"This time, the emphasis is on tangible business benefits and any company can participate," boasts the press release, sounding a tiny bit like the caption for an action movie. Just a tiny bit, because an action move about tangible business benefits would involve very little action - and quite a lot of watching paint dry.

The press release is for WeCanDo.BIZ - which hopes to provide the next wave of social networking by putting trusted businesses and buyers together, says Ian Hendry, founder and director of WeCanDo.BIZ:

“Facebook, LinkedIn and XING can be used by business people to find new customers, but they are compromised. They require that you work them hard to make the right connections and get yourself promoted; and they often involve you sharing information that may not be appropriate or of interest to people who just want to find a specific quality business to deal with.”

So, how will WeCanDo.BIZ be different? Well, once a business person lists their organisation using the service, existing customers can be invited to connect and endorse the organisation. Each endorsement gets the firm promoted higher in WeCanDo.BIZ’s trusted business search, a searchable directory listing that is aimed at buyers and consumers.

The free-to-join public site launches on 28 April and business registrations are already being accepted. WeCanDo.BIZ founder Ian Hendry - who is regular contributor round these parts - recently responded to a blog posting by saying:

"I am completely convinced that niche social networks will develop to meet specific needs, reflecting how the media and interest groups work in general. What may stifle this, however, is the need to locate and log in to each social network in turn."

Maybe WeCanDo.BIZ will provide a step in the right direction? Good luck and all that.

Further reading

• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Trying to find a social network? Help is at hand...
• Web 2.0: Your business needs a strategy now
• Open standards and social networking with a point
• Social networking creates waste and exclusion
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish
• Web 2.0 technologies = five hours of depression

Want to subscribe to this blog? Click here for the options

Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

It can take a great deal of effort to make the national press interested in technology.

Million-pound system implementations that are bread and butter for a specialist magazine such as Computing are unlikely to be big news for the wider media.

Sometimes, however, organisational processes help push the role of technology. But such promotion is not necessarily a reflection of industry best practice.

Research from the BCS, for example, says UK citizens have expressed an “alarming loss of trust” in the institutions that are expected to safeguard their personal data.

The results are not surprising -­ stories of CD-ROMs filled with personal data lost in the post are hardly likely to inspire confidence.

A cascade of similar stories means the media has honed in on data collection, with the word "database" fast becoming a catchword for potential security threats.

“Fury over kids DNA database,” yelled the Daily Mirror recently, in response to a recent call for a debate on the measures required to identify future offenders from the Association of Chief Police Officers’ Gary Pugh. Such headlines form part of a broad media trend: want to spike citizen fears over technology bad practice? Mention a database or two and watch public indignation rise.

The result is an increased awareness from the proverbial man on the street about information practice and malpractice, with the BCS suggesting 90 per cent of adults are now aware of the Data Protection Act (DPA).

I guess people are aware of the principles of the DPA, rather than the fine details of the act -­ which Dino Wilkinson illustrates in this week’s Computing is a complex regulation.

But the result is the same: increased fear and loathing about the way public and private sector organisations collect, store and use personal information.

Yet technology can provide a helpful hand, rather than be a hindrance. Good IT management can ensure information is protected.

Manchester Airport’s project to use biometric technology, for example, helps restrict staff access and shows how information collection can provide best practice.

Such projects highlight how it is time to accentuate the positives of the database, rather than hate the connotations of a catchword.

Further reading

• Check the fine print of the Data Protection Act
• Security technology is not a priority for firms
• Flexible working creates a security nightmare
• Stop buying illegal software, or face the risks...
• How to cope with rogue IT

Want to subscribe to this blog? Click here for the options

Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

I am leading what seems like a never-ending quest to find useful business applications from social software. Well, to be honest, some helpful cyber-assistants have done a large amount of the grunt work.

Back in mid-January, I wrote a post about social networking with a point (see Further reading, below). The response seemed to be that successful social networks will become more focused.

Ian Hendry, for example, said he is convinced niche social networks will develop to meet specific needs.

While the road to success might be vertical, Alastair Mitchell warned many firms lack an understanding of how social collaboration tools can create business benefits.

Half of global chief information officers plan to invest in Web 2.0 technologies for the first time in 2008, according to analyst Gartner. But IT directors that dip into the finance director’s purse and fail to find useful social applications will look wasteful and stupid.

The problems are not surprising, especially as progress in social software appears to be moving at such a pace that it is difficult to keep up with the hype.

