"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidise it”” – Ronald Reagan

 

“Ask five economists and you'll get five different answers (six if one went to Harvard)” – Edgar Fiedler

 

Top Picks

AFCOM's Five Predictions for Data Centers Bode Well for Green
“What that means is that the c-suite is finally realizing that although the data center is critical to operations, it is also a major element of costs and greenhouse gas emissions. All of which points toward more efficient and greener data center technologies, notably virtualization and cloud computing.”
http://greenercomputing.com/news/2009/03/11/afcoms-five-predictions-data-centers-bode-well-green

[The article lists the five predictions too, so be sure to take a look.]

 

China worried about U.S. debt investments
“The Chinese leader is worried about the $1 trillion his country holds in U.S. treasury bonds. Those bonds finance U.S. debt, including the massive stimulus program just getting started.”
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/business&id=6709138

[If other countries, notably China, stop buying US debt, then there will be huge problems globally.]

 

New Approaches to Greening the Data Centre
“The truth is that IT is an easy target. When corporate executives, concerned with rising electricity costs, and keen to support Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives ask ‘where do we use lots of electricity and produce lots of CO2 emissions?’ the first answer they are likely to receive is ‘the data centres’.”
http://www.it-director.com/business/content.php?cid=11127

[Certainly this awareness is being fueled by all the stories in the media about “green IT” and data center power consumption.]

 

IBM dives into water tech
“IBM on Friday disclosed the elements of an initiative to sell technology and services to better manage fresh water, often referred to as the ‘oil of the 21st century.’”
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10194866-54.html

[Remember when the guy gave the recommendation of “plastics” in The Graduate?  The word I would utter to a new grad might very well be “water” for a myriad number of reasons.  I am very intrigued, to say the least, by IBM’s move into this market.]

 

Book and Product Recommendations

How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, MD
This is one of my favorite books.  Dr. Groopman does a great job discussing cognitive biases and their impacts on how doctors diagnose patients.  Because IT spends quite a bit of time diagnosing incidents and problems there are many parallels to be considered.  At the same time, it also provides many issues that we, as individuals, should consider when visiting a physician or seeking healthcare.
Order a printed copy now at Amazon at:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547053649?ie=UTF8&tag=georgespaffor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0547053649
Order a Kindle copy now at Amazon at:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VNBB0I?ie=UTF8&tag=georgespaffor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001VNBB0I
NY Times Review:  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/books/review/Crichton.t.html
International Herald Tribune Review:  http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/27/arts/bookwed.php

 

Kindle 2 – Still Impressed
As previously reported, I still am enjoying my Amazon Kindle book reader.  If you’re interested, order one today from Amazon and get the leather cover too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA?ie=UTF8&tag=georgespaffor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000FI73MA

 

Looking for Books on Governance, ITIL, Green IT, and so on???
Be sure to visit the IT Governance UK now.  They have both of my Green IT books published and ready for ordering plus books on many other topics available in hardcopy and downloadable formats.
http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/MicroSite/?site=158

 

Kurt’s Corner

News and views from Kurt Milne, the managing director of the ITPI.  He can be reached at: kurt.milne@....

 

Official OCG accreditation of ITIL tools
I think this story jumped the gun a bit.  I heard that the parties involved are still crossing Ts and dotting Is with OCG.  That said – this type of official compliance scheme will award the use of the ITIL trademark to compliant vendor products. 
http://searchcio-midmarket.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid183_gci1349709,00.html?track=NL-1014&ad=691872&asrc=EM_USC_6060583&uid=4561296#

 

Cost-Cutting Goals Expand—But Don’t Take Over
Nice breakdown of IT executive priorities from CIO Insight.  However, when I read the results of this and other surveys – I always want the data segmented by IT Value Archetype instead of by company size.  IT is not generic. IT priorities are different at different companies – because regardless of size, what the business needs/expects from IT is different at different companies.
http://internet.ziffdavisenterprise.com/CIOI_Downloads/CIOI_0812_Rsch.pdf

 

IT Value archetype benchmark – what type is your IT shop?
ITPI offers a free IT Value archetype benchmark.   Answer 9 questions about how IT drives business value and prioritizes basic resource decisions. Get a 2 page summary assessment of your organization’s IT Value Archetype as compared to 269 other firms.  The benchmark, based on findings of the IT Strategic Alignment Study, offers a summary of key challenges and suggestions for improving strategic fit with the business.  The recommendations are based on analysis of practices that top levels of performance at other IT organizations of your type.
http://www.itpi.org/itarchetype.php

