More articles by George Spafford
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Managing Project Change Requests By George Spafford | Data Center Article Published August 16, 2007 Like a ripples in a pond, even small change requests can have widespread effects, writes PM Planet columnist George Spafford of Pepperweed Consulting. eBay and the Flattening of the World By George Spafford | Article Published January 11, 2007 Business buyers can leverage eBay just as consumers do – but they need to be aware of some key considerations. Vendor Selection: A Fourteen-Point Guide By George Spafford | Article Published December 7, 2006 You’re investing a lot with your vendors. Are you vetting them properly? The Thriving Business of Poor Quality By George Spafford | Article Published November 16, 2006 Users have grown accustomed to shoddy quality from software and services vendors. Why? IT Portfolio Mismanagement By George Spafford | Article Published October 20, 2006 Good project management requires IT executives to review three key areas. Offshore Call Centers: Time to Bring em Home? By George Spafford | Article Published October 11, 2006 Weighing the benefits (and problems) of an offshore call center is about more than the short term bottom line. So Many Portables, So Few Rules By George Spafford | Article Published September 25, 2006 All manner of sensitive company data floats around on employees’ portable devices. Without proper procedures, there’s no telling where it might land. The Transient Knowledge Trap By George Spafford | Article Published September 21, 2006 Our society and economy cannot afford to lose basic skills -- yet that is exactly what we are allowing to happen, our Datamation columnist writes. The Dangers of Excessive Permissions By George Spafford | Article Published September 18, 2006 Allowing too many employees too much access to your network is a recipe for disaster. Here are three scenarios to avoid. The Real Source of SOX Woes By George Spafford | Article Published September 14, 2006 Fraud and other malicious activities draw a lot of press and management attention, but there's a far greater risk to the integrity of financial reporting. How Energy Costs Can Affect IT By George Spafford | Article Published August 9, 2006 IT and organizations as a whole must recognize the risks associated with rising energy costs and take a proactive stance. The Impact of Global Warming On IT By George Spafford | Article Published August 4, 2006 As the Earth's temperature rises and demand for power escalates, IT professionals will find it increasingly more difficult to keep their equipment cool and their networks running. Using RACI Charts to Improve Processes By George Spafford | Article Published July 31, 2006 With all the pressures on IT to deliver effective, efficient and economical services that also are compliant, process design is more important than ever. Do Your Business Continuity Plans Cover Home Workers? By George Spafford | Article Published July 25, 2006 Keeping home-based workers connected to your network in the event of problems can involve unanticipated challenges. Selling Senior Management on Upgrades By George Spafford | Article Published July 19, 2006 To win over the "suits," IT must clearly identify relationships between service upgrades and organizational benefits. Making the SOX Grade By George Spafford | Article Published July 14, 2006 George Spafford examines some key steps organizations need to take to pass the cumbersome Sarbanes-Oxley compliance test. Customer Disservice By George Spafford | Article Published June 29, 2006 Our Datamation columnist relates a sad tale of poor service from his ISP. There's a lesson in this story for all IT service providers. The Importance of Defining 'Availability' By George Spafford | Article Published June 1, 2006 To avoid problems down the road, IT must work with management and customers to ensure a common understanding of how availability is measured and reported. Storage Devices and Security Risks By George Spafford | Article Published May 26, 2006 Portable data storage devices such as memory sticks may be convenient, but once lost or stolen, they're also potentially hazardous. The Right Way to Set SLAs By George Spafford | Article Published May 17, 2006 Before rushing to establish a Service Level Agreement, IT managers first must step back and view them in the larger context of Service Level Management. Why IT Should Understand 'Costing' Terms By George Spafford | Article Published May 8, 2006 To accurately and effectively communicate the value or costs associated with its services, it is important that IT use the right terms. Plugging into the Nerve Center of ITSM By George Spafford | Article Published April 27, 2006 Datamation Columnist George Spafford takes a look at the Configuration Management Database -- what he calls the hub of all activity in the world of IT Service Management. When More is Less By George Spafford | Article Published April 19, 2006 Sometimes greater IT resources can lead to unexpected and costly inefficiencies, writes Datamation columnist George Spafford. When You Need Emergency Portable Lighting By George Spafford | Article Published April 10, 2006 With more choices of portable lighting available then ever, IT pros don't have to be kept in the dark while on any job. How Users Can Play an Active Role in Security By George Spafford | Article Published February 3, 2006 Sometimes users are the biggest security hole a company has. You can turn that around. Columnist George Spafford shows you how to do it. Keeping Road Warriors' Data Safe By George Spafford | Article Published January 23, 2006 What would we do without our notebook computers? Actually, what would we do without the data on them? Columnist George Spafford shows you how not to be in the position to find out. The Importance of Audit Logs By George Spafford | Article Published January 20, 2006 Audit logs are valuable for a number of reasons, but it's up to IT to use them effectively. Segregate Duties to Lessen Security Risks By George Spafford | Article Published January 18, 2006 Columnist George Spafford says no one should have excessive control