Just as the IT organisation gets its collective head round social networking, up pops Web 3.0, which fountain of knowledge Wikipedia describes as: “A term used to describe the future of the World Wide Web.”

This could mean pretty much anything and, as demonstrated by the Wiki entry, encompasses a broad range of hopeful punts from new data formats to artificial intelligence.

But why stop the hype at Web 3.0? In fact, check out www.webeightpointoh.com which has already mapped out the eight generations of web development.

If that seems alarming, take a step back to social networking and take heart from real business applications.

Regulatory specialist Complinet launched its MyComplinet forum last October to promote collaboration between compliance executives.

The forum allows members to discuss issues related to their profession, from best practice to gossip, and has grown to 19,000 members worldwide since its launch.

Chief marketing officer for Complinet Paul Johns says the success of MyComplinet shows specific social networking sites are the future: “People want to share specific and useful knowledge, not just poke people and share pictures of their cat.”

You know, he might just be on to something.

Further reading

• Trying to find a social network? Help is at hand...
• Web 2.0: Your business needs a strategy now
• Open standards and social networking with a point
• Social networking creates waste and exclusion
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish
• Web 2.0 technologies = five hours of depression

Want to subscribe to this blog? Click here for the options

Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Former Boots IT chief Rob Fraser has joined services specialist CSC as the firm's vice president of retail, technology and consumer business - a move that raises some important questions.

Fraser's beat will cover UK, Ireland and the Netherlands - and he will report to Nick Wilson, president of CSC’s Northern European operations.

"With technology becoming increasingly more important in the consumer industry, understanding the customer and helping to shape and develop services that enhance the client experience will be key to my role," says Fraser, who began his IT career in 1985 at Marks and Spencer. He then held business management roles at Lafarge Redland Aggregates and Andersen Consulting, before joining Boots in 1997.

Back in November, Computing Business ran a couple of pieces about Fraser's departure from Boots. Writer Joe Devo suggested the move should be seen in the wider context of other transformations, specifically a potential move away from the CIO title at major UK organisations:

With their decisions to drop the title of chief information officer (CIO) or IT director from their boards, the new owners of Boots and House of Fraser prompted suggestions that the end is nigh for boardroom technology leaders and that, just maybe, there is no longer any room at the top for today’s crop of IT leaders.

Sources have suggested the work of Boots’ former IT director, Rob Fraser, came to a natural end. After a six-year overhaul of the company’s IT systems, a decision was made to drop the role of IT director.

Fraser is clearly not the first IT leader to make a move to 'the dark side'. For example, John Worth, CIO at financial services specialist Prudential, took a partner role at consultant Ernst & Young a couple of years ago.

But decisions to move into IT provision, rather than implementation, suggest an interesting trend: what is the explanation?

• Is an obsession with the alignment between technology and business underplaying the role of IT?
• Do some IT leaders believe the room to lead change at blue-chip organisations is limited?
• Are CIOs losing their power in relation to finance directors?
• Or is it a case of more opportunities, and better terms and conditions, in the service sector?

The answer for many over-stretched and under-appreciated CIOs is probably all the above - and a bit more, too.

Further reading

• CIOs will need to transform to survive
• Career moves: Robin Terrell is John Lewis web MD
• Career moves: Steve Markwell is new NCC CEO
• Career moves: Carl Powell becomes Unipart CEO
• Modernise to beat IT and skills obsolesence

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Leeds United might be struggling to make the League One play-offs, but they are at least top of one division - the hotly contested title of football clubs with the best-performing mobile web sites.

Leeds are actually joint top with Aston Villa, Glasgow Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, according to content provider AnimationFC and mobile specialist Bango. Apparently, clubs who use animated promotions on their homepage generate the most sales.

“Teams like Tottenham Hotspur often accompany features on its star players such as Robbie Keane with links to download mobile photographs and cartoon animations," says director of AnimationFC Gavin Skelhorn, choosing to outline the approach of Spurs, rather than Leeds or the other three contenders.

Which is a shame, because Spurs have already won the League Cup this season. Come on - spread the joy around, AnimationFC and Bango.

Further reading

• Red is probably not the key to technology success
• IT skills crisis not solved via death by powerpoint
• Recycle? WEEE don't understand the rules, stupid
• Soho celebrity spots 2: From Sykes to Littlewood...
• Soho celebrity spots: From Oddie to Mortimer...
• Second city Blues

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

John Lewis department stores has appointed Robin Terrell as managing director of web site and catalogue business John Lewis Direct.

