Daily News Archive

Please note that The Daily News is publishing (hopefully) twice a week for the foreseeable future due to time constraints.

Monday, September 25th

 "You are what you think about all day long." -- Dr. Robert Schuller   

 

The Picks of the Day

BP reacts to global warming with plans for new businesses

“BP is developing wind farms and two power plants using hydrogen as fuel to generate electricity. He says the company is the third largest producer of solar cells and plans to triple the amount of solar cells it produces in three years. He says BP believes the risks from climate change are real and the science is valid.”

http://www.ktva.com/alaska/ci_4362714

 

US appoints cybersecurity chief

“Before joining the Department for Homeland Security, [Gregory] Garcia was the vice president for information security and programs at the Information Technology Association of America.”

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/20/us_cybersecurity_boss_appointed/

 

Another Increase in Compliance Costs

“The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is often blamed for a dearth of accountants, and their new found leverage to demand more money from their employers. The Act has also given rise a boost to another corporate denizen: compliance and ethics officers, who increasingly are being invited into the executive suite, and greeted with bigger paychecks.”

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/7956569?f=alerts

 

Refined Security Measures Announced

Effective Tuesday, September 26, TSA Is Adjusting The Ban On Liquids, Aerosols And Gels.  Travelers may now carry through security checkpoints travel-size toiletries (3 ounces or less) that fit comfortably in ONE, QUART-SIZE, clear plastic, zip-top bag.

After clearing security, travelers can now bring beverages and other items purchased in the secure boarding area on-board aircraft.  At the checkpoint travelers will be asked to remove the zip-top bag of liquids and place it in a bin or on the conveyor belt. X-raying separately will allow TSA security officers to more easily examine the declared items.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

 

IT Process Improvement

Control Charts / Statistical Process Control (SPC)

This site has many links to SPC/control chart resources.

http://www.isixsigma.com/st/control_charts/

 

The Transient Knowledge Trap

“Have you ever stopped and thought about all of the skills we are losing? How many people today can do even basic math without a calculator or apply logical analysis to a problem greater than where to eat for dinner?”

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/article.php/3633441

 

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Update: Cox: No 'Irreparable Problems' With Sarbanes-Oxley

“Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox said Tuesday that he sees ‘no irreparable problems’ blocking compliance with the internal-controls rules adopted by Congress in the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

http://www.easybourse.com/Website/dynamic/News.php?NewsID=58990&lang=fra&NewsRubrique=2

 

Sarbanes-Oxley audits too costly, regulator says

“The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Christopher Cox, has said that business practice audits required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are too costly and represent the ‘one notable exception’ to the positive impact of the law.” http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/09/20/business/sec.php

 

Audit Committees Might Want to Check With Company Lawyers About 'E-Discovery' Readiness

“An electronic discovery demand from a plaintiff's attorney has proven to be a major cost and headache for many companies -- and it may be even more burdensome in the future.  E-discovery has become a significant issue for attorneys and IT departments at many companies -- as well as for audit committees, who are often responsible for oversight of the company's compliance activities. And the effectiveness of a company's e-discovery processes, including its document retention policy, is about to be severely tested this year, as discovery rules are set to change.”

http://www.kpmginsights.com/aci/display_aci_analysis.asp?intAnalysisTypeID=1&intInsightsTypeID=1&edition_id=9040&content_id=817991

 

Sensitivity Training: Mutinationals' Audit Committees Need to Heed Local Culture and Laws

“Although corporations worldwide are adopting the tenets of good corporate governance, audit committees for multinational corporations must remain sensitive to the laws, traditions and customs of the major markets their companies serve.  In that same vein, finding audit committee members with diverse backgrounds has become critical for U.S.- and foreign-based multinationals.”

http://www.kpmginsights.com/aci/display_aci_analysis.asp?intAnalysisTypeID=1&intInsightsTypeID=1&edition_id=9040&content_id=818517

 

Forrester sees added value in regulatory compliance

“Although regulatory compliance has become a dread phrase for many firms, IT chiefs feel they are bringing additional valuable insight to their organisations, according to a new report by Forrester Research.”

http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/news/2164669/forrester-sees-value-compliance

 

Security and Risk Management

The Dangers of Excessive Permissions

“Individuals are said to have ‘excessive permissions’ when they have more rights on IT platforms than what is needed for them to achieve their business role. There are also risks with groups and system accounts having excessive rights. The point is that as the level of access increases, so do the risks to the organization if an account is compromised.  The need to avoid excessive permissions calls to mind the old security maxim about denying all rights and only allowing what is needed – a practice that can save untold time and money.”

