Lorraine Cosgrove Ware

Interested in knowing what organizations with excellent information security are doing differently from their less-secure counterparts? The Global State of Information Security study provides some answers.

While caution still reigns, CIOs' outlook for technology investment in 2004 shows improvement from 12 months ago. According to 185 executives surveyed, IT budgets will grow at 6 percent over existing levels in the coming 12 months, up from the forecast of 4.2 in November.

Senior-level sponsorship and visibility are keys to a successful project management office. A recent study of 303 organizations, conducted by CIO and the Project Management Institute, found that 67 per cent of companies today have project management offices, or PMOs.

A new poll by CSO magazine reveals that 63 per cent of chief security officers and senior security executives are not confident that the United States can protect its critical infrastructure and citizens from harm by terrorists and nation states. The poll, which surveyed 271 security executives, found that organizations are taking steps to secure their employees, facilities, and information assets in anticipation of possible physical and cyber attacks.

Companies that outsource packaged-software implementations can benefit from shorter time to implementation and lower costs as opposed to taking on these tasks in-house. IDC estimates that the time to implement an application can be reduced by 43 percent if performed by an outsourcer because of its superior experience in an application area and more effective cost and resource management.

Recruiters, consultants and the media were abuzz about the chief technology officer title in the late 1990s. ...

Companies are paying higher bonuses to IT staff who are certified in security, database management and project management than to IT staff with standalone skills, according to a survey conducted by New Canaan, Conn.-based research and advisory company Foote Partners LLC.

CIOs are relying on their organizations' operational efficiencies more than macroeconomic indicators to trigger a pick-up in IT spending, according to CIO Magazine (U.S.)'s June 2002 Tech Poll. Only 5 per cent of executives surveyed cited an improved macroeconomic environment as the number one factor that would increase their technology spending, and 28 per cent listed operational effectiveness within their organization.