CIOs switch focus to business innovation

ComputerWeekly, Warwick Ashford, 07:58 10 Sep 2009,

Chief information officers are changing their business infrastructures to focus on innovation rather than just running IT, a global survey has revealed.

CIOs are taking advantage of new and emerging technologies that can deliver financial returns, according to the IBM survey of 2,500 CIOs in 78 countries, including the UK.

Business intelligence and analytics top the list, with 83% of respondents turning to these technologies to improve the competitiveness of their organisations.

CIOs typically spend 55% of their time on innovation and growth rather than operations, the survey showed.

With increased focus on data analytics, the survey report said data reliability and security have emerged as top concerns for CIOs.

Some 71% of respondents said they plan to make additional investments in risk management and compliance.

CIOs are also increasingly turning to technologies like virtualisation, service oriented architectures, service management, cloud computing and green IT, the survey found.

Over 70% of CIOs said they are rolling out or planning virtualisation projects to cut energy costs.

The same proportion said they expect to build a centralised infrastructure in the next five years and more than half expect to implement standardised business processes.

"Clearly the role of the CIO is changing dramatically," said Pat Toole, CIO of IBM.

CIOs are trying to standardise routing processes and simplify existing infrastructures as well as play a central role in driving new business models, he said.

"It is not surprising that the amount of time they are now spending on driving new kinds of growth for their companies is growing considerably," said Toole.

Other technologies CIOs said they are using to boost internal and external communication include mobility tools, unified communications, collaboration tools, social networking and Web 2.0 projects.

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Accenture starts re-hiring binge, throws spotlight on local CIOs

Manila Bulletin, By MELVIN G. CALIMAG, September 6, 2009, 2:37pm

With the global economy beginning to show signs of recovery, BPO and consulting firm Accenture has started to rehire about 100 of the 500 employees it laid off in the country recently.

Kenneth Corless, Accenture senior executive for CIO Business Applications, shares the company’s perspective and approach in addressing the many challenges that CIOs face today.

This was disclosed in a recent press briefing by Accenture Philippines country managing director Beth Lui who reiterated that the company remains firmly committed in doing business in the country.

Lui was joined by top Accenture executives Kenneth Corless and Shane Ryan who visited the Philippines to talk in a forum meant to engage local CIOs (chief information officers) to find ways to cut IT costs.

The US-based BPO giant gathered 50 CIOs from various industries in a bid to share its expertise in adopting new business strategies and technologies, among other areas of concern.

“CIOs should not be just technology-savvy but business-savvy as well,” said Lui, adding it was the first time that Accenture held a CIO forum where the company also recounted its own success story in terms of streamlining its IT infrastructure.

Corless said one of the emerging technology trends that CIOs can seriously consider is the hosted or software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for their local operations.

The American executive said that by adopting new computing approaches such as SaaS, CIOs could optimize their IT assets. He said it is wrong to cancel IT and business projects during the downturn as this widens the capability gap.

Ryan, meanwhile, said the tough economic environment is providing the chance for CIOs to shine in their respective business organizations by embracing new technologies or practices that make processes more efficient and reduce expenditure.

“This is one of those times when IT plays a major role in a business organization. CIOs just need to look at the right approach in their IT infrastructure,” Ryan said.

Research firm Ovum recently said in a report that Accenture’s revenue in 2009 is up 10 percent over last year.

Jens Butler, principal analyst for Asia Pacific at Ovum, said Accenture’s “continual ability to realize growth in existing accounts can often be attributable to the strength of its C-level engagement, especially in Asia Pacific where a long-term relationship and trust are the keys to success.”

Thus, Ovum noted that even if Accenture shed 500 workers in the Philippines, it has been able to continue to convince clients that it still has the capability to satisfy their needs.

“Even though Accenture does not rate as the cheapest of providers, clients still choose them to aid with the resolution of complex business problems that cannot simply come out of a box and often return for more,” Butler said.

