I often find it beneficial when I am trying to learn a new concept to have a real world example so that I might relate the ideas being discussed to my own experiences.  This is why physics as a discipline didn’t excite me much.  It’s often about drawing lines on paper, applying formulas supplied, then drawing other lines to illustrate force + speed + weight to show outcome.   That’s a wonderful area of study for some, but for me I need more concrete examples to relate to.  

With that said lately I have been thinking about the role of a CTO within an organization and how this role relates to the architects who operate within.   In doing so I came up with this imagined example which as it turns out isn’t as much imagined as I had originally thought.

In this business scenario I am going to talk about 3 separate companies all with relatively similar goals.  With each company I am going to illustrate what the CTO of that organization should be thinking about day to day.  I am then going to walk through an example at a high level, and discuss the process  from initial idea through a working implementation.   Keep in mind though this example is very high level.  Actual implementation in some cases takes years to work out.  Also while I am aware of similarities to actual, in no way did any of these companies actually contribute to this post.  All of this is fictional, but could be interpreted to reflect real life situations.

COMPANY 1

Background:

When deciding which gadget to buy , I will typically read a few websites which review the gadgets by combining expert reviews as well as user reviews.   Sometimes these reviews are people pimping their products, and other times they are just individuals railing about a particular company and trying to disparage them.   Ultimately after reading both the expert and the general population reviews you can gather some general knowledge of what to look for in regarding the product you’re in the process of buying, or make a decision between similar products. 

The most popular websites make their money through advertisements, whose rates directly relate to the amount of eyeballs that visit their site.  The sites are relatively simple with no actual transactions taking place. 

After some internal research, this company noticed a trend over the last few months that the visitor volume is diminishing. 

If you ask the CTO of this company what he is thinking about day to day what do you think his primary response would be? 

CTO: “How can we utilize technology to improve our visitor count, so that we can maintain or even increase our current income levels?”

COMPANY 2

Background:

There is a website I purchase most of my electronics from.   It’s wildly known to have the best prices on a range of items, and in fact I have personally saved $400 on one HDTV purchase over the local chain electronics store.  

This company makes it’s money on volume.   The more electronics they sell, the more money they make.   Their stated purpose is to drive more and more consumers to their site, while maintaining current customer satisfaction.

While reviewing the site log, the company has also discovered that customers often leave the site to go check on reviews, and in many cases, those same customers never come back

If you ask the CTO of this company what he is thinking about day to day what do you think his primary response would be?

CTO: “How can we use technology to retain customers, and increase usage of our website by consumers intent on buying electronics? ”

COMPANY 3

Background:

There are many general retailers on the net who sell all kinds of products, but most started as a one trick pony hocking a particular grouping of items, became good at that, then expanded.   A particular website I continue to use to purchase books has stated that it wants to become the one stop shop for everything a consumer would purchase.   Think of the WalMart of the internet with a better user experience and better products.

If you happen to be having a conversation with the CTO of this organization what do you think he will be thinking about?

CTO: “How can we use technology to gain customers and provide that one stop shopping experience for everything a consumer would want?”

Moving Forward

Gaining customers, and retaining customers is the most important aspect of a business.  This is not earth shattering, nor is it ground breaking.  It’s just simple common sense. 

So lets see how each one of these companies go about doing that.

COMPANY 1

The CTO of this company acts as both an outside forward thinking technologist and an inside EA. So placing the EA hat securely on his head, the CTO researches how existing assets can be leveraged as an offering to companies who want to add review functionality to their sites without building the technology themselves.

The CTO/EA interviews the Solution Architect who heads up the website development team and discovers that the website is built on Spring with a Hibernate data persistence layer.  The Solution Architect mentions that it is possible to extend the architecture using SOA principals, and offers to work with his development team to put together a relatively simple demo to illustrate how this can be done.

After reviewing the demo, the Solution Architect is instructed to lead an effort to build a SOA layer on top of the existing website.  Other Solution Architects from the Accounting and Advertising silo’s are employed to build integrations into their existing systems to track sales and consumption of their published services.

The CTO then announces to the corporation’s leadership team that there is now away for consumer sites to use their review technology asset.  

Sales can then introduce this functionality to Company 2 as a service they can add to their site.

COMPANY 2

The CTO speaking with his CEO discovers that they are in negotiations with a rather large online retailer who wants to get into the electronics business without having to actually build the business from the ground floor, or actually buying an online retailer.

Their CTO decides to undertake a program to build a SOA based architecture around their existing infrastructure including their website.   One Enterprise Architect is assigned to write a Governance plan. Another EA is tasked with documenting the current Enterprise Level Architecture with a specific focus on SOA.   While another EA is tasked with developing a detailed plan for building on these existing services and creating new services offerings to meet the business need.  The later two will employ solutions architects who work within the given organizations silos implementing specific business critical solutions. 

Lastly an Enterprise Architect is employed to research the reasons why customer’s leave their site, and come up with a plan to retain them.

After being contacted by Company 1, Company 2 decides to expand their site by consuming the Web Services provided by Company 1.  Part of this agreement, stipulates that the advertisements sold on Company 1’s site must also be displayed when consuming the difference services.

Each and every product sold on Company 2’s website, will have attached to it a set of reviews from Company 1’s site.  This will keep customers from leaving Company 2’s site, and each request to company 1’s site to provide those reviews is registered in their tracking system for future Advertising rate calculations.

COMPANY 3

As a well known book retailer that wants to get into the business of selling electronics, the CTO from this company researches the best companies who offer the right set of technologies to allow for the expansion of their site into the electronics world.  To do this, the CTO meets with the CTO of Company 2  to discuss how their technology could be integrated into Company 3’s offerings.  CTO2 explains how they have built a SOA architecture with all of the services needed to both present the catalog, and purchase the items.  But not only that, CTO2 explains that part of their services offering is to provide review services for all of their products, as well as the ability to add reviews to CTO3’s existing catalog.

CTO3 then instructs his EA’s to draw up a plan to add this functionality to their site.

SUMMARY

In most organizations the CTO’s responsibility is to use technology to improve business.  They are the forward thinkers within the organization always working to further the agenda of the company by leading technological efforts; to improve organizational efficiency, drive up revenue, foster partner relationships, and in some cases lead efforts to build or improve revenue generating products. In this scenario, we talked about three distinct companies all looking to increase customer traffic and revenue.  In each case the CTO was tasked with finding a way to technologically provide the means to do so.

But a CTO would be useless without an EA.  An EA looks inward, while a CTO looks outward.  Meaning that it’s the EA’s responsibility to lead the efforts across the enterprise to govern and build the systems needed for running the given business.  To put it succinctly the EA bridges the gap between CTO ideas, business problems, and technical implementation.

Last month, The Indian George Clooney, (reference to our Federal CTO, Aneesh Chopra) announced the launch of Open Government Directive. It was a landmark moment for the Government 2.0 movement.

Classic Jon Stewart from one of my favorite program, The Daily Show cut a few gigglish moments as Aneesh was gearing up to discuss his project. Not sure what his giggles were all about. I just hope nothing kinky was happening under the table between him and our Federal CIO, Vivek sitting right next to him. Jon came up with a hilarious coverage of the story. In case you missed it, here it is

Shortly after, the Indian George, reacted to being mentioned on tThe Daily Show. In response to the criticism, he responded this:

Here is the list of great things happened to our nation capital I remember. If we missed something, please send it to us and we make sure to add it to the list:

1. This guy finally left Washington for good

2. We got a new president or better say a Blackberry-addicted President His $800 billion stimulus package was stuffed with programs and grants to spur innovation and invigorate entrepreneurs.

3. We got a new Federal CIO and CTO to guide our technology policy: Virginia Tech Sec Aneesh Chopra and DC CIO Vivek Kundra. Vivek has been Mr. Transparency with projects like data.gov and recovery.gov that bring government spending out of the shadows, while Aneesh, has been guiding Obama’s policies in things like health care, energy independence, and education.


4. We got our first cyber czar Howard Schmidt to protect all that data falls

5. My Babe, Angie visited Washington, DC twice

6. We got Casey Coleman as our GSA CIO to create a cloud dashboard for the rest of the government to pick and choose cloud services at a tremendous cost savings over traditional hosting methods. Considering the questions over security, implementation, and architecture, not quite sure cloud computing is here to stay. I hope it does. Let’s see.

7. Many rallies were held in DC to support the Iranian green movement. The Iranian struggle for democracy has taken unprecedented turns since June 12th presidential election. Iranians have shown resilience and have pressed on their democratic demands on the face of continuous violence and escalating repression.

8. One of my favorite restaurant, Nando’s opened in Dupont Circle.

9. We got parade of tech royalty from Michael Dell, and Craig Newmark

10. Thank God! H1N1 did not even touch DC

11. Gay Marriage bill was signed by our Mayor Adrian Fenty to be finalized and signed by the congress in Jan 2010.

12. Awesome DC blog was launched

13. Healthcare Reform bill was passed by both by the Congress and Senate. To be finalized and signed by the President in one or two month

14. We got our record snow since March of 1994

15. AOL divorced from Time Warner , and then it went public in early December

16. The combination of low prices, reseller markets, the long tail effect, and the rise of internet literacy among the buying class forced one of our greatest retail store, Circuit City to shut down

Did I miss anything? let me know.

There are many ways for Chief Technology Officers to be undone.   Appropriately enough  — in light of  Friday’s  college football bowl fest —  being an effective CTO is  like being a college football coach.  You don’t actually do the blocking and tackling yourself, but you’ll fail if the fundamentals are not done right —  even if your game plan is perfectly constructed.  I will have more to say in an upcoming  post about game plans, but today I want  to recognize the arrival of the  New Year with a short note about the fundamentals.

George Heilmeier, former DARPA Director, Bellcore CEO, and the inspiration for my” Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” series[1][2][3] was a mentor to me and to many other  technology leaders .  One day I asked him for a bit of career advice, and he hauled out a Heilmeier list — twelve  rules for CTO’s to follow if they have any hope of navigating the many dangers of the colliding worlds of innovation and execution.  I quickly found out that, true to form,  George had reduced best practices to a few rules of the road because dozens of others had asked for the same advice.  They are fascinating and valuable bits of advice, and they range in scope from broad business fundamentals to technology and culture.   I haven’t come across anyone who thinks that they are not important lessons — not to tuck away for future use, but to internalize and use as a platform for technology management in any setting.  It was December , so I turned George’s list into New Year’s resolutions.

For each “client” establish/conceive a list of technologies and initiatives that drive his business and a list of technologies and initiatives that could change his business.

Use the Catechism to get people to focus on the real “care-abouts” when making investment decisions and establishing priorities.

Establish the physical, economic, and manufacturing limits of the technologies and capabilities that drive the business today.

Establish a good working relationship with your peers

Establish what [insert name(s) of  your CEO and Chairman] real priorities are.

Establish the metrics for success in their eyes.

Don’t shy away from doing some near term problem solving.  It builds credibility and respect.

Never have your peers or clients come to your office for meetings with you.  Go to theirs.

Any display of arrogance will cost you. Don’t do it.

Compile a list of “innovations yet to be made”

Make sure that each program or initiative is output oriented not activity oriented.

Learn the [insert your company name here] culture.  It is unique.

Have a happy and safe New Year, and, by all means, don’t get caught when worlds collide.

[2] http://wwc.demillo.com/2009/10/11/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner-part-2/

[3] http://wwc.demillo.com/2009/10/19/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner-part-3/

One year ago, the buzz across the government/technology nexus was focused on a pair of political guessing games. Neophytes mostly engaged in debating over whom the newly-elected President would name to be the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer. Grizzled Pentagon veterans and the more sober Silicon Valley types wondered instead who would get the nod as President Obama’s “Cyber Czar.”

The first group had their curiosity satisfied fairly early. A year later, however, the cyber position remains unfilled, even though there’s been enormous activity around the issue of cyber security: international incidents, the establishment of Cyber Command, inter-service rivalries and related budgetary maneuvers, a constant roster of Beltway conferences and task-forces…. Through it all, information-security and network-security professionals kept their heads glued to their screens, working. The work remains, the work of understanding the defensive and offensive realities of the global cyber environment.

Now there’s a definitive guide to that work. One of the brightest of a new generation of cyber professionals is Jeffrey Carr, who has long been known in certain circles for his influential IntelFusion blog. 

He’s just published a great book, Inside Cyber Warfare: Mapping the Cyber Underworld (O’Reilly Media, December 2009). You can buy the book here on Amazon and get a sweet deal, or you can buy the book from the publisher O’Reilly Media and bundle in an e-book copy in a variety of formats.

The book covers a dizzying array of topics: the rise of botnets; malware-as-a-service; popular wars fought using civilian networks; fake news sites hijacking real-time feeds; psychological manipulation by cyber means. Jeff is an acknowledged expert, in large part because he’s seen it all through his leadership of GreyLogic and its Project Grey Goose.

I was proud that several months ago Jeff asked me to write the book’s Foreword. I did, and you can read it below. Reading it now will save you time when you receive your copy of the book; Jeff received the very first print copy by FedEx today, so yours is now waiting for you to order, hot off the press. Enjoy!

