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Bernard Londeix | My Amplify

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TweetDeck delivers tweets in real time | The Download Blog - Download.com

Hello tweeples, something to add to your twittersphere. When you see the resulting twitterstreams you can't believe it at first. It takes time to realize the beauty of it (personal experience) but after a couple of minutes, amazement p... more URL:  download.cnet.com

Architecture is a long-term investment

Assuredly indeed. And we have a left-drift vicious circle.

Amplifyd from www.laputan.org
Cost: Architecture is a long-term investment. It is easy for the people who are paying the bills to dismiss it, unless there is some tangible immediate benefit, such a tax write-off, or unless surplus money and time happens to be available. Such is seldom the case. More often, the customer needs something working by tomorrow. Often, the people who control and manage the development process simply do not regard architecture as a pressing concern. If programmers know that workmanship is invisible, and managers don’t want to pay for it anyway, a vicious circle is born. Read more at www.laputan.org
 

Any change costs (base-cost, margin, offshoring). Which is the cheapest on a 3-years horizon? Rightshifting?

Someone said offshoring is the only solution. Any evidences?

Amplifyd from www.computerweekly.com

The coalition government expects suppliers to reduce their profit margins but is also open to ideas about how the government should change its procurement and consumption of IT services.

Maude said he is laying down the challenge to major government suppliers to ask them what they can do to take costs out of contracts. “Some of this will come out of margins, but we will also invite ideas on how we can structure things differently to reduce complexity and cost.”

Read more at www.computerweekly.com
 

Allianz Informatique (800 staff, 6 Dept) is said to be ready to reach CMMi Level 3 after 2 years preparation.

Allianz is braced to reach CMMi Level 3 after 2 years of preparation after a re-organization in 2008. This would involve 800 employees structured in 6 departments. The original goal was (and is) to optimize and industrialize the processes with a view to increase its productivity without impacting their level of quality. Shall we wish ‘good luck’ to Allianz? or has Allianz Directorate a commendable sens of its “True North”?

Amplifyd from www.cio-online.com

anz Informatique optimise et industrialise ses développements avec CMMI


Edition du 27/07/2010 - par Bertrand Lemaire

Pour former et accompagner ses équipes, la filiale informatique de l’assureur s’est appuyé sur le cabinet DNV.

« Par sa rigueur et les bénéfices qu’il est susceptible d’apporter, le modèle CMMI nous est d’emblée apparu comme le meilleur outil pour atteindre notre double objectif d’optimisation et d’industrialisation », explique Philippe Kristianian, Directeur des Développements au sein d’Allianz Informatique.

Cette DSI filialisée de la branche française du groupe d’assurance pilote autant le développement que la production informatique. Elle compte 800 collaborateurs répartis en six directions, trois dédiées chacune à une famille de métiers de l’assureur, trois transverses (architecture, développement, production).

Cette organisation en six branches a été mise en place en 2007 et visait à améliorer la gouvernance informatique du groupe. La direction des développements souhaitait optimiser et industrialiser son travail afin d’accroitre sa productivité sans baisser sa qualité de service. Cette phase de la réorganisation a commencé en mars 2008 dans un contexte par nature très mouvant.

Mais cette réorganisation a eu lieu alors que les équipes étaient déjà largement sollicitées par de nombreux projets. Même si, dans l’absolu, Allianz se sentait capable d’implémenter CMMI seul, la compagnie a donc choisi de s’appuyer sur un cabinet extérieur capable d’apporter un regard neutre et une expertise du sujet.

Allianz Informatique a choisi le cabinet DNV. Celui-ci a piloté la mise en oeuvre et les formations, en rappelant les exigences formelles du référentiel.

Après la mise en oeuvre d’un pilote, le déploiement de la nouvelle organisation a commencé en octobre 2008 avec la formation des équipes. A ce jour, Allianz Informatique est prêt à obtenir la certification CMMI 3.

Le coût global du projet n’a pas été communiqué.

Allianz Informatique optimise et industrialise ses développements avec CMMI


Edition du 27/07/2010 - par Bertrand Lemaire

Pour former et accompagner ses équipes, la filiale informatique de l’assureur s’est appuyé sur le cabinet DNV.

« Par sa rigueur et les bénéfices qu’il est susceptible d’apporter, le modèle CMMI nous est d’emblée apparu comme le meilleur outil pour atteindre notre double objectif d’optimisation et d’industrialisation », explique Philippe Kristianian, Directeur des Développements au sein d’Allianz Informatique.

Cette DSI filialisée de la branche française du groupe d’assurance pilote autant le développement que la production informatique. Elle compte 800 collaborateurs répartis en six directions, trois dédiées chacune à une famille de métiers de l’assureur, trois transverses (architecture, développement, production).

