I came across this useful article from ITbusiness.ca http://bit.ly/dpAhru on getting rid of some key bad computing habits that can really mess up your day! I can definitely speak to the benefits of TrueCrypt and an online set-it-and-forget-it backup solution. I spent ages trying to figure out a [...]
Archive for the ‘Information Technology’ Category
March 4th, 2010 - 9:32 am § in GIS, Information Technology
Preventing Application Erosion: GIS Audit
Audits are a necessary process in the accounting industry to ensure integrity of accounting systems. Information technology can use audits to the same end and are an invaluable tool to prevent application erosion. GIS audits, in particular, are extremely helpful given the complexity and extent of [...]
February 23rd, 2010 - 12:53 pm § in Information Technology
Application Erosion: Death of a System
Application erosion is the slow deterioration of a system to the point where it no longer has value. Technological change and poor use are the key contributors. Although technological change is often the main reason for a system change, internal factors can play a more significant role. An inward[...]
February 16th, 2010 - 4:22 pm § in Information Technology
Isn’t it Time to Out-Source Email?
Out-sourcing email has the potential to remove a big headache from managing your local government IT infrastructure and save money. Privacy concerns are a non-issue if you accept that email is already an insecure form of communication that is difficult to control. [...]
February 11th, 2010 - 7:50 pm § in GIS, Information Technology
Focus on the Problem: Not the Solution
It's often too easy to focus on problems with technology and forget about the problem that needs solving. Understanding the problem is the key to finding the right solution which may or may not be the technology.[...]
February 8th, 2010 - 6:00 am § in Information Technology
Open Source: Open Government
I have been a big fan of open source software over the years and noticed the quality of these solutions to have improved greatly. Despite the quality of many of these solutions, very little is prevalent in local government. A recent initiative by the City of Vancouver aims to change this by pu[...]
February 2nd, 2010 - 5:33 pm § in Information Technology
Justifying a System: Transaction Cost
Part of the business case for any new IT solution should be a determination of the per transaction cost of the completed system. Transaction costs can be used as a comparative between different solutions to determine better value but more importantly, it can be used as a way to justify replacing[...]
January 23rd, 2010 - 11:22 am § in Information Technology
People and Technology: Who needs ‘em!
There is an old IT proverb; “Where there are no people, there are no IT problems.” Okay, it’s not really that old and I did just make it up but how many of you programmers, system administrators or even CEO’s have wondered how easy your job would be if you only had to take [...]
