Product Description: We live in a skeptical age. People—especially young people—express doubts about Christian faith. In this thoughtful eight week study Bishop Scott J. Jones, author of The Wesleyan Way, partners with his son Rev. Arthur Jones, to address hard questions that all of us face when considering faith, religion, and the church...read more

Product Description: “This book clearly shows how today’s industry pressures and business challenges mandate renewal of the contract between organizations and their IT assets and people–and it illustrates how a service-oriented approach to IT can help organizations go through the necessary transformation...read more

Product Description: Systems Management is emerging as the predominant area for computer science in the enterprise, with studies showing that the bulk (up to 80%) of an enterprise IT budget is spent on management/operational issues and is the largest piece of the expenditure...read more

Product Description: Hiroshi Mikitani, founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten, has seen the next battleground in the fight for the future of the Internet. Today’s major e-commerce players are quietly building borderless platforms that are overturning the global brick-and-mortar model, and changing the way local businesses think about their customers...read more

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Product Description: A comprehensive guide to designing and operating reliable server environments   Keep your data center cool, clean, scalable, and secure Learn the five principles of effective data center design Avoid the natural and man-made hazards that can jeopardize a data center site Learn how to lay out key infrastructure objects within the data center for greatest efficiency, from buffer zones to server rows Apply proven installation methods by studying sample illustrations of both overhead and under-floor systems Extract the best practices and design strategies for both in-room and standby electrical infrastructure Avoid accidental downtime, improve productivity, and ensure user safety Safeguard and streamline your network infrastructure with a well-organized physical hierarchy Understand the special challenges of retrofitting overburdened server environments Implement solutions from a wide array of sample illustrations and examples of essential data center signage Safeguard servers with operations standards for people working in or visiting the data center Download templates used by Cisco to design its data centers, customizable to square footage and geography Avoid excess construction costs by designing a data center that meets your needs today and for many years to come    All data centers are unique, but they all share the same mission: to protect your company’s valuable information...read more

A plain-English guide to managing IT from the customer's perspective Practical guidance on delivering and managing IT so that it meets the multiple needs and demands of a company and its customers and end-users–both inside and outside the organization–is hard to come by; this accessible book takes a common-sense approach that explains exactly what IT services are and how to fit them most effectively into a business Topics include setting a framework, keeping costs down, improving efficiency, and maintaining standards and best practices This concept of how IT should be wired specifically into the goals and need of the company and its customers is part of a broader picture that includes ITIL, BPM, SOA, and Six Sigma

Product Description: Management Information Systemstakes a management perspective towards IS identifiing the issues of organisation and strategy that managers face as they decide how to respond to technological opportunities. The book draws on extensive research to present a distinct organisational perspective on the management of information systems, following the argument that managing successive IS projects as part of a coherent organisational process (rather than as isolated technological events) will produce an information system that enhances broader strategy...read more

Praise for Service-Oriented Architecture "This book provides a superb overview of the SOA topic. Marks and Bell provide practical guidance across the entire SOA life cycle-from business imperatives and motivations to the post-deployment business and technical metrics to consider. With this book, Marks and Bell demonstrate a unique ability to take the complex dynamics of SOA, and through an eloquent set of metaphors, models, and principles, provide an understandable and insightful how-to manual for both technical and business executives. This will become a required handbook for any organization implementing SOA." —Dan Bertrand, Enterprise Technology Officer & EDS Fellow, EDS Corporation "A fundamental breakthrough in the business and technology perspectives of SOA-this book belongs in every software developer, architect, and IT executive library. Marks and Bell demonstrate a creative and practical approach to building complex, service-oriented systems. I especially liked the hands-on perspective brought to multiple aspects of SOA. A must-have guide in the technology turbulence of the future." —Ariel Aloni, Chief Technology Officer, SunGard Data Management Solutions "This outstanding text gets straight to the heart of the matter, cutting through the hyperbole and discussing how to drive real business value through SOA. It will certainly impact my behavior, our governance models, and, subsequently, the successful business outcomes we derive as we continue to embrace SOA. A must-read for battle-scarred SOA veterans and fledgling architects alike." —Christopher Crowhurst, Vice President and Chief Architect, Thomson Learning "Too often, SOA has been perceived as 'all about the technology'-standards, technology stacks, operational monitoring, and the like. In this book, Marks and Bell expand beyond the technology to provide a refreshing business-driven perspective to SOA, connecting the dots between business requirements, architecture, and development and operations, and overlaying these perspectives with tried-and-true governance techniques to keep SOA initiatives on track. A must-read for those leading the charge to adopt SOA within their enterprise." —Brent Carlson, Chief Technology Officer, LogicLibrary and coauthor of San Francisco Design Patterns: Blueprints for Business Software "Marks and Bell have captured a wealth of practical experience and lessons learned in what has become the hottest topic in software development. In this book, they explain in detail what works and what does not, from procedural issues to technical challenges. This book is an invaluable reference for organizations seeking the benefits of SOAs." —Dr. Jeffrey S. Poulin, System Architect, Lockheed Martin and author of Measuring Software Reuse: Principles, Practices, and Economic Models "One of the last things companies often consider when implementing a business solution such as SOA is the impact on people. Marks and Bell provide an in-depth look at 'what has to change' from a process standpoint to make any SOA implementation a success. A great read for those considering to embark on an enterprise SOA and looking for the right mix of people, process, and products." —Alan Himler, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing, LogicLibrary SOA is a complex topic and a complex organizational goal Service-Oriented Architecture: A Planning and Implementation Guide for Business and Technology shows you how to plan, implement, and achieve SOA value through its prescriptive approach, joining the business and strategic perspective to the technical and architectural perspective. Applicable to all industries, technology platforms, and operating environments, this innovative book provides you with the essential strategies to drive greater value from your SOA and realize your business goals.

Product Description: Answers to your most pressing SOA development questions How do we start with service modeling? How do we analyze services for better reusability? Who should be involved? How do we create the best architecture model for our organization? This must-read for all enterprise leaders gives you all the answers and tools needed to develop a sound service-oriented architecture in your organization...read more

Product Description: The globalization of everyday business and increasing international trade lead to a growing need to improve national and international business collaborations and transactions. This book shows what ontology management can do for process, information and application integration under dynamic e-business conditions...read more

Product Description: A must-have guide for all companies undertaking service-oriented architecture (SOA) and IT governance Service-Oriented Architecture Governance for the Services Driven Enterprise expertly covers the business, organizational, process, compliance, security, and technology facets of SOA and IT governance...read more

Product Description: Aggressively being adopted by organizations in all markets, service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a framework enabling business process improvement for gaining competitive advantage. Service-Oriented Architecture: SOA Strategy, Methodology, and Technology guides you through the challenges of deploying SOA...read more

Product Description: Praise For The Power of Mobility: How Your Business Can Compete and Win in the Next Technology Revolution "Mobility is the next technology force that is redefining how businesses operate. Going forward, the winners will be 'anywhere enterprises' that learn how to combine the Power of Mobility with broadband connectivity to create competitive advantage...read more