"I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think ” – Socartes

 

Top Picks

Calabrese’s Razor
Hal Pomeranz, of Deer Run Associates, has a very thought provoking write-up on a thought process he terms “Calabrese’s Razor” that can be used to determine what information security controls are significant.  This is a must read.
http://righteousit.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/calabreses-razor/

 

Five Leadership Lessons From Obama's First Month
“We can take a page from Obama's playbook and his Feb. 24 speech to Congress for tips on what to do and what not to do. His first month has been marked by some great foresight and a few misguided moves. Here are five key lessons from his first weeks in office.”
http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/25/obama-lessons-president-leadership-managing_ceo.html

 

Twin Crises Feed the Spiral
“U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke held out hope for an economic recovery by 2010 -- even as new signs emerged that the recession and financial crisis are feeding on each other in ways that worsen both.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123552193921864791.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

 

New ITPI Study - IT Governance Maturity Model
“Linking business value to projects and services is a foundational governance practice revealed in our latest study.  We tested the impact of 66 governance practices on 389 IT organizations in the US, UK, and Australia.  We stacked the high-impact practices in a three-tiered maturity model to help IT executives map out increasing levels of governance maturity.  Use the model to identify areas for improving the impact of governance efforts.  Key findings of the study include:

·         High maturity organizations focus governance efforts on agility and customer facing business initiatives more than lower maturity peers who focus more on cost and risk reduction.

·         High maturity organizations also score higher on measures that gauge business value-add in the areas of improved information management, business process efficiency, customers retention, and product enablement

·         40 of 66 practices test impact performance at a statistically significant level.

·         Just 9 of the governance practices studied predict more than 25% of the variation in performance.

Thanks to the sponsorship of Computer Associates, the report can be accessed at:  http://www.itpi.org/files/ITPI_IT_Governance_Model_Feb09.pdf
A summary of the study, along with other white papers, is at:  http://www.itpi.org/home/white_papers.php

 

Book and Product Recommendations

Amazon’s Kindle 2.0
I received my Kindle on February 26^th.  It’s sleek, easy to use and thinner than the business books I usually have crammed in my carry on bag and can charge from my notebook’s USB port.  Furthermore, the screen’s clarity and contrast is truly remarkable.  For me, the issue isn’t about cost savings – it’s about convenient access to new magazines and books in a very small form factor.  So my recommendation is especially aimed at travelers who want access to a library without carrying all the books.  I bought the two year warranty and leather case.  I can’t speak to the warranty but the case definitely will help protect the Kindle when it is in my computer bag.  I’ll post recommendations to books and such as I read them.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI?ie=UTF8&tag=georgespaffor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00154JDAI

 

IT Audit / Internal Audit / Compliance/Ethics

PCAOB Audit Chief Thomas Ray Steps Down
“Thomas Ray, chief auditor and professional-standards director of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, will step down March 6 to return to the private sector, according to the PCAOB.”
http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/13209813?f=alerts

 

IT Governance Institute Offers Guidance for Companies Adopting the ISO IT Governance Standard
“The recent IT governance standard released by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) marks the global recognition of the importance of IT governance, and is applicable to enterprises of all types and sizes.  To help organizations adopt ISO/IEC 38500: 2008—Corporate governance of information technology, the nonprofit, independent IT Governance Institute (ITGI) has released a free white paper, available at www.itgi.org. Titled ITGI Enables ISO/IEC 38500:2008 Adoption, the paper explains how ITGI frameworks and research provide implementation support that organizations can tailor to their specific needs.”
http://www.itgi.org/Template_ITGI.cfm?Section=Recent_Publications&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=47866

 

ITGI Global Survey—An Executive View of IT Governance
“ITGI recently surveyed more than 250 non-IT executives regarding IT’s contribution to their enterprises and how they govern IT. The full results are available in this free report.”
http://www.itgi.org/Template_ITGI.cfm?Section=ITGI&CONTENTID=47306&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm

 

IT Process Improvement / Quality Management

ITIL certification builds IT workers’ skills in economic downturn
“The news is full of failing companies and lost jobs, and the IT job market has not been spared the current economic recession. It is a worrisome time for everyone. We can view the recession's effects on the IT economy from two different perspectives: (1) that of employees, who fear losing jobs and worry about having the right skills, and (2) that of employers, which need to improve operating effectiveness and efficiency. While separate, these views are not mutually exclusive. Continuing education and the pursuit of IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) certifications can benefit both groups in terms of building IT skills and improving IT operational efficiency.”
http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid80_gci1347732,00.html#

