Daily News Archive

Monday, June 25th

"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.” – Malcolm Forbes

 

The Picks of the Day

Webinar:  Understanding the ITIL Trinity of Configuration, Change and Release Management

When:  June 28, 2007 at 2:00pm EDT, 11:00am PDT

 “ITIL identifies the Centralized Change, Configuration and Release and its benefits. Organizations seeking to address confidentiality, integrity and availability issues with their infrastructure should pay close attention to these three processes. Attend this webcast and get an overview of Change Management, Configuration Management, Release Management and how these three areas work together.”

Sign up today at http://cp.jupiterweb.com/index.php/3656_default/

 

E-mail Privacy Gets a Win in Court

“In a startling decision this week, a federal appeals court in Cincinnati ordered the feds to keep their mitts off e-mail stored with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) like Yahoo! unless they notify the sender first or show that he doesn't consider the e-mail private. The ruling was based on the conclusion that most people think e-mail, like letters or phone conversations, is private, and protected under the Fourth Amendment against unreasonable government searches and seizures. “

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1636024,00.html?cnn=yes

 

IT Audit / Internal Audit

Internal Control Seminars

Several of my colleagues have been presenting compliance-related seminars across the country for the past five years:  Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance, Corporate Governance, Internal Controls, IT Auditing, Fraud Prevention and Detection, and Information Security.  Cost effective best practices for internal control over financial reporting are presented in one-day seminars that offer 8 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credit.  The seminars are as entertaining as they are informative.

http://www.compliance-seminars.com

 

IT Process Improvement / Quality Management

Tripwire’s Guide to Operational Excellence

“In the Guide you'll find specific how-to assistance from experts in IT governance, security, compliance, and IT operations that will help you reduce unplanned work, mitigate risks and free up IT staff for more strategic projects.  You'll get:

§         50+ pages of insight and advice from a leading expert in each area

§         Tips for using new technologies to achieve specific IT goals

§         A self-assessment for simplifying audit preparation

§         In-depth information on the role Tripwire change auditing solutions can play in meeting security, compliance, operations, and audit challenges

§         Pointers to other valuable resources”

http://www.tripwire.com/guide/index.cfm

 

New Exams Announced

“Along with the publication of new ITIL literature at the end of May, ITIL v3 was introduced. This does not mean that ITIL v2 will be immediately discarded, ITIL exam company EXIN said in a statement Wednesday.”

http://www.itsmwatch.com/news/article.php/3683346

 

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

New U.S. Supreme Court Decision Underscores Importance of Federal Sentencing Guidelines

“The practical effect of this decision is that criminal defendants (even employers held liable for the criminal acts of their employees) will have great difficulty getting a prison sentence overturned on appeal if the sentence falls within the FSG guidelines. (See Associated Press Article: Court Backs Rules Governing Prison Terms). Most federal sentences fall within the guidelines.”

http://www.elt-inc.com/blog/2007/06/new-us-supreme-court-decision.html

 

SarbOx Isn't Really Driving Stocks Away

“The U.S. capital marketsare being suffocated by regulation. So argue politicians from both parties, who have joined forces in the past year with various business groups to bolster American competitiveness. In town meetings, op-ed pieces, and industry gatherings, they have attacked the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other corporate reforms for driving companies away from U.S. stock exchanges to other, more business-friendly locales.  The statistics, however, paint a somewhat different picture.”

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_27/b4041065.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe+index+page_finance%2C+markets+%2Bamp%3B+investing

 

Security and Risk Management

General: China taking on U.S. in cyber arms race

“China is seeking to unseat the United States as the dominant power in cyberspace, a U.S. Air Force general leading a new push in this area said Wednesday.”

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/06/13/china.cyberspace.reut/index.html

 

US Department of Homeland Security – Build Security In Website

https://buildsecurityin.us-cert.gov/daisy/bsi/home.html

 

Big Brother Is a Computer

“Privacy activists have been lamenting increasing surveillance by cameras and warn of abuse by authorities who have access to them. But two additional trends portend a disturbing new direction.  The first trend: Cameras are increasingly monitoring noncriminals engaged in technically legal behavior. The second trend: Special new artificial intelligence software is processing video feeds to look for unacceptable behavior.”

