An invisible revolution has taken place is the way we use the net, but the increasing personalisation of information by search engines such as Google threatens to limit our access to information and enclose us in a self-reinforcing world view, writes Eli Pariser in an extract from The Filter Bubble… http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/12/google-personalisation-internet-data-filtering

ITWORLD: IDC: Technology consumerization is overhauling the IT role

The consumerisation of technology in the workplace, whereby users bring in their own devices and even sign up to their own choice of cloud systems, is drastically changing the role of the IT department. That is according to analyst house IDC, which warned IT managers to be ahead of the change. Nick McQuire, research director at IDC, told delegates at the company’s first ‘Consumerisation of IT’ conference in London: "The new world of mobility changes the IT philosophy. It’s no longer highly controlled." http://www.itworld.com/career/173529/idc-technology-consumerisation-overhauling-it-role

ECONSULTANCY: Is there really a perfect ad for everyone, or is Google crazy?

According to Google’s VP of Display Advertising, Neal Mohan, "there’s a perfect ad for everyone." In a post on the Official Google Blog, he suggests "We’re at the beginning of a user-focused revolution, where people connect and respond to display ads in ways we’ve never seen before," and makes six predictions about the future of online advertising. They are:

· The number of display ad impressions will decrease by 25% per person.

· Engagement rates across all display ads will increase by 50%.

· People will have a direct say in 25% of the ads they see.

· 35% of campaigns will primarily use metrics beyond clicks and conversions.

· 25bn ads per day will tell people why they are seeing them.

· Over 40% of online Americans will name display ads as their favorite ad format.

http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/7639-is-there-really-a-perfect-ad-for-everyone-or-is-google-crazy?utm_medium=email&utm_source=topic

Slowing consumer purchases, especially of netbooks, and transition to other computer form factors will slow numbers, says research company… http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2011/jun/10/gartner-pc-forecast-cut

SILICON: Facebook? Twitter? CIOs share seven tips for social media strategy

Social networking has become a key medium for interacting with colleagues, contacts and customers. So why are some businesses still scared to let their employees engage? Mark Samuels reports… http://www.silicon.com/management/cio-insights/2011/06/09/facebook-twitter-cios-share-seven-tips-for-social-media-strategy-39747518/

COMPUTING: IT fails to close the gender gap

The IT industry has made little progress in cracking the glass ceiling that prevents women reaching the top jobs, with many of those in the sector feeling they have been passed over for promotions in favour of male colleagues. A survey carried out by IT industry group Intellect and recruitment service Women in IT revealed that just three per cent of female IT professional had made it to board-level positions; only eight per cent made it to director level… http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2077553/fails-close-gender-gap

GUARDIAN: 4G mobile phone auction is illegal, claim BT and O2

Telecoms firms say spectrum sale for next generation of phones breaches EU law by offering illegal state aid to rivals… http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/09/bt-and-o2-accuse-ofcom-of-offering-state-aid-over-4g-spectrum

COMPUTING: Firms weaken security to accommodate iPads

Firms are being forced to weaken corporate IT security procedures in order to accommodate devices such as the iPad, new research has revealed. A survey of IT decision makers by systems integrator Dimension Data found that 84 per cent of IT chiefs recognise that employee-owned devices, such as iPads, smartphones and laptops, represent a growing security threat to the enterprise… http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2077600/firms-weaken-security-accommodate-ipads

Silicon: Jobs and budgets face the chop so why not CIOs?

Why use two government IT chiefs when one will do? As government bodies move towards shared IT and services, surely it’s the right moment to examine whether the number of CIOs in the public sector needs to be cut, says silicon.com’s Nick Heath… http://www.silicon.com/management/public-sector/2011/06/07/jobs-and-budgets-face-the-chop-so-why-not-cios-39747501/

Outsourcing giant Serco has acquired Indian IT services provider Intelenet for £385m to bolster its BPO offering. The deal, which increases Serco’s Indian workforce from 4,000 to 40,000, will give the company offshore options for its large UK public sector customer base… http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/06/03/246864/Serco-buys-Indian-services-firm-Intelenet-in-move-to-public-sector.htm

GUARDIAN: How the smartphone is killing the PC

The smartphones in our pockets are far more powerful than the desktop computers we dreamed of in the 1980s. This year they are outselling PCs – and soon they could replace our wallets as well… http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/05/smartphones-killing-pc

