In flight entertainment

Virgin Atlantic have taken the in-flight safety check concept to a new level. It is surprising how no other airline has looked at how to ‘jazz’ up this usually very boring, uninspiring but ironically very important information before. Anyway please enjoy and for all you marketing guys out there even the mundane can be made exciting:

 

Big Data Best Privacy Practices, FTC-style

Did you miss the keynote address given by FTC Commissioner Ramirez at the Aspen Forum? No worries, you can find the full text here, and it will make good iPad reading while you’re at the beach. Titled “The Privacy Challenges of Big Data: A View from the Lifeguard’s Chair”, the Commissioner’s speech turned into a quick lesson on how companies should be governing their big data.

In the first part of her speech, Ramirez effectively makes the case that big data brings big privacy risks, with breach risk near the top of her list. As she notes, firms must be “responsible stewards” of their big data. And yes, the FTC can and has gone after companies with poor security practices that lead to data exposure.

So what can companies do? For now, the FTC has offered voluntary guidelines that are discussed in more detail in their 2012 report, Protecting Consumer Privacy in an Era of Rapid Change.

If you want a crash course and don’t have time to read the full report, I’ve conveniently put together a short cheat-sheet based on the Commissioner’s Aspen remarks:

• On privacy by design — “Privacy by design means building privacy in as products and services are being developed. To do that, companies need to perform risk assessments to lay bare vulnerabilities by asking tough questions: [for example] are security measures appropriate given the volume and sensitivity of the data? ”
• On choice and opt-in – “Consumers must be told who is collecting their data and what the data will be used for. And choice mechanisms must be simple and easy-to-use.”
• On transparency — “For too long, the way personal information is collected and used has been at best an enigma enshrouded in considerable smog. We need to clear the air. … Transparency is an essential part of the solution.”
• On de-identification – “There is also one risk mitigation technique that is uniquely applicable to the rise of big data—de-identification. De-identification encourages firms to … pay attention to stripping out unique identifiers to render that data anonymous.”

BYOS Takes BYOD to a New Level

We’re all familiar with BYOD, but what about BYOS? BYOD has been taken to another level with Bring Your Own Storage (BYOS) also known as Bring Your Own Application (BYOA).

BYOD technology has grown and is continuing to revolutionize the way we work in a modern business environment. BYOD first hit the ground becoming a large trend amongst large corporates strategically looking at the way employees use and work on computers within the workplace. Employees now have their own personal storage cloud allowing them to access their work and data from any device anywhere in the world—changing the way organizations work. Employees can now work from any location around the globe which brings benefits to the company, such as optimizing talent sets and allowing organizations to “cherry pick” its employees from anywhere in the world.

The demands of business have become far more advanced than one could have predicted 10 years ago. Storage systems have developed over the past decade, such as new developments with cloud, drive mapping, peer sharing, team collaborations, and version control.

EMC, the network storage specialist, developed an innovative and unique approach to cloud storage options, called Syncplicity. Syncplicity offers companies the option to use the innovative, cloud-based service while providing data storage in-house. The whole concept that EMC developed could be debated as the current trendsetter completing the whole BYOD and BYOS collaboration; therefore, making way for a new future of the virtual office. This technology is ground-breaking in terms of allowing organizations to provide users the convenience of a cloud-hosted, file-sharing service through which they can share files with anyone both inside and outside the firewall protection.

VMware is developing BYOS even further. VMware unveiled its Version 5.1 of VMware View, a point release of the VDI platform that promises to lighten the load on shared storage through smarter caching. VMware View 5.1 broadens support for peripherals through a new USB stack and includes updated clients for Mac, Windows, and Linux desktops for thin and zero clients as well as the iPad, Android, and Kindle Fire tablets.

VMware also has injected more security and compliance features into View than EMC. Admins can centrally enforce endpoint security and policy configuration and streamline antivirus processes. Additionally, View 5.1 integrates with RADIUS two-factor authentication, giving organizations an extra layer of security that provides advances over EMC’s technology.

