Business and project management skills are becoming increasingly important for IT professionals to master. Failed IT projects can put significant strain on business resources and can adversely affect an organization's bottom line. Poor project management is one of the primary reasons for IT project failure. Businesses are starting to realize that successfully managed IT projects increase productivity, yield a greater return on investment, increase profits, and improve customer service and satisfaction. In fact, many organizations are starting to require project management skills for IT job advancement. IT projects differ from other projects in one significant way. The IT department manages a business's data, which may include proprietary product data, customer and vendor data, financial data, personnel data, and so forth. Therefore, IT projects may involve several different systems. As an IT project manager, you must be able to work with these various systems and the individuals involved with them. IT projects can include hardware and software installations and upgrades, network security implementations, process improvements, training and support, and so forth. Program management differs from project management in that program management is the process of managing multiple interdependent projects for the common purpose of improving an organization's performance. This lesson will discuss vital IT resources available to IT managers, program management fundamentals, and the importance that project management concepts and skills are gaining in IT job roles, particularly IT project leadership positions. You should be aware of the available resources for technical data. This data can help you make better decisions as an IT manager. For example, if your company is considering a specific server product, you can check its installation base on the Internet. It is usually easier to hire qualified network and server administrators, Web developers, and programmers. if you choose a widely implemented server. The following list suggests a few Web sites you can visit to learn about current technology and Internet trends. http://news.netcraft.com www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp The Netcraft site (http://news.netcraft.com) performs market research and analyzes current trends in Internet business. The site provides a wide variety of Internet-related information, including data about the fastest-growing hosting companies, statistics on widely used server software, and trends in e-commerce.