Thursday, May 26, 2005

A stolen computer in winnipeg may be yet another example of the need to take strong security precautions to protect private data. CBC News: Stolen computer contains personal info of thousands

Friday, May 20, 2005

We hear a lot about the bad stories, but not often enough about the good ones when it comes to ERP implementations. Here's a good one. Home Depot has announced a major increase in its implementation program to go global with the retail and supply chain integration features. It'll substantially increase Home Depot's competitiveness. The announcement was made at SAP's Sapphire conference, taking place this week in Boston. InformationWeek > Supply Chain > Home Depot To Increase Use Of SAP > May 18, 2005

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Only five years ago, the United States was the leader in the use of the Internet but now, that place has been taken over by Japan and increasingly by China. the implications are tremendous, since broadband internet will form the basis of economic prosperity for the next decade or more. The Clinton/Gore administration moved the US to the forefront with their Internet Infrastructure Initiative, but the current administration dropped the ball, and the price will be high. The US is now the only advanced country in the world without a broadband infrastructure policy. Lets hope someone picks up the ball and starts running. In Canada too.Foreign Affairs - Down to the Wire - Thomas Bleha

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

In potentially one of its most important rulings in a long time, the CRTC has opted for limited regulation of VOIP telephone service. This will have the effect of creating a level playing field for the use of VOIP based telephone service to consumers. Established telephone providers like Bell and Telus will not be able to undercut the emerging competition and all will be subject to the vagaries of the market. It means that new VOIP providers will be able to offer competitive telephone services over the internet, creating serious competition. One likely result will be the reduction in the cost of all telephone service for consumers. CRTC decides on limited regulation for VoIP telephone services to foster competition

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Jim Carroll says we need Masters of Business Imagination, not Masters of Business Administration. Innovators, not administrators. He's got a point! The Masters of Business Imagination Manifesto - Futurist, trends & innovation expert Jim Carroll - Keynote speaker, author, columnist
About ten years ago, when the internet was in its infancy, some pundits were saying it would change "everything". They may not have been far off. The banking industry has already undergone a revolution, with more to come. The telephone industry is on the brink of massive change, as VOIP spreads into mainstream usage. Next its the television industry, as personalized TV is about to be made available through broad band connections. Next Via the Internet: Tailored TV To Suit Every Taste

Monday, May 16, 2005

There's a major initiative afoot, sponsored by the W3C to make web browsing on mobile units like cell phones and PDAs a more satisfying experence. It's called the Mobile Web Initiative (MWI). While web browsing has been available for several years, principally using the WAP protocol, it has not been very user friendly, has been difficult to read and not particularly useful. Many people feel it has much commercial potential, and maybe this new initiative will unlock some of it. E-Commerce News: Internet: Consortium Promises To Improve Mobile Web Experience

Friday, May 13, 2005

A blogger conference in Nashville has delved into the question of whether blogging is a form of journalism and can benefit from journalism techniques. Or are they just a way for people to express their views. They may or may not be news. They don't share the same due process, but as one participant pointed out, they do gain feedback and even edits from their readers. One thing for sure. They're something new and they don't necessarily fit a traditional mold. CNN.com - Bloggers' conference emphasizes tools of reporting - May 9, 2005

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Everyone is aware of the tremendous surge in growth of industry in China over the past few years. Not everyone is as aware of the growing role of e-commerce and the potential that is seen in China by e-commerce companies in other parts of the world. They are paying more attention to China now, and can be expected to do so even more as time goes on. E-Commerce News: E-Commerce: Internet Companies Look to China

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Recently there was an incident in several New Jersey banks where bank employees were involved in a plot to sell private information of bank clients. The information would then have been resold to lawyers and collection agencies. The banks share some responsibility for this, since it's up to them to do everything they can to protect private information of their clients. Although they can't ensure the honesty of all their employees, there is quite a lot they can do, including implementing security procedures, like encryption, and making sure as few employees as possible have access to private information. This article spells out some of these safeguards. Bank Systems & Technology : Security Pros Respond to New Jersey Bank Breach

Monday, May 09, 2005

There's a debate going on in Philadelphia on the merits of its new Municipally owned wireless network. A few months ago, the city of Benjamin Franklin announced the proposed development of a new wireless network that would cover the whole city and be free to all users. The city leaders argue that it makes broadband internet available to all and will be a boon to the development of the struggling city. Others say the service could have been provided more effectively and efficiently by the private sector. When completed, the project is planned to cost about $10 million. This debale will be repeated many times across the continent before a general resolution of the issue is found. It is absolutely true that broadband internet is a basic and necessary element of infrastructure. But the question is - Who should provide it - the public sector or the private sector?Globetechnology: U.S. city cuts strings from corporations' Net

Friday, May 06, 2005

E-mail management is one of the biggest technological issues facing organizations these days. It involves, as the referenced article below points out, much more than just managing spam. An e-mail firewall makes it possible to do a better job of managing both incoming and outgoing mail. Also, it offers a way of tracking and logging e-mail, for those cases where it might be needed in a legal action down the road. E-mail management deserves careful attention. Thinking of buying an e-mail firewall? - Computerworld

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Major league Baseball has gone into e-business in a big way, with its Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM). A killer website that compliments the sport and business of baseball is used to sell products, tickets, and of course offer scads of information about the game. MLBAM has also made use of CRM to enhance its profitability. Overall, e-Business has gone a long way to help in saving a game that a few years ago was in trouble. In a League of Its Own - E-COMMERCE - CIO Magazine Apr 15,2005

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

XBRL International holds conferences regularly to discuss the use of XBRL in electronic financial reporting and filing. Recently a conference was held in Brussels and the presentations and results are posted on its website. More recently, a conference was held in Boston on the theme of Better, Faster, Smarter Business Reporting Using XBRL. eXtensible Business Reporting Language is a tagging methodology based on XML which promises to revolutionize financial reporting - bringing it into the age of technology and making possible the timely reporting of data elements as well as financial statements and other financial documents. The results of the Boston conference should be on its site (http://www.xbrl.org/PastEvents/) in a few days.

Monday, May 02, 2005

The Information Technology Advisory Committee of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants has issued a new white paper called "20 Questions Directors Should Ask About Information Technology Outsourcing", which adresses major questions organizations face in the outsourcing process. Also relatively new on this site is a new white paper on "IT Control Assessments in the Context of CEO/CFO Certification" IT Advisory Committee