 

ITSM Academy Blogs
The instructors at ITSM Academy are blogging about a number of topics around ITSM.  One blog is called the ITSM Professor and the other is Jayne Explains, where Jayne Groll gets a chance to air her views.
http://www.itsmacademy.com/Page.bok?file=blogs.html

 

Kurt’s Corner

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

 

I think I have “Cloudigo” – a serious but not life threatening condition similar to vertigo, that is caused by reading too many definitive statements about cloud computing.  I think it started when I heard Nicholas Carr present his new book at a conference this week.  Seems like everyone is talking about the cloud.  I’m not sure they are saying anything, however.  It’s time for a release of the cloud edition of buzz-word bingo! It’s especially confusing when things we have known and used for years, like yahoo mail or gmail – are now part of “the cloud”.

Seeing through the cloud with Howard Ruben
Ideas on his developing theory on applying the concept of the commons—a piece of land for which certain rights, like grazing, are granted to people other than the owner—to solve some of today’s computing challenges.
http://www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Foreward/Seeing-Through-the-Cloud/?kc=CIOQUICKNL02242009FEA1

 

Taking steps to clarify cloud governance
Cloud computing begets good IT governance; a focus on IT governance leads you to the cloud. OK.
http://www.sdtimes.com/link/33287

 

Latest from VMWare on cloud offering
VMwarereleased key pieces of an ambitious new product that's designed to help companies more efficiently juggle complex computing tasks. Dubbed the Virtual Data Center Operating System (VDC-OS), the software creates a bank of computers, storage devices, and networking equipment that a company can tap at will, as computing needs arise—say, during a December spike in Web traffic for an online retailer.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2009/tc20090224_743328.htm

 

Off topic – Benchmarking
A nice summary on how benchmarking fits into continuous process improvement
http://finance.isixsigma.com/library/content/c060208a.asp

 

Data Centers / Cloud Computing / Green IT

Green Issues No Longer Dominate as Data Centers Need to Reduce Costs
“A survey of registered attendees at this year’s Data Centre World in the United Kingdom suggested only one in eight data center managers cited green issues as their primary reason for establishing energy saving strategies. The previous year one in three attendees suggested green issues were fueling there energy efficiency drives.”
http://hostsearch.com/news/data_centre_world_news_8340.asp

 

Effort to Establish Open, Green Standard for Universal Power Gains Momentum
“A San Ramon, California-based group that aims to spread more efficient power-charging systems announced this month that industry momentum is building for an open, green standard for universal power.  Officials at Green Plug, a private organization, say companies such as Ricoh, SimpleTech, Pacific Gas & Electric and the Natural Resources Defense Council are among those joining their ranks – and that they’ve built a Web tool to capture words of support.”
http://asterisk.tmcnet.com/topics/open-source/articles/51323-effort-establish-open-green-standard-universal-power-gains.htm

 

Security and Risk Management

Obama budget eyes boost to cybersecurity funds
“The budget proposed by President Barack Obama includes substantial funding aimed at improving the security of U.S. private and public computer networks, fueling a growing market for U.S. defense and information technology contractors”
http://uk.reuters.com/article/americasIpoNews/idUKN2625557720090226

 

Banks, Credit Card Firms Wait For The Other Shoe To Drop Amid Reports Of Another Payment Processor Breach
“As of this posting, the victim firm's identity had not been revealed. According to several credit unions, Visa recently alerted them that another payment processor had discovered a data breach. Among the credit unions issuing alerts about the breach on their Websites are The Tuscaloosa VA Federal Credit Union and the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association. The Open Security Foundation has a notice posted on its DataLossDB site.”
http://www.darkreading.com/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=214502489&cid=nl_DR_DAILY_T

[Thank you for sending this in Kurt!]

