tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2546865676716145612024-02-08T07:16:08.233+05:30Inatech BlogInatech - A global niche provide of intelligent cloud software to the oil trading and marine industriesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger480125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-15646878615531822822012-10-31T21:10:00.000+05:302012-11-07T17:12:56.892+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Is the marine industry ready to adopt technology that will transform bunker buying?</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jean Hervé Jenn, CEO, <a href="http://www.inatech.com/index.php">Inatech</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have just returned from SIBCON in Singapore and having spent most of my time at the event speaking to customers and the press, my answer would be a resounding yes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our industry is ready and with the cost pressures facing the business it couldn’t come quickly enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But then as a CEO of a software development and IT services company I am guessing you are not surprised by my answer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what is the main reason why the marine industry needs to look at implementing technology to help transform bunker buying?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The biggest reason has to be process efficiency.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Economy impacting our business</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like many industries we have been impacted by the downturn in the global economy. A drop in the demand for goods around the world has resulted in a decline in cargoes, which in turn has reduced cargo prices and led to excess shipping capacity. As revenues have declined so fuel costs have risen. It is estimated that the industry spends over $150 billion on fuel each year. This now represents up to 60 per cent of the total cost of a shipping company’s operations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Time to act</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our industry is at a turning point. With fuel costs rising and margins being squeezed, now is the time to act in order to remain competitive. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An area where you could make a significant saving with minimal investment is through the introduction of technology and process efficiencies in the area of fuel procurement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Manual processes driving up costs</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From my discussions with clients and prospects I have discovered that many shipping and bunkering operators still rely on labour-intensive, outmoded processes and use excel spread sheets and paper-based systems to handle their global bunker purchasing needs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This reliance on manual processes can lead to vessels bunkering in ports where fuel prices are high rather than alternative ports offering lower prices; can lead to the capacity of the vessel often being underutilised; or result in bunker requests to procure fuel that are not received by traders on time. The outcome of all these scenarios is higher operating costs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The solution – technology that transforms bunker buying</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By automating fuel procurement and introducing technology, operational savings and fuel purchasing can be reduced. Imagine if you are spending several billion dollars a year on bunker buying, the potential to achieve seemingly tiny incremental improvements by implementing smarter and more efficient processes could add millions of dollars directly to your bottom line. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The next step</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the potential benefits of adopting technology are significant, the next step which technology.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That will be in my next blog.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>Jean Hervé </em></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Inatech</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.inatech.com/index.php">Inatech</a> is a global software and IT services company. The<a href="http://www.inatech.com/marine-solution/shipping-solution.php"> New BunkerTECH Shipping Solution</a> and <a href="http://www.inatech.com/marine-solution/bunkering-solution.php">BunkerTECH Bunkering Solution</a> from Inatech provides real-time fuel and bunker procurement solutions with an intelligent approach that stream lines the buying and selling process, reduces costs and enhances performance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-2945611940319505672011-10-27T19:37:00.008+05:302011-10-27T19:57:40.862+05:30Tablets threaten existence of the keyboard<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The mouse and keyboard may soon become <a href="http://www.comparetablets.co.uk/no-keyboard-no-problem-tablet-users-dont-need-keys/">relics of the past</a>, apparently – according to the report iPad and Beyond: <a href="http://onlyhardwareblog.com/2011/10/tablets-break-through-keyboard-barrier-says-gartner/">What the Future of Computing Holds, by Gartner.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">"During the next five to 10 years, media tablets will instigate change in computing form factors.” said Angela McIntyre, research director at Gartner.</span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The simplicity of multitouch on <a href="http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/design-architecture/report-offers-peek-into-the-future-of-tablet-computing/1115">media tablets</a> has been converting users, and thus affecting the hardware business. Some enterprise applications </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">have already felt the multitouch effect in the development stage </span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">as they are only designed to work with a keyboard and mouse.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Modular designs will enable tablets to take on new functions, becoming the cross-platform controller and brain for hybrid consumer electronics and computers," said McIntyre.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">She also pointed out that, for many, touchscreens will be their first pathway to the Internet. And, significantly, “the keyboard on PCs is a major barrier for those who have had no reason or opportunity to become facile with QWERTY."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">As for SME’s, a study found that 37 per cent already have tablets in the work place but only five per cent of SME’s think the tablets will replace other devices. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/ipads-in-the-enterprise-pondering-the-headaches/60988?tag=search-results-rivers;item0">difference for a large enterprise</a> is that they have to be more structured, whilst most SME’s only use tablets for convenience.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">A CIO at a large enterprise would have to consider implementing work tablets when senior staff use their BYOD (bring-your-own-device), to access company applications.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Employees' own devices are in parallel to the desktops and smartphones that are already given to them by the company. So it begs the question whether CIOs should provision BYOD or provide tablets," said Drury.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span> </span>“Alternative user interfaces, such as multitouch, are essential for extending the deployment of computing devices into new markets," said McIntyre, and along with Drury, agrees it is only a matter of time until they are more <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/ipad-driving-massive-growth-for-ios-in-enterprise-survey/61229?tag=search-results-rivers;item1">prevalent in the enterprise.<o:p></o:p></a></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-89206475715700175462011-10-21T14:38:00.000+05:302011-10-21T14:39:42.654+05:30Microsoft tool shows how safe browsers really are<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/microsoft-calls-out-firefox-and-chrome-for-security-weaknesses/4070?tag=search-results-rivers;item3">Microsoft’s new tool</a> to warn users of out-of-date or insecure browsers has not been welcomed by browser maker Mozilla – not surprising really as it rated Firefox less secure than Internet Explorer 9.