Jon Seals
Virtualization + Cloud Equals Perfect Storm For Disaster Recovery Services
Not very long ago disaster recovery was a luxury afforded by only the very large companies due to the prohibitive cost and effort required. Frequently even these large companies were unable to justify the investment and went without a disaster recovery plan. Today, virtualization and cloud enables companies of all sizes to implement a scalable, highly efficient disaster recovery plan without a huge investment.
COSTLY AND RESOURCE-INTENSIVE DISASTER RECOVERY OF YESTERDAY
At one time, investment in disaster recovery came in one of two forms: build a replica or subset of the production- computing environment at a secondary site or contract with a disaster recovery provider. These disaster recovery providers maintained data centers equipped with compatible computing platforms upon which a company could restore their environments when a disaster was declared. The latter was often the more feasible solution since the service provider was able to leverage their hardware investment over a pool of customers thereby lowering their per unit cost and passing some of the savings along to their customers. Though, I have heard many companies complain over their $50,000-$400,000 monthly costs to maintain their contract for a secondary site disaster recovery location. These exorbitant fees did not even cover the customer’s annual testing costs to simulate a disaster and test their recovery process that often included IT staff members rolling through airports with cases of backup tapes.
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Beyond GRC
A bold new experiment is taking place in the Federal government across a number of agencies to identify and address systemic risk before the next financial collapse occurs. You may be familiar with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation.
Over the last 3 years, the S.E.C. has revamped this Office into a “think tank” with a multidisciplinary team of professionals from a variety of academic disciplines. This is not your father’s SEC; the team is made up of 35 PhD financial economists, financial engineers, programmers, MBA’s and other experts.
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The Cloud: Perceptions, Preconceptions, and Performance
Analysts and experts examining the field of government technology and innovation identify the emergence of cloud computing to be a major trend in government transformation. However, from the discussions I participated in during FutureGov Forum Singapore 2013, it was clear that the concerns most government departments have about cloud computing have not changed, and remain common across departments and even countries!
Two interactive discussion tables on cloud computing at FutureGov Forum Singapore 2013 gave senior IT decision-makers the chance to share their experiences and concerns, and gain new ideas to respond to the challenges they’re facing in their organisations.
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http://www.futuregov.asia/blog/2013/may/8/cloud-perceptions-preconceptions-and-performance/
6 Tips to Build Your Social Media Strategy
CIO — With so many social media outlets to choose from -- Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+, as well as more specialized sites -- how do you pick the one, or three, that will deliver the best return on your investment of time and resources? To find out, CIO.com queried dozens of IT executives and social media experts. Following are their top six tips for choosing the best social media sites for your small business.
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http://www.cio.com/article/732975/6_Tips_to_Build_Your_Social_Media_Strategy
It's Change Your Password Day. How hackable are you?
We've seen too many security breaches, password leaks, and account takeovers recently, and it's only getting easier for hackers to crack large databases of passwords. Although passwords aren't as strong a protection as they used to be, they're still the frontline of our defense against cyber thieves, so it's worth the few minutes it takes to make your password as strong as possible. Today, Change Your Password Day, is the perfect day for that.
Intel and McAfee banded together to name May 7th Change Your Password Day, but in truth, if you're reading this on May 8th or on any other month and day, it's still Change Your Password Day if you haven't thought about your passwords in a while.
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http://www.itworld.com/consumerization-it/355530/its-change-your-password-day-how-hackable-are-you
Social Network for Emergencies to Launch in San Francisco
Disasters are scary — there’s no question about it. But as much as they cause fear, they also bring people together, connecting communities in ways that few other incidents can. Focusing on those connections, rather than the catastrophe, is the theory behind the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management’s (SFDEM) new project SF72.org, created to enhance the city’s disaster preparedness.
The site, set to launch this fall, aims to connect citizens willing to offer resources and services — from food, water and an extra generator to mechanical services and a place to stay — 72 hours after a disaster occurs.
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http://www.emergencymgmt.com/training/Social-Network-Emergencies-San-Francisco.html
XACML is dead
Conversations with vendors and IT end users at Forrester's Security lead us to predict that XACML (the lingua franca for centralized entitlement management and authorization policy evaluation and enforcement) is largely dead or will be transformed into access control (see Quest APS, a legacy entititlement management platform based on BiTKOO, which will probably be morphed by Dell into a web SSO platform).
