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In this Economic Time Use Business Continuity as a Selling Point

In our current economic state, the first thought is to cut, cut, cut.  It’s common to see companies cutting departments by 10% across the board in order to meet tight budget demands.  And in non-revenue generating departments such as human resources, accounting, and training it can be even higher.

There is one particular area that - if it exists in an organization - is taking a heavy hit when it could actually be making you money.  What I’m referring to is the area of Business Continuity.

If you deal with outside customers and provide services - especially data services - to these customers, then your own business continuity plans and personnel are not only of great value to you, but they should also be of great value to them.

Rather than cut back or completely eliminate business continuity plans and personnel as some companies are doing, look to your very capable disaster planning and recovery personnel for the following:

• Be a sales tool in winning new business. Have the business continuity director meet with prospective clients and present tests results, findings, and strategy to help bring in new business.  You can also have them meet with existing clients - especially if a contract is up for renewal.

• Save company dollars by helping to reduce insurance costs. Check with your insurance carrier.  It’s possible that better corporate rates can be negotiated if you can show that you have a solid disaster and recovery plan in place.

• Reduce corporate downsizing risks through planning, testing, and evaluation. The across the board cuts can actually be costly to the organization if the wrong cuts are made without proper upfront planning.  Enlist this group to run scenarios on how the business will react to different downsizing scenarios and find the one that fits best for your organization’s needs.

• Minimize company exposure to suppliers with weak business continuity plans by validation. Utilize your own business continuity group to evaluate the disaster planning efforts of the people you contract with to supply your needs.  Use them to require and oversee testing and validation by your suppliers so that you know you’re covered on that end as well in case there is disaster.

Summary

Unless you are in the government contracting sector where proving your business continuity is actually a revenue generator, then this group is almost always overhead.  However, if you’re creative and think about how you can leverage the group to bring in new business or retain current business, this overhead department can actually make your company more profitable.

Controlling Any Desktop from an iPad

I’ve been resisting the urge to get an iPad myself - I don’t know why, but I have.  That may now have to end after I read Rich Jaroslovsky’s article in Bloomberg Businessweek yesterday.

It starts out with the catchy line “Don’t tell Steve Jobs, but I’ve been running Adobe Flash on my iPad.”  After an opening line like that, I had to read on.

Turns out, the article is about an iPad app that you can get from the iTunes App Store for $29.99.  Yes, that’s the price, but what it can do is cool.  The app is called LogMeIn Ignition.  Setup is extremely easy and the app allows you to control any Windows PC or Mac that you’ve installed the individual downloadable software on.

Once on your iPad, you get a list of every machine you’ve linked to - the ones that are offline are grayed, the ones that are currently online and available … of course … are bold.  When you select an available machine, you quickly see the desktop just as you’d see it if you were sitting in front of it.  All open windows, programs, etc. are displayed just as if you were there.

There are some limitations, but the good outweighs the bad.  Some limitations include:

• The target machine must be on and online
• Some company networks will block access
• The app does not support sound
• The app works on an iPhone or iPod touch, but you’ll want to use an iPad for the bigger screen (which means little to no scrolling)

Are You Large Enough for a CIO?

Ten to fifteen years ago the Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Chief Technology Officer (CTO) was being touted as the next critical job title right up there with CFO and nearly as important as the CEO.  I personally have seen so many CIOs come and go at smaller organizations and startups that the title seems to have really lost its luster.  And most have not gone voluntarily.  It seems to me that the position has become more like a Chief Implication Officer getting blamed for most things wrong with the technology of the organization…and often rightly so.

So the question begs - do you need one?  Is your company large enough that it needs a central figurehead who has the very visible, high-level responsibility to make the technology decisions and infrastructure maneuvers required of a strategic, technical organization?

Decisions, Decisions

To get a truly experienced CIO, it’s obvious that you’re going to have to spend some dollars.  There’s a big difference in salary and experience between a CIO and an IT Manager, though for many organizations (even some mid-sized ones) an IT Manager may be all you really need.

I found the following statement once in an online forum…

“You can’t be an Admiral without a fleet and if you’re managing a handful of Help Desk guys you aren’t a CIO. It would probably also reflect your location on the pecking order. If you report directly to anyone other than the CEO you’re probably not a CIO. Then there’s the pay scale. A CIO would make much more than a Director or Manager.”

CIO or IT Manager?