Terrell will be responsible for all aspects of the retailer's on-line business and will report to commercial director Phil Hullah. He will join John Lewis on 14 April from Figleaves, the online lingerie company where he has been chief operating officer for the last three years. Prior to working at Figleaves, Terrell spent four years as managing director of retailer Amazon.co.uk.

"This is a great brand committed to delivering the best multi-channel customer experience - and I am looking forward to being a part of making that happen," said Terrell. The John Lewis web site (www.johnlewis.com), for example, stocks more than 26,000 lines.

Further reading

• Career moves: Steve Markwell is new NCC CEO
• Career moves: Carl Powell becomes Unipart CEO
• Modernise to beat IT and skills obsolesence
• IT needs to show the boss it means business
• Depressed technology professionals need a boost
• CIO best practice: Six tips for beating the recession

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There have been increasing numbers of data loss or data theft incidents reported in sections of the media over recent months - but when it comes to information protection law, research from the British Computer Society (BCS) suggests UK a dults are informed and demanding.

"A remarkably IT astute Britain - 90 per cent of adults are now aware of the Data Protection Act (DPA) - has expressed an alarming loss of trust in established institutions, including government departments, to safeguard their personal data," states the BCS press release for its Data Guardianship Survey 2008.

UK citizens are remarkably astute? Amazingly astute, I would suggest. I guess people are aware of the principles of the DPA, rather than the fine details of the Act. What I am trying to get at is that the Act is often used as a sort of catch-all phrase for information protection.

So, when you speak to a financial organisation about your banking details, you might hear the response: "I'm afraid we can't give you that information because of the DPA." Or a consumer might say to a friend about a retailer: "Well, if they asked for that information, they're breaking the DPA."

In short, organisations and individuals basically use the DPA as a cliche; a way of saying: "That's our information". But what's the truth?

Despite a high awareness of the DPA, the BCS research suggests only 4 per cent of British adults have been the subject of access requests under the Act.

And according to next week's features section in Computing (out 27 March), Dino Wilkinson - senior associate in the communications, media and technology team at Norton Rose - says:

Under English law, any person who either alone - or jointly, in common with other persons - determines the purposes for which, and the manner in which, any personal data are, or are to be, processed is a 'data controller' for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998.

All data controllers must comply with the eight data protection principles set out in Schedule 1 of the Act. In particular, the seventh data protection principle requires data controllers to take appropriate technical and organisational measures against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data

So, check out the fine print - especially if you're a 'data controller' that intends to use personal data. Other findings from the research include:

• As much as 77 per cent of respondents said having the automatic right to personal data - if it is incorrect - is very important
• And 71 per cent of adults said it is very important to be asked for their consent if other organisations or Government departments want access to data originally collected for another purpose
• Meanwhile, 57 per cent of individuals said it is very important that the handling of data by Government employees is on a sliding scale of seniority – the more sensitive the information, the more senior employees should be

Further reading

• Security technology is not a priority for firms
• Flexible working creates a security nightmare
• Stop buying illegal software, or face the risks...
• Single sign-on is route to IT security success
• How to cope with rogue IT

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All change at advisory body the National Computing Centre (NCC), where Steve Markwell has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO). The news follows the departure of previous CEO Michael Gough, who stepped down earlier this month to pursue "other interests in IT".

Markwell was formerly managing director of NCC subsidiary PMP, which he set up in 1989 to provide market research and support services to IT suppliers. PMP was acquired by the NCC in 2005. Markwell was previously responsible for sales and marketing at consultant Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

At the same time as Markwell's appointment, NCC managing director Stefan Foster joins the main board as executive director, operations.

Update (14/3/08): Helpful Michael Dean, group marketing manager at the NCC, has provided more details on the changes. The background to the moves is the NCC's recent sale of its London-based assets - NCC Corporate Membership Services, which includes the CIO Connect and The IMPACT Programme services - to a venture capital backed offer from the NCC CMS management team led by CIO Connect chief Nick Kirkland.

Having led the NCC's team through the process, Michael Gough informed the Board of his wish to leave his position as CEO to pursue other interests. Gough had acted as the NCC's CEO for more than 7 years, making him the longest serving executive director in the Centre's history.

In his email, Michael Dean says: "Michael [Gough] has not said what he is doing yet, but after being CEO of NCC for 7 years, he fancied a change."

