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  • Big data - Part 2

    A second technology making a significant impact on solving Big Data problems is in-memory computing, which takes workloads that were traditionally resident on disk-based storage and moves them into main memory. This delivers a performance improvement many times above that which has been possible previously.

    Written by Brad Howarth • 20 Sept. 11 10:12

  • Big data - Part 1

    According to IDC’s Digital Universe report the data created globally on an annual basis will leap from 1.2 zettabytes this year to 35 zettabytes in 2020 (one zettabyte is equal to one billion terabytes).

    Written by Brad Howarth • 19 Sept. 11 10:12
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    PostgreSQL devs lift open source database to enterprise heights

    The release of the first beta of version 9.1 of the open source PostgreSQL database has opened a new era in enterprise-class reliability and data integrity that can compete with the big names, say its developers.

    Written by Rodney Gedda • 06 May 11 15:20

  • Smart grids set to revolutionise energy companies - Part 3

    Adding new layers for both improved communications and business-focused data analysis may add pressure to already pressured CIOs, but information executives aren’t the only ones staring down organisational change as a result of the industry’s new information-driven dynamics.

    Written by David Braue • 04 May 11 09:33

  • Smart grids set to revolutionise energy companies - Part 2

    Smart meters have a way to go. The recent 2010 Australian Smart Grid Study, a survey of 13 Australian utilities by sector consultancy Logica, showed an average self-reported maturity rating of just 2.14 on a scale of 1 to 5, and communications networks to support them rated 2.80.

    Written by David Braue • 03 May 11 10:29
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    Smart grids set to revolutionise energy companies - Part 1

    Like any entrepreneur, Andrew Dyer is excited about the possibilities for his clean-energy venture, BrightSource Energy. The company, of which he is a director, is this year partnering with energy giant Chevron to cover 1000 acres of the US desert with 4000 mirrors that reflect sunlight onto three boilers mounted atop each of three 100 metre towers.

    Written by David Braue • 02 May 11 11:28

  • NSW kicks off data centre reform - Part 1

    After years of planning, and months of supplier selection, the NSW government Department of Services, Technology and Administration (DSTA) has called for proposals for its data centre reform program, which will consolidate some 100 disparate facilities into two. The five shortlisted suppliers had until the end of January to put forward their ideas and capabilities for the shared data centres — either existing or purpose-built facilities — for government agencies across the state.

    Written by Rodney Gedda • 04 April 11 12:57

  • Google Apps vs Microsoft BPOS, Office 365 - Part 3

    The shortfalls of Google Apps will likely resonate with the inordinate amount of Microsoft shops in the industry. Years of investment in SharePoint developers, Exchange support teams and business processes built around the fickle aspects of Microsoft Office and its ribbon interface cannot be discarded easily. That’s ultimately where Microsoft’s strength is likely to reside. No matter when its Office 365 bundle is released, and despite numerous attempts to forge links between legacy applications and Google Apps, the complexity of a migration for a large organisation would likely be a headache most CIOs are eager to avoid. At least, that can be said for Coca Cola Amatil CIO, Barry Simpson.

    Written by James Hutchinson • 30 March 11 07:00
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    Google Apps vs Microsoft BPOS, Office 365 - Part 1

    IT behemoths, Microsoft and Google, have for years been embroiled in battles over who would control the move by different industries to the Cloud. Since at least 2007, Australian universities and education authorities eager to outsource their email have turned to either provider in lieu of limited competition from the market. For the next battle, however, the stakes are higher. Both Google and Microsoft are betting all of their chips on a sector that is likely to prove much more lucrative than any before it: Enterprise.

    Written by James Hutchinson • 28 March 11 07:00
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    In-memory computing

    The massive explosion in data volumes collected by many organisations has brought with it an accompanying headache in terms of putting it to gainful use. Businesses increasingly need to make quick decisions, and pressure is mounting on IT departments to provide solutions that deliver quality data much faster than has been possible before. The days of trapping information in a data warehouse for retrospective analysis are fading in favour of event-driven systems that can provide data and enable decisions in real time.

