Businessweek: The Mac in the Gray Flannel Suit

This week’s cover of Businesweek appears to triumphantly announce Apple, Inc.’s comeback (sort of) into the enterprise, even if Apple isn’t actually marketing to that sector.

For Mac afficionados, this is a big change from Businesweek’s former pronunciation of near-death (see The Fall of An American Icon, from 1996, or the Apple Death Knell Counter from Mac Observer).

Okay, so Apple is back; however, the opportunity here for enterprise IT is not so much to bring on a new platform, it’s to explore more thoroughly the idea of “employee asset ownership.” I didn’t find much searching for this idea on Google (maybe there’s a more official name for this? If there is, please add it in your comments), except that a few companies like BP and Unisys are experimenting with it.


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March 12th through March 13th:

• DCist: Columbia Heights Target Crime Update - There’s an interesting debate going on about the value of big box retailers in urban areas. I believe a similar debate has been in play in Seattle for some time. DC is growing up. Oh, and this Target is walking distance from me.
• Business Technology : Why Businesses Banish Cool Technologies - These businesses, unlike the ones in the next link, are the ones that may find themselves challenged when it comes to recruiting GenX and GenY staff and leaders. Maybe there’s a way out, see the next link.
• Why a worker says ‘it feels like I just got out of IT prison’ | Technology | The Guardian - Employee asset ownership may be a good way for IT to support innovation in large organizations. Ask BP and Unisys. And the GenX and GenY staff that will expect to use technology to its fullest.
• AHLTA 2008 - National Forum on the Future of the Defense Health Information System; supporting care for a vulnerable population (the enlisted and returning veterans).
• Developing Rails Applications on Mac OS X Leopard - Nice guide to R on R on Leopard

• iCal Reply Checker | John Maisey - A little tweak for my own CIO to work with exchange clients
• Five whys - Quick guide to using the Five Why’s technique to get to root cause in strategy deployment
• Fishbone diagrams - Handy guide to using this hoshin kanri tool
• Common Examples of Healthcare IT Failure - Interesting case studies of HIT that didn’t go so well
• Definitions of Medical Informatics - Useful observations on the role of medical and nursing professionals in informatics
• Presentation Zen: FEMA chart becomes brunt of joke. - Jon Stewart brings chartjunk to light in his comments on FEMA
• Cravens Advertising - Ten Things > Disaster Chart - Infamous FEMA Disaster Chart, example of Powerpoint chartjunk