Operations

  What, Why, When, Where…   What is a sandbox? A sandbox is a shallow box of sand built for kids in playgrounds to play with sand. The software industry started using this terminology in computer security and software development. In computer security, a sandbox is used to test some non-reliable or un-tested program. Why […]

“On the sixth day of Christmas, my IT guy gave to me, 6 API integrations” Google’s acquisition of API platform company Apigee this year signaled the arrival of connectivity as a legitimate business strategy. The deal, valued at $625 million dollars, underscored just how important APIs have become as organizations look to foster ecosystems that […]

When closing the Payables period, there are some helpful reports to run that help in the reconciliation process. Even though there are plenty of other reports that can be used during period close, the Payables to Ledger Reconciliation report is the most helpful reconciliation tool available because it allows the user to drill into the […]

“On the fifth day of Christmas, my IT guy gave to me, 5 cloud-native instances” Though technology has always driven flexibility, its development has been another story. Bogged down by a variety of platforms, developers have always sought ways to accelerate creation, quality assurance, and deployment. We understand these challenges and sought to support the […]

If you recall, in my last post I talked about communications and how it is a critical element for a successful program. I mentioned one aspect of that being communicating the benefits and value of the governance artifacts, and to do that requires measurements that help you gauge that success. To measure successfully requires two […]

For over 108-years, the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball were known as the lovable losers. Whether it was the Curse of the Billy Goat, numerous collapses in late season, or Steve Bartman stealing away an out, fans had experienced their fair share agony and defeat. As a fan myself, the phrase “There’s always next […]

“On the fourth day of Christmas, my IT guy gave to me, 4 automated chat bots” In recent years, organizations have emphasized on bettering user experiences, from creating mobile-responsive websites to fast-loading mobile applications. These features were implemented to match rising customer experiences from a passive perspective and were matched by search engines and social […]

Metro Bank, a financial institution that has over 40 “stores” in Britain, has officially migrated its core banking IT infrastructure to a private cloud that will be managed by Rackspace. While the bank is only six years old, it has relied heavily on systems that were on-premises. The cost of running the applications in-house were […]

“On the third day of Christmas, my IT guy gave to me, 3 software containers” As software becomes bigger, the need to increase reliability and mobility become more and more important. Recent innovations have seen the rise of containers, which can be described as an encapsulation of discrete components of application logic provisioned with minimal […]

In today’s digital age, consumers have evolved to become far more independent and self-sufficient. They expect access to information, services, and products to be quick, easy, useful, engaging, and even entertaining. Businesses that are not yet meeting these new expectations are falling behind the curve. But this particular curve is not just the trend of […]

Several years ago, Citigroup formed a FinTech group that is dedicated to developing new offerings that bleed with innovation. One of the first solutions to come out of Citi FinTech happens to be a mobile app for its Citigold credit card members. Citigold is a pure wealth management offering that targets affluent and emerging affluent […]

“On the second day of Christmas, my IT guy gave to me, two happy accountants” On the most important day of my undergraduate business career in college, my professor reminded me why businesses get into business: To create a profit. Though this simple philosophy wouldn’t realize itself to me until several years later, my understanding […]