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CIO Agenda Blog: October 2008 Archives
Microsoft's green message
October 30, 2008
It's not easy being green -- ask Microsoft. While many companies are looking to consolidation and virtualisation to increase the efficiency of their data centres, Microsoft has just announced that it expects to boost the number of data centers it operates by three times, and its power usage by 15 times, during the course of the next five years.
It's all part of the firm's Azure Services Platform investment -- basically Microsoft's take on 'cloud computing'. It will need the additional back-end infrastructure as it hosts more of its own and third party applications on its Azure Services Platform.
Still, with that kind of increase in server capacity and power usage, it's going to be a little tricky for Microsoft to engage in much 'green messaging' in the near future, isn't it?
Then again, you could, I suppose, use the argument that if it is hosting these applictions for customers, then those customers' own power consumption should go down in equal measure.
Read more about cloud computing in this feature.
Could you benefit from decent print management?
October 29, 2008
You may recall a recent blog which listed the top 10 quick and dirty technologies that can save a company some hard cash in these tough times: print management was on the list at number 10.
Well some new research commissioned by Canon backs up what was said in that blog and puts some figures on the scale of the problem: poor print management is costing European businesses EUR 17,000 a year each, amounting to a total annual cost of EUR 663 billion to Europe’s businesses as a whole...[click continue reading for more on this entry]...
NHS Trust opts for better planning & budgeting
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust has gone live with Collaborative Planning, a budgeting and forecasting system from COA Solutions, hoped to improve reporting efficiency and aid service-line reporting.
The system, which is being rolled-out to 80 budget holders across the Trust, is providing Bedford Hospital with significant cost and time savings as well as increased financial transparency and accountability...[click continue reading for more]...
Project managers lack right tools: survey
A recent poll claims to show that four out of five project management professionals see resource management as one of their most important business processes, but only 29 per cent have adequate systems in place to support them.
More than a half (52%) still rely on basic spreadsheets or simple databases, while nearly a fifth (19%) have no system in place at all to help manage this key function.
The survey, conducted by project management software provider Maconomy at the Project Challenge Show in London, questioned attendees from some of the leading public and private sector organisations across the UK. Although resource management is evidently a primary consideration for professional services firms, the results suggest that many are unable to do this efficiently, Maconomy said.
Neil Davidson, Maconomy UK MD said: “With the current economic climate as it is, professional service firms are facing increasing pressure on a number of fronts: they have to deliver continuous results with lower margins; retain customers in a highly competitive market and, not least, develop and retain the talent in their company. With company value residing so heavily in the skills and knowledge of individual project managers, effective resource management can make the difference between profit, break-even or loss.”
53 per cent of respondents saw getting visibility of available skills and resources as the biggest challenge in managing capacity and resources across their business. Only 16 per cent of firms had a dedicated resource manager. Project managers were rated as the most likely job role to be responsible for capacity and resource management in an organisation – in addition to their primary role.
Leicester Council cuts down on paper
October 28, 2008
The dream of the paperless office may not have come to much for most organisations, but Leicester City Council is still doing its bit to cut down on the amount of paper it relies on.
Management consultant Mouchel, and its partner Open Text have been working on a pilot project at the Council within its property services department, which is hoped to decrease its use of physical files.
The council says it was experiencing a lot of challenges associated with paper-based document management and storage: the volume of paper documents was said to be growing exponentially.
Mouchel is helping to implement Open Text’s R/KYV electronic document and records management (EDRM) system. The contract was secured through the EU Restricted Procedure in December 2007 and the pilot scheme was installed in June 2008.
Leicester City Council said it chose the Mouchel and Open Text partnership because the two companies have proved they have experience of working together, and the capability to understand its requirements.
Neil Gamble, head of property development at Leicester City Council, said: “Mouchel has impressed Leicester City Council, with both its technical expertise and its flexible approach to delivery. This has been a challenging deployment and Mouchel's engagement has been important in its success.”
IT professionals ‘could boost salary by 40%’: research
October 24, 2008
How would you like to boost your salary by up to 40%? According to IT recruitment specialists Globe One, the Best Practice ITIL qualification can increase an IT professional’s earning potential by up to 40%.
Based on an assessment of Globe One’s current clients, all of its current employers prefer that candidates have an ITIL certification, either manager or foundation level, awarding a salary increase of up to 40% for candidates with the qualification.
