The Top 35 Epic IT Management Resources
Originally Published by The Capterra IT Management Blog
You’re busy. A new security threat looms in the distance and that one employee will always struggle with the printer, not to mention you’re trying to keep your department in sync with your business’s priorities.
So where do you go, what do you read to find not only what you need, but who to trust?
Not to worry! Below, I’ve compiled a list of the heavy-hitters and hidden gems under the IT management umbrella. Ranging from major publications to notable conferences, this extensive collection of IT resources will keep informed so you can get back to work.
Blogs
The Accidental Successful CIO is run by Dr. Jim Anderson, who has more than 25 years of experience consulting with IT firms. In his blog, Dr. Anderson gives outstanding advice on how CIOs can best merge the worlds of business and IT.
A proclaimed futurist, Brian Solis’ blog defines the impact of tech, culture, and business, covering topics like disruptive technology, new communications, and social media.
CIO Dashboard is helmed by Chris Curran, principal and chief technologist at PwC. His recent posts dissect the disconnect between C-suite and IT in addition to gauging if your DigitalIQ (a PwC project he spearheads) is driving business growth.
Informative and in-depth, Cisco blogs highlight IT practices in sectors like manufacturing, education, and energy as well as offering their company solutions to matters in assorted IT verticals. Their government blog, for instance, includes a weekly #WednesdayWalkabout series, which focuses on the life of a citizen within the digital community.
Brian Krebs began his career as a reporter for The Washington Post, though it wasn’t until 2001, when his own computer was hacked, that Krebs grew interested in computer security. Krebs is most famous for exposing the debit and credit card breach at Target in late 2013 as well as the Home Depot breach in 2014 on this very blog.
Rain Partners’ Influential IT Pro BLOG
This content-rich blog’s insights live up its name. Stemming from the IT consulting firm’s mainsite, Rain Partners’ posts probe a variety of IT focuses, including thoughts on how to develop your dream IT leadership team and how to make your CEO a major tech advocate.
Publications
Don’t let the name fool you. Launched in 1996 as an online companion to CIOmagazine, this destination site isn’t just for CIOs, but for any IT leader looking for the latest scoop on tech trends or foresight into the future challenges of IT professionals.
Specializing in security and risk management, CSO delves into the world of the security and risks facing today’s IT community. With plenty of guidance into eliminating external and even internal threats, this magazine should be among any IT leader’s first resources for security threats.
Computer Weekly laser-focuses on IT management and includes a range of topics like project management, supplier management, legislation, and innovation. And if that wasn’t enough reason to check it out, this publication’s audience of more than 200,000 subscribers is proof that Computer Weekly‘s extensive history and detailed coverage satisfies.
Sometimes bigger is better and Computerworld is both. Published internationally from the Netherlands to New Zealand, this forefather of computer publications is at the epicenter of tech and business. Computerworld‘s prestige is just with posts extending from emerging technologies to IT-specific verticals like retail IT and small enterprise IT.
With a core goal of giving “quick advice from a trusted, experienced source,” IT World delivers bread-and-butter IT news and advice, polished with an approachable tone. But even better is that IT World provides needed context for what new tech innovations and trends mean for the IT community, such as how IoT creates new challenges for security professionals.
Conferences/Events
Network and strategize with other security experts at Intel’s annual security conference. FOCUS 15 brings together leaders in IT security with over 90 sessions and 13 tracks to learn the best methods and practices to streamline processes, reduce costs, and maintain high security. Keynote speakers for the 2015 conference include New York Times best-selling author Malcom Gladwell and Christopher Young, senior vice president and general manager of the Intel Security Group at Intel Corporation.
Rather than created by clueless event coordinators, this forum is crafted with the input of more than 2,800 CIOs. Aside from it’s abundance of sessions and workshops, this conference’s most distinct feature is a private, 30 minute one-on-one meeting with a Gartner analyst that alone is worth the cost of admission. Highlighted speakers from the 2015 conference include former Zappos.com culture strategist Robert Richman and Mark C. Thompson, former chief of staff and chief customer experience officer for Charles Schwab.
Gartner IT Financial, Procurement & Asset Management Summit
Organized by the world’s leading IT research and advisory company, this summit provides “practical advice and insight into future trends, enabling you to validate your ITAM and vendor management strategies and initiatives.” Featured guest keynotes for the November summit include Patrick Lencioni, founder and president of The Table Group, and former FBI agent and body language expert Joe Navarro.
The world’s most important gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives attracts more than 24,000 attendees, including 7,000 CIOs at its eight global locations. This year’s symposium structured its agenda around six tracks, with seminars pinpointing how to reinvent the IT core and how to create a dynamic organization. 2015 keynotes featured GE CEO and Chairman Jeff Immelt, IBM President and CEO Ginni Rometty, as well as New York Times best-selling author and life and business strategist Tony Robbins.
The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
Named after “Amazing Grace”, GHC is the world’s largest technical conference for women in computing, with 2014’s conference bringing together more than 7,800 attendees from 65 countries. Leaders from this year’s summit included Facebook COO and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and Manuela M. Veloso, professor at Carnegie Mellon. In addition to providing a way for women in tech to connect, GHC also provides child care services and ADA assistance as well as scholarship grants so all can attend.
Save time and money by learning everything under one roof through ITExpo. From an opportunity to browse through hundreds of exhibitors as well as participate in specialized trainings and workshops in content marketing, SIP Trunking, and even Skype for business, you really will eat, breathe, and sleep IT at this conference. Past keynote speakers have included executives from Microsoft and Intel Security.
