Scale is a key consideration when we develop content for the IT audience, whether it's roadmap or IT best practices. A face to face (F2F) event can reach a few hundred people while the web is unfettered by time, space, and atoms. Yet I'm reminded again of the importance of F2F in new data published by Strategic Oxygen, which conducts ongoing studies of how IT professionals consume information. Events remain a leading source of new technology information for IT professionals. Even for CIOs, conferences are a top source. That said, blogs and forums continue to grow in importance, especially for medium-size companies. That's why we're online here in Open Port, sharing roadmap and IT BKMs, but also there with our F2F Intel Premier IT events like this past week in Austin and Denver.

What do you mean "Gets the leadout"?

Why do I even care?

Over the last 10 years, Intel has been reducing the use of lead (Pb) in our processors to make them EU RoHS compliant. Intel has been named "Technology Super Sector Leader (by Dow Jones Sustainability Indes) for 6 years running. Intel has now unvieled the 45nm family of processors which are "Lead-Free"!

Intel has also taken pro-active steps over the past couple of years to eliminate the use of Halogenated Flame Retardants(HFR). In 2008 we began converting to halogen-free packaging technology for our CPU and Chipset products and expect most of our 45nm processors will use halogen-free package technology by the end of 2008. We took these proactive actions because HFR materals can be difficult to recycle and potentually harmful if inhaled during time of incineration. These materials have been used as fire retardants in electronic components and printed circuit baoards throughout the industry for several decades. Do you want to see if your Intel processor is Pb(Lead)-free and halogen free? Then go to this WEB page http://intel.pcnalert.com, then follow this easy step by step process:

PB-Free and Halogen free, Cool! Thanks Intel!

It never fails. Somebody always contacts me a few days after each IPIP event and asks for the links to the IT Best Practices book we mentioned and gave away at the IPIP event.

Here are the links to the individual IT Subject Matter Expert books. The three books I have listed were all penned by Intel IT employees and pull largely from our internal learnings and implementations, but for healthy balance also include external research and sharing from other organizations as well. And I've also provided a link to the overall Intel Press website, specifically to the IT Best practices area....where these and other "IT Best Practices" books are listed.

This is the order these books were published in and the order in which i suggest they be read.

Managing Information Technology for Business Value
+Practical Strategies for IT and Business Managers+
by Martin Curley, Published January 2004

Measuring the Business Value of Information Technology
+Practical Strategies for IT and Business Managers+
by David Sward, Published July 2006

Managing IT Innovation for Business Value
+Practical Strategies for IT and Business Managers+
by Esther Baldwin and Martin Curley, Published March 2007

Link to Intel Press IT Best Practices area:
http://www.intel.com/intelpress/bpp-series.htm

If you have read any of these books i'd love to get your comments....also, please share any great books you have read that have made a difference in your career or have helped you make great business decisions.

Cheers! ....and great reading