Last K nown Issue 2011.10

We all manage our teams in our own unique ways.  Some organisations have strict compliance issues when it comes to managing performance, others don’t have any systems in place to manage people at all – and if you’re like me you probably come somewhere in the middle, not wanting to be too rigid but ensuring that the people around you get to share their feedback with you and vice versa.  In a perfect world this can all be tracked online in a piece of software that provides you with the right framework to provide regular performance reviews and performance management tools.

This past few weeks I’ve spent trying out different HR products because I wanted to choose a product that would work for I Know IT and also find a product that might suit readers of the Last Known Issue [...]

Our beloved “coathanger” – the Sydney Harbour Bridge was and still is one of the most significant investments ever made in Australia’s infrastructure.  The long awaited and much debated bridge finally opened in 1932 linking the CBD to the North Shore connecting Sydneysiders together.

Since then, the bridge has attracted tourists from all over the world, is used by corporations to generate new business in Australia and continues to bring opportunities to our shores (think: Oprah’s big O which I’ll cover further down in this article).

[...]

 Your website may be useless.. In a previous article you might recall me referencing a big change in the way Google works with their introduction of Google Places. Places means that Google is changing the way people search, rather than finding someone simply because they have certain keywords on their page, they’re now focusing on how geographically close you are to that web page. In a nutshell, I’ve heard it described as “Google making it really easy for you to advertise with them” because essentially, people may find it difficult to find your business unless you’re in the paid advertising area of Google.

Annoyingly clever.

If you’re in business and you rely on new sales leads, you need to pay attention to Google – that’s a fact. They own 95% of the search market and if you’re not listed [...]

You’ve heard of CEO’s (Chief Executive Officer), CFO’s (Chief Financial Officers) and CIO’s (that’s my role – Chief Information Officer) but you wouldn’t be alone if you haven’t heard of the CSO (Chief Service Officer), in fact fewer than 5% of organisations globally have one on staff, but it’s a growing trend that is likely to be adopted quickly. [...]

Tablet Wars – just an iFad? Those of you safely living above ground have more than likely noticed the sheer number of friends, family members and colleagues using the iPad.  The device has gained such popularity that it’s common for the I Know IT team to be setting these up on a daily basis as well as field questions about their use in business.  Rather than declare my undying love for the iPad (I really do love the iPad) I think it’s important [...]

Google rePlaces Search Last week Google made a significant change to the way they index websites – so much so that few, if any small businesses won’t be affected by the change.

The introduction of Google Places means Google ‘guesses’ when somebody is searching for a local business and serves up those businesses in their search results. For many who have invested in their search engine optimization strategies (SEM or SEO) this will mean a rethink as millions of businesses scramble around to set up their localisation within Google. For example, in the past a search for Accountants may have served up those websites who had relevant content and those who had invested in Google Ads and search engine marketing – but not necessarily from your local area. With Google Places, the engine will likely guess that you’re looking for a local business and serve up those in closest proximity to your search location (yes, Google can tell which suburb your search originated from).

You can read more on Google’s blog here about the why

Google Cars If that wasn’t enough to keep the world on its toes, did you hear that Google has been secretly driving cars around Los Angeles well.. Without drivers? [...]

This weeks Last Known Issue is brought to you while I pack for a short trip to Orlando, Florida. Tomorrow I’m off to the ConnectWise Partner Summit with thousands of IT Pro’s where we share ideas and focus on best practices and current happenings in IT which changes so rapidly.

Looking at the sessions for the week the 2 dominant topics are social media and Cloud Computing so I’m excited to be participating and thought this might be a good time to share a little more about Cloud.

Just a fluffy name? [...]

This weeks Last Known Issue begins with an apology to Mac users reading this by email. I swear, it’s not a conspiracy but rather, an incapability of our email system to send this in the right size font.  Sometimes Knowing IT means knowing when to get a new system – till we do that,  you can read this and our other articles at jamesvickery.com.au ( I’ll put a link in each future issue for Mac users until we get it solved).

Good or Great? In the best selling book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t author Jim Collins analyses a group of successful companies who were ‘good’ describing businesses that aren’t ‘bad’ but don’t exceed expectations to those that are ‘great’, those whom perform 10x or more stronger than similarly placed good companies in economical terms.

The Flywheel Those who make the Great transition [...]

Last Known Issue, Volume I Issue 10 

Don’t Jinx IT! On Friday I had a call from Christian at about 2:30pm. For those who haven’t met Christian he’s our resident genius Solutions Architect and Senior System Engineer. The call was to give me an update on the weeks projects and he mentioned the fact that it had been a pretty quiet week. I half jokingly (but in a somewhat fearful tone) reminded him that most IT ‘dramas’ occur around about 4:55 on Friday’s usually resulting in some unwelcome weekend hours for the team. I suggested he call me back when the day was truly done.

Fortunately [...]

Last Known Issue Volume I Issue 8

Figures released earlier this year speculate that the piracy of Microsoft software in China alone is worth over $7 billion to the software giant, but with intellectual property rights virtually non-existent in that region, Microsoft has its sights set on zero tolerance for the rest of the world.

Recently we’ve witnessed an increase in the number of software audits conducted by Microsoft in Australia. [...]