The controversy over whether mobile technology and ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) is contributing to or improving the lot of the CIO has never been absent when technology managers meet, and TechFire: the Flexible Desktop was no different. The focused morning event took place at the Gibson Hotel, in Dublin’s Docklands last Tuesday 12th March and drew over 50 delegates. Sponsored by SureSkills, the session began with an opening address by Paul Hearns, Editor of ComputerScope, who outlined the technology issues and introduced a brief presentation by SureSkills CTO Kevin Reid, supported by Mike Hayes of Dell.

For many years the Windows PC (box or portable) has remained unchallenged as the dominant vehicle for delivery of the enterprise desktop. But in recent times several factors have come together to give rise to a promising alternative. The factors include: the rising performance of servers, the capacity and throughput of networked storage, the increasing speed of networks, and the arrival of virtualisation technology. The SureSkills ComputerScope VDI survey aims to lift the lid on the real VDI story in Ireland and we need your help. Fill in the survey and be in with a chance to win a iPad or a Dell Slate, and we promise to give you all the feedback on what you and your peers think of this important development.

Those responsible for the administration of the IT services, desktops and the infrastructure that supports the business must be alert to current issues – they need insight into the challenges they face and the options available. At the same time, they need foresight in planning for the long-term future. That requires the right knowledge and skills and the ability to respond to future business demands, technology, regulation and change.

A study by Juniper Networks and the Economist Business Unit finds that IT is succeeding at improving the efficiency of business processes, but most IT departments are failing to take the next step in becoming a strategic partner for business.

We have all heard it over and over again: The CIO's role and the role of IT is in a state of flux. You've got to evolve or be left in the dust.....