Top IT Trends for 2012

Recently Gartner published a summary of the top ten IT trends to expect for 2012. The usual suspect are there, like virtualization and social media. But there are some new ones that are interesting. One in particular is the rapid turnover being exhibited by the young employees in their 20's and 30's. Many of them are not staying in their jobs for more than one year, particularly if they aren't shown clear career progress. They want to be fast-tracked. Also, when they receive training, which of course is the norm in IT, they receive offers from other companies and, not being caught up in the old company loyalty myth, are often gone. It is getting to be a serious problem for IT departments and indeed any functions in the enterprise that require IT expertise, which is a growing number of them.

Another interesting addition to the usual list is that of big data, or data analytics, depending on how you look at it. There has been a trend towards unstructured data for some time, and it continue to grow such that it is now a big industry. How to handle all this data and find business opportunities in it has become a major industry. At first glance, it presents a major opportunity for XBRL, since making good use of unstructured data is what XBRL is all about. However, it could spell its death knell as well, because companies have been slow to adopt XBRL and are being quick to adopt the newer data analytics, which could eventually overrun that window of opportunity for XBRL.

For a summary of the Gartner Top Ten, check out this link.

Social Media Beginning to Mature

Now that many organizations have worked out the first set of kinks in adopting social media, they are on the cusp of a new wave of usage. The prime objective of social media is to improve customer relations and thus gain more revenue. But companies are only just getting used to the idea of including social media in their roster. They are only beginning to think seriously about how to make effective use of it for their business. This article sets out some thoughts on what is coming in social media usage in 2012.

Here Comes So.cl

Microsoft has launched a new product -a combination of search and social networking that has a lot of potential, At present it is aimed at students who must carry out learning projects and wish to do so along with their friends, which is the most common way for them to work. But So.cl has a lot of potential beyond that. Remember, Facebook was initially directed to students too.

In the words of the So.cl website,

"So.cl (pronounced "social") is an experimental research project, developed by Microsoft’s FUSE Labs, focused on exploring the possibilities of social search for the purpose of learning.

• So.cl combines social networking and search, to help people find and share interesting web pages in the way students do when they work together.
• So.cl helps you create rich posts, by assembling montages of visual web content.
• To encourage interaction and collaboration, So.cl provides rich media sharing, and real time sharing of videos via "video parties."

We expect students to continue using products such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other existing social networks, as well as Bing, Google and other search tools. We hope to encourage students to re-imagine how our everyday communication and learning tools can be improved, by researching, learning and sharing in their everyday lives."

Many people will benefit from collaborative research, including those in business and those who simply wish to keep in touch with friends having similar interests. It might even add some substance to the exchanges typically found on social networking sites. For an article on the topic, check this link. And for Microsoft's site, check this link.
              

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The Cloud and Mobility in Smaller Business

A recent survey by PWC revealed that smaller companies are placing emphasis on such technologies as social media and mobile computing. Both are rapidly becoming critical to effective business operations.

The study also found that they are particularly interested in cloud computing because it makes possible investing in advanced data management solutions such as ERP, which so far have been too big and complicated for many organizations. In the cloud, they can be obtained on a rental basis, which makes them financially viable. For more on this insightful survey, go to this link.

Understanding the Cloud

We are deluged with cloud computing these days. Nearly every information technology (IT)-focused magazine article, blog, analyst report or service provider’s website you read, or conference, webinar or podcast in which you participate, makes its potential benefits abundantly clear. But the different delivery models, types of clouds, and actually putting cloud computing into action are, to many, closer to a fog than an actual cloud as their efforts appear stalled on the ground.

This paper will define the basic benefits of cloud computing, discuss the different delivery models, and provide key steps to consider before putting cloud computing into action.

Read Cutting through the Fog: What You Should Know About Cloud Computing and How to Get Started

Handling Data Overload

As business information systems evolve into the use of social media both internal and external, and as an awareness of the potential benefits of using unstructured data for various business purposes, such data has become both more prevalent and more critical.

