iExec Enterprise Essentials Companion Guide is the official print companion to the Cisco(R) Entrepreneur Institute's new iExec Enterprise Essentials curriculum-innovative IT-related business education designed to help you transform organizations through the strategic use of IT and Internet applications. Working through a realistic, start-to-finish case study, you'll learn exactly how to use technology to help businesses enhance their processes and drive sustainable competitive advantage. Organized to fully align with the course's online curriculum, this is the only authorized iExec textbook. You'll begin by reviewing the global trends, opportunities, and strategic imperatives that now drive IT's usage. Next, you'll discover IT-enabled business strategies that increase productivity, efficiency, innovation, and profitability and learn how to trans-form any organization into an agile, high-performance Networked Virtual Organization (NVO). Through hands-on practice, you'll learn how to assess and improve organizational readiness, enhance governance, Internet-enable internal and external processes, use portfolio management to plan business-driven IT investments, manage change, and more. Martha L. Young, president and founder of Nova Amber, LLC, has more than 19 years of experience in the technology market, working and consulting with Fortune 500 companies such as Lockheed Martin and Coors Brewing Company. She holds a B.S. in international business from the University of Colorado. Michael Jude, Ph.D., manages accounts for leading management solution vendors. He has more than 20 years of experience in telecommunications, as well as a Ph.D. in decision science from Walden University and an M.S. in engineering management and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado. Young and Jude are co-authors of The Case for Virtual Business Processes (Cisco Press). * Master every topic and concept in the new Cisco Entrepreneur Institute's iExec Enterprise Essentials curriculum * Understand the global trends and business drivers behind today's investments in IT and Internet technologies * Build Networked Virtual Organizations that respond more quickly to customers, collaborate better with partners on value-added activities, and reduce cost by standardizing processes, data, and infrastructure * Perform external and internal situation analysis, create an e-vision for success, and build an effective business case * Implement strategic planning and portfolio management to create a successful Internet-enabled business roadmap * Prioritize opportunities for process improvement using the Internet and IT * Identify change management techniques that can reduce your risks Category: Computers and Networking Covers: Network Technology