(5 votes, average: 9.4 out of 10)
Loading ...Legacy Modernization in Government
A previous era saw the shift to legacy mainframe systems designed, developed, installed and maintained by a then new generation trained or self-educated in these technologies. We are now facing a major skills gap in maintaining these technologies. The Baby Boomers who are retiring in large numbers are leaving with their knowledge. It is essential that the new generation of IT professionals be cross trained… new, younger people in the legacy technologies hand in hand with Web 2.0 (see Mainframe computing jobs vacant as the Baby Boomers who set up systems begin retiring with few educated to fill the spots http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sat-tech-jobs-ibmapr05,0,2110029.story).
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. We are seeing the same thing today with the rise of Web 2.0. There is a new generation of people who understand and have been trained in Web 2.0 in all its facets – wikis, Facebook, blogs, RSS feeds, online communities, crowd sourcing and more are going to conceive, install and build the new Web 2.0 environments that will change the way the world works.
It is inevitable that Web 2.0 environments will support or displace the legacy mainframe systems. I’d like to highlight some of the issues that will be important in that transition.
I remember ‘back in the day’ when business started to move from paper-based accounting systems to computerized systems running first on mainframes and later on smaller computer systems. The migration path from one system to another involved keeping both going in parallel until the new environments proved stable and the organization adapted around it. I would suggest that conceptually both environments can be maintained in parallel during the move from legacy systems to Web 2.0 environments, as was done in the past, yet at a far faster rate now. Also it is important to understand that Web 2.0 requires organic growth that can take time in order to build the requisite communities. So the task is to plant seeds, nurture them and allow time to see them grow.
Citizens will increasingly expect more personalization, as well as a more responsive and agile government. Web 2.0 will create healthy competitive tension in government capable of democratizing a sector, meaning giving it back to the citizens, including them in its various processes. As citizens are experiencing major shifts in personalization, data control and accessibility through use of Web 2.0 technologies, businesses will also demand the same from government.
The recent earthquake in China and the use of social networking tools by citizens and their government during the crisis demonstrates the potential for change (see: http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/C/CHINA_THE_QUAKE_ONLINE?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-05-18-13-00-37).
Watch for security issues. Web 2.0 sites are vulnerable to attack by ‘enemies of the state’ and other malicious interests
The move from legacy to Web 2.0-based systems will minimize, rationalize and make things more transparent, which will enable everyone to see the inefficient work of the public sector. e-government is capable of democratizing a sector, meaning giving it back to the citizens and including them in various processes
Governments, like every other employer, are desperate to attract and retain quality staff and ensure that employees work in an environment that is socially and technologically similar to their existing experience of the world. Therefore, instant messaging (IM) and wikis are must-haves for these new workers.
Public servants will increasingly expect a work environment that reflects their interests, networks and ways of communicating with their colleagues and peers. Web 2.0 technologies will influence the internal processes and cultures of agencies as much as interactions with citizens.
Engage stakeholders – citizens, internal users, and IT staff – with standardized Web 2.0 environments using well-founded change management tools to guide the transition out of legacy systems.
The ultimate destination of this transition will support the public interest by preparing citizens for a world of plentiful (and sometimes unreliable) information, and help excluded groups to take advantage of this information.
Envision government agencies with a high level of confidence regarding the identity of the online user. They will be able to place people in control of the transaction and protect their privacy. This is the online approximation of a person presenting a passport or other proof of identity document in-person to an agency.
(http://psnetwork.org.nz/blog/2007/04/29/5-principles-govt20/)
Several ideas were advanced from http://blog.executivebiz.com/government-web20-trends-for-2008/:
Due to the application of Web 2.0 in government, there will be increased interactions among users internal to the government and with citizens. Every interaction is an opportunity to learn of an unmet need, which is an opportunity to fuel innovation.
Enterprise mashups based on enterprise data are already an expectation among the workforce, but the deployment of this capability in government has been slow to take effect. As government organizations see how others do it, the deployment of secure enterprise mashup capabilities should accelerate.
Knowledge workers need ad-hoc and situational data, which is dynamically integrated in small amounts. As more government enterprises deliver secure mashup capabilities, the ability of the government workforce to efficiently and effectively accomplish their mission should increase, which should have a positive impact on retention, fueling additional benefits to the government’s mission.
It is well known that John Kennedy’s vision of getting to the moon was accomplished through the mobilization of thousands of engineers in a huge program using large mainframes. This can be done through the massive increases in computing power woven together with Web 2.0 collaborative tools. Imagine what could be achieved? Tackle something big to harness the power of Web 2.0, such as reinventing provincial health care delivery systems.
This article was written with the assistance of Howard Oliver, CEO of What If What Next™, he is an expert in Web 2.0.