COMPUTERWORLDUK: Forrester: IT departments face decade of fundamental change

Stay ahead of the curve instead of being caught out, advises analyst. IT roles are fundamentally changing in nature to cope with a hugely different workforce and business environment, according to Forrester. Marc Cecere, VP at the analyst house, told Computerworld UK that completely new models for IT jobs would evolve over the next decade… http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/it-business/3283753/forrester-it-departments-face-decade-of-fundamental-change/

SILICON.COM: The CIO’s most important tech investment: A piece of paper

Adopting cloud computing, outsourcing or offshoring might do away with your physical hardware, but you can’t outsource the risk – and opportunity – that new technology can offer. And nor would you want to, says silicon.com editor Steve Ranger… http://www.silicon.com/management/cio-insights/2011/06/02/the-cios-most-important-tech-investment-a-piece-of-paper-39747482/

SKY NEWS: Chinese Teenager Sells Kidney For iPhone

A Chinese teenager has sold his kidney to buy an iPad and iPhone. Xiao Zheng, from the country’s south-eastern Anhui province, is believed to have met a broker on the internet who said he could help him sell his kidney for £1,825 (Yuan 20,000). He is said to have left a message for the middleman saying: "I want to buy an iPad 2."… http://uk.news.yahoo.com/chinese-teenager-sells-kidney-iphone-212819458.html

We’re being told we’re now in a post-PC era but is that concept just marketing hype and wishful thinking, asks Rob Bamforth? Is it safer to be a cynic? Not always. The risk, often stated by those hyping up the technology, is of being completely left behind…. http://www.silicon.com/management/cio-insights/2011/05/25/hello-ipad-adieu-desktop-post-pc-era-spin-or-fact-39747441/

GOV/ICO: New rules on cookies to be phased in

The UK government has confirmed its approach to implementation of Article 5(3) of the e-Privacy Directive on cookies http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/8155.aspx) and the ICO has given website owners a year to phase the new directive in (http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/pressreleases/2011/enforcement_cookies_rules_news_release_20110525.ashx) The Government – working with the Information Commissioner’s Office – has said that organisations and businesses should be given time to come up with workable technical solutions before enforcement of the new law begins in the UK. These solutions will be phased in over time as they are developed.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/8155.aspx

CYPN: Cuts force councils to merge children’s and adult services

A third of councils either no longer have a director of children’s services (DCS) or are planning to change the role, research has revealed. The study of 58 local authorities by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) and the National College found increasing numbers of councils are merging adult and children’s services or splitting responsibility for children’s social care and education between separate directorates. This is despite the fact that Professor Eileen Munro’s review into the child protection system published earlier this month recommended protecting the discrete functions of the DCS role in every local authority…. http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Management/article/1071904/cuts-force-councils-merge-childrens-adult-services

COMPUTER WEEKLY: Are CIOs being headhunted as businesses invest in IT for change?

Businesses are now looking to IT to enable them to do things differently rather than just as a means of doing things more efficiently, and CIOs with particular skills and experience are becoming sought after as a result. During the recent economic downturn, corporate boardrooms have been striving to use technology to help them reduce and control costs. But now that growth is returning, albeit slowly, businesses want to introduce technology that will change the business. This will include new business models. CIOs are driving change. http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/05/25/246774/Are-CIOs-being-headhunted-as-businesses-invest-in-IT-for.htm

ITPRO: CIOs claim cloud computing ‘over-hyped’

The latest survey on the buzzword technology shows CIO challenges remain the same, regardless of the cloud. In a survey by Vanson Bourne of 250 UK chief information officers (CIOs), the respondents said the top three issues they faced were the same now as they were before the invasion of cloud – security, cost cutting and migration. The vast majority of CIOs – 86 per cent – believed cloud computing was “over-hyped” and 74 per cent thought the transition over to the new technology wasn’t any different from previous technology trends they had to shift between…. http://www.itpro.co.uk/633721/cios-claim-cloud-computing-over-hyped

SILICON: Cloud, iPad, Facebook? But what issue bugs all CIOs?