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/netsys/article.php/3632586

 

Free anonymising browser debuts

“Web users worried about privacy can now use a modified version of Firefox that lets them browse the net anonymously.  The Torpark browser has been created by a hacking group and uses technology backed by digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5363230.stm

The browser is at:  http://torpark.nfshost.com/

 

So Many Portables, So Few Rules

“Knowing the greatly increased productivity that results from a mobile workforce, companies buy a plethora of laptops, ultra-portables, PDAs, cell phones, and personal storage devices. They also invest heavily in upgrading existing portable systems – anything to offer greater functionality to on-the-go staffers.  However, companies are often in such a rush to expand that they don’t put sufficient thought into their policies for managing the risks associated with decommissioning such devices.”

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/mowi/article.php/3633921

 

Human Error / Safety

Iceland's president offers global warming advice

“Iceland's president is offering his North Atlantic country as a case study for the world as it works its way through the perils of global warming.  Iceland is already experiencing clear signs of climate change but also offers a good source of energy that has not yet been tapped, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson told an audience at the Washington Summit on Climate Stabilization on Tuesday.”

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060920/iceland_climate_060920/20060920

 

Climate Change

“The call to at least consider audacious geo-engineering steps that would fill the stratosphere with globe-cooling aerosols to check global warming got louder last week. In Science, Tom M. L. Wigley of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, in Boulder, Colo., writes that reducing carbon dioxide emissions is the long-term solution to global warming but that nearer term engineering of the atmosphere might provide ‘additional time to address the economic and technological challenges faced by a mitigation-only approach’ (DOI: 10.1126/science.1131728).”

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/84/i38/8438notw9.html

 

Global Warming Washing Away Entire Communities

“Kivalina is one of an estimated 200 villages in the far North, fighting for survival, and at least three, including this historic community, may be lost within the next decade. The reasons are many, but a growing body of research suggests that global warming is at least partly to blame.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GlobalWarming/story?id=2464739&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

 

Outsourcing / Globalization / International

"Winner’s Curse" Affects 20% of Outsourcing Deals

“One in five IT outsourcing deals are doomed to failure because they favor the client at the expense of the vendor from the outset.  Labeled the ‘winner’s curse’, the conclusion is the main finding of new research carried out by Leslie Willcocks, professor of technology, work, and globalization at the London School of Economics, and sponsored by LogicaCMG. According to Willcocks, not only do winner’s curse contracts force suppliers to accept minimal returns from outsourcing deals, they also fail to meet the needs of clients in the long term.

http://www.computerwire.com/industries/research/?pid=FCA325ED%2D9EE3%2D44A4%2D8FA6%2DB78AD74D96A8

 

AT&T Says "No More" to Customer Service Outsourcing

“AT&T announced a strategic move last week that might be a win-win for US workers and AT&T home broadband customers. The telecom giant announced that it will do away with its foreign call centers that have long been ridiculed by customers and will instead create 2,000 new unionized jobs in the United States to handle customer support calls.”

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4297

 

The Philippines: The New Outsourcing Hot Spot

“Economists and analysts are startled by the Philippines' runaway growth in the sector. ‘The pace of development of the BPO [sector] in the Philippines has been impressive,’ says a recent report by U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs. ‘Three years ago there was a question mark whether Philippines could develop some [outsourcing] momentum. Now it's a $3 billion industry.’”

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/53192.html

 

Economics / Business / Misc.

10-Ks, 8-Ks a Thing of the Past?

“In announcing that the SEC's XBRL project will be done within a year, Chairman Christopher Cox said investors will be able to assemble their own financial data, rather than rely on current regulatory documents.”

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/7960677?f=alerts