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Job Descriptions Project Manager

Validation Engineer: Job Description

Use our template to create a compelling and comprehensive Validation Engineer job description to attract top talent.

What is the job of a Validation Engineer? Learn more about the duties, skills, training and salary as a freelance and permanent position. 


Learn more about Project Management, roles, skills and career paths


Validation Engineer: the job

The Validation Engineer’s job is to verify the conformity of the product (software, equipment, system) with the original specifications and official standards. In the case of software or an application, the validation engineer must validate them completely before they are launched in client environments.

This professional may work for a manufacturer, an operator, a service company, etc. He or she reports to the design department or the technical department and is not part of the development team.

The Validation Engineer occupies a central position between development, documentation, integration, and quality. Therefore, it is important that he/she has good interpersonal skills. This engineer can intervene at the customer site to set up testing. But also at national and international standardization institutes.

Among their main missions, Validation Engineers must comprehensively review product specifications. Then they establish a validation and qualification plan, writing specifications for scenarios and tests and designing tests and test tools corresponding to all points of the specifications to be validated.

Then, the Validation Engineer performs testing, running trials until the product is satisfactory according to the imposed testing standards. Finally, they identify problems, make changes, and test corrections. In addition, they must prepare a validation report and possibly a product dossier for the certification application.

Required skilled of the Validation Engineer

It is essential that the validation engineer has general and specific knowledge of the technical field. They must also have a perfect command of validation methods.

In addition to technical skills, the validation engineer must be open-minded and have a global vision of the product. It is also very important that this professional has a sense of rigor and organization and that he/she attaches importance to the respect of methods.

On the other hand, he/she must have a logical mind and a sense of criticism so as to always put himself/herself in the place of the final user and to guess his/her point of view. Good interpersonal skills and writing skills are also required for this position.

Salary

The salary of a validation engineer varies according to the experience of the consultant, the scope of the position, and the size of the company.

For a beginner, the salary of a validation engineer will be around 30k€ per year. With experience, they can expect to earn between 30 and 40 k€, or even 45 k€.

As for the freelance, it varies from 300 to 700 €/day.

Education and training

To become a Validation Engineer, it is necessary to have an engineering degree or a professional master’s degree. It is also possible to become a validation engineer after having gained experience in the field of software development. During his or her career, this professional can evolve in the development, project management, quality, and methods departments.

After a few years of experience, this professional will also be able to claim the position of the project manager or method manager. Moreover, depending on the skills they have acquired, they may also work as consultants.

You can also read : 5 Best Certifications For Validation Engineers

Find a Validation Engineer job with Mindquest
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IT Consultants Tips for your daily life as a freelancer

IT Pros: How to Work On Remote in the Post-Pandemic World

Remote work is becoming increasingly common amongst IT pros. The way in which tech experts look for jobs and carry out missions was already changing before Covid-19 hit. IT freelancing was on the rise; With higher levels of remote work; slowly becoming an industry standard and the figure of the digital nomad gaining acceptance.   

Now that digital transformation efforts have accelerated and companies have had to adapt their hiring strategies to a world in lockdown; remote work across countries and time zones is out in the mainstream. Regardless of country reopenings and a slow return to the office, remote work is here to stay. Here’s how you can benefit from this trend and what you should keep in mind when pursuing a new gig from the comfort of your home or personal office.   

Finding IT remote work – Identify your target employer  

First of all, you need to pinpoint your target company type. The kind of company you will be applying for jobs at and that you will turn to support your remote work lifestyle. Whether that is as a freelancer or as a full-time employee.   

For that, you need to make sure you are aiming for industries and organisations that have friendly policies towards remote hiring and working. Most big tech companies have fully shifted to remote work after the start of the outbreak. So they will be open to receiving applications and collaborating with fully remote employees. Other sectors of activity will be less prone to hire remote employees due to a lack of organisational readiness or the nature of the job to be done; jobs relating to IT infrastructure and cybersecurity tend to involve an on-site component because of its confidential and hands-on nature.   

IT remote work: Make sure your environment and tools are ready  

This one sounds rather obvious. But you would be surprised to learn how many IT projects encounter roadblocks along the way. Due to unforeseen technical limitations on the remote worker’s side of things. And we are not talking here about a stable internet connection. 

