Bladewatch.com

http://www.7n.com

Denmark’s largest privately owned IT consultancy house now opens an office in the heart of the financial district of San Francisco in close proximity to Silicon Valley. The concept will be the same as in Denmark, where selecting and affiliating the absolute best IT experts in the market enables 7N to deliver consultants to some of the largest companies in the world. Lisa Dowd has been appointed Country Manager for the new company.

Copenhagen, Denmark, February 9^th. 2011 – The financial crisis has changed the game but the world’s IT capital still resides in the Silicon Valley close to San Francisco. This is where the world’s largest IT businesses have their headquarters and soon, these companies and their customers will benefit from the local presence of 7N in the States as well as the more than 500 European 7N consultants and from 7N’s Indian sourcing center.

An interesting article talking about this consultancy which is setting up an office in San Francisco, it will be interesting to see what industries it will be working with and if it will be helping any start-ups or cloud providers, or even help established businesses realize new technologies such as grid, cloud and on-demand infrastructure.

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http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/02/08/245322/39We-have-not-been-pessimistic-enough39-expert-tells-UK-IT.htm

The IT market will continue to shrink for at least the next two years, and may only recover in 2013, according to a specialist UK market analyst.

TechmarketView managing partner Anthony Miller (pictured) said the firm had produced downbeat predictions before. “We have not been pessimistic enough,” he told delegates to the annual Intellect Regent conference in London.

Anthony Miller said the market had shrunk 5% in real terms, and would continue to decline for two years. He expected the IT market to grow at below the GDP rate, despite huge sales of end user devices, especially mobile ones.

An interesting article which I have to say I am not convinced by, one of the things IT is very effective in doing is re-inventing itself, and we’re seeing this now sweeping through the industry from the small to the larger enterprise. The market is changing, we’re seeing the shift from box selling to a combination of product and service delivery in a way which meets the business or end user requirements most effectively in terms of cost, agility, compliance and delivery. The interest is shifting away from I need a data center, I need a server or storage array to one in which I say I need a thing, this facility to earn revenue, what is the lowest cost, best fit scenario, do I buy it in from the cloud or as a service, or do I purchase and supply it in house.

Is the market set to shrink for the next two years. No it’s going to change, and here are where the opportunities are:

• Shift from selling technology, servers, pcs and laptops or storage and networking – to end user empowerment – what is it you want to achieve and we’ll help you get there
• Service delivery – what services do you want and would you buy them from our cloud, our data center or infrastructure
• White labelling – where I buy in the bits I need and supply it to whoever is paying, what matters is the functionality, the delivery, who supplies it (outside of compliance and competition) is less of an issue
• Automation and smart outsourcing – automating the bits of the IT space and delivery that do not work as effectively as I would like, combined with buying in the bits that I don’t want to be doing – can anyone supply a driver/firmware and layered component upgrade project as a service – my guys could spend all year upgrading all the various bits of the server space regardless of platform (anti virus / security patches / drivers and firmware / storage components / backup tools and layered middleware)
• Empowerment of the purchasing chain and being operationally smarter, realizing the value of the assets I have purchased, looking at operational cost, than keeping every asset until it’s economically no longer viable – if I can buy a laptop for £800, keep it for a year and sell it for £400, doesn’t that mean my price per seat is £40 (or just under) rather than £800 for life – and effective fixed cost, combined with the fact if it’s replaced every year, it never gets old enough to require support calls, rebuilds and component upgrades – less support calls, and system management.

As one of those people that believes you control your destiny, that what you perceive to be true becomes the truth, let us focus on the positive, realize the opportunities and see how social media, how real end user participation combined with empowerment can create opportunities. With virtualization, with cloud, with economic downturns and everything else, the existing rules of engagement remain, my costs are still (and always going to be) too high, and my infrastructure not agile to fast enough, with this in mind, renewal (replacing legacy infrastructure), re-configuration (getting things working and configured as they should be) combined with right working (making communication, processes and workflows work) remain the objectives. What changes are the methods of achieving this, the individual technologies and the ‘sale message’, not that the server is green, (green IT) nor that it’s fast (grid), but that the return on investment is in so many months or that it works with your existing platforms.

We will have to see, regardless of what I’ve written about, do check out the article and see what you think.

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http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2025366/experts-warn-education-urgent-overhaul

IT leaders from enterprises across a range of industries were united today in a call for schools and education authorities to urgently address problems with the way IT is being taught to UK children.

The debate took place at today’s Westminster eForum entitled “Skills for the UK Digital Economy – delivering the IT professionals of the future”.

