By Dick Stark

I’ve borrowed ten quotes from CIO Magazine’s President and CEO, Michael Friedenberg and applied them to the business service management and RightStar.  Let’s use them to think about your top ten priorities for 2013.

10. “The medium is the message.” Philosopher Marshall McLuhan’s phrase still resonates in our four-screen world of TV, desktop, tablet and smartphone. How have our solutions adapted to optimize the user medium to enhance the business message?  Is BMC’s MyIT the answer?

9. “All software is going to look like Facebook.” Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff’s remark predicts a world in which software is self-explanatory. Just look at Remedy version 8 and Remedyforce Winter Release 13.

8. “Accumulating data about you isn’t just a strange hobby for these corporations. It’s their whole business model. And you are not their client. You are their product.” Senator Al Franken’s observation about the big business of big data could mean big opportunities for better BSM data writing and reporting.

7. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci’s saying reminds us that the era of IT complexity must end. What legacy systems will we replace with Remedyforce?

6. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Aristotle wasn’t thinking of cloud or mobile devices here, but his aphorism still applies to technology. BMC is the market leader in Cloud Lifecycle Management.

5. “It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing.” Steve Jobs reminded us how much design matters. How can we ensure that a good process design works for our customers?

4. “Resistance to change is often just a lack of clarity.” Business author Dan Heath nailed it. How can we do a better job understanding our customer’s requirements and clarifying a response that better meets their needs?

3. “Never mistake activity for achievement.” Basketball coach John Wooden made a great point: Are we working hard without delivering business value?

2. “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” Futurist Alvin Toffler saw the value of lifelong learning. What does your personal development plan look like for 2013?

1. “You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times they are a-changin’.” Bob Dylan wasn’t thinking about the RightStar sales or consulting teams. Is there anyone more adept at change?