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​Technical Trends and News 

The IT field moves quickly and it is imperative that you stay up-to-date with technology, trends and news. Check back for periodic tech updates.  

 

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Segmenting a Digital Community to Maximize Tangible Benefits 

David, author of Big, Social, Mobile skillfully articulates a common problem among all organizations: how to properly segment and target customers across the digital landscape. Whether you’re seeking a comprehensive social media engagement strategy or big data advice from one of the industry experts, the knowledge below will help plant the seeds of creativity that will enable your digital vision.  All consumers are not created equal, especially in the digital age. Learn how to separate customers from consumers—and social consumers from traditional consumers—and the other 3 key types of digital relationships so that your organization can leverage each one in a way that maximizes their tangible benefit. The result takes marketing beyond blanket personalization to improve everything from customer service and sales, to product development and R&D.
Read More...

Cooking Up Motivation with Carl Pritchard

Ever wonder if there’s a magic recipe for motivating others? There is! And it involves four simple ingredients that every Apex contractor needs to consider.
• Their staple
• Their spices
• Their process
• Our capabilities
Seems like a pretty basic outline for a recipe, but that’s what makes recipes special. You, as the cook, have a unique way of blending the ingredients and making it your own. Want to cook up some serious motivation in those around you? First, you have to understand these four key ingredients. Read more...

​Introducing Windows 10 for Technology Contractors by Mike Halsey, MVP

In April 2014, all extended support for Windows XP ended, leaving many businesses faced with a dilemma. Many had not already upgraded to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and either had to step up their migration plans, or sandbox the existing Windows XP machines they were using. The love for Windows XP was strong in the workplace. Its ease of use and compatibility with older software and Intranet sites meant that some business, especially those that had not already updated custom apps and plug-ins, faced steep bills or even downtime if they risked the move away. Read more...
 

PMO Best Practices with Lisa

Whether your organization is in crisis or simply desires to remain competitive, your business plan requires multiple phases over periods of time. Your plan may include tactics for achieving financial success. Another component may be to be regulatory-compliant. Another component may involve cultural change within the organization, while another may focus on product development. These tactics translate into projects, which are complex, demanding and messy. Projects are the critical building blocks in achieving an organization’s strategic plan. Read more...
 

s Technology Radar - May 2015 Edition Now Available!

We recommend the Technology Radar that ThoughtWorks puts out. Click to read the latest edition and brush up on your tech news. You can either download the PDF or enjoy the interactive version. Check out what Thoughtworks has to say about innovation in architecture, a new wave of openness at Microsoft and the  continuing security struggles that face companies. Read more...

5 Keys to Being Amazing

 
We sometimes look at our professional peers in quiet awe and wonder. "She’s done so much with her life! Another promotion? Speaking in front of what group?" They seem to have a knack for being amazing. A few years back, one of my clients apologized for not getting back to me sooner. Her excuse? "I was climbing Mt. McKinley." Wow. Amazing. It’s not easy being amazing. It’s a lot of hard work. But there are ways to make it easier, and there are ways to make it all about just being you. Read more...

 

Why Developers Need APIs

If you’ve been paying attention over the last couple of years, you’ve probably noticed a lot of talk about APIs, specifically about Web APIs, sometimes referred to as REST or RESTful APIs. But if you’re like many developers, you may still be wondering whether they matter to you. Read more...

Predicting the Future of IT

Everyone from leaders in the IT industry to journalists and laymen predict what will be the next big thing in IT. Included are thoughts about the next moves for the IT industry from Forrester, Gartner, ThoughtWorks, WantedAnalytics and Hollywood. Read more...

JavaScript Frameworks in the Enterprise

The usage of p to build Single Page Web Applications, or SPAs, is on the rise throughout the software industry. In this brief, Pratik Patel discusses two major topics that arise when he presents at conferences on JavaScript and SPAs. Read more...

Tracking Trends with the ThoughtWorks Technology Radar - July 2014

Do you want to know more about tech trends from the perspective of tech leaders? Check out the s Technology Radar. The document, which is released biannually, takes a hard look at tech platforms, techniques, tools and languages and frameworks, then they group them into four categories: adopt, trial, assess and hold. Read more...

Risk Management for Antiquated Corporate Green IT Practices Impacting HIPAA, HITRUST and NIST

Since its inception, the Green IT movement has lost a good amount of momentum. Consequently, Corporate Green IT processes and polices created several years back, are currently being ignored. The lack of attention to these polices have created compliance vulnerabilities. Proper Risk Management techniques are required to develop a sustainable, pragmatic solution. Read more...

Tracking Trends with the ThoughtWorks Technology Radar - January 2014

Do you want to know more about tech trends from the perspective of tech leaders? Check out the ThoughtWorks Technology Radar. The document, which is released biannually, takes a hard look at tech platforms, techniques, tools and languages and frameworks, then they group them into four categories: adopt, trial, assess and hold. Read more...
Tech Trends Graphic - Scrum

The Scrum Idea

Today's technical arena is the wild wild west of new technologies and Open Source evolution. While projects can be completed in less and less time thanks to the constant evolution of tools; development is fraught with the dangers of over-designing, under-budgeting, and illogical planning. Read more...
Tech Trends Graphic-3D Printers

The Future of 3D Printing

Will the next trend to take off be 3D printing for both business and personal use? If you have any doubt it is the "next big thing," take a minute to recall the progression of the smart phone and its impact on the world.
Read more...
 

Technical Trends and News

We recommend the following resources to help you stay informed.

Do you know of other good resources? Send a note to Contractor Care so we can add them to this page.

Site/Item Link/Document What to Expect
Wanted Analytics Insights http://www.wantedanalytics.com/insight/ Wanted Analytics Insights updates focus on providing jobs, trends, and insights to professionals across all industries, including Information Technology. Primarily, they provide trends and insights on the demands for certain skill sets across the country, including heat maps for hiring demands. 
Gartner http://www.gartner.com/technology/home.jsp Gartner is a technology research and insight resource that provides trend reports and forecasts, videos, webinars, events and research. They are well-known for their technology ‘Hype Cycles.’
Techmeme http://www.techmeme.com/ Techmeme is well-known for their detailed coverage of technical news, and events.
Thoughtworks Insights http://www.thoughtworks.com/insights Provides insights on software testing, continuous delivery, agile project management and big data analytics.  Thoughtworks also puts together an annual Technology Radar report, which can be found at http://www.thoughtworks.com/radar.
O’Reilly http://oreilly.com/webcasts/ O'Reilly is a technical training provider that offers certification courses, books, videos, and more. They also provide free live webcasts for concentrations such as business, data, Microsoft, mobile, open source, programming, systems administration, and web development. 
TWiT http://twit.tv/ TWiT provides a variety of news, trends and netcasts, including a variety of free videos for IT audiences, which can be found at http://twit.tv/shows.
Information Age  http://www.information-age.com/technology Technology trends and analysis for UK businesses. Key areas include business applications, UK cloud and virtualisation, information management, cyber security, mobile development, and data centers.
CompTIA Trends https://www.comptia.org/insight-tools/channel?tags=trends CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. As a non-profit trade association, they advance the global interests of IT professionals and IT channel organizations and enable them to be more successful with industry-leading IT certifications and IT business credentials, IT education, resources and the ability to connect with like-minded, leading IT industry experts.