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">By using data from Microsoft’s Security Intelligence Report, and the Anti-Phishing League and Online Trust Alliance - <a href="http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie/archive/2011/10/11/are-you-one-of-the-millions-at-risk-from-socially-engineered-malware.aspx">YourBrowserMatters.org</a> was able to assess how secure the user’s browser is.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/networking/internet-explorer-is-the-safest-web-browser-ha/1546?tag=search-results-rivers;item2">Internet Explorer 9 got top marks</a> (four out of four), whilst Firefox 7 was given a low two – below Google Chrome and above IE7.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Considering Firefox 7 is only just a month old, it really is no surprise that Mozilla reacted as strongly as it did. The statement from Johnathan Nightingale, Mozilla’s director of Firefox engineering, cited the phrases, “fiercely proud” and “long track record of leadership on security.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“We believe that being safe on the web means having a robust browser that defends against malware and phishing includes new technologies to help sites and users secure themselves, and a responsive security team that gets security updates out quickly and reliably," he added.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://blog.mozilla.com/security/">Mozilla</a>’s and Google support the HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) secure browsing standard and the Do Not Track privacy initiative. Nightingale pointed out Microsoft’s lack of these in its tool.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Microsoft's site is more notable for the things it fails to include: security technologies<span class="klink"><u><span style="font-family:"inherit","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:blue"> </span></u></span>such as HSTS, privacy tools such as Do Not Track, and vendor response time when vulnerabilities are discovered."</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Do Not track has yet to become an official web standard, but Sir Tim Berners-Lee, web founder, has been pushing for security professionals to input to the W3C’s Do Not Track working group.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">All such tools designed to check the safety of our browsers should, perhaps, meet a universal code that all companies are happy with. Or is that just wishful thinking?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-82347942454104268512011-10-19T14:20:00.001+05:302011-10-24T20:28:47.760+05:30Confidence lost in Blackberry after 60% look to switch<p class="MsoNormal">Not surprisingly, Blackberry may have <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/free-apps-as-blackberry-outage-compensation-too-little-too-late/13226?tag=content;search-results-river">fallen foul of its customers</a> following the far reaching and never ending outages of recent weeks.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">According to research by shopping comparison site Kelkoo, almost two-thirds of Blackberry customers are thinking about switching to an iPhone. One thousand Blackberry customers were interviewed<span> </span>- 62 per cent admitted they would prefer the Apple device over other brands.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Research in Motion (RIM) has already been criticised for its slow response to the outage, with customers left wondering what was going on.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/rims-lazaridis-you-expect-better-of-us-after-outage/60660?tag=search-results-rivers;item4">Mike Lazaridis</a>, RIM founder, apologised but many believed it was too little too late with customers affected across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">PriceRunner.co.uk, a rival comparison site, backs up Kelkoo's findings with an almost identical amount of users considering a change in handset.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">However, those considering a switch to iPhone may want to be cautious. <a href="http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/v3-co-uk-labs-blog/2117345/upgrade-iphone-ios">One editor found her device wiped</a> of all files and contacts. The solution to this would be to back everything up onto a PC prior to attempting an update – and not to rely on iTunes as in this case it failed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The <a href="http://blog.oxagile.com/2011/10/10/apple-launched-icloud-com">iCloud</a> is Apple’s new online storage system but apparently, this is <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/customers-run-into-trouble-in-the-icloud/">not yet firing on all cylinders.<o:p></o:p></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color:blue"><a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/customers-run-into-trouble-in-the-icloud/"><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></a></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even so, it is not surprising Blackberry users are looking to the iPhone. So far, an outage on such a scale has not plagued Apple, and as a market leader, it is the obvious choice.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-44217293708297677442011-10-18T14:57:00.003+05:302011-10-18T15:04:56.518+05:30Amazon challenges tablet market<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.kindle-tablet.org/">The Amazon Kindle Fire</a> launched at the end of September, and could be about to throw the <a href="http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/20570/Weekend-Tech-Blog:-After-the-Amazon-Kindle-Fire,-the-real-bonfire/">tablet market into confusion</a> – according to YouGov, an online research firm.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">YouGov predicted that tablet devices should plummet in price to match the Kindle Fire. In fact the price of $199 could mean that Amazon can cut up its competitors and make it a <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gamification/amazon-kindle-fire-vs-apple-iphone-4s-new-platforms-for-gamification/618?tag=search-results-rivers;item3">two horse race</a> between itself and Apple.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Apple is far and away the current UK market leader in terms of brand awareness, preference and price," said Russell Feldman, Associate Director for Technology and Telecoms Consulting. The Apple iPad is priced at $499.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The <a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/sarah_rotman_epps/11-09-28-amazon_kindle_fire_tablet_product_strategy_done_right">lower price of the Kindle Fire</a>, and features make it viable to compete with Apple – along with the strength of the Amazon brand.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"What's more, it has the potential to be a major game-changer, given the depth of Amazon's downloadable content as well as its burgeoning application store - something that has underpinned consumers' loyalty to Apple over other tablets running an Android OS." Said Russell Feldman, Associate Director at YouGov.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The out-dated HP TouchPad sells between £89 and £115 – showing consumers are attracted by a good deal. The Kindle Fire, whilst boasting many a tablet temptation, some reports say it is still very much a shop window for Amazon. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Apple, as a premium product, should have no need to lower prices, but what about Android tablets? Can they price themselves between the Fire and the iPad? Or is the question – will they?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-82646497820497649422011-10-14T17:40:00.001+05:302011-10-14T17:45:14.192+05:30Samsung requests ban on iPhone 4S<p class="MsoNormal">Samsung confirmed in the <a href="http://global.samsungtomorrow.com/?p=6838">Tomorrow blog</a> that it is filing a preliminary injunction order against Apple in Paris and Milan.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The company want the <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/samsung-seeks-to-ban-iphone-4s-amid-patent-row/59837?tag=search-results-rivers;item17">new iPhone 4S banned from sale</a> in the respective countries due to the legal dispute between Apple and Samsung growing ever more acrimonious.