The Daily News is brought to you by George Spafford, Principal Consultant at Pepperweed Consulting, LLC.  Pepperweed is nationally recognized as a leader in IT Management and was recently recognized as one of the Inc. 500 fastest growing privately-held companies.  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 Daily News, and feel free to forward this email on to others.

 

Do you need a public speaker at your next IT-related event?  If so, please contact me at george.spafford@....  A number of programs are available including one hour presentations, keynotes, executive awareness sessions and so on all revolving around technology business, the management of IT, ITIL, and risk management.

 

" Quality is such an attractive banner that sometimes we think we can get away with just waving it, without doing the hard work necessary to achieve it.” – Miles Maguire

 

The Picks of the Day

ITIL Qualifications: Agreement Reached Between APMG, BCS-ISEB & EXIN For the Benefit of The ITSM Community

“The APM Group (APMG), the specialist accreditation and certification organisation which has assumed the role of official ITIL accreditor for OGC, is delighted to announce it has reached an agreement with EXIN and BCS-ISEB, the existing ITIL examination institutes.”

http://www.wallstreet-online.de/nachrichten/nachricht/2007745.html

Official release:  http://www.apmgroup.co.uk/web/site/AboutUs/PressCentre/PressReleases/ITILQUALIFICATIONS.asp

 

NYC must act now to stay in financial top spot, lawmakers say

“New York leaders are concerned that the city is losing its competitive edge in the financial services sector, which a report says is burdened by tough regulation and a legal environment that deter foreign investment, and because top employees are being lured elsewhere.”

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--financialcapital0123jan22,0,1446551.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aoBjZwsVqPwY&refer=home

http://www.nysun.com/article/47208

http://www.accountingweb.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=103087&d=815&h=817&f=816&dateformat=%25B%20%25e,%20%25Y

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/070205ta_talk_surowiecki

 

A chilling conclusion on global warming

“The United Nations is poised to release a report on climate change so grim and so vast in scope that scientists involved in the six-year study say it will end the debate on global warming.   The report will say that global warming caused by human activity is no longer a theory. It is a fact.”

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-11/116996295379750.xml&coll=1

 

CFOs find it 'suffocating' these days

“Experts say turnover of CFOs has increased and tenure has shortened as incumbents struggle with a multitude of issues that include mounting regulation and the demands of investors, boards and chief executives. Some argue that many CFOs are being asked to perform in at least two different arenas — compliance and strategy — and that the model of the modern CFO is broken and in need of reform.”

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1502937.cms

 

IT Process Improvement / Quality Management

Software Technology Support Center (STSC) at Hill AFB

Publishers of Crosstalk magazine and consult on software development.

http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/

 

NASA Manager's Handbook for Software Development – Revision One

Written in 1990, this is still an interesting guide to software development from NASA’s perspective.

http://sel.gsfc.nasa.gov/website/documents/online-doc/84-101.pdf

 

The Software Quality Page

This is a good starting page that has links to many software quality resources on the Internet.

http://www.swquality.com/users/pustaver/index.shtml

 

Steve McConnell’s Survival Crib Notes

This is an excerpt of a chapter from Steve’s book on Software Project Management that lists some do’s and don’t based on NASA practices.

http://stevemcconnell.com/sgcrib.htm

 

On Demand Compliance Online Webinar:  Mitigating Risks around basic Data Backup and Restoration

 “Many organizations, both large and small, rely on their information technology systems to the extent that their loss can be devastating. To alleviate risks, many have invested in data backup systems in the hope that by simply performing backups their data is safe. Unfortunately, as many groups have painfully learned, the truth can be that they have little to no protection at all due to an inability to recover as planned. The purpose of this executive briefing is to set forth strategies for mitigating the risks surround the backup and restoration of data.”

http://www.complianceonline.com/ecommerce/control/trainingFocus?product_id=700181&category_id=&parent_category_id

[There is a $249 fee for attending this session.]

 

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Internal Control Seminars

Several of my colleagues have been presenting compliance-related seminars across the country for the past five years:  Sarbanes-Oxley, Corporate Governance, Internal Controls, Fraud Prevention and Detection, and Information Security.  The next seminars are in February in Arlington, VA:  SOX Compliance and Compliance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-123, where they will discuss internal controls over financial reporting.  The seminars are as entertaining as they are informative.

http://www.compliance-seminars.com

 

Requirements vary from one industry to another

“IT management and chief information officers (CIO) share a common goal to maximise the value of their IT investments. Achieving this requires a strong foothold on the multiple projects taking place at any given time. Identifying risk, resource utilisation, and earned value with a portfolio of IT projects necessitates the implementation and adoption of standards processes to track and respond to any ‘red flags’ that may appear.”

