The Knowledge

Fluidata boss could have been 'The Apprentice'

2008-07-18T12:44:14+01:00

Young, successful and rich - Piers Daniell, the 26 year-old managing director of telecommunications provider Fluidata, is the kind of person that should make you feel sick.

But rather than feeling the penetrating force of the green eye of envy, Daniell makes you feel at ease - which is nice. The amiable entrepreneur has some interesting stories about his current business, the computer firm he set up at 15 years of age, and other opportunities for fame and fortune.

One such opportunity was when Daniell made the short-list of the final 40-or-so candidates for the first series of BBC TV programme 'The Apprentice'.

Making it to the last 40 meant Daniell was involved in the final elimination day, where potential candidates completed a series of tasks. He says the decision to select candidates was based purely on the opinion of TV executives - and perhaps unsurprisingly, Daniell says the "noisy and obnoxious candidates" were selected.

But what of Alan Sugar? Daniell says the business tycoon was not involved in the initial selection process. And would have been keen on working for Sugar?

"I didn't even know who he was," says Daniell - but the Fluidata chief says his mother did once own an Amstrad PC.

Further reading

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Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to push the envelope

2008-07-17T09:26:54+01:00

“Being a business winner means you need to work hard and play hard,” said the chief executive at a recent breakout session.

It was motivating stuff. I immediately thought of how I could use his paradigm shift to push the envelope. Thankfully, everyone else in the IT team wanted to hit the ground running and we were able to brainstorm about quick wins.

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, you cannot afford to sit on the fence. So, the first game changer we implemented was an integrated Web 2.0 solution that the team could use to leverage low-hanging fruit.

Then we took some of those ideas offline, so that we could touch base and think about future synergies. Keen not to drop the ball, I took some of our showstoppers to senior management.

And what a session that was. Ken - my right-hand man - put a stake in the ground and ran our concepts up the flagpole to see who would salute.

“In terms of scalability, your best-of-breed vision could bring a lot of value to the table,” said the chief executive.

But going forward, I was eager to manage expectations as we moved to the next level. There’s no “I” in “team” and if you are going to maximise customer satisfaction, everyone has to work together as they think outside the box.

We’d recognised that people are our best asset and knew the resulting piece could architect a bright horizon for the business.

Speaking honestly, I’d given 110 per cent and knew our model could push the organisation from good to great. Then someone from finance stuck their nose in and asked what improved ROI we could expect from the system.

“It is what it is,” I said. And I turned to Ken, who looked down and muttered something about the 80/20 rule and 24/7 operations. The chief executive then canned the initiative. This was a shame, because blue sky thinking requires people to raise the bar.

But Ken and I also knew you can’t polish a turd. And we were secretly pleased when human resources gave us our cards and said we would be spending more time with the family.

Further reading

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Cloud computing increases need for IT security

2008-07-15T12:59:02+01:00

Gartner is just loving cloud computing at the moment. The analyst has released quite a bit of information about the potential for cloud-based services during the last couple of weeks.

Today's slab of research from Gartner suggests security applications delivered through the cloud will have a 'dramatic impact' on the industry:

In messaging security controls, such as malware and spam detection/exclusion for e-mail and instant messaging, cloud-based services account for 20 per cent of revenue in 2008
By 2013, cloud-based services in messaging security controls will account for 60 per cent of revenue

Gartner says the increased use of cloud-based services, such as salesforce.com or Google Apps, means users will be accessing data without traversing the corporate network - and will increase the need for security controls between users and the cloud, says Gartner principal analyst Kelly Kavanagh:

"It also will allow security technologies and techniques that are cost-effective to be used only with cloud-style computing. The massively scalable resources provided through the cloud also will be available to people who develop attacks that require intense processing, pursue cloud providers, or both."

Further reading

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Expect thousands of computer software job cuts

2008-07-14T16:07:39+01:00

There's nothing like a precise figure. And according to Plimsoll Analysis, up to 24,073 jobs could be lost as the UK computer software industry consolidates during the next 12 months - which, if nothing else, is an exercise in precision.

