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" The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same problem you had last year.” – John Foster Dulles

 

The Picks of the Day

31 Days Lost Each Year Putting Out IT Fires

“Business managers in the United Kingdom lose 31 working days—more than 10 percent of the year—putting out fires that result from bad management of IT systems, according to a study released June 4 by Partners in IT, a U.K.-based service management company.”

http://www.careers.eweek.com/article/31+Days+Lost+Each+Year+Putting+Out+IT+Fires/209472_1.aspx?kc=EWKNLCSM061907STR1

[Thanks Gene!]

 

Project Manager Planet

Jupitermedia has launched a new website on project management.

http://www.projectmanagerplanet.com   

 

Global Warming: How Do Scientists Know They’re Not Wrong?

“From catastrophic sea level rise to jarring changes in local weather, humanity faces a potentially dangerous threat from the changes our own pollution has wrought on Earth’s climate. But since nothing in science can ever be proven with 100 percent certainty, how is it that scientists can be so sure that we are the cause of global warming?”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070716/sc_livescience/globalwarminghowdoscientistsknowtheyrenotwrong

 

IT Audit / Internal Audit

IT Compliance Institute

The ITCI is a great source for news and resources on compliance issues.  Dan Swanson’s audit checklist on governance plus many other nuggets are available there.

http://www.itcinstitute.com/

 

PCAOB, Aussies Link Up on Audit Probes

“The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission both signed on to a protocol statement aimed at boosting cooperation in overseeing auditors and public accounting firms that practice in the two regulators’ jurisdictions”

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/9498348/c_9499054?f=alerts

 

IT Process Improvement / Quality Management

Making the Right Decisions

“It is a common scenario for applications to be purchased without first undergoing proper requirements definition only to find out later that they were the wrong choice. Instead of rushing to buy, the business and IT need to work together to understand what is needed and then make the correct decisions.”

http://www.projectmanagerplanet.com/tools/article.php/3688871

 

From Software to System to Service

“For programmers, the software development lifecycle (SDLC) spells out the organization’s standards surrounding the creation and maintenance of applications.  The system development lifecycle took the application creation concept a step further to include the combination of software and hardware. The typical system development lifecycle covers matters such as requirements definition, development practices, testing, deployment, etc.   While all of these are good, the problem is they follow the traditional hardware and software orientation. Instead, we need to think about IT Service Management (ITSM) and the services we are provisioning to the business. Instead of a system development lifecycle, we need to be focusing on the service development lifecycle.”

http://www.itsmwatch.com/itil/article.php/3688261

 

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Sarbanes-Oxley takes blame for America’s corporate ills

“Larry Ribstein, a law professor at the University of Illinois, wears his hate for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 on his sleeve. On his blog he sells a T-shirt featuring a clothes line clipped with two socks, one labeled Sarbanes, the other Oxley, with the caption ‘Hanging business out to dry.’”

http://www.financialnews-us.com/?page=ushome&contentid=2348324266

 

Security and Risk Management

Study: 90% of companies fail compliance

“Clear link between better controls and fewer data loss incidents”

http://www.computerworlduk.com/management/security/cybercrime/news/index.cfm?newsid=4044

 

Rapid Deployment Teams:  Bringing Structure to Crisis

New DHS article on the need for rapid response teams to assess and manage during a crisis.

http://www.homelanddefensejournal.com/e-newsletter/2007/Jun07_RapidDeploymentTeams.pdf

 

GAO: Few Serious Data Breaches

“A study by a congressional agency finds that breaches of sensitive personal information are frequent across industries, but few examined cases resulted in identity theft. Consequently, Congress should consider a risk-based approach if it mandates consumer notification of data breaches, according to the report from the Government Accountability Office.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=15438

 

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

Michigan Funds HIE Efforts

“The Michigan state government has awarded more than $4.5 million in grant funds to support regional health information exchange initiatives across the state.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=15425

 

Advisors to HHS: Expand Privacy Rule

“An advisory body to the Department of Health and Human Services is calling for quick action to expand the scope of health care-related entities covered under the HIPAA privacy rule.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=15441

 

Where in the world is Google Health?

“Up to now, Google Health has used its mighty search engine to rank the popularity of health-related websites in discrete categories, such as cardiac arrhythmia or dry eye. But the blogosphere is alive with rumors that Google's health-care plans extend far beyond that to include the development of a new kind of personal health record (PHR).”

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=440180

 

Minnesota mandates all-electronic claims

“Minnesota has become the first state to require that all health-care providers and all payers file claims electronically. Starting in 2009, every physician office in Minnesota, including the smallest ones, will have a choice of using a practice management system, hiring a billing service, or filing claims on the Web portals now offered by the state Medicaid agency and some private payers.”

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=440178

 

Human Error / Safety / Environment

Japanese nuke plant leaked after earthquake

“A strong earthquake struck northwestern Japan on Monday, causing a radioactive water leak and fire at one of the world's most powerful nuclear power plants and turning buildings into piles of lumber. At least eight people were killed and hundreds injured.”

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/07/16/japan.quake.ap/index.html

 

Officials: More leaks at nuclear plant after quake

“Officials at the world's biggest nuclear power plant acknowledged Tuesday there had been more radiation leaks after an earthquake in Japan that killed nine people and forced thousands from their homes.”

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/07/17/japan.quake.reut/index.html

 

Outsourcing / Globalization / International

How Sweet The Recovery

“July marked the ten year anniversary of the onset of the Asian currency crisis. A decade down the road, the frontline crisis nations – Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines – appear to be flush with health. Asian Development Bank (ADB) president Haruhiko Kuroda endorsed this view at a speech commemorating the onset in Manila.”

http://www.cfoasia.com/archives/200707-04a.htm

 

Smoke and Mirrors

“So what is China’s real environmental policy? Is it the policy of the central government, which vows to make dramatic changes? Or is it the policy of the local governments – a group so pro-business in Jiangsu province, at least, that it could jail and beat a peaceful environmental activist, and keep him in prison even after events proved he was not an alarmist?  The answer, experts say, is both.”

http://www.cfoasia.com/archives/200707-02.htm

 

Will Outsourcing Fly?

“Why has the Asian outsourcing market been so sluggish? Fundamentally, say both outsourcers and CFOs, it’s harder to build a convincing business case here. These days, most – but not all – of the service providers’ back office facilities are in Asia, to take advantage of cheap skilled labor. But most Asian companies already have finance employees working in low-cost environments.”

http://www.cfoasia.com/archives/200707-01.htm

 

Economics / Business / Misc.

Poll: Americans Recognize Growth Abroad

“The survey of 1,030 U.S. investors showed that just 38 percent of Americans believe the United States will be the leading economic power in the next 10 years. Forty-five percent said China would take that role, with less than 5 percent of investors believing India, Russia or Germany would become the global economic leader.”

http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewContent.act?clipid=15788785&mode=cnc&tag=3.5721%3Ficx_id%3DD8QE4J080

 

Report: Demand to Outpace Crude Supplies

“Conventional crude oil supplies won't keep up with growing global demand in the next 25 years and other fuels from ethanol to liquefied coal and oil from tar sands will be needed to close the gap, says a draft oil industry report.”

http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewContent.act?clipid=15788786&mode=cnc&tag=3.5721%3Ficx_id%3DD8QE1M1G0

 

End Notes

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

 

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_____________________________________________

George Spafford
Principal Consultant
ITIL Service Manager, IPRC, CISA

Pepperweed Consulting, LLC®
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