Along with the major trends and disruptors — Internet of Things, big data, 3D printing, bring-your-own…whatever, and significant advancements in mobile and cloud technologies — this year has seen a continued focus on IT career development, resource planning, strategies and solutions, and simple tips for working more efficiently and avoiding vexing tech issues.
1: I quit! 10 things that drove me out of IT
After six years of working as a remote support tech for a managed service provider, Jack Wallen threw in the towel. If you’ve ever been tempted to quit IT, his reasons may sound familiar.
2: 10 ways enterprise IT is changing
From the rising influence of marketing to the impact of mobile to the realities of offshoring, the past year has seen its share of trends and disruptions that affect IT.
3: 10 things I miss about old technology
The good old days of 1980s technology weren’t always good. Here are 10 things that few (if any) people will miss about that era. (For the flipside, see 10 things I DON’T miss about old technology.)
4: Free yourself from the command line with these 10 GUI tools for Linux
Can you finally break loose from the command-line tether? These 10 tools might do the trick.
5: 10 questions to ask when interviewing candidates for IT positions
Finding the best person for an IT position requires more than just matching up skills with job requirements. These questions will help you determine how well a candidate can really meet your needs.
6: 10 reasons why legacy apps are doomed
Escalating support costs, lengthy rollouts, vendor lock-in, and problems adapting to today’s mobile world… is it time to retire your aging enterprise software?
7: 10 common mistakes Android newbies make
If you’re just learning the Android ropes, you might get tangled up in a mistake or two. Here are 10 ways to avoid problems and get the maximum benefit from your Android device.
8: 10 things you shouldn’t expect big data to do
Many business leaders have embraced big data initiatives expecting miracles, only to discover that big data introduces new complexities — and that reaping the benefits requires a lot more effort than they anticipated.
9: 10 areas of IT risk you could be overlooking
Risk management entails more than high-profile issues like data breaches. Smaller, less obvious risks can be just as damaging to your organization.
10: 10 key technology items for your 2015 budget
What items are essential for next year’s tech budget? Mary Shacklett highlights the major areas of corporate IT spending.
What about last year?
Comparing this year’s concerns to the things we were worrying about the year before offers an interesting view of how far we’ve come and where things might be headed. Here are the top posts from 2013:
- 10 signs your staff is about to mutiny
- 10 stupid things people do in their data centers
- 10 reasons not to fix computers for free
- 10 of the biggest IT sandtraps
- 10 ways to survive a critical system outage
- 10 tips for spotting a phishing email
- 10 Chrome tricks to improve your browsing experience
- 10 things you shouldn’t virtualize
- 10 signs it’s time to let an employee go
- 10 underused Office features
Tech lang syne
As always, many thanks to our hardworking contributors, staff writers, fellow editors, and loyal readers for all their insights, knowledge-sharing, and discussion-thread banter. Here’s to a stellar 2015!
