Articles

Microsoft released two versions of their Office Suite last year, and folks want to know if it's worth upgrading to them. The bottom line is, yes! On either platform! Here are a few reasons why.

While at a conference recently I met a specialist in system security. He works in that role for one of the largest enterprise-class computer manufacturers. As we talked about security issues, I was surprised to learn how vulnerable many systems are! We met again by phone and video conference, and he shared some specifics with me.

There are many misconceptions about the Internet, hardware, and software that impact the decisions people make. Let's shed some light on a few of them!

We're at the end of the first decade of the millennium whose beginning we weren't supposed to have survived! There were many crazypredictions-- by others-- that Y2k would be the end of civilization as we know it. Now, ten years after Y2k, what is the state of IT and its impact on The Church?

Recessions are uncomfortably challenging in many ways. However, they also help us improve our organizational health and mission focus. We find ourselves having to analyze and justify our expense choices, and when doing so the term outsource becomes a major part of our analysis. While we see it as a cost-cutting opportunity, it is really much more than that. It improves organizational health tremendously.

"Only the flexible survive." It's a phrase we've heard-- and possibly said-- many times. Life is unpredictable, and challenges do come our way, so how should uncertainty affect the way we approach information technology (IT) in our churches and ministries? We are dependent on our computers today in ways we might never have imagined. We rely on them to store contact information, process financial transactions, communicate-- many of the nuts and bolts that enable and hold ministry together. Therefore we should do all that is reasonable and cost-effective to protect our organizations from being shut down by a disastrous event. Planning now gives the flexibility needed for ministry survival. And in the ever-changing legal and financial regulatory landscapes, IT disaster recovery plans are even more necessary.