    Written by Brad Howarth • 20 Jan. 11 09:33

  • 5 open source BI projects to watch

    Business intelligence (BI) is frequently among the top prioroties for CIOs and finding the right software to do the job is always a challenge. Cloud-based software may be all the rage, but CIOs must still manage in-house information and make better use of it through analytics and reporting tools. The big four software companies have all made strategic investments in the BI space over recent years and the options have dimnished, but there are alternative tools popping up and snatching a lot of customers in the process. This installment of '5 open source things to watch' is all about BI that doesn't scar the annual report.

    Written by Rodney Gedda • 07 Dec. 10 16:03

  • Document management – riding the tsunami

    Documents are the lifeblood of many organisations and of most governments. Each transaction or contact culminates in a document, file, or record of some description — an email, tweet, blog, video, fax, form, photograph or report that chronicles an everyday conversation, weekly bulletin, quarterly statement or annual announcement. But no matter what the content is or how you manage it, failure is not an option. CIOs know that in a world that demands records be maintained for seven years, it is possible to live with some information disarray, but not information chaos. And given the high cost of paper storage, electronic solutions are now essential.

    Written by Darren Horrigan • 11 Oct. 10 12:11

  • Five Advantages of Unified Information Access (UIA)

    The first wave of enterprise search helped companies tap into the world of text+, sometimes referred to as "unstructured" or "semi-structured" information. Primary drivers included the need to monetize digital content, reduce risk through compliance, or increase employee, customer and partner productivity. These early implementations provided significant value and solved important problems; they also demonstrated limitations that have lead to demand for the next generation -- Unified Information Access (UIA).

    Written by Sid Probstein • 09 Aug. 10 05:12

  • Apocalypse: 52 percent of CIOs plan to blow up IT groups

    The saying goes something like this: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The statement is, of course, embraced as dogma by those fearful of change and by automobile owners praying for a reasonable bill of charge while waiting at the mechanic's garage.

    Written by Thomas Wailgum • 24 July 10 09:00

  • An IT department's crucial role in a new product launch

    In late 2008, Monsanto licensed a seed coating that helps corn, soybean and other seeds fight insects and disease during the tricky germination stage. By early 2009, company scientists had finished work on that cocktail of fungicides and insecticides, dubbed Acceleron, and the company wanted to get the coating to market in time for the 2010 planting season. "We were going after that opportunity very aggressively. If we don't hit season, that opportunity is another 12 months away," says CIO Shirley Cunningham.

    Written by Kim S. Nash • 22 July 10 07:01

  • Disaster Recovery in the Cloud Yields ROI

    The promise of cost savings derived from cloud computing is attractive, but concrete financial returns are not always quickly achieved. Except, perhaps, when it comes to disaster recovery.

    Written by Kim S. Nash • 17 June 10 05:53

  • SharePoint 2010: Three Ways Sony Is Using It

    Sony Electronics, the division of Sony Corporation that designs and develops the company's cameras, computers, TVs and other devices, is making a broad move to SharePoint 2010 to improve search, social networking and document sharing.

    Written by Shane O'Neill • 31 May 10 03:58
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    Social Media Safety: Acceptable-Use Policies Critical

    It's a Catch-22 for many companies and IT departments: Allow access to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and the company is opened up to malicious content, phishing schemes and account hijackings. Block all social media sites, and the business risks losing young talent to competitors or will challenge employees to find workarounds. Which can be equally dangerous.

    Written by Kristin Burnham • 09 April 10 04:11

  • Taming the Knowledge Towers

    With a diverse business unit portfolio that includes direct mail, call centres and electronic document management, Salmat CIO David Hackshall is working hard to instil a culture of collaborative knowledge management at the company and turn innovation into efficiency.

    Written by Rodney Gedda • 09 April 10 05:03

  • Inside the CIO's 'Big Four' Application Priorities

    Every company or organization has a wide range of software in its application portfolios-some enterprises, of course, carry a little more software bloat than others.

    Written by Thomas Wailgum • 29 March 10 10:16
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