Foreword to Inside Cyber Warfare: Mapping the Cyber Underworld

During his campaign for reelection in 1996, the Internet-savvy President Bill Clinton used the slogan “Building a Bridge to the 21st Century.” It turns out that the bridge is a cyber bridge, and that malevolent actors can disrupt or destroy the bridge, its cyber traffic, and all who rely upon it. And although it is disturbingly clear that the bridge to the 21st century can be taken out, it is even more clear that we don’t always know by whom or why.

Jeffrey Carr’s Inside Cyber Warfare explores why that is so, who the actors are (and their motivations) and the likely future course of cyber warfare in all its manifestations.

In part, this book’s value is the comprehensiveness of its coverage, across the spectrum of militarized or warlike computer network operations (CNO). New students of the field—and there are many, in academia, government, and private industry—will benefit from the clear explication of the divisions between computer network defense, computer network exploitation, and computer network attack. Examples abound of each, described in dispassionate, factual prose more helpful than the sometimes frightening headlines in media coverage.

Experts in the field of cyber warfare and CNO will find that these pages are required reading, for Jeffrey Carr has applied an evidentiary analytical framework to understanding the intricacies that distinguish state and non-state actors and hackers, and the varying but discoverable mosaic of political, economic, and social motivations that incentivize cyber warfare.

I first became aware of Jeffrey Carr and his expertise while serving in the intelligence community, where like others, I relied on his much-read-within-the-Beltway blog Intelfusion. For this book, Carr’s background is ideal: an early career at the world’s leading software and technology company (Microsoft), his entrepreneurial founding of the highly regarded Project Grey Goose (which I have advised), and the activities of his GreyLogic organization. He now adds to that list the title of “authority,” with its imprimatur stamped by virtue of the pages in this book.

Military analysts, pundits, and warfighters alike have known for centuries the Latin adage attributed to “the Roman Sun Tzu,” Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus, famous for his “art-of-war” classic from 390 BC, De Re Militari: Si vis pacem, para bellum; if you wish peace, prepare for war. Inside Cyber Warfare is the necessary handbook for a 21st century in which all who hope for the new world of cyber-powered peaceful interactions must prepare for cyber war.

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I had the opportunity to address pro-life campus leaders from universities across Canada last week during an NCLN conference call. These are the notes from my address.

The “webmaster” role…

• term I’ve clung to, but am giving up
• Andrew MacKinnon: “I don’t think I’d want to work for an organization that has a webmaster position open. Web strategy is a senior role and not for a jobber… [source] In fact I think that the term webmaster should be a red flag that an organization is about ten years behind. Web is part of every role.” [source]
• Position should be more like “Chief Information/Technology Officer,” someone who helps guide the information strategy (particularly with digital technology, and especially online) for the group, so that other roles can participate
  • it shouldn’t just be “the guy or girl who updates the website,” but the person who guides the strategy for the entire group
  • From Wikipedia: “Chief Information Officer (CIO) is a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals… Typically, the CIO in a large enterprise delegates technical decisions to employees more familiar with details… The CIO role is also sometimes used interchangeably with the chief technology officer role, although they may be slightly different. When both positions are present in an organization, the CIO is generally responsible for processes and practices supporting the flow of information, whereas the CTO is generally responsible for technology infrastructure.”
  • The focus of a CTO may be contrasted with that of a CIO in that, whereas a CIO is predisposed to solve problems by acquiring and adapting ready-made technologies, a CTO is predisposed to solve problems by developing new technologies. In practice, each will typically blend both approaches… A CTO is focused on technology needed for products and technology sold to clients where a CIO is an internal facing job focused on technology to run the company and maintaining the platform to run services to sell to clients.
• so, that’s been in the back of my mind as I’ve prepared for this talk and as we’ve going through this term and preparing for the next at UofT

Social Media for Pro-Lifers

• I addressed this in more detail in my article in the November NCLN newsletter
• why social media?
  • broadcast versus communication
  • multi-directional (social)
• Social Media Tools
  • input tools like Google Reader and Twitter/Identi.ca help you direct streams of information towards you (grow bigger ears, inbox for the web)
  • output tools like a blog, Twitter/Identi.ca help spread
  • collaborative tools, like wikis or Google Wave/Docs, can help a team coordinate…
    • though I’ve found that our team is small enough that straight up email often works best

The “tools” are for the “CIO/CTO”…

• it’s not enough to just introduce people to the tools
• you need to teach them how to use them by showing them how they work — showing, not telling
  • someone needs to set an example, invite others to participate, break the ice

What we’ve done with UTSFL…

• I’ve experimented over the past few years, gone from simply “updating the site” to playing with forums and a blog
• I find campus groups are usually fairly good at internal communication (e.g. mailing list, Facebook group), but there are real opportunities for an activist club, a club with a message to spread, to go beyond that and extend its voice beyond campus
• this past spring, we stepped it up a notch, putting the blog at the centre, starting to microblog, and integrating other services like delicious, youtube, ping.fm, friendfeed, facebook pages into the mix
• the blog is the centre: daily posts — club announcements, news, opinion analysis, focus on what’s happening on other university campuses in Canada
  • impact…
    • when Lakehead lost its club status, our post taking apart Josh Kolic’s open letter to students shot to the top of Google search results and received hundreds of views, sparked debate in comments
    • connections with other bloggers formed (shared links, social media for pro-lifers post was passed around, etc)
    • internal benefits to the group…
      • awareness about Bill C-384, news and happenings, bringing information to members
  • we haven’t yet been burned for anything written on the blog… one word of caution is that things you write can be used against you — so, proofread, have some guidelines (i.e. attack arguments and actions, not people, etc. — i.e. the regular code of behaviour that governs the club)
  • plans moving forward…
    • shared links / writing room
      • trying to use my experience to encourage broader participation, increase contributions from other members
      • work more as a team
    • blogging protocols and tips
      • make it easy for someone to start contributing
      • art of blogging
        • process, not product
        • perspective, not comprehensive (in the scope of a post)
          • use a series to dig deeper
        • it’s about the stream

Suggestions for potential club CIO/CTOs…

• if you don’t have a blog already, start one at WordPress.com
  • benefits of free (libre) software
  • blog should be primary website engine — that’s how Google sees it anyways
  • what to write about? read other blogs (like ours!)
  • there’s confusion with facebook groups/page, but if you setup a page, you can pull your blog posts in and get some newsfeed love
• start talking about a general information strategy, rather than getting one member to update an otherwise static website
  • experiment — the cost of failure is low
    • digital creativity cycle (what to say? procrastinate, etc… finally do it! no one cares)
    • new landscape, rapidly changing
  • think about ways to encourage participation from other people in your group
    • talk to other group members about what you’re doing
    • specifically tap members on the shoulder and ask them to contribute specific things to the blog

There were a couple great questions too. One question was about comment moderation and whether or not that was a strain on resources. Honestly, we’ve been getting more and more comments, but it’s still only a few each week. It takes a long time to build up enough of a community or a reputation to have to worry about moderating comments. I tend to apply the procrastination principle — get started now, worry about it later if/when it becomes a problem (and if it does, that means you’re doing something right!).

Another question was about the size of our campus and whether a blog would work for a much smaller university than U of T. I responded that our campus is pretty irrelevant to the blog. Our blog is very much an outward facing component of the group. It’s how we address the world, participate in a broader conversation. If anything, the biggest internal effect are blog posts coming through to our Facebook page and into our members newsfeeds to help keep them better informed, but much of our approach is about people off campus too. We’re talking about the issues, not just U of T specific events or concerns.

Lastly, I was asked whether the blog help’s people get more involved with the group, or whether it’s people who are already involved with the group who are more likely to get involved with the blog. I think it’s really a mix of both, the cause and effect works both ways.

Anyways, as outlined in the notes, we hope to kick up our digital strategy a notch in the second semester, so expect (*fingers crossed*) some more varied activity here, and more of my thoughts on our strategy going forwards.

]]> http://atlsuccesslink.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/partnerweb-programmer-future-cto/ Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:10:22 +0000 Terri http://atlsuccesslink.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/partnerweb-programmer-future-cto/

Partner/Web Programmer for Seed-Stage Company

at Merkent in Atlanta, GA   —   Nov 28, 2009   |   

Overview

Merkent is looking for a motivated and passionate partner/web programmer to help us launch this new wiki marketplace based in Atlanta. Although no initial salary will be given, you will receive founding shares of the company. We are building a new ecommerce platform with Wiki and social attributes based on PHP and MySQL.
- Must be located near the Atlanta area or willing to relocate.
- Must be personally committed and driven to be a part of a high-growth, technology start-up.
- Should NOT have the intent of any temporary, interim or consultancy role
Email me at justin@merkent.com.

Responsibilities

Build out V1 release.

Develop technical strategy.

Hire programmers.

… you will act as CTO.

Skills

PHP

MySQL

Education

More interested with skill level and motivation : )

Compensation

Initially, equity. After we receive financing, a small salary will be received.

Original Posting

]]> http://geodatapolicy.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/senate-budget-committee-hearing-on-data-driven-performance/ Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:58:46 +0000 GeodataPolicy http://geodatapolicy.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/senate-budget-committee-hearing-on-data-driven-performance/ http://blogs.inovis.com/2009/12/03/fast-forward-cloud-providers-and-integration-in-ten-years/ Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:58:31 +0000 Meg Sewell http://blogs.inovis.com/2009/12/03/fast-forward-cloud-providers-and-integration-in-ten-years/


Image Source: http://beckerinfo.com

Erik Huddleston, the Chief Technology Officer at Inovis, was recently asked an interesting question that he enjoyed pondering. The question was:

In ten years, will *every* Cloud provider, SaaS vendor, ERP vendor, et al, include enough integration capabilities such that having independent integration as a services is simply unnecessary?

Erik responded:

Let’s break the discussion down into two different questions:1) In house vs. Cloud
2) In app vs. External

For the first question, I believe you will continue to see both. For the second question, I think you will continue to see external services be the dominate mode instead of “baked into the app integration” (excluding OEM or private labeled/integrated IaaS to Cloud).

Why do I think that? History.

The complexity of the business processes currently being integrated the diversity of integration patterns emerging continues to accelerate. Until that stagnates, it will continue to be a specialist market.

Likewise, if you limit it to just 10 years, I think it is a virtual certainty that integration will remain independent and will continue to increase in prominence. SaaS is driving a second wave of “best of breed” in the enterprise space. You can get very specific use cases satisfied in a point business process cheap (opex with low implementation costs), fast (no hardware to procure and set up, no IT lines to wait in to get it installed), and easy (bypass IT entirely and solve your business problem). Just like the last best of breed wave in the 90s, we will create tons of islands of information…an environment ripe for integration. Just like the last wave, those platforms will be used as an extensibility point to add visibility, reporting, workflow, and lightweight business process functionality that the SaaS app doesn’t support “out of the box”. This takes on greater prominence given that the SaaS model removes the traditional customization and “dirty” integration models of enterprise software such as direct DB access and custom code modification.

The other interesting SaaS trend that will continue to drive cloud integration is the proliferation of cloud based custom application platforms. If you look at the innovation in Google Apps and the Amazon/IBM partnership, the cost, time, and skill level required to get a completely unique enterprise app launched is rapidly being driven down. So cloud platforms should significantly increase the number of custom apps in the enterprise, not decrease them. It will be tough to leverage a “baked in” integration technology from say, Salesforce or NetSuite to orchestrate a complex integration between three of four SaaS apps.

There is and will continue to be significant enterprise architecture and executive pressure to centralize integration in the cloud. The CIO and CFO will use cloud integration platforms as a single point of governance, risk management, compliance, enterprise visibility, and exception management. Those are tough functions to string together between each system individually, regardless of the robustness of integrated capabilities.

As to in house vs cloud, there will be a market for in house integration software for a LONG time (well beyond 10 years). Much like the application space, the unique advantages of the SaaS model will mean that cloud integration platforms will significantly outstrip “in house only” vendors in terms of features and unique capabilities. That said, cloud services will never have the one feature that will dominate many buyers decision process: “does it run behind my firewall?” That gives a significant advantage to hybrid platforms.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts. What do you think of Erik’s response? How would you answer this question?

]]> http://socialgame7.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/hi5-announces-alex-st-john-as-president-and-cto/ Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:01:53 +0000 socialgame7 http://socialgame7.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/hi5-announces-alex-st-john-as-president-and-cto/

hi5 brings in Wild Tangent founder in quest for greater marketshare in social gaming. Articles by:

VentureBeat

PaidContent

TechFlash

GamesIndustry.biz

Simple Thoughts

]]> http://romeosguide.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/what-does-a-qualified-it-manager-network-engineer-or-network-administrator-look-like-3/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:45:52 +0000 romeosguide http://romeosguide.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/what-does-a-qualified-it-manager-network-engineer-or-network-administrator-look-like-3/

What does a qualified IT Manager, Network Engineer or Network Administrator look like?

