Europe Sets Course for Cloud
There’s a perception that cloud computing has become a “mature” technology, a perception shared by few but anticipated by most everyone else with the exception of those trying to preserve their self-interests. I don’t blame them – each person inherently protects self-interests. They’re wrong though. Cloud is not mature. It…
Common Worries Among Corporations and Governments
Corporations and governments are starting to worry about a common set of related issues. During the last two months I was fortunate to participate in several conversations with top corporate executives and foreign government officials all of whom are visiting Silicon Valley with increasing frequency. The conversations covered topics ranging from innovation and the rapid [...]
Government and IT: A recipe for rip-offs
That’s the title of a report by the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) of the UK House of Commons. It says “The Government’s over-reliance on large contractors for its IT needs combined with a lack of in-house skills is a “recipe for rip-offs”. The committee found that as a result IT procurement too often resulted [...]
In Which Basab Gets UIDed
A couple of weeks back, I was in the Infosys Bhubaneswar offices. On Friday, which was my last day at work before my vacation, UID enrollment was going on on campus. SBI, one of the agencies entrusted to enroll people into Aadhar was going to be at Infosys for a week. I decided that I [...]
Minnesota HealthMatch: A perfect storm for IT failure
When poor judgment and lousy communication meet genuinely bad technology, it creates an awful perfect storm where IT failure is almost certain. Minnesota’s Department of Human Services (DHS) just closed out such a project.
Cloud computing (still) needs a bill of rights
Back in December, after Amazon summarily pulled the plug on WikiLeaks using its servers for alleged violations of terms and conditions, the CTO of Fujitsu Technology Solutions wrote that the action constituted a serious threat to the business of cloud computing: “If a provider can terminate its service that easily, then it is doing exactly [...]
The US Federal Government and Open Source
Reflecting on the US federal government using open source.
SEC Defines Venture Capital
The SEC fulfilled their obligation under the Frank-Dodd financial reform bill and defined what venture capital is. Represents itself to investors as being a venture capital fund. Only invests in equity securities of private operating companies to provide primarily operating or business expansion capital (not to buy out other investors), U.S. Treasury securities with a [...]
Department of Defense IT: Years late and billions over-budget
A new GAO report highlights $6.9 billion in over-budget IT projects at the Department of Defense. The report also provides excellent advice that private-sector business leaders can apply immediately.
Transparency, accountability, and IT success
There is a clear link between transparency and accountability in preventing mismanagement, inefficiency, and waste. The bright light of day can have remarkable impact solving problems that lead to IT failure.
