No abstract

Although reports on big data success stories have been accumulating in the media, most organizations dealing with high-volume, high-velocity and high-variety information assets still face challenges. Only a thorough understanding of these challenges puts organizations into a position in which they can make an informed decision for or against big data, and, if the decision is positive, overcome the challenges smoothly. The combination of a series of interviews with leading experts from enterprises, associations and research institutions, and focused literature reviews allowed not only identifying and describing eight key challenges but also characterizing their impact, outlining potential responses to them and proposing directions for future research. The challenges faced were found to be not only technological in nature. Organizational and people-related matters as well as the legislative framework are also relevant. For large enterprises and startups specialized in big data, it is typically easier to overcome the challenges than it is for other enterprises and public administration bodies

The 'project' is a prevalent form for organising endeavours of construction, innovation, IT development and organisational change. 'Projects' involve coordination and cooperation between colocated and distributed actors, and are relevant for CSCW (computer supported cooperative work) research as a particular kind of cooperative work. A survey of CSCW publications only identified 26 papers that explicitly address project management (PM), of which most primarily focus on IT development. We argue that CSCW's conceptual and methodological tools can make significant contributions to PM research, practice and its computational support. We point to four issues of relevance for future CSCW research on projects: continue to sophisticate the empirical and conceptual understanding of projects, broaden research beyond IT projects into other domains, develop agile approaches beyond IT development and focus on computational support for project work and management. In all, we argue that CSCW can advance our understanding of project work and management and the design of adequate computational support.

Purpose - Software and software-based services (SSBS) are a major domain of the European ICT industry and are recognised as a key element in developing the information society. This article aims to shed light on the various strategies, policies and activities pursued by the EU and its member states. Design/methodology/approach - The article is based on a survey of national programmes that are aimed specifically or in substantial part at the software sector. This analysis and assessment usually faces two challenges: unlike other technologies that have the same significance and/or the same attractiveness, the SSBS industry is a very dynamic one, due to several specific characteristics; and there are increasing inter-dependencies between the European and national levels as well as between supply-side and demand-side policies, which require a more detailed analysis of the different national policies for the EU member states. Therefore a comparative analytical framework is used that takes account of the different composition and structure of the SSBS industries in EU member states. Findings - The analysis shows that there are still great differences among the EU member states, but in general there is relatively little activity in European member state governments targeted specifically at fostering SSBS producers. However, as a result of the EU activities virtually all member states have implemented policies to foster the development towards an information society. Originality/value - The paper highlights that normally these overall policies address and integrate both the supply side as well as the demand side. This is at least an improvement compared to recent years, when adaption, diffusion and application were taken for granted

Cloud Computing and Social Network Sites (SNS) are some of the most controversially discussed IT developments in recent years. Huge expectations exist for Cloud Computing, providing lower costs of computing while increasing employment. However, Cloud Computing as well as the use of SNS may come with a substantial risk of losing data privacy. The project conducted on Cloud Computing Services and Social Network Sites addressed the potential and impacts of these technologies. The project report showed that (1) adequate data security and privacy are critical but difficult to achieve, that (2) more consumer protection is needed and that (3) the market for Cloud Computing is not growing as fast as initially forecast, resulting in a lower than expected increase of employment and lower contribution to GDP growth.