For those candidates without an ITIL qualification, employers want at least 10 to 15 years of on the job experience for the same pay bracket. This trend demonstrates that IT employees could stand to benefit from completing the training with possible salary increases of up to £16,000 per annum...[click continue reading for more on this entry]...
NHS Trust looks to virtualisation to cut servers by 67%
Dorset HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust (DHFT) is looking to server and storage consolidation and virtualisation to improve infrastructure costs, with a more energy efficient data centre that meets green IT imperatives whilst future-proofing application flexibility.
The Trust has appointed healthcare IT specialist CSA Waverley to consolidate and virtualise its server and storage infrastructure after identifying a critical need to free up data centre space and power. All applications will now benefit from high availability and resilience, streamlining business continuity processes, the Trust said.
DHFT said it will enable the Trust to better serve staff and patients, and indeed in a more sustainable manner.
CSA Waverley is consolidating the Trust’s extensive Windows server estate by 67%, using HP Blade Server Infrastructure and virtualisation...[click continue reading for more on the Trust's expected energy savings]...
Only 9% of senior IT execs ‘secure in their job’: survey
October 13, 2008
A poll of 1,118 senior IT executives has revealed considerable disquiet as the economic situation heaps uncertainty on the sector.
The survey, by the Chartered Management Institute, found that just 9 per cent of individuals feel secure in their current job in the IT sector...[click continue reading for more survey results]...
Outsourcing doesn’t mean ‘securesourcing’: ask the MOD
October 10, 2008
Commenting on the latest data security breach involving the disappearance of an MOD computer hard drive containing personal details of 100,000 servicemen, William Beer, director in the information security practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, said: “There is often a misconception that when services have been outsourced, data security has also been automatically taken care of. This is not the case."
“It is the responsibility of any organisation to keep data secure at all times, including when it's entrusted to third parties for transfer or disposal,” he said. “Every time data is moved or transferred across an organisation or to contractors, it creates an additional security risk. Organisations need to be certain of the security standards their suppliers follow and have a means of maintaining compliance.”
Beware cloud computing: advice
Global Secure Systems (GSS), an IT Security consultancy, is urging companies to review their IT security arrangements before jumping - even on a trial basis - into the world of Cloud Computing.
"Several vendors, notably Amazon, Google and Oracle, have launched their Cloud Computing offerings in recent weeks, and now IBM has entered the fray with its Bluehouse Web-based service, which is on active trial via the firm's Web site," said David Hobson, GSS' managing director...[click continue reading for more on cloud computing's risks]...
Proof that telecommunting boosts productivity?
Companies that give their workers the option of telecommuting are benefitting from greater productivity, lower costs, more options for finding and retaining qualified staff, and improved employee health, according to a new survey released today by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).
More than two-thirds (67 percent) of survey respondents said their organization has experienced greater worker productivity as a result of allowing employees to telecommute either full-time or part-time. Improved productivity is principally due to workers spending less time getting to and from work…[click continue reading for more findings from the research]…
Lessons in website scalability
Even after all these years of the Internet it seems some companies still have scalability issues with their websites. Time to look at on-demand offerings that have almost limitless scalability, perhaps?
The Sun's website this morning: "We are currently experiencing a high-load [sic]. Please come back in a little while..."
SAP, Business Objects user groups to work together
October 09, 2008
The SAP UK & Ireland User Group (SUGUKI) and the Business Objects User Group UK (BOUG) announced that they are establishing a joint working party to examine the opportunities for closer collaboration between the two groups.
SAP completed its acquisition of Business Objects in January 2008 to further extend the company’s reporting and visualisation capabilities, “giving users strategic insight into their business processes”, according to the user groups.
“The creation of the joint working party will help establish the impact of the acquisition and determine the future needs of both SUGUKI and BOUG members,” the user groups said.
“The joint working party will be identifying possible ways in which both organisations can co-ordinate their activities to better serve the needs of their respective members. It will be evaluating both organisations’ legal and financial structures; administrative and operational activities; and their relationship with SAP, Business Objects, other user groups and business partners. Recommendations on future collaboration will then be put forward to the respective memberships of both groups for ratification,” they said.
Alan Bowling, chairman of the SAP UK & Ireland User Group, said: “With SAP looking at the closer integration of SAP and Business Objects’ products, it makes sense that both user groups start talking with each other. Collectively or as individual user groups, we will need to influence SAP to try and make sure that its integration plans create best value for all users. Through the joint working party we hope to create a framework that will benefit all our members.”
