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Today's environments of increasing business change require software development methodologies that are more adaptable. This article examines how complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory can be used to increase our understanding of how agile software development practices can be used to develop this capability. A mapping of agile practices to CAS principles and three dimensions (product, process, and people) results in several recommendations for "best practices" in systems development.

Is it time to consider converting your site-to-site WAN to an IP-VPN? To improve network flexibility and reduce operating costs, many large enterprises are evaluating the use of VPN devices, [...]

RAPID APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT (RAD) is a systems development philosophy that can be effective in controlling waste and inefficiencies that are so common with systems development projects. The sad fact is [...]

I know your company is unique. No one else has to deal with the problems/products/processes/ procedures/people that you have to deal with. I know that you have searched the literature and attended conferences hoping to find information relevant to your company. Well, this is your lucky day. This article has been designed specifically for the unique company.

Getting Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP-IP) traffic inside the datacenter can be accomplished easily. However, getting vital production data applications that were made to operate efficiently in a Systems Network Architecture (SNA) over TCP-IP will present a problem. SNA-IP integration, an urgent need for major companies, is expected to be accomplished from 18 months to two years plus an additional six months to one year for testing., Want to integrate TCP/IP networks with legacy SNA applications and databases? It's easier said than done. Centralized, top-down application and network integration projects are enjoying a renaissance. Ironically, this trend [...]

More organizations than ever are licensing software, contracting out development projects, and using purchased components in their development efforts. Such innovations can speed development time, reduce project costs, and enable an organization to prosper with a smaller development staff. However, the new development techniques also pose risks. IS managers can help mitigate the danger to their organizations by honing their hard-won abilities, applying them to the new software environment, and learning some new skills.

REENGINEERING IS NOT JUST FOR LARGE BUSINESSES. IT'S TRUE THAT ONLY GIANT CORPORATIONS CAN AFFORD TO PAY THE FEES FOR HIGH-POWERED CONSULTANTS TO COME IN AND TURN THE ORGANIZATION UPSIDE [...]

It's a nightmare scenario: You are the busy controller or CFO of a smaller organization. The information 'systems' are old, tottering geezers. You can't get that old Burroughs card punch [...]

With a building block approach using Complex Objects software, a company can tailor an information system to its environment in record time - and save implementation costs. How an organization [...]

Useful systems depend on requirements analysis, of which data modeling is an essential part. Yet data modeling is often abandoned as a cumbersome and ineffective technique that cannot be understood by potential system users. Because the fault lies with the way the models are designed and not with the underlying complexity of what is being represented, guidelines regarding the way the models are constructed and their components named help ensure the creation of accessible models that are useful for both understanding a business and data base design.