Make sure you have analysed the project requirements and spoken with company stakeholders to understand the technical needs of the project. And also see if you should ask for extra equipment or services – think of cloud processing resources, networking equipment, etc.   

The social component  

Working remotely can make collaboration with other team members more difficult and requires you to put in some extra effort. The social component of remote working should not be overlooked, but you can follow a few easy steps to ensure you are properly connected with project stakeholders.  

First and foremost, make sure you are conducting a proper onboarding. As with most things in life, setting a robust foundation is key. If the employer doesn’t have a fully fleshed out onboarding process, be proactive and put together all the questions you will need clarification on. Make sure you get acquainted with the rest of the team. Even if that means proposing quick one-on-one virtual chats to get to know them a bit.   

Secondly, set up follow-ups and regular check-ins with your colleagues to keep track of the progress and let them know you are there and on top of things.   


The Top IT Skills to Master in 2021


Not interested in fully IT remote work?  

Maybe looking for a job remotely sounds good, but you would rather work on-site at least some of the time. Or maybe you are looking for a job remotely as a way of moving to another country. No problem. The IT jobs market has never been better for that.   

Just make sure you are considering everything first, like immigration regulations and demands (visas, health insurance, etc.). Sometimes, working with a recruitment partner who has experience relocating IT experts is the best choice. They will help you figure out all the details so you can get started with your new life as soon and as easily as possible. 

Read our article : How the Covid-19 Pandemic is Accelerating the hybridisation of Careers in Tech & IT

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Need more tips on how to find a job in IT? Check out our IT job hunting guide.

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Tech Magazine TOP 10 experts' articles

The Top 10 Belgian Cloud Pros to Follow on Twitter

Are you Belgian and into cloud? Looking to relocate to Belgium to pursue a career in cloud computing? These are the experts you should be following on Twitter. From industry insiders to technology evangelists, all of them are worth your attention. Top 10 Belgian Cloud Pros to Follow on Twitter.

Cloud: also read our article: Data security : Is your cloud data secure?

Top 20 – Belgian Cloud Pros to Follow on Twitter

Christian Verstraete 

@christianve 

Now happily retired, Christian is a cloud expert and advocate with over 35 years of experience working at tech behemoths like HPE, where he served as the chief technologist of the firm’s cloud advisory services. He is an avid tweeter and blogger and regularly shares news and analysis about the global cloud industry.  

Jan Tielens  

@jantielens 

Jan is a senior program manager at Microsoft, where he helps the company’s customers and partners design and develop their cloud ecosystems, with a focus on IoT, machine learning and cognitive services. He has been a Microsoft MVP for many years, conducting training and speaking at industry events across the world. 

Sam Vanhoutte 

@SamVanhoutte 

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Codit, an Azure-focused integrated solutions company, Sam is a Microsoft Azure MVP and frequently speaks on the topics of AI, IoT, Integration and API management. Highly experienced in IoT and cloud-based solutions, Sam posts regularly about these industries. 

Frederik Denkens 

@fdenkens 

Frederik is a business development and cloud expert who, back in 2001, founded Skyscrapers, a company looking to accelerate SaaS development with a combination of AWS, Cloud Native, DevOps, and Kubernetes. He shares his insight and expertise in these areas through his company’s blog

Wim Matthyssen 

@wmatthyssen 

Wim is a cloud architect with over a decade worth of experience working with Microsoft’s infrastructure technologies. He works for cloud services provider Synergics, where he focuses on designing Azure hybrid solutions. A true Microsoft cloud advocate, Wim is a Microsoft MVP and founding board member of the MC2MC Microsoft cloud community and writes regularly about hybrid cloud on his blog.  

Peter De Tender 

@pdtit 

Peter is part of the company’s Azure Technical Trainer team. A Microsoft MVP and certified trainer, he is devoted to teaching partners and customers the ways of Azure – from guidance on how to deploy and manage workloads to helping other experts get Azure certified. He is also a coveted public speaker and shares his knowledge via his blog.      