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The argument is over alleged patent infringements relating to wireless telecoms technology.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"The infringed technology is essential to the reliable functioning of telecom networks and devices, and Samsung believes that Apple's violation [is] too severe and that the <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/why-i-ordered-an-iphone-4s/4896?tag=search-results-rivers;item15">iPhone 4S</a> should be barred from sales," Samsung said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The technology giant clearly has reached a limit and believes Apple have had a ‘free ride’ on their technology for long enough.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://blog.dialaphone.co.uk/2011/10/07/samsung-go-into-%E2%80%9Call-out-war%E2%80%9D-against-apple/">The battle</a> between these two global leaders is not a new one – they are several legal disputes going on around the globe. One such issue is over sales of Samsung’s Galaxy tab across the US, Australia and the European Union.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Apple recently rejected a settlement offer from Samsung in relation to the Galaxy tab in Australia (the dispute is down to the apparent similarity between Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and the iPad).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Samsung was desperate to get the device on the market for Christmas – Apple did not play ball. Steven Burley, Apple’s lawyer, told the court that they were there to prevent the Galaxy Tab launch, and, “maintain the status quo”.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Samsung then demanded to see the upcoming iPhone 5 and iPad 3 designs – rumour had it that, like Samsung, the company would be launching with a larger screen and near field communication capabilities. These requests were denied. And as we know – the iPhone 5 became the iPhone 4S (for now at least).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The twist to all of this is that <a href="http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/theticker/entries/2011/09/30/analyst_says_apple_and_samsung.html">Samsung provides components</a> for Apple’s products – i.e. screens for iPhones and iPads. So isn’t <a href="http://blog.utalkmarketing.com/blog/digital-marketing-news-%E2%80%93-samsung-vs-apple-the-war-rages-on/">this animosity</a> all rather unnecessary? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-39357328178976742922011-10-13T15:07:00.001+05:302011-10-13T15:24:14.122+05:30Tributes paid to a tech genius<p class="MsoNormal">The world of technology lost one of its greatest last week. <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/jobs-apple-co-founder-is-dead/">Steve Jobs died</a> from the pancreatic cancer he had been battling for almost a decade - he was only 56. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bill Gates paid tribute to his friend on Twitter, "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with Steve, it's been an insanely great honour. I will miss Steve immensely."</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As Obama described him as “among the greatest of American innovators,” it was fitting that his industry peers wrote tributes via social networking sites, along with hundreds of thousands of admirers from around the world.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jobs stepped down as Apple CEO earlier this year, with Tim Cook replacing him. At the time Jobs comment was telling, "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come."</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A statement from Apple’s board said that Jobs had “saved” Apple, and made it what it is today. He became <span style="color:black">synonymous</span> with the company as reflected in the shares following his resignation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Apple’s shares fell by 5.13% - a dip that <a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/jp_gownder/11-08-24-what_steve_jobs_resignation_means_for_product_strategists">did not worry analysts</a> but reflected the strength of Jobs for the market, and how he was seen as a lynch pin for the company.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">HP CEP Meg Whitman, sums up the presence of Jobs and how he was regarded round the world. "Steve Jobs was an iconic entrepreneur and businessman whose impact on technology was felt beyond Silicon Valley. He will be remembered for the innovation he brought to market and the inspiration he brought to the world."</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Undoubtedly, Steve Jobs, a “<a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/jobs-left-future-plans-for-next-generation-apple-products/60178?tag=search-results-rivers;item5">visionary leader,”</a> and “iconic legend,” will never be forgotten. Life for <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/apple-in-the-enterprise-the-road-forward/18955?tag=search-results-rivers;item0">Apple, post-Jobs</a>, will be an interesting road to follow.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-57948850358788506422011-10-05T18:10:00.003+05:302011-10-05T19:24:55.457+05:30Oracle redefines the Cloud at OpenWorld<p class="MsoNormal">Oracle OpenWorld 2011 is on this week in San Francisco and it’s a week of networking and hands on experimenting.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There are keynotes from some big names in the industry including Oracle’s own Larry Ellison. Tomorrow is the day for Oracle’s news on the cloud – as the company redefines cloud computing for the enterprise.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Oracle is the technology that powers the cloud,” according to Ellison. The keynote will outline the company’s cloud roadmap to the future – and then delegates can discover more through the numerous technical sessions and demos.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/how-the-cloud-could-benefit-ellison-and-oracle/59514?tag=search-results-rivers;item5">Ellison opened</a> the 29<sup>th</sup> Oracle Openworld with an overview of the major product announcements planned throughout the event, as well as the new offerings from Oracle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Other speakers include John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, at Cisco; Michael Dell, CEO, Dell Inc; <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/emcs-tucci-cloud-has-potential-answers-to-it-problems/59520?tag=search-results-rivers;item4">Joe Tucci, CEO at EMC</a> and S.D. Shibulal, CEO and Managing Director at Infosys.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shibulal’s keynote is one of Accelerating Growth, and the breathtaking pace at which technology and business trends are changing. OpenWorld certainly is capturing that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Focus On gives delegates a roadmap of sessions, demos, partner’s exhibits and networking events all related to a particular subject matter – such as applications, the Cloud, database, middleware and Oracle services.<span> </span>Following the map will ensure no stone goes unturned.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hands-on Labs, Oracle DEMOgrounds and the Oracle Support Stars Bar all go towards providing delegates with more than the technical and executive solution sessions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As the shenanigans between <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/oracle-vs-salesforcecoms-benioff-goes-wwe-were-being-played/59818?tag=search-results-rivers;item0">Marc Benioff and Ellison</a> reflect the story of last year and throw some spice into the mix - Oracle continue to send delegates home <a href="http://blog.vennster.nl/2011/10/oracle-openworld-2011-story-so-far.html">full to the brim and satisfied</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-86344557116813442912011-10-03T14:32:00.001+05:302011-10-03T14:35:14.454+05:30Cook to unveil iPhone 5 tomorrow<p class="MsoNormal">The iPhone 5 has already become rather infamous even before any unveiling. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The rumoured September introduction was squashed by the news of an iPhone5 <a href="http://nexus404.com/Blog/2011/09/25/lost-iphone-5-there%E2%80%99s-video-surveillance-of-that-sfpd-lost-iphone-investigation-nowhere-complete-while-iphone-4s5-release-date-gets-closer/">prototype being lost</a> – from stories of being sold on Craigslist to Apple dispatching its own investigators, and the local police assisting, the new iPhone was raising many questions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The revised date to remember is, apparently, tomorrow (4<sup>th</sup> October) - when <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/08/tim-cooks-email-to-apple-apple-is-not-going-to-change.html">Tim Cook</a>, Apple’s new chief executive, will <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/saas/apples-garden-wall-is-cracking/1423?tag=search-results-rivers;item0">unveil the iPhone 5</a> at a special media event. Significantly, this will be Cook’s first major product announcement since taking over from Steve Jobs. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And with the iPhone 5 being the most talked about smartphone launch of the summer, other high ranking Apple people can be expected – namely Phil Schiller and Eddie Cue, VP of worldwide product marketing and senior VP of internet software and services, respectively.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even Samsung, unsuccessfully, tried to call for the smartphone prototypes to be admitted as evidence in the ongoing legal battle between itself and Apple.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once the (<a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/apples-iphone-5-will-verizon-get-its-demand-pop-this-time/59086?tag=search-results-rivers;item2">rumoured slimmer case and smaller SIM design</a>) iPhone 5 <a href="http://nexus404.com/Blog/2011/09/27/iphone-5-release-date-now-called-for-october-14th-say-reports-tipster-reports-suggest-five-major-markets-will-land-the-iphone-5-in-stores-ten-days-after-tim-cooks-presentation/">hits the streets</a>, the designers may be able to relax a little.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-4552035655182532592011-09-29T18:43:00.004+05:302011-09-29T19:08:44.138+05:30Two Larrys tackle the Android-Java dispute<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Larry Page and Larry Ellison were planning to <a href="http://www.mobilityfeeds.com/mobility-feed/2011/09/google-and-oracle-ceos-summoned-to-settle-android-java-dispute.html">meet this month</a> to try and put an end to the <a href="http://www.androidnewsblog.net/2011/09/oracle-says-damages-in-android-dispute-may-be-1-2-billion-businessweek/">Android-Java dispute</a>. The Google and Oracle chief executives had a date at the US District Court for the Northern District of California.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Florian Mueller, software patent specialist, wrote in the <a href="http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2011/09/motorola-deal-unclear-trial-date.html">Foss Patents blog</a> about the meeting, seeing it as a positive move.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">“There's a reasonable chance that Larry Page will show the strong leadership he's demonstrated since taking over the helm and make Larry Ellison an offer too good to refuse: a ton of money in exchange for a perpetual licence."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">There is the obvious issue of a ‘pay-off,’ in terms of it setting a trend for other patent holders to expect similar treatment. But, as Mueller says, this is ‘not a reason not to do what needs to be done.’</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a href="http://googlefacebookiphone.blogspot.com/2011/09/google-still-must-defend-android-in.html">Google</a> are unlikely to come out of this unscathed and so a settlement would be in the Internet giant’s best interest. If the case did go to court, Oracle has got the upper hand, even though Android’s defence is helped by Google’s recent purchase of over 1,000 patents from IBM. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">“<a href="http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2110065/page-ellison-meet-oracle-google-look-settle-android-java-dispute">Oracle</a> probably wouldn't win a trial on all counts, but it's highly likely to win on at least some of them, and quite probably the counts on which Oracle would prevail would be powerful enough," said Mueller.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Oracle had to lower it’s original damages claim (of $2bn to $6bn) after it was discovered that Google had rejected the chance to pay Sun $100m to license the Java platform when it was developing Android.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">If the two Larrys cannot come to an agreement the expected court date is 31<sup>st</sup> October – probably a Halloween to remember.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-87202426326795812212011-09-26T20:01:00.001+05:302011-09-26T20:20:05.179+05:30The need for data centres grows worldwide<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; ">Nick Parfitt, Datacentre Dynamics Research director, has described <a href="http://www.webojen.com/the-growth-of-d-datacenter-think-of-relying-slowdown.html">the growth of Internet</a> use as the ‘perfect storm’, following the release of their latest report.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">A ‘storm’ in terms of demand from government, business and users socially – IT and internet use is growing rapidly and as such so is the need for <a href="http://www.spinwavesystems.com/blog/2011/09/16/spinwave-systems-expands-line-of-wireless-data-center-sensors-2/">more servers and storage – and thus datacentres.</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">“</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The perception is without question that datacentres are the best way of ensuring the availability and reliability of IT services and the machines to deliver them," said Parfitt.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span> </span>As the world becomes more IT dependent the UK has responded with a 25 per cent increase (compared to last year) in expenditure on datacentres.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">The report lists the greatest spender as the US at £2.18bn ($3.5bn) – the UK following closely behind with outgoings of £2.1bn ($3.35bn). China comes in a close third.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">The UK and US have invested primarily in existing datacentres, and upgraded them, resulting in a low number of new centres needed. In comparison, emerging markets, such as Turkey, Brazil and Columbia have seen datacentre expansion of up to 60 per cent.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">The facts given by the report in response to such growth is self-explanatory. Internet users have more than doubled in five years to 2.11 billion, and 500 million smartphones today is nothing compared to 2 billion expected by 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">15 years ago there were 18, 000 websites – today there are 215 million. The storm has been building for a while now, and we are all part of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-77686424489052420972011-09-22T17:03:00.004+05:302011-09-22T17:11:07.618+05:30Security threats lie with firms says Gartner<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Own the vulnerability; don’t blame the threat, is Gartner’s advice. Fingers have been pointed at China and Russia (amongst others) for some of the recent cyber attacks – but the techniques used are not new. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >In<a href="http://blog.q1labs.com/?p=1444"> Gartner’s last report</a> – Strategies for Dealing with Advanced Targeted Threats – it is clear that security has to evolve to combat the increase in these types of attacks. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" >“The reality is that the most important issues are the vulnerabilities and the techniques used to exploit them, not the country that appears to be the source of the attack," said <a href="http://blogs.gartner.com/john_pescatore/2011/06/29/gartner-security-conference-reflections/">John Pescatore,</a> vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span>Simple, signature-dependent security approaches are not the answer to the level of tailoring and targeting that the new threats present.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Denial of service, theft of information – these are techniques that cyber criminals have worked on for years – and Gartner are clear in their message.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" >“Targeted attacks are penetrating standard levels of security controls and causing significant business damage to organisations that do not evolve their security controls," said Pescatore.