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Jan |
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Newsletter | |
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Issue 18 |
What direction will IT take in 2007? |
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Don't fall foul of Companies Act |
As we bid farewell to 2006 and begin to see the realities of 2007 (ie, no real change), I thought I would have a look at what could change 2007 into a more interesting year in the IT space. First, wouldn't it be great to get more IT and line of business people working together? I would like to see the death of the massively overpriced mobile data plan. Now that essentially no one is paying for data transfers down a wired connection, we still have to pay large amounts per megabyte when we are on the road. Worse, even if you are on a data plan, try travelling abroad - a visit to a US hotel that was having problems with its wired system cost me more than £150 for a one-night stay recently. All-you-can-eat data plans are coming through from the likes of 3 and T-Mobile - here's to 2007 being the end of the per-byte plan. I would like to see much greater use of networking at home. I want my PVR, TV, hi-fi and everything else to have an RJ45 connection to and from it, or better still, full Wi-Fi 802.11g/n, enabling me to stream content where I want it, as I want it.
With the price of tuning componentry falling to unprecedented lows (digital television tuning circuitry is available at under £10), we could look at having, say, 10 tuners in a piece of kit, enabling each person in a house to watch a different channel at the same time. Yes, we need better codecs (the gubbins that compresses and decompresses audio and video) to shrink the data feeds, fully ratified 802.11n for fast enough Wi-Fi and some real agreement on integration, but we are getting there. I really want this to be the year of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) . Yes, 2005 was meant to be, 2006 was heralded as being the real year, but I do feel that RFID will really come of age this year. We need better education as to where RFID fits in with existing technologies (such as the humble barcode), and we need a better understanding of the difference between passive and active RFID, but I expect to see much greater uptake of RFID, along with sensor and actuator technologies as we go through 2007. Finally, I await the "next big thing". We have been stuck for real innovation on a gross scale for many years, with SOA (Service-Oriented Approach, which is basically a rehash of older component oriented stories) being the nearest thing in the past couple of years. Maybe we will see Ajax (maybe as part of a full stack, such as Ruby on Rails) create a marked difference in how users interact with the internet. Maybe we will see social networking create new ways of working on a major scale (rather than the small scale instances currently in place). Maybe we will see some major changes in the supplier landscape that will create new, innovative synergies. Here's hoping. Oh, and yes, I do want world peace as well - it is probably just as likely to happen as some of the things mentioned above. by Clive Longbottom |
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is warning firms not to fall foul of the Companies Act, the initial provisions of which came into force at the start of the year, and ensure that the correct information is displayed on company documents. The First Company Law Directive has requirements on the minimum information that should be supplied on company documents, including the website, as well as all communications including e-mail. FPB campaigns manager Victoria Carson spelt out what is expected of businesses: "The company’s name needs to appear in a legible form on all its literature such as business letters, notices or websites. Firms need to be thorough and think about everything from cheques and orders signed on behalf of the company to parcels, receipts, invoices and letters of credit." Businesses are also expected to include added details such as the company’s place of registration and the number with which it is registered, on business letters, emails, order forms and websites. Carson is concerned that many firms will be unaware of their new obligations: "Compliance, as is so often the case with new regulations, could be both difficult and expensive, and there will no doubt be a large number of companies that are unaware of these changes. Firms who are found to be non-compliant could face a fine." More information on the Companies Act 2006 can be found at the website of the Office of Public Sector Information www.opsi.gov.uk |
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| Microsoft and Nortel team up on unified comms roadmap | ||
Microsoft and Nortel have unveiled a roadmap for enterprises adopting unified communications platforms. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Nortel CEO Mike Zafirovski outlined the plans at a New York event yesterday. The roadmap is the result of an alliance between Microsoft and Nortel announced in July 2006. It offers three new joint solutions to improve business communications, by breaking down the barriers between voice, e-mail, instant messaging, multimedia conferencing and other forms of communication. Zafirovski said, “Our goal is to close the gap between the devices we use to communicate and the business applications we use to run our businesses, giving employees the power to use information more quickly and effectively.” |
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Research shows lack of readiness as WEEE Directive comes in |
Industry to launch home networking and multimedia qualification |
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Europe’s long-awaited waste disposal legislation came into force this week, but new research shows few businesses have taken the necessary steps to ensure compliance. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive was originally due to take effect in August last year, but this was extended in the UK to January for all companies that import, manufacture and rebrand electrical and electronic equipment to finance its treatment, recovery and environmentally safe disposal. Yet research by law firm Eversheds found that over half of those UK businesses questioned had yet to put a scheme in place to dispose of electrical waste. Only 27% of IT professionals questioned confessed to fully understanding their obligations under the WEEE Directive, much less factoring the cost of disposal into the cost of buying computing equipment from now on. But 63% of firms say they plan to comply without outsourcing. Gartner analyst Lars Mieritz said most IT departments will look to existing IT suppliers to dispose of equipment at the end of its life. “Now the IT manager must keep in the back of his mind costs he or she might not have thought of yet,” Mieritz said. “It could be that the cost of disposal is offset by the [second-hand] cost of the equipment being disposed of, or is factored into the cost of equipment upfront.” Despite this advice, the research found three quarters of IT professionals expect that associated costs to their businesses will increase. The findings come after science minister Malcom Wicks last month put regulations before Parliament designed to support the incoming law, which included a timetable to upgrade local waste collection and disposal. The regulations also stipulated that all large IT waste producers will need to join an approved producer compliance scheme by 15 March this year to ensure that they are able to comply with the directive from 1 July. |
The computer industry will soon have a new networking and multimedia qualification to meet the demand generated by the digital IP home. On 31 January, the UK’s first qualification for the digital home is launched in London. The foundation course is designed to get more IT professionals out of the office and into people’shomes, by providing the skills required to set up, service and troubleshoot the networking infrastructure which enables the range of connected devices now commonly found in home offices and living rooms. The DHTI+ (Digital Home Technology +) qualification is expected to grab the interest of three audiences: The two bodies said the qualification is in response to members wanting a simple way to learn the basics of home technology. |
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