‘Virtualisation’ has been growing in popularity, particularly since the end of 2006, as a form of infrastructure technology that can be used to consolidate the hardware resources of a business. But what exactly is it? Put simply, ‘virtualisation’ means either ‘partitioning’ a single physical resource (such as a server, operating system or application) to make…
Read More… from Virtually Unlicensed: The Problem with Virtualisation
These days software supply options abound, but by far the most common choice remains an ‘off-the-shelf’ package with its take-it-or-leave-it licence. But before you accept those standard terms and conditions, have you ever stopped to wonder what the small print might actually mean? Defining terms First we need to be clear about what we mean…
From Anna Cook, Partner, Wedlake Bell: www.wedlakebell.com I think that the suppliers of outsourced services are gaining confidence and they are being less flexible in the provision of services. Also, services are becoming more commoditised. In turn, this is giving rise to simpler contracts. Customers are also seeking to negotiate shorter term contracts and more…
I don’t like the taste of straight vodka, however expensive. This can be a social obstacle while working in Russia, I’ve found. But apart from one’s particular taste in alcohol, I’ve found that there’s much to recommend outsourcing one’s software development there. The country is loaded with brainy, entrepreneurially-minded engineers who yearn for bigger and…
Read More… from Russian Software Development: A Personal View
From Roger Bickerstaff, Partner at Bird & Bird and SCL Trustee: www.twobirds.com 1. I predict an increasing focus on open source software in the business applications environment for major corporate users – not for cost or ideological reasons – but more for vendor independence reasons. Open source gives major corporate users an opportunity to develop…
You can access the predictions of the first dozen ‘early-bird’ contributors here. The second set of predictions, Second Guesses, is here. The third set is here. For the fourth set, click here. …
Questions relating to the presentations at the SCL Half-day Seminar on China (Webinar course code HW/SFCL5 part of the SCL online CPD scheme – 3 hours)…
Over a period of 12 months, the FSA has been carrying out a review of financial promotions on the Internet, focusing on 130 Web sites. It has concerns arising from the Internet’s ‘immediacy and ability to link online advertising to online direct sales it potentially presents a high risk to consumers’. The aim was to…
Read More… from FSA and Web Promotions of Financial Services
The loss of CDs containing the personal information of 25M UK citizens has rightly caused an out-pouring of ‘Shame on you’ on HMRC and prompted questions like ‘How could you let this happen?’ The real question that the British people should be asking though is this: ‘Who else has lost my data that I haven’t…
The Olswang Convergence Consumer Survey 2007 is an online survey of 1,793 GB consumers, aged 13 to 55. What follows is an edited version of its Executive Summary and a link to the full survey appears below. Currently in its third year, the annual survey was conducted for Olswang by international polling agency YouGov Plc,…