That pretty much falls in line with my beliefs as well.  If you need a strong technology leader who will be reporting directly to the CEO (and your organization is big enough so not everyone is reporting directly to the CEO!), then you probably need the CIO position.  If you have a need for long-term infrastructure decisions, technology planning, and good roadmap created to follow along your company growth path, then go for it.

But be careful…as I stated, nearly every small company or startup that I’ve worked with in the last five years has either replaced their CIO or eliminated the position altogether, realizing that their real need in the short-term and near future was truly an IT Manager or IT Director.

The Acer Netbook - Should You Buy It?

I’ve had the Acer Aspire One netbook model AO532h-2326 in my possession for about a month so far and I’ve been testing it out ‘in the field.’  I have two netbooks in my house - both are ASUS Eee models and two of my kids use them for online academics.  But I can’t get my hands on them so a few companies sent me their models to test out and review, starting with the Acer netbook model.

Here are the general specs for the model I’ve been playing with:  Intel Atom N450 processor, 1 GB RAM, 10.1″ display, 250 GB hard drive, and a 6-cell battery.

Let’s start with the battery.  The draw of the netbook is its portability.  Definitely.  So it better have a good battery life - and the Acer model doesn’t disappoint.  Its 6-cell battery delivered about 6 hours of battery life for me - plenty to do what I wanted and enough for a long flight across the country.

The keyboard takes some getting used to.  They call it a 92% keyboard, meaning it’s 92% of the size of a regular laptop keyboard.  If you’re a fast typer like me, be prepared to correct mistakes.  But that was somewhat expected.

Touchpads are a sticking point for me.  My kids’ Acer touchpads leave something to be desired.  I’ve found that netbooks often have annoying touchpads with stiff left/right buttons.  Not sure why…they just seem to.  I’m happy to announce that the Acer was above average in this department.

Performance.  Ok, you’re not going to blaze through graphics work on a netbook, but that’s not why you buy them.  The Acer model performed admirable on Word and all of the Office Suite products.  I was even able to make quick work of MS Project files so I was satisfied.

Overall, I give it a thumbs up.  My overall goal is to test out netbooks to determine if they are good field machines for IT and project management professionals.  So far so good, but that’s another article.  Up coming articles will cover reviews of the HP and Dell models that I’m also toying with right now.

Mitigating Business Risks

Risk is defined as:

“Exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance.”

And Risk Management is defined as:

“…. the systematic process of identifying, analyzing, and responding to risk. It includes maximizing the probability and consequences of positive events and minimizing the probability and consequences of adverse events to your organization’s objectives.”

The processes that the organization must go through in identifying risk and deciding if and how to deal with each individual risk item are:

• Planning - Process of deciding how risks will be identified, prioritized, and managed

• Risk Identification - Process of determining what risks might affect the business and attempt to document their characteristics.  This is an iterative process.  On a specific project, for example, it would never stop - the business must continue to work on identifying new risks and how those would be dealt with should they occur.

• Analysis and Response - Process of assessing the impact and likelihood of the identified risks.  Determine the evaluation process for identifying the probability and consequences of the risks.  This involves developing options and determining actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to your business’ on-going goals and objectives.  Really, what’s involved here is identifying ways to mitigate the identified risks as much as possible should they occur. Risk response planning must be appropriate to the severity of the risk, cost effective in meeting the challenge, timely to be successful, and realistic within the business context.

• Monitoring and Control - Process of keeping track of the identified risks, monitoring residual risks and identifying new risks, ensuring the execution of the risk planning and evaluating its effectiveness in reducing risk. Risk monitoring and control is an ongoing process for the life of whatever the current project or initiative the business is undertaking at the moment.

Summary

This is a basic summary of the general process a business should go through to identify, evaluate and plan for action on risks that can get in the way of the overall goals of the organization.  The true need to implement these processes depends a lot on your organization’s type of business that is conducted, how much downtime or loss you can weather, and how important risk mitigation is to your executive leadership.

Netbooks as Field Tools for IT Professionals - First Look

Forgive me if I don’t come across as your normal IT product reviewer - because I’m definitely not.  But I am an IT professional and therefore the netbook has caught my eye as a potential tool for IT professionals in the field who frequently have to travel and visit client sites to perform work.

Take it from someone who has lost more than one oversized laptop screen to the carelessness of a taxi driver or shuttle bus driver handling the luggage, the size of these units both stress me and intrigue me.  Two of my kids have ASUS Eee series netbooks, but I can never get my hands on them to test them out, so I was very excited when both Dell and Acer agreed to send me models to run through the paces in the field.

