The roles of the CIO and the HR department are complementary and play a crucial part in any business. However, the silo mentality that exists in many companies stands in the way of both departments cooperating with each other to produce great results. Most organizations have not yet realized the benefits they can reap from interdepartmental cooperation such as that of IT and HR. Both departments are heavily dependent on each other, and companies that have discovered this have taken the necessary measures to do so.

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The IT department of a company plays a vital role in the success of projects and initiatives. Consequently, the approach team managers and HR departments take during the hiring process is critical and can affect the end result. Below is a list of tips and tricks on how to hire the best talent for the job and build a productive IT team:

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July 24, 2018 Silicon Valley, Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel - Palo Alto

Calling all CIOs; the upcoming Silicon Valley CIO Perspectives Forum is one of a series of events spanning across a number of cities in the United States, including Chicago, LA and Houston. They consist of a collection of forums and presentations made for and by CIOs as well as other leading experts in the IT world. Discussions will focus on influential topics such as ground-breaking innovation, organization transformation, cloud risk management, data as a route to consumer engagement, AI's effect on business communication, operational efficiency and excellence.

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The evolution of ransomware, dating back as far as 1989, has snowballed along with the development of technology to become a very profitable business for hackers. It is easier than traditional hacking, more efficient and allows them to cash in quickly and with minimal complications. Attackers can breach a vulnerable system through a back door and encrypt its data, which effectively shuts out users and prevents them from accessing any records or documents. A message demanding money then appears on the screen, a time limit is set and a countdown begins. The element of time implants a sense of urgency in the victim, compelling him/her to pay the ransom as quickly as possible. All this can be done from the comfort of a hacker's lair far away and almost impossible to track.

The reason why attackers are so successful in breaching electronic devices is because of the perceived distance people put between themselves and the possibility of such a breach ever happening to them. The belief that a ransomware attack is far-fetched is the very reason why ransomware is so lucrative. Putting your guard down is the vulnerability that hackers are waiting for. Below is a list of best practices that can help you protect and secure yourself effectively:

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Human error is inevitable, and that is exactly what hackers count on. One slip-up can result in the loss of large amounts of data and cause a company to lose its credibility in the eyes of its customers. Overspending on high tech systems while neglecting employee training in cyber security is a poor strategy that will prove ineffective. It is also the main reason why human error is a leading cause of cyber attacks. Although it is not possible to completely eliminate human error, seeking ways to minimize it as much as possible will help reduce the occurrences of security breaches. In order to be able to do that, it is important to know the main sources of human error and how to avoid them.

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Throughout recent years, the role of the CIO has been subjected to many rapid changes and developments. The continuously evolving technological advances in the workplace play a major part in this, but so do many other factors. The following are five ways that have contributed to the evolution of the CIO role over the years:

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Traditional customer service was very simple. A customer would visit or call the vendor, ask for assistance and that was that. But things have changed. Today, CS points of contact are numerous, more distant and require much more maintenance. However, the one element that has remained a constant all throughout these changes is the end-goal; customer satisfaction. Consequently, businesses are always looking for new ways to further develop their newly digital customer service systems. Listed below are four ways which can make this possible:

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2018 is proving to be a promising year for CIO development and innovation. CIO events are bringing more opportunities to the table, as participants are provided with time to network, meet and collaborate on bigger initiatives. Below is a list of the upcoming CIO events occurring in the US throughout the remainder of 2018:

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Service level agreements (SLA) are formal agreements made between two or more parties as it pertains to a particular service. These documents provide guidelines for both the provider and the consumer during the life of a specified contract. A subsidiary of the Canadian Government, called Shared Services Canada (SSC), was formed in 2011 and took aim at adjusting certain parameters around SLAs within the Government of Canada in order to ensure efficiency.

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