over any critical process. Here's what to do to make sure your company isn't at risk. Effectively Using Problem Review Boards By George Spafford | Article Published December 27, 2005 IT lives in a technical world where complexity and coupling increase each day. Inherent in this world are problems that must be managed in order for IT to achieve its objectives. To do so effectively, enterprises should create problem review boards. Regulatory Compliance and Security By George Spafford | Article Published December 15, 2005 For enterprises, regulatory compliance is a risk to be managed just like any other. Focus on Business Goals for Real IT Productivity By George Spafford | Article Published December 6, 2005 Columnist George Spafford says productivity isn't a matter of how much you get done in an eight-hour day. It's all about what you're doing to advance the company's business goals. Is Your Recovery Plan Good Enough to Save You? By George Spafford | Article Published November 18, 2005 Columnist George Spafford says a recovery and business continuity plan may be all that stands between your company and disaster. Is yours good enough to keep the business afloat? Cool Tools for the Road Warriors By George Spafford | Article Published October 25, 2005 Columnist George Spafford has been logging a lot of time in airplanes lately. Here's what's been keeping him productive and happier. Why Configuration Management Matters By George Spafford | Article Published September 29, 2005 Datamation columnist George Spafford takes a look at Configuration Management and what you should be doing about it. The Hotel Internet Access Nightmare By George Spafford | Article Published September 21, 2005 Not enough hotels catering to business travelers treat Internet access as the critical service it is, columnist George Spafford writes. Dude, I Got an Axim By George Spafford | Article Published September 14, 2005 Datamation columnist George Spafford is getting a lot of attention these days. Well, his Dell Axim X30 and a foldable keyboard are getting the attention... and garnering a lot of questions. Fixing the Disconnect Between IT and Business By George Spafford | Article Published September 7, 2005 Datamation columnist George Spafford focuses on bridging the age-old gap between business and IT. Here are some steps to take to bring them into alignment. Everyday Work in the Way of IT Innovation By George Spafford | Article Published August 10, 2005 Datamation columnist George Spafford says IT administrators need to make sure there's enough time in the day -- and in the budget -- to be innovative. Process Controls Can Avert Disaster By George Spafford | Article Published July 20, 2005 All IT shops and enterprises ultimately are judged on their ability to achieve goals. And that's why process controls are indispensable. Forging a 'Risk Chain' in a Complicated World By George Spafford | Features & Trends Article Published July 8, 2005 In today's world where businesses operate in a complicated web of partnerships and dependencies, it's more important than ever to figure out your own risk chain. Using a PMO to Prioritize Your IT Work By George Spafford | Features & Trends Article Published June 30, 2005 With so many jobs to get done and so many different executives pushing their own agendas, how do you prioritize everything? Here's some help. Staying Focused By George Spafford | Article Published June 28, 2005 During the course of a project, opportunities and risks surface that people tend to address ad hoc. Here's how to avoid that tendency. Fulfilling the Internet's Potential Value By George Spafford | Article Published June 21, 2005 Any hope of attaining the potential value of the Internet necessitates a degree of globally coordinated care that has not been evidenced to date. Protecting the Internet's Potential Value By George Spafford | Article Published June 13, 2005 The Internet is a global public commons. As such, it is a resource that needs safeguarding to prevent its misuse and ultimate destruction. Creating a Resilient IT System By George Spafford | Article Published June 1, 2005 If something knocks your system off line, will it immediately come back up and work as planned? If not, you've got some planning to do. Factoring in Compliance By George Spafford | Article Published April 26, 2005 Internal compliance initiatives must constantly trade off the need to balance risks with the needs of the business to achieve a proper balance. Recovery Process Needs Rollback Planning By George Spafford | Article Published April 14, 2005 So what happens when a change fails? Our Datamation columnist says you'd better have a rollback plan in place... a way to get back to the system's last known good state. Backup Best Practices Save Critical Data By George Spafford | Article Published April 6, 2005 In an increasingly paperless age, it's critical to backup your data. If you're not doing so, or if you're not doing so correctly, you and your company could be in for a disaster. Ordering off the Security Menu By George Spafford | Article Published March 28, 2005 Our columnist lays out a basic list, or menu, of security technologies and processes that business and technical folks should consider. Pick from the list based on your specific needs. Leveraging Configuration Management By George Spafford | Article Published March 23, 2005 IT must have effective configuration management controls to ensure that change isn't overwhelmed by complexity. Sensible IT Security for Small Businesses By George Spafford | Article Published March 7, 2005 Small businesses worried about security should avoid magic-bullet solutions and look instead to multiple layers of defense. Data Center Power: Ignore At Your Peril -- Part 2 By George Spafford | Article Published March 2, 2005 In the second of two articles about power quality, Datamation contributor George Spafford outlines what factors to consider when choosing a data center power strategy. Gaining Control over Compliance Issues By George Spafford | Article Published February 25, 2005 The pendulum is swinging. We've quickly gone from the simple to the excessively complex. Our Datamation columnist looks for the middle ground. Data Center Power: Ignore At Your Peril By George Spafford | Article Published February 23, 2005 Underlying all of IT's fancy servers, networking gear and other devices is the need for clean, reliable power. 