A year ago, the view ahead for business technology was all about AI, augmented reality, even 5G. But in the space of a couple of months, those expectations have been wiped clean, possibly never to return. Organizations are trying to keep a steady course, and many...
What’s the Problem with Software Customization?
Every application starts out as a vanilla one. But applications often end up in more than one flavor, requiring more support over the lifetime of the solution, due to the relentless pressure to add custom code. However, highly customized software (and fully custom...
Data Modeling for Business Users
On a fundamental level, learning a software application involves understanding where its data resides. You most likely don’t know where the server that holds your database resides – it could be in a closet down the hall, in your data center, or somewhere in the cloud....
For Developers, Mental Health Challenges Abound
October 10th is World Mental Health Day, a day to raise awareness and support for mental health issues in our communities. Almost one in ten developers polled in this year’s StackOverflow developer survey admitted to a mood or emotional disorder. If you work in IT,...
Data Shame and Data Blame
The term often used in the BI and analytics industry is “data-driven” – it’s one thing every business wants to be. But we don’t hear too much of the flip side of this, which is when the data reveals some unpleasant information or a mistake. This is the difficult side...
The Challenging Role of the Chief Data Officer
It emerged in the beginning of this century, a title that was reportedly a joke to begin with, but a role that has since become essential to organizations. The flood of data – an estimated 2.5 quintillion bytes created every day – has made the role of the Chief Data...
Is Atlanta Still a Growing Tech Hub?
Last month Atlanta-based software company OneTrust closed a $200 million Series A round. The company’s product is a privacy management platform and, given the rise of privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA, it’s not surprising that investors are bullish. However, the massive...
The Power of Cognitive Computing
Why Do I Need to Know About Cognitive Computing? AI and machine learning are propelling the next generation of software. In fact, it’s not hard to envision a near future where these technologies, collectively known as cognitive computing, become “must-haves” in LOB...
Employee Cynicism and New Applications
Employees are already overburdened, so asking them to learn a new application can be futile. Or, employees are afraid of an unfamiliar interface, so they’ll push back against adopting it. Perhaps you’ve encountered these explanations from people in your organization....