April, 2006

It's looming and you can't ignore it. What am I blogging about? Regulatory Compliance. So take the time to go these links and to the sub-links. It's well worth your time. Regulatory Compliance Demystified Summary: For a developer, understanding the issues around regulatory compliance can be a difficult and frustrating endeavor. This article makes sense of regulatory compliance from a developer's...

This is the next blog post in the career tip series from noted IT professionals. The last one was from Mike Stonebraker widely regarded as the world’s foremost pioneer on RDBMS. Richard Giles: “My career tip is to start networking online. I don't think many people realize the possibilities. As you'll know, you can now network with people around the globe very simply. I'm guessing it might...

There's a new editorial feature, Blogged Down (BD) , in Computing Canada (CC) which features an upcoming interview that appears here in the Canadian IT Managers forum (CIM) . Computing Canada (CC) is the oldest, largest, most influential bi-weekly business/technology print publication with an audience that includes 42,000 IT decision makers in medium-to-large enterprises. For more than 30 years, Computing...

I was interviewed on the topic of Mobile, Wireless, and Security several times this year however only a portion typically makes it to print so I'm blogging about it. I encourage you to share your experiences here or send me an e-mail at sibaraki@cips.ca , Thank you from Stephen Ibaraki, I.S.P., DF/NPA, CNP _________________________________ This is a four-part blog series: Part 1/4: The...

I was interviewed on the topic of Mobile, Wireless, and Security several times this year however only a portion typically makes it to print so I'm blogging about it. I encourage you to share your experiences here or send me an e-mail at sibaraki@cips.ca , Thank you from Stephen Ibaraki, I.S.P., DF/NPA, CNP _________________________________ This is a four-part blog series: Part 1/4: The Major...

I was interviewed on the topic of Mobile, Wireless, and Security several times this year however only a portion typically makes it to print so I'm blogging about it. I encourage you to share your experiences here or send me an e-mail at sibaraki@cips.ca , Thank you from Stephen Ibaraki, I.S.P., DF/NPA, CNP _________________________________ This is a four-part blog series: Part 1/4: The Major...

I was interviewed on the topic of Mobile, Wireless, and Security several times this year however only a portion typically makes it to print so I’m blogging about it. I encourage you to share your experiences here or send me an e-mail at sibaraki@cips.ca , Thank you from Stephen Ibaraki, I.S.P., DF/NPA, CNP _________________________________ This is a four-part blog series: Part 1/4: The...

Rick has posted a couple of posts over on the CanITPro blog that talk about events that I’m either currently delivering , or will be delivering early next month . In both cases, the topic of discussion is Linux, Open Source, and Microsoft. Check them out, and perhaps I’ll see you at one of the events. Barnaby

John Boufford, I.S.P., CIPS ’ current National Vice President and incoming President for 2006-2007 , has a compelling message that needs to be heard. John is writing and speaking on issues crucial to the profession and to businesses. His recent featured article appearing in the Financial Post Magazine is generating much needed discussion so John is blogging the article here. Moreover, John is co-presenting...

Daily Newswire Hu, Gates Expected To Get Down to Basics Seattle P-I - 4/17/2006 Experts say discussions Tuesday between Chinese President Hu Jintao and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates are likely to focus on establishing a basic relationship that can lead to bigger things. Microsoft Tries To Mimic Boeing's Fortunes In China Wall Street Journal - 4/17/2006 In his first stop on a U.S. tour this...

Enough material to fill several warehouses must have been written on Management over the centuries, yes centuries; the need for and challenges of management are hardly new! Major construction feats, such as the Pyramids etc. didn't "just happen". So what's new about today? Frankly not a lot! That's not to say that we don't have a better grasp of the challenges, are better educated, etc. but we are...

I saw this notice and thought, what a great opportunity for everyone. So here's the blog: ____________ Find Out How to Build Your Business with Microsoft The Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS), The International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners (IAMCP) and Microsoft Canada cordially invite you to join us May 17th at The Hyatt Hotel in Vancouver to attend an evening cocktail...