Further reading

• Career moves: Carl Powell becomes Unipart CEO
• Modernise to beat IT and skills obsolesence
• IT needs to show the boss it means business
• Depressed technology professionals need a boost
• CIO best practice: Six tips for beating the recession
• New business dreamers should turn to technology

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Business technology is going to the dogs, in a metaphorical sense rather than a racing greyhounds kind of way.

In just a couple of years, analyst Gartner says more than a third of all projects will be driven by a need to deal with technology or skills obsolescence.

Dale Vecchio, research vice president at Gartner, says chief information officers are struggling because most resources will need to be retired or replaced by 2015.

It sounds like a case of “good luck technology leaders” as IT bosses are forced to approach the chief executive with an extended wish list in the middle of a downturn. So, is there an alternative? Is there an answer to the woes that mean most systems and technology skills are about to be rendered worse than useless?

Gartner says the solution lies in IT modernisation, a strategy that technology management teams must place at the core of their 2008 objectives.

The analyst defines technology modernisation as a movement that includes approaches to managing the evolution of business processes. The objective of such strategies is to achieve best value, cost and risk.

For technology leaders, four key areas of change will be crucial: more agility, increased integration of systems, modern solutions to business needs and fast reactions to the skills crisis.

Well-versed readers might see the above and experience déjà vu: how many times can IT leaders be told that business needs and skills obsolescence are crucial issues?

Not nearly enough, would appear to be Gartner’s message ­ – with the analyst suggesting that up to 30 per cent of workers who understand mission-critical, legacy systems could retire during the next five years.

With sector skills council e-Skills UK recently revealing that 140,000 new technology staff will be needed annually for the next five years, maybe businesses will start looking for thousands of legacy specialists?

Not if Computing’s letters page is anything to go by, with an anonymous writer in last week’s paper suggesting three years of Cobol development work has cut off many career choices.

While the answer to obsolescence might be modernisation, the legacies of decision making are likely to create significant challenges for UK IT professionals.

Further reading

• Career moves: Carl Powell becomes Unipart CIO
• IT needs to show the boss it means business
• Depressed technology professionals need a boost
• CIO best practice: Six tips for beating the recession
• New business dreamers should turn to technology

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What to get ahead? Then wear red. Despite blue-coloured Chelsea's recent success, finances are no guarantee of victory on the football pitch - success is apparently all about wearing red shirts. Check out the following research from today's Times:

Research by scientists at Durham and Plymouth universities, published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, claims that deep-seated biological responses to colours affect teams' performances. English league results since the Second World War were analysed, looking at how teams did when they were at home, therefore wearing their first-choice shirts. It was found that, of the top 68 sides, teams wearing red won more often at home, while sides in yellow or orange had the worst records.

References are made to Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest (who have tried their best to blow the theory in recent years) and Aston Villa (who wear posh red, really). And, of course, the list of top English teams that play in orange or yellow is endless. Norwich City, I guess. And is Wolves' old gold really a shade of orange?

Anyway, how does colour influence an IT company's performance? Well, I haven't got time to undertake a big research project, investigating share performance and profit. So, you'll have to make do with my totally unmathematical approach that analyses the colour of a company's logo (according to my rules, the colour is decided by the lettering of the logo on the company's .com homepage):

• Microsoft - White
• IBM - White
• Google - Blue, red, yellow and green
• Oracle - Red
• Dell - Blue
• Cisco - Red
• BT - Blue
• CA - Blue and green
• EMC - White
• SAP - White

What do the results show? Well, there's quite a lot of white and blue - and not much red. What have we learnt? Nothing - but then again, my analysis took ten seconds and some university researchers have been funded to create their football shirts investigation. And the media seems to love it.

Next week: How the smell of your ears can impact the bottom line. Perhaps...

Further reading

• IT skills crisis not solved via death by powerpoint
• Recycle? WEEE don't understand the rules, stupid
• Soho celebrity spots 2: From Sykes to Littlewood...
• Soho celebrity spots: From Oddie to Mortimer...
• Second city Blues

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Good customer service and high quality standards might be the key to successful contact centre provision, but identifying the outsourcing specialists capable of excelling in such areas is a challenge.