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IBM plunges into the 'smart grid for water'

CNET News, by Martin LaMonica

Even as billions of dollars are being spent around the world to modernize the electricity grid, the systems to delivery fresh water are also in desperate need of a 21st century upgrade.

IBM is developing a portfolio of IT-related water management technologies, a business that it estimates can total $20 billion within five years. At a water conference next week, IBM and Intel will be forming a working group to study how information and technology can be used to improve water management, according to IBM.

The goal is to sketch out the technical architecture required to more efficiently use fresh water, only one percent of the available water on Earth.

Water systems even in developed countries like the U.S. are notoriously outdated, with faulty pipes--some of them still made of wood--result in 25 percent to 45 percent lost water. That means high-tech approaches, such as using sensors to gauge water quality, are a tough sell to cash-strapped municipalities, most of which are more concerned with maintaining the basic infrastructure.

IBM is betting, though, that fresh water will have more value attached to it from the public, governments, and corporations.

"The hard truth is that most of the countries in the developing world are outgrowing the amount of water that is available to them," said Peter Williams, the chief technology officer of IBM's Big Green Innovations program, who representing IBM at a conference organized by the Water Innovations Alliance industry association next week. "Certainly, it's the case that water is the great sleeping crisis and it is most definitely starting to wake up."

IBM launched Big Green Innovations two and a half years ago to capitalize on constraints in energy generation, carbon emissions, energy in the data center, and water. For the past 18 months, IBM has focused more of its attention on water, said Williams, who characterized the business as "incredibly nascent."

Reservoirs of data

Upgrading the water utility infrastructure is analogous to the many smart-grid technologies now being tested to make the grid run more efficiently and use more renewable energy.

Gathering and processing information on the status of delivery allows water agencies to better manage their operations. For example, if a water authority can use meters or sensors to locate problems, such as leaks or sewage overflows, they can cut their maintenance costs, Williams explained.

IBM has already had a number of water-related deals. In a partnership with the Nature Conservancy, it's gathering data on various environmental factors to measure the health of river ecosystems. In the Netherlands, IBM is involved in the design of levies to understand potential breaking points.

In these cases, IBM is building the software and networks to handle incoming data from sensors and to provide tools to let people analyze the information. It's also testing smart water meters that would provide more accurate consumption data and alert customer if there's a problem, such as a leak. It's also looking at new sensors being developed to track the level of pathogens or chemical contaminants that come from use of pharmaceuticals.

Big Blue's Maximo "asset management" software is used by many water utilities to keep track and maintain their equipment of pumps, plants, and filtration equipment.

Still, water utilities are a generally low-tech bunch when it comes to IT. Most water authority executives don't consider technology options beyond basic SCADA control systems, Williams said. "They are where (electricity) utilities were five or 10 years ago," he said.

Corporate risk

IBM is pushing into water because the trends on water point to the need for greater conservation for social and economic reasons.

In poor countries, billions of people don't have regular access to clean water. Meanwhile, high-profile droughts in Australia and the western U.S. served by the Colorado River are causing severe financial problems for different industries, notably agriculture.

The high energy cost of delivering water helps makes the economic case for better monitoring and data analysis. In the U.S., between 3 percent and 4 percent of the entire electricity output is used to pump water. In California, it's almost 20 percent. Meanwhile, low water levels in rivers and reservoirs forced the shut down of nuclear reactors in France a few years ago.

Industries that rely on water, such as semiconductors, agriculture, or beverages, are susceptible to disruptions of supply. There's also "reputational risk" when consumers perceive that businesses are profligate with water, Williams said.

"It's something like greenhouse gases. Ten years ago in this country, few people were talking about them but now they are," he said. "The same will happen with water."

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Air power

Energy: Batteries that draw oxygen from the air could provide a cheaper, lighter and longer-lasting alternative to existing designs

Economist.com, Sep 3rd 2009, (From The Economist print edition)

MOBILE phones looked like bricks in the 1980s. That was largely because the batteries needed to power them were so hefty. When lithium-ion batteries were invented, mobile phones became small enough to be slipped into a pocket. Now a new design of battery, which uses oxygen from ambient air to power devices, could provide even an smaller and lighter source of power. Not only that, such batteries would be cheaper and would run for longer between charges.

