Sarah Lahav

So 2016 is here and while it’s not a “special” year – such as 1984 or 2001 – it’s an important year for IT professionals. It’s a year that will see continued change in both the IT and business landscapes but, just as importantly, it also requires “people change.” Some of it will be very personal, in terms of new knowledge and skills, and some will be organizational – where the IT status quo needs a rethink. From a personal development point of view, IT professionals will need to: Recognize the growing importance of CX (customer experience) Understand how consumerization…

2016 will be characterized by power shifts as corporate IT, and the technology it employs, transforms at an exponential rate. The impact of these power shifts will affect customer budgets and priorities, which will in turn change technology vendor approaches. Many of these predictions have already started in 2015, via early adopters, and will continue to become mainstream in 2016. The Balance of IT Power Leans Away from Technology Vendors Some very large organizations such as Royal Phillips, GE, and JPMC have not only adopted cloud but they have also ripped up their IT approach to lean towards line-of-business IT…

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been the subject of industry analyst, and tech-media, excitement for just about forever. From an IT security perspective, cyber-criminals must be rubbing their hands together in excitement when they read that the US Federal Trade Commission estimates there now to be twenty-five billion devices online, with separate HP research stating that that 70% of IoT devices are insecure. And as such, there are a number of IoT risks that corporate IT departments, and consumer users, need to consider and address. IoT devices are as unsecure as you let them be. There might not be…

It has taken ten years for public cloud computing to become mainstream: cloud services are now at the center of the mobile-led consumer lifestyle and many enterprise CIO’s IT strategies. It’s impossible to ignore the fact that cloud is having a disruptive effect across the global corporate IT landscape and that CIOs are no longer just focusing on how to use the cloud as part of their strategy. Instead, they are also dealing with the ripple-effect changes it brings to the rest of their organization. The cloud revolution, along with the growing media interest in high-profile security breaches, is pushing…

Mobile devices can provide corporate IT departments with a hornet’s nest of security (and support) issues – no matter whether it’s corporate devices or the use of employee personal devices in the workplace. It’s a two-part security issue, with a certain degree of overlap. To ignore it, and to focus purely on corporate mobile devices, is definitely not in the best interest of any company. Some IT departments still think that they can “ban” the use of employee personal devices for work purposes, commonly called “bring your own device” (BYOD). But, with the exception of some extremely controlled work environments…

The Internet of Things (IoT), sometimes called the Internet of Everything (IoE), is already here. It’s not something we can “deal with in the future.” Instead, corporate IT departments need to focus on the IoT now – addressing both the IT management and security implications, as IoT devices are a different breed of device to traditional IT infrastructure. However, the responsibility for IoT security doesn’t just lie with corporate IT departments. The IoT industry – especially the vendors that produce and sell IoT devices and solutions – also needs to up their game. And thankfully, many are finally recognizing that…

Few would deny that the number of cyber-attacks – whether made public or not – is growing. Today, there are more data breaches reported in the mainstream media, not just the IT media. Cloud security, and IT security in general, are thus high on the corporate IT to-do lists for most CIOs and their teams. However, cloud security is a peculiar beast, with the average corporate IT organization’s ability to invest in, and to address, cloud-related security threats often hampered by a plethora of cloud security myths. Some of them might be truths while others often FUD – fear, uncertainty,…

Whether it’s the use of corporate or personal mobile devices in the workplace, and whether there’s a corporate bring your own device (BYOD) policy or not – mobile devices bring a hornet’s nest of security issues for IT departments to consider and address. It is a two-part security issue, with a certain degree of overlap – and to ignore it (and to focus purely on corporate mobile devices) is definitely not in the best interest of your company. Some IT departments think that they can ban BYOD but, bar some extremely controlled work environments such as trading floors, it’s hard…

The Internet of Things (IoT) – or the Internet of Everything (IoE) – has been the subject of industry analyst, and tech-media, excitement for just about forever. We’ve been bombarded with reports and articles about how the IoT will dramatically change corporate IT, and IT departments, for what seems like years. However, in 2015, it finally feels as though we are about to hit the point of no return with IoT. Where all, and not just some, IT departments need to consider and address the IT management and security implications of the IoT, and the growing need for automation. IoT…

Word on the street is that IT must “transform”, but the vagueness of this statement can make it sound like loaded business speak. Telling IT departments they need to transform is no more helpful than telling a friend she needs to “change” the way she’s living. It begs for a more practical explanation, and my goal is to offer one here. When we speak of IT transforming, we’re really talking about specific changes in people, process, and technology that would enable IT to contribute to a business’s success. People have culture, habits, and beliefs that, for better or worse, influence…