Green IT - Are we becoming apathetic?

By Jenny McLeod, G2G3

Last week, Version One interviewed 100 senior IT professionals across a range of public and private sector organizations in the UK. The topic? Green IT and where industry leaders place the environment on their business agenda. Whilst 86% of interviewees expressed concern over their carbon footprint, this positive response has fallen 12% since 2007. Depressingly, it seems that IT environmentalists are losing faith and people are starting to wonder - is the IT industry becoming apathetic?

I can see a number of potential explanations for this decline. Apathy is certainly a plausible candidate, and if that is the case then perhaps these statistics indicate a refreshing bout of honesty rather than 'green fatigue'. I'm sure that within this 86% there are significant number whose environmental initiatives don't make it past the official company line, and according to www.techworld.com “there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that UK businesses talk green but don't act it”. Not good news.

On the other hand, it may be that other concerns have taken precedence this year. The current economic climate is a worry for all business sectors and energy saving initiatives are usually the first thing to go. Greener practices may not have been abandoned, just put on hold for now. Also, the general manager of Version One, Lynne Munns, points out that respondents may have already actively taken steps to reduce their environmental impact, and are less concerned as a result.

Hopefully Lynne is right. The IT industry has an important role to play and the European Commission on the Environment has made it clear that “it is important to realize how much IT can help reduce the carbon footprint of private and public enterprises alike”. Whether this reduction comes from cross-industry initiatives or altering print settings (yes – the energy saving mode will make a difference) the time to start is now. Energy costs are escalating, consumer values are changing and NGOs are now directly targeting the IT industry with environmental campaigns. Birkenstocks and hemp sweaters may never become a staple of the office environment but the 'business as usual' model cannot continue for long – apathy won't do.

Going for gold – will the IT team perform?

By Jenny McLeod, G2G3

Beijing 2008 is finally upon us. This afternoon is the opening ceremony of the 29th Summer Olympics which will boast two hundred countries, eleven thousand athletes and an estimated 3 billion spectators over the next sixteen days. Now, that's pressure. And the big question on everybody's lips is – are they ready? As a company that specialize in creating readiness, this is an issue close to our hearts, and one that affects everybody in Beijing. Of course, there was the controversy surrounding China's readiness; there is always the question of competitor readiness; but there is another crucial preparedness that underpins the entire operation – the IT infrastructure.

Since 2003, a consortium of nine IT service providers has been preparing for this moment of glory. Lead by Atos Origin, the past months and years have consisted of over 200,000 hours of Spartan training and testing, to ensure that the IT systems run smoothly and effectively throughout. With 10,000 computers, 1000 servers and 4000 printers to worry about this is no meager task and the systems have been fully operational for the past two weeks in order to account for every eventuality. All eyes may be on the athletes, but if these systems don't run smoothly there won't be much to see.

However, as they say, practice makes perfect and I have faith in the ability of the IT team. Readiness is the key and with five years of testing everything should be in place for a seamless performance. The odds seem good for this event.

Experiential Learning - lets do and understand

By Jenny McLeod, G2G3

Small talk is never fun. It's been one week now since my adopted Chinese student arrived in Edinburgh and although his English is not too bad, my dinner table has definitely witnessed more fluid conversation. So, in an attempt to get the ball rolling I decided to conduct some research – learn a bit about Chinese culture so he would feel more at home . In the process, I came across a Confucian proverb, which reads: “I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand”.

Admittedly, our common appreciation of The Dark Knight inspired a more animated conversation than this nugget of wisdom, but there is a resounding truth in this statement that really struck a chord with me.

Increasingly, people are becoming aware that traditional learning techniques are not the most effective way to make sense of complex situations. Formal training methods consist of manuals, lectures and seminars and are usually presented in a de-contextualized form. Yes, they deliver information, but struggle to turn it into understanding without an experiential and realistic element. Hearing and seeing do not cut it.

This is particularly true in the IT industry where the increasing complexity of IT frameworks poses a challenge for traditional methods. These intricate processes require experiential (informal) learning, where clarity and understanding can be cemented through realistic, practical situations. If anything, the IT industry should lead by example in this field as technology is providing a platform for many of these techniques. Simulations, online networking and virtual worlds offer a new and exciting way to share experiences and knowledge in a way that is simple, effective and memorable. We need to do to understand.

Learning should be about challenging, creating and engaging critically with the process. Traditional learning doesn't allow this and often struggles to bridge the gap between knowledge and reality. Effective learning requires experiential methods presented in a realistic context. It's about hearing, seeing and most importantly, doing.

Can we virtually collaborate?

By Linda King, G2G3

The recent launch of ‘Lively’ - the new virtual collaboration environment from Google seems to be another step towards the adoption of virtual and 3D environments for the educational and corporate mainstream. Traditionally the mainstay of the leisure and gaming world, virtual environments started to stray into the business and educational world with Second Life. Despite the media hype and initial enthusiasm, Second Life has taken a bit of a bashing lately, with industry analysts Gartner stating that 90% of Second Life business initiatives fail - however they and other industry analysts are still convinced that virtual environments will have a significant impact on business and collaboration as we know it.