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,133359-pg,1/article.html

 

Disaster Recovery Planning for CIOs

“Disaster recovery (DR) planning is key to business continuity and data integrity. In other words, if you're not prepared for the worst, that's just what you might get. This Executive Guide lays out the foundation for a solid DR plan.”

http://searchcio.techtarget.com/general/0,295582,sid19_gci1206807,00.html?track=NL-274&ad=593517USCA&asrc=EM_NLT_1637771&uid=4842737

 

Healthcare / Bio-Informatics / Care Delivery Organizations (CDOs)

A "franchising" model for health information exchanges

“The eHealth Initiative Foundation, which promotes the value of health information exchanges (HIEs) in local communities, has released a report on the viability of HIEs and a business model that community leaders can use to build their own data exchanges. Patterned after the successful HIEs in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and New York's Taconic Valley, the eHI model is intended as a template to facilitate the rapid spread of HIEs elsewhere.”

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=435335

 

Health IT political pressure heats up

“While Congress considers various bills to promote health IT (InfoTech Bulletin, June 8), interest groups are exerting pressure on the government to do something about the low level of computerization in health care. The Divided We Fail coalition of the AARP, the Business Roundtable, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is calling for Congress to pass legislation that includes health IT standards as well as "grants, loans, or tax credits for providers to assist in the purchase of interoperable health IT systems."

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=435565

 

HHS to spin off HIT advisory committee

“Since President Bush announced his plan for universal EHR adoption, the government has tried to get the private sector to carry the ball as much as possible. So it came as no surprise that the Department of Health and Human Services is planning to turn its health IT advisory body, The American Health Information Community (AHIC), into a private-sector entity by January 2009, the month Bush leaves office. Three consulting firms have been hired to explore how AHIC might be transformed into a self-sustaining organization.”

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=435568

 

AMA has a problem with NPI dissemination

“One reason why the AMA begged CMS to delay implementation of its National Provider Identifier (NPI) is that it believed that doctors' personal ID information in NPI applications would not be safeguarded and that NPIs could end up being sold to marketers. Both of these possibilities could increase the danger of identify theft, the AMA added (InfoTech Bulletin, Feb. 23, 2007). The MGMA added that the NPI shouldn't be required until CMS had a clear policy on how providers caring for the same patient could obtain each other's NPIs for billing purposes.”

http://www.memag.com/memag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=435569

 

Human Error / Safety / Environment

Superbug may be more common than thought

“A dangerous, drug-resistant staph germ may be infecting as many as 5 percent of hospital and nursing home patients, according to a comprehensive study.  At least 30,000 U.S. hospital patients may have the ‘superbug’ at any given time, according to a survey to be released Monday by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/321098_staph25.html

 

Ozone compliance is worth the effort

“Colorado would not be alone in finding it difficult to meet tougher smog rules proposed last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  If lower ozone levels are approved, non-compliance rates nationwide would soar. Now, only 16 percent of the areas monitored by the EPA fail to meet prescribed levels. The new rules would boost it to between 62 percent and 83 percent.”

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_6220168

 

Pacific phenomena herald warming trend

“Flooding, famine and disease could affect Pacific island nations first because of global warming, federal officials told delegates at health conference meeting in Honolulu this week.  Dr. Mark Keim of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said rising seas and temperatures could cause drought, flooding and other severe weather, and increase chances of diseases and malnutrition.”

http://starbulletin.com/2007/06/23/news/story02.html

 

Northern Forests Less Effective Than Tropical Forests in Reducing Global Warming

“Forests in the United States and other northern mid- and upper-latitude regions are playing a smaller role in offsetting global warming than previously thought, according to a study appearing in this week's issue of Science.  The study, which sheds light on the so-called missing carbon sink, concludes that intact tropical forests are removing an unexpectedly high proportion of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thereby partially offsetting carbon entering the air through industrial emissions and deforestation.”

