Ann Bednarz

Author Archives: Ann Bednarz

Top reasons for network downtime

New research paints a somewhat bleak picture of network performance. Outages are frequent. Hours typically pass before an issue is reported and resolved. Protective measures are manual and error prone.The source of the data is a survey of 315 network pros at midsize and large enterprises. The survey was sponsored by Veriflow, a San Jose, Calif.-based startup that aims to minimize the risk of network vulnerabilities and outages. Veriflow’s software is designed to catch network problems before they happen by predicting possible network-wide behavior and continually verifying that a network model adheres to an enterprise’s security and resilience policies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Top reasons for network downtime

New research paints a somewhat bleak picture of network performance. Outages are frequent. Hours typically pass before an issue is reported and resolved. Protective measures are manual and error prone.The source of the data is a survey of 315 network pros at midsize and large enterprises. The survey was sponsored by Veriflow, a San Jose, Calif.-based startup that aims to minimize the risk of network vulnerabilities and outages. Veriflow’s software is designed to catch network problems before they happen by predicting possible network-wide behavior and continually verifying that a network model adheres to an enterprise’s security and resilience policies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

37% of IT pros to look for new jobs in 2017

If your IT department isn’t already worried about staff retention, some new stats might change that. A new poll finds 37% of IT pros plan to begin searching for a new employer in 2017, and 26% plan to accept a new job.Many factors are driving people’s desire for a job change, according to Spiceworks’ 2017 Tech Career Outlook. The most frequently cited reasons are: to advance my IT skills (cited by 69%); to get a more competitive salary (64%); to work at a company that makes IT more of a priority (40%); I’m burnt out at my current job (40%); to find a better work-life balance (38%); to get better benefits (401k, healthcare) (33%); to work with a more talented IT team (26%); to get better work-from-home options (24%); to get a better job title (22%).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

37% of IT pros to look for new jobs in 2017

If your IT department isn’t already worried about staff retention, some new stats might change that. A new poll finds 37% of IT pros plan to begin searching for a new employer in 2017, and 26% plan to accept a new job.Many factors are driving people’s desire for a job change, according to Spiceworks’ 2017 Tech Career Outlook. The most frequently cited reasons are: to advance my IT skills (cited by 69%); to get a more competitive salary (64%); to work at a company that makes IT more of a priority (40%); I’m burnt out at my current job (40%); to find a better work-life balance (38%); to get better benefits (401k, healthcare) (33%); to work with a more talented IT team (26%); to get better work-from-home options (24%); to get a better job title (22%).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Skills deficit hampers IoT growth in 2017

The allure of IoT is strong. Companies are eager to explore the potential for connected products and business processes. But technologies and use cases for the IoT vary wildly, and the vendor landscape is rapidly changing, warns research and advisory firm  Forrester. Adding to the hurdles IT teams face is the demand for IoT skills – including data analytics, security and wireless networking expertise – that are already in short supply in many organizations. IoT technology uses new network protocols, hardware and specialized software, and successful deployments will require expertise in business transformation, data science, cybersecurity, and industrial automation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Speed to drive CIO agenda in 2017

Think fast, CIOs.It’s time for organizations to move past the “false promise” of a bimodal approach to IT, which results in a divided tech department operating at two different speeds, according to research and advisory firm Forrester. Instead, CIOs need to push for enterprise-wide acceleration – and a comprehensive business technology strategy – to keep up with customers’ appetites for new products and services.“Gone are the days of stability and predictability. The business environment you operate in will change faster than ever in 2017. Many of these changes will be outside of your control, but your ability to anticipate and respond will make or break your success,” Forrester writes in a research document focused on the evolving role of the CIO in 2017.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IBM, LEGO offer Macs as recruiting tool

In a job-seeker’s market, employers will do everything they can to attract and retain skilled talent. For some companies, that extends to the technology they offer to employees.At IBM, employees can now choose Apple devices, thanks to an initiative launched in June of 2015. In the first few months of the user-choice program, IBM deployed 30,000 Macs to its workforce. Today, IBM has 90,000 Macs deployed and is on pace to exceed 100,000 by year end.The Mac@IBM program is part of a larger effort to transform company culture, according to Fletcher Previn, vice president of Workplace as a Service at IBM.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

LEGO builds on its Mac project

The old way of doing IT at The LEGO Group was very much “we decide how you work,” said Michael Loft Mikkelsen. But things are changing at the family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark. One big change is the growing number of Mac users among the 17,000 worldwide LEGO employees. Driving the change is LEGO’s corporate mission.“We have one overarching mission: to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. That’s our single most important goal,” said Loft Mikkelsen, infrastructure engineer at LEGO. “To create these fantastic products, we need an IT infrastructure that’s agile, scalable and robust enough to keep up with our development and growth.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

iPads and Apple TV aimed at transforming patient care

No one looks forward to a hospital stay, but the tech amenities at Jacobs Medical Center could make visits more comfortable for patients.With an iPad and Apple TV in every room, patients will be able to control room settings such as temperature, lighting and window shades. They can access games, log into their own social and entertainment apps, and control the TV. The iPad also provides access to a patient’s electronic medical records, including information such as medications, caregivers' names, diagnostic data, and upcoming lab work or medical procedures. RELATED: 14 go-to tools for Mac sysadmins | 25 CIO pay packages revealed | Tech jobs set for biggest raisesTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Seattle substation is cool enough to draw a crowd