Helps comes in the form of a new report from researcher Datamonitor, which reveals the top contact centre outsourcers globally. The report assesses nine suppliers across three dimensions, which include client satisfaction, services and technologies, and market impact. The result is a classification of firms that IT managers should shortlist, consider and explore:

Shortlist: Teleperformance, TeleTech, Sitel, EDS, Convergys
Market leaders - and the research indicates the five companies have sufficient levels of market impact to provide the stability needed for long-term relationships. Each firm has varied and sophisticated provision, across vertical markets in multiple geographies and languages. Each of the companies is strong across various contact centre services.

Consider: Minacs and Sykes
IT managers should examine each company to assess whether they will be able to meet their exact needs. The research notes that while each firm performed relatively well in terms of client satisfaction, market impact scores were lower than shortlisted candidates. In addition, specialisation in particular functions or verticals is seen as potentially limiting.

Explore: ICT Group and Stream
While both have demonstrated leadership, Datamonitor’s research indicates Stream’s focus around technical support may lessen its chance of winning contracts in other functional areas. In the case of the ICT Group, its low market impact score, coupled with limited capabilities in languages, means potential concerns when bidding for global contracts.

Further reading

• The next big thing in outsourcing?
• Offshoring means Western IT industry is "dying"
• UK firms love offshoring - what about the staff?
• Outsourcing and the lack of skilled UK IT workers
• 2008 - The year of multisourcing and offshoring
• Gartner reveals top 30 offshoring destinations

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Car parts specialist Unipart Group has appointed 40-year old Carl Powell as chief information officer of its logistics and manufacturing divisions. Powell has worked for the firm for more than ten years and previously led the group's supply chain consultancy, working with clients such as Shell, Rolls Royce and British Airways:

“In the last 12 months, Unipart Logistics has signed new contracts with Waterstone’s, Blackwell, Pets At Home, Apple and Fujitsu as well as seeing increased organic growth from existing clients such as Vodafone, BSkyB, Halfords and Homebase. This means greater reliance and pressure on our IT capability and the need for real focus on our IT strategy,” said Powell.

Before working with Unipart Group, Powell worked with car manufacturer Nissan and retail firm Woolworth’s.

Further reading

• Modernise to beat IT and skills obsolesence
• IT needs to show the boss it means business
• Depressed technology professionals need a boost
• CIO best practice: Six tips for beating the recession
• New business dreamers should turn to technology

Want to subscribe to this blog? Click here for the options

Britons are a wasteful bunch and local government organisations are fed up with residents that fail to recycle their household junk. From free newspapers to consumer packaging, UK bins are overflowing - and local tips, the refuge of the wasteful, are heaving with demand.

One of the key problems is IT waste and Britons have failed to reuse or recycle 12.5 million unwanted PCs or laptops in the last five years, according to IT supplier Fujitsu Siemens Computers. The research suggests up to 25 per cent of of people dump computing waste at their local tip.

Last year's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive says computer suppliers must provide facilities for recycling equipment, but public awareness of the regulations remains poor. The research from IT supplier Fujitsu Siemens Computers also highlights how IT equipment makes up 39 per cent of the 1.8 million tonnes of waste generated every year in the UK.

There are alternatives to the local tip, including not-for-profit organisation Computer Aid which is the world’s largest supplier of professionally refurbished computers to developing countries. Louise Richards, chief executive of Computer Aid, says the time is right for joined-up thinking and that public sector bodies and recycling specialists, like Computer Aid, need to work together:

“Given that electrical and electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, we are urging producers and local authorities to work with us to find a practical solution to increase the reuse of PCs taken to the local tip and are already talking to a number of local authorities about how we can support their reuse efforts.”

Still, it's not just consumers and local government organisations that need to have a long, hard look at their recycling processes - and many businesses could create a more proactive strategy for IT reuse. How are your green credentials? Does your business reuse and recycle old IT equipment?

Recycling strategies will become increasingly crucial, too, with NCC suggesting today that the number of business laptops will increase by 57 per cent in the next two years.

Further reading: Reuse and recycling Top 10

1. Recycle? WEEE don't undertsand the rules, stupid
2. Computer Aid shows how to beat the green wash
3. Cure for green computing overkill is the real deal
4. Green computing hype needs smarter approach
5. Green computing is not crucial for CIOs
6. The green IT rules from Forrester and Gartner
7. JP Rangaswami says green computing drives BT
8. SMEs lead the way on green computing
9. Green computing is a pipe dream for IT managers
10. CIOs could learn from the green actions of SMEs

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Skills crisis? Pah! As much as 82 per cent of school leavers are assured at using general IT skills, according to research from database firm FileMaker.