 

Gregory J. Masley CNE, CNA, MCSE

17375 Brookhurst Street #18

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

719-649-7451

greg@masleyassociates.com

http://www.masleyassociates.com

http://www.masleyassociates.info

http://www.computerorangecounty.com

http://www.computerconsultantorangecounty.com

http://www.itmanagersresumeinorangecounty.com

 

 

We are asked frequently about the difference between the average high school “geek” that most computer consulting companies use and a professional IT person that Masley And Associates uses.

While it is true there are some very basic PC issues which both types of IT people could easily fix, there is a vast difference when it comes to support and more complex issues.

We only use the top Network Engineers and Network Administrators yet we offer them to our clients for the same low cost. We know how to find and retain the top IT personnel because we are the top IT personnel.

Most other computer consulting companies are owned and run by non-technical people with sales, marketing or business backgrounds while Masley And Associates is owned by a network engineer and administrator with multiple certifications and thirteen years hands-on experience in the field. Who would you rather have managing your IT Department; an experienced IT Professional or a Sales and Marketing guy?

We have twelve years of experience in IT, Management and multiple Certifications in networking including Microsoft and Novell – CNE, CNA, MCSE. We have five accredited, professional, certified computer technicians on our staff ready to serve you. Here is what a qualified IT Manager, Network Engineer, Network Administrator resume looks like. You will notice there are certifications, real world experience and wide exposure to many different technologies:

OBJECTIVE

• IT Manager – To aggressively and successfully manage Local and Wide Area Network Departments and Staff to provide maintenance, troubleshooting and support for reliability and growth in Orange County California.

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

• Twelve years of Network Engineering experience, with a demonstrated ability to quickly learn and integrate new technology in a variety of industries.
• Proven expertise in various network technologies, detailed below.
• Certified in both Novell Netware and Microsoft Windows networks.
• Proven success in implementing management, operations, technical and interpersonal skills to increase productivity, reliability and teamwork to benefit the company.
• Team Lead for security, repair, installation, migration, and maintenance of large-scaleWindows and Novell network of over 7000 end users.
• Hands on experience in Wireless Networking, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, Optical Networking, Switching/Bridging  (VLAN, Spanning Tree), VPNs, LAN/WAN/MAN, TCP/IP Protocol, IP Addressing and Subnetting, IP Access Lists, Routing Protocols, Token Ring, ATM, Frame Relay, HP OpenView NNM, Cisco Works for Switched Internetworks, Resource Manager Essentials, Cisco Security Management Center (PIX, IDS), Microsoft Visio, WebNM, IBM compatible computers, Windows 2000/NT/XP, Remote Desktop Management, Microsoft Office 2000/XP, Norton, Remedy, Compupic Pro, Network Security, MicroStation (95/SE/J/8)
• Hands on experience with Cisco 2600/3600/4000/7200/7500 series routers, Cisco Catalyst 1900/2900/5000/5500 series switch, Cisco 3550 Multilayer Switch, Cisco PIX Firewall, Cisco IDS 515E, CAD/CAM Systems, Netopia Routers, IBM Workstations and Servers, Printers
• Hands on experience with Microsoft Windows Enterprise Server, Small Business Server and Workstation NT through 2003, Novell 3.1-5.1, UNIX, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Office, Word Perfect, AutoCAD, MAPICS, Rhumba Reflections, ISA Server
• Programming experience in Visual Basic, Basic, COBOL, FORTRAN, SQL, Oracle and DBASE
• MCSE, CNA, and CNE Certified
• United States Department Of Defense SECRET Security Clearance 2005

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

MASLEY AND ASSOCIATES

Orange County, CA 1994 To Present

Senior Computer Network Consultant

• 2GWLAN for Harriss and General Dynamics for Peterson Airforce Base In Colorado and Luke Airforce Base in Arizona. Designed 2 GW Wireless LAN that went into both Airforce bases and he also implemented them. Worked with Aruba Controllers, Aruba Access Points, RADIUS and TACACS Servers, used Motorola LAN Planner to do the design.
• Network Engineer responsible for system configuration, communications, and installation of hardware, operating systems, and software applications.
• Installed and maintained entire computer networks for major Southern California and Colorado companies including:
• JNIC Missile Defense Agency Schreiver Air Force Base Department Of Defense, Net Solutions, Planet Network, Analysts International, Accucode, Capitol Records, Unihealth Insurance, Fuji Bank, UNOCOL 76, Price Company, Mellon Financial, Mallinckrodt Medical, Shiley Medical, AJS Accounting Service, Online Connecting Point, Sandpiper Computer, Nadek, ARC, Farmers Insurance, Classic Homes, Horizon, Qualtek Manufacturing, Powell Manufacturing, RL Holdings, Gart Sports, The Sports Authority, COACT, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, Computer Support Network and Manpower Technical.
• Performed nationwide wireless network upgrade for The Sports Authority and Gart Sports on multi-tier network with over 1000 users.
• Migrated St. Joseph’s Hospital from Novell to Windows 2000 Server with Exchange 2000 on multi-site network with over 2000 users.
• Migrated Anaheim Memorial Hospital from Windows 98, NT Server, and Exchange 5.5 to Windows XP, 2000 Server, and Exchange 2000 on multi-site network with over 4000 users.
• Designed and documented data and voice networks from the ground up.
• Trained customers and managers on system capabilities and usage.
• Performed Systems Administration on Windows Servers and Clients for Local and Wide Area Networks.
• Configured and tested all necessary network platforms under extreme time constraints resulting in successful customer acceptance of required test bed network.
• Established network security measures in order to support defense agency accreditation for The Department Of Defense at Schreiver Air Force Base JNIC Missile Defense Agency.
• Recommended and implemented network wide security management solution, including Firewall policies and configuration, router access-lists, and agent based network monitoring.

 

MALLINCKRODT MEDICAL

Irvine, CA 1994 To 1999

Network Administrator

• Managed all aspects of several network implementations including network planning, design, testing, documentation, deployment and maintenance of Windows based system.
• Responsible for complete support, installation, maintenance and training for all network and system components.
• Developed training and support plans for 400-user network.
• Lead effort to migrate Novell based Microsoft and CCMail servers with upgraded Windows NT based Exchange Servers. Included development and implementation of plan to provide remote access to e-mail and database servers via Windows NT RAS.
• Administered Windows NT, Back Office, Exchange, RAS, AS400s, MAPICS, JD Edwards, Rhumba and Reflections.

 

COMPUTER SUPPORT NETWORK

Huntington Beach, CA 1993-1994

General Manager

• Responsible for hardware and software system configuration, installation, repair and maintenance on Microsoft and Novell networks, PCs and printers.
• Managed large team with diverse backgrounds to consistently provide increased customer satisfaction and system performance.
• Supervised staff of seven computer and network technicians
• Managed daily company operations and client accounts.
• Designed, configured and installed Novell Networks and PC systems.
• Provided technical and cost considerations for proposals to satisfy customers.
• Sourced vendors and provided on-site technical support on workstations and network hardware and software

 

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION AND SECURITY CLEARANCE

Education:

• California State University Fullerton

Novell Certified Network Administration and

Engineering Program – Graduated in the top 10% of the JTPA Grant Class of 93

Certification:

• CNE
• CNA
• MCSE

 

Security Clearance:

• SECRET, United States Department Of Defense 2005

 

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Networking: Wireless Networking
• 10/100/1000 Ethernet
• Optical Networking
• Switching/Bridging (VLAN, Spanning Tree)
• VPNs, LAN/WAN/MAN
• TCP/IP Protocol
• IP Addressing and Subnetting
• IP Access Lists, Routing Protocols
• Token Ring, ATM
• Frame Relay
• HP OpenView NNM
• Cisco Works for Switched Internetworks
• Resource Manager Essentials
• Cisco Security Management Center (PIX, IDS)
• Microsoft Visio
• WebNM
• IBM compatible computers
• Windows Enterprise Server, Small Business Server and Workstation 2003/2000/NT/XP/Vista
• Exchange 5.5/2000/2003
• Remote Desktop Management
• Microsoft Office 2003/2000/XP
• Windows Vista
• Norton
• Remedy
• Compupic Pro
• Network Security
• MicroStation
• (95/SE/J/8) HP Openview
• OSPF,BGP,VLAN,IPSEC, routing and bridging protocols

 

Hardware:

• Cisco 2600/3600/4000/7200/7500 series routers
• Cisco Catalyst 1900/2900/5000/5500 series switch
• Cisco 3550 Multilayer Switch
• Cisco PIX Firewall
• Cisco IDS 515E
• CAD/CAM Systems
• Netopia Routers
• IBM Workstations and Servers
• Printers

 

Software/OS:

• Microsoft Windows (all versions)
• Novell 3.1-5.1
• UNIX
• Microsoft Exchange
• Microsoft Office
• Word Perfect
• AutoCAD
• MAPICS
• Rhumba Reflections
• ISA Server RAID Storage Devices SAN Storage Devices

 

Programming:

• Visual Basic, Basic
• COBOL
• FORTRAN
• SQL
• Oracle and DBASE
• HTML

 

 

What this means to our clients is greater efficiency. While it would be no problem to use a high school “geek” to add memory to your home computer, most businesses would not want a high school “geek” working on their business network yet sometimes that is exactly what happens to some unfortunate businesses.

So how does an unknowing business find true IT professionals who are competent and capable of working on their systems and network?

1.   Ask exactly which ceritifications they have and make sure they are certified in the “Top Three” – Microsoft, Novell and Cisco(they take years of study and practice to obtain). Most computer consulting companies find high school “geeks” willing to work for $20 per hour or less, get them their A+ certification(a one-day, basic PC knowledge test) and charge you more than $75 per hour for them! The truth is most other computer consulting companies are only qualified to replace memory or adapter cards in a PC.

2.   Ask for references.

3.   Ask for a guarantee.

4.   Check BBB.com The Better Business Bureau for the company’s rating.

5.   Ask how long they have been working in the IT industry and a description of some of the larger, more complex projects they have worked on.

 

The bottom line is your network is critical to your business and belongs in the hands of the professionals in order to save you time, money and effort. We are the professionals. Think of us as your outsourced IT department. Contact us today we are always available for hire.

Contact Us

Gregory J. Masley CNE, CNA, MCSE

17375 Brookhurst Street #18

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

719-649-7451

greg@masleyassociates.com

http://www.masleyassociates.com

http://www.masleyassociates.info

http://www.computerorangecounty.com

http://www.computerconsultantorangecounty.com

http://www.itmanagersresumeinorangecounty.com

 

 

 

REFERENCES:

 

 

Qualified, IT Director, IT Manager, CIO, CTO, Network Administrator, Orange County, California, Resume, Reference, Example:

 

 

Gregory J. Masley CNE, CNA, MCSE

17375 Brookhurst Street #18

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

719-649-7451

greg@masleyassociates.com

http://www.masleyassociates.com

http://www.masleyassociates.info

http://www.computerorangecounty.com

http://www.computerconsultantorangecounty.com

http://www.itmanagersresumeorangecounty.com

   

OBJECTIVE

• IT Director, IT Manager, Network Administrator, Network Engineer – To aggressively and successfully manage Local and Wide Area Computer Network Departments and Staff to provide maintenance, troubleshooting and support for reliability and growth in Orange County, California. I have multiple IT certifications and 13 years experience in IT Management, Network Administration and Network Engineering.
• If you can use my IT skills and services in your organization please contact me directly and if not please pass my information on to your friends, associates and colleagues who may have a need for me in Orange County, California.