As an experiential learning provider, it is interesting to consider how our solutions will transfer to such an environment. Yes there are benefits - an enhanced global reach and reduced training costs - but how can a virtual environment recreate the buzz and excitement generated during a face-to-face group ITIL simulation? How can communication be replicated to the point of creating real team benefits? When considering this, one only need look at the quality and depth of 3D gaming itself. In a quality gaming environment, gamers become totally absorbed in the gameplay, with no question about excitement. In fact, there are many gamers out there who would stay up all night playing games if they could! The challenge for learning providers in business - to effectively recreate this level of energy for their virtual collaborations.

ITBM qualifications - a step in the right direction

By Jenny McLeod, G2G3

As we all know, the relationship between IT and business management is an immensely important (and sought after) bond. Its smooth running is a veritable must-have as the cornerstone of efficient and productive operations, and this is particularly true during times of change. However, this marriage is often a rocky one and in too many cases a lack of communication and understanding creates unnecessary friction for everybody involved. IT professionals feel that they don't have the support of business executives (who rarely belong to IT fields) and managers take issue with altering business processes to suit IT needs.

I was always told that there is simple solution to everything and it seems that in this case, going back to basics might be the most effective way to improve this alignment. For this reason, 13 universities and a number of major IT employers have come together to create a pioneering new qualification - the Information Technology Business Management (ITBM) degree. It has been designed on the premise that IT professionals must not only enable the technology to support business initiatives, but be aware of where the business is going, tactically and strategically. This combination of design, implementation and management aims to produce well rounded graduates who can lead in an effective and relevant manner, and this could be extremely relevant in many problem situations.

The bottom line is that it makes sense. The capacity to communicate more effectively can only be an organizational benefit, which, coupled with improved understanding, will oil IT/business relations so that they run smoothly. Not only that - the ITBM is rooted in an ongoing dialog between universities and prospective employers, so that its industrial relevance is secured. People communicating - now, that is a simple solution.

The future of gaming

By Jenny McLeod, G2G3

I was born in 1985. Admittedly, twenty two is not old – but even at this age I sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by the speed at which technology has progressed in the past two decades - never mind ten. If you read the story about Olive Riley last week then you will know that at 108 years old, this Aussie centurian has just passed on her title as the world's oldest blogger. Yes, the women was born in 1899, finished her education in 1914, and at the age of 107 began networking online in her very own blog. Anyone impressed?

I was thinking about Olive as I read about the 13th E3 Media and Business Summit in Hollywood – an annual highlight in the electronic gaming world. This year, Nintendo announced the arrival of the Wii MotionPlus, an advanced console that, according to the BBC, will add more “realism and depth” to the Wii's capabilities. Playstation and Microsoft also made it clear that they want to broaden the scope of their consoles and games, so that gender and age are no longer the defining feature of users. It seems that games are set to play a much more significant role in every aspect of our lives.

Critics of games usually cite their negative impact on society and social interaction. I have a friend who has spent more than half of this year playing World of Warcraft in his bedroom, and unless our society starts to resemble Azeroth then I'd be tempted to agree. But, these new games are different. There is a social and interactive element to Singstar, Rock Band and the Wii's sporting creations that previous games do not have. An increasing number of releases are casual lifestyle titles and family orientated games, and these aim to create a rallying point for families, and the wider community. Microsoft's Don Mattrick's said himself, that the new place for the console is “at the heart of the living room” and these games are about human interaction as much as anything else.

Is this the future of gaming? Can you see your grandparents as the latest edition to your electronic rock band? I'm not entirely sure, but the versatility of gaming, and its potential social function are increasingly apparent. And if Olive Riley can start blogging in her 107th year, then maybe the answer is yes.

Free the PDF!!

By Derek Watson, G2G3

Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF), one of the World’s most commonly used formats for electronic documents, is now an ISO International Standard (ISO 32000-1). Adobe have decided to release control to ISO, who are publishing the specifications for the current version (PDF 1.7) and updating and developing future versions.

The advent of the PDF has changed the way designers work with clients as so many meetings and presentations can be achieved by telephone with the designs being viewed closely to how they will be produced either on screen or by using a reasonable quality color printer.

The files are then sent to the printer as a PDF removing the need to send any large images or ensuring the printer has the typefaces employed.

At G2G3 we use the online commenting feature which allows numerous remote people to check and comment on the same file at the same time and automatically feed the comments back to us.

Some parts of the games kit documentation for our Simulations can also be stored online as PDFs and downloaded by the trainer for printing prior to an event rather than shipping excessive amounts of material around the globe.

And the best bit is… the viewer is free so no excuses for not having it!