The News - July 27, 2008

Pepperweed Process Model
The Pepperweed Process Model is a process best practice “jumpstart” kit for over 20 core IT processes is being released into the public domain. These core processes represent the foundation intellectual property that we use when engineering customized processes. The intent of this move is to provide this documentation, which doesn’t exist for free today, to the market and collect feedback to strengthen and continue to evolve the processes, much in the same way that open source software does.

If you are in IT process improvement, operations, security or audit, this is a free resource you don’t want to miss.
http://www.pepperweedprocessmodel.com

 Top Picks

YouTube's star lecturer dies at 47
“Randy Pausch, the professor whose ‘last lecture’ became a runaway phenomenon on the Internet and was turned into a best-selling book, died Friday of pancreatic cancer, Carnegie Mellon University announced on its Web site.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/07/25/obit.pausch/index.html
[ What an amazing man and I am saddened to hear he has passed.  If you haven’t watched his last lecture, be sure to.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo ] 

From hen to household, eggs illustrate impact of soaring energy costs on food
“Simply put, the price of eggs over time has ‘to cover all the costs, or people are going to go out of business,’ said Paul Sauder, president of R.W. Sauder Inc., which operates an egg-processing plant near Winesburg in Holmes County. ‘You can't produce eggs at a loss forever.’  That was the case in 2005 and 2006, prompting producers to reduce the number of hens they had laying eggs. That put upward pressure on prices going into 2007 and made it easier for today's higher energy costs to be passed along to the consumer.”
http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/07/egg_prices_up_because_laying.html

The Darwin Awards
I used to love these stories on Usenet.  Now, they have a website and it appears that they even try to verify some of the stories.
http://www.darwinawards.com/  

Book Recommendation

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt amd Stephen J. Dubner
This is a great book covering economics applied to real world situations.  I had the opportunity to hear Levitt talk at the HIMSS conference this past spring as well.  You can tell that he uses his wit and humor to explore new areas.  He once commented that economics doesn’t lack tools – what it lacks is interesting questions.  So, if you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061234001?ie=UTF8&tag=georgespaffor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061234001
Look at it at Google books – click here.  (If you want to verify this link, go to Google and search on Freakonomics.)
The Wikipedia page has many links to reviews, blogs, etc.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freakonomics
Wikisummaries has a complete summary of the book:  http://wikisummaries.org/Freakonomics

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow
I bought the book due to how amazingly inspirational and touching I found both his original lecture and his condensed presentation on the Oprah Winfrey show.  This book has sat on my “I need to read this when I have time” list to the top of the next book I will read.  Randy’s passing has reminded me that we need to never forget what matters and make the most of the time we have.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401323251?ie=UTF8&tag=georgespaffor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1401323251
Publisher’s Sponsored Website:  http://www.thelastlecture.com/  

IT Audit / Internal Audit / Compliance

Opinion: One bad admin, but entire group will be punished
Basically the network admin for the City of San Francisco was the only one with admin privileges.  You have to read the story – it’s a great example of why rights need to be audited and controlled.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=it_in_government&articleId=322307&taxonomyId=69&intsrc=kc_feat

Report: Sarbox Worsens Fraud Losses
“The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners finds that Sarbox-related controls appear to reduce some types of fraud, but may actually make financial statement fraud more costly and harder to detect.”
http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/11779692/c_11780170?f=alerts

 How to Disagree with Auditors: An Auditor’s Guide
“If you’re responsible for compliance, chances are you occasionally disagree with auditor findings. This week, certified internal auditor and certified information systems auditor Dan Swanson offers inside advice on how to successfully change your auditor’s mind and prevent future conflicts.”
http://www.itcinstitute.com/display.aspx?id=2724  