Unstructured data is that which is not placed into a particular context. It could be chat messages, blog postings, emails, or just data that is made available out of a traditional system for the users. Traditional structured data comes most often in the form of relational databases, the traditional method of storing and archiving data.

With unstructured data, the challenge is to channel it into the areas where it will be of most use. However, this takes a lot of time, and users usually don't have the time when they are working on a decision or preparing a report.

The attached article provides a good overview of this issue and suggests several potential solutions. However, one solution that is not mentioned is XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language). XBRL is a XML derivative -an open system that attaches tags to data for the purpose of financial and business reporting. Tags are simply cross-references to metadata that give information about the unstructured data and can provide it with the context needed to make decisions.

If a company were to set up a system, which could be automated, to tag unstructured data available to it upon inception, those data would become an invaluable business resource. Afterwards the data could be easily retrieved using the tags of interest and similar data with the same tags could also just as easily be retrieved and analyzed.

Many people think that XBRL is useful mainly for tagging financial statements for filing with regulatory agencies. This is just wrong. XBRL is useful for structuring and archiving unstructured data in a way that accords most closely with the interests of the users of the data.

Given the proliferation of unstructured data, XBRL is an technology solution whose time has definitely come.

Keys to Global Success with E-Business

Going global with your eBusiness poses risks that don;t exist in local markets. As one would expect most of them arise because of legal and cultural differences. Failure to pay proper attention to these issues could be costly. One author has listed the main Keys to success as follows:

Key #1: Understand the Region First

Key #2. Find the Right Logistics and Operations Approach

Key #3. Know That Translations Require Local Support

Key #4: Look at Currency Options

Key #5: Understand Payment Gateways and Processing Challenges

Key #6: Plan Global Strategy and Expansion Very Carefully

For more, check out this link.

The Role of ERP in a Cloudy World

A recent article in E-Commerce News raised the question as to whether SAP has become a liability to many businesses (It's not just SAP but any of the traditional legacy ERP systems) because of their size and rigidity. The point is made that SAP springs from the age of manufacturing, which could live with rigidity, and we are now in an age of services, which call for very different styles of information systems - styles that require flexibility and mobility.

The idea is that the newer cloud based systems meet the needs of modern service based businesses and mark the way of the future.

A lot of truth in all that. However, what that argument ignores is the extent to which SAP and other ERP providers have already ventured into the cloud. True, their core product is still based on system ownership in the traditional sense, but they have been moving strongly into cloud services in recent years. If I were an IT manager, and saw the need for some of the power and flexibility of the cloud, I would sure look at finding ways to extend my system into the cloud before I'd throw my ERP system out the door. Making such a major move is very high risk, the investment to get my ERP into place was major and I need to be sure that the transition to the cloud is seamless as possible. In fact if we learned anything from the rash of ERP installations of the 80s and 90s, it was that transitional failures can be incredibly costly! It works both ways. It seems to me that retaining my core system and implementing cloud capability through such vehicles as SAP's HP Enterprise Services' Cloud Platform collaboration makes a lot of sense. And I'm sure the users would be grateful for the lack of disruption in their jobs that would surely ensue from a wholesale change.

Virtualization and the Cloud in the Health Care Industry

The health care industry has two pressing but fundamentally opposing needs from its information systems. It need to maintain a high degree of privacy because of the sensitivity of the patient data it handles. But it also needs universal speedy access from a variety of platforms to meet the need for data in emergency situations.

This interview shows how the Rhode Island provider, CharterCARE Health Partners has combined the cloud and VDI to meet these needs. VDI (or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) is a technique of hosting websites on a cloud based system while enabling access and maintenance from desktops, tablets, smartphones and the like.

It's a technique that has spread beyond the health care industry, because the needs for strong security and easy multi-platform access - a difficult combination - is widespread..

Online Television - Coming Up

Google has announced, enigmatically, that it will be launching a pilot of a cable TV network in Kansas City in the new year. The company already announced last month that it would be launching a new and original Channel on YouTube, which has been actively seeking content providers to enhance its system.