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

• Twelve years of Network Engineering experience, with a demonstrated ability to quickly learn and integrate new technology in a variety of industries.
• Proven expertise in various network technologies, detailed below.
• Certified in both Novell Netware and Microsoft Windows networks.
• Proven success in implementing management, operations, technical and interpersonal skills to increase productivity, reliability and teamwork to benefit the company.
• Team Lead for security, repair, installation, migration, and maintenance of large-scaleWindows and Novell network of over 7000 end users.
• Hands on experience in Wireless Networking, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, Optical Networking, Switching/Bridging  (VLAN, Spanning Tree), VPNs, LAN/WAN/MAN, TCP/IP Protocol, IP Addressing and Subnetting, IP Access Lists, Routing Protocols, Token Ring, ATM, Frame Relay, HP OpenView NNM, Cisco Works for Switched Internetworks, Resource Manager Essentials, Cisco Security Management Center (PIX, IDS), Microsoft Visio, WebNM, IBM compatible computers, Windows 2000/NT/XP, Remote Desktop Management, Microsoft Office 2000/XP, Norton, Remedy, Compupic Pro, Network Security, MicroStation (95/SE/J/8)
• Hands on experience with Cisco 2600/3600/4000/7200/7500 series routers, Cisco Catalyst 1900/2900/5000/5500 series switch, Cisco 3550 Multilayer Switch, Cisco PIX Firewall, Cisco IDS 515E, CAD/CAM Systems, Netopia Routers, IBM Workstations and Servers, Printers
• Hands on experience with Microsoft Windows Enterprise Server, Small Business Server and Workstation NT through 2003, Novell 3.1-5.1, UNIX, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Office, Word Perfect, AutoCAD, MAPICS, Rhumba Reflections, ISA Server
• Programming experience in Visual Basic, Basic, COBOL, FORTRAN, SQL, Oracle and DBASE
• MCSE, CNA, and CNE Certified
• United States Department Of Defense SECRET Security Clearance 2005

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

MASLEY AND ASSOCIATES

Colorado Springs, CO 1994 To Present

Senior Computer Network Consultant

• 2GWLAN for Harris and General Dynamics for Peterson Airforce Base In Colorado and Luke Airforce Base in Arizona. Designed 2 GW Wireless LAN that went into both Airforce bases and he also implemented them. Worked with Aruba Controllers, Aruba Access Points, RADIUS and TACACS Servers, used Motorola LAN Planner to do the design.
• Network Engineer responsible for system configuration, communications, and installation of hardware, operating systems, and software applications.
• Installed and maintained entire computer networks for major Southern California and Colorado companies including:
• JNIC Missile Defense Agency Schreiver Air Force Base Department Of Defense, Net Solutions, Planet Network, Analysts International, Accucode, Capitol Records, Unihealth Insurance, Fuji Bank, UNOCOL 76, Price Company, Mellon Financial, Mallinckrodt Medical, Shiley Medical, AJS Accounting Service, Online Connecting Point, Sandpiper Computer, Nadek, ARC, Farmers Insurance, Classic Homes, Horizon, Qualtek Manufacturing, Powell Manufacturing, RL Holdings, Gart Sports, The Sports Authority, COACT, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, Computer Support Network and Manpower Technical.
• Performed nationwide wireless network upgrade for The Sports Authority and Gart Sports on multi-tier network with over 1000 users.
• Migrated St. Joseph’s Hospital from Novell to Windows 2000 Server with Exchange 2000 on multi-site network with over 2000 users.
• Migrated Anaheim Memorial Hospital from Windows 98, NT Server, and Exchange 5.5 to Windows XP, 2000 Server, and Exchange 2000 on multi-site network with over 4000 users.
• Designed and documented data and voice networks from the ground up.
• Trained customers and managers on system capabilities and usage.
• Performed Systems Administration on Windows Servers and Clients for Local and Wide Area Networks.
• Configured and tested all necessary network platforms under extreme time constraints resulting in successful customer acceptance of required test bed network.
• Established network security measures in order to support defense agency accreditation for The Department Of Defense at Schreiver Air Force Base JNIC Missile Defense Agency.
• Recommended and implemented network wide security management solution, including Firewall policies and configuration, router access-lists, and agent based network monitoring.
• Administered and supported Citrix network environment for Classic Homes including building new Citrix servers and load balancing

 

MALLINCKRODT MEDICAL

Irvine, CA 1994 To 1999

Network Administrator

• Managed all aspects of several network implementations including network planning, design, testing, documentation, deployment and maintenance of Windows based system.
• Responsible for complete support, installation, maintenance and training for all network and system components.
• Developed training and support plans for 400-user network.
• Lead effort to migrate Novell based Microsoft and CCMail servers with upgraded Windows NT based Exchange Servers. Included development and implementation of plan to provide remote access to e-mail and database servers via Windows NT RAS.
• Administered Windows NT, Back Office, Exchange, RAS, AS400s, MAPICS, JD Edwards, Rhumba and Reflections.

 

COMPUTER SUPPORT NETWORK

Huntington Beach, CA 1993-1994

General Manager

• Responsible for hardware and software system configuration, installation, repair and maintenance on Microsoft and Novell networks, PCs and printers.
• Managed large team with diverse backgrounds to consistently provide increased customer satisfaction and system performance.
• Supervised staff of seven computer and network technicians
• Managed daily company operations and client accounts.
• Designed, configured and installed Novell Networks and PC systems.
• Provided technical and cost considerations for proposals to satisfy customers.
• Sourced vendors and provided on-site technical support on workstations and network hardware and software

 

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION AND SECURITY CLEARANCE

 

Education:

• California State University Fullerton

      Novell Certified Network Administration and

      Engineering Program – Graduated in the top 10% of the JTPA Grant Class of 93

 

Certification:

• CNE
• CNA
• MCSE

 

Security Clearance:

• SECRET, United States Department Of Defense 2005

 

Keywords:

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MasleyAssociates.com, Colorado Springs, certified, computer, network, repair, sales, service, network engineer, network administrator, sys admin, IT director, IT manager, CIO, CTO, consultant, sysadmin, Microsoft, Cisco, Novell, MCSE, CNE, CNA, computer consultant, computer, network repair, sales, service, on-site, computer repair, PC, Colorado, network engineer, network administrator, sys admin, resume, maintenance, CO, repair, computers, A+, networks, email, virus, administration, installation, networking, certified, on site, Microsoft, support, IT, IS, MIS, consultant, computer guy, network support, network repair, computer consulting, PC repair, PC support, 719, maintenance, CO, network, server, uptime, upgrade, consultant, backup, virus, spy ware, computer network, network administration, sysadmin, printer, wireless, programming, IT recruitment, IT placement, website design, website promotion, search engine optimization, database design, e-commerce, network design, network audit, internet research, sourcing, disaster recovery, planning, computer maintenance and repair, computer maintenance, project, project management, project manager, Exchange, e-mail, PC consultant, PC installation, PC sales, PC service, a+ computer repair, computer consultant, computer installation, computer maintenance and repair, computer maintenance repair, computer network repair, computer repair business, computer repair companies, computer repair company, computer repair Colorado, computer repair Colorado Springs, computer repair service, computer repair services, computer repair shop, computer repair shops, computer repair stores, computer repair technician, computer repair technicians, computer sale, computer sales, computer service, computer service and repair, computer store, computer support, mobile computer repair, network installation, on site computer repair, pc, pc computer repair, system administrator, Colorado, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Denver, Aurora, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Lakewood, Arvada, Glenwood, Boulder, Englewood, Colorado Springs, certified, computer, repair, sales, service, network, consultants, network engineers, network administrators, onsite, 719, 970, 720, 303, http://www.masleyassociates.com

 

 

 

 

]]> http://davidgarfit.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/what-does-it-look-like-in-the-freeworld/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:34:21 +0000 David Garfit http://davidgarfit.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/what-does-it-look-like-in-the-freeworld/

 

This month saw the biggest ever UK lottery win of all time, a whopping £90Million pounds. We have all had those dreamy moments where we explore all the possibilities of life without the constraints of money. Exotic holidays, lavish homes, sports cars and all the finer things in life. Well unfortunately for most, this will continue to be just a dream, but it does raise an interesting thought.

As with most things in life, we are constrained by our circumstances or surroundings, yet we still have objectives and desired states. IT is no different.

Nearly every IT department out there has a desired state, and during these financially turbulent times, most are constrained by money and a finite amount of resource.

IT directors are looking for ways of providing reliable and consistent computing power to their end users and subsequently allowing end users to work in the most effecient way with customers and suppliers. Perhaps a slightly simplistic view, but ultimately true.

So what would IT look like in a FreeWorld? In a FreeWorld, IT directors, CIO’s and CTO’s could provide best of bread, state of the art technology to all users and help drive business productivity levels up with no constraints. IT departments could deploy applications and deliver services into the hands of it’s users in minutes or hours rather than weeks or months. IT growth can be dictated by use and not by the pennies in the bank. Service levels could be consistently achieved and end users can rely on thier technology with whole hearted confidence. Applications and services could be available round the clock without failure! Users could have a choice of protocols and methods to communicate with eachother, customers and suppliers in realtime. Users have the ability to collaborate on workloads and freely exchange information.

For most, this sort of desired state seems a million miles away, for some it is in operation in some shape or form. The point is, most IT departments are striving to achieve a desired state.

November also saw Servo unviel its new Hosting concept, “FreeWorld!”. A concept by which, through our Tier 3 enterprise class data centres, high speed resilient UK network and industry leading support and management services we can help make your desired state a realisty. Industry analysts  IDC, Gartner and Forrester point to hosting as the platform of choice for businesses as it provides a platform from where customers can:

• Reduce operational costs
• Provide scalable IT services
• Deploy new applications and services
• Give users 24/7 access to critical data and services
• Reduce energy consuptions and utiltiy bills
• Improve SLA’s
• Drive productivity in the business

Servo understand that hosting is not for everyone, but we are committed to helping you realise your desired state and working with you to achieve it with the your constraints.

For more information on Freeworld and our Cloud services, you can watch a short video:

FreeWorld Video

 

]]> http://jonathanfleming.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/sunset-portraits/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:14:50 +0000 Jonathan http://jonathanfleming.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/sunset-portraits/


Nikon D300s + SB-900 (Camera Left) + Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 at 14mm f/5.6 ISO100 1/200 Second

Bridget and I attended a wedding today that was right across the street from the beach. I didn’t take any photos at the wedding, but I seeing as I always have my camera with me, I decided to take some photographs of my lovely wife after the event with a beautiful sky and ocean as a backdrop.



Nikon D300s + SB-900 (Camera Left) + Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 at 16mm f/9.0 ISO100 1/250 Second

The above shot reminded Bridget of a CD album cover. I really like the warmth in this photo, which gives it a very “golden sunset” appearance.



Nikon D300s + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC at 17mm f/5.6 ISO200 1/20 Second

There’s a reason why Bridget is so bundled up here. It was really cold, no more than around 50 degrees. There were also lots of cold and annoying gusts of wind that kept threatening to topple over my lighting rig. I used a smaller shoot-through umbrella to prevent this, but as you can see, there were times when Bridget had to step in and save my SB-900 from falling into the dirt. I’d post all the pictures of Bridget making miserable faces due to the cold, but I’d rather spare her the embarrassment (more like spare my myself a butt kicking!).



Nikon D300s + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC at 50mm f/5.6 ISO500 1/13 Second

This shot (above) was the last one for the evening, and I was running out of light fast at this point. I started having to nudge my ISO up to avoid shutter speeds I couldn’t hand hold. Plus, at this point, we were freezing! I love the coat Bridget is wearing here too. I actually picked it out and bought it for her at a store in Ginza, a large and beautiful shopping district in Tokyo.



Nikon D300s + Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 at 11mm f/5.6 ISO200 1/30 Second

Can you tell I’ve been experimenting with hot shoe flashes? I thought I’d finish this post with this goofy shot I took of Bridget in our home last night. She has this great umbrella that we got at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. It has a blue sky with white cloud design on the inside. I lit Bridget with an SB-900 on camera left and kicked some light into the umbrella from behind her with my SB-800, both fired wirelessly using the built in flash on my D300s as a commander. Please excuse the mess in our living room! (it was a very impromptu shoot)

]]> http://ancyta.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/master-technology-firstbe-a-manager-later/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:58:37 +0000 ancyta http://ancyta.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/master-technology-firstbe-a-manager-later/

Infosys Technologies has decided that its staffers must have at least six years of having worked on technology responsibilities before being asked to head a project.



Master technology first; be a manager later

This is the latest move in a process that began 18 months earlier, after clients had complained that its project heads didn’t seem to have enough of technological skills. That, in turn, was because of the industry’s high growth and also the pace of attrition (employees quitting) in the sector…Click on for more…………..

Courtesy From www.business-standard.com

]]> http://entrancepoint.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/outsource-your-it/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:51:39 +0000 entrancepoint http://entrancepoint.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/outsource-your-it/

Below is a great article I found while searching online for benefits of outsourcing your IT department. Now some people still believe that when you outsource your IT you’re taking away jobs; well you’re not. You’re actually just freeing the staff from constant monitoring and updating of the network, adding and changing permissions on users, running backups daily/weekly/monthly and using monies on hardware/software when you don’t need to!

“Small-business owners tend to spend a lot of time and money researching and purchasing hardware and software. They feel the need to control their IT capabilities in-house and will often spend aggressively to do so. However, there is another way.

Rather than maintain hardware and software in-house, small business owners can save time, money, and resources by outsourcing IT environments to managed-services companies and using “software as a service” (SAAS) applications. Delivered over the Web, SAAS requires little to no up-front investment while offering all the features and security of enterprise-class software. With SAAS applications, there is no software to install and manage, and upgrades are delivered automatically so you are always ensured of having the most up-to-date version of the product.

Giving up hands-on control of technology allows you to concentrate on your core business instead of managing IT, and that can have a big impact on your bottom line.”

Jim Capps
CEO, SolidSpace LLC
Winston-Salem, N.C.

source: BusinessWeek.com


]]> http://managementvirtualization.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/virtualization-smart-it-investment-in-a-tough-economy/ Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:08:36 +0000 Johnny Krogsboll http://managementvirtualization.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/virtualization-smart-it-investment-in-a-tough-economy/ http://fightingmonsters.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/of-ctos/ Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:49:47 +0000 cb http://fightingmonsters.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/of-ctos/

Community Treatment Orders – Supervised Community Treatment – however it is termed it is one of the aspects of the amended Mental Health Act that I thought I would likely not have significant contact with on a day to day basis. I was right. But my experience might be far from typical as the take-up of these Community Treatment Orders has been much higher than was estimated by the government.

As Community Care reported a couple of weeks back

The statistics revealed that 2,134 community treatment orders were issued in England from November 2008, when they came into force, to March 2009. The government expected there to be 450 CTOs in England and Wales in the first year.

