Synergy Extreme United Kingdom

The IBM will access their personal data in UK’s 43 million drivers to an Indian data center to cut costs, the UK government agreed. THe IBM runs London’s congestion charge system. The observer revealed that the secret move comes after IBM lobbied Transport for London. The IBM has been fined repeatedly since it took over the contract from Capita in 2009, making the £60m deal less profitable than it had hoped. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency data that includes car registration numbers, addresses and credit card details. The data will be accessible to staff outside the UK for the first time.

The move has not been publicly announced that it appears neither IBM nor DVLA were planning to tell anyone about it. The move was approve even though the IBM risk assessment warned of the risk to the security of sensitive data and a potential threat to London’s reputation if the changes reduce the ability of staff to deal with the problems in the congestion zone IT systems. The observer stated that the moved also appears to contradict minsters’ recent insistence that they would resist any work on the government contracts going abroad.

In India, the transition is scheduled for completion. The TFL stressed that the data will still be stored in the UK. According to Labor MP John McDonnell the decision to offshore access to the sensitive information database will not only cost jobs, however it will also open up vast opportunities for fraud.

The spokesperson stated that all IT systems must bust managed to the same standard as if they were in the UK. They will ensure that all appropriate controls for data protection are in place. The OCS general secretary Mark Serwotka called for an immediate halt to a consultant by the DVLA to close its 39 registration and enforcement offices in the UK, to centralize operations in Swansea.

Serwotka stated that they are doubtful that it’s mere coincidence comes as the DVLA  is planning to close the offices and they fear it could pave the way for further privatization and offshoring of DVLA services. The government should call an immediate halt to the DVLA’s plans and ministers should explain to MPs and the public exactly what has happened and what are the implications. He also said that the threat to people’s jobs and livelihoods, there are serious questions about the security of the personal information the company holds and  has access to and if the transport secretary has indeed signed this off they need to know why, given that it appears to be at odds with the commitment of cabinet colleague.

REFERENCE:

http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240146988/UK-drivers-private-data-to-be-moved-offshore

According to one of the government’s most senior IT chiefs, the government CIOs and IT suppliers must stop hiding behind a comfort blanket because some of them just do not have the capability to see through the change needed in the WhiteHall IT. Those who are preventing change taking place in the way IT is procured and managed in a valedictory blog post prior to his retirement at the end of April, the G-cloud program director Chris Chant has slammed them.

Chant says that real progress has been blocked by many things including an absence of the capability in both departments and their suppliers by a strong resistance to change. The CIOs across the government including in different roles at the center of government have been guilty. They have done the unacceptable and though that they were doing a great job.

He also said that they will have to look hard at themselves and decide how they are going to resolve that because it will turn out to be toughest thing that they have done in their career so far. The government IT has come a long way in the recent years and highlights moves including the open data, greater transparency and G-cloud program for which it has been responsible as the big drivers of change.

IT in government remain unacceptable, it has certainly come a long way. The trend of open data, transparency, SMEs, open services are not going away. The CIOs across the government need to recognize what has changed and stop hiding behind the comfort blanket of what has always been done before. The big suppliers should see the smoke from that comfort blanket and recognize that the world of government IT has changed. They can longer rely on delivering poor service for big money and get away with it. Chant has pioneered most of the programs at the heart of the reform and it has been one of the most vocal campaigners for the widespread reform of government IT.

About listing the failings of government IT, Chant cited: The contracts with the single suppliers that have led to both poor service and high costs because that is the way government did things, over reliance on the contracts with the big suppliers leading to smaller, innovative firms that being excluded because of the new suppliers, they figured brought risk and uncertainty.

Chant said that one of the biggest change is that some in the public sector are no longer willing to put up with the poor service and delivery that they’ve experienced, they are actively looking for a new ways of working. The big departments openly talk about wanting to get away from the traditional model of big, the cumbersome IT.

