Managing Software Costs

A journalist rang me recently to talk about the cost of enterprise software and the “sharp” licensing practices of some major software vendors, which reminded me that many businesses still have a problem with controlling their software licensing costs so it’s probably a topic worth writing about. I must admit to taking it for granted because I have a method, but until you’ve learned to tackle the software licensing maze it can be daunting and mistakes are expensive - either you have too many licenses and are overpaying for your software, or too few and are at risk of having to settle with your supplier or go to court for your illegal use of unlicensed software.

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Does Software Cheat?

Software has been in the news again recently, for all the wrong reasons. Volkswagen have been caught, like a naughty schoolboy, emitting noxious gases. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have accused the world’s largest auto manufacturer of using a “Defeat Device” to “cheat” in emissions tests. The VW CEO has admitted failure by the company and resigned, one of many heads apparently likely to roll out of the firm’s Wolfsburg HQ.

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The Skills Gap

A few weeks ago I wrote about the perceived skills shortage and promised that another article would talk about the technology skills in which we fall short on the island, so this is it. I’ve also just been asked to write a related article on technology skills and recruitment for BCS The Chartered Institute for IT, so by the time I finish I’ll have had enough of wittering on about skills for a while.

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Where has all the New Tech gone?

(Long time passing…)

One of my desires for this column is that I write about exciting new IT / computing technology, but of late that hasn’t happened much. Personally, having been involved in the development of new tech since the beginning of the 80’s, I am not easy to impress but from my perspective I’m not seeing much exciting new tech coming out and many media pundits returning from IFA in Berlin last week, Europe’s premiere new-tech expo, are saying the same.

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The Skills Shortage

We keep hearing that there is a major skills shortage in ICT, and it is true. A 2014 study suggests that the UK will need an additional 750,000 ICT workers by 2017, and ICT employment is growing five times faster than the wider UK economy. Recent estimates suggest that over a quarter of all growth in London is within the tech sector.

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Why is IT so primitive?

Computing is wonderful, possibly the most wonderful thing to happen to humanity in the past couple of centuries, certainly it rates up there with the exploration of Space, the Automobile, Air Travel, Broadcasting, Telephony, Photography and the other major transformational influences of our age. We can communicate instantly with people all over the world, create art from our photographs and videos with an ease and sophistication that would challenge any darkroom technician only twenty years ago, share our knowledge and passions, and learn from the knowledge of countless others who have similarly shared their insights online. As a force for good Computing is unrivalled in exposing injustice, helping farmers across the globe to grow more and better crops to feed the world, sharing medical knowledge ….

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Through the eye of The Needle

Christine and David moved to the island in 2012, bringing their business, “The Needle”, with them. As the island wishes to encourage more technology entrepreneurs to relocate here I thought it would be useful to have a chat and discover how the experience of bringing an Internet business to the Isle of Man has been for them.

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Outsourcing IT

In a previous article I wrote about the difficulties of outsourcing management and administration of your IT systems and the need to build a relationship with your outsourcer. In this one I’ll try to cover some of the technical characteristics you should take into account.

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The Relentless March of Micro

If I had to name the single biggest event in the history of Computing it was probably World War II. The need to read encrypted German radio signals catalysed UK efforts to develop electro-mechanical and electronic machines capable of breaking the German codes, resulting in the first electronic computer, Colossus, in 1943. The theories and knowledge developed at Bletchley Park by people like Alan Turing, Max Neumann, Tommy Flowers and many others created the concepts of the computers we have today.

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Whose Data Is It Anyway?

Membership of the EU is a controversial topic, some in the UK believe they are better off in, and some out. The latter largely base their justification for a “Brexit” on the excessive intrusion of EU legislation into what they believe should be sovereign matters - and in general I agree with them, but there is one piece of Eurocracy that I think we should be thankful for - the Data Protection Directive (DPD).

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