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/23702/

 

Outsourcing / Globalization / International

Google fights global internet censorship

“Once relatively indifferent to government affairs, Google Inc. is seeking help inside the Beltway to fight the rise of Web censorship worldwide.  The online search giant is taking a novel approach to the problem by asking U.S. trade officials to treat Internet restrictions as international trade barriers, similar to other hurdles to global commerce, such as tariffs.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070625/ap_on_hi_te/google_censorship;_ylt=AhP53qKL0kQJVCEY5Ta5.KQjtBAF

 

Wipro goes green as India’s e-waste mounts

“Wipro has introduced new PCs that are compliant with the European Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.  The move by Wipro to offer RoHS-compliant products follows a 2005 demonstration by Greenpeace activists who dumped old PCs outside the Bangalore headquarters of Wipro, one of India’s largest computer manufacturers and IT service providers.”

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/mgmt/9B5C9C069E731DD4CC2573020012D3AA

 

Philippines economic growth, stability here to stay, Arroyo tells investors

“Saying that the Philippines is firmly on a ‘path to permanent economic growth and stability,’ President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urged Saturday foreign investors to invest in her country and partake of its economic surge.”

http://pinoypress.net/2007/06/25/philippines-economic-growth-stability-here-to-stay-arroyo-tells-investors/

 

Beijing: a city on the grow

“In the lead up to the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing has turned its attention to putting its best foot forward in order to display a shining example to watchful foreign eyes.  The city is a frenetic pot of development and re-development; roads seem to widen before you know it, new hotels pop up so quickly it boggles the mind, and the new subway extensions are, literally, worked on 24/7.”

http://www.etravelblackboard.com/index.asp?id=66096&nav=65

 

BIS says global growth will likely continue, but inflation also could rise

“Economists expect high levels of global growth to continue, but inflation could also increase, the Bank for International Settlements said in its annual report Sunday.  Other risks include a stronger-than-expected U.S. slowdown and large and volatile capital flows stemming from global imbalances, said the report by the BIS, known as the central bankers' central bank.”

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/24/business/EU-FIN-ECO-Switzerland-BIS-Inflation.php

 

Hyper wage inflation in India especially in corporate and BPO outsourcing sector – can India ever compete with fair wages for its citizens?

“The employee compensation cost has increased staff a significant 30%, to Rs 88,000 crore during 2006-07, against Rs 60,000 crore during 2005-06. The employee turnover has reached such high levels that Western corporations are complaining about the quality of services from these Indian BPO companies.  Simply put it is an invisible hyper wage inflation that has grasped the country.”

http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/17290.asp

 

Economics / Business / Misc.

Product design, nature's way

“For all their skill and technological prowess, human engineers still can't match Mother Nature's best designs. Take, for example, the toe pads of ordinary house geckos.”

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/06/01/100050991/index.htm?cnn=yes

 

Thousands of failing schools face major overhaul

“Nationwide, about 2,300 schools are either in restructuring or are a year away and planning for such drastic action as firing the principal and moving many of the teachers, according to a database provided to The Associated Press by the Education Department. Those schools are being warily eyed by educators elsewhere as the law's consequences begin to hit home.”

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/06/20/failing.schools.ap/index.html

 

Walgreen looks at acquisitions, health care

“Walgreen Co. will consider "select" acquisitions and is looking for other pharmacy-related health care opportunities, the drugstore chain's director of finance said in a statement on Monday.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/mergersNews/idUSWEN894920070625

 

Hitachi: Move the train with your brain

“A cap connects by optical fibers to a mapping device, which links, in turn, to a toy train set via a control computer and motor during one recent demonstration at Hitachi's Advanced Research Laboratory in Hatoyama, just outside Tokyo.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/japan_brain_remote;_ylt=AhkRRMwTltlQqYbwLovYG_YjtBAF