Adding to these enhancements, VMware launched VMware vCenter Operations for VMware View: Cloud Infrastructure Insight. This add-on for View is designed to give admins in VMware vSphere shops a broader insight into desktop performance and the ability to troubleshoot problems and optimize resource utilization from within vSphere’s vCenter console. Such an advanced technology enables customers to have further IT operations, no matter where their staff may be working in the world.

Businesses that want to offer the most the best technological resources to its staff should embrace this change, as OEM’s continue developing BYOS cloud offerings. Moving forward in a contemporary business world means we could possibly see many more virtual workers being based in several different international locations. With the advancements in BYOD and BYOS, proactive companies will embrace the collaboration of these two emerging technologies.

Presentation for the Apple iPad how they are used in a Schools Network

The following video presentation was presented to the Apple Qld Schools Network on the 26/11/2012. The presentation gives a general report on Redlands College’s progress in relation to iPad implementation within the college, reflecting on 2012 and looking forward to 2013. A large section of this presentation covers how staff and students have used the iPads in 2012 within the SAMR model.

Here’s what early reviews of Microsoft’s new Surface tablet are saying

Early reviews for Microsoft’s new Surface tablet have been released this evening, giving us a look at the company’s supposed “saving grace.” According to the pundits who got their hands on it early, things aren’t looking too good for Microsoft. Many are complaining about a lack of apps, awkwardness of the Windows 8 RT operating system, and a buggy platform. It sounds like the iPad will remain unchallenged by Microsoft…for now.

Microsoft’s new TV commercial for Surface

Microsoft’s new TV commercial for their new Surface product. Looks good hopefully it will keep the others honest. Pricing looks OK if the build quality is there, will hopefully see by the end of the month…..

Groupon targets restaurants with Breadcrumb iPad payment system

Groupon is pushing harder into payments and accelerating its pursuit of Square with therelease of a new iPad point of sale system designed for restaurants, bars and cafes. Groupon is introducing Breadcrumb, an iPad payment service that builds off of Groupon’s acquisition of startup Breadcrumb in May.

The service — which encompasses an iPad, iPad stand, a mobile app, cash drawer, credit card swipe, printer, router and wireless access –  will work with Groupon’s recently introduced Payments system. It will give restaurants and hospitality customers a way to update their point of sale systems and will allows employees to take orders, search for and manage menu items, process payments, split checks and view real-time sales data.

Pricing starts at $99 a month for a one-iPad system and goes up to $399 for up to 10 iPads. The plans do not include price of hardware. Groupon will install the system for free and will offer 24/7 customer support. Groupon will charge 1.8 percent + $0.15 flat for every swiped Visa, Mastercard and Discover transaction, the same as Groupon Payments, which also charges 3 percent and $0.15 for American Express transactions.

Please visit http://gigaom.com/2012/10/10/groupon-targets-restaurants-with-breadcrumb-ipad-payment-system/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OmMalik+%28GigaOM%3A+Tech%29

Disney: Frankenweeie iPad Book Experience

This might just create the start of a new trend in rich, iPad based content to accompany new films to market… Disney’s ‘Frankenweeie’ iPad Book Experience creates a hands on, rich, interactive story telling experience to get people excited about the movie, plus it adds in content that is typically left unwatched at the back of DVD’s, with behind the scenes content and making of work…

Could also be a good idea for use in retail, design and possibly stadia where organisations develop these solutions to enable the fans to engage further with the brand.

It’s a pretty interesting play, a smart one to this demographic, so I can’t wait to see the results…

In Search Of The Mobile Enterprise

The new mobile business model — with anytime, anywhere transactions and a blurring of lines between corporate and individual — can make your IT organization feel like it has lost control. For all the good that comes with mobilizing your workforce, there are challenges: maintaining security and compliance, managing multiple device platforms and addressing complex mobile requirements.

You can’t throw a rock these days without hitting a new smartphone or tablet device.

Last week, it was the iPhone 5 and the new Kindle Fire HD. Tomorrow, HTC’s expected to introduce some new mobile products.

And Apple still has yet to introduce the Apple “mini” iPad, currently expected in October.

The move to mobile computing raises some intriguing questions about the nature of work. What is it? Where does it take place?

