KiteBlue

An openly green letter to the software industry

2009-12-30T02:44:18+00:00

Today’s “green” software applications leave a lot to be desired. In this open letter to software industry CEOs, Jyoti Banerjee of KiteBlue argues that we need fresh thinking and leadership to make a genuine difference to the industry’s poorly-served customer. Dear software CEO, The carbon footprint of information and communications technologies is growing and growing. Laptops, servers, mobile phones, networks, cloud farms and their like are expected to contribute around 1.5 gigatons of carbon to our planet’s footprint, at least three times more than their contribution in 2002. Yet these same technologies are enabling all sorts of other industries to cut their carbon footprints. The smart guys at McKinsey have estimated that IT – an industry in which your companies play a key role - will enable around 7.8 gigatons of emissions to be cut from other industries by 2020, or around a sixth of global emissions today. So it should be worth doing. But is it? Are we really seeing myriad industries abating their environmental emissions as a result of the output of the ICT industries? Quite possibly we are; I am not in a position to comment. But the one industry that I have tracked for nearly two decades, business application software, seems to be pulling up short. Yes, that is your industry.

A medium enterprise guide to Windows 7

2009-10-22T09:51:16+01:00

Does Windows 7 deliver the goods for business? Jyoti Banerjee checks out Microsoft's latest operating system. In our home, October 22 has been the focus of anticipation for some weeks now. Our eldest becomes a teenager that day, and so the days have been filled with a count-down, and many lists of things to do in the build-up and during the day itself, with friends, and with family. Well, the day is finally upon us – may the celebrations begin. But little does my daughter know that this day has been awaited with much anticipation by a slightly larger group of people than her family and friends. In fact, thousands upon thousands have been waiting for this day: a hundred thousand Microsoft employees and the millions more that share the Windows ecosystem, as October 22 ushers in the official launch of Windows 7. For many in Microsoft, Windows Vista tarnished the brand of the software giant’s most valuable product. Although Vista sought to deliver a new architecture for operating systems that addressed growing security concerns among PC users, the end-result was poor performance on many PCs and numerous security features that annoyed the very users they were supposed to protect. The word on the street was to stick with XP. Although Vista sold in the millions, the vast majority of the Windows installed base, consumer or business, never moved from Windows XP. Will anything change with Windows 7? The answer is yes, and here are some reasons why.

Druckman: New IFRS SME reporting standards are confusing

2009-08-12T08:00:24+01:00

The International Federation of Accountants has published a financial reporting standard applying to SME organisations. But, argues M Institute co-founder Paul Druckman, the new standard will only give rise to confusion. Paul explains why. In July 2009 the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) published an International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) designed for use by small and medium-sized entities (SMEs). SMEs are estimated to represent more than 95 per cent of all companies. The standard is a result of a five-year development process with extensive consultation of SMEs worldwide. This has created a dilemma for countries across the world in reflecting on IFRS implementation in deciding how big is an SME?

Dealing with carbon regulations

2009-05-06T22:56:05+01:00

While the Obama administration is moving fast to break with eight years of "climate denial" under George Bush, the UK government seems to have lost its early focus on introducing climate change regulations. Jyoti Banerjee investigates. For a time, a year or so ago, it looked as if UK companies would be required to meet mandatory regulations on carbon emissions....

Say no to bank bonuses!

2009-02-09T14:12:09+00:00

Britain's bankers are planning to reward themselves with billions in bonuses out of their bail-out funds. Should they be allowed to get away with this? Jyoti Banerjee says most emphatically not. Let me say this as plainly as I can: Britain’s bailed-out bankers should not get a bonus. It must be a morally-corrosive atmosphere in Britain’s banks if their senior...

Trepidation and quiet confidence

2009-01-16T09:12:41+00:00

Medium-sized businesses’ ability to deploy game-changing IT will help them withstand the recession, as delegates at Information Age’s IT for the M Business conference discovered. M Institute co-hosted the conference and Jyoti Banerjee listened in on the discussion. Information Age's Pete Swabey reports that the current economic crisis will hit medium businesses the hardest. He came to this view listening...