Tag: Steve Schlarman

Fresh Links Sundae – October 12, 2014 Edition

Fresh Links Sundae encapsulates information I have come across during the past week. Often they are from the people whose work I admire or resonate with me. I hope you will find these ideas thought-provoking at the minimum. Even better, I hope these ideas will, over time, help my fellow IT pros make better decisions, be awesome, and kick ass!

Much of the current big data and artificial intelligence work have been focusing on using a data-driven approach to answering or solve business problems. Michael Schrage discusses how the work in automated hypothesis might increasingly inspire tomorrow’s breakthrough innovation. Let Data Ask Questions, Not Just Answer Them (Harvard Business Review)

Selecting the right features or attributes is one key step in strengthening the effectiveness of a predictive analytics model. Jason Brownlee explains what feature selection is and outlines a handy checklist for machine learning model building. An Introduction to Feature Selection (Machine Learning Mastery)

“Organisations are far too quick to blame their software tools for their woes,” said Rob England. He also points out that processes and tools are rarely the main causes of an organization’s problem. Don’t blame the tool: squeeze the asset, fix the behaviour (The IT Skeptic) Rob England

Organizations often shy away from the zero-based budgeting (ZBB) method because they believe it means “budgeting from zero.” Shaun Callaghan, Kyle Hawke, and Carey Mignerey dispel the myths behind ZBB and explain why it is a sustainable alternative to cost management appropriate for many. Five myths (and realities) about zero-based budgeting (McKinsey & Company)

Steve Schlarman believes that data classification is an absolute core tenet of information security. He explains how to leverage business context for building an information security strategy. The Data Classification Curve (RSA Archer GRC)

A number of people believe we should all be using the DevOps approach to managing our IT services. Stuart Rance briefly discusses what is behind the DevOps movement and some DevOps ideas that he thinks will work for every category of IT service. DevOps isn’t only for startups (Optimal Service Management)

Even with their inherent drawbacks, passwords remain one highly effective mean of securing information and access. Keith Palmgren explains that good passwords need not be hard to remember and difficult to use. How to Build Complex Passwords and Avoid Easy Breaches (SANS Institute)

Project management is one key competency area that is critical to an organization’s success. In a 6-part series, Tim McClintock discusses the pitfalls that project managers should work hard to avoid. (Global Knowledge Training Blog)

Fresh Links Sundae – June 22, 2014 Edition

For many firms, the importance of getting pricing right cannot be overstated. Walter Baker, Dieter Kiewell, and Georg Winkler believe that the flood of data now available provides companies with an opportunity to make significantly better pricing decisions. They suggest four things companies need to do. Using big data to make better pricing decisions (McKinsey & Company)

When documenting a business process or anything with a significant level of complexity, it’s easy to fall into the trap of documenting the process but not necessarily understand it. Bob Lewis explains how good documentation is a balancing act between providing the necessary details and explaining the insights that truly matter. With documentation, accuracy isn’t what matters (IS Survivor Publishing)

BYOD is a trend that is here to stay with a number of enterprises, so the management and governance of the BYOD is crucial. Karen Ferris discusses how ITIL Service Strategy processes can help to govern the BYOD practice more effectively. BYOD concerns? It’s time to dust off the ITIL service strategy book! (The ITSM Review)

In many organizations, the IT departments struggle to effectively market its capabilities and communicate the value the IT organizations bring to the table. Alex Salicrup recommends a list of steps and actions which the IT department can use to improve its effectiveness in managing consumer perceptions. Managing Your Brand: Communications and Marketing for Today’s IT (VMware Accelerate)

A well-planned and a well-run change management process can help build a better, stronger IT organization. In a two-part series, Vawns Murphy discusses how to get started in implementing a change management process and how to effectively manage the process on an on-going basis. Part 1 – Change Management – Surviving Implementation Part 2 – Running Your Change Management Process (The ITSM Review)

During the recent quarterly chapter meeting of the Information Security Forum, Steve Schlarman surveyed the audience noting the different personalities that have risen to the tops of the security food chain. He discusses how the CISO role in many organizations has evolved and the personality attributes, he believes, tend to contribute to a CISO’s success these days. Leadership Qualities for Today’s CISOs (RSA Archer GRC)

As more IT organizations move away from the traditional model of IT and toward becoming a service provider, running a smooth, cost-effective, efficient service portal can help IT improve its services and effectiveness. David Crane outlines the critical elements a well-functioning service portal should have. The People and Process Behind the Service Portal (VMware CloudOps)

One of the greatest lessons Peter Drucker taught Marshall Goldsmith was this: “We spend a lot of time helping leaders learn what to do. We do not spend enough time teaching leaders what to stop. Half of the leaders I have met don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.” While many of us get credit for what we do, Marshall outlines a list of ineffective behaviors a leader should consider stop doing. Teaching Leaders What to Stop (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Fresh Links Sundae – May 11, 2014 Edition

Not many people have mastered the framework of analytical storytelling by combining narrative along with visual analytics. Tom Davenport describes some examples of such framework. 10 Kinds of Stories to Tell with Data (Harvard Business Review)

A cloud strategy that doesn’t include some key elements will never reach its full potential for business transformation. Paul Chapman outlines those key competencies required for a successful cloud effort. To Succeed in the Cloud, CIOs Must Look Beyond Technology (VMware CloudOps)

In the famed Raiders of the Lost Ark series, Dr. Indiana Jones was fairly successful risk manager, who achieved his objectives. Steve Schlarman shows us what can GRC and Security programs learn from the legendary character. GRC and the Temple of Doom (RSA Archer GRC)

Recently Stuart Rance was asked by his customers what key performance indicators (KPIs) should be used to measure IT change management. He shares and explains some KPIs that may be useful to your team or organization. Defining Metrics for Change Management (SysAid Blog)

Enterprise Request Management is a new framework for incremental and evolutionary approach to centralizing and modifying business processes and service requests across the company. John Sundberg discusses five steps involved in implementing ERM. Implement Enterprise Request Management in Five Straightforward Steps (The ITSM Review)

Many projects wait till near the end of the project to ask the question of how much value can be realized, and often it’s too late. Glen Alleman explains how this critical question can be answered by sound project finance processes. Project Finance (Herding Cats)

As more organizations begin to implement Agile, more and more project managers are transitioning to become Scrum Masters. Eventually, the question of who should the Scrum Masters report to in an organizational hierarchy will come up. Len Lagestee has some scenarios and recommendations. Who Should the Scrum Master Report To? (Illustrated Agile)

Laura Brandenburg believes that clarity is one of the most fundamental attributes of writing good requirements. She discusses the steps for producing clear requirements. 5 Ways to Write Clearer Requirements (Bridging the Gap)