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(1 votes, average: 7 out of 10) Loading ...Little Brother Audio book: Audible vs eMusic vs Zipidee
I am one of those people who walk around with earphones in my ears whenever I leave home, and at various breaks in the day. I’m not listening to music much these days, but listening to people giving speeches (including stuff converted from the House of Commons audio format), audio BLOGS (also known as “podcasts”), CBC radio shows (Spark and Search Engine), and sometimes even books (often via Cory Doctorow’s podcast). I’m an ideal customer for audio books, and would love to hear books in that format, if only some of the book publishers would sell them to me in a format I’m willing and able to accept.
To show the contrast, I will compare three different services I have run into, and my experimenting with audio books. I hope to see some of you tonight at the GOSLING 6-year anniversary party, if you wish to chat about this and related “Open Source Logic” topics.
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(Rate This Article) Loading ...Old economy vs new economy — a battle between Canadian business coalitions.
An article by Kathleen Lau for ComputerWorld Canada (29 May 2008) documents that launching of the Canadian Intellectual Property Council (CIPC). The CIPC is made up of 14 Canadian businesses from a variety of industries including Microsoft Canada, Cisco Systems Canada, eBay Canada, and Pfizer Canada. This council was created in part to oppose the Business Coalition for Balanced Copyright (BCBC) which includes organizations like Google, YaHoo Canada, the Retail Council of Canada, the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (as well as a number of phone, cable, and broadcast undertaking companies and associations). The BCBC released their position paper in February and called for a balanced approach to copyright. The CIPC, in contrast, is calling for changes to the law to privilege a very specific subset of businesses using a subset of business models.
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(1 votes, average: 8 out of 10) Loading ...Impressions of the Net Neutrality Rally.
I was downtown early so I could sit outside the Parliament Pub across from Parliament Hill and read my morning e-Mail via the OGWifi Hotspot. I noticed a growing number of people who looked like they were in uniforms around the flame, so I headed over. There were many people wearing TekSavvy hats, but it turns out from conversations with Rocky Gaudrault of TekSavvy Solutions Inc. that some of these were staff, but many were happy customers that purchased and wore company garb.
Most of the speakers said what I would have expected them to say, as someone who had been hearing from these organizations for quite some time. Their message at the microphone was consistent with their messages on their websites and other speeches.
It was the politicians that offered something to think about.
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(Rate This Article) Loading ...Don’t trust the government
Are you scared? You should be. The resident rocket scientists in our government are ready to sign on to a program in conjunction with our increasingly paranoid southern friends to permit border crossing authorities to search your iPod or MP3 player for “stolen content” If you’ve ever ripped a personally owned CD or film to your personal entertainment device, you could find yourself facing a fine, seizure of your kit and consumption of your time and energy. I first learned about this in the National Post at http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=536951
Here’s yet another example where the lobbyists of the MPAA and the RIAA are influencing decisions made by people who don’t understand the digital world.
It’s like the major ISPs doing packet shaping (read that to be content filtering) on your internet connection. It’s happening, despite the denials. The big target is Bit Torrent. Did you know that if you use Bit Torrent your ISP may provide your information to law enforcement because you could be a criminal? Is it conceivable that one could use Bit Torrent for a legitimate purpose? Absolutely. As a voice for open source software, BT is one of the preeminent ways that insanely great software gets distributed at no cost. By design.
As a business leader why should you care? Because you have people who travel. You download software and training materials and videos because it costs less than physical media and provides a level of immediacy that is unprecedented. You do business in Canada where the Canadian people have paid and continue to pay a high price for freedom that is quietly and slowly being eroded by people who don’t have clue one about the reality that they are in fact eliminating freedoms and the ability for our country to be agile in the face of foreign pressures where there are governments that don’t care about copyright, or intellectual property, that encourage theft and piracy. As a business leader it’s to your advantage to get in the way of these would-be Luddites whose brute incompetence threatens us all.
Benjamin Franklin said “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Don’t write me about quoting an American patriot. Speak up for Canada because your freedom is being stolen from you right now.
Until next time, well here’s where I usually bid you peace. I’m not feeling very peaceful right now.
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(1 votes, average: 10 out of 10) Loading ...OGwifi at Netneutralityrally.ca
The folks from Ottawa-Gatineau WiFi (ogWiFi) will be at the Net Neutrality Rally on the hill today. They have put together a Wireless Access Point with a WiMax connection to the Internet that they will have with them on parliament Hill tomorrow during the Rally.
Look for Tracey P. Lauriault or Michael Richardson with the black rolley carry-on bag, with the antennae sticking up.
The ESSID is ‘ogwifi-netneutrality’
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(Rate This Article) Loading ...Politicians will be politicians: Obama’s technology policy not as good as advertised?
I wasn’t watching the US presidential primaries because I saw it as a race between Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb. I have some political ideas that might otherwise slide me to supporting the Democrats, but then I look at the damage done during the Clinton/Gore years to the US domestic and foreign economic policy through the DMCA, Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, and the two controversial 1996 WIPO treaties (largely US efforts). This isn’t all that different than Canada where I have some political ideas that might otherwise convince me to vote Liberal, but then notice that some of the worst ideas on technology law have been promoted by Liberal MPs such as Sheila Copps, Sam Bulte (Lost her seat in the 2006 election), and now Dan McTeague and Hedy Fry.
