How does your organization make decisions? Thomas Davenport, a professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College and author of "Competing on Analytics: The Science of Winning," has taken a systematic look at the way decisions are made.

Last fall when the Department of Information Systems was beginning to think about a new master of science program, chairman Michael Goul took several ideas to the department's Professional Advisory Board (PAB).

Thomas Davenport, a professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College and author of "Competing on Analytics: The Science of Winning," says his research  shows that real-life organizations, like Dilbert's company, often don't use good decision processes.

Privacy once meant drawing the drapes. Now that we depend on technology to do the world's business, privacy means securing data, protecting personal information and keeping hackers at bay.

An explosion of electronic data is creating more demand for more storage capacity and for more servers. More servers mean more energy demands, increased costs and a greater impact on the environment.

Corporations want employees to "think big." Some want them to "think many," as well. Servers, that is.

2008 will be remembered for the classic battles between Obama and Clinton and McCain and Obama, but political wonks will also note the historical nature of this presidential campaign because of the profound impact that the Internet and social media have had on the dynamics of the race.

To many participants at the recent Digital Smart Services Leadership Summit hosted by Qualcomm in San Diego, the phrase "smart services" is digital by definition.

Anyone who's ever watched a jazz ensemble jam knows it's a fluid process. Players have to listen to each other, yield the stage sometimes, take the spotlight every now and then and always stay in sync with the group.

Self-service technologies, which automate routine interactions between companies and customers, are a source of convenience and efficiency to both parties -- until something goes wrong and the customer cannot make the system work.