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the quarterly magazine of ILTA 3 Peer to Peer contents Letter from the Director Best Practices Ask the CIO Tech Focus Smart Moves When I Grow Up, Release Your Inner ILTAn Case Studies: Technologies That Help Firms Do More with Less June 2009 the quarterly magazine of ILTA 65 Peer to Peer from the president G reetings, ILTAns! With Spring, hope springs eternal; and we are starting to see some signs that the economy is bouncing back. However, we are continually being asked for creative ways to "do more with less." This issue of Peer to Peer is full of ideas to assist you in meeting management expectations in this area. And don't forget the many resources ILTA has for our colleagues and friends trying to find new opportunities in this less-than-perfect economy! Meeting with peers at ILTA in-person events is one of the best ways to be educated and inspired on all of your pressing business and technology issues. In March, I had the honor and privilege of participating in INSIGHT, ILTA's annual one-day event in London. The exceptionally strong educational program featured panels on virtualization and open source solutions, a keynote from the managing partner of a leading London firm and a wonderful presentation from a managing lawyer helping us understand how to "walk with dinosaurs" in our organizations. As always, our vendor community provided terrific support, and the networking was outstanding — before, during and after the event! And lots is happening throughout our community. With continued vendor consolidation, the pace of change in existing technology and emergence of new technologies, and the evolution of our communities of interest, the Board is reviewing the structure of our peer groups to be sure we've strategically aligned them with these changes. The Board will give this area their attention at the June Board meeting, where our new electees will be observing the process. I congratulate the new electees to the Board who will take their seats at the table in August following our annual conference. We're announcing them on page 74. I hope to see many of you at ILTA events or on the ILTA e-groups. Joy Heath Rush jheathrush@sidley.com ILTA President Member News Extension of Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Overheard on E-Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Member Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Inside ILTA Monkey Update! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Popular Webinars Now Available . . . . . . . . . 82 LEDES Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 MEMBER RESOURCES "Meeting with peers at ILTA in-person events is one of the best ways to be educated and inspired on all of your pressing business and technology issues." Letter from the President Member Resources Extension of Benefits, New Members, Overheard on E-Groups, Event Calendar and More Inside ILTA Monkey Update Popular Webinars LEDES Update INSIGHT in Hindsight Marketplace Lessons Learned: I'm an Open Source Evangelist! www.iltanet.org 14 Peer to Peer BEST PRACTICES Five Success Strategies for Doing More with Less by Dr. Rebecca Schalm for ConnectIT dated March, 2, 2009 www.connectitnews.com Clarify your role and responsibilities. This is the first thing you should do. If you are taking on responsibilities that are new to you, it is critical that you spend some time with your manager defining what they are. While it can be tempting to rush over this because there doesn't seem to be time, making assumptions about expectations can slow you down later. Questions to ask include: Why were you given these responsibilities? What accomplishments are expected and by what date? How will your progress and success be measured? 1 Establish priorities. There is a pretty good chance you now have too much on your plate. You will need to look at your tasks and deliverables and start putting them into three categories: 'urgent', 'must do', 'maybe someday'. One thing I advise people to do is make a 'not to do' list for themselves and their organizations — it helps us focus and be efficient when we know what we don't need to worry about. Make sure you also think across the system — whose work might be dependent on your completion of a task or project? Once you've categorized things, it is time for another meeting with your manager. Making sure the two of you are in agreement around priorities will save you time and effort. 2 Identify what you need to learn. If you are taking on things that are new to you, you will have to invest some time and energy into your own learning and development. You should identify your gaps in three key areas: knowledge, skills and practical experience. Knowledge is usually the easiest to acquire but can be time consuming. Figure out who can help you get up to speed or point you in the right direction. This is where having a good network inside and outside of your company can help. [Editor's note: THINK ILTA!] Skills are tougher than knowledge — you have to actually do something. Maybe there is a quick course you can take to accelerate your progress, but that may not be realistic or in the budget. Think about how you have acquired new skills in the past and what worked for you. Some people like to start with the theory before they try something. Others like to start by experimenting and learn on the fly. Even if you have the basic skills already, doing something well requires practice. Watch for these opportunities and seize them. Warning: This could push you outside your comfort zone! Finally, give yourself a break. This is new to you — don't expect to be perfect. 3 Ask for feedback. One item that frequently gets a low score on employee surveys is, "I get timely feedback from my manager." Turn that around. Instead of waiting for someone to give you feedback, ask for it. If there is something you can do to be more effective or efficient, don't you want to hear about it? It is up to you to create the conditions where others can give you good feedback — be open, listen, ask clarifying questions, say thank you, put good ideas into practice. There is no better time to ask for feedback than when you can honestly say, "I've never done this before, I'm trying, but I would really like to get your suggestions on how I can improve." 4 Keep things in perspective. Yes, there is a lot on your plate and so little time. This can lead to a lot of stress, particularly if you are someone who strives to do everything well (maybe even perfectly). You are only human. Remember that others are feeling exactly the same way. What you can do is focus on what is most important and strive to get it done. If others see you doing your best, they will respect you for it. ILTA 5 the quarterly magazine of ILTA 41 Peer to Peer pAge 48 A Virtual Sigh of Relief by David Nevala A real life implementation of VPS makes the case for the technology, and saving money while improving services is always smart business. pAge 51 Google Apps by Dean Leung Google's got it goin' on! We're giving you the inside skinny on the Premium edition of Google Apps and why this SaaS offering "might" be ready for prime time. pAge 54 ASP vs. SaaS by Larry Port Advances in connectivity and developer tools, combined with the implementation of multitenancy, allow SaaS subscribers to thrive. This is not your father's ASP. pAge 57 A New View of IT Cost Cutting by Brett Tarr SaaS provides organization and infrastructure without the expensive equipment costs and upfront expenditures of the past. pAge 61 Finding Your Voice by Dale Qualls Podcasting is great way to keep clients and prospective clients informed and educated. Speak up! pAge 42 Breaking the Shackles: Creative Solutions with Open Source by Mark Manoukian Tough times call for creative solutions. And in rides open source software! Software developers and colleagues are doing creative, cost-effective things with open source, and so can you. While open source is not a panacea, there is a vast array of products to whet the appetite of even the most Microsoft- entrenched shop. features Breaking the Shackles: Creative Solutions with Open Source . . . . . . . . . . 42 A Virtual Sigh of Relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Google Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 ASP vs. SaaS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 A New View of IT Cost Cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Finding Your Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 features 5 6 18 22 26 34 65 66 81 91 96