I’m definitely more interested in reviewing them over the long haul for their effectiveness as field tools for consultants, project managers, and just about any other IT profession that causes you to leave your desk or home office once in awhile.  I’m also interested in examining how these mini notebooks can serve small business owners who are looking to save on equipment costs.  However, since they both arrived today, I’ll give you my first impression of them now though all I’ve really done so far is load some software.  More detailed looks at how these units perform in the field will be forthcoming.

The netbooks I received have nearly identical specifications.  The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is running Windows 7 Starter, has a 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM, operates on the Intel Atom N450 processor, has a 10.1″ screen, and so far appears to offer an estimated 6 hours of battery life.

The Acer Aspire One AO532h netbook model I received offers identical specs except for one difference - a 250 GB hard drive.  I would gladly trade hard drive space for RAM any day, but most netbook models come standard with 1GB so that’s what I like to check out anyway.

My first impression - without actually comparing the units yet - is this:

• I like the size - they’re easy to carry around without the fear of hitting them on something
• The keyboard is smaller - both are 92% of full sized keyboards, I believe - and that takes some getting used to
• Their touchpads are nice - though one thing I’ve noticed on both of these models as well as the ASUS models my kids have is that the buttons require more force to click than on any normal sized laptop I’ve ever used and I’m not sure why that is the case … maybe they loosen over time
• This is my first real look at Windows 7 and I’m not sure I like it yet (I’ve been using Mac OS about 98% of the time for the past year so that’s not a fair take at this point)

I’ll be loading more software, utilizing these netbooks for meetings, notes, managing project schedules, and taking them on the go.  So keep checking back here for updates on how the process is progressing.  I may even be adding more models to the review process.

Assess PC Performance at Fossiltoys.com

I ran across an interesting site while trying to find a way to compare PC performance for several systems I’m currently reviewing:  Fossiltoys.com.

Fossiltoys.com is a completely free and very interesting JavaScript tool that actually embeds itself in the web browser rather than the web server so it is a true monitor of the actual machine’s performance and total independent of internet speed and traffic.

Here’s the are the features, summarized from the website…

• Simple but effective web-based online PC speed monitor (CPU and RAM)
• No software installation required - completely web-based
• Platform neutral: Mac, Windows, Linux, Unix
• Monitors not just CPU speed, but system slowdown due to insufficient RAM as well
• Unobtrusive - speed is displayed in window title, even when web browser is minimized.
• Stores log of last 1,500 speeds
• Provides export feature for spreadsheet analysis
• Displays minimum and maximum speeds recorded during monitoring period

The number it provides as a speed really means nothing unless you are comparing your system to itself under different conditions to see how it is affected (for example running no applications vs. running a particular mix of applications) or if you’re comparing similar systems running the same software to see which system is performing better.  I found this particularly helpful when benchmarking three different netbooks from three different manufacturers but with nearly identical specs and running identical software.

Some specifics on the best way to use this site for analysis…

• The higher the Fossil Speed shown on the page, the higher the available performance of the PC at that time. As more programs are run, the Fossil Speed will reduce, indicating less available performance to run new programs.
• The absolute value of the speed does not mean anything. It only makes sense when compared against Fossil Speeds from other PCs with like specifications, or the same PC at different times.
• The Fossil Speed is linear - a number twice as big means the PC is able to perform twice as fast. This is only valid when comparing with the same or similar PCs. Any comparison will be less accurate when comparing PCs with very different hardware, especially multi-core CPUs.
• Tests both CPU and memory access speed. For many PCs, the amount of memory is more of a limiting factor than CPU speed. The Fossil Speed will reflect PC speed limitations due to insufficient RAM e.g. when many programs are running at the same time.

IT Smartphone Adoption Stagnate Due to Budget, Security Management Concerns

In the electronic device world a lot can happen in the course of a couple of years.  Better phones, fancier phones, faster networks …. just stop and think about what is available today that wasn’t on table two short years ago.

Two years ago enterprise deployment of smartphones to employees was in full swing.  Just consider the numbers from a survey of companies in 2008:

• 56% had supplied smartphones to up to 25% of their workforce
• 27% had supplied smartphones to 26% - 50% of their workforce
• 11% had supplied smartphones to 51% - 75% of employees
• 6% had provided every employee with a smartphone

In 2008, most of those devices were Blackberrys and were used mainly for email and calendar management.

