collaboration capabilities. He says, "We give them examples of how it has been used successfully, how they can apply these examples to their needs, and how it is meaningful to political leaders. We might talk about the Web site Samsung set up for customers to help each other.  People trust more what they hear from other customers. In return, Samsung is getting loyal customers, and free market research."
 
In this podcast, Dr. Jacknis talks about what he did to achieve business impact of IT, how organizations can use technologies, such as Web 2.0, in new ways, and what advice he would give to CIOs who have become blindsided by innovation.

Bio
In 2008, Dr. Norman Jacknis became the director of the state and local government strategic consulting unit within Cisco Systems' Internet Business Solutions Group. For 10 years, he was the CIO and commissioner of Westchester County, New York. During this time, he served as the co-chair of the technology and architecture committee of the New York State CIO Council. He is chairman of the Fairfield-Westchester Chapter of the Society of Information Management. Dr. Jacknis continues as the technology adviser to the County Executives of America. He received all three of his degrees from Princeton University.

Resources
Government Technology - Digital Communities: Westchester County, N.Y., CIO Norman Jacknis, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers'
Westchester Business Journal: High-speed Network Pays Offs for County
Westchester Gov.com Newsletter
Cisco Systems: A Platform for Preparedness: Starting the Disaster Recovery Planning Discussion

Production Credits
Elizabeth Ferrarini, Executive Producer
Tom Parish, Host and Audio Producer
Audio Editing by Doug Marcis

Procter & Gamble turned to social media, not soap operas, to really connect to its customers. The Vocalpoint P&G community enlisted 850,000 stay-at-home moms to create new products and new services, such as Dawn Direct Foam.

Barry Libert, a social media visionary and the founder of Shared Insights (now Mzinga), knows how to use technology to harness the power of what he calls the crowd. Mzinga provides software as a service solutions for online communities. It currently manages about 14,000 communities, and services more than one billion monthly page requests from 27 million users in 160 countries worldwide. Libert is currently chairman of the board of Mzinga. He and his co-authors set up a community and enlisted members to contribute to a book called, We are Smarter Than Me: How to Unleash the Power of Crowds in Your Business. In fact, this is the first book on the subject that actually used an online community, based on a Web 2.0 technology from Mzinga, to help create the book. About 4,000 qualified members joined the online community and helped shape the final product. By using the same social networking tools and techniques that their book covers, Libert and his co-authors could provide practical and unique look at online community building.

He says that building communities isn't all about tools and technologies. "The task requires good facilitation, moderation, and services that go along with them. Remember, people at ebay and amazon make sure their respective communities work. You need a community manager. The same goes for customer communities and employee communities. Mzinga is the online equivalent to the community Sherpa."

In this podcast, Libert talks about the power of communities, the differences between the community and business, and the changes businesses must make if they want to build communities. Now let's join Barry Libert, author and chairman of the board of Mzinga.

Bio
Before founding Shared Insights, Libert was a senior partner at Arthur Andersen and John Hancock. He began his career with McKinsey & Company. He has also co-founded and sold two successful businesses. He graduated from Tufts University and has an MBA from Columbia University.

Resources
FT Press - If We Build It, We Will Come
Safari Books Online - Interview with Barry Libert
One Degree - Interview with Barry Libert

Production Credits
Elizabeth Ferrarini, Executive Producer
Tom Parish, Host and Audio Producer
AlarmMusic.com Production Music Library for Broadcast, Film, Video & Post Production