Karel De Winter 

@kareldewinter 

This cloud solutions architect at managed cloud services provider DexMach is a devoted Azure expert and advocate. Whether it is on Twitter, on his blog, or at an industry event, Karel is passionate about helping the Azure community grow, constantly sharing news and educational resources about the platform. 

Glenn Colpaert 

@GlennColpaert 

Glenn is CTO and founder of Zure Belgium, where he helps clients design, deploy and maintain scalable Azure PaaS solutions. A Microsoft MVP and certified trainer, he is an active member of the Belgian Azure user group AZUG, as well as a frequent speaker at industry events.  

Geert Baeke 

@GeertBaeke 

Geert is a cloud architect and Microsoft incubator at De Cronos Groep. There he helps kick-start new initiatives based on the Microsoft tech stack and designs cloud-native solutions on the Azure platform. A frequent speaker at industry events, Geert regularly shares his Azure expertise through his blog and YouTube channel

Wesley Backelant 

@WesleyBackelant 

A Microsoft insider, Wesley is a cloud solutions architect focused on ensuring that the company’s customers are successful with their data and advanced analytics projects. In particular, Wesley is an expert in working with the various components of the Azure AI platform. He is a frequent speaker at numerous community event and regularly shares Azure news and tips. 

Continue here with our Top 10 Developers in Belgium to Follow on Twitter

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Tech Magazine TOP 10 experts' articles

Luxembourg: Top 10 Cloud Experts to Follow on Twitter

Cloud computing is an umbrella under which many a successful professional career can be built by those who decide to go the way of IT. If you are a cloud specialist living in Luxembourg or are looking to get into cloud and could use the advice of a local, here’s a list with the folks you should be following on Twitter. Discover our top 10 experts from Luxembourg to follow on Twitter.

Top 10 Cloud Experts from Luxembourg to Follow on Twitter

Adam Tymofiejewicz 

@ITaaService 

Adam is a true cloud enthusiast who works as an IT services consultant and outsourcing processes specialist, always approaching IT from a business transformation perspective. He tweets extensively about industry trends and news, but also about many other topics of interest like space exploration and career advice.

 Fernando Simon  

@FSimonDBA 

Fernando is an Oracle ACE working as a Senior Database Architect at eProssed. He is highly experienced with the Oracle Database, mainly with Oracle Engineered Systems with focus in mission-critical and high availability environments. Fernando is also co-founder and board member of LuxOUG, and he blogs extensively about all things Oracle and disaster recovery. 

Rodrigo Mufalani 

@Mufalani 

Rodrigo is a Database Administrator (DBA) specialising in Oracle. In fact, he is an Oracle Certified Master (OCM) and Oracle ACE, a recognition that speaks to his deep expertise in the technology and his contributions to the platform. Rodrigo is also a chairman at LuxOUG and blogs extensively about all things Oracela and DBA.  

Lauren Miltgen 

@kubernan 

Laurent is a Microsoft cloud expert working as Head of Digital Transformation for consultancy firm Elgon and Ainos.  He is a Microsoft Office 365 MVP, a focus he complements with expertise in areas like project  and change management and business development. He tweets regularly about all things cloud and Microsoft, as well as general interest tech news and new developments regarding the star-up scene. 

Andre Ontalba 

@aontalba 

Andre is an Oracle ACE working as a Cloud Architect Team Lead and Senior Database Engineer at Digora, where he works with OCI, AWS and Azure. He is an Oracle Apps DBA, Exadata MAA, DG and HA expert, as well as a co-Founder LuxOUG. He blogs about DBA in his native Portuguese. 

Paolo Vecchi 

@Vecchi_Paolo 

Paolo is CEO at cloud start-up Omnis Cloud, where he helps partners and customers deliver cloud solutions based on open-source platforms which allow private and public sector organisations to take back control of their data. He is passionate about Linux, data privacy, security and regulations, topics he tweets about regularly. 

Arnaud Maichac 

@arnaudmaichac 

Arnaud is a Tech Lead at Bâloise Assurances Luxembourg. He is a senior .NET developer who describes himself as a Microsoft Azure addict and is a co-founder of the Luxembourg .NET User Group. He is highly involved with the country’s cloud community and tweets extensively about the topic.  

