US CIO - changing the culture of Federal IT

Taken from:

http://www.cio.com/article/692614/U.S._CIO_Changing_the_Culture_of_Federal_IT?source=CIONLE_nlt_insider_2011-10-28

The federal government is not known for innovation. The US CIO Steven VanRoekel noted that he wanted:

"[to] weed out inefficiencies, reap cost savings, and change a fiefdom culture to a sharing culture through exciting new technologies such as cloud computing, XML data, mobile and Web services."

Technologies are changing, and the slow moving bureaucracy of the federal government needs to move with the technologies as well!!!

HP to keep PC line

Taken from: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9221301/HP_team_of_100_helped_decide_PC_unit_s_fate?source=CTWNLE_nlt_pm_2011-10-28

Hewlett-Packard (HP) decided to keep its PC line. The article states:

"In the end, the company concluded that the costs of separation are greater than its benefits."

They also say the reasons were: "They were related to the supply chain benefits, internal IT issues and extensive back office integration."

As compared with Netflix's moves - these seemed to be a well reasoned out approach on a tough subject!!

Geeky Halloween

As many of you know, I dress up for Halloween (and ... do like to recycle my old costumes in the weeks prior to Halloween).

I saw this article about Top Geeky Costumes and thought I would have to share it!!!

Taken from

http://www.itsj.com/launchpage.aspx?CID=336388&NUOSID=100576204

I do have a new costume this year, we'll see how it goes on Monday!!!

Disruptive technologies - 2

What to do with tablets? With cloud computing and data storage 'in-the-cloud", tablets might be an ideal connection device. Small, light-weight, equipped with WiFi and features (music players, book readers, camera, etc.), they can provide connection and more.

Disruptive? Yes, computing life is changing - from my early days with a dumb terminal (which was like a thin client / cloud computing device anyway), to robust desktop systems, to laptops, and now to tablets.

Mobile / smart phones are another disruptive technology - as we move to alternate ways to access data and programs on the go!!!

Disruptive technologies

Some technologies can have very disruptive impacts on the status quo. For some simple examples, the car totally upset the transportation world (as did the locomotive, steam / diesel trains, and airplanes).

Today I'm going to look at a vary basic change - the Internet.

The internet has been very disruptive!!! (understatement!!)

Commerce - we used to shop at stores, now we shop on line (and frequently at the store website to see what they sell - and then go to the physical store). Amazon.com is an online only bookstore (and much more - see previous blog posting on Amazon).

Communication - where would we be without e-mail, instant messaging, and even texting without the internet? And ... if you want to talk about phone calls, look at Skype and others for FREE VIDEO calls!!!

News - newspapers are in trouble as more people get their news from RSS news feeds (or web searching)

Music - while not directly the internet, indirectly iTunes, Google's Music player, Pandora, and more (and ... indirectly, the digitization of music / movies)

In my next few posts, we'll look more at disruptive technologies.

Amazon - the hidden empire!!

Taken from:

http://www.slideshare.net/faberNovel/amazoncom-the-hidden-empire

Amazon has an amazing hidden function with web services. It is a leader in cloud computing services with AWS - Amazon Web Services

It is a leader in supply chain management.

And ... you thought it sold books!!!

More from the top iPhone apps for CEO's

CamCard: Business Card Reader

Swapping business cards at, say, a conference usually meant a lot of work on the backend inputting the contact information into your address book. With CamCard ($7), it's never been so easy -- and fun! Just snap a picture of the card and you're done. Sure, some iPhone business reader apps wirelessly link up phones. But that seems a little intimate for someone you just met. Besides, it's hard to refuse such a request. Just gimme your damn card.

On my visit to interns this summer, two places took my drivers license and scanned it at the security desk - and then made a slap on label for me to wear while I was in the company. Not quite the same, but the ability to quickly scan a business card or to scan a driver's license is better than the old "I'll make a photocopy" routine.

Now if this works you don't have to enter names into a Rolodex - but store the data into a database of people. Seemingly the software does OCR (optical character recognition) so can be very helpful!!!