'Firefighting' Means Trouble By George Spafford | Article Published December 13, 2004 Some of the most respected IT people in any organization are the 'firefighters' -- tech heroes who dive into problems and fix them. But enterprises in which firefighting is common usually face a lot of unnecessary, self-inflicted woes. Control Framework Misconceptions By George Spafford | Article Published November 23, 2004 There have been numerous articles written about ISO 17799, ITIL and COBIT. But, according to our Datamation columnist, only one of these provides an overall IT control framework. Learning to Rely on IT Standards By George Spafford | Article Published October 26, 2004 If you're not working with a clearly drawn list of standards, you're facing inefficiencies and potentially trouble with your customers. It's all about the process... Planning Out Your Compliance Moves By George Spafford | Features & Trends Article Published October 14, 2004 Without a doubt, companies are spending terrific sums of money to gain compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOx). What's the best way to deal with all of this? The Right Way to Outsource Control Planning By George Spafford | Article Published September 29, 2004 Just because your organization has hired a consultant to build compliance-driven control environments, don't think you're not ultimately responsible. Breaking the Rules: Temptation and Risk By George Spafford | Article Published September 24, 2004 Establishing control policies and procedures is critical for a successful IT shop, but as our Datamation columnist points out, that's only the first step. Hindsight not Always 20/20 with Problem Management By George Spafford | Article Published September 22, 2004 When you're studying an incident, you need to be careful not to let hindsight ruin your efforts. Our columnist walks you through how to handle the review process to get the best insights. The Increasing Importance of IT 'Controls' By George Spafford | Article Published September 1, 2004 Due to pressures for regulatory compliance and a need for overall process improvement, there is a distinct push for controls in IT. But many IT pros just aren't familiar with basic control theory. Surviving the Great Technology Convergence By George Spafford | Article Published August 26, 2004 Our Datamation columnist says we are witnessing a convergence that radically will reshape our world. How should we best handle the combining of information technology with the worlds of biotechnology and nanotechnology? The Temporary Death of Processes By George Spafford | Article Published August 17, 2004 The need to meet regulatory requirements and the desire to implement sound business practices are pushing IT governance and controls to the forefront once again. Monitoring Complex Systems By George Spafford | Article Published June 17, 2004 Complex networks require increasingly sophisticated monitoring systems. But all too often, monitoring systems are treated as afterthoughts, leading to security breaches, accidents and inefficiencies. The Operator Did It By George Spafford | Article Published June 8, 2004 Operators are identified as the culprits in 80 percent of all accidents. But rather than play the blame game, organizations must focus on causal factors and address the real issues. Time Has Come for the IT Process Engineer By George Spafford | Article Published June 2, 2004 As enterprises become more aware of the immaturity of their IT processes, the industry may be ready for a new specialist -- the IT process engineer. The Increasing Importance of Process Skills By George Spafford | Article Published May 26, 2004 To cope with the demands of today's regulatory environment, it is imperative for organizations to hire and retain employees based not just on technical skills, but process skills as well. Understanding 'Mean Time Between Failure' By George Spafford | Article Published May 14, 2004 Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) is an important IT management metric for discrete components as well as overall systems. But misreading MTBF can be costly. Getting at the Root of Security Problems By George Spafford | Article Published April 27, 2004 IT is getting a wake-up call. Security problems are running IT managers ragged. They're wasting time and loads of money. But our Datamation columnist says security problems are merely the symptom. The root of the problem runs much deeper. Is Your Job at Risk of Being Outsourced? By George Spafford | Article Published February 19, 2004 IT professionals need to recognize if their jobs are prime candidates for outsourcing and how to minimize that risk. Our Datamation columnist offers some strategies. The Dangers that Lurk Behind Shadow IT By George Spafford | Article Published February 4, 2004 While IT managers may worry about what's going on in the IT department, when you move that work outside of the building, it's enough to give most managers fits. Our Datamation columnist looks at what's lurking behind Shadow IT. Learning to Deal with Change and the Unknowns By George Spafford | Article Published February 2, 2004 As companies push in new intrusion detection systems and patch-management policies, there's something that often gets overlooked. Change. And change can lead to the unknown. And if you're not thinking it through, it can lead to lots of problems. Treating Messaging as Critical By George Spafford | Article Published December 12, 2003 If you haven't looked carefully at your messaging infrastructure, now is the time, advises our Datamation columnist. Taking Policies from Useless to Useful By George Spafford | Article Published November 11, 2003 What must not come out of governance and operational improvement efforts is documentation that sits on the shelf. Our Datamation columnist takes a look at how to make policies and procedures useful and accessible. |
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