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Eric Jewett, Sr. Marketing Manager for Software Assurance about some of the announcements we have recently made around Software Assurance. Eric wrote up the following article to help IT Managers understand the value of Software Assurance. ————————————— On March 13th, Microsoft...

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Gavin Thompson, Microsoft Canada’s Director of Community Affairs. In addition to working on initiatives to help children and youth realize their potential through technology, working with community stakeholders to create initiatives that bridge the digital divide in Canada and empowering Microsoft Canada employees to be active volunteers in their...

I seen this link on one of my friend's blogs ( John Weston ) and while I haven't had a chance to see the whole thing yet, there seems to be a good conversation about it on our internal email DL's. It's a MS sponsered online show about the impact of IT on our world and lives. The site's tag line is as follows. InterFace is a television show about the impact of information technology on our world...

In my last column, I tried to show that a good Project Manager can calculate odds, and understands the importance even a ten percent increase in the success of a project. But what if the volatility of the project is greater than ten percent? For example, what if having a mediocre PM means the project has a 70% of success but a good PM can bring it up to 90%? How can you estimate the odds correctly...

There are those special industry voices that need to be heard in our forum. They provide great insights and create a wonderful context for their views. I just finished an interview with Patricia MacInnis, Editor of Computing Canada. However her recent March 17 th editorial just struck a chord with us in this forum; so we invited Patricia to guest blog it. She connects the dots giving us the big...

There's a new editorial feature, Blogged Down (BD) , in Computing Canada (CC) where editor Patricia MacInnis features an upcoming interview that appears here in the Canadian IT Managers forum (CIM) . Computing Canada (CC) is the oldest, largest, most influential bi-weekly business/technology print publication with an audience that includes more than 42,000 IT decision makers in medium-to-large enterprises...

Many factors influence the success of a company, but none so much as its employees. Of the three Ps, People, Product, and Process, which contribute to a successful project or company, it is the caliber and composition of the staff that provides the greatest predictor of success. I suspect HR professionals intrinsically appreciate this, as "people" are their currency. But in IT, "product" is our currency...

On March 23 I wrote an entry entitled " What Price Vista ". Let's face it nothing new or better comes without a price. I always intended to try and balance the scales by starting to look at what we are getting. It is unfortunate that the first thing that you notice about Vista is the "jazzy" Aero Glass interface. At times we are all guilty of judging a book by its cover! In this post I would like...

I caught Guy’s keynote presentation at a forum for entrepreneurs seeking " Angel " funding (early stage seed capital). He kept me laughing throughout since he cuts through the hype and gives it to you straight—all the right things you should be doing if you want to get investment. You know the startups presenting [and seeking funding] after his keynote have broken Guy’s rules so you...

Just recently I was asked to distribute a survey to all of the VANTUG members. It was made clear that this survey was very important by the requester. Being a loyal and compliant :) UG leader I duly obliged, again emphasizing the importance. OK, stand up all of you who love surveys! OK, don't all stand up at once! Will nobody standup? These days, unfortunately, we get bombarded by surveys in one...

If you’ve been watching the news out of LinuxWorld in Boston this week, I’m guessing that you have taken notice of the continually changing and increasingly commercialized dialogue around Linux and Open Source technologies. Perhaps you also likely took note of Microsoft’s increased presence at this year’s event – My friend Bill Hilf is taking what I think is an industry leadership role and presenting...

In Part 1 (seen here on Tuesday April 4th), we begin our Q&A with Soma and profile his background. Soma also discusses his main current challenges and how he is solving them. In Part 2 (seen here on Wednesday April 5th), we examine Soma's views on the biggest issues facing the IT industry and business. Here's Part 3 of the Q&A series with Soma where Soma discusses future trends, AJAX/ATLAS...

In Part 1 (seen here in CIM on Tuesday April 4th), we begin our Q&A with Soma and profile his background. Soma also discusses his major current challenges and how he is solving them. Here is Part 2 of the Q&A series with Soma where he discusses the major issues facing the IT industry and businesses. I encourage you to make comments here or send me an e-mail at sibaraki@cips.ca . Discussion...