While the ultimate goal of risk management in a nonprofit organization is to free up resources for activities related to its mission, nonprofits often shy away from useful technology for fear of being left in the dust kicked up by the complexity and speed of technological advances. With the intent of helping nonprofit organizations develop a fuller perspective of the hazards associated with the use and misuse of technology, Melanie Herman's Full Speed Ahead: Managing Technology Risk in the Nonprofit World provides practical suggestions for managing the full range of pitfalls that will help give organizations more control of their technology resources without consuming significant human or financial resources in the process.

With a reassuring ease, Herman categorizes technology risks and opportunities, describes the nature of the dangers, and suggests an array of practical strategies any nonprofit can adapt to meet its needs. First and foremost among these suggestions, Herman emphasizes the need for a specialist or two to guide the use and management of an organization's technological resources. Stressing that these specialists must "master the technology that arrived yesterday and stay attuned to changes, opportunities and risks that may be barely visible on tomorrow's horizon," Full Speed Ahead offers helpful hints on how to assess your organization's technology needs and how to hire the right staff to manage and troubleshoot them.

Full Speed Ahead is organized into ten categories of activity or concern, beginning with the topic of employment practices. Chapter 1 explores the topic of recruiting and retaining staff to manage an organization's technology resources. For some organizations, the untimely departure of the only person who knows how to back-up the file server and update the Web site is a serious risk. Chapter 2 discusses the importance of managing employee use of technology. The vast majority of data losses and other perils facing an organization's network and peripherals are the intentional and accidental actions by its employees. Chapter 3 delves into the topic of system security. Chapter 4 addresses the issue of Web sites, covering both functionality and content concerns. Chapter 5 covers the topic of privacy in the information age to help an organization begin to understand the questions that must be considered as part of an overall effort to manage technology risks. The book continues with chapters on "Change Management," "Tracking Software Ownership," "Managing Technology Vendors," and "Protecting Children on the Internet." The final chapter of the book, "Insuring Bits and Bytes," covers how to protect an organization from an untimely systems failure.

Many will want to read Full Speed Ahead straight through, but it's just as useful as a reference book. With helpful sidebar lists, a glossary of technology-related terms, and an appendix of resources and organizations that can assist nonprofits with their technology management, this resource will prove invaluable to the staffs of both fledgling and well-established organizations.