Gildas Cuisinier 

@gcuisinier 

Gildas is a DevOps and Software Engineer at the Luxembourg International Bank. He combines his interest for development with that for the sysadmin domain. He is a big advocate of the DevOps culture and the co-creator and organizer of Voxxed Days Luxembourg, a new event focusing on microservices. 

Andrey Martovoy 

@AndreyMartovoy 

Andrey is a FinTech Adviser at Luxembourg Bankers’ Association. He has combined expertise in FinTech and open innovation in financial services, and he is passionate about all the technologies impacting this industry – including, of course, the cloud.  

Mathieu Perrein 

@perrein 

Mathieu is Chief Technology Officer at Squaremiled, role to which he comes after years working as a software craftsman and architect. He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and a co-founder of the Luxembourg .NET User Group. He tweets and share news about the topic. 

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Growing your career: permanent & freelance IT Consultants

5 Free Online Business Courses for IT Pros

Now more than ever, IT professionals need to complement their technical expertise with soft skills and business acumen to remain on top of an ultra-competitive talent market. Well, we’ve put together a shortlist of free online business courses to help you do exactly that.  

Time to level up. 

Technology Entrepreneurship: Lab to Market – edX

A little entrepreneurial spirit never hurt anyone. Even if you are a hardcore tech guy working deep within a big company’s IT department; having a better picture of how technology products go from inception to market can help you a great deal in the long-term.  

This course by Harvard’s Laboratory for Innovation Science and the University of California San Diego; is part of our online business courses shortlist because of the good overview it will provide you. Especially in how business basics and critical thinking can be applied to commercialising new technologies.  

Power Dressing in the Zoom Era – Future Learn 

The title says it all. Since remote work has become the norm, mastering traditional ways of communicating is no longer enough. In this free, two-hour course, you will learn how to improve the image you project online.  

What’s best to wear in video interviews? How can you polish your personal and business brands so that they are aligned and represent you the best possible way? How about non-verbal communication.   
 

Introduction to Finance and Accounting Specialization – Coursera 

You’ve heard it before. There’s no budget for this project at the moment. This will have to wait until the next financial year. Well, it’s about time you learn what such statements entail. If your idea of accounting boils down to household maintenance and personal budgeting; then you should probably work on developing your financial literacy.  

A solid understanding of how organisations get and administer money is a must for anyone in business. Whether they are a manager or an IT specialist. This Wharton School of Business course provides a good overview of the subject.   

Intercultural Communication and Conflict Resolution – Coursera 

Have you ever gotten yourself in an awkward situation by unknowingly saying something odd to someone with a different cultural background than yours? Unless you have been living under a tree your entire life, you probably have. In an increasingly global business world, being aware of cultural divides and how to breach them is a must.  

This quick course by the University of California Irvine serves as a great introduction to intercultural communication; and also about the resolution of the conflicts it creates.  

Contract Management: Building Relationships in Business – Future Learn

In many ways, contract making is an art. Negotiation, risk assessment and market intelligence all play an important role in ensuring the drafting and signature of win-win business agreements. If you are an IT freelancer or have had to sign service agreements as part of your everyday job, you know what this is all about.   

This course covers all you should take into account when approaching contracts for the first time, or how to improve your contract-making capabilities if you already have some experience. Offered by the University of Southampton, the course is backed by UK government & World Commerce & Contracting. 

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Press review Tech Magazine

Weekly News: IT Professionals Feeling Confident Lately

A renewed sense of confidence for IT professionals

A new report from SolarWinds suggests that IT professionals are feeling more confident during the pandemic. Thus, according to the survey, tech experts admit to having been more proactive in bringing new ideas to the table and taking on a bigger role.

Also, experts believe this newfound confidence is the result of IT pros being used to sudden shifts and unexpected situations – a quality that has helped them ride the Covid-19 wave as opposed to being swept by it.

IT has been pivotal to business resilience during this unprecedented crisis, elevating tech experts within their organisations and putting them closer to the decision-making process. 

Luckily, it looks like things will stay this way.

ITProPortal

IT professionals: Bye to VS Codespaces and Flash Player

Microsoft has decided to end Visual Studio Codespaces (formerly known as Visual Studio Online). The cloud-based development environment will then be merged with GitHub’s version of the same product.