That figure of about 2000 is only until March – currently the whispers (from various training courses) say that the figure is nearer 4000.

So what are they for?

And who do they affect?



This was one of the more controversial parts of the amended Mental Health legislation in England because it allowed for conditions relating to treatment to be placed on patients in their own homes. It allows for a process of ‘recall’ to hospital is the conditions relating to treatment are not met.

We, in our training and discussions, are often signposted to people who may have a very clear history of ‘revolving door’ admissions with similar sets of circumstances and the CTO provides a means of enforcing treatment with the threat of recall to hospital in the background and a legal framework being provided in order to do so.

The general discussions that I’ve been party to in my local trust area seems to revolve around a few consultants being very much in favour of using them and others not using them at all so the national figures are high. It is another way of managing risk through compulsion and in an increasingly risk averse culture, it can be seen as an additional safeguard.

I have been involved in a couple of CTO-related decisions in my role as an AMHP (Approved Mental Health Professional). Generally the RC (Responsible Clinician) will be the one to arrange the CTO however before it is valid, the forms have to be signed by an AMHP in order to serve as one-man check and balance system to ensure that the conditions set are fair and appropriate and that the least restrictive path is met.

The other role of the AMHP is in the revocation of a CTO. If, when a patient is recalled to hospital by their Responsible Clinician it is seen fit that they need to revert to the section that they were detained under prior to the CTO, a signature of an AMHP is required on the paperwork in order to validate it.

The only CTO-related issues that I have been involved in so far have been to revoke a CTO – in the situation, the patient was not someone I knew very well but I had been involved in the initial community assessment and bringing her into hospital as a result. I was asked to consider the revocation of the CTO and saw that she was extremely unwell – at least as unwell as the point of the initial assessment considered that it was far more appropriate at that time that she was in hospital for a while longer.

The other decision is more recent so will probably come back to it at a later date and is, as of now, unresolved which is more reason for me not to dwell on details but it has raised interesting dilemmas about how much influence can be placed to sign some of the pink forms (all Mental Health Act forms are pink – for the record) if it will ‘make life easier’. As I said, it’s probably something I will return to at some point.

I was involved in some in-house training about the new Mental Health Act legislation and to be honest, because of the time involved, we skimmed very briefly over CTOs – thinking that they wouldn’t necessarily be relevant within over 65s services however, we are considering a few refresher sessions because, as Pope wisely said ‘A little knowledge is a dangerous thing’..