REFERENCE:

http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240148383/Government-CIOs-and-IT-suppliers-hiding-behind-a-comfort-blanket

http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240148511/Infosys-gets-double-digit-growth-for-the-year

North Warwickshire Borough COuncils and Dacorum have joined a shared service which provides transactional services to the councils. CapacityGRID which provided by IT services firm Liberata has over 25 councils using its services to complete business processes such as the revenue and benefits transactions. It also provides cost savings joining the shared service that removes the need for the councils to make upfront investments and go through the procurement processes.

The shared services are appropriate in organizations that run the same processes, this is stated by Ruth Ormsby who headed up the NHS Shared Business Services. The NHS Shared Business Services uses an Oracle platform and a single set of the processes to run a single set of the processes to run the back offices of over 100 NHS trusts. Ormsby who’s now working in Accenture

REFERENCE:

http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240148518/Two-more-councils-join-CapacityGRID

For about $475m, networking hardware giant Cisco is to acquire privately held network software provider intucell. The intucell, headquartered in Ra’anana, Israel was founded in 2008 and provides self-optimising network software for carriers , enabling them to adjust their cellular grid to maximize mobile traffic speeds by managing and optimizing spectrum. The deal will add to Cisco’s growing portfolio in network management. The deal will add to Cisco’s growing portfolio in network management. The firm acquired device management software provider ClearAccess and network data analysis software provider Truviso.

Hilton Romanski, the vice-president head or corporate business development at Cisco stated that the acqusition would add to the company’s product suite at a time when mobile use is growing exponentially. He said that this acquisition will allow Cisco to extend network intelligence and tightly align different software elements  across their product portfolio. It also reinforces their commitment to service customers and strengthens their expertise in mobility.

He also added that the mobile service providers continue to face increased end user demand. The need to dynamically manage network bandwidth, usage and services is increasing. The intucell’s SON software platform addresses the challenges by examining the network, identifying issues and intelligently managing network traffic in real time. With the Cisco’s service provider mobility group and report to Shailesh Shukla, vice-president and general manager of the software and applications group. The Csico will pay about $475m in cash and retention based incentives to acquire the whole business and operations of Intucell. The acquisition is expected to close in the the quarter of Cisco
‘s fiscal year 2013, subject to regulatory approval.

REFERENCES:

http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2238804/cisco-to-acquire-israeli-startup-intucell-for-usd475m

IT system integrating distant national border controls has reduced visa abuse across the borderless Schengen Area of continental Europe. The Visa Information System is used by the European Commission to enables states in the Schengen Area to share information in near real time. In 1985, the Schengen Area includes almost all European Union states apart from the UK and Ireland. It enables people to move freely between signatory countries once granted entry. By the country that receives the application, it is important visa applications are properly checked.

The visa shopping was common, this happened when foreign nationals, rejected in their attempts to gain entry to one country that got in by gaining entry to another and crossing borders. From the nation were not shared with the others, this was made possible when the reasons for their rejection from the nation were not shared with others. From HP, the VIS system was created by the IT services firm Steria and uses hardware. It is built on an Oracle database. The different border links to all the Schengen states to a central system to ensure all the information is shared and applications that can be cross checked. With as many as 11,000 applications processed in a day, since the implementation of VIS in October 2011 has processed over one million visa applications.

The general Manager of Group Steria SCA, Francois Enaud stated the project demonstrates that although challenging large-scale, multi-stakeholder, integrated IT systems can be successfully implemented and deliveres allowing a multiple countries to work together smoothly and easily from the outset. He said that they’ve already work with the governments of most European countries, however this contract has proved their ability to help the governments work together efficiently.

The Joanne Taylor, directors of SAS’s public security unit said that initiatives can have huge benefits but are often difficult to implement due to red tape. Speaking to computer weekly in July about a business analytics software for a cross border, data sharing initiative in the Europe to fight gun crime. They have shown that the technology is not barrier. The barrier is now that the fact that it needs legislative backing from EU saying that countries have to use it.