Microsoft’s move comes after some developers expressed confusion between the two nearly-identical products. Unfortunately for developers, there is currently no way to migrate existing projects from one platform to the other. 

The company has also warned businesses to get ready for the end of Adobe Flash Player support. Microsoft and Adobe first announced the phase-out of the popular internet media player in 2017. From January 21, Flash will be disabled in both IE 11 and Microsft Edge browsers.

ZDNet / TechRepublic

IT professionals: IT jobs are booming in the UK

IT professionals are feeling more confident so that the government-funded think tank Tech Nation reports a 36% increase in tech vacancies between June and August. 

The sector is experiencing a fast recovery compared to other industries, with 90,000 new jobs being advertised every week across the UK. 

The most sought-after skills identified in the report include:

  • Engineering
  • .net
  • Javascript
  • Java
  • C++
  • Data
  • SQL
  • Python
  • Amazon Web Service
  • Client

CBR

C++ just got an A+

Tiobe Software’s latest Programming Community index points at a revival of C++. 

The 35-year-old language is the fastest growing language in terms of popularity, while C tops the list of most used languages.  

Experts at the company believe the new C++20 standard is responsible for the recent uptick, moreover, the standard includes a new modules feature which replaces the infamous include mechanism function.

Other languages gaining popularity are R and C#, whereas Java has experienced a drop compared to last year.  

ADT Mag

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IT Decision-makers Tips & errors to avoid

The Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring an IT Contractor

What are the top 3 mistakes that you should avoid when hiring an IT contractor? Working with IT contractors keeps getting more and more popular in the world of work. And for good reason: including freelancers in your projects can bring great benefits to your whole team.  

IT contractors are a workforce that is often very qualified and cost-effective. Especially in the context of a one-off increase in company activity or under special circumstances such as the Covid-19 pandemic. However, hiring the wrong freelancers can quickly derail your project and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.  


Need advice on how to start or develop your freelance consulting business in tech or IT? Need to start a new permanent or freelance assignment? Join Mindquest and get support from our team of experts.


Recruitment: 3 major mistakes to avoid when hiring an IT contractor or freelancer:

1st of top mistakes to avoid when hiring: Not vetting the consultant’s qualifications thoroughly

You need to make sure that a consultant recruited for a particular skill possesses it and in a way that is well-suited to the reality of your project. 

To protect yourself against this difficulty; which can cause harm, both financially and in terms of reputation; it is necessary that you thoroughly vet the veracity of the freelancer’s claims and assess the true depth of their technical skills. Start with these questions: 

  • Has the freelancer provided a list of previous relevant projects? Have you verified their references? 
  • Has the freelancer justified their skills with a document or portfolio of any kind? 

During the interview process, you must ask pointed questions about the candidate’s area of expertise. It will quickly reveal the reality of the situation.  


Also read How to manage the onboarding of IT contractors in 5 steps


2nd mistake : Hiring a Consultant who does not align with your company’s values and culture 

In order to avoid divergences in operating methods, which can lead to confusion and frictions within the teams; it is preferable to choose a freelancer who aligns with the company’s values. Here, you should pay special attention to the candidate’s softer skills. As these are the ones that will determine how well the contractor fits into your existing team. 

The same goes for ensuring that the consultant aligns and complies with legal and confidentiality requirements. Make sure they fully understand your confidentiality policies and non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so that they unknowingly break the contract. 


Also read How to Manage the Offboarding of IT Contractors in 7 Steps


3rd mistake: Setting an inappropriate remuneration rate 

DevSecOps Job Description

The third most common mistake made by companies looking to hire a freelancer is to offer a pay rate that is not in line with market standards. Whether it is higher or lower than what is normally charged in that particular field of expertise and for that level of seniority. 

If you set a daily remuneration that is too high; you will end up paying more than what you need to. Plus, your collaboration with the contractor may not be sustainable in the long term. 

On the contrary, if you set a remuneration that is too low; you will have difficulty attracting good candidates with a suitable level of experience. 

Companies not used to working with freelancers are precisely the ones that usually make these mistakes. Keep in mind that collaboration should be seen from a balanced angle and in a “win-win” relationship. Only then will the collaboration be efficient in the long term. 