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span lang="EN-US"><br />The message is to</span> reduce vulnerabilities, increase monitoring capabilities, and react quickly to evolving threats – resulting in everyone from teenagers to state-backed attackers hitting a brick wall.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" >"The use of specialised threat detection, network forensics and situational awareness technologies can be very effective…but require high levels of skilled resources to be effective." Pescatore added.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" >A ‘lean-forward’ approach is needed towards security where the business is constantly looking beyond the standard level of security, and active threats are continuously being monitored.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" >However, investment is the key to the lean-forward processes, but also a company has to be able to take action if a breach is discovered.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-19403438730514618962011-09-19T15:28:00.001+05:302011-09-19T15:34:12.656+05:30Government drops plans to shut down social mediaMessage from the Lords is: “The government is committed to a free and open internet.”<br /><br />Baroness Browning confirmed that the plan to seek additional powers in order to close down social media networks would <a href="http://danontheweb.com/2011/08/uk-drops-pledge-to-shut-down-social-media-during-riots/">not be going ahead.</a><br /><br />In the wake of the riots, David Cameron <a href="http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/11/7347464-uk-anti-tech-crackdown-not-bloody-likely">proposed shutting down social media</a> when it was evident that some users were citing disorder. Theresa May had also called for such a plan to be considered which, led to a meeting with police commanders and <a href="http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2011/08/report-facebook-and-twitter-to.php">representatives of social media</a>.<br /><br />Cameron had discussed with MPs, “whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these web sites and services when we know they are plotting violence".<br /><br />During the Lords debate it became clear that a middle ground had to be reached. Baroness Miller, of the Liberal Democrats, stressed the unacceptability of a wholesale surveillance operation, whilst Labour minister, Lord West, called it ‘madness’ for the police not to use information from social media to protect the public.<br /><br />Social media sites do have to take some control - and, according to Browning, many have indicated a commitment to removing illegal content where appropriate.<br /><br />Browning confirms that Cameron does not want to close down networks – a move that would upset a great many – but he is determined to see what can be done to prevent such a social media hijack again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-89422740362768878832011-09-14T16:47:00.003+05:302011-09-14T17:22:26.667+05:301 in 4 believe cloud is more secure<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Cloud Watch, a report by network specialist Cisco, has revealed that one in four IT leaders believes the cloud offers better security than in-house IT or managed services.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Leaders across five sectors were spoken with – namely government, retail, healthcare, finance and service providers. However, 76 per cent still think security is a stumbling block when it comes to cloud adoption. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Ian Foddering, CTO of Cisco for UK and Ireland, said: "There are still problems around the perception of cloud services, and these include security and governance.”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Concerns revolved around the location of data, and integrations with in-house IT or other hosted services. Over half questioned saw responsibility as sitting between end user organisations, cloud service providers and applications providers.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="http://cloudcomputingsecurityissues.com/cloud-security-issues/">In terms of security</a>, the most popular cloud services are web conferencing, video conferencing and unified communications. The real-time links must have some relevance here.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The report also found that <a href="http://www.devblogging.com/2011/09/09/only-seven-percent-of-uk-it-services-in-the-cloud-says-survey-it-world/">only seven per cent</a> of companies considered cloud uptake as critical, though over half had it on the IT agenda (many of these with a plan to invest in the next 12 months).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span lang="EN-US">Foddering said, “</span><span lang="EN-US">These issues are being addressed.</span><span lang="EN-US"> The ITU and other bodies are developing standards and adequate governance will address the remaining security concerns."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Security has to work, but also, when it comes to the cloud, and the huge change to the IT landscape – it was always going to be a leap of faith for many.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-61134723574050398272011-09-12T19:51:00.000+05:302011-09-12T20:14:25.965+05:30Oracle vs SAP: damages reduced<p class="MsoNormal">The ongoing saga <a href="http://siliconangle.com/blog/2011/09/02/round-3-oracle-takes-a-hit-in-sap-case/">of SAP versus Oracle</a> took a huge turn - or rather drop - in SAP’s favour earlier this month, when the $1.3bn payout (decreed in November last year), was over turned.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The damages were awarded for copyright infringement, following Oracle’s claim that SAP’s TomorrowNow software-maintenance unit had illegally downloaded and copied its own software.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">However, the jury this time round had a different view, as the court statement made clear, ‘the verdict grossly exceeded the actual harm to Oracle’.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SAP are said to be ‘gratified’, but how do Oracle feel about the new offer of $272m? Considering Paul Meyer, Oracle’s damage expert, outlined a sum of $1.66 billion, the mood at the software giant cannot be a good one.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">US district judge Phyllis Hamilton, <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/judge-rejects-oracles-13-billion-award-against-sap/57109?tag=search-results-rivers;item12">overturned the original sum</a> describing it as ‘grossly excessive’. She also made it clear that if Oracle objected to her ruling, there should be a new trial.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">SAP said, “We believed the jury's verdict was wrong and are pleased with the significant reduction in damages. We hope the court's action will help drive this matter to a final resolution."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Whether <a href="http://technology.newsgossipblog.com/oracles-1-3-billion-victory-over-sap-quashed-by-judge/">Oracle accepts this drop</a> in compensation is another matter. Larry Ellison may not be a happy man.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-52849288321843100912011-09-09T13:32:00.002+05:302011-09-09T14:04:28.850+05:30Apps created by the public for Department of Health<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="http://stockdalemartin.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/an-app-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away/">“Apps and maps”</a> are what the Department of Health are calling for. </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" > <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.medicology.co.uk/blog/health-secretary-calls-ideas-health-apps-maps/">Health secretary,</a> Andrew Lansley, wants medical professionals and software developers to get creative and “help patients make informed decisions about their care.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With a range of NHS data already available to the public, software and web developers do have material to play with.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"We want to give people better access to information that will put them in control of their health and help make informed choices about their healthcare," said Lansley.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Department of Health <a href="http://bensgottalent.