REFERENCE:

http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240163059/IT-system-cuts-visa-abuse-across-Schengen-Area

The vendor will resolve its security problems and enhance its communication efforts, it was according to Milton Smith, the Oracle’s head of Java security as he assured the users of the software. Smith marked out the technology giant’s two main missions in a conference call with Java User Group pioneers.

He said that the plan for Java security is absolutely easy, the first one is to fix Java and the second is to communicate their efforts globally. They can’t really have one step without the other, there is no amount of discussing or justifying is going to make anybody satisfied or do anything for them. They have to fix Java.

Regularly some security experts have recommended the users who do not need Java to open particular websites should simply disable or uninstall the said software. Java was still prone to attacks, regardless of some attempts of Oracle, the firm behind Java considering its acquisitions of Sun Microsystems to establish its vulnerabilities, as the US Department of Homeland Security recently stated.

It was found that Java has a zero-day vulnerability that could let hackers to accidentally control users’ computers with the use of arbitrary code, it was a week surpassing the US government’s warning. Last year, it took Oracle a week to approve a fix for another zero-day execution that denoted a risk to all web browsers outfitted with the software.

As stated by security specialist Brian Krebs, last year vulnerabilities in Java software were also being sold online for five digits. The unchanging security issues with Java and what is generally felt to be a careless response of Oracle has forced to an extensive record of the software by computer security experts.

He said that they have lots of various audiences that they want to communicate with and sometimes it is difficult to obtain the message that they want to deliver. The small group that works on Java security needs to get better at communicating with their customers, the media and the IT professionals that operates data centers, the Java security head added.

REFERENCES:

http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2239467/oracle-java-security-chief-we-ll-fix-java

http://www.techinvestornews.com/Oracle/Latest-Oracle-News/oracle-java-security-chief-well-fix-java

http://zatz.com/webspherepower/2013/01/29/oracle-java-security-chief-well-fix-java/

http://jaxenter.com/we-will-fix-java-security-pledge-oracle-devs-46079.html

http://www.cio.co.uk/news/3422905/well-fix-java-and-communicate-better-oracles-java-security-head-says/

The Unwired Planet, an intellectual property firm has got the portfolio of patents and patent applications that has been sold by Ericsson, the Swedish telecoms giant. Back in the year 1996 when it was just starting, the firm affirmed to be the pioneer when it comes to the mobile internet and it is known to be as Openwave.

Just before May last year, it concentrated on mobile software when it sold a particular part of its business and replaced its brand to Unwired Planet. It is now targeting the intellectual property licensing, primarily to ensure its own constructive patent portfolio. In September last year, a struggle has arisen over Google and Apple for the suspicious violation of 10 patents each.

Ericsson will move 2,185 United States and international patents and patent applications to Unwired Planet after the patent licensing firm revealed. The collection of the patents is associated to LTE or 4G, 3G, and 2G technologies. The Unwired Planet made the conditions of the agreement and it is defined in an 8-K filing. The firm will pay Ericsson 20 percent of its profit of up to $100 million, 50 percent of its profit within $100 million and $500 million and lastly 70 percent of its profit beyond $500 million.

The partnership within Ericsson and the licensing firm started in the late 1990s, said by the CEO of Unwired Planet, Mike Mulica. He stated that their inventions have brought tremendous social value and this agreement with Ericsson manifest their obligation to secure and attaining value of their growth. He also added that they determine to influence a tough, multi-dimensional patent portfolio and advancing discussions with regards to key industry players who are concerned in licensing these kind of inventions to secure and additionally create their product scheme.

By maintaining patents for some technology companies, Unwired Planet is one of those companies that are seeking to switch on the attack in patent disturbances. Apple’s iPhone violates three of its patents as the MobileMedia Ideas, a patent licensing firm was victorious in the United States of Delaware in its claim last month. The firm maintains patents initially filed by Nokia, Sony and other companies.

