Class IV Solutions

testing for digital literacy

2005-01-17T13:08:00.000-05:00

Read The New York Times > Technology > Measuring Literacy in a World Gone Digital for an interesting new development in education that will likely evolved alot before it is standardized. However, nice that it recognizes the internet and other sources are valid ways to be educated (or confused or just plain wrong). One thing I expect will be required and is just starting to happen is having an entity validate information as (true, trusted, etc).

Microsoft Office Information Bridge Framework Overview

2005-01-07T09:37:00.000-05:00

Overview: Microsoft Office Information Bridge Framework 1.0 Planning and Architecture Guide is a nice overview of Information Bridge Framework. It is described at the architecture level so you don't need to read code! This technology enables some really interesting applications and provides something that we as heavy computer users value - staying in context. For example, today when I bill my clients I have to fill in a time sheet for the client in excel and then go to Paypal to fill out an invoice. With IBF I could put a function in my spreadsheet (excel) that when I am finished with the timesheet it moves the hours to my invoicing service. I can even isolate my invoicing application so I could change it without changing my interface to excel! This keeps me in excel to do all my time recording and billing - outstanding!

One caveat - I am not yet sure how much work this would be to implement. I will know that pretty soon as we implement prototypes for a couple customers!

correction on smart tags

2005-01-06T17:41:00.000-05:00

I just realized the difference between smart tags and IBF schema. Smart tags are really cool but come with some undesireable overhead - namely that you have to keep your desktop updated. IBF (information Bridge Framework) is an XML schema based implementation that enables multiple data sources all dynmacally maintained because it is a server based approach.

So if you want true integration of office and other data and applications, use IBF with office 2003. That is what we are seeing as the future of "smart tags".

smart tags in office 2003

2005-01-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

This is an easy to read article on the way to think about smart tags in Office 2003. Smart tags is a pretty cool technology and we are seeing alot of interest in the financial service space. It makes sense because financial services relies heavily on Office so if you can get all the functionality while just working in the documents you know best, you will be more productive. Microsoft Office (General)

An opportunity for suppliers

2004-12-30T11:59:00.000-05:00

This should help some companies get creative - go from being simply a supplier behind the big names to a creative entity. Not clear to me how long this trend will last but take advantage of the wave! The New York Times > Business > Companies, Focusing on Brands, Are Outsourcing Some Design Work

CEO confidence is going down

2004-12-16T14:14:00.000-05:00

Interesting result from CEOs around the world: The McKinsey Quarterly: The McKinsey Global Survey of Business Executives , November 2004 A global market certainly makes price an issue. How long do you think it will take to stabalize prices around the world?

Wait and See on free Sun Solaris

2004-11-15T11:24:00.000-05:00

The New York Times > Technology > Sun to Introduce Newest Version of Solaris Today I guess if you are using Sun today it is worth considering this offer, but at this point I would not move to this platform for cost reasons. Sun has not proven itself lately and I suggest a "wait and see" attitude about this development. I don't see anything here that changes the emerging technologies picture and in fact it just serves to confuse the market in the short run. Ping me if you want to discuss more or reply to this post with your views! brianh@class4solutions.com

NY Times article on the Battle of the Browsers '04, Firefox Aims at Microsoft

2004-11-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

The New York Times > Technology > In the Battle of the Browsers '04, Firefox Aims at Microsoft Interesting to watch these wars heat up again. Remember the internet is still in its infancy so there is a long way to go. As Microsoft gets bigger and more "integrated" they will have a hard time keeping up with the small agile players - So don't forget this benefit as you compete against the big companies in your industry. Regarding this browser, I am going to give it a try. Ping me if you want my thoughts and perspective on how this might help your company. brianh@class4solutions.com

online shopping communities - total sense!

2004-11-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

This article The E-Commerce Report: Shopping With My Friendsters in the NY Times today (Tedeschi is a person to read if you want leading edge yet relevant trends) is a channel to consider if you are selling products online. Allowing me to join a community or ask other people's opinions about something before I buy it makes total sense - shoppers love to talk about what they buy! I expect shopping is one of the things that will continue to grow dramatically as people continue to get more comfortable with the internet. You should also consider selling and buying online when you need things for your business.