Plimsoll has analysed each of the UK’s leading 2,000 companies, assessing each firm’s chances of survival. As well as the job losses:

As many as three quarters of the firms analysed will need to reduced their head count
One of the largest firms could see up to 985 jobs lost
More than a quarter of the companies surveyed are already running at a loss
Companies need to aim for at least £115,000 sales per employee in order to stay competitive

The figures demonstrate the potential problems ahead, both for the UK software industry and IT professionals. As David Pattison, senior analyst at Plimsoll Analysis, says of the challenge:

“The 165 companies we have identified as in danger need to act now if they are to survive. It's very important they review their entire business cost base and take action now to significantly reduce their outgoings. Whilst job losses are undoubtedly bad news for any company, such decisive action may be called for to guarantee the ultimate survival of the business - even if this means the business is 30 or 50 per cent smaller than it was.”

Are job losses bad news for a company? Yeah, maybe. But if the organisation cuts employees and then turns business performance round, are the cuts still bad news? No, I guess not. But they are still bad news for employees that loses their jobs...

Further reading

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'No Internet Day' vs 'No Google Day'

2008-07-14T10:02:16+01:00

Yesterday was 'No Internet Day' (NID). Well, it was in my house. My wife has become tired of my reliance on the internet at home. But you know, checking if Aston Villa have signed a right back is important.

And there's always some vitally important question that needs to be Googled. My wife does not agree, however.

"I don't believe you can go a whole day without using the internet," she said yesterday, before announcing it was NID.

But I successfully rose to the challenge - and only really started to get withdrawal symptoms by late evening. By then, my mind was starting to crumble under the weight of questions that needed to be Googled.

Still, I managed it. And it turns out NID is a bit of global phenomena (Google "No Internet Day" and see what I mean).

Maybe next weekend should be NGD ("No Google Day" - you can use the internet, but not to find pointless answers to pointless questions).

Further reading

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Dane-Elec Zpen - better than over-hyped iPhone?

2008-07-11T15:25:10+01:00

A healthy dose of scepticism is always good, especially when it comes to new technology. My colleague Bryan Glick hammers the proverbial nail on the head when he talks about the hype surrounding the Apple iPhone. El Glicko says on his blog:

"Perhaps I’ve been in this game too long and the cynicism has set in after seeing too many product launches, but if anything is more likely to turn me off the iPhone – already the most over-hyped technology product in history – it’s the stage-managed artifice surrounding a me-too, catch-up phone."

Lots of people have commented on his blog, telling him he's wrong. But as I said, a healthy dose of scepticism is always good. Which brings me on to the Dane-Elec Zpen.

I got invited to the launch of the Zpen the other day. Very nice it was, too - sipping champagne on the London Eye. Dane-Elec UK country manager Mark Thuilliez demonstrated the digital pen, stating how the intuitive device allows the user to write on any kind of paper - and convert handwritten notes into digital text for word processing.

I was not convinced. For a start, I have a childish, joined-up scrawl - surely indecipherable to a digital device. Anyway, after quaffing the posh wine, I returned home and charged up the device. And I was amazed - this pen is the business.

Apart from translating my name as Hard - which you have to admit, is pretty cool - the pen was word-perfect. That was only about 30-or-so words; not had time for much else yet. But I'll give the Zpen a thorough work out ASAP.

Given the device is intuitive, I expect the response will improve. Also, just think of the potential business applications - such as time-saving for chemists that struggle to decipher the doctor's scrawl.

Nice gadget, me thinks. And better than an over-hyped iPhone? You'd better ask Bryan about that...

Further reading

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'Gentleman's hours' are key to flexible working

2008-07-10T10:57:11+01:00

Flexible working is one thing - but do you work like a gentleman? Travelling in on the Underground this morning, I had the pleasure/misfortune of being stuck next to a couple of city workers that were intent on discussing everything they knew about everybody.

And very loudly.

After I listened to half an hour of 'new money' rubbish - who lives where, who has a second home, etc. - one of the commuters said: "Well, he's changed now, hasn't he? He's working gentleman's hours."

Am I missing out on something? Is that a city-only term, because it's not something I've come across before. If in doubt, turn to Google - which suggests a couple of possibilities. I found a couple of references to 8am to 4pm, so that men can get home to have dinner the family. Another definition referred to 10pm until sunrise. I also found a lot of stuff about fishing.