Entrepreneur encourages women into IT profession
The School of Computing at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen is taking steps to attract more women to consider information technology (IT) as a career.
A workshop being held on 10th October at the University will address the gender imbalance in the IT profession and consider ways to attract girls into the sector. The invited audience will comprise of delegates from schools, colleges, the university and those in IT practice working in the local business community.
Ann Budge, CEO of SOPRA and an Honorary graduate of RGU will be the guest speaker at the event. Ann, one of the few female CEOs in the IT industry, has a career which spans more than 30 years during which time she has witnessed and participated in a considerable period of change for the industry.
Professor Ian Allison, Head of RGU's School of Computing said, "Securing staff with specialised knowledge in areas such as business systems, software engineering and intelligent data analysis is becoming increasingly difficult and hindering business development. Keeping up with the demand from business for good graduates is increasingly difficult. Attracting more women into these professions would be a positive step to address this growing problem."
The workshop will examine a wide range of issues including the experiences of women currently working in the IT professions, whether there are any "glass ceilings" either technically or managerially, and what advantages women have in the IT sector.
The workshop will take place at RGU's School of Computing, St Andrews Street, on Friday 10 October at 2.15pm. For further information it’s suggested you contact the School of Computing on 01224 262701.
69% of companies don't have full email audit trail: survey
An independent survey commissioned by email management firm Mimecast, found that many British businesses are failing to put in place effective procedures to archive and retrieve emails, which could jeopardise their ability to defend themselves effectively in a legal dispute.
The research, conducted amongst 125 IT managers, by market research company emedia, discovered that 25% of companies are unable to access an email sent three years ago. What’s more, 69% of companies cannot produce a comprehensive email audit trail of these records that would be admissible in court as evidence.
The speed and effort involved in retrieving emails from several years ago was also a factor: 29% of respondents admitted that it would take them days or even weeks to retrieve a copy of a three-year old email.
One possible explanation for the difficulty in retrieving email could be explained by another finding, showing that 42% of IT managers consider that it is not their responsibility but that of the individual employee to store and manage their own emails.
An additional 15% believe that it is down to the board of management to define email management policies, which it is their duty to enforce.
James Blake, Chief Product Strategist at Mimecast, believes that this lack of forward planning leaves a large number of companies exposed to substantial risk of being unable to defend themselves adequately in the event of civil or criminal litigation.
He said: “It’s a fact of life that the majority of organisations get involved in some sort of litigation process at some stage in their development. Being able to assemble a full and complete record of email evidence allows you to accurately assess the case either for prosecution or defence purposes and is vital to determining the best course of action. Email is the de facto communications method for businesses and is a key element of presenting or defending a legal case, as well as proving compliance with industry regulations.”
Stewart Room, partner and technology specialist at legal firm Field Fisher Waterhouse and author of ‘Email: Law Practice and Compliance’ commented,” Being able to give full disclosure of emails in litigation is only one of the challenges facing organisations; they also need to ensure that their emails are of sufficient probative value and evidential worth. This needs technologies which can produce comprehensive and accurate audit evidence of all keys events that have happened to the email after its initial sending or receipt."
10 ways to spot a potential ‘IT train wreck’: Gartner
Many IT organisations are overly focused on which tactical step to take next and are missing the ever-worsening bigger picture with respect to IT modernisation, according to Gartner.
“Gartner foresees a confluence of trends that, if ignored, will leave many organisations unable to respond effectively to business demands,” the analyst firm said.
“We are seeing the IT conversation dominated by what projects to do next, status of existing projects and talk of maintenance efforts,” said Scott Nelson, managing vice president at Gartner. “The danger is that many organisations are doing the equivalent of looking down at each step they take, rather than picking their heads up and seeing where the steps are leading. For many companies, the potential for an IT train wreck is significant if the warning signs are not heeded.”
“It is easy for companies to turn a blind eye to changes in the IT application landscape, but these systemic changes are unavoidable and companies that ignore the signs will have problems with their application strategies,” said Val Sribar, group vice president at Gartner. “Understanding the key signs of change in applications will help companies develop effective plans to modernise their application environment.”