 

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

Americans welcome healthcare reform
“Americans greeted President Barack Obama's pledge to reform healthcare with enthusiasm tinged by scepticism on Wednesday, saying changes in the country's expensive and often inaccessible health system are overdue -- but hard to achieve.”
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE51O5CQ20090225

 

No time to waste on COBRA subsidy
“Not surprisingly, questions remain -- and will continue -- on the decision to subsidize COBRA health insurance benefits for some people who recently lost their jobs, and with it, their health coverage. This element of the recently enacted stimulus bill offers eligible individuals a 65% reduction in their premiums for up to nine months.”
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-yourmoney2-2009mar02,0,882065.story

 

A national healthcare reform primer
“On Thursday, Obama's push to expand healthcare coverage began in earnest, with the announcement of his plan to create a $634-billion fund to do just that. The amount was described as a down payment over 10 years; the final price tag would be even larger, perhaps $2 trillion or more.”
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-healthreform2-2009mar02,0,1696038.story

 

Human Error / Safety / Environment

NASA Investigates Failed Global Warming Sat Launch
“Engineers believe the housing on the $280 million dollar global warming satellite failed to break-away during launch. The clam-like covering is designed to protect the equipment from atmospheric drag until the booster reaches space.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29386882/

 

Turkish airline accused over plane repairs
“Turkish Airlines was accused a week before one of its aircraft was involved in a deadly crash near Amsterdam of ‘inviting disaster’ by ignoring aircraft maintenance, it emerged Thursday.”
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/26/turkish.airline.crash/index.html

 

Jet had repairs days before crash
“The Turkish Airlines plane which crashed into a field near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport had had repairs for a system malfunction two days earlier.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7914471.stm

 

Scientist: Global Warming Evidence, Claims Exaggerated
“Claims about the allegedly dire effects of global warming may be exaggerated, Patrick Michaels, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, said during a Thursday lecture at the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,500327,00.html

 

Risks of Global Warming Rising: Is It Too Late to Reverse Course?
“The risk of catastrophic climate change is getting worse, according to a new study from scientists involved with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Threats—ranging from the destruction of coral reefs to more extreme weather events like hurricanes, droughts and floods—are becoming more likely at the temperature change already underway: as little as 1.8 degree Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) of warming in global average temperatures.”
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=risks-of-global-warming-rising

 

Global News / Business / Economics

Outlook on China: peaceful partner or warmonger?
“Given the severity of the financial crisis, China will be entering a stressful and possibly turbulent period. America must be careful not to adopt policies that risk making the history of great power conflict come to fruition.  One fear is that as China's military strength grows, Beijing may pursue more aggressive geopolitical strategies in the South China Sea, one of the largest and most heavily trafficked shipping routes in the world.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0226/p09s01-coop.html

 

Hey Washington - it's a global crisis
“Listening to United States President Barack Obama's speech to the joint Houses of Congress this week, I kept asking myself what happened to the global  economy   What happened to the globalization that has been such an important part of our economic growth in the past 20 years? What happened to American leadership? The president was inwardly focused at a time when that orientation most likely will not solve our economic problems.”
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/KB27Dj02.html

 

As Japan's exports cave, eyes turn to China
“Asia's economic downturn has reached new depths, with a collapse in Japanese exports casting fresh doubt on China's ability to stave off recession.  Japan, the world's second-largest economy after the United States, was already in full-blown recession before its January exports tumbled 45.7 per cent from the same month last year, according to figures released earlier this week by Japan's Ministry of Finance.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090226.IBTRADE26/TPStory/Business

 

China's banking system stable amid global crisis: regulator
“The global economic crisis has had little impact on China's banking system, which remains sound and stable, the nation's banking regulator said Thursday.  ‘The financial crisis has had a limited impact on the Chinese banking system and the risks are under control,’ China Banking Regulatory Commission chairman Liu Mingkang told a briefing in Beijing.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gOFOPwn6HKslGZHCo1zR2f2xt4Tw

 

US News / Business / Economics

General Motors posts $9.6 billion quarterly loss
“General Motors Corp. posted a $9.6 billion fourth-quarter loss and said it burned through $6.2 billion of cash in the last three months of 2008 as it fought the worst U.S. auto sales climate since 1982 and sought government loans to keep the century-old company running.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29405227/

 

Obama begins getting daily CIA report on economic crisis
“President Obama and senior administration officials have begun receiving a daily CIA report on the global economic crisis in addition to briefings on terrorist threats and other national security issues, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta said Wednesday.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cia26-2009feb26,0,6012124.story