Analyst Gartner recently said there is a significant shortages of people with general qualifications, experience and business insight. So an up-an-coming surfeit of general IT skills would seem to fit nicely with a significant shortage of talent.

Before everyone runs back to the research lab to celebrate, it should be noted that general IT skills include specialisms in PowerPoint and Excel, rather than programming ability in Java or XML.

And it is unlikely a strong ability in basic Microsoft Office tools will be enough to fill the ever-widening IT skills chasm, with e-skills UK recently revealing the IT sector is expanding at such a rate that 140,000 new staff will be needed annually for the next five years.

While 85 per cent of school leavers know how to create a PowerPoint presentation, FileMaker reports only 39 per cent of recent leavers said that they had used the application at work.

Everyone should be appalled, suggests FileMaker's regional manager of northern Europe Tony Speakman, who says many employers are not taking advantage of the skills their employees possess.

But wait a moment, surely a lack of PowerPoint presentations is good news for everyone? I mean, does anyone really want to see another 'how-we-can-win.ppt'?

No, thanks. I think I'll stick to the interweb - and hope and prey that the up-and coming Generation Newbie can solve the skills crisis through Facebook...

Further reading

• Miserable technology workers should go freelance
• Project management: Is cutting rates an answer?
• New business dreamers should turn to technology
• Technology skills gap will create a crisis, says Gartner
• The adventures of a technology career

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Almost three quarters (73 per cent) of UK IT professionals are still unaware of the requirements of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, according to data recovery specialist Kroll Ontrack.

Which is strange for any number of reasons; I'll give you a couple. First, the initiative was implemented over a year ago - and the build-up to the launch took forever. Computing writers wrote hundreds - well, tens - of 'What is the WEEE directive?' box-outs alongside analysis and feature stories. In fact, the continual need for WEEE box-outs became a bit of an in-house, editorial joke (yes, folks - we are literally that funny at Computing).

Second, how can IT professionals have avoided the WEEE directive? Despite its ridiculous acronym, WEEE has good intentions and tough requirements - requirements that have helped drive much of the current debate on green computing and the need to reduce carbon emissions in the IT department.

But don't be surprised if your colleagues have learnt to ignore the obvious. I now accept that quite a lot of people are stupid, if you will excuse the sweeping generalisation. Take, for example, the following comment I overheard on the way back to the Tube last night: "Have you noticed that nobody ever smiles on the Underground?"

What, really? I felt like shouting: "You know, you might well be the first person to ever notice that," before issuing a massive, ironic wink. Which would, of course, have made me look odd. But not as weird as if I'd got on the Underground and starting smiling at complete strangers.

You see, there's a reason people don't smile inanely at people they don't know - and that's because it makes them look like some kind of mentalist. Some kind of mentalist? That sounds like a really bad spoof of a 1980s Brat Pack film. And that really does have nothing to do with the WEEE directive.

Further reading

• Computer Aid shows how to beat the green wash
• Cure for green computing overkill is the real deal
• Green computing hype needs smarter approach
• Green computing is not crucial for CIOs
• JP Rangaswami says green computing drives BT

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In a business world driven by a desire to hype anything green, it is good to know that some initiatives are helping firms take direct action and create tangible benefits. The best projects often pre-date the current green wash, such as recycling charity Computer Aid International, which recently celebrated its tenth birthday.

It has been a busy decade. Computer Aid has so far shipped more than 100,000 PCs to not-for-profit organisations in more than 100 developing countries.

The total is particularly impressive given that the media’s obsession with all things environmental has only gone stellar in the past 12 months.

Computing has developed a close working relationship with the charity. Between 2004 and 2006, we ran a nationally recognised campaign that encouraged users to donate end-of-life PCs ­ – and more than 50,000 computers were pledged.

In the intervening couple of years, IT directors have been bombarded with a series of regulatory and environmental concerns that have made Computer Aid’s activities seem even more tempting.

First, technology leaders face significant pressure to comply with environmental regulations, most notably the WEEE directive.

Second, a growing awareness of the role technology plays in rising carbon emission levels has led IT directors to source environmentally sensitive approaches.

So the time seems right for Computer Aid to garner support from an even wider pool of technology leaders.

To mark its tenth anniversary, the charity has launched its largest-ever appeal. It is asking UK businesses to donate 50,000 end-of-life PCs during 2008.