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My Thoughts Enclosed…Rb

1. @pgiblett hard to say re: lists. Twitter really needs to work on the sCRM aspect of the followers/lists. 8:02 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie in reply to pgiblett
2. RE http://bit.ly/1bWEut @gautamghosh I think businesses are inherently social at core, underneath the process manuals & the ERP software. 8:02 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
3. Will need to check> I like the changes in the new Orkut. Kudos to Google for getting its social networking act together (via @Gauravonomics) 8:03 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
4. @wilw had a great idea for RPG based gaming over Google Wave > Any suggestions for public waves? #wave (via @rww) 8:06 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
5. Thank you @maxpapis for keeping his spirit with us (red gloves)> read this article of Greg Moore please http://bit.ly/3OKfDK (via @maxpapis) 8:07 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
6. @maxpapis Nice to see Nancy added pictures to go with Tony’s great piece on Greg Moore. 8:09 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie in reply to maxpapis
7. RT is a great form of social engagement > Twitter Personal Branding Strategy — The Beauty of a Re-Tweet http://viigo.im/1ky7 (via @pgiblett) 8:11 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
8. Another thank you then > @rlavigne42 I also suspect lists are also a way to show how we hold people in higher regard. (via @pgiblett) 8:13 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
9. As well > @BryanCWebb I thought you had been quiet – get well soon. (via @pgiblett) 8:39 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
10. Question for you MacBook Pro users out there.HDD low on space->move files to FAT32 drive->Mac HDD fails to release space (trash is empty)??? 8:42 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
11. Management vs. Leadership. We need more Leaders >RT @jurgenappelo: “Management is not about power, but about empowerment.” (@michaelbolton) 8:43 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
12. A-2-Z Leadership: A-Accessibility-find out what is really going on by getting out there to talk to everyone at every level (via @rapidbi) 9:05 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
13. Nice > sʞɹoʍ ʇsnɾ ʇı ‘ʞsɐ ʇ,uop ˙ʇno sɹǝʍolloɟ ɹnoʎ dılɟ http://budurl.com/fliptext <<<Try http://budurl.com/4mu2 (via @GregoryCollins) 9:06 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
14. Happy to already be on five lists. How can I assist you to be on yours?> Quick guide to Twitter Lists http://bit.ly/3FbCDy (via @Alltop_TW) 10:58 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
15. Soon I hope > twttr added list functionality. It wld B better if we hav autosuggestion 4 R followers. #twitter @twitter (via @hariharank12) 10:59 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
16. A New Day Emerges on this Wintery Haze > warm shower hisses sleep away / humans preen and cats prowl / adventure awaits (via @deborahh) 11:00 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
17. What Does Google Apps for Your Domain Actually Do? – Gmail – Lifehacker http://bit.ly/KRmlm lifehacker (via @delicious50) 11:00 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
18. Google Wave’s “Fail Whale” http://bit.ly/13HiY4 (via @ginatrapani) 11:01 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
19. pyrit – Project Hosting on Google Code http://bit.ly/FACaG (via @delicious50) 11:01 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
20. I Want 1, but y the iTouch is fine> Pour les Geeks et Geekettes aux fourneaux http://bit.ly/YZn5K Perso, j’utilise mon iPhone:) (via @eogez) 11:04 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
21. The military brat lives on> FIGHTER PLANES and MILITARY AIRCRAFT (pics and info) http://bit.ly/1HI2pZ Defence history (via @delicious50) 11:07 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
22. From #ScrumGathering in Oct: My silent retrosp. drawing exercise is blogged, with instructions: http://tinyurl.com/yl3bj58 (via @deborahh) 11:08 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
23. @monicaobrien which icons were you thinking of using out of curiosity prior to the loss of space? 11:09 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie in reply to monicaobrien
24. First U2 on YouTube, now FF on FB> Facebook To Stream Foo Fighters Concert Tomorrow Night via Livestream http://bit.ly/1uqZfr (@stevedriz) 11:11 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
25. Thanks to @pgiblett, I am now wave-enabled. If you follow me and have #GoogleWave, I would be happy to wave on #Enterprise 2.0 #E20 #E2.0 11:17 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
26. Just setup my orkut account (http://bit.ly/7uZWc). Between that and #GoogleWave, I know what I will be doing tomorrow. 11:33 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
27. Can we live on social enterprise? Great experiment http://tinyurl.com/yjfbe8w (via @socialentnews) 11:34 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
28. Blogs + Wave + Wiki > Email consumes an average of 13 hours per week per information worker Source: http://bit.ly/mXMfi (via @StephCalahan) 11:35 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
29. Rackspace employee list: http://bit.ly/3SiFPO courtesy of @Scobleizer (via @brianjeremy) — aka, social engineering list. Wee! (via @dacort) 11:36 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
30. CIO: Microsoft Sidekick Fiasco Hasn’t Set Cloud Computing Back http://bit.ly/3DlF72 (via @stevedriz) 11:36 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
31. Why do I hate Follow Friday? It is SPAM. Check out @hightechdaily for a great example. No content. All noise. Get a list! (via @Scobleizer) 11:37 PM Oct 29th from Tweetie
32. RT @rww : Google Wave Use Cases: Arts & Filmmaking http://bit.ly/2WWBZw (via @jkloren) 7:13 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
33. The Google Story – Awesome Video Animation! http://bit.ly/1u18fs (via @techxav) 7:13 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
34. Facebook Platform Live Status Makes Life Easier for Developers – http://bit.ly/2gHZj4 (via @mashable) 7:13 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
35. RT @unmarketing “You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note.” ~Doug Floyd (via @WarrenWhitlock) 7:13 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
36. Never present yourself as an expert IMO, we all have something to learn> @ITSinsider: So you think you’re an e20 expert? http://is.gd/4IcDv 7:15 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
37. http://bit.ly/shBqA The Art of Aligning Social Media Strategy With Communications Strategy (via @vansnick) 7:15 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
38. Another example of how the CRTC is failing Canada> Egyptian-funded Globalive not Canadian enough http://bit.ly/1ohlwv (via @stevedriz) 7:16 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
39. RT @aponcier Fundamentals of the Enterprise 2.0 Culture http://bit.ly/4vAO5M (via @O_Berard) 7:17 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
40. Harvard Business: Can Google Take on Wall St — and Win? http://bit.ly/49wZF5 (via @AndyInNaples) 7:18 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
41. Carl Jung: Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves (via @PierrePaperon) 7:19 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
42. Looking forward to reading it > Harv. Biz Publishing just sent me the 1st off-the-presses copy of my E2.0 book (via @amcafee) 7:19 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
43. @billpollak much humbled by being added to your list (two of them actually). Many thanks. Rb 11:30 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
44. Thanks for the RT @altmilan > Good write-up of Knowledge in Decision-making Processes here: http://bit.ly/e83cu (on @rlavigne42’s blog) #km 11:31 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
45. Many thanks Ken >#FF @rlavigne42 For another great tweep who is always willing to share great thoughts and ideas. (via @thinkBIG_blog) 11:31 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
46. Much check it out > #WordPress 2.0 Is Released For #iPhone – much better! http://bit.ly/2a0×1p (via @TheCommonHoster) 11:33 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
47. My #followfriday suggestion? Try @googlemaps, @googlecse, or the full list of official Google accounts: http://bit.ly/2CB3Il(via @mattcutts) 11:33 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
48. ReadWriteWeb: Google Wave Federation: Why it Matters http://bit.ly/4f820n (via @RWWRSS) 11:34 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
49. Great Idea > @scobleizer Why not replace the SUL with a featured list of the day (via @DPritchett) 11:34 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
50. LOL > @amcafee: #andyasks Re : how do you dress as a wiki? < you let other people dress yourself (via @bduperrin) 11:35 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
51. @stevedriz > Slayer to stream entire new album on MySpace Music for Halloween weekend http://bit.ly/16JeIE (via @socialpinhead) 11:37 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
52. How to do a #SWOT analysis – Need to do one? Seeking ideas? http://rapidbi.com/swot (via @rapidbi) 11:38 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
53. Here’s a (growing) Twitter List of Explainers: http://bit.ly/11Fgyn (via @leelefever) 11:38 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
54. ReadWriteWeb: 10 Twitter Lists You Should Follow http://bit.ly/4Ctvcx (via @RWWRSS) 11:39 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
55. RT @Twitter_Tips Twitter Blog: Official Twitter Lists Announcement: http://j.mp/2suc5u (via @denispaulvc) 11:40 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
56. Agreed, Huge Business Enablement Tool > Twitter CEO: I’d Rather Have Adults on Twitter than Teens http://bit.ly/3W13hx (via @techxav) 11:42 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
57. email is a distribution model, separate the content from it via E20> When to Use Twitter Instead of E-mail http://bit.ly/3lak9p (@tommytrc) 11:43 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
58. Google Voice has a million users. http://bit.ly/2g7YE (via @mike_elgan) 11:43 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
59. The new social Google – and what it means for small & medium businesses. http://ow.ly/xIMC (via @LinkedInQueen) 11:44 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
60. I am moving to a pure Google Enterprise Model> This is Why Google Scares the Sh*t Out of Companies http://ff.im/-aLbzY (via @OwenGreaves) 11:51 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
61. CBC News – Canada – News 2.0: The Future of News in an Age of Social Media http://bit.ly/h8LzV P2P-Journalism (via @delicious50) 11:58 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
62. I STAND CORRECTED – you CAN add yourself to your own Twitter Lists. You have to go do your Profile page and you can do so there. (@danyork) 11:59 AM Oct 30th from Tweetie
63. This is what is wrong with followers schemes. I prefer having few but fully engaged followers > “try this if u want followers it works fast” 12:02 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
64. Info about the new book, new article, and new blog: http://bit.ly/2yOAVJ . Sorry for the self-promotion; enjoy the weekend! (via @amcafee) 12:02 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
65. Who we are on Twitter – The 50 most tweeted brands on Twitter (today) – http://bit.ly/5icww (via @rosiesiman) (via @BBHLabs) 12:03 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
66. The Cloud Professionals Share How Quickly They Think Enterprises Will Adopt Cloud Computing Services http://bit.ly/464jil (via @cloudbook) 12:38 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
67. Who We support and Who Supports Us> already liking what #links says about people/business. #brand as defined by others! (via @DavidSandusky) 12:38 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
68. SEO News: What Is Twitter All About? http://bit.ly/3UmjMc #seo (via @stevedriz) 12:39 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
69. This economy has humble us all a bit, which is good! Back to our fund values> You humble easily, my friend! But thanks (via @billpollak) 12:40 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
70. Is Twitter A Good Tool For Your Personal Brand? http://bit.ly/nnuL8 (via @pete_kistler) 12:40 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
71. RT -Great- read on TSA by experienced law enforcement: RT @donttrythis: TSA a MUST read: http://bit.ly/1rqKUm (via @patricknorton) 12:43 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
72. CIO self-assessment tools help you compare your experiences with other CIOs http://bit.ly/1KxnCO via @CIO_Exec (via @CIOsConnect) 12:43 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
73. The Ares I-X Rocket in Pictures, From Birth to Launch [Space] http://bit.ly/4dDq0o (via @ruhanirabin) 12:43 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
74. Politics is enemy of strategy. Avoid pressure to diffuse resourcs to please all. Impact comes fr focus. #changeagent 101 (@RosabethKanter) 12:44 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
75. Great equation for the value of conf tweets> Cant attend due to projects x 10 + presentations x 10 + work x 10 = fail^100 (via @sarahkatyal) 12:45 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
76. Data on Twitter and Social Media Use http://bit.ly/mh5jV (via @socialmedia2day) 12:45 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
77. Google analytics now allows 20 goals per profile and adds a new feature that tracks how engaged readers are: http://ow.ly/xraI (@freshchris) 12:46 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
78. Top 13 Guidelines for Commenting on Blog Posts http://bit.ly/3JGxna (via @socialmedia2day) 12:47 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
79. I am LOVING Twitter Lists. It’s helping me rebuild Followings! Plus, it’s the best Twitter influence metric to date. (via @chrispirillo) 12:47 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
80. Thought you would like that one @paulcopcutt RT This what wrong w/followers schemes I prefer having few but fully eng. followers @rlavigne42 12:48 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
81. Intrigued> RT @vagabondish The 8 Most Bizarre Rituals in the World http://retwt.me/1I0rG (via @almostfearless) 12:49 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
82. RT Please try sending messages to @support or @twitter before you @ reply the entire twitter team. They’re there to help u. -@faisal_asif 12:50 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
83. NP @RosabethKanter>Thx 4RT @josephlogan @jcwiley @tekioso @dakini_3 @lindsaybei @apassoskmc @mrochte @WorldCupCSR @waynemarr @AMAnet 12:52 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
84. @thinkBIG_blog Makes you think about the benefits of bussing in your staff to work and back doesn’t it Re: I’d have left office hour ago 12:54 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie in reply to thinkBIG_blog
85. Internet Archive: A Future for Books — BookServer http://bit.ly/42ke2O books (via @delicious50) 1:06 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
86. RT @AlexKaris RT @johnhaydon The Twitter Resource Superlist http://bit.ly/RFo32 (via @megguiseppi) 1:10 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
87. Some great/simple single page websites: http://ow.ly/xrdB (via @freshchris) 1:13 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
88. Understand your stress and park it. http://bit.ly/CH9lP (via @taosls) 1:31 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
89. Advice on how to handle questions during a business presentation – http://bit.ly/rKH0m (via @presentationski) 1:31 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
90. funny linkedin search http://bit.ly/1A4WWZ (via @marshallk) 1:33 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
91. Huge congrats @thinkBIG_blog>Just got the call confirming we’ve inked the deal with a great new account! Wonderful way to close the week. 1:34 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
92. There’s a List for That! http://bit.ly/ratHG (via @biz) 1:34 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
93. YouTube Spotlights The Colorful Wonders Of Fall’s Foliage http://bit.ly/1EeGvz (via @stevedriz) 1:34 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
94. Another reason to engage with your connections first>LinkedIN With ‘Bill Gates’ #LinkedIn#news… http://tinyurl.com/ygcyudr (via @SEO_Kat) 1:36 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
95. when creating twitter lists we are attaching keywords to groups of individuals-will eventually fuel user influence rankings (via @kevinrose) 1:37 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
96. Contextualized Print especially >Tks. This will be a fun one. Big print design project. Lots of brochures. Print is NOT dead! @thinkBIG_blog 1:39 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
97. Finally Twitter List Tagging > @kevinrose so… you might call it “tagging” (via @joshu) 1:39 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
98. ha’ my buddy Anil just wrote something very similar re: Twitter lists: http://bit.ly/toldyou (via @anildash) (via @kevinrose) 2:19 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
99. How to follow the “twitter” of small business http://om.ly/WTEu (via @GuyKawasaki) 2:19 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
100. 3:1 Rule of #productivity – R U? RT Google generated $302,314 per employee. Hits 3 Year High http://bit.ly/2jEzzw (via @AndreaMeyer) 2:22 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
101. POLL: Windows 7 Outlasts Snow Leopard in Reader Vote – http://bit.ly/15j0ct (via @mashable) 2:59 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
102. Facebook Details New Privacy Policy – Mediabistro.com http://snipurl.com/sxzcp (via @socialmediamind) 2:59 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
103. Twitter List the new influencer. http://bit.ly/ilPaX #personalbranding (via @HajjFlemings) 2:59 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
104. Actually @cfsilence found a Twitter list secret: lists show @replies but ONLY of people on the list! Useful to know. (via @Scobleizer) 3:57 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
105. Weekend project idea: Make timelapse video of your rotting pumpkin: http://bit.ly/2ZuQa – Timelapse 101: http://bit.ly/1IfAe8 (via @youtube) 3:58 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
106. Is great to have some satisfactions from time to time Thanks to all of you RACE FANS # NASCAR P3 best ever Q run on an oval (via @maxpapis) 4:09 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
107. @maxpapis Do well this weekend for Greg! Congrats on P3 qual. 4:10 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie in reply to maxpapis
108. ’nuff said re:overhead>Firing up the Windows VM for the first time in six months means 2+ hours of patches+updates. Ouch. (via @daveoflynn) 4:23 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
109. U2.com > Welcome http://bit.ly/3GYu9w (via @delicious50) 4:24 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
110. Real Time Means Real People… Do You Know People Like Them…http://su.pr/2Eu6Dl (via @socialmedia2day) 4:25 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
111. The 10 Lies and Misconceptions that Web Entrepreneurs tell: http://bit.ly/1vWpMs (via @DesignerDepot) 4:25 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
112. Spend 80% of your time engaging the 20% that are aligned – Reach out to everyone, and you’re sure to touch someone. (via @NetworkingFool) 4:27 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
113. Fair warning to biz units unwilling to innovate. There are a lot of very tech savvy people in NA who no longer work in IT and want your Biz! 4:32 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
114. RT @SocializedWeb: You Need this. A Complete List of Google Wave Extensions & Gadgets. http://bit.ly/VowbO (via @webtechman) 4:33 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
115. Influencers Sell… Persuaders Don’t… http://su.pr/28etXz (via @socialmedia2day) 4:34 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
116. So if I understand lists correctly.You denormalize who you follow into lists, follow your list instead, all the while sharing that list COOL 4:43 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
117. One less annoying voice to listen to on #Twitter> Miley Cyrus: Twitter should be banned http://bit.ly/1TM8ae (via @GregoryCollins) 4:46 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
118. Now that is engagement > Amazing: @Scobleizer is now followed on more than 2,000 lists! (via @jackschofield) 4:46 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
119. How do you unwind? (via @chrisbrogan) < Guitar Hero: Metallica and FooFighters Live on Facebook tonight 4:47 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
120. I would love anyone who is following me to fire me off a tweet with the tag they would like to be listed under.Crowdsource our engaged lists 5:11 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
121. My exact point about denormalizing and following the lists instead> One tip: your “following” account IS a list! (via @Scobleizer) 5:12 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
122. Aligned for the Road>It’s not what you see, it’s how you see it. Your imagination must be in focus, not just your eyes. (via @thinkBIG_blog) 5:12 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
123. I believe that is the intent no? @scobleizer, @nk when you follow a List, does it add those people to your main feed? (via @mager) 5:22 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
124. @BryanCWebb Probably should have be more clear. I am trying to setup a crowdsourced folksonomy for my list.Thus the tagging request (eg:E20) 5:25 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie in reply to BryanCWebb
125. Nice blurb on H1N1> I finally figured why Celine Dion should be talking about the swine flu http://bit.ly/4xiEoc (via @RHBDaveHowlett) 5:29 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
126. For alignment helps everyone become truly engaged> Be Yourself, Success Will Come http://ff.im/-aLTTY (via @OwenGreaves) 5:33 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
127. 80% of biz can thrive on the free 20% > More Than Half Of IT Managers Need Better Insight Into IT Costs http://ff.im/-aLUfx (@OwenGreaves) 5:34 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
128. #Google as a car purchase:***** safety rating, innovative features, best warranty, and is 20% of the cost for 80% of what biz need.SAVINGS!! 5:48 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
129. Sometimes I just think of the billions of dollars this list controls and smile: @Scobleizer/venture-capitalists (via @Scobleizer) 5:49 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
130. RT @CIO_Exec: CIO’s and IT directors who are you asking for direction when you are unsure? http://bit.ly/1S2rBy #CIO #CTO (via @CIOsConnect) 5:50 PM Oct 30th from Tweetie
131. about to watch the Facebook livestream of Foo Fighters ( #foofighterslive live on http://bit.ly/3zR5dr ) 5:55 PM Oct 30th from API
132. http://www.livestream.com/f… click video for full screen ( #foofighterslive live on http://bit.ly/3zR5dr ) 5:55 PM Oct 30th from API
133. The live Foo Fighter stream looks great via iphone.livestream.com (feed is delayed though) ( #foofighterslive live on http://bit.ly/3zR5dr ) 5:59 PM Oct 30th from API
134. Finally there is a reasonably good app for #wordpress on the #iphone http://bit.ly/3avNWW (via @TheCommonHoster) 6:03 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
135. free SWOT analysis template and method, free swot analysis examples http://bit.ly/fTVog swot (via @delicious50) 6:04 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
136. Mozilla releases first beta of Firefox 3.6: The “Namoroka” beta brings performance improvements, Personas http://bit.ly/2vjLh3 (via @glfceo) 6:41 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
137. The complete introduction to Twitter lists: http://j.mp/2D31cD –Share: http://bit.ly/2RvVob http://bit.ly/3XL8m8 (via @Alltop_TW) 6:42 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
138. The PS3: No longer the next-gen console punching bag http://bit.ly/1ADWtw (via @tommytrc) 6:44 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
139. Wow, that @mashable article is *still* leading new followers my way. Awesome! http://bit.ly/3YMqiS (via @Caterina) 7:10 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
140. Buy @garthstein book, trust me. pls RT> Resisted the temptation to slip into the local Borders and sign stock. I’m losing my edge. 7:15 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
141. Google Chrome: The Fast Browser With Slow Adoption (PC World) http://bit.ly/YL95O (via @stevedriz) 7:15 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
142. How 40 years of the Internet changed the world / UCLA Today http://ff.im/aM4gS (via @That_DanRyan) 7:16 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
143. RT @SharonHayes: The New Social Google: What it Means for SMBs http://bit.ly/2wxYvv via @jamaal_jayz (via @tommytrc) 7:16 PM Oct 30th from Twitterrific
]]> http://consultantvalueadded.com/2009/10/28/noc-optimization-in-the-telecom-industry/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:07:43 +0000 Carlos Valdecantos http://consultantvalueadded.com/2009/10/28/noc-optimization-in-the-telecom-industry/

A Network Operations Center, or NOC, is the primary workspace engineers utilize to monitor, manage and troubleshoot problems on a telecom network. The Network Operations Center offers oversight of problems, configuration and change management, network security, performance and policy monitoring, reporting, quality assurance, scheduling, and documentation by utilizing sophisticated network management, monitoring and analysis tools.

The NOC provides a structured environment that effectively coordinates operational activities with all participants and vendors related to the function of the network. The NOC technicians typically provide support twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Typical daily processes include:

• Monitoring operations of all backbone links and network nodes.
• Ensuring continuous operation of servers and services.
• Providing quality support for network users.
• Troubleshooting of all network and system related problems.
• Opening tickets to track and document resolution of problems.
• 24 hours a day, 7 days a week supervised operation by network and system engineers.

There are currently two hot topics related to NOCs where we have been involved: 1) NOC’s O&M efficiency and 2) NOC’s Energy management. As we have recently finished one assignment related to the 1st topic I wanted to share some relevant info for those executives working for telecom operator and willing to improve their O&M NOC processes and procedures.

Most of the CTOs in the telecom industry are under pressure to cut costs while raising network service levels. It is therefore key identify the best strategy towards cost optimization, starting with efforts that will result in returns in six months or less. These returns are then re-invested to drive longer-term, transformational projects. Network automation initiatives are among the projects with the fastest return, often in less than two months.

My first assignment in NOC O&M automation and design started in the Middle East in 2004, when we supported MTC (today’s Zain) in defining the e2e O&M strategy for the NOC. Since then, mmC Group has been supporting different operators across Africa and Latin America in similar exercises.

We therefore built experience in designing, building, and installing Command Centers, Control Centers, Network Operation Centers, Network Management Centers, Network Control Centers, Data Centers, Security Operations Centers, Mock Trading Rooms and various other monitoring intensive control facilities.

After four years of processes and procedures redefinition I wanted to share a brief presentation with mmC Group’s O&M framework for telecom operators, highlighting those processes that, in our opinion, are critical for the operation of the network and could bring a significant upside in efficiency when automated.