Embracing AI Trends in IT Recruitment

Lat but not least, the implementation of AI in recruitment practices has the potential to revolutionize how companies identify, engage, and hire IT contractors.

Here’s a closer look at how embracing AI trends can enhance your IT recruitment processes:

  • Streamline candidate vetting processes.
  • Analyze resumes for relevant skills and experience.
  • Predict candidate success based on data analytics.
  • Enhance decision-making during the hiring process.

By embracing these AI trends in IT recruitment, companies can not only stay competitive but also gain a significant edge in identifying and securing the best-fit IT contractors for their projects.


Don’t miss our Top 5 Strategies to Overcome the AI Talent Gap.


Mindquest, with its commitment to staying at the forefront of industry advancements, ensures that your recruitment strategies align with the latest AI innovations, facilitating a smoother and more effective hiring process.


Would you like to find out more about our recruitment service for IT consultants? Post your requirements now, or find out more about our job offers directly on our Mindquest platform!


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IT Decision-makers Tips & errors to avoid

The Best Tech Podcasts for IT Pros

What are the best Tech podcasts for IT pros? If it’s true that we are what we eat, then it might also be worth entertaining the idea that we are what we listen to. We’ve put together a list with a few tech-related podcasts that should be part of any IT professional’s audio library.  

From interviews with subject matter experts to business news analysis and futurism. This list has everything you’ll need to give you an edge in your career journey. Best of all? It’s all free. 

Looking for a job in IT? Check out our IT job hunting guide.

Best tech podcasts for IT Pros

Recode Decode 

There are few names in tech journalism that are as prominent as Kara Swisher’s. After making a career covering high-level cases around Silicon Valley, the U.S. reporter started Recode Decode in 2015. But what was originally a tech-exclusive interview show has now transcended into the broader public realm. Snatching AdWeek’s best podcast of 2019 prize.   

Thrice a week, Swisher interviews tech executives, politicians and public personalities to discuss their big ideas about changing the world. As an IT professional, it’s important to keep an open mind. Swisher’s show is a great way of expanding your horizons.   

You can start with this episode on how the global lockdown will forever impact the way we work. 

If you are looking for a more tech-focused approach, the Recode Decode brand is also host to other, more targeted tech podcasts. We recommend you check out Reset, a show on how and why tech is changing everything.   

Start with this episode on the future of work and the role of technology in it.  

WSJ’s The Future of Everything 

Speaking of how tech will shape our future – make sure you give a try to this Wall Street Journal podcast. The Future of Everything features interviews and analysis by the newspaper’s best reporters, exploring, together with industry pioneers, how technology and science are changing every aspect of life and business.  

If you want to keep tab on the tech innovations and trends transforming your industry and others, this is your show. A great way of staying ahead of events and the competition. 

You can start with this episode on the future of artificial intelligence

This Week in Tech 

If you’d like to focus more on the present, This Week in Tech with Leo Laporte is a good show to stay up-to-date with industry news. From mergers and acquisitions to product and software releases, this popular podcast makes honour to its name by looking at the past week in tech news.  

This is your go-to show if you enjoy a mix of straight-up business news and other, softer news stories like Elon Musk’s new son, X Æ A-12, and how his name should be pronounced.     

Here’s their latest episode.  

Clockwise 

Delving deeper into the user side of technology, Clockwise proposes a rather quick-paced and original format. Under 30 minutes, 4 panellists discuss 4 tech topics impacting society and business — from how COVID-19 contact tracing technology works to remote troubleshooting tips for IT pros. 

The show combines actionable insight and information with good humour and commentary on the everyday life of tech professionals. An excellent lunch companion.  

You can start with their latest episode, the topics of which include a post-pandemic wish list of tech changes and a recap of the best (and worst) phishing attempts.  

IDG’s CIO Podcasts 

If you are at a managerial level or in charge of IT strategy and operations, IDG’s CIO Podcasts can be very helpful. Packed with interviews with CIOs and IT leaders, the podcasts are a great way of keeping track of IT management best practices.  

The publication has two separate podcasts series for the U.K. and North America.  

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