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Featured Information Technology, Applications Article, business technology trends
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Eight business technology trends to watch

December 2007

Eight emerging trends are transforming many markets and businesses. Executives should learn to shape the outcome rather than just react to it.

Featured Information Technology, Applications Article, quality management
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How companies can make the most of user-generated content

August 2007

The success of online participatory media—video-sharing sites and corporate wikis alike—depends on the quality contributions of a small core of enthusiasts.

Featured Information Technology, Applications Article, IT pharmaceutical companies
Using IT to speed up clinical trials

July 2007

The first wave of IT improvements solved some problems, but opportunities remain. Now it’s time for a more comprehensive approach.

The Archive

2007
Delivering software as a service

June 2007

A new delivery method is shaking the software industry’s foundations. Traditional vendors should take heed.

How businesses are using Web 2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey

March 2007

By and large, executives are satisfied with their previous investments in Internet technology, and most are investing in trends that promote automation and networking online.

2006
Connecting CRM systems for better customer service Premium Content

August 2006

Few companies gracefully pass sales leads and service information across the barriers of departments and business units. But those that do enjoy substantial rewards.

Two new tools that CIOs want Premium Content

May 2006

Among the many technologies that CIOs are investigating, server virtualization and software as a service are emerging as key priorities.

Getting better software into manufactured products Premium Content

March 2006

The problems of embedded software are rooted in the legacies of hardware development.

Using IT to boost call-center performance

March 2006

Call centers, making targeted improvements involving more cost-effective technologies, are finally saving money and improving revenues with IT.

The next generation of in-house software development Premium Content

February 2006

How leading-edge companies are streamlining applications development.

Rethinking wholesale-banking operations

January 2006

By restructuring operations and aligning front and back offices, wholesale banks can cut costs dramatically and find new sources of revenue.

2005
IT remedies for US health care: An interview with WellPoint's Leonard Schaeffer

December 2005

The chairman of the largest publicly traded US health benefits company discusses the industry's future.

What's holding back online medical data

December 2005

Progress will be slow until all parties in the health care industry can see clear benefits.

Automated self-service comes to telcos

February 2005

Telecom companies play a key role in automating the sales and service processes of other sectors. Now they must automate their own.

The case for medical data online Premium Content

February 2005

Information networks hold out the promise of improved care and cost savings, but hospitals can’t build them alone.

2004
Life insurers look to IT Premium Content

November 2004

New IT investments are capable not only of making insurance companies more efficient but also of mitigating the losses from agents who leave.

When IT lifts productivity

November 2004

Companies should beef up their management practices before focusing on technology.

2003
Flexible IT, better strategy Premium Content

November 2003

IT’s critics say that it lacks strategic importance. So why does technology keep getting in the way of good strategy?

Smart tags for your supply chain Premium Content

November 2003

A new tracking technology is being touted by retailing and consumer product companies as the next big thing, but it isn’t ready for prime time.

The promise of purchasing software Premium Content

November 2003

New software can provide procurement managers with more information about their operations but can’t overcome flawed processes.

Designing IT for business Premium Content

August 2003

When business and computer people put their heads together, they can transform a company’s IT architecture.

The IT factor in mobile services Premium Content

August 2003

Mobile-telecom companies must redraw their IT architecture if they hope to market new services quickly and cheaply.

Recentralizing IT Premium Content

May 2003

Companies can run their IT systems more efficiently by creating new organizational structures in which IT departments and business units share responsibility.

Fighting complexity in IT Premium Content

February 2003

To simplify a company’s information systems, look beyond them.

2000
The Paris guide to IT architecture Premium Content

August 2000

City planners try to preserve viable old assets, to replace outmoded assets, and to add new assets—all in the context of an infrastructure linking them coherently. IT developers have a good deal to learn from that approach.

The software gap Premium Content

June 2000

A McKinsey survey of 100 software companies around the world found clear distinctions between practices in Europe and those in the United States.

A second wind for ERP Premium Content

May 2000

Implementing enterprise resource-planning systems can be intensely painful, and once you have them up and running they may seem to interfere with the speed and nimbleness required for electronic business. Are they a waste? No, but the real benefits aren’t always obvious.

1998
The case for ERP systems Premium Content

May 1998

Too often it’s made on faith, not good judgment. Will it cut costs? Common pitfalls in implementation.

1997
Time to get rid of legacy systems? Premium Content

November 1997

The real issue is people, not systems. Here’s how one utility addressed it.

IT in UK schools: It’s time for a strategy Premium Content

May 1997

The United Kingdom has a higher ratio of computers per schoolchild than almost any other country, including the United States. Yet information technology has had little appreciable influence on educational standards. Schools policy has focused too much on providing hardware, and not enough on fully integrating computers into education.

1995
World class: Schools on the Net

November 1995

We can put classrooms on the information superhighway now. Is it worth 4 percent of the school budgets?

Healthcare’s IT mistake Premium Content

August 1995

Tools, not toys. Billions have been invested in information technology. Where are the results? A failure to focus on productivity. Get practice guidelines to the point of care.

Navigating IT channels: Integrate or outsource? Premium Content

August 1995

Financial institutions must focus on product development. But the skills to manage vendors are nonexistent. Handle it wrong and you lose the best people.

1994
The business promise of ’hub-and-spoke’ systems Premium Content

November 1994

The approach used by airlines to manage complex route networks is now helping other companies manage their software networks.

Grasping the promise of client-server computing Premium Content

August 1994

Harnessing new IT-based capabilities means striking the right balance between technological and organizational change.

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