Hope it helps. Feel free to contact me for a further level of detail. Enjoy the reading, CVA.

View this document on Scribd
]]> http://mmarymary.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/a-major-geek-moment/ Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:51:41 +0000 Mary Smaragdis http://mmarymary.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/a-major-geek-moment/

Every so often, life gives you these opportunities to get to work with the most AMAZING people.

I’ve had more than my fair share of those.

One of my favorite people on the face of the earth to work with is Dean Nelson, who’s now at responsible for datacenter strategy, architecture and operations at eBay.

He’s also a co-founder of Datacenter Pulse , a organization defined by the who’s who of hotshot techno-celebs running those glass-enclosed nerve centers we all rely on but never really think much about. (they’re no longer glass enclosed, btw… but that’s a whole ‘nother story.)

Dean recently blogged about “A Major Geek Moment” where I played a supporting role.



Check it out.

]]> http://sportmeeting.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/funding-2010-and-2011/ Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:39:27 +0000 sportmeeting http://sportmeeting.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/funding-2010-and-2011/

Dear sports friends,

I would like to inform you that I have received just now from the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) a Promotion on Sports Tourism in Cyprus.

Different sport clubs as swimming clubs, track & field clubs, rowing, mountain biking, triathlon, etc. are entitle of a funding for the year 2010 – 2011. Depending on the training level the can receive the following fundings:

Sport Clubs:
EUR 150.00 per person for a maximum of 30 persons
Sport Associations & National Teams:
EUR 250.00 per person for a maximum of 30 persons
The approval from the CTO takes about 7-10 days and is handled as a first come first served basis.

Ich übersetze das nun einfach mal nicht. Trainingsreisen sind unter www.sportjet.de und in russ. sprache unter www.sportmeeting.ru zu finden.

Bitte per Buchungsanfrage mit konkreten Daten anfragen: http://www.sportmeetinginternational.de/buchungsanfrage.html

]]> http://rlavigne42.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/2009-10-23-the-rlavigne42-tweet-round-up/ Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:12:07 +0000 rlavigne42 http://rlavigne42.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/2009-10-23-the-rlavigne42-tweet-round-up/

If you find any broken Tweets or Links, please report them in the comment section.

If you like what you see, may I recommend you start following me on Twitter to enjoy the benefits of real-time content as it materializes.

If you choose to follow @rlavigne42, please leave me a comment. I will make sure to check out your Tweets in return.

If you see a Tweet you appreciate, please Pay it Forward by ReTweeting it.

If you find an blogger you like, please Join Me in following Them.