In order to help organisations recognise the signs of potential danger, Gartner has identified 10 key indicators…[click continue reading for Gartner’s 10 key indicators of a potential ‘IT train wreck’]…
Do CIOs care about software quality?
October 08, 2008
A survey released today has revealed surprising levels of apathy from top-level executives and CIOs towards software quality. Over 40% of CIOs quizzed on how the importance of their software quality is perceived within the business answered ‘not at all’ or ‘as a nice to have.’
The survey was carried out by Richmond, on behalf of Original Software, and spoke to delegates at the CIO Forum in New York. The companies represented had average annual revenues of $5.8bn (£3.3bn) and IT budgets of $764m (£438m).
The report says this indifference from top-level management backs up recent findings by IDC, which suggested that, “More than 40% of all software applications are released with between one and ten critical defects, the management being fully aware of this at the time of issue.”...[click continue reading for more on this entry]...
UK mobile workers still flouting IT policy: research
October 02, 2008
25% of all businesses have experienced security issues as a result of employees using their laptops or mobile devices outside of work in contravention of company policy, while 50% of workers do not know that there are different policies when using IT inside or outside of work.
Those are two of the headline findings from new research sponsored by Vodafone UK, which is said to reveal that many UK businesses appear unsure as to how to secure mobile devices effectively.
One in three staff have never read their employer’s IT policy or don’t know that it exists, the research revealed...[click continue reading for more on this entry]...
IT budgets under pressure in 2009?
A survey conducted by NetQoS at the IP’08 show in London this week found that in terms of IT spending on overall IT infrastructure and management software budgets, 47% of respondents said their budgets will remain the same in 2009, while 39% indicated they will increase, despite the economic downturn…[click Continue Reading for more on this entry]…
Only 2% of companies not planning server virtualisation
October 01, 2008
Recent research carried out by Storage Expo amongst 362 companies found that only 2% had no plans to implement server virtualisation.
The main objective for implementing virtualisation was sever consolidation (62%) closely followed by new management capabilities (30%)...[click Continue Reading for more on this entry]...
Companies ineffective at managing ‘persistent data’
A new survey claims to show that companies are not effectively managing their ‘persistent data’ – the non-changing static data that makes up the majority of stored corporate information.
The survey of 250 IT professionals at Fortune 1000 companies, government and academic institutions around the world, found that 71% of companies are storing persistent data on either primary storage or a mix of primary and archival systems - an expensive, inefficient and environmentally wasteful method for storing static data, according to survey sponsors Copan Systems...[click Continue Reading for more on this entry]...
Lawmed boosts productivity with mobile, CRM systems
It’s been a while since Tom Siebel of Siebel Systems fame had to evangelise the benefits of customer relationship management (CRM) systems, but one UK-based firm has shown that CRM and mobility offerings still have the power to increase productivity.
Hersham, Surrey-based Lawmed, which provides customers with equipment and instruments for use both in open and minimally invasive surgery, had its IT systems and equipment upgraded by fellow Surrey-based The Comms Co (TCCO).
The upgrade included modernising the phone and IT systems and providing a new suite of desktop and laptop computers. Lawmed had previously been relying on paper-based systems, but a new fleet of computers, and the roll-out of a customised CRM system based on SugarCRM is said to have dramatically improved productivity and response times...[click continue reading for more on this entry]...
UK company chiefs migrate north
An annual survey of UK company directors has found that an increasing number of company directors are choosing to live outside of London and the South East, with what it termed, “A gradual migration of company directors from the South of England, to more northerly regions, as well as Scotland and Wales”.
The KDB Annual Survey of UK Company Directors 2008 found that while London still has the highest density of company directors in the country (10.4% of the adult population), the South East (8.1%) saw the biggest fall in the proportion of the population who are company directors with the figures for the South Coast (6.4%), East Anglia (5.5%) and South West (5.7%) dropping as well. In contrast, the North East (4.2%), North West (5.1%), Midlands (5.2%), Wales (3.9%) and Scotland (4%) all saw their proportions grow...[click continue reading for more on this entry]...
Survey reveals green challenges for UK businesses
60% of UK businesses aim to reduce their carbon footprint in the next 18 months, a new survey has revealed.
The independent OmniBoss research, conducted by Vanson Bourne and commissioned by ‘value-added distributor’ Zycko, is said to provide a detailed overview of the green IT issues currently faced by medium to large UK businesses...[click continue reading for more on this entry]...
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