15 Best iPhone apps for busy CEOs

Taken from:

http://www.cio.com/article/690135/15_Best_iPhone_Apps_for_Busy_CEOs?source=CIONLE_nlt_insider_2011-09-22

Taking the first one: Expensify:

Expensify: Expense Reporting

After a weeks-long business trip, the last thing you want to do is sit down with a stack of receipts and a confusing expense report form. Why not file expenses as you make them via a simple iPhone app, such as Expensify (free)? The app syncs with credit cards to track purchases in real -time, pulls in electronic receipts, scans paper receipts using the iPhone camera, and produces a PDF report that can be e-mailed to those annoying guys in finance.

I've just returned from an accreditation visit in the Miami area. While I didn't have many extra expenses, it would have been good to have an app to scan those receipts and save them appropriately. I like to travel, but I don't like doing the end paper work. This could be a real smooth way to simplify expense reporting!!!

Another death "in the family"

Taken from: http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/13/father-of-c-and-unix-dennis-ritchie-passes-away-at-age-70/

Dennis Ritchie died last weekend at the age of 70. He worked in Bell Labs for most of his life - and is most noted for two very important computing projects: the Unix operating system and the C programming language.

The article notes:

"Today, C remains the second most popular programming language in the world (or at least the language in which the second most lines of code have been written), and ushered in C++ and Java; while the pair’s work on Unix led to, among other things, Linus Torvalds’ Linux. The work has without a doubt made Ritchie one of the most important, if not under-recognized, engineers of the modern era."

So, we lose another pioneer whose work will continue past his death!!!

Not a good reason to give to your employer about telecommuting

Here are some reasons given to telecommute:

A. I have a long, difficult commute that represents time I could be working, as well as needless environmental waste.

B. I am more productive in a quiet, relaxed setting where I am not constantly interrupted.

C. There is nothing in my job that requires being in a specific place, so why not work wherever it’s most convenient?

D. Working from home will help my transition back from maternity leave, since I can still nurse my baby (who is being cared for by someone else in my home during working hours, but visits me for meals).

E. Think of all the money I’ll save by not having to pay for childcare!

The only bad reason is the last one!!! You boss will understand items A to D, but not E.

Netflix kills Qwikster - before launch!!!

Taken from: http://allthingsd.com/20111010/qwikster-is-gonester-netflix-kills-its-dvd-only-business-before-launch/

For my business students (and really all) - you should think through your announcements and actions!!!

So ... Netflix raised prices - which caused customers to complain, which caused the CEO (in a bit of a 'knee-jerk' reaction), to separate their business into two parts - regular Netflix and Qwikster, and the stock prices and claimants have continued.

BUT ... they didn't really solve the root cause that started the problem - the increase in price - up to 60% for some of their customers. That issue has not been addressed. Has the CEO (Reed Hastings) and the board really done their homework? I think not.

How Do You Sell BI To The Business Executives?

Taken from: http://www.information-management.com/blogs/business_intelligence_BI_ROI_data_quality_jobs_career-10021279-1.html

So ... how do you sell business intelligence to the executives?

The article says: "Business intelligence (BI) is an employee market right now; a key challenge for most BI employers is finding, recruiting, and retaining top — or actually any, for that matter — BI talent. Consider that IBM BAO alone added more than 4,000 (!) BI positions in just over a year! Every other major, midsize, and boutique BI consultancy I talk to is struggling to find BI resources. So if you have been fighting this uphill battle for a while, consider new channels for your noble efforts."

It seems that business intelligence systems are a mixed bag of results - some good successes - but ... also some failures. The article also notes: "And if you’re still standing after that and have suffered only a mild concussion, consider that many BI projects have been less than successful, and ROI on BI — one of the most expensive enterprise apps — is extremely difficult to show. So can you really blame your CEO?"

So, IT staff working on business intelligence needs to prove its value; and management needs to listen - and in-between, all need to make it work for the good of the company.

Your boss thinks he can do more without you!!!!