My Thoughts Enclosed…Rb

1. this racer embodies this sprit RT @TonyKanaan:Go in to the world and do well. But more importantly go in to the world and do good. 9:06 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
2. Huge social opp RT @socialpinhead: Civilization game is coming to Facebook – SciTechBlog – CNN.com Blogs http://bit.ly/3jdk9M 9:52 PM Oct 22nd from TweetDeck
3. RT @twinfluence: 10/22/09 http://twinfluence.com score for @rlavigne42: Reach=0, Rank=#35,697 9:54 PM Oct 22nd from TweetDeck
4. RT @kseniacoffman:#w2s Web 2.0: Teens love Facebook and Apple, confused by Twitter http://bit.ly/4lxcN0 – via Digital Beat 10:13 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
5. RT @tinucherian:RT @lmarino The economics of the internet will break in 2015 unless speed of innovation increases-Kevin Johnson, CEO #w2s 10:14 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
6. Content = Free; Content + Context = Value; Value + Engagement = Effectiveness; Effectiveness + Metrics = Efficiency #E2.0 11:32 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
7. RT @KentBeck:”their working code is better than your imagined code, because their working code exists right now” http://bit.ly/2Fpung 11:34 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
8. RT @gbolles:If you want a great flow of quotes from Web 2.0 Summit #w2s over the past few days, check the tweetstream from @Samwise 11:34 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
9. RT @aponcier:Nouveau post : Livre blanc sur le social learning en entreprise http://short.to/uj1m 11:34 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
10. @twinfluence 2 simple changes to improve your tweet output. put a space after the rank # so it doesn’t become a hashtag and add a hashtag 11:43 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu in reply to twinfluence
11. @GuyHagen 2 simple changes to improve your @twininfluence.put a space after the rank # so it doesn’t become a hashtag & add a brand hashtag 11:48 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
12. RT @inspirito:Checking out the presentations I missed at #w2s from: http://bit.ly/2KaYT3 11:53 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
13. RT @pheelmore:RT @brisbourne: AOL has gone from 500 to 2,000 journalists in the last six months. #w2s 11:56 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
14. RT @stumm:17 cents of every dollar in health care spent on billing. –Aneesh Chopra #w2s A simply astonishing number. 11:56 PM Oct 22nd from Nambu
15. RT @aponcier:Une carte conceptuelle du web social http://bit.ly/3gh3Ml 12:03 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
16. Please RT for @amkwamba Only 20-25% of humanity actually uses the Web at all – Tim Berners-Lee #w2s http://tr.im/CKtT http://tr.im/CKtH 12:50 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
17. #E20Path Content = Free; Content + Context = Value; Value + Engagement = Effectiveness; Effectiveness + Metrics = Efficiency #E20 12:58 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
18. @eveso thanks for the RT on the #E20Path #E20 12:58 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to eveso
19. @TeleplanConsult thanks for the RT on the #E20Path #E20 #Enterprise20 12:59 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to TeleplanConsult
20. RT @sandrakarner:Web 2.0 was yesterday, now it’s Enterprise 2.0: Internal Communications 2.0, Collaboration 2.0 etc. http://bit.ly/3uN7lo 1:47 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
21. @ev you might like this seeing it came from a night of thinking about #E20 with a time-shifted crowd http://tr.im/CKJd 1:49 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to ev
22. RT @enterprise2open:New blog post: Enterprise 2.0 SUMMIT videos http://bit.ly/bEIwk 1:50 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
23. @lammiia does this mean I get to go to sleep now that the morning shift has arrived 1:50 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to lammiia
24. @lammiia NP as usual (check you LinkedIn) 1:51 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to lammiia
25. @michaelbolton you will probably appreciate this http://tr.im/CKPq 2:14 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
26. RT @TomRaftery: Wow @timberners_lee just joined Twitter! Hope the #w2s talk went well Tim, and thanks for the whole world wide web thing! 2:28 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
27. @timberners_lee much respect and great dialogue at #w2s If you are interested in #E20, I tend to RT quite a bit on the subject. 2:31 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
28. @caro wimp it is 5:30 here and still going 2:32 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to caro
29. RT @eogez:Entendu au #webcom09 … le buzzword des prochaines années : “websocial marketing” (via @beneficenet) 2:34 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
30. RT @aneeshnair:Gartner’s top 10 strategic technologies for 2010 http://bit.ly/48dyTQ #CIO #CIOs #CTO #IT #tech #erp #crm #cloud #web20 #e20 2:35 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
31. A people’s history of the internet: from Arpanet in 1969 to today | Technology | guardian.co.uk http://retwt.me/1kFQD (via @janinegibson) 3:18 AM Oct 23rd from TweetDeck
32. @GuyHagen no problem. sometimes all it takes is a simple tweak to improve a tweet The hashtag branding is key IMO. 10:49 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to GuyHagen
33. #E20Path: Content = Free; Content + Context = Value; Value + Engagement = Effectiveness; Effectiveness + Metrics = Efficiency #E20 10:50 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
34. RT @paulcopcutt:RT @davefleet Where your personal brand falls short – *you* aren’t scalable: http://bit.ly/36uMVD 10:51 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
35. @denthewise agreed RE: @lammiia RT 10:51 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to denthewise
36. RT @caryncap:We all need to figure out what “engaged” means to us individually #svp09 10:52 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
37. RT @dhinchcliffe:Social Networking Goes To Work on Nov. 19: http://bit.ly/4lV4KY An advanced primer on enterprise-class social computing. 10:52 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
38. RT @mager:25% of total page views on the Internet come through facebook.com: http://bit.ly/2QXElh 10:53 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
39. RT @Agilebuddy:Agile Australia 2009 Day 1 Review http://ow.ly/w9Ye – #agile #agileaus 11:06 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
40. RT @amcafee:RT @ramblingman: BusinessInsider Grades 14 of Google’s 40+ acquisitions. http://bit.ly/1lQPzT >> interesting stuff… 11:06 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
41. RT @TajdarOC ersonal Branding: Why You Need to Develop a Healthy Unemployment Routine http://bit.ly/qlozy 11:07 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
42. RT @jackschofield:Amazing Pictures, Pollution in China http://bit.ly/2ZEFB5 [Looks like hell on earth] 11:08 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
43. RT @lammiia:Gartner Magic Quadrant; a dark horse closing up the outside fence… http://bit.ly/4qOuLb #socialsoftware 11:08 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
44. RT @BeverlyMacy:RT @scottmonty The Social Media Marketing Blog: Fear and Loathing in Social Media http://retwt.me/qAbG 11:09 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
45. RT @topsurf:RT @Sprezzatura: Collaboration is Viral. Jim Henson & @InstantKarma10 say Dig itt; http://bit.ly/12mGa6 #collaboration #e20 11:23 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
46. RT @mrouldug:#E20 can only be understood by technology geeks who have experience as managers I.e. Less than 1% of people who talk about it. 11:24 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
47. @mrouldug insightful #E20 11:26 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to mrouldug
48. RT @gyehuda:Blog post #e20 Leveraging Social Networking During Your Job Search. http://ow.ly/15WPNz 11:28 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
49. RT @lalachad:Case Study:Enterprise 2.0 Social media tools as an aid to learning and collaboration in the workplace – http://bit.ly/mjfja 11:28 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
50. RT @Weiskam:Enterprise Web 2.0 adoptions increasing as market matures http://bit.ly/3IqUrb 11:29 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
51. RT @aponcier:Shattering the Myths About Enterprise 2.0 – HBR.org http://ff.im/al9Ut via @fredzimny 11:29 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
52. RT @aponcier ragmatic Enterprise 2.0 http://url4.eu/drsN (via @SmartDataCo) 11:30 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
53. RT @swiertz:Interview with Dion Hinchcliffe about the Pragmatic Enterprise 2.0 approach http://bit.ly/1zhOYQ #twine 11:30 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
54. RT @aponcier:Enterprise 2.0 Use Cases – http://bit.ly/3uN7lo via @zoernert @Lotus_DE 11:30 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
55. RT @Agilebuddy:How to succeed in the toughest job in IT http://ow.ly/w9yZ #pmot 11:32 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
56. @TajdarOC check your LinkedIn. Happy to connect 11:33 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to TajdarOC
57. RT @SocialMedia411:It’s Official: Facebook has decided that optimizing for marketers is now more important than innovating for users. 11:35 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
58. @jsnell your recommendation as my @nambucom keeps trashing and their lack of response as lost them a user 11:36 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to jsnell
59. RT @Yammer:10 Tools for (20)10 – http://c4lpt.co.uk/articles… #yam 11:37 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
60. RT @ExecRoundtable:Are you dialing it up to 11? The Peters debrief on #taom… here’s the blog link: http://wp.me/p86IN-46 11:37 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
61. a true RHB RT @paulcopcutt:#ff @RHBDaveHowlett – just got off a catch up call with him after #taom, always makes me laugh and think 11:38 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
62. RT @dougchavez:Amazing how Google acts quickly when they get scooped, like this week when bing announced twitter first http://bit.ly/7wbqO 11:39 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu
63. @jsnell Thanks. Either of them have a MacOSX client? 11:41 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to jsnell
64. @jsnell never mind on the Q. Tweetie does have both MacOSx and iPhone clients. Hear that @nambucom you missed out on the engagement factor 11:43 AM Oct 23rd from Nambu in reply to jsnell
65. @jsnell both MacOSX and iPhone would be the platforms in use. “Think”ering with Twitterific first 11:55 AM Oct 23rd from Twitterrific in reply to jsnell
66. @jsnell is it me or does Twitterrific on the Mac not even have a built in RT feature? The colour scheme takes getting used to as well 12:03 PM Oct 23rd from Twitterrific
67. @nambucom yep on both fronts. Started crashing frequently in the last 3 weeks.Esepecially when retweeting.I will try a new ver though 12:10 PM Oct 23rd from Twitterrific in reply to nambucom
68. @denthewise this is how #FF and lists should work. You need a recommendation or context with the refereral not just a link. Context drives. 12:35 PM Oct 23rd from Twitterrific in reply to denthewise
69. Love this for some reason > @gaberivera This tweet links to itself: http://bit.ly/Yw3BxC 12:41 PM Oct 23rd from Twitterrific
70. RT @jollyroger: Star Wars iPhone. Possibly coolest iPhone game yet. http://tinyurl.com/ygx6yam #starwars #iphone #toplessrobot #apple 12:44 PM Oct 23rd from Twitterrific
71. @jsnell Gave up on Twitteric for the Mac (too limited feature wise). Tweetie however looks very promising. I like the use of bubbletext 12:53 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to jsnell
72. @denthewise how you outlined @stoweboyd provided the context to wanting to follow thus the effective #FF (context trumps content) 12:54 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to denthewise
73. I am liking @tweetie, I am liking @tweetie very much. Great use of threaded bubbletext 12:57 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
74. @denthewise to me that is where lists and #FF really need to blend some form of elevator speech into the individual profiles listed 12:58 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to denthewise
75. Good summary. “How Social Media can Actually Work” from BusinessWeek http://bit.ly/9YilB (via @HermanoGeoff) 12:59 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
76. I want to know more about their new feed selection algorithm >Facebook Revamps Homepage, News Feed http://bit.ly/2bHrCS (via @LanceUlanoff) 1:02 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
77. These two get it >@tatipapis, your race tweets of @maxpapis make a huge difference to his branding and fan engagement efforts. Keep it up! 1:18 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to tatipapis
78. New reason to support @holidayinnmge > Holiday Inn stops the waterfall for technology rebranding http://ow.ly/w9A3 #agile (via @Agilebuddy) 1:20 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
79. @maxpapis I live LOL when I read this. Max, seriously read that tweet again 1:22 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to maxpapis
80. @nambucom request has been sent, awaiting. Currently reviewing @tweetie and gotta say I am very impressed so far. Still in the hunt though. 1:24 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to nambucom
81. @denthewise The “Why” being the valuable context of the “What/Who” content – correct 1:33 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to denthewise
82. Why Not? It will be my Win7 H/W. >Steve Ballmer’s Windows 7 pitch features MacBook Pro in the background http://retwt.me/1mfqi (via @myfeed) 1:35 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
83. it’s important to clear your mind, actually READ what someone has written rather than dive in w your counterpoint p (cont) http://tl.gd/o71e 1:36 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
84. Another reason why @tweetie is now rocking my tweets. @twitlonger is a very nice integrated component. What other features am I going find? 1:38 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
85. Twitter and LinkedIn take steps towards social CRM solutions – Outsourcery #LinkedIn#news… http://tinyurl.com/yjm47q9 (via @BryanCWebb) 1:39 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
86. @SEO_Kat thanks for the tip on LinkedIn/Twitter. It is about time LinkedIn bumped up their game. 1:40 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to SEO_Kat
87. How Google Wave could transform journalism http://bit.ly/41cplI #twine (via @swiertz) 1:48 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
88. Every single moment in life is a chance to get it right. (via @thinkBIG_blog) 1:48 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
89. This racer engages >At Press Conf today I did say our team does not have solid plans for next year!We need a sponsor!. (via @Kenny_Wallace) 1:50 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
90. @mrjcleaver retweet source if you find one pls. 1:51 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to mrjcleaver
91. @thinkBIG_blog np 1:52 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to thinkBIG_blog
92. @JasonSpector np 1:52 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to JasonSpector
93. “Every moment in life is a chance to get it right, but every time you get it wrong is a chance to learn.” (cont) http://tl.gd/o76t 1:53 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
94. “Every moment in life is a chance to get it right, but every time you get it wrong is a chance to learn.” (via @thinkBIG_blog + @owengreave) 1:53 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
95. Spark 89 is up: Traditional knowledge, instant film, and online borders http://bit.ly/1uAENk ^dm (via @sparkcbc) 1:54 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
96. Companies: build Online Teams, not Online Communities. Teams perform; communities mingle. Companies need outcomes. (cont) http://tl.gd/o77d 1:54 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
97. just got my first @tweetie ad in timeline. Decent timing for placement. Will see how intrusive it becomes as part of overall eval. 1:56 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
98. Knowing how to use Photoshop doesn’t make someone a designer anymore than knowing how to scramble an egg makes some (cont) http://tl.gd/o78g 1:57 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
99. Compliantia’s software engineering team working on real time aggregation of visit data by state, user and location (via @FabienTiburce) 1:57 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
100. Great real-life analogy > Blogged “I was a victim of bad metadata!” http://it.toolbox.com/trd/4… (via @denthewise) 1:59 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
101. @denthewise I did indeed. Just finished reading it. You should be able to upgrade no diff than trial>retail (only the incremental cost) 2:01 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to denthewise
102. “Enterprise 2.0 Blog » Blog Archive » The Death Of Email: What Does Dead Mean, Exactly?” ( http://bit.ly/31EcZg ) via @kulturmanager 2:03 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
103. @timberners_lee My thanks for piecing this together for me http://bit.ly/2BvuV 2:19 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
104. @ginomarckx ah yes, but you are missing the branding opportunity here I think. Tomato flash with a timer would brand it nicely. 2:22 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to ginomarckx
105. @ginomarckx Think of it as an innovative way to brand your use of the technique with your company. Appstores are the new bizcards. 2:24 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to ginomarckx
106. Blogging Is Dead, Long Live Journalism | Fast Company http://ow.ly/wgnV (via @brandcoach) 2:25 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
107. Civilization will be Social Game of the Year. > Facebook games to hold you over until Civilization http://bit.ly/3UkcV8 (via @socialpinhead) 2:27 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
108. @rlavigne42 Huge marketing and sale opportunities within a Civilization social game.Will watch this one very closely (and may actually join) 2:28 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to rlavigne42
109. A:”Because that’s what we’ve always done” RT @ITSinsider:why do corps still attach email disclaimer notices in emails? (via @dankeldsen) 2:29 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
110. Wolfram $50 iPhone App- will it change pricing strategies? Value Pricing vs. low cost. http://bit.ly/1ObTD5 (via @thebetsy) 2:29 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
111. The Continuous Permanent Reinvention of Publishing. Good #fbf09 post by @R_Nash http://bit.ly/33j3Gc (via @timoreilly) 3:11 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
112. RT @socmediabrain: Small businesses flock to Twitter, Facebook http://bit.ly/im0xY (via @LinkedInQueen) 3:11 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
113. Mozilla attempts to unify social communications with Raindrop: http://bit.ly/3uEJPs (via @dhinchcliffe) 3:11 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
114. @thinkBIG_blog Good thing I was a Hear ‘N Aid fan during that era 3:13 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to thinkBIG_blog
115. Thanks for the #FF #FollowFriday – Innovators and Crowdsourcing – @BillPetti @mmartoccia @TKspeaks @philipletts @tongal (via @JasonSpector) 3:16 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
116. Thinking on this rainy and dreary evening of all our troops oversees. To you this song tonight-Queensryche-Home Again http://bit.ly/2nrfYs 3:20 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
117. Let us know John > I am back on FriendFeed testing it with this update http://ff.im/aonIj (via @Furrier) 3:22 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
118. @denthewise what I meant – should be rooted in any distribution models.Yes they get the occasional upset resell, but missing on the + upsell 3:24 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to denthewise
119. @sparkcbc, @TO_Canada, Toronto TTC should follow BART’s lead with @Foursquare http://bit.ly/2Vh8j3 3:26 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
120. Facebook’s New NewsFeed: A Big Shot Fired in War Against Information Overload http://ff.im/aopn3 (via @thebetsy) 3:35 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
121. @TonyKanaan Well done 3:36 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to TonyKanaan
122. @thinkBIG_blog Dialing it way Up with http://bit.ly/XXCbC 3:38 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to thinkBIG_blog
123. @SuzyPerplexus http://bit.ly/3WULhG is a finalist at Enterprise 2.0 launchpad contest. Cover our new announcements ? (via @milindpansare) 3:41 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
124. Great!> 51 Fast Facts — for Presentations — http://bit.ly/2GOhnW — #sharepoint #discovery #ibm #emc #oracle #legal #e20 (via @jmancini77) 3:45 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
125. RT @MarkRaganCEO: Journalists from THe New York Times and Newsweek busted for ethics violation. See story at www.prdaily.com (via @Furrier) 3:47 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
126. Pragmatic Enterprise 2.0>RE http://bit.ly/2xrm8s. Question (5) and more coming soon… (via @profyspace) 3:47 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
127. My Thoughts Enclosed: Recommended Reading http://bit.ly/WMHQv #Enterprise2.0 #E20 #E2.0 #Agile #SocialMgmt 4:26 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
128. RT @nickcharney: The Three Laws of Open Public Servants http://ow.ly/15WOaQ #cpsr #gov20 (via @david_a_eaves) 4:32 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
129. Amadei: “Don’t just teach people to fish. That’s boring. Teach them to skin fish, put it in a can, sell it, make money.” (via @BOPreneur) 4:32 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
130. @thinkBIG_blog tell me about it. Now we seem to just be banging our heads. 4:53 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie in reply to thinkBIG_blog
131. Watch U2 live from the Rose Bowl on 10/25 @ 8:30PM PT, www.youtube.com/u2 5:08 PM Oct 23rd from web
132. An Overview of the IBM/Google Academic Cloud Computing Initiative, Details on Each University Project http://bit.ly/44IwMB (via @cloudbook) 7:11 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
133. Microsoft made a big splash with Bing-Twitter deal at #w2s, but Twitter isn’t the only one without a business model (cont) http://tl.gd/o9i1 7:12 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
134. DISMISSED: Facebook Wins Legal Victory Over Power.com: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Power.com .. h (cont) http://tl.gd/o9i6 7:12 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
135. CEO of Salesforce Shares how His Cloud Computing Company Got its Start & Lessons Learned Along the Way http://bit.ly/IUXPt (via @cloudbook) 7:13 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
136. Will check it out > #TweetMiner RSS feature is second to none!!! http://bit.ly/3qmLKE (via @tommytrc) 7:13 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
137. RT @michaelgass: Ad Agencies: Google Wave Will Be Another Communications Tidal Wave http://is.gd/4rJpV Oh yes it will! (via @pgiblett) 7:14 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
138. Are you working “in” the business or “on” the business? http://retwt.me/1kgty #Leadership (via @mikemyatt) 7:14 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
139. Do not keep track of the assistance you give or the favours you provide. Networking is not a game that involves scorekeeping (@GayleHoward) 7:15 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
140. How to redefine yourself. http://is.gd/4yjqr (via @unwrapyourmind) 7:16 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
141. Crowdsourcing: Why it’s Not a Waste of Time http://bit.ly/2sB4Gw (via @dexin) 7:16 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
142. Been following this great #crowdsourcing effort >Star Wars Uncut Trailer Teases An Incredible Fan Production http://ff.im/ap5aI (@thebetsy) 7:19 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
143. RT @rossdawson: New consulting firm Pragmatic Enterprise 2.0 launched by @dhinchcliffe @mkrigsman http://bit.ly/NtXur (via @hariharank12) 7:36 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
144. An excellent new overview of SharePoint 2010 from Jeff Teper, VP of the MOSS platform: http://bit.ly/1o9rWe (via @dhinchcliffe) 8:12 PM Oct 23rd from Tweetie
]]> http://entrancepoint.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/skipping-exchange-2007-and-going-straight-to-2010-are-you/ Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:17:54 +0000 entrancepoint http://entrancepoint.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/skipping-exchange-2007-and-going-straight-to-2010-are-you/

Are you skipping the upgrade to 2007 and going directly to 2010? Sounds like a great idea. But are you really going to do it? I mean you’re on 2003 and had 4 years to like and dislike it before going to 2007, but you never did. Do you know why? Price, features, stress of the upgrade, etc? ALL OF IT? Not surprised.  Well there are quite a few differences between 2003 and 2010 and it’s a pretty big jump. And why jump into a Beta version or even a finished version without hearing if it’s stable enough to move? Do you want to be a guinea pig? I’m not knocking 2010 in any way, but like most people I don’t like change either. And of course most of you are thinking, “I can’t afford to upgrade twice” and I agree that you and most companies can’t. Great news though… you don’t have to! If you upgrade to Exchange 2007 with BluePoint, when Exchange 2010 is stable we’ll upgrade you at additional no cost!

For more info, click here .

]]> http://arunmanansingh.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/blogs-for-october-2009/ Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:27:45 +0000 Arun Manansingh http://arunmanansingh.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/blogs-for-october-2009/

Here are some blog postings that I found interesting this month:

Managing Tough Times in 2009 – Grinding it out by Lui Sieh

Risk in IT by Mark Brewer

Conventional wisdom that fails for IT by Peter Kretzman

Good Service vs. Bad Service–A Lesson for IT by Don Lewis

Poisonous Snakes, Sharp Knives, And Angry Natives – How Much Risk Can You Handle? by Jim Anderson

]]> http://entrancepoint.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/upgrade_exchange_200/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:47:56 +0000 entrancepoint http://entrancepoint.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/upgrade_exchange_200/

Exchange 2003; Why upgrade to Exchange 2007?

For those of you still on Exchange 2003 you’re probably thinking, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” right? Well I’m sure most of you know that not only is there no online support, bug fixes or tickets available; but there are also some pretty useful features you’re missing out on too. So if you have a question or an issue you’re pretty much on your own to fix it or find the answer you need. And those features, who cares right? You don’t even know what you’re missing! Well guess what, Exchange 2010 has even more features. Eventually Microsoft’s stronghold will get you to upgrade eventually so why wait? I’ll give you one reason NOT to wait… if you upgrade to Exchange 2007 with BluePoint, when Exchange 2010 is stable we’ll upgrade you at additional no cost!

For more info, click here .

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