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.

 

"You can’t make anything idiot-proof because idiots are so ingenious.” -- Ron Burns

[Kicking off today’s near-April Fool’s Day issue which may, or may nor, contain a couple of jokes.]]

 

The Picks of the Day

TJX data breach: At 45.6M card numbers, it's the biggest ever

“After more than two months of refusing to reveal the size and scope of its data breach, TJX Companies Inc. is finally offering more details about the extent of the compromise.  In filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, the company said 45.6 million credit and debit card numbers were stolen from one of its systems over a period of more than 18 months by an unknown number of intruders.”

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9014782

 

TJX faces suit from shareholder

“The shareholder filed the lawsuit in Delaware's Court of Chancery Monday afternoon under a law permitting shareholders to sue for access to corporate documents in certain cases, The Associated Press reported. The pension fund wants the records to see whether TJX's board has been doing its job in overseeing the company's handling of customer data, the news agency said.”

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1248288,00.html

 

One Day Seminar in Bangalore:  Risk Management, Control Design & Processes

May 21, 2007

“Organizations are under a lot of pressure to attain goals set forth by their various stakeholders. To this end, IT must grapple not only with advancing productivity but with the safeguarding of value as well. To accomplish this effectively and efficiently requires a review of how the business and IT interact plus how IT operates. This class will provide an overview of some of the considerations that organizations must take into account.“

http://www.complianceonline.com/images/alert/event/bangalore_event_may/bangalore_event_web/event.htm

 

Google TiSP

It’s April 2^nd and that’s close enough to April Fools Day for me J

http://www.google.com/tisp/

 

IT Audit / Internal Audit

Dell Finds Accounting Errors, Misconduct

“Dell Computer has announced it has identified several accounting errors, evidence of misconduct, and deficiencies in its financial-control environment. The struggling personal-computer maker stressed in a regulatory filing that its audit committee is working with management and its independent auditors to determine whether the accounting errors require any restatements of prior financial reports, and to assess whether the control deficiencies constitute a material weakness in Dell's internal control over financial reporting.”

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/8947718/c_8949277?f=alerts

 

The thief at the next desk

“If you want to keep your business from being a victim of fraud, it helps to think like a crook.  And if you aren't worried because you trust everyone you work with, think again.  Those words of experience come from Jeff Matthews, forensic and investigative services director at Grant Thornton LLP in Dallas.”

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/chall/stories/DN-Hall_01bus.ART.State.Edition1.379424e.html

 

IT Process Improvement / Quality Management

Webinar:  Aligning Via IT Service Management

April 12, 2007 - 2:00pm EDT, 11:00am PDT

IT Service Management (ITSM) stresses alignment with an organization's goals by focusing on services that meet business requirements. Ensuring that this happens is the goal of Service Level Management (SLM), the monitoring and management of key performance metrics and the bedrock of any Quality of Service framework. This webcast will provide an overview of ITIL, discuss how ITIL represents a quality management approach and will show why SLM is important.

 For more information and to sign up today visit http://cp.jupiterweb.com/index.php/3526_default/

 

IT Project Managers – No, Project LEADERS

A free web seminar offered  by the U. S. National Defense University's  Information Resources Management College, April 11, 2007, at 11:00 EDT.

This webinar examines the importance of distinguishing between IT Project Management and IT Project LEADERSHIP.  Is one simply “born to the purple”  – or can leadership be learned (and taught)? We’ll look at what important research says about a process for developing specific leadership skills and how these skills can be applied in the different context of an IT Project.

http://www.ndu.edu/irmc/news_webinars.htm

 

Whitepaper: Creating a Culture of Change Management

“Companies that successfully embrace such a culture of change management spend less than five percent of IT time on unplanned work (also known as firefighting), experience a low number of "emergency" changes, and successfully implement desired changes more than 99 percent of the time.”

http://cp.jupiterweb.com/index.php/3466_creating/f6b43f7439c13d42ce47c70c7d2f2215?js=1

 

IDC Whitepaper: Infrastructure Integrity and Change Auditing

“This paper outlines the nature of infrastructure integrity and change auditing solutions and describes how investment in change auditing technologies can stabilize IT operations, lowering the operational costs associated with IT infrastructure and providing a solid foundation that increases the effectiveness of investments in information security.”

http://cp.jupiterweb.com/index.php/3466_IDC

 

