Apr 15

BCS Service Management Specialist Group

By admin communication-standards, industry best practise, it-projects, proffesional bodies, uncategorized No Comments »

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BCS Service Management Specialist Group

Subject: Multi-sourcing – How Ready Are You?

Date: Monday 10 May 2010

Time: Registration & refreshments at 18:00 with talks commencing at 18:30. Finishing around 20:00 followed by wine, finger food and informal networking.

Venue: BCS, The Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London, WC2E 7HA.

See http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/london-office-guide.pdf

for directions.

Speaker: Daniel Jones, Partner at TPI

Synopsis:

Many organisations today are working with multi-sourced IT services; some have arrived at this state through disjointed sourcing activities whilst others have set out with the strategic objective of working with best of breed providers, spreading their risks by avoiding lock-in to a single supplier and at the same time realising IT cost reductions. The rise of Business Process Outsourcing, cloud based services and globalisation are all contributing to pressure for adoption of multi-sourced IT services.

A new approach is required for end to end governance and performance management that enables organisations to realise their objectives in a multi-sourced model. This talk sets out risks and challenges that accompany Multi-sourcing, and proposes the approaches necessary to achieve the intended level of service performance and the planned financial outcome. Examples from both Public and Private Sectors will be explored.

About Daniel: A graduate of the London Business School, Daniel has spent over 20 years in consultancy, application development and IT services in senior roles for a number of major service providers and working with clients in the Media, Pharmaceuticals, Retail, Financial Services, Pharmaceuticals and Public Sectors. Prior to joining TPI he was the Managing Director, Civil Government and Healthcare at EDS, responsible for the delivery of BPO and IT services to a portfolio of clients, many of them operating with multiple suppliers. He is currently responsible for TPI’s Public Sector business.

Registration: This event is free to current BCS members and £15.00 (+VAT) for non members.

please use www.bcs.org/events/registration to register for this event.

Mar 30

Data Centre Specialist Group – Measuring Up? Metrics and your data centre

By admin green-it, industry best practise, insights, ngo, proffesional bodies No Comments »

In the quest for metrics that describe what we do in the data centre and how efficiently we do it, we’ve nailed PUE which despite it’s shortcomings has been adopted as the first simple metric to describe the inefficiency in getting power from the utility feed to the IT equipment.

So what’s next? PUE is not and cannot be the end of the story. What do we need to define and describe next as PUE only gets us so far? Is it data centre or IT productivity? There have been many attempts to describe the “useful work” done by a data centre, but those that have tried know it is far from a simple problem. We’ve seen DCeP, CUPS, CADE, DPPE and others trying to do so but none have quite hit the mark.

We are right now at a turning point in our industry, following our last event we (Intellect and DCSG) have begun discussions with DECC (Department for Energy & Climate Change) on data centres as an industry establishing an industry wide Climate Change Agreement (CCA) as an alternative to being penalised within the Carbon Reduction Committment (CRC).

Establishing a CCA requires the industry to define and measure its productivity in some way so the metrics we agree and define to measure ourselves will make a significant difference to our future as a sector, certainly from a regulatory perspective within the UK initially and then further afield.

But what metric will be most useful for measuring the productivity your data centre? Or are we all on the wrong path? What’s the best way of demonstrating to your manager\CIO\board that your data centres are as efficient as they can be and delivering value for your business?

Come along to the latest DCSG Event to listen to the options from the industry’s leading figures on what they this is the best way to proceed. The evening will be split into two parts with the second half of the evening giving way to a panel discussion and debate. As is the norm with DCSG events, the audience normally have just as much (if not more!) to say than the panelists!

Always interesting, insightful and surprisingly entertaining this is a DCSG Event you shouldn’t miss!

This Event will be run in association with the Green Grid EMEA.

via Data Centre Specialist Group – Measuring Up? Metrics and your data centre.

Feb 08

Olympics and Green tech: ‘No room to fail’ – Vancouver Winter Games

By admin 24x7 Management And Support, communication-standards, design concepts, disaster-recovery, document-management, green-it, industry best practise, insights, it-management, it-projects, media-tools, network-security, operating systems & collaborative tools, proffesional bodies, server architecture, training, uncategorized No Comments »

This is not your grandfather’s winter games. Every Olympic city makes major investments in technology, security and infrastructure in the 21st Century, and the Vancouver Winter Games are no exception.  The Olympic Cauldron will be lit on February 12, 2010. And yet, the hard work began immediately after Canada was selected to host the 2010 Winter Olympics back in 2004.

Want some examples?

1)      Technology companies are certainly talking about their unique role in these Games.  Green technology is a central element. Check out this Canadian website on technology related to the Olympics.

2)      Stopping terrorism is essential. One article back in 2005 estimated that the security budget would be about $177 million with a 50-50 split between the federal and provincial governments, but USA Today called actual security spending to be closer to $1 billion. More than 1000 security cameras are in place for the Winter Olympics.

