There’s always been an understanding that IT takes care of the back-end, while Marketing takes care of the front-end relative to web initiatives. But now, the lines of responsibilities are somewhat blurred. 

As an e-business strategist, I now have to be knowledgeable in content management systems (all types including open source, java and .net), e-commerce solutions (SMB and Enterprise) as well as fluent in hosting environments that support diverse applications – including cloud computing. 

Bottom-line, web sites that are being built today require an understanding of various infrastructure components and applications. Reason simply, the technology will inform the marketing strategy and vice versa. The two need to work in tandem.

How do I stay on top of things?

Fortunately I have a superior network to call upon. But, when I need an answer fast, I typically rely on some of these great resources: 

1. Content Management Systems: The Web CMS Report 2010 
2. E-commerce: Internet Retailer  
3. IT and IT Infrastructure: SearchITChannel 
4. IT White Papers/Thought Leadership: KnowledgeStorm -- service of Bitpipe.com 
5. Search Engine Optimization: SEOMoz 
6. Cloud Computing: Vendor Comparisons by InfoWorld 

Feel free to contact MacDonald Consulting should you require a specific resource. 

Best

Denice MacDonald