Between 25% and 50% of most companies’ revenue goes toward purchasing goods and services, so the ability to keep these costs down is paramount. Applying strategic sourcing methodologies to pinpoint spend categories and select qualified suppliers allows organizations to reduce expenses and positively impact the bottom line. 

Philip Dawson, Gartner VP offers best practice advice for organisations looking to virtualise their IT infrastructure. 

Read this article to discover the three supplier management initiatives that have helped market-leading procurement organizations drive innovation, increase productivity and mitigate risk. 

This global benchmarking study from ESI international identifies the key challenges and successes experienced by project and programme management offices (PMO) and draws recommendations for the future. 

Human resource (HR) departments have learned that the key to elevating their strategic capabilities is through a strong business intelligence (BI) infrastructure. Read this white paper to learn the four easy steps to transition from being an HR manager to a human capital management (HCM) strategist. 

Do you have a large, complex set of interconnected, multi-tier applications that need ongoing development and testing? Spending too much time and resources setting up physical machines and resetting them than actually doing development and testing? Do you lack sufficient machines to test your multi-tier applications the right way? You're not alone. 

This first issue of Cloud Development Digest, geared for Java developers, features the following three articles: "Java Platform as a Service Providers Vie for Developers’ Affection," "Cloud Architecture Key to Leveraging Cloud-Based Services," and "IaaS Management Tools and Test Cycles in the Cloud." 

Faced with limited budgets and even leaner staff resources, small companies realize that making the most of in-house talent is critical to executing on strategic goals. Read this paper to learn how automating performance appraisal and measuring every employee against clear, objective goals can improve execution of a small company's strategy. 

Test Drive IBM Cognos Express in the Cloud! Check out this easy online trial of IBM Cognos Express. Take a closer look at selected reporting, analysis and planning capabilities – without installing any software on your system. You can access the trial online for up to four hours and repeat the trial as often as you like. 

This white paper examines credit card fraud and details business rules-based fraud prevention and detection. 

Find out how IBM Case Manager and IBM Content Analytics can help public sector organizations more effectively manage case files and how government workers can do more work in a shorter period of time. 

Desktop virtualization initiatives top the priorities of most IT managers and executives. Understanding your options for virtual desktops is essential for selecting the right solution.  Read this white paper to learn more about this key strategic directive and the types of desktop and application delivery models that are critical for success. 

This edition of BI Trends & Strategies features a lead article by SearchCIO.com's Linda Tucci, who offers a helping hand in the quest to dismantle the dreaded data silo. The second piece outlines mobile BI, including a reference to Apple's iPad, and the final article delves into the world of performance management.