Despite all the buzzwords the technology industry habitually throws up, the theme that unites IT leaders isn’t as obvious as you might think, says Tim Ferguson. Over the course of the past six months I’ve interviewed nearly 20 CIOs, discussing the big projects, technology priorities and challenges they’re all dealing with every day. A number of common threads about what CIOs are focusing on have emerged during these conversations but only one has appeared consistently on the agenda for all these IT leaders…… What the vast majority of CIOs I’ve spoken to have recognised is that there is an increasing need to consolidate and simplify technology…. http://www.silicon.com/management/cio-insights/2011/05/24/cloud-ipad-facebook-but-what-issue-bugs-all-cios-39747398/

TELEGRAPH: Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer ‘stuck in the past’ says David Einhorn

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer should be replaced because he’s "stuck in the past", according to an extraordinary attack on the billionaire from an influential US hedge fund manager. "It’s time for Microsoft’s board to tell Steve Ballmer, ‘All right, we see what you can do, let’s give so-and-so a chance," David Einhorn, who shot to fame shorting shares in Lehman Brothers, said in New York. "His continued presence is the biggest overhang on Microsoft’s stock."…. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/8539396/Microsoft-boss-Steve-Ballmer-stuck-in-the-past-says-David-Einhorn.html

The first service that allows users to pay for purchases via their mobile phone has been launched in the UK. Among shops signed up to the system are McDonalds, EAT, Pret-a-Manger and some Boots stores. Users wishing to use the system – dubbed Quick Tap – will need Orange and Barclaycard accounts as well as a handset set up for contactless payments. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13457071?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

SILICON.COM: How to secure the workplace in a ‘post-PC era’

The rising number of consumer gadgets in the workplace will mean CIOs will have to find new ways of managing technology, EMC World heard last week. CIOs will not be able to stop staff bringing smartphones and tablets into the workplace and need to accept they have to secure a far broader range of devices than in the past, VMware CEO Paul Maritz told the conference in Las Vegas. "We are moving into the post-PC era. Laptops and PCs will have to share the stage with other devices," he said. "IT can no longer assume that all they have to do is manage windows desktops." http://www.silicon.com/technology/hardware/2011/05/16/how-to-secure-the-workplace-in-a-post-pc-era-39747400/

HARMON.IE: Refusal to disconnect leads to rudeness

The perceived need to stay connected at all times has reduced civility in the workplace as well as interfering with the ability to focus on the task at hand. A survey for harmon.ie found that:

· Two out of three users will interrupt a group meeting to communicate with someone else digitally, either by answering email (48%), answering a mobile phone (35%), chatting via IM (28%), updating their status on a social network (12%) or tweeting (9%).

· Relatively few workers disconnect to focus on a task (32%) or during virtual meetings or teleconferences (30%), webcasts (26%) or lunch (12%).

· A majority of workers turn off their devices only when their boss asks them to (85%) or during one-on-one meetings (63%).

Nearly 60% of work interruptions now involve either using tools like email, social networks, text messaging and IM, or switching windows among disparate standalone tools and applications. In fact, 45% of employees work only 15 minutes or less without getting interrupted, and 53% waste at least one hour a day due to all types of distractions. That hour per day translates into £3,277.50 of wasted productivity per person annually, assuming an average salary of £14.25/hour. That is more than the average driver will spend this year to own and maintain a car. For businesses with 1,000 employees, the cost of employee interruptions exceeds £3.2 million per year and total cost to UK PLC is £57.8 billion. http://harmon.ie/news/i-cant-get-my-work-done-enormous-impact-distractions-workplace

GUARDIAN: Osborne – Treasury under sustained cyberattack

Charles Arthur reports in the Guardian that the UK Treasury is under malicious software attacks led by foreign intelligence agencies. According to chancellor, George Osborne, foreign intelligence agencies are carrying out sustained cyberattacks on his department. He said that government systems are the target of up to 20,000 malicious emails every month, and said that in 2010 "hostile intelligence agencies made hundreds of serious and pre-planned attempts to break into the Treasury’s computer system". In fact, Obsborne said, "it averaged out as more than one attempt per day". http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/may/16/treasury-sustained-cyberattack-george-osborne-reveals

COMPUTING: IT Leaders: CIOs focus on BI, mobility and the cloud

A global study of chief information officers (CIOs) has identified the implementation of business intelligence and analytics as a top priority for CIOs, while 65 per cent of UK organisations are ready to embrace cloud computing over the next five years – higher than the global average and nearly double the number of CIOs who said they would embrace cloud in the same study two years ago.