 

Data Centers / Cloud Computing / Green IT

Cloud forms slowly over data center
“A survey of some of the 4,300 members of AFCOM – an association of data center managers that sponsors Data Center World – found that budget cuts and virtualization are big issues for 2009, but cloud computing isn’t yet”
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid5_gci1350242,00.html

 

The Dirt on E-Waste
“Nobody knows precisely how much e-waste is generated by schools nationwide. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Americans on the whole throw out about 130,000 computers a day. That tallies up to 47.5 million a year. And the numbers can only grow.”
http://www.thejournal.com/articles/24101

 

Five Energy Trends Driving Your Data Center
“With high oil prices still fresh in recent memory, companies have focused on driving data center costs down through greater efficiencies. The starting point for the discussion is always reducing the energy requirements, but the need to save energy forces companies to change how they handle their data requirements, says Rich Lechner, VP of energy and the environment for IBM.”
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/031009-five-energy-trends-driving-your.html

 

US Data Center Spending To Increase in 2009: Study
“According to the study released Thursday, 84 percent of surveyed companies are planning data center expansions in the next 12-24 months. Of those, 64 percent plan to expand in two or more locations. On average, data centers account for an average of 35 percent of overall IT budgets. The study polled 300 senior decision makers at North American companies with annual revenues of at least one billion or at least 5,000 employees.”
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/031209_US_Data_Center_Spending_To_Increase_in_2009
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/031309-data-center-budgets-rising.html

 

Security and Risk Management

Lack of End User Training is a Large and Growing Threat to IT Security, CompTIA Study Finds
“According to CompTIA’s 7th Annual Trends in Information Security survey, human error is the primary cause of the most severe security breaches, yet significantly fewer organizations (45%) provided security training for their non-IT staff in 2008 compared to 53% in 2007. The results of study will be released and presented at the FOSE tradeshow in Washington D.C.”
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090310005840&newsLang=en

 

The battle over cybersecurity
A brief commentary on the wrestling between DHS and NSA to control national cybersecurity.
http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/11/the-battle-over-cybersecurity/

2845 ways to spin the Risk
“In the animation below we show how risks can be ‘spun’ to look bigger or smaller, how medical treatments can be made to seem useless or to be wonder cures, and how lifestyle changes might look worthwhile or not worth bothering with. All by changing the words used, the way the numbers are expressed, and the particular graphics chosen.”
http://understandinguncertainty.org/node/233

 

5 Steps to Communicate Security's Value to Non-security People
“In belt-tightening times, making the case for security investment is more difficult than ever. Security Catalyst founder Michael Santarcangelo details five steps risk professionals can use to communicate value effectively”
http://www.csoonline.com/article/483513/_Steps_to_Communicate_Security_s_Value_to_Non_security_People

 

Bribery case creates possible IT security nightmare in D.C.
“After being arrested on bribery charges yesterday, the District of Columbia's top information security official is being held without bail, partly because of uncertainty about whether he still has the ability to access the district's IT systems.”
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=outsourcing&articleId=9129663&taxonomyId=60&intsrc=kc_top

 

Health and Healthcare

Time to Tear Up Your IT Strategy
“The EHR incentives in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will cause nearly every healthcare organization to tear up their IT strategy and plans.  The incentives are significant and the time lines are incredibly aggressive for most organizations.  We cannot simply overlay the new work on top of the existing plans.”
http://candidcio.com/2009/03/08/time-to-tear-up-your-it-strategy/

 

Insurers' commitment to healthcare reform is only skin-deep
“Briefly, the industry wants the government to assume the cost of treating the sickest, and therefore most expensive, Americans. It wants the government to clamp down hard on doctors' and hospitals' fees. And it wants permission to offer stripped-down, low-benefit policies freed from pesky state regulations limiting their premiums.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-fi-hiltzik9-2009mar09,0,3441386.column

 

US business leaders say hobbled by healthcare costs
“U.S. business leaders urged lawmakers on Thursday to act quickly on healthcare reform, saying American companies were losing out to other countries with cheaper healthcare and healthier workers.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUSN1436311320090315

 

Human Error / Safety / Environment

World faces 'irreversible' climate change, researchers warn
“The findings came at the end of a three-day conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, where nearly 2,000 researchers gathered to discuss climate change.  The group called on policy-makers to use all tools available to reduce dangerous emissions of greenhouse gases.”
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/12/irreversible.climate/index.html