REFERENCES:

http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2236179/ericsson-sells-over-2-000-patents-to-patent-troll

http://bgr.com/2013/01/11/ericsson-patent-sale-unwired-planet-289522/

http://news.yahoo.com/ericsson-sold-more-2-000-patents-patent-troll-013120394.html

http://tablet-news.com/2013/01/13/ericsson-sells-over-2000-patents-to-patent-troll-harassing-apple-google-and-rim/

http://bx.businessweek.com/patent-trolling/ericsson-sells-over-2000-patents-to-patent-troll—14-jan-2013——-computing-news/12943647728020873147-9a4638f60b6c779efe25d884b140b42b/

The source who is acquainted with the conference have exposed that the HP has received proposals for enterprise search company Autonomy and IT and equipment provider EDS or Electronic Data Systems. The declaration of interest has come from the United States tech companies or their representatives. The Autonomy and Electronic Data Systems have tested to be uncertain purchases for HP.

HP affirmed a huge quarterly loss in its third fiscal quarter last August 2012 after arranging $8 billion or £5.1 billion on its services arm, generally as an outcome of its failing measured of about $13.9 billion or £8.8 billion investment of EDS in the year 2008. HP’s former CEO Leo Apotheker revealed the purchase of Autonomy for $10.24 billion or £6.2 billion the year before.

However, HP filed a $5 billion or £3.15 billion decrease in the value of the investment after CEO Meg Whitman insisted that a whistle-blower had come forward affirming that Autonomy had committed in doubtful accounting practices that had unnaturally swollen the development of the firm’s software business. But the source stated that Whitman is not in the mood to market either division.

This is in spite of HP approaching to eliminate units that fail to meet goals. For an instance, EDS is located in the enterprise service area which HP has estimated will lapse in revenue by almost 11 to 13 percent in the year 2013. It would persist to check out the promising identity of assets and businesses that may no longer support them to meet their goals. The style in the filing was very clear and that every huge firm would utter the same thing.

Next to HP’s legacy services consulting and outsourcing business, it is uncertain if EDS can be separated from HP as it is now mixed with the Enterprise Services department. HP has planned for Autonomy moving forward, Autonomy product Aurasma would be classified into HP’s PPS or printers and personal systems group that will drive to the job deficit at Aurasma.

However, it would balance the losses by handling 50 new engineers in its Autonomy department. In terms of analytics, Autonomy portfolio was second to none, said by HP’s Wilson. However, it is an exclusive and effective piece of technology, there is still some work to do to establish the services all over the Autonomy.

REFERENCES:

http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2237116/hp-resisting-overtures-from-firms-interested-in-buying-autonomy-eds

http://www.techinvestornews.com/HP/Latest-HP-News/hp-resisting-overtures-from-firms-interested-in-buying-autonomy-eds

http://autonomy.rsspump.com/?topic=hp-resisting-overtures-from-firms-interested-in-buying-autonomy-eds&key=20130117142723_c50f20947339076f2da5467c953a34c8

Covering the three months to December 29, the apple posted record revenue and pre-tax profits in its fiscal 2013 first quarters results. But, the company’s shares continued declining in value in after-hours trading falling by a further ten percent as sales failed to meet expectations amid concerns over rising production costs and squeeze profit margins.

Quarterly sales rose to $54.5bn up 18percent from $46.3bn achieved in the same quarter a year earlier. The net profits increased only fractionally to $13.1bn due to higher production costs, not to mention lower margins on the iPad mini which sold well in the run-up to Christmas.

Tim Cook a CEO stated that the company could not build enough iPad minis to meet demand, likewise the iPhone4s. Although Tim Cook did not comment on sales of the new iPhone 5 which reports suggest have been lacklustre. The company sold 47.8 million ipads and four million Mac PCs. While both iPhone and iPad lines increased in sales by 29 percent and 48 percent respectively unit sales of Macs declined by 21.9% far in excess  of the decline in the broader PC market, partly due to production problems with the latest iMac model launched in October 2012.