Illustration by Belle Mellor

Lithium-ion batteries have two electrodes immersed in an electrically conductive solution, called an electrolyte. One of the electrodes, the cathode, is made of lithium cobalt oxide; the other, the anode, is composed of carbon. When the battery is being charged, positively charged lithium ions break away from the cathode and travel in the electrolyte to the anode, where they meet electrons brought there by a charging device. When electricity is needed, the anode releases the lithium ions, which rapidly move back to the cathode. As they do so, the electrons that were paired with them in the anode during the charging process are released. These electrons power an external circuit.

Peter Bruce and his colleagues at the University of St Andrews in Scotland came up with the idea of replacing the lithium cobalt oxide electrode with a cheaper and lighter alternative. They designed an electrode made from porous carbon and lithium oxide. They knew that lithium oxide forms naturally from lithium ions, electrons and oxygen, but, to their surprise, they found that it could also be made to separate easily when an electric current passed through it. They exposed one side of their porous carbon electrode to an electrolyte rich in lithium ions and put a mesh window on the other side of the electrode through which air could be drawn. Oxygen from the air took the place of the cobalt oxide.

When they charged their battery, the lithium ions migrated to the anode where they combined with electrons from the charging device. When they discharged it, lithium ions and electrons were released from the anode. The ions crossed the electrolyte and the electrons travelled round the external circuit. The ions and electrons met at the cathode, and combined with the oxygen to form lithium oxide that filled the pores in the carbon.

Because the oxygen being used by the battery comes from the surrounding air, the device that Dr Bruce’s team has designed can be a mere one-eighth to one-tenth the size and weight of modern batteries, while still carrying the same charge. Making such a battery is also expected to be cheaper. Lithium cobalt oxide accounts for 30% of the cost of a lithium-ion battery. Air, however, is free.

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Salesforce.com offers software for tiny businesses

Reuters, Wed Sep 2, 2009 12:02pm EDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - Salesforce.com Inc (CRM.N) introduced software targeted at tiny businesses and individuals that costs $9 a month per user, pricing it for less than a third of its previously least-expensive product.

The Web-based software, which the company introduced on Wednesday, allows no more than two people to manage business contacts and track customer relationships.

Salesforce offers two other customer relationship software products with more features -- one for up to five people for $35 per worker per month and one for an unlimited number of users at $65 per person per month.

The San Francisco-based company's goal is to get entrepreneurs comfortable using its products while their companies are still small, and boost sales to them as their businesses grow, said Salesforce.com spokesman Bruce Francis.

The Salesforce.com products are compatible with Google Inc's (GOOG.O) Web-based email, word processor, spreadsheet and presentation, which businesses can use at no charge.

The software maker's shares rose 4 cents to $51.18 in morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Derek Caney)

Lenovo plans to expand into ASEAN emerging market

Trading Markets, Fri. September 04, 2009; Posted: 05:15 AM

Sep 04, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) Singapore, Sept. 4 (InfoChina) -- China's largest PC maker, Lenovo Group (0992.HK; LNVGY.PK), is to actively expanding into the emerging markets of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to Xu Guanming, lenovo's ASEAN senior key accounts manager.

The company had signed an order with the Sentosa resort island in Singapore earlier this year to provide it with more than 3,000 notebook and desktop computers within the next three years.

Levono Group announced its new organizational structure with the creation of two new business units specialized in emerging and mature markets, so as to gain synergy from the similar markets and focus resources on its core business.

Currently, the Chinese mainland is Lenovo's largest market. The company's PC sales rank fourth in ASEAN and third in Singapore.

Also, its revenue from the Chinese mainland reached 1.7 billion US dollars in the fiscal quarter ended on June 30, accounting for 48 percent of its total. (Edited by Gaoyuan, gaoyuan@xinhua.org)

For full details for LNVGY click here.