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

IT shops take compliance seriously

“Although IT managers are already stretched to their limits, they are faced with the growing responsibility for regulatory compliance. Government regulations evolving over the last few years are firmly in place today, and it has fallen to the IT managers and those in the trenches to make sure safeguards are in place so that corporate data is protected.  Two regulations in particular, Sarbanes-Oxley and the Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standard are garnering the most attention in IT shops.”

http://searchwinit.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid1_gci1249788,00.html

 

Rules assist industry with compliance under anti-money laundering laws

“The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) has finalised a series of Rules which will provide businesses with greater certainty to assist them to comply with anti-money laundering laws.  Developed following consultation with industry, the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner and the Attorney-General's Department, the Rules set out the requirements with which industry must comply under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act). This includes requirements for customer identification and verification procedures, and anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) programs.”

http://www.cch.com.au/fe_news.asp?document_id=87842&feed_id=0&e=1&s=5

 

Security and Risk Management

JupiterWeb eBook: Getting Disaster Recovery Right

“Preparing for a disaster is more often than not part of the storage planning process, and without question it is one of the most difficult task, since it includes local hardware and software, networking equipment, and a test plan to ensure that you can recover from the disaster. Download this free guide from JupiterWeb and learn how to put your organization on the proper disaster recovery plan, now.”

http://cp.jupiterweb.com/index.php/2841_default/f6b43f7439c13d42ce47c70c7d2f2215?js=1

 

The feds weigh in on Windows security

“The President's Office of Management and Budget recently sent out a directive to federal chief information officers to secure their Windows PCs. In what some said could have ripple effects well beyond Washington, the White House sent out a memorandum on March 22 that instructed all federal agencies (PDF) to adopt standard security configurations for Windows XP and Windows Vista by February 1.”

http://news.com.com/The+feds+weigh+in+on+Windows+security/2100-7348_3-6172158.html?tag=html.alert

 

Nuclear Security Agency Loses More Computers

“Less than three months after the Department of Energy fired Linton Brooks, then head of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), because of security lapses, the agency is once again in the ‘oops we lost it’ spotlight. This time the loss is 20 desktop computers containing information on nuclear weapons; at least 14 contained classified information.”

http://uspolitics.about.com/b/a/208058.htm

 

Who's guarding your data in the cybervault?

“Despite ChoicePoint's makeover, there's rising concern among privacy experts and legislators about the frenetic business of assembling and distributing personal data. Everyone, it seems, wants Social Security numbers, birth dates, maiden names, criminal records, civil judgments and real estate records.”

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/infotheft/2007-04-01-choicepoint_N.htm

 

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

Survey: Medical Data Privacy a Concern

“Half of consumer respondents to a recent Harris Interactive poll say patients have lost control over how their medical records are used by organizations such as life insurance companies, employers and government health agencies.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=14913

 

Bills Mandate Electronic Eligibility

“Legislation pending in the Ohio General Assembly would require third-party health payers to offer comprehensive insurance eligibility/benefit determination information to providers electronically. Under the legislation, third-party payers are defined as health insurers, third-party administrators, preferred provider organizations and any other entity whose primary business is contracting with health care providers for the delivery of care.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=14923

 

Leavitt Pushes Sharing Research Data

“Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt in a speech on March 23 pitched the Bush administration’s proposal for an electronic ‘network of networks’ to ease researchers’ access to each other’s data.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=14912

 

Medical site is on a mission to set records

“Practice Fusion Inc., a San Francisco startup, offers systems to put medical records in digital files, a move experts say is one of the keys to controlling health care costs.  Electronic medical records systems generally cost doctors upward of $20,000 to install. But Practice Fusion offers the service at a price that's hard to beat -- free.”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/16/BUG9OOM1FJ1.DTL&feed=rss.business

 

Nonprofit to help 'safety net' providers computerize records

“The estimated cost of implementing electronic health records systems throughout the U.S. is $50 billion. While hospitals can finance the costs by selling bonds and private practices can take out loans, community health care clinics that serve uninsured patients have fewer resources.   That's where the Colorado Health Foundation hopes to make a difference.”

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/health_care/article/0,2808,DRMN_25396_5427494,00.html

 

MO HealthNet gets a boost

“Restructuring the state’s Medicaid program and getting an oil change seem an unlikely fit. But for Gov. Matt Blunt, the way a company keeps track of a car’s condition could provide insight on how to gauge a person’s health.”