 

Ford reaches deal with UAW on retiree healthcare
“In a deal that could set the pace for the entire auto industry, Ford Motor Co. and the United Auto Workers union came to terms over reducing billions of dollars in payments due a trust for retiree healthcare coverage.  In related news, financier Steven Rattner will become an advisor to the Treasury Department and join the Obama administration's panel overseeing the auto bailout.”
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-fi-uaw-ford24-2009feb24,0,3529818.story

 

Bernanke's monetary policy testimony to U.S. Senate
“The following is the full text of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's monetary policy testimony delivered in Washington Tuesday before the Senate Banking Commerce:”
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE51N3L320090224

 

Jobless claims spike to 26-year high
“The number of Americans filing initial claims for unemployment insurance spiked, and those living on unemployment benefits hit a record high, according to a government report released Thursday.  For the week ended Feb. 21, 667,000 Americans filed initial jobless claims, up 36,000 from a revised 631,000 the previous week. That's the highest figure since October 1982.”
http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/26/news/economy/jobless_claims/index.htm?postversion=2009022608

 

U.S. economy shrank at faster rate in fourth quarter
“The U.S. economy contracted at its sharpest rate since early 1982 in the fourth quarter, revised data showed on Friday, as exports plunged and consumers cut spending by the most in more than 28 years.”
http://uk.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUKTRE51Q2XK20090227

 

How Much Green Does The Stimulus Act Have For Computing?
Kevin Frguson reviews the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to determine what funding may exist for computing initiatives.
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/02/how_much_green.html

The Act itself can be accessed at:  http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h1enr.pdf 

 

Technology & Science

Cost-Justifying the Kindle 2
“This got me thinking: What exactly would be the likely return on investment for a Kindle 2? I did the math to find out.”
http://www.pcworld.com/article/159926/costjustifying_the_kindle_2.html

[I just received my Kindle 2 on Wednesday (2/25) and am tinkering with it.  My first thought is that I will spend far more than I will save.  I’m essentially paying for the convenience of instant gratification.]

 

Galaxy may be full of 'Earths,' alien life
“There may be 100 billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way, or one for every sun-type star in the galaxy, said Alan Boss, an astronomer with the Carnegie Institution and author of the new book ‘The Crowded Universe: The Search for Living Planets.’”
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/02/25/galaxy.planets.kepler/index.html

 

VMware Adds To Data Center Operating System
“VMware Tuesday unleashed new virtualization products before the 4,400 attendees of its user group meeting in Europe. Products such as vCenter Server Heartbeat and vShield bring it closer to supplying the data center operating system via its virtual machine management capabilities.”
http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/virtualization/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=214502822&subSection=News

 

Windows 7 Gets Pre-Release Makeover
“Included in the changes, which number three dozen, is a new keyboard shortcut that allows the user to launch an application simply by pressing the Windows logo key in combination with a number that corresponds to the apps' order in the Quick Launch menu. For example, if an application is listed fourth in Quick Launch, it could be opened by pressing the Windows key in convert with the number 4 key”
http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=215400011&subSection=News

 

Wind power helps ski resort during recession
“In fall 2007, the $4 million project was complete. The turbine is nicknamed Zephyr, after the Greek god of the west wind. And Zephyr isn't afraid to make its presence known.  The tower is more than 250 feet tall. The hub adds 10 feet, and the blades extend an additional 123 feet, creating a 386-foot green machine.”
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/27/ski.wind.turbine/index.html

 

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.

Titles and links to articles written by me are listed at:  http://spaffordconsulting.com/articles.html and if you have news or feedback you’d like to share, please send an email to george.spafford@....

To subscribe, please send an email to:  SGC_Daily_News-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe, please send an email to:   SGC_Daily_News-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
The RSS feed is at:  http://rss.groups.yahoo.com/group/SGC_Daily_News/rss

Archives of The News newsletter are available at http://www.spaffordconsulting.com/dailynews.html .

 

_____________________________________________

George Spafford
Principal Consultant
ITIL Service Manager, TOCICO Jonah, IPRC, CISA
Pepperweed Consulting, LLC®
Office:  269-556-9597
Mobile:  269-208-1832
FAX:  208-978-6295
George.Spafford@...