Welcome to the substationImage by NBBJThe typical substation is a high-voltage blot on the landscape. But not this one. Seattle’s Denny substation is under construction in a dense urban neighborhood instead of being screened from the public, and it aims to welcome pedestrians rather than fence out trespassers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tech jobs that will get you the biggest raise next year

The biggest raises in 2017 will go to data scientists, who can expect a 6.4% boost in pay next year. That’s well above the average 3.8% increase that’s predicted for tech workers, according to new data from Robert Half Technology. The recruiting and staffing specialist recently released its annual guide to U.S. tech salaries, which finds IT workers will be getting slightly bigger pay bumps than many other professionals. Across all fields, U.S. starting salaries for professional occupations are projected to increase 3.6% in 2017. The largest gains will occur in tech – where starting salaries for newly hired IT workers are forecast to climb 3.8%.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Want to boost your CIO pay? Switch jobs

The four highest-paid CIOs in our tally all have something in common: a major job transition. Three of the four CIOs started new jobs, and one left his CIO position but stayed on as a consultant. Each of these tech leaders negotiated an extremely lucrative transition. Tim Theriault, who stepped down last June from his position as global CIO for Walgreens Boots Alliance, earned the largest of the 25 CIO pay packages we studied. Theriault received a $13.6 million compensation package that included a giant parting payment of $8.5 million, as per his employment agreement with the $103 billion pharmacy giant. (Walgreens merged with Alliance Boots in December 2014 to become the largest retail pharmacy in the U.S. and Europe; the company has a presence in 23 countries.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

25 CIO pay packages revealed

Deep dive into CIO pay packagesTo find out how much CIOs at giant global companies really earn, we scoured the proxy statements of the 500 largest U.S. companies and found 25 that disclosed CIO pay. Here are the details on their 2015 pay packages, organized from lowest to highest paid.To see all the data in one place, check out our sortable chart of CIO compensation. See the last slide for details about how we compiled the data. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Big data salaries set to rise in 2017

Starting salaries for big data pros will continue to rise in 2017 as companies jockey to hire skilled data professionals.Recruiting and staffing specialist Robert Half Technology studied more than 75 tech positions for its annual guide to U.S. tech salaries, including 13 jobs in the data/data administration field.In the big picture, starting salaries for newly hired IT workers are forecast to climb 3.8% next year. (See also: 14 hot network jobs/skills for 2017)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

14 hot network jobs, skills for 2017

Recruiting and staffing specialist Robert Half Technology released its annual guide to U.S. tech salaries, which finds IT workers can expect slightly bigger pay bumps than many other professionals are getting.Across all fields, U.S. starting salaries for professional occupations are projected to increase 3.6% in 2017. The largest gains will occur in tech – where starting salaries for newly hired IT workers are forecast to climb 3.8%. BE SURE NOT TO MISS: CompSci salaries rise with demand for new grads The many faces of tech volunteerism 29 tech pros share their favorite IT products The hiring environment remains competitive, and many experienced IT pros can expect to receive multiple offers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

14 hot network jobs, skills for 2017

Recruiting and staffing specialist Robert Half Technology released its annual guide to U.S. tech salaries, which finds IT workers can expect slightly bigger pay bumps than many other professionals are getting.Across all fields, U.S. starting salaries for professional occupations are projected to increase 3.6% in 2017. The largest gains will occur in tech – where starting salaries for newly hired IT workers are forecast to climb 3.8%. BE SURE NOT TO MISS: CompSci salaries rise with demand for new grads The many faces of tech volunteerism 29 tech pros share their favorite IT products The hiring environment remains competitive, and many experienced IT pros can expect to receive multiple offers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

VR, machine learning drive tech job market

Free catered lunch and a dog-friendly office are two of the perks offered by an educational technology company in Palo Alto, Calif., that’s looking to hire a machine learning engineer. The position, posted on Dice, will pay between $140,000 and $160,000 to the right candidate who’s skilled in machine learning platforms as well as data mining, statistical modeling, and natural language processing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

First look: Vikings stadium caters to connected fans

U.S. Bank StadiumA striking vessel of steel and glass, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings is designed for fans with smartphones. The infrastructure and apps are in place: The stadium is blanketed with wireless access points built into handrails and a distributed antenna system to boost mobile coverage, and a Vikings stadium app keeps ticket-holders connected. Fans can order food and drinks from their seats, figure out which restrooms have the shortest lines, and watch instant replays on their own devices. Before they arrive, visitors can view parking availability, determine the least-congested entrance gate, and manage digital tickets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

First look: Vikings stadium caters to connected fans

U.S. Bank StadiumA striking vessel of steel and glass, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings is designed for fans with smartphones. The infrastructure and apps are in place: The stadium is blanketed with wireless access points built into handrails and a distributed antenna system to boost mobile coverage, and a Vikings stadium app keeps ticket-holders connected. Fans can order food and drinks from their seats, figure out which restrooms have the shortest lines, and watch instant replays on their own devices. Before they arrive, visitors can view parking availability, determine the least-congested entrance gate, and manage digital tickets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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