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/%E2%80%98an-app-a-day%E2%80%99-andrew-lansley-launches-a-call-for-ideas-for-new-health-apps-and-maps/">want to hear from all budding app developers</a> (as well as seasoned creatives, of course), to help them, “bring to life new ideas and realise true innovation in healthcare.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Maps and Apps website lists the types of apps that the NHS would be interested in – for example; an app that allows people to search for health information on line; one that allows a patient to manage their health condition; another to rate and review local health services to an app that allows you to plan your own care.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">However, the NHS is not a complete stranger to the app revolution.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"Our staff are already realising the benefits of medical apps and have developed a number of these which are proving popular with the medical community," said Dr Ian Abbs, medical director at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">One such example is where clinicians (in an emergency situation) “can now quickly and accurately double check complex drug dose calculations.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A showcase event in the autumn will present the best apps chosen from the ideas put forward via the website – for more information, take a look <a href="http://mapsandapps.dh.gov.uk/category/blog/">http://mapsandapps.dh.gov.uk/category/blog/</a></p></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-27420162281815136942011-09-06T20:03:00.004+05:302011-09-06T20:23:53.764+05:30Amazon to manage your cache<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><a href="http://aws.typepad.com/aws/2011/08/amazon-elasticache-distributed-in-memory-caching.html">Amazon ElastiCache</a> is a managed caching service, which means all managing, monitoring and operating of an in-memory cache environment is taken out of the customer’s hands.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Until today, businesses have had little choice but to shoulder this responsibility themselves,” explained Raju Gulabani, VP of database services at AWS.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Launched in beta a couple of weeks ago<a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/amazon-debuts-elasticache-in-memory-cache-in-the-cloud/55780?tag=search-results-rivers;item2">, the ElastiCache</a> is easy to migrate to from existing Memcached environments as it is fully compliant with the Memcached memory object caching system.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Customers using ElastiCache experience a managed, flexible and resilient caching service that quickly and easily adds in-memory cache to application architectures – something customers have been calling for, according to Gulabani.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Caching is a core part of so many web applications today, but running your own caching infrastructure is time consuming and rarely adds differentiated value for your business," he said.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The cloud will benefit hugely from ElastiCache, says Clive Longbottom, an analyst at Quocirca, where everything takes place in a single cloud hoster’s datacentre.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Caching apparently gets rid of latencies within the cloud host – which, tops security as a big problem for up above.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Resulting issues, however, include loss of all data in memory if power fails, and it cannot be used across datacentres as interconnects have to be ‘superfast’ from cache to compute environment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Launching the Cache Clusters and sending forth the Cache Nodes, according to AWS is going to please many customers. Longbottom says the ElastiCache is not so great for “anything where composite applications, shared applications or distributed data is concerned". </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Touted as best for read-heavy application workloads such as social networking, gaming and media sharing<span> </span>- AWS knows its market.</p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-64061008256215397332011-08-31T19:59:00.006+05:302011-08-31T20:13:35.036+05:30Oracle offers bundles to customers<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span >Oracle is encouraging its customers to move from using third-party hardware for running their platforms on to systems, which bundle Oracle’s middleware and software with its Sun Server.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >“Oracle is truly in a position to <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/virtualization/oracle-vm-30-launch-the-hypervisor-battle-heats-up/3665?tag=search-results-rivers;item12">offer products for the entire stack,</a>" said David Simmons, director of Oracle’s Sun Sparc enterprise server business.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Earlier in August, in San Francisco, the company explained the cost and performance benefits of combined hardware and software datacentre platforms.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >"We know that customers need choices, so we provide a portfolio of traditional best of breed, but we really do have a vision of getting to engineered systems," said Simmons.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Even the cloud has been taken into consideration. Customers can use <a href="http://www.datacentremanagement.org/2011/08/integrated-stacks-havent-yet-won-over-it-shops/">Oracle’s Exadata</a> server hardware combined with the Private Database Cloud and develop shared database systems – all ready to use within days.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >However, even with the promise of better performance, and the benefits of a single contact for issues such as security and support - locking into a single vendor for the entire datacentre stack is undoubtedly a hard sell for some enterprises.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >Charles King, analyst at Pund-IT does not think many enterprise customers are looking for one vendor to supply everything.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span >“They don't like to be told who they can and can't do business with. In the datacentre, it seems variety is the spice of life," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" >This integrated stack may prove to be a positive offering.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-45245103361106070282011-08-30T14:21:00.001+05:302011-08-30T14:41:23.440+05:30Social media at work increases productivity<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/facebook-cio-social-media-is-at-the-core-in-shift-of-it-culture/55140?tag=search-results-rivers;item2"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Social media</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""> sites have been proven to be a </span><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/foremski/the-coming-flood-of-corporate-media-in-social-networks/1922?tag=search-results-rivers;item15"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">positive feature of the work place</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> after all – maybe not such a surprise to the IT savvy companies out there.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">New research by the National University of Singapore found that workers who had </span><a href="http://www.moorelegaltechnology.co.uk/blogs/internet-marketing-for-law-firms/social-media-and-productivity-for-law-firms"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">access to social media</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> sites are actually 39 per cent more productive at work. Such a figure cannot be sniffed at.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">96 workers were involved across two experiments – quite simply, half had </span><a href="http://www.agims.com/blog/2011/08/can-social-media-improve-your-workers%E2%80%99-productivity/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">access to social media</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> and gaming sites - half did not.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Participants had to highlight specific letters within documents of lengthy text. They then had to fill in a questionnaire reflecting their levels of mental exhaustion, boredom and psychological engagement.