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=153056

 

Enterprises need intelligent information infrastructure

“Compliance is not just a buzzword anymore; it has become a survival issue for the corporate world today. Almost all the corporate regulatory bodies, both in India and abroad have been emphasising to introduce mechanisms that will force the business houses to commit to better corporate governance.”

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=153055

 

Why the Big Four Are Still a Big Mystery

“Critics say the PCAOB's latest round of inspection reports are too vague and released one year too late to tell the public what kind of job the large audit firms are doing.”

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/8613018/c_8614028?f=alerts

 

Q&A: The PCAOB's Charles Niemeier

“For an article about what is and isn't shared in the PCAOB's inspections reports, particularly of the Big Four, board member Charles Niemeier responded to CFO.com's questions by E-mail. His remarks amount to a rare inside look at the oversight board's inspections process.”

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/8613247/c_8614028?f=alerts

 

Security and Risk Management

IT Pros Say They Can't Stop Data Breaches

“In the wake of widely publicized security compromises at AOL and AT&T, a study released Aug. 28 by the Elk Rapids, Mich.-based privacy management research company Ponemon Institute finds that only 37 percent of IT professionals believe their company is effective at detecting data breaches.”

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2010325,00.asp

[Thank you for sending this Kurt!]

 

Nuclear industry off the hook on air attacks

“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday that nuclear power plant operators should not be expected to stop terrorists from crashing an airliner into a reactor, saying that responsibility lies elsewhere.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16871664/

 

Spotting System Intrusions a Big Challenge for IT

“Protecting corporate systems against intruders isn’t easy. But detecting a breach that has actually happened can sometimes be even harder, IT managers and analysts said last week in the wake of the high-profile data compromise at The TJX Companies Inc.”

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=280953

 

Bankers Association Says Stolen Card Data Was Used in Purchases

“Credit and debit card numbers compromised in the security breach at TJX have been fraudulently used in at least three U.S. states and two foreign countries, according to a group that represents Massachusetts banks.   The Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA) said that as of last Wednesday, card numbers taken from TJX’s systems had been used to make fraudulent purchases in Georgia, Florida and Louisiana, as well as in Hong Kong and Sweden.”

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=280939&source=NLT_VVR&nlid=37

 

Healthcare / Bio-Informatics / Care Delivery Organizations (CDOs)

Webinar: Optimizing Health IT

This will be presented live on February 20, 2007 at 2:00pm Eastern and then available as an on-demand archive several days after

“Information technology’s (IT) use in healthcare is booming yet many hurdles are being encountered in regards to successful adoption and then ongoing support of these systems. Many healthcare organizations are rushing to implement technology to meet mandates but have challenges to address in terms of strategy, controls and processes. As a result, the outcomes of these organization’s IT investments are suboptimal and, in some cases, actively put patients and the healthcare provider at risk.”

http://www.complianceonline.com/ecommerce/control/trainingFocus?product_id=700297

[This is a $249 webinar that George will present.]

 

Technology to put patient info all together

“The technology introduced last week to an audience of legislators and health professionals will allow doctors to keep track of such information, Moffatt said. It will also reveal gaps between need and availability on the regional level and help the department get vaccines to providers who need it. By saving money through better care, the new technology will play a critical part in ‘bend(ing) the curve’ of rising health care costs in Vermont, Moffatt said.”

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070114/NEWS02/701140405/1003/NEWS02

 

Going Electric

“A $3 million grant from a health services corporation that specializes in electronic medical records (EMRs) will help New Haven area health providers go electronic. That will render those bulky records obsolete. Even more important, it will enable health providers to easily share patients’ medical records within an institution or with one across town.”

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/HealthCare/archives/2007/01/electronic_medi.html

 

Briefly noted

“Misys' Center for Community Health Leadership has presented Greater New Haven, CT with EHR software worth up to $3 million to help local health organizations build a data-sharing network. Intel and other technology companies will assist New Haven and future grant recipients in installing and operating their Misys-donated systems.”

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=399133

 

Free e-prescribing software on the web

“The coalition that's sponsoring this initiative includes, besides Allscripts and Dell, technology companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, Sprint, and Google, insurance companies Wellpoint, Aetna and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, and 13 multispecialty groups, integrated delivery systems, and academic medical centers.”