Taken from: http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/IT-Management/Your-Boss-Thinks-He-Could-Do-More-Without-You-230580/?kc=BLBLBEMNL10032011STR1

"Doing more with less is the new normal, as companies continue to look for cheaper ways to accomplish the same work. According to a survey from Chronos Consulting, a majority of bosses now believe that streamlining operations via familiar means such as layoffs, outsourced projects, and contract workers actually improves performance, and most say they can deploy smaller teams without hurting results. Some results are more cautionary, particularly those relating to the use of virtual teams and the inherent challenges of communications across time zones and different geographies. That means businesses should move forward carefully…but moves are coming nonetheless. “It is best for organizations to utilize virtual teams after a customized assessment to identify business benefits from that model, as part of an overall strategy for talent optimization,” says Imaad Mahfooz, managing principal of Chronos Consulting."

In this class, we have studied virtual teams - and now the question is "how to be so important to not be downsized?"

C-level missing out on computer security

From:

http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Security/Cocky-Execs-Missing-Security-Risks-167361/?kc=BLBLBEMNL10072011INDEPTH

The article states: "Never mind all those stories you've read over the years about costly data breaches -- senior executives around the world apparently think they're doing a bang-up job on the security front. This despite the fact that most of them admit they aren't making good use of encryption, don't have strategies for securing emerging areas of IT, aren't paying enough attention to safeguarding privacy, and aren't availing themselves of the latest security technologies."

Security problems can be significant. This article suggests that the top of the management pyramid are not savvy enough - and haven't invested the time and effort to keep updated on potential security problems. When the next major bank announces that a million accounts could have been compromised or that data has been lost, there will be a cry for more security - but ... it is available now and should be implemented now!!!

iPhone 4s launch

From http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2011-10-08/apple-iphone-pre-orders/50706650/1 and other sources.

the iPhone 4s launched this week.

"The iPhone 4S features a better camera, faster processor and Siri, a new digital personal assistant"

But some consumers were looking for the iPhone 5 - but that is not announced yet. Computer makers generally name their major releases 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. but then give intermediate releases subnumbers - like release 4.1 (or ... in this case 4s).

"Apple is trotting out a new iPhone on Oct. 14, but it's not the iPhone 5 some were expecting. Instead, it's a more modest upgrade, the iPhone 4S. Here are some facts to help you decide if it's time to make the plunge."

"There's speculation that the more significant iPhone 5 upgrade may be less than a year away, and it could add important new features that are worth waiting for."

So, consumers have some deciding to do - go with the newest and latest (and faster) - or wait for the next version?

Super Cheap Tablet (that we will not have)

From:

http://www.cbronline.com/news/india-launches-35-aakash-tablet-computer-for-students-061011

In India, a company is introducing a touch screen tablet for about $35 (USD) for students. From the days of the caste system in India, the lowest levels of society have little access to technology. Eventually (according to the article), they want to get the price to $10 a tablet.

This follows the concept of the $100 laptop from a few years ago.

It has 2 GB of Ram, WiFi, USB ports and runs on a two watt power supply (to keep the power demand low). It is hoped that this technology can be used to revamp education in India.

Steve Jobs dies

It is the end of an era. Steve Jobs, founder, visionary, CEO of Apple until 6 weeks ago, has died.

Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple with the Apple II (the Apple I was a prototype) - that eventually got accepted in schools (Minnesota was actually one of the early states to go with computing and Apple II's).

The Apple II was quite a change from the existing models of the day - maybe the most 'popular' was the TRS-80 (from Radio Shack) - a black-and-white 16K (yes 16K) machine; while the Apple II had floppy disks and a color screen.

One of the earliest success stories was that of VisiCalc - a revolutionary package known as a 'spreadsheet' (wow!!!). I taught a VisiCalc class in 1981.

Apple had some early successes and some early failure (like the Lisa - ahead of its time). By the late 1990's with Steve Jobs at the helm, it came out with 'hit' after 'hit' - with the Macintosh (the old job was Windows 1995 was Macintosh 1990). Apple found a great niche with the iPod and iPhone and now the iPad.

Rest In Piece Steve Jobs!!!