IT Process Improvement / Quality Management

AS8015-2005 - Australian Standard for Corporate Governance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
“AS8015 - 2005 Australian Standard for Corporate Governance of ICT was drafted in the context of significant corporate failures in Australia, notably the one.tel failure. Broad scale Outsourcing had also demonstrated that vendors interests do not always align with those of a user organisation. It is a brief and concise, 12 page guide to effectively governing the use of ICT.”
http://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/as8015.html
[ This link also has links to further reading on the Australian experience towards the bottom of the page. ]

Commentary on the Publication of ISO/IEC 38500:2008, "Corporate governance of information technology”
These are notes by Marghanita da Cruz regarding the new ISO standard.
http://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/iso-iec-38500.html

Rescheduled Webinar:  Implementing a Green Data Center
There are many social and real-world cost benefits when data centers can operate in a more environmentally friendly manner. With concerns over budgets and global warming, now is the time to address these issues. This webcast will cover a number of technical topics for energy savings in the data center. Topics include: virtualization, design of the cooling system, device power, and so on.
http://solutions.internet.com/4991_default

Pepperweed Releases Process Model to Aid IT Workers
“The company said that their Pepperweed’s “Enterprise Resource Planning for IT” free process model is based on generations of Pepperweed intellectual property used in a variety of IT process improvement consulting engagements with Fortune 1000 companies. An integral tool for compliance auditors, the model leverages various IT frameworks and standards, including ISO/IEC 20000, ITIL, IBPL, ITGI, PMI, ISO 27001, COBIT and BPMN, officials say.”
http://it.tmcnet.com/topics/it/articles/34912-pepperweed-releases-process-model-aid-it-workers.htm

Security and Risk Management

When security staffers 'fail up'
“Think your security staffers are trustworthy? Competent? Knowledgeable? Ask a security professional for horror stories and you might think again.”
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9104599
[ This article brings up a number if interesting points include asking what are the impacts when a security vendors comes in for $38/seat and commoditizes security in the eyes of senior executives. ]

Identity Management: More Than Just a Password
“Requiring a user name and password -- whether to pass through a firewall, to log on to a virtual private network or to open an application -- is identity management in its minimal form. At a more sophisticated level, it incorporates biometrics (such as hand, fingerprint or iris scans) to identify a user and approve or deny access to resources.”
http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Identity-Control--More-than-Passwords/story.xhtml?story_id=113003OSRGDV

FISMA: Protecting Government Agencies from Hackers
“FISMA, the Federal Information Security Management Act, mandates basic security standards for government information technology systems. It requires agencies to detect and report security vulnerabilities in computer systems, and directs them to improve the information security framework -- the blueprint for how they secure their networks.”
http://www.newsfactor.com/news/FISMA--Stopping-Federal-Hack-Attacks/story.xhtml?story_id=113003OSRG7L

Design flaws make online banking vulnerable: study
“Led by an Indian American professor at University of Michigan, a study that surveyed web sites of 214 financial institutions in 2006 found that more than 75 per cent of them had at least one design flaw that made customers vulnerable to cyber thieves.”
http://www.ndtvprofit.com/2008/07/24124225/Design-flaws-make-online-banki.html  

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

Sun to make health care play through identity
“Sun Microsystems plans a new play in the health care space through the question of identity.  Sun has been a major player in identity management for some time, and was one of the founders of the Liberty Alliance, which has been working on identity standards since before the turn of the century.”
http://healthcare.zdnet.com/?p=1155

Relying on cuts alone will devastate health care system
“It has been said that in desperate times, men do desperate things. Whether or not the economists call our current condition a recession, California faces an unprecedented $17 billion shortfall, which by any standard is a desperate financial situation.  In response, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed drastic health care cuts that will cause tremendous human suffering throughout the state and threaten the very foundation of Santa Clara County's health care system.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_9980656

$230 million per hour on health care, still U.S. falls short
“In testimony before the congressional Joint Economic Commission today, experts on education, economics and health care testified about how Americans are doing. Some--very, very good. Others--not so much.“
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/07/230-million-per.html  