Climate change accelerates water hunt in U.S. West
“Global warming pushes extremes. It prolongs drought while sometimes bringing deluges the parched earth cannot absorb. California Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow says two things keep him up at night: drought and flood.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE52900820090310?sp=true

 

'Urgent' repair recommended for some Boeing 777 engines
“Federal transportation safety officials Wednesday issued an ‘urgent’ recommendation calling for a redesign of a component on some Boeing 777 aircraft engines -- a component blamed for two major mishaps in the past year.”
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/11/boeing.redesign/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

 

Information technology holds promise for advancing healthcare
“Obama's administration is putting $19 billion toward electronic health record systems to improve treatment and lower costs. There's still no consensus on standards or who should control the systems.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-health-it15-2009mar15,0,2646798.story

 

Global News / Business / Economics

China adds deflation threat to economic woes
“China's consumer prices fell in February, adding the threat of deflation to the nation's economic woes, and officials warned the next few months look grim as the global downturn worsens.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j1FZRNA_nf7XY7YePH-Od-tdunFAD96R5C480

 

Int'l press focus on China's foreign policy amid global economic crisis
“China's diplomacy serves economy and the upcoming financial summit in London will be a success, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Saturday told a press conference on the sidelines of the Second Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC).      The NPC session, together with the Second Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), has aroused the attention of overseas media that are keeping a close watch at the two ongoing political events held annually.”
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/08/content_10971941.htm

 

Japanese media laud China's drive for 8% economic growth
“Major Japanese media have given extensive coverage to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's government work report at the Second Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) and applauded China's drive for 8 percent annual economic growth amid the ongoing world financial crisis.”
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/06/content_10958218.htm

 

US News / Business / Economics

Layoffs, Lowering Energy Consumption Help IT Brave Tough Budgets
“So many unknowns heading into 2009 wreaked havoc on the budgeting process for IT departments. Do I cut this initiative, lay off this person, or maintain the current server space even though I would like to expand? These were the questions that many executives had to ask themselves.”
http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/community/kn/blog/layoffs-lowering-energy-consumption-help-it-brave-tough-budgets/?cs=30976

 

Rise in foreclosures 'a shock'
“The number of foreclosure filings rose 6% during the month after falling 10% in January. Worse, filings leaped nearly 30% compared with February 2008. And the results confounded expectations: A downtrend had been expected due to the numerous foreclosure moratoriums in effect during the month.”
http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/12/real_estate/new_foreclosure_jump/index.htm?postversion=2009031204

 

Never Argue With Your Boss
Hal reflects on advice from Bill Howell – never argue with your boss.
http://righteousit.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/never-argue-with-your-boss/

 

As travel declines, aircraft 'boneyard' in Victorville fills up
“Air carriers are grounding planes at a rate not seen since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and industry experts say this year is likely to set a record for planes sitting on the ground.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fi-boneyard15-2009mar15,0,4626780.story
[I’ve always found pictures of the aircraft boneyards interesting so this article caught my eye.  Here are some sites with more pictures and information:]

The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base boneyard:  http://www.dm.af.mil/units/amarc.asp
Great photos:  http://www.lostamerica.com/aircraft.html
A Field Guide to Aircraft Boneyards:  http://www.johnweeks.com/boneyard/

Obama's Poll Numbers Are Falling to Earth
“The American people are coming to express increasingly significant doubts about his initiatives, and most likely support a different agenda and different policies from those that the Obama administration has advanced.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123690358175013837.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
[Ah yes … reality hits.]

 

Technology & Science

HashTags on Twitter
Want to learn more about the #hashtags on Twitter and how they can be used to find related topics?  Check out:
http://wthashtag.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://thebounder.co.uk/tagref/

The Top Five Space Illusions
Interesting quick read about interpretations from pictures/telescopes that people thought were indicating something extraordinary.
http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space/article/2009-03/top-five-space-illusions

 

End Notes

The News is brought to you by George Spafford, Principal Consultant at Pepperweed Consulting, LLC.  Pepperweed is nationally recognized as a leader in IT Management Consulting.  For more information, check out our website at www.pepperweed.com or call 888-229-0145. Please let us know if you see stories you think should be included in the next issue of The News, and feel free to forward this email on to others.

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ITIL Service Manager, TOCICO Jonah, IPRC, CISA
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