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The workers, who came out top for productivity, were also less bored and more psychologically engaged.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Managers must recognise that blanket policies that prohibit all forms of personal web usage are ineffective, and excessive monitoring is likely to be counterproductive," the researchers said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Even a limited amount of personal web time will have a salubrious impact on the employees involved. Nowadays, to cut off access to social media is like cutting a lifeline – this is how more and more people communicate and keep up with the world at large. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The employee with no social media may as well sit in a windowless room, alone.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-27626894942778964862011-08-26T19:46:00.003+05:302011-08-26T19:58:54.953+05:30Rivals to benefit from Google's Motorola buy<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Whilst Nokia could </span><a href="http://clickoclock.blogspot.com/2011/08/google-buy-motorola-nokia-and-rim.html"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">benefit from Google’s purchase</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> of Motorola Mobility, RIM may not reap the same rewards.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Industry analysts are predicting a ripple affect beyond the Android world following Google’s announcement to buy the Motorola Mobility unit for $12.5bn.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><a href="http://thehandheldblog.com/2011/08/15/nokia-statement-google-motorola-acquisition/">Nokia will find itself at an advantage</a>, as Google’s acquisition of an Android hardware vendor will draw phone makers to Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">According to the analyst as <a href="http://www.androidtabletblog.com/nokia-ceo-speaks-out-on-googlemotorola-merger-%E2%80%93-warns-android%E2%80%99s-partners/">Nokia</a> moved to Windows Phone early, they may have the edge over other vendors.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">"Nokia benefits because Microsoft's Windows Phone suddenly looks like a much more viable operating system," said Avi Greengart, research director for consumer devices at Current Analysis.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Whilst RIM’s stock did climb to 9.4 per cent – following speculation over the value of the company’s patents (Patent holdings are said to have played a roll in Google’s decision) - it still drags its sagging hardware business with it.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Ken Dulaney, VP at Gartner believes this could limit which hardware vendors would look at buying up RIM. However, not all would agree.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">An analyst from Sterne Agee thinks the disruption to the Android market <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/rim-signs-of-rebound-brewing/55102">could benefit RIM</a> as HTC and Samsung may feel alienated (due to lock down in patent protection for Android.). <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Also – there are concerns about the power of Google and Apple as mobile phone suppliers<span> </span>– could RIM become the strong third contender?<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Analysts do say that RIM’s efforts to re-establish its hardware lines and transition to the QNX platform far outweigh any impact from the Google deal.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">So, whilst looking to Nokia as the obvious benefactor, don’t rule out the opportunities coming to RIM. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-47681930738273546982011-08-24T20:20:00.002+05:302011-08-24T20:25:56.780+05:30RIM to release data following London riots<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/london-riots-understanding-technologys-role-in-the-thick-of-it/54544?tag=search-results-rivers;item19">Following the riots</a> that spread across London and the rest of the country earlier this month, Research In Motion (RIM), will most likely hand over data to the Metropolitan Police and UK government.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The riots, according to media reports, were <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/british-pm-considers-turning-off-social-networks-amid-further-riots/54711?tag=search-results-rivers;item13">organised via Blackberry’</a>s private messaging service (BBM) – something the authorities have had difficulty intercepting, unlike sites such as Twitter.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">RIM is <a href="http://technoty.com/mobiles/hackers-attack-blackberry-blog-threaten-employees/">happy to help the police</a> but also said they will continue to operate under UK data protection laws and regulation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">"As in all markets around the world where BlackBerry is available, we co-operate with local telecommunications operators, law enforcement and regulatory officials. We also comply with The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) and co-operate fully with the Home Office and UK police forces."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">
<br /><span> </span>The police would need a warrant in order to request access to the BBM messages – if granted RIM would have to had over the data. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">However, there is a loophole, as Mike Conradi, partner and lead telecoms lawyer at DLA Piper, confirmed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">“The act only applies to the content, not to the fact that the content has been sent. So the fact that person A has sent a message to person B at a certain time would not be covered by RIPA."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/when-it-meets-politics/2011/08/ripa-and-the-riots-give-the-po.html">The police could exploit</a> this loophole to find out information about the individuals sending the messages. Conradi also believes the warrant would be ‘quite easy’ to gain - so with content and individuals potentially being exposed, there may be nowhere for the rioters to hide.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-70057892865917922802011-08-18T20:09:00.002+05:302011-08-18T20:18:45.422+05:30Google + adds to its platforms<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Google + is gathering pace as it now presents itself in app form for the iPhone, </span><a href="http://theappera.com/2011/08/10/google-iphone-app-now-supports-ios-5-ipad-and-ipad-2/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">iPod Touch and iPad tablet.</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The web giant has given the Google + iOS app Version 1.0.2. 1966 ‘various speed and performance improvements’, and it is free from the iTunes App Store – no stone has gone unturned in making sure the new version is irresistible.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><a href="http://techw0rld101.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/google-app-for-iphone-gets-update-ios-5-ipod-touch-and-ipad-support/">Many improvements</a> have been directed towards the Circle and Huddle users – further support for the Huddle group texting applications is now available, and a conversation (text, obviously) can be started direct from their profile.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Huddlers can restrict who is allowed to converse with them, and also hide Huddles, of the one-on-one kind, from their list.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Circles social connections project has aggregated contact notifications for users, and these users can also customise the main Google+ stream view to suit them, i.e. show only the streams they want to see from individual circles. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">July, the month Google revealed the Google+ iOS app, was not the company’s best.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Deleting a large number of the social network user accounts was not a popular move. The reasons cited were apparent <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/foremski/google-refuses-compliance-with-korean-real-name-law-but-imposes-it-on-g-users/1920?tag=search-results-rivers;item8">policy violations</a> – Google is looking at ways to improve access, and have apologised.