Most senior finance executives watch the IT capital budget like a hawk, but at the same time they allow money from the IT operating budget to be wasted because they don’t know why that money is being spent. By bringing greater visibility to what the company is actually spending, they can increase the value delivered by the IT budget.

It will come as no news that spreadsheets are not the right solution for everything. But contrary to what you may think, dealing with this need not be difficult or expensive. Here are some of the options your company has.

Even though execs are aware of major data breaches, like those at TJX Companies and Société Générale, many aren't working to control risks in their own companies. Brian Cleary, a vice president with Aveska, explains the importance of data breaches and information security risks and provides suggestions on how companies can address the problems.

Late last month, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Julius Genachowski delivered a major speech affirming his intention to implement network (net) neutrality, the policy that requires all Internet traffic to be treated equally. Unsurprisingly, those who stand to profit if they could discriminate among whom they serve and at what price, such as large cable providers and telephone companies, oppose Genachowski's plan, claiming that usage-based cost recovery is necessary to prevent waste and abuse of the Internet infrastructure.

Michael Kineavy, Boston mayor Thomas Menino's top policy aide who violated Massachusetts' public records laws by deleting e-mails in such a way that they would not be included in the city's routine server backup, is a perfect example of why companies need data retention policies. There are several options for managing the risks.

According to Gartner, 84 percent of data loss incidents involve authorized parties distributing content externally. One way to address the problem is through the use of secure online work spaces and document security systems that are relatively inexpensive and user-friendly enough that employees will actually use them.

With the cost of IT hardware falling and new software delivery models, such as SaaS and open source, changing the software cost equation, IT vendors are turning to professional services firms to bolster revenue and profits.

As indirect costs rise and economic pressures increase, the need for profitability and cost management (PCM) also grows. Read this Thought Leadership white paper to find out more about how PCM drives business performance by finding drivers of cost and profitability, empowering users with visibility and flexibility, and improving resource alignment.

The 6th Annual BPM Summit brought together some of the business world's foremost practitioners to explore the transformational role of finance in the enterprise. If you missed the live event, you can still enjoy access to the audio and slide shows from the keynote presentations at our on-demand archive.