Volume VII

Winter, 2006

In this Newsletter:

January WIT.Connect Rewind:

Charlotte Pelliccia
Panel of Industry Pioneers Demystify SOA

On January 19, a panel of industry experts tackled the issue of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and brought the subject to life for an audience that included business professionals, marketers and technologists.

Moderated by Jaye Helferd, Director, AlphaInsight, the panelists included:

• Belinda Hayes, Vice President, Systinet
• Edmund Vasquez, Web Services Integration Manager, Sprint Nextel Corporation
• Laury Wills, Senior Technical Specialist, AT&T

Sharing their personal experiences and real-world examples, the panelists framed the discussion with an overview of SOA emphasizing that it is a business and systems architectural approach and not a software or product. SOAs are self-contained, defined processes that can be reused. For example, “get contract” or “order a handset” or “create a repair ticket” are all SOAs. This new way of viewing operations, channels, and products opens up significant opportunities to speed time to market, derive additional business value from existing IT investments, and create new product offerings. Although there’s a slight cost up front when first developed and implemented, they dramatically reduce costs with reuse.

Some of the industries that are leading the way in the adoption of SOA are telecommunications services providers, financial services firms, and online retailers. AT&T and Sprint Nextel discussed the phenomenon of “E-Bonding” (Electronic Bonding), enabling customers to interact with their internal, proprietary systems to facilitate business transactions. E-Bonding significantly cuts costs while enhancing customer service. Financial service firms are at the forefront of SOA for internal applications – streamlining the delivery of services to their internal customers in various business units around the globe. And companies like Amazon, EBay, and Yahoo all offers services that enable customers to quickly build a storefront, a new source of revenue these online retailers now enjoy that required a relatively small, one-time cost.

The panelists shared some of the keys to success when adopting SOA:

• Create a repository so you are able to find the services
• Identify naming standards so you can quickly organize the services
• Make training critical and continuous
• Make sure the team includes people who can functionally decompose the business process – this is more art than science
• Foster a partnership between the Enterprise Architecture Department and Systems Engineering
• Start small and demonstrate cost savings
• Create the right organizational incentives to encourage this new approach
• Market research is KEY – know your customer

The panelists closed with a word of caution – SOA is inevitable; the benefits are too great to ignore. In order to compete in this new paradigm every company MUST start to think of its products as a service.

Le-Marie Vanessa Joan Thompson
Transforming Your New Year’s Resolutions into Action Plans for 2006

The New Year presents many opportunities to make a fresh start on personal and professional goals. It’s a time to look forward with naive optimism about the wide possibilities of what can be achieved. Some of us have already made new year’s resolutions to either lose weight, give up smoking, or spend more time with family and friends. The challenge for us is to transform what we resolve to do into action plans for our goals.

Develop Action Plans

When we undertake a project at work, we create detailed project plans; establish milestones, and set-up status meetings with key stakeholders to keep the project on track. Our personal and professional goals deserve the same attention and diligence. When thinking about developing your action plan look ahead to December 31, 2006. Reflect on an achievement that puts you closer to realizing your lifelong dreams. It may seem unintuitive at first to approach your goals as if you’ve already accomplished them but, by tackling them this way, it will help you in laying out the steps necessary to achieve them.

Establish Milestones

Milestones are simply places within the span of a project where mini-goals are achieved. Say your goal is to establish yourself as a leader in industry and among your peers. You have already planned to gain experience in activities that would build upon your leadership skills. A milestone in achieving this goal could be joining a WIT committee and volunteering to head an initiative that would benefit WIT membership. Whatever the goal may be, it’s important to establish milestones that build upon each other, ultimately leading to the accomplishment of your goal.

Schedule Status Meetings

Achievements are not attained in silos; they involve collaboration and support from key stakeholders. To achieve your goal, identify stakeholders with a vested interest in your success and meet with them regularly. WIT provides networking activities, such as the Lunch Bunch in which you can meet individuals that will be willing to share feedback with you and provide advice about your goal. Many established leaders within WIT and other professional organizations would be more than willing to be your advocate and help you keep your plans on track.

It takes courage, dedication, and a lot of hard work to transform resolutions from a simple list into actionable plans. The work will be well worth it when you toast in 2007, knowing that you’ve taken yourself one step closer to achieving your personal and professional goals.

WIT Recognizes Media Sponsors

WIT thanks its newest media sponsor – BusinessWire.

As a result of their generous support, WIT is now able to promote events via BusinessWire to help raise visibility in the DC Metro area.

Lelia Mathur Peck
Preparing Yourself, Preserving Your Options: How Long Should I Keep Tax Records?

The answer depends on the document. But the general rule is “Keep any record necessary for the IRS to determine your correct taxes for as long as the IRS can audit your return (i.e., the statute of limitations).” This includes tax returns and any receipts or other documents that support your salary, wages, tips, or deductible expenses until at least three years from the time you file the return, or three years from the due date of the return – whichever is later.