Human Error / Safety / Environment

Cancer expert warns employees on cell phones
“The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/23/cancer.cell.phones.ap/index.html

'Dire Predictions' book offers easy guide to global warming science
“Global warming, increasing greenhouse gases and melting ice sheets are all dire predictions by the Nobel-Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), but understanding the scientific assessments, future impacts on our lives, and the things we can do to mitigate the situation is not easy. Now, in a new book, two Penn State climate scientists present the information from the most recent IPCC reports in easily understood, sometimes amusing explanations and illustrations.”
http://www.firstscience.com/home/news/atmospheric-science/dire-predictions-book-offers-easy-guide-to-global-warming-science_50095.html
The book is on Amazon at:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756639956?ie=UTF8&tag=georgespaffor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0756639956  

Global News / Business / Economics

China drives VW sales to record
“Global deliveries were up 5.8% to 3.27 million vehicles, with China taking 531,600 vehicles, an increase of 23.6%.  This was the first time VW breached the 500,000 mark in China over six months, and there were also good results in Brazil and central and eastern Europe.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7517259.stm

Hong Kong Inflation Accelerates to 6.1% on Food Costs (Update1)
“Hong Kong's inflation accelerated in June to the fastest pace in four months as food and energy costs climbed.  Consumer prices rose 6.1 percent from a year earlier, the government said today on its Web site, after gaining 5.7 percent in May. That compared with the 5.8 percent median estimate of 15 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. “
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aobPBPwfu_NI&refer=asia

Keeping Energy Costs Down In China: Little-Known Facts About Building Commissioning
“With summer heat pounding China, buildings are using extra energy to keep their occupants cool, but high fuel prices are costing companies more money than ever. Gerry McMahon is the director and founder of Facilities Analysis & Control Ltd, one of the top companies working in Greater China to help companies pinpoint energy wastage and optimize efficiency, and he's often called upon to verify the quality and performance of facilities and assist with energy cost reduction.”
http://www.chinacsr.com/2008/07/21/2523-keeping-energy-costs-down-in-china-little-known-facts-about-building-commissioning/

Official Air Quality Status Page for the 2008 Olympic Games
Maintained by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau
http://bjepb.gov.cn/air2008/olympic.aspx

Computers Off Australia
Very interesting initiative down under to save energy and help the environment.  Their site provides some great suggestions and statistics for consumers and business.
http://www.computersoff.org/

Australia Computer Society – Green IT Group
http://education.acs.org.au/course/view.php?id=55  

US News / Business / Economics

Most banks are safe ... so is the FDIC
“The IndyMac failure will take a chunk out of the fund the FDIC has to insure deposits. But bank experts aren't worried about it running out of money.”
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/21/news/economy/fdic/index.htm

Alaska: Energy fix meets political pandering
“It's no surprise that with oil prices at $130 a barrel, lawmakers facing angry voters want to be seen as tackling the problem head-on.  And while it's hard to deny that the jackpot of all untapped domestic oil lies just north of the Arctic Circle, in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, it's tougher to say whether or not extracting this energy will benefit our nation in the long run.”
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/20/news/economy/alaska_drilling/index.htm?cnn=yes

Wind power: A reality check
In summary, the article points out that high-profile people like Pickens who are pitching wind power have a lot to gain financially and there are challenges with wind power including unpredictable winds and that what the government will do with regulations and tax credits are not clear at this time.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/22/news/economy/pickens_wind/index.htm?cnn=yes

Fuel cost now driving up electric bills
“Consumers from California to New York are facing rate increases of as much as 30 percent. Average homeowners' electric bills are now heading towards $70 to $80 a month in some states. And low- and middle-income residents are having trouble paying their bills as evidenced by a large increase in disconnect notices.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0725/p01s10-usec.html

Economist expects farmers' costs to rise sharply
“Crop prices are high, but a University of Illinois economist says the cost of the fertilizer, fuel and other things needed to grow them will go up sharply next year, too.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-farmerscosts,0,6349118.story