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=399128

 

"Compliance Perspectives from The New York Times Magazine Ethicist" Randy Cohen

Scoffing at the notion that physicians can truly make independent decisions if they are given gifts by pharmaceutical companies (if gifts do not impact decisions, then are pharmaceutical companies providing them simply because they are altruistic?), Cohen questions whether the character of individual physicians is really what is at the root of the problem.  Is the problem that individual physicians who allow gifts to impact decisions simply have poor character?”

http://www.juvanshealthlawupdate.com/2007/01/articles/ethics-and-policy/compliance-perspectives-from-the-new-york-times-magazine-ethicist-randy-cohen/

 

Human Error / Safety / Environment

World leaders urged to act on global warming study

“World governments should take heed of the most wide-ranging scientific assessment so far of a human link to global warming and agree prompt action to slow the trend, the chairman of a U.N. climate report said on Monday.   A draft of the report, due for release on Friday, projects a big rise in temperatures this century and warns of more heatwaves, floods, droughts and rising sea levels linked to greenhouse gases released mainly by burning of fossil fuels.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070129/sc_nm/globalwarming_dc_2

 

China admits to climate failings

“China is failing to make progress on improving and protecting the environment, according to a new Chinese government report.   The research ranks China among the world's worst nations - a position unchanged since 2004.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6306881.stm

 

Washington wakes up to global warming

“Now even George W. Bush says it's a problem.  For years, the president and his supporters argued that not enough was known about global warming to do anything about it. But during last week's State of the Union address Bush finally referred to global warming as an established fact.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070128/ap_on_sc/climate_change_an_update_4

 

Russia registers first bird flu outbreak of 2007

“An outbreak of bird flu has been registered in southern Russia, officials said Monday, and news reports said the cases involved the H5N1 strain that scientists are watching for fear it could mutate into a more deadly form.”

http://www.kyivpost.com/bn/25964/

 

Outsourcing / Globalization / International

Healthcare next big thing for China's VC

“On one hand, say experts, there is plenty of money available. On the other, too much concentration on the Internet drives up the valuation of a single deal.   Now, when VC companies search for new targets, firms involved with healthcare often attract their attention.”

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-01/29/content_795430.htm

 

The Cost of Keeping Up With China

“Comparisons between India and China are probably inevitable. The Asian neighbors both boast more than a billion citizens, and both enjoy giddy economic growth rates. Both are also touted as future superpowers, although China is a lot closer to that status than India. But the two nations are also very different: one's an autocratic one-party state; the other a flawed but functioning democracy.”

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1582183,00.html

 

Will India's economy be bigger than US by 2050?

“Based on the new, improved, growth projections, India's economy will be even bigger than that of the US before 2050 (in the first one, India's 2050 GDP would have been 80 per cent that of the US). The new report does not report the per capita income number (this would be influenced by inflation resulting from a higher GDP growth) but in the first report, in 2050, India would still have a per capita income, which is only a fifth that of the US.”

http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jan/29guest2.htm

 

China may achieve industrial economy by 2015: report

“A report by China's top scientific institutions says that China is likely to be transformed from an agricultural into an industrial economy by 2015.  By then, its social and economic indicators will reach the level of developed countries in 1960s, says China's Modernization Report 2007”

http://english.people.com.cn/200701/28/eng20070128_345510.html

 

Foreign publishers look beyond outsourcing to India

“With Indian authors winning Booker and Noble prize, Indian publishing is looked upon with respect. For foreign publishers India has dual potential i.E. Outsourcing as well as good market for their product, says Romanos.”

http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=86867

 

No slowdown in outsourcing spend for Infosys

“India's second-largest software exporter, expects spending on outsourcing to continue to rise in 2007 despite increasingly contained corporate technology budgets, its chief executive said.”

http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2007/107012902.asp

 

Economics / Business / Misc.

Meeting All the World's Tech Needs

“Indeed, the tendency for Western companies to sell technology targeted at the developing world will probably flourish in 2007. New statistics issued by market research group International Data Corp. illustrate just how important those countries are.”

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2007/tc20070129_396342.htm?chan=technology_special+report+--+eight+top+tech+trends+2007_eight+top+tech+trends+in+%2707

 

Scientist develops caffeinated doughnuts

“Bohannon, who owns Sips Coffee & Tea cafe in Durham, isn't selling the amped-up baked goods yet. He recently began seeking patents and shopping the products to companies including Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks Corp.”

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-01-26-buzz-doughnuts_x.htm

 

End Notes

Titles and links to articles written by George Spafford are listed at:  http://spaffordconsulting.com/articles.html

 

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Pepperweed Consulting, LLC, was founded by IT professionals who recognized a need for quality IT Management tools and specialists peaked in their implementation and use. Today, Pepperweed is nationally recognized for its unique ability to provide optimal infrastructure and process designs and to deliver on the promise of those designs through hands-on implementation of selected technologies. Recently listed as one of the Inc. 500 fastest growing, privately held companies, Pepperweed is one of the largest IT Management practices in the U.S.

 

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George Spafford Principal Consultant Pepperweed Consulting, LLC® Office:  269-556-9597 Mobile:  269-208-1832 FAX:  208-978-6295 George.Spafford@...

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