The Exceptions
If you fail to report income that should have appeared on your return, and that income exceeds 25 percent of the income actually shown on the return, the period of limitations extends to six years instead of three.

There is no statute of limitations on false or fraudulent returns, or if you fail to file a return at all. In these cases, the IRS can go after you at any time.

You should also hold on to any documents that establish what you paid for securities, or for real estate or other investment property for as long as you own that property – plus the three-year statute of limitations starting from the time you sell or gift the property.

You may need these documents in order to establish your tax basis in the investment. You’ll also want to keep records on the cost of repairs and improvements, which increase the cost basis and decrease the eventual tax liability (or increase the tax loss).

A Few Caveats
If you give your appreciated property away, the recipients of the property will be liable for capital gains taxes on the difference between the sale price and your basis, not the value of the gift when it was gifted. Gift recipients do not receive the benefit of the stepped-up basis.

You should also keep copies of your W-2s until you begin receiving Social Security benefits. You may need them to establish eligibility or resolve conflicts or disputes over your work record and how much you should be receiving.

March WIT.Connect

with the Project Management Institute
Leading in the Midst of a Crisis Crunch

Joanne Lozar Glenn
WIT Woman in the Spotlight: Marla Ozarowski

A chance to make a difference—that’s one of Marla Ozarowski’s criteria for a satisfying career and a meaningful life. “Marla’s really results-oriented,” says Boyd Steward, who works with her as Freddie Mac’s director of technology management. “She’s [good at] balancing what employees need with what the business needs.”

Marla Ozarowski, Director of Technology Adoption, Freddie Mac

Ozarowski knows about keeping things in balance: she’s a wife, soccer mom, IT professional, and community leader. More than that, says Dawn Jones, she generously shares her wisdom. Jones, senior manager at Deloitte and Touche, met Ozarowski through WIT’s Mentor-Protegé Program. Early on, Ozarowski helped Jones figure out how to get involved in a large organization like WIT.

“Marla had chosen things that really mattered to her, things that matched her life and work interests,” Jones says. “They weren’t just more bullets on her résumé.”

Jones adds that Ozarowski made her feel it was OK to be open about what she could and could not do. “Before [her influence], I probably would have gritted my teeth and stayed up all night just to [finish a project],” Jones says. “Now instead of working 24/7 to get something done, at least I can be comfortable having the conversation about [whether] I can meet the commitment.”

A chance to make a difference? Looks like Ozarowski already has.

Vital Statistics

Career highlights: In 1982, while at Digital Equipment Corporation, I worked with MCI, Digital Equipment Corp., Hewlett Packard, BB&N, and AMS to develop MCI Mail, the first commercial electronic mail application and the first commercial use of the TCP/IP protocol. In 2004, I co-founded the Women and Girls in Technology Education Foundation (WITEF).

Most important thing you've learned in your career: Don’t sweat the small stuff, and assume positive motivation. Corporate politics just amounts to interpersonal relations and learning how to work with people in a positive manner. One way to do that successfully is to assume that people try to do the right things for the right reasons.

Your next career goal: Retirement! I no longer seek to advance up the corporate ladder. [Now I find it] more important to seek interesting work, appropriate responsibilities, stimulating people, and the opportunity to make a difference.

Your connection to WIT: I’ve been active since 2000 (a colleague introduced me). I served on the Steering Committee for the WIT Mentoring Program, led Girls in Technology Outreach (GIT) for two years, and established WITEF.

Why you belong: WIT has been a source of friendships and camaraderie. I like the opportunity to give back, and to work with professional women like me who face similar challenges. Women in technology have made great strides but still have unique challenges related to gender.

Do you have role models? My parents are immigrants, and I grew up learning to take pride in being different. I see many wonderful qualities in [every individual], and I try to draw a bit of wisdom or strength from each person.

Most important thing you've learned about leadership: You can’t work at becoming a leader. But, you can be aware of those who exhibit leadership qualities, and over time these qualities can become part of who you are. And—when you are forging new frontiers, sometimes it’s OK to make it up as you go along.

Kudos: Featured in ComputerWorld and NBEA Forum (2005). Named one of Christian & Timbers’ “10 Top Tech Women to Watch (2004).” “WIT Champion” Leadership Award (2005).

Challenges: Facing challenge is part of what makes professional work interesting and rewarding. The one challenge that sometimes gets the better of me is work-life balance. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and I sometimes have to remind myself when “good enough” is good enough.

In my free time: I like to read, cook, roller blade, and travel. I enjoy just about any family activity, including being a “soccer mom.” I’m also on the Board of Directors for the Lorton Community Action Center. This spring we plan to drive to see San Francisco, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and the Utah National Parks.

Favorite quote: I don’t have a favorite quote, but I am fond of the story of the jar. It’s a story of balance—if you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Email:
marla_Ozarowski@freddiemac.com
or
marlaoz@hotpop.com

Contact

Editor: Piper Conrad
piper.conrad@apogentech.com

Contributors:

Joanne Lozar Glenn
Charlotte Pelliccia
Le-Marie Vanessa Joan Thompson
Holly Williams