Here are the reasons why we predict XACML is dead:
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http://blogs.forrester.com/andras_cser/13-05-07-xacml_is_dead
Companies don't have adequate mitigation plans for natural catastrophes: survey
While companies recognize potential risks posed by natural catastrophes, many have insufficient mitigation plans in place, according to global survey results from Zurich Insurance Group.
There is a widespread perception that natural catastrophes are becoming not only more frequent, but more severe. Companies are assigning adequate importance to assessing and mitigating the associated risks, the research confirmed.
The study, Natural catastrophes: business risks and preparedness, which polled 170 executives from medium and large companies around the world, was conducted in January by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Zurich.
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From CDC to ABC: H7N9 from Hong Kong
Taking on the role of interim CDC director can be an intimidating task, but an impending pandemic can make the position exponentially more daunting. This is the situation Dr. Richard Besser faced in 2009 when he stepped into his new job. But Besser took the task head on and guided the country’s premier health agency through the H1N1 outbreak with skill and confidence. Through this experience Besser saw first hand how important communication is to building the publics’ trust and improving health behaviors.
When it was time for Besser to hand over the reins, his next career choice made perfect sense, Chief Health and Medical Editor for ABC News. He would be able to continue his work communicating important health information to the public, and hopefully help improve the lives of his viewers.
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http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2013/05/from-cdc-to-abc-h7n9-from-hong-kong/
Pitney Bowes Climbs to No. 11 in Rankings Among IAOP’s 2013 Global Outsourcing 100®
Stamford, CT — Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI) today announced that is has been ranked as one of the world's top outsourcing companies by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®), the global standard-setting organization and advocate for the outsourcing profession. Pitney Bowes placed 11th in the Leaders category of The Global Outsourcing 100®.
“As applicants continually raise the bar and as the outsourcing industry continues to grow and mature in many markets, competition is tougher,” said Jag Dalal, managing director of Thought Leadership, IAOP and chairman of the judges' panel. “Being named to The Global Outsourcing 100 is a great achievement, particularly given the strong competition, and we are proud to recognize Pitney Bowes for its excellence.”
Pitney Bowes was also ranked among the leaders in several key sub-lists, including:
- Best 5 Companies – Legal Services
- Best 10 Leaders – Document Management Services
- Best 10 Leaders – Facility Services
- Best 20 Leaders – Financial Services (Banking, Markets)
- Best 20 Companies – Financial Services (Insurance)
- Best 20 Companies – Government (all levels)
- Best 20 Leaders in US
- Best 20 Leaders in Western Europe
- Best 20 Leaders Most Employees in US
- Best 20 Leaders in Canada
“We are very pleased to be ranked among the leading outsourcing services companies in the world,” said Vicki O’Meara, EVP and president, Pitney Bowes Services Solutions. “We continue to drive innovation and process excellence that translates into enhanced value and service for our clients in the areas of document management and customer communications management. Our strong ranking among the top global services companies recognizes our commitment to our clients and the trust they place in Pitney Bowes to help them improve their business processes.”
The Global Outsourcing 100 and its sub-lists are essential references for companies seeking new and expanded relationships with the best companies in the industry. The lists include companies from around the world that provide the full spectrum of outsourcing services — not just information technology and business process outsourcing, but also facility services, real estate and capital asset management, manufacturing and logistics. They include not only today’s leaders, but tomorrow’s rising stars.
"Global competition is at an all-time high, which is reflected in this year’s rankings," said IAOP CEO Debi Hamill. "This comes at a time when companies that outsource are scrutinizing their providers more closely. The Global Outsourcing 100 is the only guide to help companies research and compare service providers with whom they are considering outsourcing relationships.”
The complete 2013 rankings are posted on the IAOP’s website at www.IAOP.org.
About IAOP
The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®) is the global, standard-setting organization and advocate for the outsourcing profession. With more than 120,000 members and affiliates worldwide, IAOP helps companies increase their outsourcing success rate, improve their outsourcing ROI, and expand the opportunities for outsourcing across their businesses. To learn more, visit http://www.IAOP.org.
About Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes provides technology solutions for small, mid-size and large firms that help them connect with customers to build loyalty and grow revenue. Many of the company’s solutions are delivered on open platforms to best organize, analyze and apply both public and proprietary data to two-way customer communications. Pitney Bowes includes direct mail, transactional mail and call center communications in its solution mix along with digital channel messaging for the Web, email, live chat and mobile applications. Pitney Bowes has approximately USD$5 billion in annual revenues and 27,000 employees worldwide. Pitney Bowes: Every connection is a new opportunity™. www.pb.com.