If that sounds like a tough call, remember that donations to the charity have already helped enrich education and improve medical care in the developing world.

Finally, spare a thought for Computing’s editor Bryan Glick, who has just spent 10 days cycling up and down the hills of Cuba on behalf of Computer Aid.

Glick joined publisher Robin Booth and recruitment sales manager Jonathan Cooney in a challenge that aimed to raise more than £40,000 to fund the distribution and setup of refurbished PCs.

Yet another example of Computer Aid and its supporters taking direct action and creating material benefits.

Further reading

• Cure for green computing overkill is the real deal
• Green computing hype needs smarter approach
• Green computing is not crucial for CIOs
• The green IT rules from Gartner and Forrester
• JP Rangaswami says green computing drives BT

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Back in mid-January, I wrote a post about social networking with a point (see Further reading, below). The post was basically about how users require open standards and access to everyone at any time.

The conclusion - both in the topic and from responders - seemed to be that successful social networks will become vertical and appeal to specific interests or demographics.

One of the resources included in the debate was findasocialnetwork.com, a search engine that has been created to help users find and promote social networks. Which, given the apparent need for social networks to become vertical, should prove useful.

Back in January, I had a quick play and found the results disappointing. Feedback from the company on this blog said:

"Please keep in mind that we're in the very early stages at the moment and still building our database, so the results will be far from exhaustive. Our objective at is for niche social network owners and operators to submit their sites to us, so that we may offer more results to our users while giving these social networks an avenue to promote themselves and be found."

It would appear that patience is a virtue - certainly with regards to sites that aim to create links between users in social networks, anyway. Find a Social Network have now updated their service and the organisation says users can now search from thousands of networks. I had another play and undertook a few more searches.

• Technology: 139 social networks - Including 'Women of Innovation', a network for women and girls that are interested in science and technology.
• IT director: 9 social networks - Including 'Entrepreneurs Only', a site that provides advice and shared information for starting and growing a business.
• CIO: 0 social networks - If the results can be used as a rule of thumb, CIOs are not being covered by existing social networks. I wonder why?
• Chief information officer - 171 social networks: But there's some pretty random stuff, such as networks promoting justice, cycling and train travel.
• "Chief information officer" - 0 social networks: Conclusion? Business leaders are too busy for chat. End of.

Good luck searching for your vertical friends.

Further reading

• Web 2.0: Your business needs a strategy now
• Open standards and social networking with a point
• Social networking creates waste and exclusion
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish
• Web 2.0 technologies = five hours of depression

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Business technology is going to the dogs, in a metaphorical sense rather than a racing greyhounds kind-of-way. In just a couple of years, Gartner says more than a third of all projects will be driven by a need to deal with technology or skills obsolescence.

Dale Vecchio, research vice president at Gartner, explains: “Our research with thousands of clients shows that most CIOs are struggling to cope with a set of portfolios in which an overwhelming percentage of the artifacts need to be retired and replaced within a comparatively short period of time - between 2008 and 2015."

Which is quite prophetic, seeing as we have only just started that particular time period. Still, crystal ball gazing is what Gartner likes to do best. And is there an answer to the woes that mean most IT, and technology skills, are about to be worse-than-useless? Gartner says the solution lies in modernisation - and suggests management teams must place IT modernisation at the core of their 2008 objectives.

Not any kind of modernisation, mind - and certainly not the social theory construct that suggests society needs to change to transform the lives of individuals.

Gartner defines IT modernisation as: "A movement that includes market forces, strategies and approaches to manage the ongoing, coordinated evolution of the business process, application and supporting technology portfolios to achieve an optimised value, cost and risk objective."

A modern movement, eh? Very Piet Mondrian - well, apart from all the economic stuff about business processes and optimised value. And all that economic stuff means modernisation is likely to stay near the top of the CIO agenda for the foreseeable future, says vice president and Gartner Fellow Andy Kyte:

"Once managers have fully grasped the value of the portfolios that they manage and the interconnectivity of all portfolios, they change their agendas so that they spend a lot more time focused on the key activities of asset life cycle planning, ensuring maximum value can be derived from every investment."

Get to it, then - because you've got the potential obsolescence of an entire IT organisation to deal with.

Further reading

• Technology skills gap will create a crisis, says Gartner
• IT needs to show the boss it means business
• Depressed technology professionals need a boost
• CIO best practice: Six tips for beating the recession
• New business dreamers should turn to technology

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