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	Going Green for Earth Day Posted 4/18/2012 by John Ptacek, Senior Software Engineer Earth Day, which happens every year on April 22nd, was started by former Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson and is celebrated in over 175 countries. The purpose of Earth Day is to spend time focusing on environmental issues, so let’s look at a few ways your organization can implement some IT elements to go green for Earth Day, but also get some green for your company. Full Article >

	Improve IT Project Success Rates Using Agile Development Posted 4/6/2012 by Bob Schommer, CSP, Senior Project Manager Does this sound familiar? An organization decides to make a significant technology investment. It could be a new website or data warehouse or development of a new business application. What follows is typically a 2-3 month effort to write a business case so the “Powers-That-Be” can review the proposed budget, schedule and return on investment. Assuming it’s approved, a team is formed and they go off for several more months to gather requirements and complete business analysis. Full Article >

	Introducting Agile Principles to a Waterfall Project Posted 2/9/12 by Eric Hyland, Senior Software Engineer I know that introducing Agile principles to a Waterfall project is something that is usually not recommended, but I see some value! I'm presently working on a development project using waterfall methodology. We have the usual Microsoft Project plan, a set of milestones, and loose project management oversight with respect to the five week development cycle. Full Article >

	Building a Partnership Between IT and Your Business Posted 2/6/12 by Kenny Young, Director, Cloud Computing & Development IT professionals have long felt that businesses do not understand technology and businesses have long felt that IT does not deliver at the speed of business. Let’s look at that for a minute. We have two teams who do not trust or understand each other – this will never equal success. A project without a business sponsor and an IT team that does not understand the business will also never equate to success. I am not saying all business projects are failures, I am simply stating that with a different approach there can be understanding. Full Article >

	Learning About and Responding To Security Vulnerabilities Posted 1/20/2012 by Brian Morgan, Chief Technology Officer After a recent Microsoft Security Advisory describing a denial of service vulnerability in ASP.NET, a client of ours asked me how Skyline learned about, and was able to respond to, the event so quickly. Since this is not the first time I’ve been presented with this question, I thought I would blog about my response. In this entry I will discuss how we learn about security vulnerabilities at Skyline. In a future entry, I will address our security response strategy. Full Article >

	Tips for Working With International Clients Posted 12/21/2011 by John Ptacek, Senior Software Engineer One of the wonderful things about being a consultant in Northeast Wisconsin is there are so many great companies in our area. The beauty of technology and our inter-connected globe means you can have customers and clients anywhere. Not only has my company acquired customers in the Midwest and across the Unites States, but we have gained customers in other countries as well. Full Article >

	Top IT Talent is Difficult to Find Posted 8/30/2011 by Mitch Weckop, CEO Increased ownership of Smartphones is driving mobile internet growth, and increased mobile internet growth is driving the need for mobile ready websites. Even with the recent surge in mobile internet growth, the majority of the websites on the Internet today are not mobile optimized. As Smartphones continue to gain popularity, websites will need to be updated to be mobile ready. Full Article >

	What's Your Mobile Strategy? Posted 6/7/2011 by Brian Mahloch, Senior Software Engineer Having a mobile strategy for your business goes beyond simply “having an app for that”. While native mobile applications for smart phones are all the rage, there may be an alternative, even more cost effective, way to deliver your mobile strategy. Full Article >

	A Clear(er) View of the Cloud Posted 3/15/2011 by Mitch Weckop, Chief Executive Officer Much is being made of ‘the Cloud’ these days. Microsoft’s ad spending has had deep penetration in both the consumer and business market – but has created as many questions as answers. Many people are working to understand the opportunity and are questioning whether this current trend will have real impact. Well, my answer to that question is, “it depends!” Read Full Article >

	Accelerating Results through Intentional Change Management Posted 1/7/2011 by Mitch Weckop, Chief Executive Officer Change Management is an organizational capability that can improve business results. Those companies that manage change well understand that 1) it is leadership’s role to limit the depth and duration of the dip in results caused by change, and 2) the best way to do that is through an intentional change management process. Read Full Article >