External Validation

All of these environments help us provide our unique perspective--Network Computing is, after all, .For IT, By IT." We're confident the steps we've taken and the considerable investments we've made are leading us down the right track--providing you, our peers, with the product reviews, technology and market analyses, real-world case studies and management insights you count on to do your jobs and tend to your careers more effectively.

From time to time, however, it's essential that we get a reality check--a fresh perspective--from people who aren't caught up in the day-to-day process of publishing a magazine and Web site. In other words, we think we're right, but we want to make sure of it.

Trusted Advisers

I'm proud to introduce to you the Network Computing Editorial Advisory Board, whose members and affiliations are listed on our masthead. As IT professionals, all the board members are excited about technology, enthusiastic about their jobs and have a fresh perspective on our industry. They work in diverse industries, from government to gaming. We scheduled our first advisory board meeting last month, to coincide with the TechXNY trade show in New York, and board members decided not to cancel even though Hurricane Isabel was screaming up the coast (we asked, really).

We talked about the projects they're working on and the most important technology trends they see developing. Among the specific topics: outsourcing (foreign and domestic); business applications (from financial, CRM and ERP packages to EAI solutions that pull them all together); regulatory compliance; security across the board (from implementing centralized authentication to making sure wireless handhelds conform to company standards); IP telephony; open source; even legacy systems and issues.Yet again, we were reminded how much the IT professional's job has changed over the past few years and how important it is to improve your business and communications skills, not just your technical skills. Board members also reaffirmed for us the importance of evaluating not only vendor products and technologies, but their stability and viability as partners.

Network Computing's editors are also wrapping up our second annual reader poll issue, due out Oct. 30. Some 2,300 readers gave us their perspective on the technology, budgetary, career and other trends affecting them, and they told us the most important projects they're working on (you'll notice some similarities to the answers we received from the advisory board). We'll share their thoughts with you, and we'll use their feedback to help guide our coverage over the next year.

We also consider every one of you to be a valuable adviser. We're open to hearing your ideas, insights, questions and concerns. Write to me directly at the address below.

Mike Lee is Network Computing's editor. Write to him at [email protected]

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