A topic which remains of interest to me for a number of reasons, I remember debating with a university professor about this and he was horrified about ‘selling’ IT degrees or moving away from academic tuition, but I wonder if we could not achieve both? Could I not fulfill the academic requirements and empower the next generation both by discussing what’s happening right now, what the future could hold and what the current generation are missing what should we be doing, what could we be achieving both technically and operationally. It’s a topic that is set to continue, I’d like to see more alignment both in terms of infrastructure and development, support and architecture, degrees which explore roles, possibilities and best practice, right tooling people and giving them the academic grounding that can empower them not only for work, but for academia and self development.

Update: As the UK implements charging up front for degrees and moves closer to the US style degree format and ways of doing business, does the degree (particularly in IT) not become more of a business transaction, one in which I want the full range of educational experiences that the universities can offer, but one that also prepares me for my chosen profession – ITIL/Business Continuity training, MCSEs or Cisco training, concepts of first and second line support, changes incidents and requests, the preparation of concepts so when I turn up at the door I understand the technical, process and operational rules of engagement?

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http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2011/110204xa.html

HP today announced that G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottling Inc. (G&J), a PepsiCo Inc. franchise bottler, has selected HP Networking solutions to improve business agility while lowering costs.

To achieve this, G&J turned to HP for standards-based technology that reduces the complexity of their network environment and provides a more scalable architecture for increased flexibility. HP Networking solutions are part of HP’s Converged Infrastructure portfolio, which integrates data center technologies into pools of interoperable resources.

By implementing HP Networking solutions at the core and edge of its network, G&J has been able to speed up and secure vital business processes, including order processing, billing and logistics for distribution to thousands of retail customers. As a result, G&J can respond to changing market conditions, such as adding new distributors faster and easier than ever before, all while reducing total cost of ownership by 35 percent.

G&J distributes PepsiCo and Dr. Pepper products in Ohio and Kentucky through seven franchise locations. The company’s network interconnects 12 sites – corporate headquarters, 10 warehouses and a separate disaster recovery site.

It’s always interesting to see what range to technologies businesses are using in order to achieve their operational goals, this article talks about this bottling franchise using HP Networking solutions in order to reduce costs and improve their agility. The convergence of storage and network, of converged infrastructure can be an effective vehicle as part of an infrastructure transformation project, where we seek to re-align our teams to more service improvement and project work than business as usual or support activities to simply keep the lights on. Simple steps like converged infrastructure, or wire once where moving storage, or changing networks switches from being a three hour or three day process to one in which the storage or networks team redesignate or recode the paths in seconds can transform not only the costs of doing business but the possibilities – could we on-board new capacity, new web servers on that networks in hours or minutes rather than days, whilst Mike adds new ports to switch 17…

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http://www.fujitsu.com/uk/news/pr/fs_20110125.html

London, 25th January 2011 — Fujitsu today announces the world’s first entirely plastic-free, biodegradable computer mouse. Substituting renewable materials for plastic, the ECO mouse is 100% recyclable.

Made from the environmentally-conscious plastic substitutes ARBOFORM® and BIOGRADE®, the Fujitsu Mouse M440 ECO joins the keyboard KBPC PX ECO in the line-up of accessories manufactured from renewable materials – helping eliminate the use of oil-based resources such as hard plastic and PVC from the manufacturing process.

By using biodegradable materials from renewable sources, Fujitsu promotes sustainable production and helps reduce CO2 emissions during the manufacturing process. At the other end of the product life-cycle, less plastic waste is destined for landfill – since the mouse is made from 100% biodegradable materials.

I was doing some research on the Fujitsu site and noticed this article talking about their biodegradable mouse and keyboard, they’ve got pictures on their site, I love the concept and it’s great to see Fujitsu making further efforts to deliver end user products with the environmental and manufacturing processes in mind, do check them out.

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http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/33515.wss

ARMONK, N.Y., - 31 Jan 2011: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled new programs to help business partners embrace the growing social business market opportunity and to financially reward them for their value to clients. Over the next three years, the market for worldwide social platforms is expected to triple from $630 million in 2011 to $1.86 billion by 2014, according to market research firm IDC(1).

In addition, IBM announced new curricula and initiatives to help students prepare for the jobs of the future using social business skills.

Social business is the world of possibility that occurs when all of the energy and opportunities that have been generated around consumer models, such as Facebook and Twitter, are focused, and brought to bear on business challenges.  Becoming a social business means an organization needs to change its culture and embrace the technology that integrates social collaboration into their business processes.