IBM carried out a survey of 3,000 CIOs, conducting face-to-face interviews with IT leaders from diverse organisations in 71 countries and 18 industries. http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2071226/leaders-cios-focus-bi-mobility-cloud

COMPUTING: IT chiefs warned over cloud’s hidden costs

Analyst firm Gartner has warned IT chiefs to beware the hidden costs of cloud computing as increasing number of businesses look to switch their models of IT delivery. While many cloud service providers promise lower up-front costs and switching costs, IT chiefs need to be mindful that the risks associated with cloud computing are often unclear or overlooked in contracts, said Alexa Bona, an analyst with Gartner. http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2072218/chiefs-warned-clouds-hidden-costs

COMPUTER WEEKLY: One-stop IT suppliers will bring vast benefits and risks, says Ovum

The emergence of suppliers capable of acting as a one-stop shop for all the IT needs of organisations will transform the way businesses buy IT services. Major IT suppliers are reaching a size that will allow them to operate as the sole IT supplier for big businesses, creating huge benefits of scale and new risks for IT departments, says Carter Lusher, chief analyst for the Enterprise Applications Ecosystem at Ovum. IT departments will need to respond by building much deeper relationships with their suppliers and developing new ways to manage the relationship. "They are also going to need a lot of good lawyers," he said. http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/05/18/246672/One-stop-IT-suppliers-will-bring-vast-benefits-and-risks-says.htm

ECONSULTANCY: Twitter ads don’t deliver

"Our clients are very (return on investment)-focused. We’re not that excited about Twitter as an ad network." The message: Twitter ads don’t make any sense unless you’re a big brand. http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/7534-twitter-ads-don-t-deliver-reports

§ Accessibility Award

§ BT Contact Us Award

§ Community Impact Award

§ Community Voices Award

§ Fundraising Award

§ Innovation Award

§ IT Volunteer of the Year Award

§ Working Together Award

http://www.technology4goodawards.org.uk/

…Sees iPads as transformational: Apple’s iPad has proven to have so many applications in so many different industries that Gartner sees it as transformational, an analyst said Thursday at the Midsize Enterprise East Summit in Orlando.

http://www.techweb.com/news/229402925/gartner-sees-ipads-as-transformational.html

…Says digital not substitution to print: The time people spend reading on a digital screen is now almost equal to the time spent reading printed paper text, according to a recent survey by Gartner. Apparently the huge majority of tablet and iPad users find screen reading either easier than reading printed text (52 per cent) or about the same (42 per cent). However, 47 per cent of laptop users find screen reading harder than reading printed text, and 33 per cent reported it was about the same. “There are concerns that digital media will cannibalise print media, based on the general decline in newspaper sales and take-up of online news services in many parts of the world, but the evidence from our research is that print and online are not generally regarded as direct substitutes by consumers,” said Nick Ingelbrecht, research director at Gartner. “Something more complicated than a straightforward substitution of print to digital media is taking place.”

http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=clientFriendlyUrl&id=1651116

Buying SaaS: 3 Ways to Ensure Cloud Benefits Meet Enterprise Needs

Before you purchase those increasingly popular and cost-effective SaaS apps for CRM, collaboration or business intelligence, make sure you understand the long-term benefits and usage metrics and plan an exit strategy, writes research firm Forrester.

http://www.cio.com/article/681592/Buying_SaaS_3_Ways_to_Ensure_Cloud_Benefits_Meet_Enterprise_Needs

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/may/09/climate-change-wi-fi-connections

This alternative to BT Openreach also provides an opportunity for any community or local authority looking to access a proportion of the £530m Government funding pot to develop superfast broadband in rural communities.

http://www.fujitsu.com/uk/news/pr/fs_20110413.html

“Efficiency is the word on everybody’s lips as councils are tasked with delivering better outcomes for local people at less cost across the whole spectrum of services that we provide,” said Sandra Whiles, chief executive at Blaby District Council. “The beauty of the shared service agreement with Steria is that we will be joining a well-established partnership arrangement which is already generating cost efficiencies and benefitting the local community at the same time as offering opportunities for our former ICT colleagues.”

Steve Atkinson, chief executive at Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, explained that his council’s existing partnership with Steria had not only enabled “significant ongoing savings” but also upgraded services: “Steria was able to make strategic improvements, such as introducing flexible and remote access to ICT systems, which better suits the needs of council staff and enables the council to provide a better service to our customers.”