IDG Contributor Network: Introducing the “lazy economy” business model and implications for CIOs

We’ve all heard of the sharing economy and the gig economy, but a new business model is quietly introducing itself across many consumer-facing industries. It’s an extreme form of the convenience economy that I like to term the “lazy economy.” The term is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but there’s some real implications in these nascent business models…

Jackson Health System taps data flows to improve care

In healthcare IT, data integration is often considered a back-end IT function, but the enterprise application integration team at Jackson Health System (JHS), one of the largest public health systems in the country, has turned data-as-a-service into a strategic differentiator that has improved patient care and saved millions of dollars in subsidy costs. JHS is…

Oracle CEO Mark Hurd on the rebellion against complexity

As enterprises transition from on-premises IT, Oracle is positioning itself as the premier, one-stop-shop provider for cloud computing. You may think this is a stretch, considering that, for example, Oracle has been lumped in with “Others” in Gartner’s ranking of top public infrastructure as a service (IaaS) providers, far below leaders like Amazon, Microsoft and…

9 key metrics for IT success

It’s strictly a numbers game when it comes to measuring the various aspects of IT success. Positive KPIs generally indicate that all is well with specific IT operations and services. Negative numbers, on the other hand, warn that IT efforts may be headed in the wrong direction or are already actively damaging enterprise goals. To…

How CIOs can become corporate board directors

CIOs who have led successful executive management careers often see corporate board service as the next stage of their career. For years, this was a tall order, as boards prized CEO experience over technology. But today, with cyber risk, digitization, and innovation threatening to disrupt long-established companies, the tides seem to be turning, says Debra…

How virtual assistants are driving business value

The rise of virtual or artificial intelligence (AI) assistants has been underway for some time now with the growing popularity of products such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Google’s Assistant The technology — which has been trained to understand voice commands and complete tasks for users — is also making headway in…

More sexist controversy at CES 2019

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and its organizer, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), is under fire again. This time it’s for revoking a women-owned robotics startup’s award after implying their product is “immoral.” Let’s get this out of the way: Yes, it’s a sexual wellness device designed by a team of women, for women, in…