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2007/Mar/20070320News008.asp

 

Livingston network receives grant

“Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield has awarded a $100,000 grant to help Genesee Valley Health Partnership Inc. set up a Livingston County electronic health information network.”

http://www.rbj.net/fullarticle.cfm?sdid=65452

 

Human Error / Safety / Environment

Apiarists buzzing about soaring rate of honeybee deaths

“Honeybees in southwestern Ontario have been dropping like flies this winter -- potentially threatening honey production and some of the estimated $5-billion in fruit and other crops across Canada that depend on the insects for pollination.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070402.BEES02/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/

[Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)  is in the US and bee keepers are worred.  Bees are fundamental to crops requiring pollination so a decline will adversely affect crop yields thus prices.]

http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2007/04/02/perry_news/news983.txt

http://www.sun-herald.com/Newsstory.cfm?pubdate=040107&story=tp1ch4.htm&folder=NewsArchive2

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2007/04/02/news/state/state03.txt

 

Global warming already dire for hundreds of species

“From the micro to the macro, from plankton in the oceans to polar bears in the far north and seals in the far south, global warming has begun changing life on Earth, international scientists will report next Friday.”

http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/321805,CST-NWS-warm01.article

 

UN: Poor nations unprepared for global warming

“The world's richest countries, which have contributed by far the most to the atmospheric changes linked to global warming, are already spending billions of dollars to limit their own risks from its worst consequences, like drought and rising seas.  But despite longstanding treaty commitments to help poor countries deal with warming, these industrial powers are spending just tens of millions of dollars on ways to limit climate and coastal hazards in the world's most vulnerable regions -- most of them close to the equator and overwhelmingly poor.”

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2007/04/01/un_poor_nations_unprepared_for_global_warming/

 

Unapproved drugs spark life-and-death debate

“Every day, patients with life-threatening illnesses run out of FDA-approved treatments. In desperation, some seek drugs that have not yet been approved by the agency and, in some cases, have not even been widely tested. These patients argue they have nothing to lose and are willing to risk taking even a little-studied drug that offers a glimmer of hope.  But FDA officials, as well as many doctors, are concerned that even terminal patients are as likely to be harmed as helped by such drugs.”

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-02-unapproved-drugs_N.htm

 

Outsourcing / Globalization / International

Project watch - Chinese outsourcing on the rise

“While the largest of the Chinese offshore suppliers have posted remarkable growth numbers recently, their efforts on the whole have been overshadowed by the bigger outsourcers that lie to the south, in India. Here the top suppliers have enjoyed an earlier start in the global outsourcing market and a larger geographic reach in terms of both operations and customers.  Chinese firms, on the other hand, are still mostly working on the lower end of the services ladder - basic applications, software testing and some R&D - mostly for multinational companies' Chinese operations, not their wider IT concerns.”

http://www.cbronline.com/article_cbr.asp?guid=ED23811B-B0B2-465B-BD99-78AD9C0A889E

 

Rising wages, skills shortage threaten India's booming IT industry

“Rising wages and a shortage of skilled workers threaten to blunt the competitive edge of India's flagship 48-billion-dollar information technology industry, experts said.  Rivals such as China and the Philippines are set to challenge India's dominance, which is also being eroded by IT employees jumping jobs for higher pay, a rising rupee and deficient infrastructure such as telecom connectivity, roads and ports.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070402/bs_afp/indiatechnologyitemployment_070402031837

 

GlaxoSmithKline signs outsourcing deal with TCS

“GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Britain's largest drug company, has signed an outsourcing deal with India's Tata Consulting Services to establish a drug development support facility in Mumbai.  A company statement said that under the terms of the deal, TCS will support GSK's global clinical research and development programme by providing outsourced data management and medical trial reporting services. “

http://in.news.yahoo.com/070402/43/6e1zg.html

 

Economics / Business / Misc.

Michael Oxley's Next Act

“Now the former Ohio congressman is working to win over business as NASDAQ's nonexecutive vice-chairman. He'll work with CEO Robert Greifeld and will try to entice companies to list on the exchange. I caught up with Oxley to talk about SarbOx, private equity, and American competitiveness.”

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_15/b4029107.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index

 

 

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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