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Apparently, near the end of July, Google+ traffic fell by three per cent, compared with a huge 283 per cent rise the week before.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">However, a spokesperson from the firm that released the results above, Experian Hitwise, also called the figures a blip due to some traffic from mobile devices and platforms being excluded.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Even the great and mighty fall into disarray sometimes – but should we expect better?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-7144755987613554092011-08-16T14:15:00.001+05:302011-08-16T14:19:07.355+05:30The wait is over for Java SE 7<p class="MsoNormal">It seems tensions between the Java community and Sun Microsystems have cooled slightly, with the release of the first Java Standard Edition (SE) update, for public download, after five years of development.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Industry analysts see the move as a positive one, which is a nice change considering the issues that have arisen since Oracle acquired Sun in 2009.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://blogs.oracle.com/otn/entry/java_se_goes_to_7">The release is seen by Oracle</a> as an evolutionary update towards the larger Java 8 release in 2012.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">“I'm pleased that the Java community has come together in favour of technical progress and that we have a clear path forward for Java SE 8," said Oracle Fusion Middleware and Java products senior vice president Hasan Rizvi.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Rizvi also was keen to stress Oracle’s commitment to the success of the Java platform, and that the <a href="http://www.sdtimes.com/blog/post/2011/08/02/The-Java-SE-7-Bug.aspx">Java SE 7</a> release will be supported ‘across the Oracle Fusion Middle product portfolio.’<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Al Hilwa, programme director at IDC, said, “The Java community should be much more relaxed about Oracle's stewardship."<span> </span>The Java platform has suffered as a result, since 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">“Some of the decisions to reverse the Java over-reach and unrealistic schedules from the Sun days were hard to make, but I would say they are doing the right thing."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">‘They’, being Oracle, must be happy with such a comment. The Java platform needs to successfully move on without past issues dragging behind – hopefully, now maybe it can, and the same goes for <a href="http://londonjavacommunity.wordpress.com/2011/08/">the Java community.<o:p></o:p></a></span></p> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"><a href="http://londonjavacommunity.wordpress.com/2011/08/">
<br /></a></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-23571698793129125582011-08-12T14:25:00.001+05:302011-08-12T14:35:21.391+05:30Start-ups excel in data management<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-24.45pt">It goes without saying that the young are more agile than the old<span> </span>- and this applies to businesses too.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-24.45pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-24.45pt"><a href="http://www.dataversity.net/archives/4524">An Oracle roundtable</a> discussing data management concluded that newer companies are able to utilise their data in order to create opportunities, in a way that larger companies cannot.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-24.45pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-24.45pt">Diverse and fragmented legacy systems hamper the big businesses – in a nutshell, there’s just too much data hanging around.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-24.45pt"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">"I'd hate to be the CIO of a large bank," said David Rajan. </span>Oracle UK technology director. <span lang="EN-US">"How do you go from worrying about data security and management across 5,000 databases, and compete with a service like [short-term lender] <a href="http://wonga.com">Wonga</a>?" <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">A company such as Wonga can work in real-time – data-mining and accessing information from the web in order to make quick and accurate decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">A large enterprise often has as many as 5,000 databases – where do you start looking?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">"With so many databases there's the risk of having different versions of the truth, and different levels of data available to different applications.” Said Rajan.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://abrition.com/2011/08/08/report-that-oracle-and-other-big-companies-punkd-in-hacking-contest/">Data security</a> inevitably becomes an issue – when the call comes to secure the company data, the answer is, “Which version?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">No business wants the reputation for not ‘knowing’ their customer, as Rajan explains. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">“It's like when you call your utility company and one department knows your address, they transfer you and the next department doesn't even know your name."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The answer is consolidation of data. And also, as suggested by the panel – cut down those databases so the IT management, can, do as intended - manage.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254686567671614561.post-25419263950782147852011-08-10T14:02:00.004+05:302011-08-10T14:11:12.408+05:30Oracle goes green with E-Business Suite<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" >"Environmental considerations such as emissions reporting are part of the new-normal for all organisations,” declared Oracle vice president of product strategy Jon Chorley, last month.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span lang="EN-US">
<br /></span>To prove their commitment <a href="http://www.thegreenitreview.com/2011/07/oracle-introduces-environmental.html">Oracle has gone green</a> with its E-Business Suite by adding energy consumption and carbon emissions tracking tools. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Financial Management platform is included too.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" >"<a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/green/oracle-we-manage-environmental-data-too/18131?tag=search-results-rivers;item5">Oracle is committed</a> to providing comprehensive solutions to meet these requirements," said Chorley.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" >The environmentally friendly accounting tools are optional modules that a company would be wise to employ if it wants to be green. The tools enable a company to track and report energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" >“With the introduction of Oracle Environmental Accounting and Reporting, customers can embed this capability within their normal business operations, delivering the required results at the best total cost of ownership," added Chorley.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" >By connecting with Oracle’s Business Intelligence platform, the modules also allow companies to pinpoint areas where CO2 consumption can be reduced.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" >Alongside Oracle’s release, companies are already able to improve their carbon footprint thanks to <a href="http://verismicblog.com/powerdebate">power management</a> and virtualisation.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" >However, there are other issues coming to the forefront as the need to be green pushes on.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Greenpeace have pinpointed the problem of some large IT firms locating datacentres in areas that use coal power plants to generate electricity. So, whilst energy efficiency is being embraced – clean energy is not.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" ><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="http://eco-officiency.com/wordpress/2011/08/cloud-computer-green-business-solution/">The Dirty Data</a> report points at Facebook, Apple and Google for not scrubbing up – being dirty green is not good enough.</span>
<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span> </span></span></span></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0