The move to Google into television has the potential to radically change the TV industry. Predictions of television being taken over by the internet have been rampant for many years, but so far, nobody has stepped up and claimed a firm stake. Part of the problem is that the entry costs are huge, and the risk is high. But Google itself is huge and has never shied away from risk. So its a prime company for making the move.

Google is not planning an incursion into the traditional cable model. Rather they will be employing the internet as a vehicle for delivery. That will raise bandwidth issues, and since the infrastructure of the internet is owned by a number of large private communications networks, like Bell, it will require some cooperative agreements and collaboration. Not something Google has been good at in the past. Although word is they are getting better.

We are on the cusp of a major shake-up in the TV industry. But it is a complicated, over-regulated world that Google is venturing into, and it will be interesting to see over the next year exactly how they approach it and how they fare. For an article on their latest announcements, check out this source. And this one. And their official announcements.

Future of IT - Cloud computing, Security and Mobility - Survey

Over 500 IT professionals surveyed by tech staffing firm Modis indicated that the areas dominating their jobs were the cloud, security and mobility. No real surprise here, but nevertheless it is backed up by a fairly broad survey. Cloud computing took 29% of the vote, security 21% and mobility 18%.

Of course, these areas are all linked. Use of cloud computing immediately raises issues of security. And computing is increasingly moving to mobile units like smartphones and tablets. which one is driving the train is more difficult to determine. With mobility on the rise, use of the cloud makes it easier to manage applications and data. it also makes more powerful apps available to the units. But the cloud is being heavily used for non-mobile computing as well. And there's a lot to be said for having the same apps available for mobile units as for those in the office. And through it all, security is a concern. As well as privacy.

This article talks a bit about these issues.

Youtube Moving in on Television

Youtube recently announced it will be offering 100 new TV channels, starting this fall, with the full slate up and running in 2012.

With a host of options becoming available to customers, online TV type entertainment is becoming a force to be reckoned with - seriously. Offerings by Apple, Google, Netflix and others are certain to be making further inroads into traditional television, which already is hurting and showing every sign of becoming obsolete. Some say it already is and will disappear in the not to distant future.

IT does seem inevitable that TV as we have known and loved (hated?) it is doomed for the dustbin. The flexibility that is possible with internet based entertainment is just too attractive not to be successful.

The big fly in the ointment at this time is the infrastructure, which is not robust enough to absorb an onslaught of new high volume users.Internet bandwidth is indeed a fixed quantity and massive growth, such as that which would occur with widespread video streaming of the magnitude to replace TV, would be too much for it to bear.

The cable companies have an infrastructure that can handle high volume streaming, and they need to make better use of it. They also need to change their business models to recognize this major change in their industry, just as the telephone companies have had to do. It's true that the cable companies offer internet services already, but the model presently separates the internet service from the traditional cable offerings. What they need to do is to merge these, so that people can view the internet seamlessly on their TV sets. They can still offer traditional cable, but should recognize that eventually this business might dry up and be totally replaced by the internet, as the latter matures.

They might be concerned about cannibalizing their traditional cable business, but in fact, this kind of new direction will actually save their bacon in the longer term. For an article on Youtube, click this link.

City of Toronto CIO Explains EA

The City of Toronto is employing an Enterprise Architecture plan for its systems which is attempting to line up overall systems architecture with business objectives. This requires considerable agility in today's environment. EA, despite the hype, is not new and the concept of lining up Information systems with strategic needs is old hat, but EA is still a growing and developing discipline that has a great deal of merit. This article provides a good basic overview of the field.

Companies Need to Embrace Social Media

There are companies out there that ban social media in their offices or on their systems, citing security issues and a need to control their platforms. Because of the latter point, many of those who have allowed some social media seek to control the usage and content that employees can utilize.

It's hard to believe in these modern times, when social media and the internet have become so ubiquitous that they just cannot be denied, that this could be the case. Yet we all know of many employers who follow these antiquated and outdated policies.