The other metrcis highlighted in the report presentation include $2.1 billion in iTunes sales, two billion downloads in December alone from the iOS app store, exceeding more than 250 million iClous accounts and $6.4 billion in sales generated via the company’s bricks and mortar Apple stores. The company ended the quarter with the $138.1 billion of cash in hand up by $16 billion compared to the prior quarter.

REFERENCES:

http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2238635/apple-posts-record-quarterly-revenues-driven-by-iphone-and-ipad-mini

As Lumia sales have declined to build up adequately drop the quarterly licensing payment that Nokia is forced to pay for Microsoft, Nokia’s net costs for selecting Windows Phone as its smartphone operating system support are prepare to burst as Microsoft platform support payments to Nokia begin to fail. The said details is elaborated in the firm’s fourth quarter and full 2012 financial year statement.

In July, the high cost of Nokia’s Windows Phone license was particularly exposed. By utilizing the Windows Phone operating system, Nokia is required to pay a flat-fee of almost $250 million or equivalent to £160 million per quarter in licensing payments to Microsoft. It’s associated with the cost of at least $60 or £40 each phone, this was six months ago.

Nokia inherit the same amount from Microsoft in platform support payments that hides the help that Nokia has given in establishing a Windows Phone operating system along with the licensing of Nokia intellectual premises. They still agree to an acceptable amount of $40 or £26 per mobile phone, while the per unit cost of the Windows Phone license has abstained as sales have augmented.

To take on over some low-cost Android phones, the per unit cost of the license makes it daring for Nokia to offer budget Windows Phone devices. It will interrupt the production of Symbian-based smartphones such as the PureView 808 and the N9. N9 is the only phone that Nokia created based on the Meego Linux operating system that has been in the emerging market while PureView 808 that has a 41 megapixel camera will be the final Symbian phone developed.

Hence, Nokia lacks accurate smartphone options in developing markets that loyal customers of its feature mobile phones can exchange to. Alternatively, it has a line up of Asha phones, which is based on the developing S40 operating system but S40 is not applicable for multi-tasking and it is not a real smartphone operating system. Since Stephen Elop selected as the new CEO, Nokia’s fourth quarter impacts sustained the firm’s long-running downfall.

In the same quarter in 2011, the sales were down by 19.6  percent dropping from €10 billion to €8.04 billion but because of the lower costs in the quarter, the firm insisted an operating acquisition of €439 million over the operating loss a year earlier of about €954 million. After the firm concluded two years ago to terminate the operating system, smartphone sales continue to drop off because of the breakdown of sales of Symbian-based phones.

Three-quarters of Nokia’s smartphone purchase were either no longer in use Windows Phone 7 or Symbian phones that Nokia was strained to discount to clear next to the release of Windows Phone 8. However, in the quarter only about 2 million flagship Windows Phone 8-based Lumias were sold in the market. But on the brighter side alternatively in an  obscure set of results for Nokia is the recovery of Nokia Siemens Networks that contributes almost €1.3 billion to Nokia’s net cash spot.

REFERENCES:

http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2238927/nokias-windows-phone-licence-costs-set-to-soar-as-quarterly-sales-disappoint/page/1

http://www.techinvestornews.com/Mobile/Latest-Mobile-News/nokias-windows-phone-licence-costs-set-to-soar-as-quarterly-sales-disappoin

http://localuknews.co.uk/article/nokias-windows-phone-licence-costs-set-to-soar-as-quarterly-sales-disappoint

http://memphis.anytowngazette.com/View.aspx?linkid=31006620

http://www.onenewspage.co.uk/n/Computer+Industry/74vnpjpti/Nokia-Windows-Phone-licence-costs-set-to.htm