Central Desktop ran an interesting webinar in conjunction with IDC recently about the use of Software as a Service called:

"The Benefits of an Integrated Approach to Collaboration and Social Technology in Today's Tough Business Environment"

This webinar is a good first step in learning how to implement SaaS based collaboration and social technology for a better ROI accross your entire organization. Lower IT expenses and save workers time by taking a SaaS-based integrated approach to collaboration. Leverage web workspaces, meetings and social tools to manage your business better and more easily.

Visit http://www.centraldesktop.com/saas_webinar to watch. (You'll need speakers)

This article at

 http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13331334

IT WAS the day Sun Microsystems was supposed to rise again. On March 18th the Silicon Valley computer-maker had planned to unveil a new online service to allow start-ups to manage with much less hardware, by buying computing capacity from a “cloud”, rather like electricity from the grid. But the event was overshadowed by the news, hours earlier, that IBM was in talks to buy Sun for at least $6.5 billion in cash, which would translate into a near-100% premium over the firm’s depressed share price in recent weeks.

As The Economist went to press, a deal had yet to be confirmed. But it is no surprise that the two firms are talking. The economic crisis has pummelled Sun, which never really recovered from the dotcom bust. As its share price plumbed new lows, IBM’s remained relatively unscathed (see chart)—a reflection of its business, which has been protected by the computer giant’s global scope and the fact that it makes most of its money from software and services.

In the months to come, more big fish will seek to swallow smaller fry. That is because something deeper is going on in the computer industry. Thanks to ever more powerful chips and new software, servers and other hardware can now be “virtualised”, meaning physically separate systems can act as one. This enables computing power to become a utility: it is generated somewhere on the network (“in the cloud”) and supplied as a service. To simplify their complex data centres and cut costs, more and more companies are thinking about building in-house computing utilities, called “private clouds”, or outsourcing computing to “public clouds” of the kind Sun launched this week.

What is more, as computing becomes a utility, the borders between different systems are starting to blur. A server, for instance, can easily function as a router (a box that directs data around networks). And this convergence means that companies that used to be allies, or in totally different markets, are now starting to compete with each other, argues James Staten, an analyst at Forrester Research.

As a result the industry’s landscape is shifting. Last year Hewlett-Packard (HP), the world’s biggest computer-maker, bought Electronic Data Systems, a big provider of computer services, giving HP more manpower to help its customers build more advanced data centres. HP has also acquired software to manage data centres and put a greater emphasis on networking gear, an important component in the computer centres that have become the heart of many businesses.

Cisco, the world’s biggest maker of routers, has responded by moving into a new area: it will soon start selling servers. Together with other firms, including BMC and VMware, it has developed what it calls a “Unified Computing System”, which was unveiled on March 16th. This is essentially a private cloud in a box. Instead of having to wire up servers, storage devices and networking gear, companies can build and reconfigure virtual computer systems with a few mouse clicks.

For IBM, the third big contender in this emerging field, part of the attraction of Sun is that it has some assets, such as networking gear and data-centre software, which would beef up IBM’s ability to build private clouds. Industry observers think IBM would probably sell many of Sun’s other businesses, however, such as its line of high-end servers. A counter-bid for Sun from HP or Cisco is also possible.

HP, Cisco and IBM (and perhaps Dell, another troubled computer-maker) are gearing up to fight what has come to be called the “war for the data centre”. Much is at stake: this year alone, companies will spend about $100 billion on data centres, according to IDC, a market-research firm. As computing moves online, however, these companies will increasingly have to compete with operators of “public clouds”. Microsoft plans to enter this field, in effect offering to run companies’ computer systems for them inside its own giant data centres. Google is gradually expanding its suite of cloud-based offerings. And Amazon, the world’s biggest online retailer, is also a pioneer in the field of cloud-computing services, which it has been offering for some time.

In a way, all this is a throwback to the era of “time-sharing” on mainframe computers. In the early days of computing, companies either had to buy a mainframe, which cost millions, or share one with someone else. Now firms will once again be confronted with this choice. Contrary to what some argue, however, big companies are unlikely to go fully either way. In fact, the computing sky will probably always be cloudy, meaning that there will be many private and public clouds, and they will come in all shapes and sizes. And most of them will be interconnected. Cisco already has a name for this computing climate: the “Inter-Cloud”.

Without urgency any change effort is doomed.

 Hear Harvard Professor Michael Porter talk about forming a long term strategy to counteract the effects of the economic downturn. 

Listen to Leadbeater talk about how people are innovation and collaborating to come up with new ideas and ways of doing things

A very useful section of the CIO website for those needing a refresher course on crucial IT topics:

http://www.cio.com.au/section/quick_introductions_to_technology_topics

Quick Introductions to Technology Topics Sometimes we all can use a refresher course -- or we need to make sure our team and our colleagues are all on the same page.

The latest addition to CIO magazine's Web site, CIO's Quick Introductions to Technology Topics, gives you and your counterparts a jumpstart on the fundamentals behind a variety of hot IT topics.

Presented in a easy-to-digest FAQ format designed to save time for busy IT executives, the articles in CIO's Technology 101 series provide you with the insight you need to get the facts behind the latest industry trends and buzzwords.

Discover hints and tips across a variety of topics including the benefits of Virtualisation, how Web 2.0 can fit into your enterprise and much, much more!

 

Google Maps Applications continue to improve and better and better uses are being found for them:

http://mytracks.appspot.com/ - this is one which allows runners for example to map their tracks and show others using street view what they have seen

http://google-au.blogspot.com/2009/02/mapping-victorian-fires.html - Google Maps has helped people with the Victorian Bushfires

To view other useful Google Maps Application visit http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/

Business Improvement - Online Courses

Clients who have worked with us, will have seen our strategic approach to technology implementation. Our underlying objective is to always seek business improvement through technology and we have a suite of tools we use to achieve this.
 
We are now putting clients through the online business improvement course to enable them to adapt these Mindshop tools to other areas of their business. This course provides the structure to learn many of the Mindshop tools we use at your own pace. With video explanations, interactive work areas and downloadable tools this course provides you with the skills and knowledge to drive business improvement across your organisation.

More information on our site


Download the Flyer:

Business Improvement Online Training Flyer (516 KB)

Thanks to Harry Kras, of the Family Business Resource Centre www.fbrc.com.au , who kindly sent me this video!

The teaching and support of new technology hasn't changed that much!

A good article by Fact Point Group and SonicWall on what is driving telecommuting:
They highlight ten key factors enabling effective secure teleworking:

1. Widespread Broadband Connectivity
2. Collaborative applications emerge: Web 2.0, Web meetings, VoIP
3. Smartphones and PDAs abound
4. Put money back in employees’ pockets to keep them loyal and productive
5. Save on operations and real estate
6. Carbon footprint
7. Boost business continuity and bounce back from disasters
8. Regulatory compliance
9. Bad guys are getting better

10. Telework prerequisite: Secure remote access technology

Download the full article below:

10 Trends Enabling Secure Teleworking (63 KB)