Mary K. Pratt
Contributing writer
Mary K. Pratt is a freelance writer based in Massachusetts.
Talk to the suits: How to sell IT outside of IT
Thomas Murphy needed a new ERP system, and he needed $300 million to buy it.
Green IT's next steps
It's been several years since 'green IT' became a tech buzzword, and now the concept could advance to the next level with a combination of technology improvements and changes in corporate behavior.
DOD uses real-time software to monitor contractors
Imagine tracking a mobile workforce of nearly 200,000 contractors through rugged, hostile territory using only spreadsheets handled by officials who aren't inclined to share the data.
The Grill: John Golden
John Golden has climbed some of the world's most difficult peaks, including Mount Everest. Yet this IT executive's climbing achievements are only part of his story. Until just a few years ago, Golden suffered constant pain in his...
How to measure social media payoff
Tech-savvy fans of the Georgia Aquarium got a special deal this past spring: a big discount on ticket prices. The aquarium offered 25% to 40% off admission prices from February through May to people who followed it on Twitter or...
How to get your green IT cred
The push is on for companies to go green, and IT professionals will likely feel the pressure to deliver. Although most ITers don't have specialized eco-skills, there are ways to develop this knowledge, and to parlay what you already...
Ethics: Harder in a Recession?
Running IT systems that promote and comply with ethical standards can be costly -- and therefore harder to justify during a recession.
Digital lit: How technology is changing what we read
Aya Karpinska had a story to tell. She could hear the words and envision how the tale would unfold. All she needed, she says, was the right iPhone app.
Seventh Generation
Seventh Generation Inc.'s Dan O'Shaughnessy spent his summer workdays capturing sunshine.
Future shock: The PC of 2019
For those of you who want the world at your fingertips, the wait is almost over.
IT innovations help Kiva expand microfinance mission
Aaron Yu wants to share his enthusiasm for Kiva, a nonprofit microfinancing organization. He sees Facebook as a prime way to do that.
5 Recession Survival Skills
Money issues now require much more of CIO Diana Melick's attention than they did in the past.
Grand Rounds on a Grand Scale
Doctors have long had a tradition of holding "grand rounds" to discuss patient cases and educate aspiring physicians.
Habitat for Learning
Tad Schoffner has some new on-the-job partners that he knows will upstage him. Schoffner can blame his employer, which deployed the mobile and wireless technology that now puts him side by side with some real animals.
Videoconferencing links interpreters, hearing-impaired
Kay Chiodo lays out a frightening scenario: A child is missing in an airport, and his mother, who is deaf, is frantically looking for him.
Seven classic PC symptoms
As a small-business person, you might bemoan the fact you don't have 24/7 IT support like your larger-scale competitors. Don't panic. You can solve many of the most common computer problems yourself. Here are some snafus you can...
Gathering green
Chief Technology Officer Arvind Thapar wants to bring new green technology to his company, but his proposed initiative -- installing wind turbines to generate power -- is decidedly outside the usual realm of IT.
Five ways to drive your best workers out the door
Managers'reality check: Your top workers can almost always get another job, even in a shaky economy.