Technology Leadership on your board pays off

2004-11-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

InformationWeek > Technology Leadership > Tech-Smart Boards > November 1, 2004 This article makes alot of sense to those of us that are in the technology space. It is like designing a new process with automation and not having a technologist on the requirements team. Hopefully that happens more often than this article says happens to technology board members - about 5% of the time. I am interested in being on your board if you need a technology executive who can operate in an applied way and be forward thinking about topics like emerging technologies. Email me and we can see if there is a fit.

InformationWeek article on successful voting machines

2004-11-04T10:05:00.000-05:00

It is about time we get some automation into our voting system. I realize the concern, but we run businesses on technology so we can vote for someone that way too! It is good to see this success because it will encourage further development. InformationWeek > Electronic Voting > Electronic-Voting Systems Pass The Test > November 3, 2004

Networking for the corporation with Spoke

2004-11-01T14:03:00.000-05:00

Spoke Software is an interesting networking software solution that is targetted at corporations vs. individuals. This seems like a more lucrative business model for the short term and would provide value to sales and other externally facing positions in a large company.

Mail Call! Reining in Exchange Data

2004-10-18T13:52:00.000-04:00

This ITworld webcast Mail Call! Reining in Exchange Data is worth reviewing if you are a company with email issues. Email is definitely a mission critical application for the high-tech company ... and most other industries as well. And not having a reliable email system is worse than having none at all because the expectation is that you will be able to do business via email. This implies you receive email, read it and respond to it in a timely manner!

Take time to think about where you want to end up...

2004-09-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

I have been putting together my career plan for my "board of directors" (a group of people that I "report" to and ask help in running my business) and I realized again that for me life is not just about my career. It is really about where my life is going and where do I want to end up! So career is an important part of that, and becoming a business leader is my career goal (probably realized as a CEO of a mid-sized company), but it doesn't stop there. I realized this morning my ideal end state is described in this article Retired? Yes. Retiring? NO. My even longer term dream is to be an inspirational leader with fitness being an integral contributor to that role. Being a business leader may continue also, who knows for sure. Anyway, I suggest you think about where you want to end up and then focus as much as you can in getting there. This will get you up in the morning and make for a happy journey, which is what it really is all about, isn't it! Refocusing my long term plan again has reinvigorated me. By the way, this round of thinking produced a "career chart" that I find useful. If you are interested in getting a copy to use for yourself, email me at brianh@class4solutions.com for the electronic version. It is in Powerpoint.

technology challenges in corporations

2004-09-22T09:20:00.000-04:00

This is a good summary of the challenges facing CIOs and CTOs today - Sterling-Hoffman Executive Search. This not only applies to CIO/CTOs either - if you are a technology company you can understand your customer better which helps you solve their problems and make more sales.

:: GH Tester - TIBCO Test Automation ::

2004-09-09T14:23:00.000-04:00

I just found this tester today in a financial services rag and it looks like an interesting testing harness for Tibco EAI solutions. :: GH Tester - TIBCO Test Automation ::

The New York Enterprise Report - The New York Enterprise Report

2004-08-26T06:19:00.000-04:00

The New York Enterprise Report is a site you may want to visit from time to time. They have a monthly magazine (free) that is for the Small to Medium business in NY. I just signed up so I can't tell you whether it is worth it or not but keep you eyes on this Blog and I will do a review in a month or 2.

What you have to worry about as you grow...

2004-08-25T10:22:00.000-04:00

This report from CMP shows some interesting numbers around technology trends and issues for organizations. It has the most signficant statistics for large companies (> 1000 employees) with almost 50% being in this catagory, however this is interesting if you assume that as you grow your issues will be similar. Some of these issues can be avoided by outsourcing, but since nothing is free your outsourcer has the same issues and you will pay something for each of these issues too!

Feel free to email me or respond to this post to discuss more completely.

The McKinsey Quarterly Chart Focus Newsletter

2004-08-17T12:13:00.000-04:00

The McKinsey Quarterly Chart Focus Newsletter

This newsletter is a valuable source for new ideas and ways of thinking about your business. This article in particular demonstrates the value of thinking "out of the box" when marketing your products and services.

Blended Value Map Home

2004-08-17T09:19:00.000-04:00

Blended Value Map Home

This is a great concept that I have been following for a while. I believe we need these types of "new" controls in our society to encourage us to do the right thing. This concept provides the structure and language to do just that! if you believe it too, tell your friends and use it in your business when the time is right.