3)      Infrastructure development has been important. There are plenty of stories online about the people behind the scenes who make the Olympic Games happen. There are also stories about the technology being used. If you look hard enough, you’ll find just about every big IT company is involved in some way. One example is Sun, but AT&T and others are right there as well.

4)      The economic development aspects and wider role of the Olympics can be seen in YouTube videos like this one.

5)      The role of the city mayors and Vancouver Government overall has been a huge part of this story.

Bottom line, this is big business. Just like the involvement of the South African Government in preparing for the 2010 World Cup in June, the Vancouver Olympic Games required an incredible investment in everything that we do in government technology every day. The difference is the scale, and the number of people watching.

So when you watch that beautiful opening or closing ceremony, when the US Hockey Team is skating to victory or those international downhill skiers fly past your TV screen, remember the technology and security infrastructure that made it all possible.

Let the games begin…

Feb 05

Google to enlist NSA to help it ward off cyberattacks – washingtonpost.com

By admin cloud computing, network-security, operating systems & collaborative tools, proffesional bodies No Comments »

By Ellen NakashimaThursday, February 4, 2010

The worlds largest Internet search company and the worlds most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity.

Under an agreement that is still being finalized, the National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks, according to cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter. The objective is to better defend Google — and its users — from future attack.Google and the NSA declined to comment on the partnership. But sources with knowledge of the arrangement, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the alliance is being designed to allow the two organizations to share critical information without violating Googles policies or laws that protect the privacy of Americans online communications.

The sources said the deal does not mean the NSA will be viewing users searches or e-mail accounts or that Google will be sharing proprietary data.The partnership strikes at the core of one of the most sensitive issues for the government and private industry in the evolving world of cybersecurity: how to balance privacy and national security interests. On Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair called the Google attacks, which the company acknowledged in January, a “wake-up call.” Cyberspace cannot be protected, he said, without a “collaborative effort that incorporates both the U.S. private sector and our international partners.”

via Google to enlist NSA to help it ward off cyberattacks – washingtonpost.com.

Feb 01

Texting Underground Can Save Lives And Caves

By admin communication-standards, insights, it-projects, media-tools, ngo, proffesional bodies, uncategorized No Comments »

Caves are some of the last places on the planet left to explore. Though caving is relatively safe, if something goes wrong deep inside the Earth, a rescue can take days — in part because cell phones and walkie-talkies don't work underground. But a remarkable teenager in New Mexico has invented a device that may significantly speed that process with the ability to text from underground caves. The young man's invention may have other applications, as well.

Underground Transmission

Alexander Kendrick, 16, won the 2009 International Science Fair for inventing this cave-texting device. The award got the teen from Los Alamos, N.M., a new computer, a trip to Switzerland and $12,000.

A cave radio that allows you to beam data to the surface rather than visiting it in person can be extremely valuable. It could save the cave.

- Diana Northup

I wanted to find out why this thing was such a big deal. The next thing I knew, I was hanging from a rope in the bowels of the Earth and groaning under my breath.

I was with a team of cavers in Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, heading 1,000 feet underground to test Kendrick's invention.

The device is something like a computer attached to a ham radio. It transmits data using low-frequency radio waves that can penetrate rock more easily than high-frequency transmissions, like those in FM broadcasts.

If this test succeeded, it would be the deepest known underground digital communication ever to take place in the United States.

The Difference Between Life And Death

Why would anyone want to text from nearly 1,000 feet underground?

Here's why: In a 1991 New Mexico cave rescue, it took 170 people four days to save a woman with a broken leg. The rescue team had to lay miles of telephone line in order to stay in touch with the surface.

If they'd had Kendrick's radio, the rescue time may have been cut in half.

Sixteen-year-old inventor Alexander Kendrick stands in the Lake of the Clouds.

Enlarge Brad Horn for NPR

Alexander Kendrick stands in the Lake of the Clouds after testing his invention. He and the team of cavers executed the deepest known digital communication ever to take place in the United States.

Sixteen-year-old inventor Alexander Kendrick stands in the Lake of the Clouds.

Brad Horn for NPR

Alexander Kendrick stands in the Lake of the Clouds after testing his invention. He and the team of cavers executed the deepest known digital communication ever to take place in the United States.

That could make the difference between life and death.

via Texting Underground Can Save Lives And Caves : NPR.

Jan 29

Prepare for the Worst, Plan for the Best: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Small Businesses, 2nd Edition | Book Review

By jeromewagner disaster-recovery, industry best practise, insights, it-management, proffesional bodies, training No Comments »

The book addresses disaster planning for small businesses in three stages: prepare, recover and respond.

The section on how to prepare for a disaster is the most detailed, and contains generic as well as practical suggestions.

