July, 2007

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with leading professionals. In this series of blogs, I have an exclusive interview with Paul Bassett . Paul is a leading software engineer and an authority in computer science and in this interview we discuss frame-based software engineering. I encourage you to share your thoughts here on these interviews or send me an e-mail at sibaraki...

Traditionally, high performance computing (HPC) has been regulated to the realm of academia. Researchers use it when they need the ability to do some serious number crunching in order to complete years of processing in just days or to visualize complex data sets. In the past, the technology has been considered too costly for most businesses to make use of. However, all that is changing. Join me on...

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with leading professionals. In this blog, I interview David Donnelly , an award winning senior technology leader and the Director of the Applications Development Services Department at UNIS LUMIN Inc. The interview has been broken up into topic sections below. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Introducing David...

Don Spencer (Waterloo, ON, IT Manager of Pano Cap Canada) On 26-Jun-2007, I published a quick blog entry noting that the developer extensions and the Access 2007 runtime were finally available for download. But the next day, a recall was issued because Microsoft Update would not automatically detect and patch the component. Eric Rucker anticipated that the free developer extensions and runtime would...

I was told that July and August would be the "down" time for my teammates and I at Microsoft, but someone lied. During the rest of the year, we're preparing presentations, trying out technologies, planning tours, visiting user groups and traveling the country. It's gets pretty hectic. July and August are supposed to be quiet since you, our audience, are mostly on holiday. This is supposed to be the...

Don Spencer (Waterloo, ON, IT Manager of Pano Cap Canada) It's all about SharePoint. Access 2007 and SharePoint are now joined at the hip. While it would be wrong to suggest that the future of both products depends upon the collaborative features they share, it isn't an exaggeration to claim that IT managers will judge the value of Access 2007 according to how well integrated it becomes with SharePoint...

Adam Cole (Toronto, Manager Applications and Development for McKesson Canada) Are IT professionals doomed to become relics of the past? The author of an Info-Tech Research Group survey posits that "the future of the IT professional no longer lies in acting as an important support system or innovative visionary but as a “utility”". There is no question that as IT grows increasingly specialized, certain...

David Canton (London, ON., Lawyer) When negotiating an agreement for the purchase of goods or services, some buyers try to get the vendor down to the lowest possible price. That may not be the best approach, however, because it can affect the quality of services you receive and may end up costing more. Sometimes the saying "you get what you pay for" is true. Often getting a reasonable price is better...

Adam Cole (Toronto, Manager Applications and Development for McKesson Canada) I have always been a proponent of "the user interface is the application". (That is, it doesn't matter what is happening behind the scenes, in most cases an application is judged on it's user interface.) With this in mind I found the attached article really resonated. The article very tangibly links risk to usability (interface...

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with leading professionals. In this series of blogs, I have an exclusive interview with Hari Panday : President and CEO, ICICI Bank Canada, International Executive, Business and Technology Thought Leader. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Q8: What should businesses know about future trends in the Internet environment and in IT...

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with leading professionals. In this series of blogs, I have an exclusive interview with Hari Panday : President and CEO, ICICI Bank Canada, International Executive, Business and Technology Thought Leader. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Q6: As a leading CEO, what do you see as the top five issues facing businesses today and your...

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with leading professionals. In this series of blogs, I have an exclusive interview with Hari Panday : President and CEO, ICICI Bank Canada, International Executive, Business and Technology Thought Leader. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Q4: How is the Canadian business environment different from that internationally? A: It is...

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with leading professionals. In this series of blogs, I have an exclusive interview with Hari Panday : President and CEO, ICICI Bank Canada, International Executive, Business and Technology Thought Leader. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Opening Comment: Hari, with your considerable leadership history, we are indeed fortunate...

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with leading professionals. In this series of blogs, I have an exclusive interview with Hari Panday : President and CEO, ICICI Bank Canada, International Executive, Business and Technology Thought Leader. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Mr. Panday's career spans over 26 years including forming a greenfield Schedule II chartered...

In this blog series, I have an exclusive interview with Allen Atwell , a top international IT expert and authority, a leading senior executive and the Chief Technology Officer at MessageLabs. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Q9: As a leading senior executive over a long successful career, what specific advice would you give to make managers more effective? A: 1. Walk the floors of the business...

In this blog series, I have an exclusive interview with Allen Atwell , a top international IT expert and authority, a leading senior executive and the Chief Technology Officer at MessageLabs. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Q6: In your view, what are the most serious roadblocks for businesses and what are their solutions? A: Roadblock 1 : People who are afraid to ask questions Solution...

In this blog series, I have an exclusive interview with Allen Atwell , a top international IT expert and authority, a leading senior executive and the Chief Technology Officer at MessageLabs. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Q4: In your current role, what are the biggest challenges, and their solutions? How does this relate to business? A: Challenge one : Implementing various technology...

My first posting on this topic asked the question of why there aren't more women in IT. The next question for me is "Why does it matter?". It's no secret that the number of women in IT is on the decline . However, I can't help but take exception to those that say it's of no concern, like this quote taken from a paragraph in the same CIO Insight article I wrote about the other day . A question that...

In this blog series, I have an exclusive interview with Allen Atwell , a top international IT expert and authority, a leading senior executive and the Chief Technology Officer at MessageLabs. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Q2 : What five key lessons can you provide taken from your global management experience? A: 1. Culture and language : The ability to listen and communicate with customers...

There seems to be a story in the news every day about a company whose computer systems have been breached and client information has been leaked. It's every IT manager's worst fear. This month's podcast from the IT Manager Podcast Series has industry experts discussing the reasons security policies can fail, how to protect the application layer and what "defense in depth" really means. Bruce, Rob and...

Don Spencer (Waterloo, ON, IT Manager of Pano Cap Canada) OK. I have a confession to make. Before crossing the floor to becoming an IT Manager, I was a developer. Some would say, not a real developer, only someone who made his living designing and deploying custom applications in Microsoft Access since 1993 using VBA and great advice from MVPs (and former MVPs) like Ken Getz , Mike Gunderloy, Paul...

In this blog series, I have an exclusive interview with Allen Atwell , a top international IT expert and authority, a leading senior executive and the Chief Technology Officer at MessageLabs. Enjoy! Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS , I.S.P. , MVP Opening Comment: Allen, you bring a lifetime of proven top-ranking international leadership and technology experience combined with substantial contributions to the...

In this blog series, I have an exclusive interview with Allen Atwell, a top international IT expert and authority, a leading senior executive and the Chief Technology Officer at MessageLabs. As Chief Technology Officer, Allen drives all global research and development to further evolve MessageLabs product vision and long-term technology strategy worldwide. Prior to joining MessageLabs, Allen served...

I'm very happy to introduce a new guest blogger here on the Canadian IT Managers blog. I met Blaine Bey in Halifax at the CIPS Informatics conference . He's a consultant with Sierra Systems in Victoria and will focus mainly on business processes and other things that spark his interest. ~ Ruth ------------------------------------- Blaine Bey (Victoria, Sr. Consultant at Sierra Systems) To be effective...

I had an exclusive interview with Charles Hughes , President 2005-2006, British Computer Society; Chair, IFIP Task Force for the International Professional Practice Program; Founder, eManagement Limited. The podcast with Charles appears below. Of particular note is the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Professional Practice Program. IFIP was founded in 1960 by UNESCO and represents...