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IT execs urged to take MBA path to CIO's chair

By Sol E. Solomon, ZDNet Asia,Friday, August 28, 2009 06:02 PM

ICT managers eyeing chief information, technology or operating officer positions should consider an advanced degree course such as the MBA (Master of Business Administration), if they have not had formal tertiary training in business, suggests an academic.

Professor S. Viswanathan, head of IT and operations management of the Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said courses for more experienced managers focus on strategic thinking, leadership, teamwork and inter-personal skills, rather than technical skills.

"Teaching the state of art in technology, and current strategic and business issues is important. However, because the technology and business context changes rapidly in today's world, it is important to impart broad problem solving, analytical, teamwork, interpersonal and conceptual thinking skills that can help the students over a lifelong career," Viswanathan told ZDNet Asia in an e-mail.

"While an MBA degree is not essential for executives to climb up the corporate ladder, other things being equal, having one is always an advantage," he said. "Besides, the frameworks, concepts, strategic thinking and business vocabulary that one learns in an MBA program is very useful in senior management positions."

For instance, practice assistant professor Michelle Cheong noted that the banking industry is currently looking to strengthen its internal processes and operations. To support this focus, there is growing demand in the sector for technology and operations professionals who understand the banking industry, said Cheong, who is director of Masters and professional programmes at the School of Information Systems, under Singapore Management University (SMU).

The university's Master of IT in Business (Financial Services) program is co-designed and co-delivered with business and IT leaders, she said in an e-mail interview, which helps capture "a successful blend of managerial and practical skills and know-how". It trains professionals to transition into leadership roles, such as head of technology and operations, she added.

The course focuses on the banking industry's specific needs for technology, process and operations professionals in four major segments: capital markets and investment banking, corporate and institutional banking, private banking, and retail banking.

The NTU also offers an MBA course with specialization in technology, and is designed for participants with two to 10 years of work experience, Viswanathan said.

The school also runs its Advanced Management Program (AMP) and Executive MBA (EMBA) for general managers or heads in their respective functional domains. At this level, strategic thinking and leadership are more critical so even functional domain courses will have strong strategic orientation, he said.

At the undergraduate level, the NTU offers a double-degree in Computer Engineering and Business, as well as the Bachelor of Business (Bbus) program with IT specialization. The Bbus (IT) students learn business management subjects and will receive a business degree, but they also attend elective courses in business IT such as enterprise systems and IT in financial services.

Viswanathan said: "Typically, most IT jobs in large organizations require a good understanding of the business processes in a particular functional area. The Bbus (IT) and double-degree holders are effectively able to communicate well with the user--that is, business managers--as well as with the technical staff in the IT organization."

Wal-Mart to sell good from other vendors on Web

Wal-Mart Stores Web site creates new program that lets outside retailers offer products

Yahoo Finance

By Chuck Bartels, AP Business Writer, Monday August 31, 2009, 3:16 pm EDT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has launched an addition to its online business that has outside retailers selling nearly 1 million new items through Walmart.com, a move that could help the world's largest retailer catch up in the online world.

The Walmart Marketplace has products from categories that include home, baby, toys, apparel, sporting goods and sports memorabilia. The company said it picked the retailers -- including eBags, CSN Stores and Pro Team -- because they have large product assortments and solid customer service track records.

Retail consultant Burt Flickinger III said Wal-mart can use online sales an area for growth, especially considering how the company's stores have saturated much of the U.S. market. He said Wal-Mart can also draw online customers from the European continent and South Korea, where it no longer has stores.

"This gives Wal-Mart a chance to close the widening gap with Amazon.com and Apple," Flickinger said.

Apple has knocked off Wal-Mart as the top music seller, and Amazon has posted healthy sales gains of late, though its second-quarter earnings in July came in below expectations. In its second quarter, Wal-Mart posted its first drop in sales at stores open at least a year, indicating a need to find new growth areas.