I then watched a slideshow from Lawrence Lessig titled 20 minutes or so on why I am 4Barack. Lessig said that Obama’s technology policies were strong, and that he was going to work to change congress to reduce the influence of special interest group money on the US congress. I quickly blogged about this myself back in February.
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(1 votes, average: 9 out of 10) Loading ...Events next week bring together related policy issues
Next week on Tuesday May 27′th is the Net Neutrality rally (Facebook event), and on Friday May 30′th is the GOSLING 6-year anniversary (Facebook event). There is also rumors about a Copyright bill being tabled soon, and it won’t surprise me if it is tabled next week now that parliament is back from recess.
Having a few events together always makes me realize the common thread between the areas of policy that I concern myself with most. We live in a society that is increasingly dependent on technology. These technologies often implement policy, but we as a society do not spend enough time thinking about who is authoring this policy, and how it impacts us.
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(1 votes, average: 10 out of 10) Loading ...Clarity would go a long way to calm CopyFight.
The May 17′th issue of the Globe and Mail features an article by John Degen titled Who needs copyright, anyway? He suggests that the panic about copyright from all sides of the debate is false, and talks about his own transition from being one of those fighting the CopyFight to someone who is now releasing his book royalty-free (and DRM-free) on the Internet.
One comment stuck with me in the essay, which is that copyright critics often comment on his BLOG in what seem like attacks. The reason why this is the case should be taken as a compliment by John. He gets the bulk of the commentary not because he is seen as the strongest “enemy” of those who see copyright differently, but because he is one of the few people seen to be on a given “side” of the debate that is willing to have open dialog with the public.
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(1 votes, average: 10 out of 10) Loading ...My Perfect Computer
Doesn’t exist. Yet. To be fair it wouldn’t be my only computer, but let me share what I would describe as ideal for the business person who travels, or presently carries a laptop, or would like less weight, or would like to reduce the number of Batman utility belt attachments you carry around with you.
My perfect machine would be a touch oriented tablet device (pen enabled but pen not always required) with a backlit LED display of about 7×9 (inches - I’m old enough to still think in imperial measurement). It would be thin, less than half an inch. It would have 802.1n wireless connectivity and incorporate telephone and 3G data services. Of course this would require the carriers not to have rate plans necessitating a second mortgage on the house to pay the usage bills, but that’s a different rant entirely. It would use an advanced Bluetooth like personal area network to connect based upon proximity, via secure transmission, to a desktop integrator where peripherals such as keyboard, mouse, DVD burner, SATA disk and display would connect. In my ideal world, by putting my perfect computer down in proximity to the PAN device, the peripherals would become active automatically, and when I picked up my device, the connection to the PAN device would automatically terminate returning full independence to my device.
My perfect computer would support removable super high speed SD cards, but would also incorporate Solid State local storage to hold it’s OS (that OS better be small, lightweight and not stuffed with unnecessary crap) and the apps that I need to do my work. I’m not specifying the OS, although I have my preference thoughts, but one of the services the device would provide would be automatic sync services to PAN attached large volume storage using some fast and reliable methodology. The sync service would also allow me to determine what stays on the device and what gets moved off to external store by criteria. I think that this could be done using open source tools like rsync coupled with some policy models sort of like those in Chronosync or Apple’s Time Machine.
There’s been lots of criticism of Apple’s MacBook Air because of the lack of integrated DVD burner. My Air, and my Lenovo X41 as well, don’t have integrated burner/readers. Both use outboard devices that are easy to plug in to high-speed USB when I need that function. I log about 80K airmiles a year, and have not watched a real DVD on a machine in the last four years. Instead I use H.264 converters to put my video needs on my laptops if I want to watch a tutorial or a videocast in the air or the hotel room. Mostly though, I listen to audiobooks or music, so of course my perfect computer would do all of the above. It would of course have a built-in camera capable of doing both stills and video as well as realtime video conferencing using something like Skype. If it could display eBooks, like the missing in action for Canada Amazon Kindle, that would be cool too.
From a connectivity perspective, my ideal device would have both USB2 and FireWire connections. I’m very interested in the videocasting space, and FireWire is a given for that, if I want to import “footage” I have shot. In fact, the lack of FireWire on the MacBook Air is my biggest criticism of that device. I’m not expecting my perfect device to have the horsepower to do proper editing a la Final Cut, but it would be good to be able to pull stuff off an external device in addition to that captured locally.
This ideal device wouldn’t replace my main computers, in fact it would most likely replace the Air or X41, both of which for me, are really second machines, selected for weight and size more than anything. Do I think that my vision is possible? I do. In fact the rumorists (newly created word, licensed for your use under the GPL 
) are already speculating about this kind of thing this year or next. I hope so. I’ll buy one when it’s available. Wouldn’t you?
Until next time, peace.