“Social business plays an instrumental role in building a smarter planet,” said Sandy Carter, vice president, worldwide collaboration sales, IBM. “Our partner and developer communities along with the workforce of the future are crucial to driving client success. These new initiatives will help partners grow their businesses and profit as we prepare the next generation of social business leaders and entrepreneurs, ultimately fueling growth and innovation for our clients.”

Anything the vendors can do to make the technology and the platforms more accessible and empower the next generation has to be a good thing for the end user and the marketplace alike, I’m off to read up more, helping people not only use these new platforms but realize them in a way that helps meet their goals is key, achieving empowerment or business/social transformation through effective communication and technology where appropriate is what it’s all about.

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http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2011/prod_012711.html

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Jan. 27, 2011 – Moses Cone Health System, a nonprofit health system with five hospitals and a range of outpatient services and teaching facilities, based in Greensboro, North Carolina.; and Virtua, a nonprofit healthcare provider with four hospitals and multiple outpatient facilities, headquartered in Marlton, New Jersey, have selected the Cisco® Data Center Business Advantage architecture to help improve  patient care and health system efficiency while reducing costs.

Moses Cone Health System selected the Cisco Unified Computing System^TM as its next-generation computing platform to support computerized physician-order entry and to help the organization transition to electronic medical records (EMRs), top priorities for improving patient care.

Regardless of the platforms you use in your business, it’s always important to read about what the other vendors large and small are offering in the same space, to understand what opportunities and products there are out their that could help your business achieve it’s goals, and it’s always great to see what range of technologies organizations are using, in this case, the article is talking about this nonprofit healthcare  provider using Cisco Unified Computing System to achieve its business drivers, in improving patient care through information management.

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http://www.publictechnology.net/sector/not-profit/cloud-consultancy-launches-it-revolution-scotland-s-third-sector

A Cloud consultancy service backed by the Scottish Government has launched in Scotland, which aims to help improve access to Cloud Computing technologies for charities and social enterprises.

The service, called Cloudwise, was launched by Wise Group today in Edinburgh as part of a partnership with Microsoft. The relationship between the two – which started following $1.8 million worth of Microsoft software licences invested to the Group in 2009 – has allowed Wise Group take to the Cloud, becoming the organisation in Europe to have its email hosted on Microsoft’s Cloud

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http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2011/110131xa.html

On the occasion of President Barack Obama’s launch of Startup America, HP today announced new support for entrepreneurship through educational and technological outreach to startups and small business owners across the United States.

HP joins The Startup America Partnership, an independent private sector alliance responding to the President’s call to action in bringing together top entrepreneurs, startup firm funders, CEOs, university presidents, foundations and other leaders to help entrepreneurial companies start and grow.

HP, represented by HP Startup Central, a network supporting entrepreneurship and startup growth, and HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE), a global program that uses technology to help entrepreneurs establish and sustain growth, joins President Obama’s coalition, extending the company’s commitment to empowering innovators through entrepreneurial tools and market access.

“At HP, we know what it takes to build a startup ‘from the garage up,’ and we see a huge opportunity for our technology, expertise and relationships to support entrepreneurs,” said Stephen DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager, Personal Systems Group, HP. “Whether their ‘garage’ days help them grow into small enterprises, move toward successful acquisition or emerge as industry giants, entrepreneurs will find HP is with them all the way.”

That the vendors and service providers can help start-up businesses is not only good for jobs, for the economy it’s good business, let us never forget that it can so easily be the small company buying a few pcs one year that becomes the new Google or AOL the next year. I would like to see the vendors do more off this, not only in helping business growth but in expanding the lines of engagement and communication, so easily opportunities are not realized as a lack of speaking to the right people, either with technical, process or financial questions, the answers to ‘how do I’, combined with simple concepts like best practice. If I were starting up a business what would I use and what technologies would I leverage. Could we see more social enterprises, more road shows where we just get businesses leaders big and small talking about their challenges, their wants, the more we talk, the more we can realize opportunities for end users and vendors or service providers alike.

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http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/305864

To help organizations deploy their applications, databases and storage in the cloud, Oracle today introduced the Oracle® Cloud File System.

The Oracle Cloud File System offers organizations a solution that extends cloud characteristics to their storage by enabling more effective storage pooling through a network accessible elastic storage cloud.

The Oracle Cloud File System is available today and is priced at $5,000 per processor. It is available free of charge for storing Oracle software binaries, metadata, and diagnostic files (terms, conditions and restrictions apply).

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