Cette organisation en six branches a été mise en place en 2007 et visait à améliorer la gouvernance informatique du groupe. La direction des développements souhaitait optimiser et industrialiser son travail afin d’accroitre sa productivité sans baisser sa qualité de service. Cette phase de la réorganisation a commencé en mars 2008 dans un contexte par nature très mouvant.

Mais cette réorganisation a eu lieu alors que les équipes étaient déjà largement sollicitées par de nombreux projets. Même si, dans l’absolu, Allianz se sentait capable d’implémenter CMMI seul, la compagnie a donc choisi de s’appuyer sur un cabinet extérieur capable d’apporter un regard neutre et une expertise du sujet.

Allianz Informatique a choisi le cabinet DNV. Celui-ci a piloté la mise en oeuvre et les formations, en rappelant les exigences formelles du référentiel.

Après la mise en oeuvre d’un pilote, le déploiement de la nouvelle organisation a commencé en octobre 2008 avec la formation des équipes. A ce jour, Allianz Informatique est prêt à obtenir la certification CMMI 3.

Le coût global du projet n’a pas été communiqué.

Read more at www.cio-online.com
 

“Passwords still work, as long as you use them properly,” Schneier said.

A good survey of current password management technology.

Amplifyd from news.cnet.com

chneier has an excellent essay on how to choose more secure passwords, CNET blogger Larry Magid provides tips for creating strong but easy-to-remember passwords here, and I provide additional suggestions in this story.

“Passwords still work, as long as you use them properly,” Schneier said.

Schneier has an excellent essay on how to choose more secure passwords, CNET blogger Larry Magid provides tips for creating strong but easy-to-remember passwords here, and I provide additional suggestions in this story.

“Passwords still work, as long as you use them properly,” Schneier said.

Read more at news.cnet.com
 

The race to supercomputers is still on

More on http://www.top500.org/lists/2010/06/press-release. Interesting development. Enjoy . . .

Amplifyd from www.top500.org

China’s new Nebulae Supercomputer is No. 2, right on the Tail of ORNL’s Jaguar in Newest TOP500 List of Fastest Supercomputers

Fri, 2010-05-28 00:31

HAMBURG, Germany—China’s ambition to enter the supercomputing arena have become obvious with a system called Nebulae, build from a Dawning TC3600 Blade system with Intel X5650 processors and NVidia Tesla C2050 GPUs. Nebulae is currently the fastest system worldwide in theoretical peak performance at 2.98 PFlop/s. With a Linpack performance of 1.271 PFlop/s it holds the No. 2 spot on the 35th edition of the closely watched TOP500 list of supercomputers.

Read more at www.top500.org
 

Deming’s 14 Points and Quality Project Leadership - PM Hut

Another 14 points of debate . . . URL:  www.pmhut.com

An opportunity to log somewhere (BCS) what we wish

This is an interesting example of the policy in the making organized by Charles Chan, Vice-Policy Chair of the BCS.

Amplifyd from www.linkedin.com

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BCS is seeking to bring together the widest possible opinion to identify the top five IT-related issues the Institute’s members and other interested people believe ought to be put before the first parliament. The deadline for your response is mid-day Wednesday 2 June. Please vote for the five issues you consider the most important or add your suggestion at: https://forms.bcs.org/action-calls .

Read more at www.linkedin.com
 

Has anybody read “Software & Systems Requirements Engineering in Practice” from the functional sizing angle?

Lack of specification is a recipe for software project failure, many examples abound. I don’t want to make any judgment on this new book which, I appreciate it and welcome it, addresses an important topic. Writers on software requirements and specification are often interested in the so-called practical aspect of the mater, the qualitative or descriptive aspect of the specification process and outcome. On the other hand, the functionally ‘quantitative’ aspect is often forgotten and this is leading to another cause of project failure. Can any possible reader of this book let us know if there is at least one chapter on functional sizing (i.e. www.cosmicon.com )?

Amplifyd from www.bcs.org
Inadequate attention to requirements specification and a general misunderstanding of the importance of requirements management is often quoted as a prime cause of failure on IT projects.Read more at www.bcs.org
 

The Value of Your Digital Identity - Digi Who? Digi You

And, . . . what about identity avoidance? are we thinking that our individuality wouldn’t be worth being identified. All the best, Bernard

Amplifyd from www.bcs.org

One thing that strikes me about the whole digital identity debate is that despite the remarkable amount of progress in creating, managing and using digital identity, businesses may be in danger of forgetting or ignoring the idea of people as contextual / dynamic beings (complete with ever-shifting moods, reactions and identities even). Perhaps this is because it is a particularly difficult challenge to overcome, especially with current limitations in technology, but rest assured that it will become even more important as people continue to expect more from the digital products and services that support their digital lifestyles.

Read more at www.bcs.org