Do You Want to Learn How Mobile Technologies Can Dramatically Reduce Cost and Increase Efficiency?
Do You Want to Learn How Mobile Technologies Can Dramatically Reduce Cost and Increase Efficiency?
Start here:
http://www.johnarudkin.net
I read a lot these days about how the emerging technology market is capable of bringing huge savings and tremendous efficiency savings to business, and I almost weep.
Why weep? Well, I told my old ICT Department this 36 months ago…….
This is the next “Big Thing” coming into the ICT World. Prepare to be dazzled, confused, spun around and then asked to “trust” your old mates who failed to deliver the “Last Big Thing” that is now yesterdays news.
Well, it doesn’t take a great deal of intelligence to see that the world is changing fast. Tick the box. It also doesn’t take long to look at what works and what doesn’t, to compare what you see and hear to what is promised, and to form a conclusion or two about what is wrong with the world of ICT today - and why so many Public, as opposed to Private Programmes bite the dust. Oh dear, does that mean work?
Yes………..
For any private company or organisation, it is obvious that failure costs dearly, and that means you and your shareholders suffer. The danger is part of the “natural selection” process out there. You live, you die or you just ride on the shirt tails of the next big thing.
But wait a moment. Natural selection is determined very unnaturally in many cases, and this is as true in Councils (tell me about it!) as well as in Central Government Departments. It is all about who you know and trust (or who gives back the most value - another term often wildly manipulated). What I am saying here is that things, things other than the needs of the final recipients of whatever is being deployed are too often countering and distorting that natural selection.
At this point, you may be deciding to leave this article - but wait. Have patience, just a little longer.
What I am saying is that it is not always the best decision that is made (hardly a revelation), nor is that decision always made for the greater good. Too many contracts still get awarded through “chains of ingraciation”. It is not always the fault of the buyers, the procurement departments or those making the final decision. They are easily swayed, lacking knowledge, simply diverted. But it IS SOMEBODY’S fault. Usually it has to do with that person’s pocket - in one way or another. I have seen this too often.
As they used to say in the X-Files “The Truth is Out There”. Yes it is, but sometimes it is well hidden (deliberately, or through simple lack of intelligence and/or experience). I just hope that your ICT Mobility X-File isn’t one where you get eaten alive.
Again.
Transparency and openness is all that is needed. Just open your eyes. The truth is certainly “Out There” You just have to look.
The Next Big Thing?
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240118592/Mobile-technology-training-in-demand
Some 81% of IT professionals are planning to bolster their skills in mobile computing as they see the technology become an area of growth in the market.
About one-fifth of the IT professionals interviewed by recruitment website CWJobs.co.uk said they are planning to completely re-skill to become mobile computing experts.
IT professionals that want to build mobile computing careers need proficiency in skills such as JavaScript, C#, .Net and HTML5.
Businesses such as retailers are using mobile applications to attract and serve customers and are increasingly giving their workers the ability to use their internal business applications using mobile devices.
A Computer Weekly and TechTarget survey of more than 2,500 IT professionals worldwide revealed that about 30% of UK IT departments are incorporating smartphone and tablet initiatives in their strategies for 2012 as workers increasingly use the devices for work purposes.
The research found that 28.9% plan to introduce initiatives to use smartphones in the business, while 30.3% will enable the use of tablet PCs.
The results are evidence that 2012 promises to be a big year in the maturity of mobile technology in business.
Related Topics: Mobile software, Smartphone technology, Mobile apps and software, IT technical skills, IT education and training, Mobile networking, VIEW ALL TAGS
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Oh, there you are…….
Oh, there you are…….GCloud
OK, so this commentary is from me, and isn’t it typical that I just comment on “Where is Alpha Gov, and an example of it’s cohort is launched! So 1700 applications are now online and for download. It is sad that when I discussed this approach with colleagues in ICT at my last employer, there was the usual fear and trepidation about it. I mean, Apple started the ball rolling with the App store, but these days there are many around as examples, but Apple did it with finesse and business sense, and started a revolution.
I hope that G-Cloud takes the success slightly further in looking at why some “online” models work well and others do not. You want security and consistency, reliability and ease of use? Look no further than Apple. You want model that is open to potential abuse - there are loads to go for.
I think I know what you would want….. (although in my old job we’d have to leave experience outside the door and learn from the job!!!). I love that model. It almost always results in learning (it does), eventually…………
Let’s hope for everyones sake that intelligence has presided over this development. Some go ahead Councils etc will be ready for it I’m sure.
The G-Cloud revolution - CloudStore officially open for business!
Posted by Stuart Lauchlan on Sun, 19/02/2012 - 12:33
The doors have been flung open on the public sector Cloud revolution with the release on Sunday morning of the first tranche of providers whose offerings are included in the CloudStore.
In total there are over 1700 services that made it through the G-Cloud framework accreditation process and are now available in a searchable catalogue at www.gov.uk/cloudstore.
Chris Chant, G-Cloud Programme Director, said “The Public Sector will benefit immediately from this framework allowing them to adopt a range of Cloud services at reduced costs and improved agility without compromising performance or security. Costs that were previously averaging between £900 to £1500 per server per month, will be reduced to £150 or lower.”
On first sight, aside from the new breed of SME providers who’ve made it onto the initial ranking, the big winners are Microsoft – the CloudStore itself has been built on Microsoft Azure – and SAP - whose Business Objects and Business ByDesign ERP offering are among its entries onto the catalogue - as well as Google which makes it onto the list which conspicuously doesn’t have a lot of the better known ‘Cloud champions’ from the US.
With the government’s stated policy to include more SME engagement, it’s clearly encouraging to see SMEs such as UK Plc, Unit4 and Huddle are among those making their presence known, while the CloudStore itself has been built by UK SME Solidsoft – a task completed in less than four weeks.
Notably absent are VMware and Salesforce.com, whose government ambitions are well documented, and Oracle, already one of the main providers to the UK public sector market. But while Oracle itself is not there, the inclusion of RightNow Technologies on the list of approved suppliers makes that a very opportune takeover for the US firm.
On the other hand, the ‘revolution’ contains a lot of familiar names. HP – the biggest single provider to the UK public sector - unsurprisingly makes the grade. Being at loggerheads with the government over the National NHS IT Programme hasn’t prevented Fujitsu and CSC getting into the catalogue. IBM, CapGemini and BT are all present as are other ICT and services giants such as EMC, Dell, Steria, Atos and Capita.
The CloudStore – like the rest of the G-Cloud programme – is an evolving beast - and as such there will be additions and further iterations to come. Eleanor Stewart of the G-Cloud Programme Team states: “We are now looking to our users to feedback on what works well or what needs improving so that we can continue to develop the CloudStore. We hope that this site will help us to make the big step change in the way that suppliers and buyers do business on ICT services in the public sector.”
See also http://www.publictechnology.net/sector/central-gov/journey-1000-miles-has-had-its-first-step
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