As someone who’s worked their entire career at IBM, I can certainly attest to the idea that here, increasingly, work is not a place you go but what you do.

I’ve spent nearly nine full years working from my home, and several of those years, spent at least a week a month living (and working) in airplanes.

As the IBM “Services for the Mobile Enterprise” team recently observed, the new workplace is now undeniably a mobile enterprise.

CIOs On Mobile: 66% Plan To Increase Mobile Investments in 2012

Which makes it no big surprise that 66 percent of CIOs plan to increase investments in mobile services in the next year.

And of course, there’s the “BYOD” movement to contend with (“Bring Your Own Device”), with employees expecting whatever device they have to fit into their corporate environment.

This new mobile business model, with anytime, anywhere transactions and a blurring of lines between corporations and individuals, can send IT folks into a conniption fit.

Despite all the goodness — for employees, management, and most importantly, the bottom line — there are challenges that accompany this mobilization of the workforce.

Issues such as maintaining security and compliance.  Managing multiple device platforms.  Addressing complex mobile requirements.

IBM recently released this interactive infographic that has some interesting statistics I thought worthwhile sharing here.

To start, 35 percent of the world’s total workforce is expected to be mobile by 2013.

Here in the U.S., up to 72.2 percent of workers are already plugged in remotely.

This year, some 43 billion mobile applications are expected to be downloaded.

And yet on average, mobile workers spend only a total of 28 minutes a day on technology distractions…there’s too much work to do, otherwise!

The Mobile Upside: 240 Extra Hours Worked Per Worker Per Year

And here’s the upside bonus for you managers: Such mobile workers work an average of 240 extra hours per year.

But as the infographic observes, with those benefits come expectations.

This new mobile generation of workers demands flexibility. Today’s employees expect to use their own devices and applications at work to access information and social networks at will. They even value this flexibility more than a higher-paying salary (Can you say “Mobile enables work/life balance?”).

Cisco’s Connected World Technology Report in 2011 found that 66 percent of workers said they would take a job with less pay and more flexibility in device usage, access to social media, and mobility than a higher-paying job without such flexibility.

Mobile Presents New Challenges

So, as businesses work to embrace these new productive mobile work habits, they must also face the requisite challenges asscoated with the growing number of devices, networks, and applications. Enterprises need a solution that intertwines cross-platform compatibility, security, cost management, compliance, and the inevitable complexity.

By way of example, 21 percent of mobile workers say they have experienced a security issue related to their smartphone (lost, stolen, hacked, virus) in the last year alone.

Fifty-four percent of enterprises rate security and authentication as one of the two top concerns for their mobile environments.

Seventeen percent say they need to meet compliance/regulatory requirements in mobile environments.

And yet 45 percent of IT departments say they aren’t prepared policy- and technology-wise to handle this more borderless, mobile workforce.

Bridging Your Mobile Gap

To overcome those challenges, enterprises need an experienced partner with a strategy capable of spanning the distance between mobile advances and existing infrastructures.

Those early adopters are leaping ahead: They’re already experiencing 20 percent cost savings and productivity improvements.

And 75 percent of CIOs say mobility solutions are a top priority of theirs for 2012.

On the mobile front, IBM workers are walking their own mobile talk, connecting to 10 different networks located around the world, and with 100K+ of them connecting using their own handheld devices (using at least five supported device platforms).

IBM’s own app store, Whirlwind, offers over 500 applications and was recognized by CIO Magazine with the “CIO 100 Top Innovation Award.”

All of that experience IBM has had with its own mobile enablement has informed and shaped the company’s customer-facing mobile initiatives, both through product development and through the introduction of its mobile services offerings.

IBM can help your staff develop the right strategy and governance and deliver a wide range of mobile enterprise services to create a more productive, connected workplace.

Understanding the Technology Hype Cycle

There are situations in your work life where you are in a meeting – your boss will always talk about cutting edge technologies and throw in few technology jargons like Cloud Computing , Social Media etc and will stress about how the company need to build competency in areas surrounding that.

But the question is how does your boss get to know abt these upcoming trends and start pushing the organisation in a direction so as to plan and leverage these technology in business ?