Is being the first firm on the block to adopt emerging technologies such as mobility, unified communications and collaboration platforms or cloud-based services really all it takes to secure a competitive edge? Or are there other factors that need to be in place for organizations to reap the full benefits of their technology investments?...
Mobile applications have captured the imagination of, well, everyone. They engage your customers, empower your employees and in theory, should make your business run more efficiently. Unfortunately, development teams are often puzzled on how to keep up with the demands of their business, spending...
Imagine 4,500 students walking into your multi-campus university to enroll. Now, imagine all of them doing this online. It would be a much more manageable scenario – unless your infrastructure isn’t robust enough to take it on....
Are enterprises that are adopting Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks aware of the additional security measures they might require? This profile, by Forrester Consulting, examines the answer to that question...
As IT agility becomes more important, enterprises must work closely with business partners to deliver services faster than ever. But what options do you have for cloud services that can help you determine where you sit in transforming your operational model?...
The Internet broke down the brick-and-mortar boundaries of physical office spaces. Now, when you combine the wide reach of the global Internet with the security of an MPLS-based IP VPN and mobile access options, your office has officially evolved...
Hackers are nothing if not resourceful. First they wormed and Trojan-horsed their way into our PCs. And now security experts are telling us that they have set their sights on mobile devices. The proliferation of smartphones has now given rise to...
As you pursue security solutions for your mobile workforce needs, you will no doubt realize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution set in mobile security. Rather, it is a mix of meeting multiple, differing requirements amid many diverse...
To support international business operations, corporate IT needs a fast and reliable network connecting widely distributed sites. This profile examines why North American-based multinational corporations tend to turn to Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) IP VPNs...
Today’s “office” is nothing like it once was. Instead of a fixed workspace with a phone and email as your only communications tools, you can now fully collaborate with customers, suppliers and colleagues from wherever you happen to be working using MPLS-based IP VPN networking....
Combining disparate hardware, software and network components into a secure, comprehensive, dynamic IT environment that keeps pace with your business changes has become an all-consuming job. AT&T Network Sourcing was created to help...
What are the advantages of deploying unified communications (UC) using a cloud service and considerations when seeking a service provider? This Q&A with Melanie Posey, an IDC research director...
The rise in global e-commerce has created a dynamic system that links supply and demand across continents. But more connection points and more points of entry introduce greater vulnerability to corporate networks. Most IT departments do not have...
Industry regulations require Ochsner to protect patient information. As healthcare professionals increasingly use personal communication devices in patient care, compliance with data security requirements required increased vigilance and new strategies. Ochsner needed an easy-to-manage way to secure health-system-related emails on these devices. ...
What does a textbook case for deploying a Virtual Private Network with Voice over IP look like? Take a rapidly growing global business with a mishmash of legacy network systems, add the need for business-critical collaborative communications, and you’ve got a snapshot of what Promethean, a global provider of advanced teaching and learning tools, was faced with not too long ago....
Today, everything’s going mobile at a dizzying pace – with cell phones, tablets, PDAs, laptops, Wi-Fi networks and virtual private networks (VPNs). Business on the move is business as usual. Here’s the latest forecast from IDC, which predicts that the world's mobile worker population will pass the one billion mark this year, to form more than a third of the world's workforce by 2013....
A growing number of information workers are regularly working outside of the office. Your business can’t afford to rely solely on “plain old” phone calls and emails — to stay ahead of its fast-moving competitors, your firm needs a better, more immediate way...
Like most companies in the construction industry, Hayward Lumber has been sharply affected by the economic downturn, especially the fall-off in new building activity. Hayward made the strategic decision to trim operations and expenses...
Business continuity planning is essential for all types of scenarios, ranging from flu pandemics to system failures caused by software upgrades. For the seventh straight year, AT&T has updated this comprehensive guide, designed to give you the information you need...
Healthcare is a vast business that touches every American. Consumer demand, emerging technology, and inefficient and redundant procedures have contributed to rising healthcare costs and have resulted in difficult choices about how to pay for these services. ...
Changing customer needs and increasing volatility in business travel requirements made it increasingly important that CWT boost its operational flexibility. The company’s operating model, based on call centers staffed with full-time travel counselors, created a challenge...
Lawn Ranger needed to find a better way to track and manage its mobile work crews performing hundreds of tasks, particularly during winter months when workloads can be unpredictable....
We’re taught very early on in our business and professional lives that one of the best ways to cut costs is to go directly to the primary source. But what if there was a situation where it made sense to use a middle man? Such is the case when it comes to purchasing and using cloud services. According to the November 2012 commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of AT&T,...
The mobile game is changing. Users are no longer willing to settle for simple, passive applications. The new expectation is for apps to act as “systems of engagement” that provide users with access to the information and functionality necessary to solve problems and address immediate needs. The role that these systems of engagement perform is...
Today, when people discuss cloud, it’s mainly centered around the compute and storage aspects of cloud architecture. "The network" is typically mentioned and will play a key part as cloud evolves into the next phase of development. Which means, as businesses expand their cloud infrastructure, enterprise networking will play a larger role. You’ll...