"Online is one key growth frontier Wal-mart has yet to conquer," Flickinger said. Bringing in established companies is faster than the company developing such a massive addition itself, he said.

Flickinger said that with Mike Duke taking over this year as Wal-Mart Stores president and CEO, the company has moved other managers into place to build sales across Wal-Mart's divisions.

"Wal-Mart is fully focused on winning against every key competitor on land and online," Flickinger said.

On the Web site, payment for products ordered from the partner companies is handled by Walmart.com. The partner retailer will handle shipping and customer service. Wal-Mart says it plans to add more companies.

The names of the different retailers are listed on individual product pages. The Marketplace had centerpiece placement on the Walmart.com site Monday.

Acer smartphone anyone?

Budi Putra , Contributor The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 08/10/2009 1:24 PM

Acer M900: Courtesy of Acer Indonesia

If you're seeking a new smartphone in Indonesia, you might be considering a certain product from Nokia, Samsung, RIM or HTC - to name a few. But now there's another alternative worth trying: An Acer smartphone.

What?! Yes, that's right. Following a global launch in Barcelona earlier this year, Acer - the Taiwan-based company that is the third largest computer manufacturer in the world (by sales) after HP and Dell Inc. - is launching in Indonesia four smartphones called the Acer Tempo Smartphone Series. The devices will be distributed here through an agreement between the Acer Smart Handheld Business Group and PT Golden Victory Indonesia.

According to Kama Kahar, director of business development and strategic partnerships for the Smart Handheld Business Group, following the acquisition of ETEN and the creation of the Smart Handheld Business Group in 2008, the computer giant set out to demonstrate its commitment to providing mobile solutions across a range of products, from netbooks to smartphones.

"We are confident about entering the Indonesian market," he told The Jakarta Post at a dinner meeting in Jakarta last week.

"Acer smartphones will be offered through all Acer computer outlets here, so we can deliver high-quality after-sales service to our customers."

Targeting business-oriented and technology-savvy people, Acer Tempo smartphones run on the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system and are equipped with the new Acer UI 2.0. And especially for Indonesia's market, the smartphone comes with a pre-installed IDX Mobile application that enables you to monitor stock market movements on the go.

DX900: One device, two SIM cards

Acer claims the DX 900 (priced at Rp 6 million) is the world's first-dual SIM and dual-stand Windows Mobile smartphone supporting 3G and 2G networks. As well as addressing the needs of the many Indonesian consumers who have more than one SIM card, this capability is also ideal for frequent business travelers who can take advantage of it by using one SIM card for their home country and a local SIM when traveling abroad.

Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 for Pocket PC Phone Edition and Samsung S3C 6400 mobile processor (533 MHz), this device has 128 MB SDRAM for user applications and storage and a 256 MB flash memory for the operating system and embedded applications.

Its CMOS camera offers 3 mega pixels auto-focus with LED flash, up to 2048 x 1536 and VGA resolution fixed-focus front camera for video calls and a display with 2.8 inch VGA TFT LCD touch screen, 640 x 480 pixel resolution and 65,536 colors

X960: Compact and slim

Do you need more than one device to organize your life on the go? No, Acer says. Designed for people who expect everything from their phone, the sleek Acer X960 (Rp 5.5 million) is the quintessential all-purpose performer. Running on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, X960 is equipped with a Samsung SC3 6410 533 MHz Processor with one DRAM and 256 MB flash ROM, 128 MB SDRAM, and offers widget-based navigation, making it ideal for quick access to online needs.

The X960 comes with preloaded software including Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile, Microsoft Office Word Mobile, Microsoft Office Excel Mobile, Microsoft Office PowerPoint Mobile;, MSN Messenger, Microsoft Transcriber, Windows Media Player 10 and Microsoft Reader (depending on the region).

As for its camera, this device has a 3.2 mega pixels auto-focus CMOS camera - up to 2048 x 1536 resolution - and 0.3 mega pixels fixed-focus CMOS camera for video telephony usage. You can enjoy any pictures you take in its 2.8 inch, 640 x 480 (VGA), 65,536-color, TFT-LCD display.

