Borland delivers resources, solutions for software risk management

Borland Software Corporation, a global leader for software delivery optimisation (SDO), today announced the availability of a global seminar series, assessment workshops and other resources designed to help IT teams understand how to both minimise and harness risk to drive growth and competitive advantage.

Never before has software development and delivery been more crucial to the operational health and growth of a company. Regulatory compliance, outsourcing and intense competitive pressures are shining a light on software`s ability to either increase or minimise business risk, as well as its ability to identify opportunities where `risk taking` can mean growth and differentiation. Borland`s educational offerings, and its software delivery optimisation solutions and services, are designed to provide IT organisations with the training, technology and process improvements they need to manage software risk, and view risk as an enabler, not an obstacle to success.

"There is a fundamental shift under way in how companies perceive and manage risk across their organisation," said Dr Robert Charette, president of ITABHI and a senior risk adviser to global CEOs, CFOs and senior government officials.

"Traditionally, companies looked at risk as a burden to overcome and managed it in silos. Today, companies are approaching risk holistically, balancing risk management with risk taking, to create new revenue opportunities and operational differentiation."

There are risks that companies can minimise and many they can embrace. For example, there are risks associated with people and their behaviour, risks in technology and its impact on the organisation, and the risks around market dynamics and the market`s constant pace of change. There are risks that may harm a business (ie compliance failures, system down-time, software glitches), as well as those that can grow and differentiate a business (ie pursuing new market opportunities or technical advances that competitors might falsely believe are too risky)

Many companies are looking to IT and software to better understand, evaluate and manage these various types of risks. According to a recent survey from Forrester Research, 62% of CIOs indicated they already had a company-wide initiative focused on enterprise risk and compliance management.

"Software teams are often the facilitator and enabler of risk management initiatives, but they need the right technology, processes and training to get these initiatives off the ground," said Rick Jackson, chief marketing officer at Borland. "Borland`s vision and solutions for software delivery optimisation are designed to address these needs and offer all roles within software delivery - from individual developers to IT managers - the assistance they need to better manage risk within their environment."

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Borland`s solutions and services are designed to help IT teams manage the external and internal forces that create risk in the software delivery process. Borland approaches risk management by addressing each of the components that play a role in delivering the right software, on time and on budget - that is the people who determine, create and manage the software, the process by which they work, and the technology that serves them.

"Business success requires taking strategic risks, and the consistent winners are those businesses that can best calibrate risk and manage it intelligently across a portfolio of projects," said Dr Bill Curtis, chief process officer of Borland. "Calibrating and managing risk requires data. Borland`s Core Software Delivery Platform (SDP) is designed to provide managers with the data they need to manage risk within individual projects and across projects. This ability to assess and manage risk across a project portfolio can help IT executives provide more reliable input for critical business decisions involving software."

To get IT organisations started on the road to improved risk management, Borland is offering a number of free resources to help individuals and software teams understand how to apply risk management principles to their work and how to begin addressing their specific risk areas. Resources available online include a self-paced Webcast, an online risk assessment tool and white papers on the strategic discipline of risk management. To access Borland`s risk resources, visit http://info.borland.com/05/manage-risk/.

In addition, Borland will hold a series of global seminars on "Managing Risk for Software Delivery Optimisation". These seminars will be led by Dr Robert Charette and senior Borland executives, including Don Oxley, Borland`s vice-president of process management, and Dr John Alden, Borland`s managing director of business process.

Seminars in the US and Canada are scheduled from 13 May through 2 June in Arlington, Virginia; Dallas; San Jose, California; Chicago; Toronto; Ottawa; Vancouver; Montreal; and Calgary. Additional seminars are being held throughout Europe and Asia. For a full list of US and Canada dates and locations, visit http://www.borland.com/news/events/index.html#free_seminars.

For those IT executives who want additional hands-on guidance around software risk management, Borland also provides a number of educational and consulting offerings through the company`s worldwide services organisation. These offerings range from risk management and process maturity workshops, to onsite mentoring, systems engineering reviews and executive dashboards.

For more information on these offerings, please visit www.borland.com/services or e-mail services@borland.com.