Every day corporate networks are faced with increasingly complex threats to IT security. But there’s an entirely new approach that can help you minimize risks. It’s called “Orbital Security”—and it just might save your company’s data. Orbital Security allows you to create an IT security strategy based on the relationships your company has...
My own small business is up to 6 employees—some here on the east coast, others working daily from as far away as Texas. We work from home, the train, planes, coffee shops, and yes, sometimes, real offices. We're constantly switching between...
It has become impossible to avoid the headlines announcing that our data is being breached, from credit card information and social security numbers to other personal information. Each day, it seems there are reports of nefarious behavior happening in our Internet / cyber world environment. Due to this, there are five questions I challenge you to consider:...
The clock is ticking down to Sept. 23, 2013, the HIPAA final omnibus rule deadline. If you’re a hospital or health system, do you have “reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical and physical safeguards” in place to help protect your...
Are you trying to build more user engagement for your small business on Twitter? Then you could learn a lot from a new study of how the top brands on Twitter interact with their followers. A Study of the Most Engaged Brands on Twitter,...
My annual check-up with my doctor reminded me how important it is to keep tabs on my health by taking a holistic approach to my overall well-being. For example, paying closer attention to the diet or exercise regimen can alleviate many...
“I don’t know what good art is, but I know it when I see it.” It’s the same challenge when describing what an application is to your mother or someone used to thirty years of the PC. Today things are further complicated by a plethora of new devices. Is...
What motivates you to change – is it a valued opinion, a trend, or a necessity? I’d consider myself somewhat a creature of habit and I fall victim to my routine quite often. It often takes a wake-up call to force me to change my habits. As luck, or a lack of luck, would have it, last week I was hampered by a computer crash. You know, two full business days of working with IT to fix your laptop while having limited access to the...
So, let me share with you a little about my house. I live in California and bought near the top of the real estate market. I have a small, charming 1950s colonial in a nice neighborhood. But like many older homes, I got other things that I didn’t want, such as a pink kitchen. I’m not joking. The sink, floor, walls and the countertops were pink. Not my idea of House Beautiful. The floors were pink striped linoleum. The walls had square...
Last month, I heard two executives from leading companies talk about the new industrial revolution. Bill Ruh, vice president and corporate technology officer of General Electric, spoke about changes in the industrial business at Cloud Connect in Santa Clara. A few days later, I had the opportunity to interview Jim Hepplemann, the CEO of PTC, about changes in manufacturing industry....
Hybrid clouds enable the flow of information between private and public cloud networks. Private clouds talk to public clouds, and vice versa, and the hybrid cloud is born. On the heels of the OpenStack Summit in Portland, Oregon, and recent announcements from Microsoft, now is a good time to address the “state-of-the-state” of enterprise hybrid clouds. Due in large part to burgeoning industry alliances...
The rapid introduction of smartphones and tablet devices has challenged organizations to stretch their IT capacities. While IT departments continue to concentrate on traditional core requirements, they must extend their capabilities to manage a proliferation of mobile platforms and devices. Since the concept...
You’ve heard it a million times. A happy customer tells a few people, but an unhappy customer tells…everyone. In the age of social media, those numbers, especially for those expressing discontent, are only escalating. In 2012, American Express released a study claiming that 46 percent of U.S. Internet users hit branded social media pages to express frustration about poor experiences....
I recently spoke at TEDMED13, the healthcare and medical focused conference of the broader TED organization. Now, I’ve been fortunate to meet some amazing people, but I have to admit that I was a little star struck. The thrill of shaking hands with Aneesh Chopra, the chief technology officer for the United...
As your business races to execute on its cloud strategy and drive adoption, you may think its time to unbuckle the seatbelt as you reach cruising altitude. Not so fast. Turbulence may be just ahead if you’re not incorporating a strategy that includes transformative innovation as an integral part of your ascension...
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a technology supported by a large ecosystem. The key players consist of telecom operators, manufacturers (readers, tags, smart cards, semiconductors, and consumer electronics), mobile device OEM, system integrators, banking/ financial institutions, merchant consumers,...
For the past two decades, I’ve been focused on the success of women-owned businesses. In 2008, I wrote a book called The Girls’ Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business. At the time, fewer than three percent of women-owned firms had reached $1 million or more in revenue. Fortunately, when I wrote the book...
Have you seen that cheeky video from that guy who sells razors online for $1? I watched it again today with my husband. Once he finished laughing, he said he was going to check out the website and look at the company’s programs. The savvy business owner recognized the power of video and within the...
The dizzying pace of today's business world holds the promise of propelling ideas into concrete reality in shorter cycles than ever. Real-time communications is the mother of lightning fast innovation, and innovation is heavily prized by geographically dispersed enterprise businesses. Allow me to illustrate....
Many small business owners know how critical technology is to their success. Recent research shows that those who embrace it grow their companies faster, but keeping up with the latest tools can be a challenge. As you maneuver your company through the still-turbulent economy, how can you get the most from your IT...