The author provides logical common sense guidelines for the realities of how to prepare for, respond to and recover from problems, and this has a thoroughness brought about by experience.

The examples of specific problems encountered, which are provided throughout, help to keep the focus on why being prepared is important for the small business.

Specific suggestions whilst preparing are to not plan for the worst case only, as this causes planning paralysis and might result in the assumption that if it is not possible to plan for everything don’t bother to do anything at all. Also, the recommendation to prepare in a step-by-step fashion, prioritising what is important to your business, is key.

Part two covers the immediate response to a disaster, and the flexible implementation of the disaster planning. The final section addresses business recovery to the pre-disaster state.

Overall, the common sense suggestions are useful, but the detailed instructions on who to contact, how to register, and so on, are too USA-specific for a UK audience. I estimate the book is probably 75 per cent applicable outside the USA.

via Prepare for the Worst, Plan for the Best: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Small Businesses, 2nd Edition | Archive | Book Reviews | Opinion, News, Analysis | BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT.

Dec 15

Hosted Security for Email, Web and Instant Messaging

By jeromewagner 24x7 Management And Support, cloud computing, communication-standards, disaster-recovery, document-management, green-it, hardware, industry best practise, it-management, it-projects, media-tools, ngo, proffesional bodies, uncategorized No Comments »

Hosted Security Services for Small & Medium Businesses

MessageLabs Hosted Services provide an easy and affordable way to secure, control and manage email, web and instant messaging communications. Cheaper, quicker & easier to deploy than in-house solutions, MessageLabs Hosted Services deliver proven technology from a market leader, allowing IT Managers to free up resources & concentrate on running their business.

Benefits of MessageLabs Hosted Services

Strategic Benefits Operational Benefits

Predictable costs for budgeting Lower total cost of ownership compared to in-house solutions

Less on-site hardware/software to install & maintain

Scalable service grows with your business

Only pay for the users you have

Hosted services from a market leader Helps your business to operate without interruption

Service levels you can rely on

Happy, productive end users

Proven performance

Effective resource management Threats blocked at the internet level, freeing up bandwidth

One supplier for your email, web and IM security needs

Intuitive web based portal to administer the services

24/7/365 telephone and email support as standard

A full suite of Hosted Security Services

More than just email anti-spam & anti-virus, MessageLabs Hosted Services offer solutions for email security, email management and web & IM security. Our services are flexible and can be bundled to meet your specific requirements.

via Hosted Security for Email, Web and Instant Messaging.

Dec 15

Past Events | Service Management Specialist Group | Our Groups | Specialist Groups | Membership and Networking | BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT

By jeromewagner 24x7 Management And Support, cloud computing, disaster-recovery, document-management, email-branding-disclaimers-and-signature-management, employment, green-it, hardware, industry best practise, insights, it-management, it-projects, media-tools, network-security, offsite-backup, online tools, proffesional bodies, server architecture No Comments »


Nov 01

Enterprise Architecture SG: View Event | Enterprise Architecture SG | BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT

By jeromewagner employment, industry best practise, insights, it-management, proffesional bodies, training No Comments »

Developing Architects

Enterprise architecture is still an emerging profession. As well as the specific technical skills required, there are some critical talents, skills and approaches that architects need in order to operate effectively inside organisations.

They must have a broad perspective on the organisation they serve – its business goals and how the IT strategy supports them – and be able to weigh up competing dimensions and help stakeholders make trade-offs between their respective needs to achieve the right solutions for the enterprise as a whole. They will need to concentrate on the things that really make a difference and earn a position of influence within all of those teams engaged in the actual delivery of business and IT change projects and programmes.In this session, Sally Bean and Peter Haine will draw on their extensive experience with architecture groups in the public and private sector to examine the key architect roles that are required, how to develop the broad range of competencies needed to fulfil them, and ways of organising architecture teams for maximum effectiveness.

They will also provide insights from their experiences of leading communities of practice in architecture.

This presentation will focus on:

The different types of architect you need in your organisation and how you work out which team structure will be most effective

The necessary distribution of competencies soft and hard and responsibilities across the different architect role types

Practical career development paths for architects

The characteristics of high-performing architecture teams

via Enterprise Architecture SG: View Event | Enterprise Architecture SG | BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT.

Oct 07

Computing Now Archive | October 2009: System Virtualization

By jeromewagner cloud computing, hardware, industry best practise, insights, operating systems & collaborative tools, proffesional bodies No Comments »

System Virtualization

Guest Editor’s Introduction • October 2009

System virtualization is a method for executing applications in which the applications are installed in and executed by a software representation of a real computer called a system virtual machine. System VMs, in turn, run on top of a software layer called the hypervisor. System virtualization is the underpinning for a number of IT transformations, such as server consolidation, shorter application deployment times, and virtual desktops, and is a key driver for cloud computing.

via Computing Now Archive | October 2009: System Virtualization.

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