CIO magazine lists top drivers for innovation

Contrary to popular belief, innovation doesn’t have to result in complete business transformation or enormous expense.

Recently CIO Magazine turned to the CIO Executive Council to see what they had to say about modern solutions and IT innovations, and surprisingly it's not about technology...it's about making innovation a subtle, manageable and core part of your organization.

Here are 10 tips on how to do it»

Web Design Tip: Make your shopping cart sticky for better sales

One of the biggest threats to online transactions is that your users will become frustrated, or distracted, and abandon their shopping carts before they have followed through the entire shopping experience from selection to final payment.

Here are some design best practices to help you not only prevent the abandonment, but also to improve sales while they are there.

MySQL gains popularity in both System i and Google.

Many heard the recent announcement by IBM that they are supporting the MySQL database on the System i (formerly AS/400), but the support is flowing in. Google has unveiled new enhancements, and while Google doesn't use MySQL in its search, it uses it in its vast YouTube network...and that is a powerful, data-heavy, file-heavy site.

My SQL, which started as a read-only database, caught on because of its ability to speedily serve Web pages. While MySQL hasn't displaced DB2 or Oracle as the two leading databases in production settings, among developers, a recent survey by Evans Data indicates the developer's database of choice for 40% of their responders. Read more here»

5 Best Practices for IT Cost Containment

With the recent emphasis on crossover between business acumen and IT, it's a good idea to keep an eye on your budget, and do what you can to keep your IT costs down. One good reason? With these ever-blurring lines, now, more than ever, IT has its best shot at re-investing those savings.

5 Best Practices for IT Cost Containment»

App Tip: Customize error messages in your Web applications

One of the most important benefits of m-Power is the ease with which you can create customized Web applications.

And that includes the wording of error messages, whether across the board, or for individual apps. (These are the messages your user sees if they enter data in the wrong field, or don't enter information in mandatory fields). See how easy it is»

The Business-Savvy Smartphone Review: Going wireless

Many articles on smartphones cover the ins and outs of wireless devices for the average consumer, but here's an article that focuses on four of the top smartphones for business purposes, and why.


Here's a short case study about one manufacturer's wireless applications to give you some ideas.

£50,000 for a custom app vs £250,000 for a canned one.

Recently, a UK manufacturer in the market for an online shopping cart went to their packaged software vendor for what they hoped would be a "plug and play" solution. It certainly seemed like that would make the most sense. But, they found that with software, implementation, and training they would be spending £250,000, or around $440,000 US.

This staggering cost had them looking for alternative options. And, what they found was even more surprising. They could (and did) create a customized shopping cart like this one in much less time, for much less money.

The total price tag for all of their needs? £50,000. Just 1/5 the cost quoted for the canned solution.

Success: How one company faced down massive datamart challenge with Web-based BI

With 15 companies, representing 8 separate industries, flexible Web reporting was not only key, but crucial to keeping Bosselman Energy Company's employees informed, and able to do their jobs at top levels.

And, with more than 15 million records in their datamart and more than 600,000 records being added each month, Bosselman had an even bigger challenge on their hands. See how they rose to meet it»

Web design Tip: Exploring the Hidden workings of m-Painter

When m-Power introduced its m-Painter features, we talked about the advantages it gives developers to create the look of their Web apps on the fly, and handed you the top 5 reasons to use it.

But...we may not have given you a breakdown of some of the features at your fingertips. Here's a quick overview of the toolbar features.

Many IT shops are playing it too safe. Is yours?

According to this Information Week article, it's time to get back to innovation that drives business: "The numbers indicate that tech leaders need to snap their associates out of their comfort zones." They call it the ROI effect: "At times, companies put the kibosh on experimentation because they don't see the return on investment in it."

But, it's that type of experimentation that can often lead to greater payoffs, and even greater solutions. Take the case of this IT innovator»

SOA: Hype versus reality

Is 2007 the year of SOA? Apart from the sheer technical complexity, full-scale deployment of SOA requires deep interdepartmental shifts. No wonder it’s slow going.

“The IT side has to understand the business side – finally. They need to understand what the requirements are so that the IT department can create these applications and services to really support the business.” Read more»>

Of course, it also helps when the technical complexity gets simplified. Let us know how m-Power can help your SOA project.