Now fast-forward to 2010.  You would think with those kinds of numbers over previous years we would continue to see tremendous growth.  But we haven’t.  The smartphone adoption movement has definitely stalled.  Not slowed…stalled.  Completely.

Email is still the main use for smartphones in the corporate world.  In 2008, 30% used smartphones for job-specific applications, now that number has only risen to 31%.  The percentages of employees that have been supplied smartphones by employers are virtually the same as it was in 2008.

Why the stagnation?  Why has smartphone growth stalled in such grand fashion in the corporate world?  It appears that they main concern is security and data management issues - areas that companies are finding it hard to budget for in this current economy.  In 2008 52% of companies said security was the reason to deploy mobile device management.  That number is now up to 73%.  However, 61% of organizations not implementing device management are identifying staffing resources as the issue - up from 46% in 2008.  32% are now indicating that mobile device management is too expensive.  Basically, IT budgets have been too tight over the past couple of years to allow them to take on mobile device security, so they’ve chosen not to grow that deployment.

As the economy improves, this slowed - or dare I say ‘halted’ - smartphone deployment could slow or extinguish key corporate initiatives.  Companies are going to need to take a serious look at where they need to spend their IT dollars if they hope to be ready to grow and be more competitive when the market allows for it.

Craigslist Searching Made Easy

Craigslist has become an invaluable, if not sometimes frustrating, tool for many of us.  It helps us find job or consulting opportunities, necessary technology and equipment for performing our work, and lots of other fun stuff that has nothing to do with work.  But alas, it’s locally based and a pain to search multiple locations (though you can do it through Crazedlist which works best through Firefox).

Now you can search Craigslist nationally…or internationally…legitimately for those jobs you’re willing to move for or those items you just have to have but are located across the country.

Craigslist Reader

CraigsList Reader provides a deep search of Craigslist in a friendly Microsoft Outlook style. The app is intensely thorough: You can search any listing anywhere, set up notifications, change and save parameter options, and more.

CraigsList Reader works best for people who embark on epic searches of Craigslist’s database, as opposed to those who hope to pick out only a few tidbits. The program lets you categorize results, and helps you establish a variety of updates and notifications.

And best of all, it’s ok to use.  Unlike Crazedlist - which when used for full-scale, across the universe type searches it can get you banned from Craigslist - CraigsList Reader is entirely legit.  Search like a pro and search with confidence.  Now you can truly find the lowest-priced Macbook or Gateway laptop available across the country if you can convince the seller that you’re not trying to scam them.  Ok, so there are some things about Craigslist that this reader application won’t overcome, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

This application is available for download at http://find.pcworld.com/63354.  Originally, it was available as an entirely free application, but it is now a trial version of a $37 product.  If you’re an avid Craigslist enthusiast it may still be worth it to you.  I personally have found thousands of dollars worth of consulting opportunities on Craigslist so if you have needs, the product price of $37 is probably not much of a concern.

Personal Texting at Work … Beware

We’re all guilty.  It’s too easy to do and too hard to avoid.  Whether you’re making lunch plans with a friend or texting your vacation itinerary to loved ones.  We’ve all probably used business phones to send text messages that were definitely not business related.

Is it wrong?  Should companies have the right to check into our personal text communications on those company devices?  No matter which side of the fence you stand on in this issue, there is likely soon going to be a legal precedent one way or the other that will change the habit of personal texting on company phones forever.

The case

On Monday, 4/19, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case on this very topic.  At issue is whether or not a city in California violated the rights of a public employee by examining sexually explicit text messages that this employee was sending on a device that was ultimately owned by the city police department.  At this time, a decision has not yet been made.

This particular case involved a police officer.  Yes, we often believe that they should be held to the highest of standards considering the fact that they are enforcing the laws on citizens.  However, many legal experts believe that the ruling in this case will have very broad implications on how both public and private employees can be monitored when using company devices for things like texting.

The problem

A recent study found that 80% of American adults have cell phones and 30% of those have internet access on those phones.  Employees are expected to be available almost 24/7 with these devices in hand.  And with that leash growing tighter, the line between home and work, professional and personal communications is becoming greyer.  Separating the two while remaining productive on both sides is nearly impossible.

In an environment like the one we’ve created where employees are rapidly moving back and forth between work and personal use on devices, it’s easy to forget the boss may have the right to go back and review the texting trail they’ve created.

However this case turns out, employees everywhere must take note that until a legal precedent has been set, their personal communications on company-provided communication devices such as phones and computers may be open to scrutiny and could result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.