Baseline Issue November 2008

FEATURES

Managing Global IT: Priceless
As president of Global Technology and Operations for MasterCard Worldwide, Rob Reeg manages one of the largest IT operations in the world. The company processes more than 30,000 transactions every minute of every day—and many more during peak periods. How does MasterCard do it? By focusing on agility, flexibility and forward thinking—and implementing technologies such as virtualization, consolidation, mobility, security and green initiatives.

50 Who Make a Difference
From entrepreneurs and academics to CEOs and software gurus, these IT leaders were selected by Baseline readers and editors for their contributions to IT. They come from diverse backgrounds and industries, but these influencers have one thing in common: They strive to use technology to make the world a better place.

Build-In Security
How can companies effectively meet the onslaught of attacks against Web and home-spun applications? Many security experts say the answer lies in educating programmers and implementing secure coding practices right from the start of a project.


TOPLINE

Innovate or Perish
Innovation is essential for both corporate survival and individual success. Learn how to use it to help yourself and your company.

Questioning Software’s Usability
Many software applications fall short of their potential because of design flaws. Find out how you can rectify the situation.


JOB SITE

Going for the Gold Standard
Premier Purchasing Partners streamlined its product information management process to standardize disparate systems and data sources, reduce costs and improve service to its partners.


BASELINE 500

Flying High with Social Networking
American Express Business Travel’s Business Travel ConneXion lets the travel community share information via news, blogs, RSS feeds, wikis, discussion boards, polls and a resource library.


TECHKNOW

LAN Horror Stories
Do you have nightmares about your network? Then read these real-life LAN horror stories and learn how to defend against some common threats.


WORKBOOK

Assessing the Business Value of Technology
These eight tips can help you show a relationship between technology investment and company performance.


OPINION

Starting Point
EILEEN FERETIC: Doing Their Part
What would our world be like without the people responsible for today’s technology?

Tech Track
MICHAEL VIZARD: IT Needs to Run Like a Business
Internal IT groups may need to adopt the tactics of third-party service providers.

Strominator
DAVID STROM: Favorite Networks-From-Hell Stories
You never know what’ll happen when you’re managing a network.