They are the losers in following those policies. Moreover, they are playing a losing game. Social media is here to stay - and it cannot be ignored.

To further complicate matters, many organizations that do see the need to adapt just don't know where to start. Well, how do you start a trip when you are sailing into uncharted waters. You do as much planning as you can, set your sails and head out. And then you stand ready to adapt to whatever conditions you encounter.

Companies and other organizations need to recognize that they need to adopt social media. They should start by adopting a policy that is consistent with their corporate objectives, one developed using a collaborative approach with their employees, and then set their sails.

There is no alternative. We're all in a learning environment. So we need to get learning.

Here's a Globe and Mail article that's on point..

XBRL Canada announces XBRL23: Enhancing Business Performance

TORONTO, Oct. 4, 2011 /CNW/ - This October 25^th through October 27^th the 23rd XBRL International Conference takes place in Montreal, Canada. Join a dynamic group of XBRL innovators and benefit from their experience and insight on the improvement of the business information supply chain through the use of XBRL.

Case studies, panel discussions and keynote sessions by technology, business and regulatory leaders will bring to life the tangible benefits of XBRL and demonstrate how it can be used to enhance business performance. 

Some key highlights:

·        Tax project: Creation and filing of Inline XBRL in the UK

·        There And Back Again - A Regulator's Tale

·        Three easy steps to achieve real value from XBRL for your business

Additional details regarding XBRL23 can be found here http://conference.xbrl.org/.

For the best conference experience, hotel reservations should be made at the Le Centre Sheraton by clicking on the link below.

Make your hotel reservation now, the XBRL23 special room rate of $182 USD expires on 7 October. For the best conference experience, hotel reservations should be made at the Le Centre Sheraton by clicking on the link above.

XBRL Canada is supported and administered by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

For further information:

XBRL Canada, Gerald Trites, Project Director, (416) 602-3931, Email: gtrites@xbrl.ca

How Best to Use Social Media

For small business in particular, social media presents a challenge. It's there and seemingly accessible and available as a sales vehicle. But this is the wrong way to approach it. Instead it needs to be approached as an electronic form of social engagement. The selling must come after the social presence is established and flow from it. This takes time - every day - honest interaction. And many small business owners have trouble finding the time. But if they don't approach it this way, but rather as just another sales vehicle, they may be wasting their time. Check out these tips for using social media in a small business.

Mastercard Moving Ahead With Google Wallet

Mastercard has announced that their new application using Google Wallet will shortly be available. The application will allow payment to be made by tapping a mobile phone on a terminal, such as a Paypass terminal.  Currently, this can be done with cards containing a special embedded chip but with this new approach, a chip would be embedded in a mobile phone. It would be constructed to self-destruct if it is compromised.

The advent of payments by using mobile phones, already a reality in Europe and Asia for several years, has been eagerly awaited in North America. It is likely to be very popular, if it can be demonstrated to be readily available and secure.

Here's an article on the Mastercard announcement.

Catering to Customer 2.0

Use of social media in implementing CRM - Social CRM - is now a necessity. Today's customer expects to be able to use social media to interact with vendors and those who do not provide this capability are at a disadvantage. This article outlines some of the key ingedients of implementing Social CRM in an enterprise. A useful and timely article.

Data Centric Security Works for the Cloud

We live in a data centric world, where data is everywhere and very mobile. The mobility expends through the use of all connected devices to the cloud. Mobility and Cloud computing pose certain risks to data integrity. So the concept of data centric security was born.

Central to data centric security is the idea of encryption. Only encryption can protect individual data elements from being read by unauthorized people. In a world where data is being freed, through technologies like XBRL, data integrity becomes more important.

CIO has recently released a white paper How Data-Centric Protection Increases Security in Cloud Computing and Virtualization.

Also, the CICA released a white paper a couple of years ago which gives a good overview of the subject.

Both white papers are useful in understanding how to approach this issue.