Anyway, "gentleman's hours" seem to be the new way of flexible working. Any other definitions out there?

Further reading

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Cloud computing will change business technology

2008-07-09T14:48:04+01:00

Once again, everything is about to change and this time, the analysts might be on to something.

After years of worrying about on-the-ground implementations, chief information officers are heading for the skies. Cloud computing, says Gartner, represents a business evolution “no less influential than e-business”.

The analyst suggests cloud computing is difficult to define a difficulty which apparently signifies the potential of the concept.

Gartner then manages to contradict itself by neatly supplying that previously unattainable definition for cloud computing: “Where massively scalable IT-related capabilities are provided as a service using internet technologies.”

Behind all this hyperbole and contradiction, the analyst does make some good points.

First, the coming together of virtualisation, service-oriented architecture and the internet is creating a new opportunity to reshape the relationship between IT and the business.

Second, such convergence means users can focus on the value of the service, rather than how systems are implemented or hosted.

Which really does mean everything is about to change - for everybody. Take IT managers, who will be able to act with more flexibility, introducing technologies and processes to meet the demands of line-of-business executives.

Such executives will be able to make requests for new technologies without fearing in-house implementation costs are likely to make the project prohibitive.

Even more pertinently, the availability of online services will provide more opportunities for user development. Beyond creating simple macros in Excel, users will be able to create code through a range of internet-provided systems.

Where does such user control leave IT programmers? Probably in India, creating cloud computing applications for the ever-increasing UK service economy.

Finally, traditional vendors will be left to fight against a new breed of online specialists that provide tailored business services.

Gartner suggests cloud computing remains an evolving concept. Despite the hype, the impending sense of change is overpowering.

Further reading

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Avoid the UK if you want to find green computing

2008-07-08T15:46:12+01:00

Computing is currently running a four-part special report on green computing – the aim is to concentrate on tangible business benefits, rather than the green wash.

The results have been good; lots of companies undertaking environmentally-sensitive projects using IT. But research suggests such approaches could, unfortunately, be rare.

Almost 40 per cent of European IT directors rate their organisation’s green credentials as “not at all good” or even “poor”. UK firms fare particularly badly, with nearly 60 per cent of respondents rating their company negatively.

The research is based on a survey of more than 8,000 European IT directors by data centre networking specialist Brocade. Other findings include:

Only 38 per cent of IT directors are actually concerned about their company’s energy usage and carbon footprint, with less than a fifth actively seeking to purchase environmentally-friendly IT products. In the UK, the comparable numbers are 37 and 16 per cent.
Overall, 44 per cent of respondents say they believe their companies devote up to a quarter of total operating expenses to energy. In the UK, the figure jumps to nearly half of respondents. Regardless of the actual sum, more than 60 per cent of respondents believe energy spend is "too much”.
Almost two thirds of respondents state that they are beginning to look at ways of reducing energy output, but that still leaves over a third of European businesses who are not.
More than 75 per cent of respondents say they are as likely to look at reducing energy usage in the office as they are at home.

Further reading: Reuse and recycling Top 10

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Instant messaging is a slippery fish for some firms

2008-07-07T16:31:18+01:00

Excuse me while I 'pop out' from this blog posting and message one of my mates: "Is an eel a fish or not?" Be warned - using instant messaging (IM) technology for such crucial business questions is likely to become increasingly prevalent.

For a start, researcher IDC says IM is set to overtake email as the preferred form of business communication by the second half of 2010. If that sounds fanciful, then the research - sponsored by Nortel - also shows European firms are already heavily reliant on IM. More than 50 per cent of respondents – twice the number of North American executives - use instant and text messaging for business.

But with regards to non-believing businesses, there is at least one significant barrier to overcome: security concerns. Research from ProcessOne suggests the majority of UK businesses miss out on instant messaging benefits because they fear workers will leak confidential information. As much as 74 per cent of firms say IM could provide collaboration benefits, but 72 per cent ban the technology because of security concerns.

As for eel question, forget your mates; turn to the all-knowing Wikipedia, which says: "True eels (Anguilliformes) are an order of fish, which consists of 4 suborders, 19 families, 110 genera and approximately 600 species." The order of the fish? Sounds like a niche members club...

Further reading

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