MIT is synonymous with tech and this symposium promises only the best of the best. Held annually, past sessions have tackled best approaches to managing personal data, the impact of improvements in automation, and even a special breakout session focused on the socio-technological transformation in healthcare. 2015 sessions are also available for viewing through YouTube if you want a further taste of of the symposium.
Associations
Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
As a member of the leading worldwide society of IT professionals, not only with you join a network of 4,500 connections, but also be privy to members-only webinars and conferences brimming with insider tips for maximizing management productivity.
Association for Women in Computing (AWC)
While a little smaller with only seven local chapters, the Association for Women in Computing actually offers a multitude of chapter perks. Aside from monthly meetings and networking opportunities, AWC arranges technical and motivational seminars as well as job listings, career planning, and even scholarships.
CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association)
CompTIA is a nonprofit trade association that offers certification in IT fundamentals, cloud+, and mobility+ along with specialty certificates in social media security and healthcare IT tech. Membership grants you access to downloadable research reports and guides about the latest IT trends, plus context as to how they affect the industry and your business.
ISACA (previously Information Systems Audit and Control Association)
This nonprofit, global association boasts 140,000 members worldwide with 200 chapters in more than 80 countries. ISACA also touts a membership diversity that ranges across the spectrum of IS fields, including IS auditors, consultants, educators, IS security professionals, risk professionals, chief information officers and internal auditors. Additionally, membership gives you further access to virtual conferences and free webinars for you to brush up on your IS education. Student membership is also available.
Information Systems Security Association (ISSA)
This international community of cyber security professionals covers major sectors of cyber security, including communications, education, healthcare, manufacturing, financial, and government.Your membership allows you access to career information and employment opportunities, in addition to the ability to earn CPEs in varying certifications simply by attending meetings and conferences sponsored by ISSA.
International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers (IAITAM)
Celebrating its 13th anniversary this year, IAITAM’s mission is to be “the principle resource for comprehensive IT Asset Management best practices worldwide” in organizations of all industries and sizes. IAITAM offers a complete list of upcoming educational events, ranging from road shows to webinars for you to enhance your ITAM knowledge at your leisure.
Society for Information Management (SIM)
The Society for Information Management is tailored to senior-level IT professionals interested in meeting other thought leaders in the field. A premier network for IT leadership, SIM membership benefits include access to their library of nearly 50 whitepapers, working group deliverables, and past conference presentations for reference.
Located in Washington, D.C., you have the chance to connect with 1,000 other successful women in tech. And with a vision to “empower women to be architects of change in the technology industry,” you’ll also be able to connect with senior IT professionals in their “Women Mentoring Women” program or even support young girls interested in IT with Girls in Technology (GiT).
Education
Building an Information Risk Management Toolkit (via Coursera)
Taught by University of Washington Professor Barbara Endicott-Popovsky, this online course covers topics such as how to develop and maintain risk assessments (RA) as well as develop and maintain risk management plans (RM), business continuity and disaster recovery planning from the information security perspective over the course of three months. A more advanced course is also available through the university.
Designing and Executing Information Security Strategies (via Coursera)
With just ten weeks of study, Professor Mike Simon teaches you how to apply what you know to the real world. By the end of the course, students should be able to “describe the nature of security risk in a business and an IT context, compare and apply several models for security risk assessment, facilitate a risk assessment process and gain consensus on risk-based decisions, and incorporate risk assessment into an IT security plan.”
Value Through Transformation: Master Class for Tech Executives
Constant education in the IT community is imperative for success. And with Boston University’s master class, tech executives from around the world will partner with scholars to discuss customer value in IT and understanding the role of IT and social in the changing business landscape. Keep in mind this is a big investment in your education with prices between $4,500-$5,000 depending on your sign-up date
Podcasts/Radio
Carnegie Mellon’s computer emergency response team (CERT) podcast series examines both general and specific principles for business leaders interested in starting or improving an enterprise-wide security system. Thier latest podcast featured Sean Sweeny, information security officer for the University of Pittsburgh, and Lisa R. Young, senior member of the technical staff with the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University.
CIO Talk Radio is an internet-based radio show broadcasted live every Wednesday at 9 a.m. The show is hosted by Sanjog Aul, an executive coach, strategic consultant, editorial planner, public speaker and moderator, who specializes in business and IT thought leadership. Recent episodes include discussions about Internet of Things and in-memory computing.
The IT Management & Cloud Podcast
Sometimes tech podcasts drown you in info, making you lose all interest, but this podcast has been hailed by one reviewer as “just plain fun to listen to.” Posted about once a week, three hosts dive into data centers, computer infrastructure, and cloud computing, in addition to the latest news concerning the enterprise and framework of the tech industry.
A podcast for enterprise IT, the IT ProShow has received stellar reviews for its informative topics and updates about the IT industry, with recent episodes discussing Amazon’s fourth annual AWS conference and the role of the nontechnical manager. Delivered by Same3Guys, the three hosts have almost 75 years of experience between them in the IT field, with two having worked for Fortune 100 and Fortune 200 companies.
A podcast that “explores what is really on the mind of information technology security executives and practitioners,” securitycurrent assures you that with each episode you will become “enlightened, engaged, perhaps challenged, and definitely informed.” Past episodes have delved into topics like creating a security aware culture with employees, EU’s ruling on “safe harbor” provisions, and CISO reporting roles.
Tools
Capterra’s IT Asset Management Software Directory
With more than 130 products to choose from, Capterra offers a free and interactive search for the best of the best in ITAM software. It’s even possible for you to tailor your search to fit your company’s specific features needs, whether it’s software that handles asset tracking, compliance management, license management, or just about anything else.
More?
Did I miss any? Let me know a few of your favorite IT management resources in the comments below.