F900: Instant access to the Net

The F900 (Rp 6.5 million) has a new easy-to-use touch keyboard and new user interface. Users can enjoy the pre-loaded Google services - having the Internet in your pocket. Running on genuine Windows Mobile 6.1, this device has HSDPA, HSUPA, GSM/EDGE, GPRS/EGPRS, WLAN and Bluetooth connection capability.

Its camera offers 3.2 mega pixel resolution with auto focus and display with a 3.8 inch WVGA TFT LCD touch screen, 480 x 800 pixel resolution, 65,536 colors. The device's multimedia features include pictures & videos, camera/camcorder, album, streaming player and media player.

M900: Secure management device

Don't worry about data security. This device looks to be aimed at the business user, boasting a full QWERTY keyboard - with a sliding physical keyboard, fingerprint sensor and also sporting a bunch of multimedia goodness. An embedded biometric fingerprint sensor - so you don't need passwords or logins - secures the device and simplifies password maintenance.

The M900 sports a 5 mega pixel auto-focus camera with flashlight, up to 2560 x 1920 resolution and a huge 3.8 inch 800x480 flush screen. Just like other smartphones, the M900 (Rp 6.5 million) allows access to all contacts and files through synchronization with a notebook or desktop computer.

Will these devices be able to compete in an open market such as Indonesia? There are many robust business-oriented phones out there - Nokia's ESeries, RIM's BlackBerry or Samsung's Omnia, for example - so it will be interesting to see how the computer giant deals with the smartphone market and users.

The writer, a blogger, can be reached at bp@budiputra.com and twitter.com/budip

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Nokia to enter PC industry with first netbook

Reuters, By Tarmo Virki, European technology correspondent, Mon Aug 24

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The world's top cellphone maker Nokia said on Monday it would start to make laptops, entering a fiercely competitive but fast-growing market with a netbook running Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Nokia had earlier this year said it was considering entering the laptop industry, crossing the border between two converging industries in the opposite direction to Apple, which entered the phone industry in 2007 with the iPhone.

Nokia has seen its profit margins drop over the last quarters as handset demand has slumped, and analysts have worried that entering the PC industry, where margins are traditionally razor-thin, could hurt Nokia's profits further.

"We are fully aware what has the margin level been in the PC world. We have gone into this with our eyes wide open," Kai Oistamo, the head of Nokia's phone unit, told Reuters.

"There's really an opportunity to bring fresh perspective to the PC world," he said, adding that Nokia would introduce extended battery life and continuous connectivity.

Nokia has produced PCs before, but divested the unit in 1991 when it started to focus on the mobile phone industry.

But Nokia's first netbook, the Nokia Booklet 3G, will use Microsoft's Windows software and Intel's Atom processor to offer up to 12 hours of battery life while weighing 1.25 kilograms. Netbooks are low-cost laptops optimised for surfing the Internet and performing other basic functions. Pioneered by Asustek with the hit Eee PC in 2007, netbooks have since been rolled out by other brands such as HP and Dell.

"The question is: How will Nokia differentiate? This is already a crowded market. If they manage to differentiate it's going to give them competitive advantage," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.

CUT-THROAT SEGMENT

Research firm IDC expects netbook shipments this year to grow more than 127 percent from 2008 to over 26 million units, outperforming the overall PC market that is expected to remain flat and a phone market which is shrinking some 10 percent.

"Nokia will be hoping that its brand and knowledge of cellular channels will play to its strengths as it addresses this crowded, cut-throat segment," said Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight.

"At present we see Nokia's foray into the netbook market as a niche exercise in the context of its broader business."

Nokia's choice of Windows software surprised some analysts who had expected the company to use Linux in its first laptop.

Analyst Neil Mawston from Strategy Analytics said the technology choices were a good win for the U.S. companies.

"We believe ARM and Symbian are among the main losers from the Nokia Booklet announcement," he said.

Read whole story ...

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