Ready for the Annual Conference!

Telecommuters are more productive, healthy and loyal. I tend to agree. What really makes telecommuting work, 'though, (in my view) is the technology that enables shared calendars,and collaboration, instant messaging, "follow me" desktops and "presence" information that provides colleagues' availability and preferred communications medium. Hopefully, we are all becoming used to exploiting these on our corporate networks and for remote working "in-house", but the real challenge, now, when we are increasingly working in diverse partnerships, is federating office automation. Working with Socitm for the last six months, the absence of colleagues' calendar information and presence has been my biggest frustration!


I attended the Socitm London Committee meeting, hosted by David Wilde on the 18th floor of Westminster City Hall (which, of course, we all love for its fabulous views).

We discussed proposals being put to Capital Ambition - London's RIEP - into which London Connects, along with the London Regional Centre of Excellence, is being subsumed. It's proposed that the London Connects Steering Group will become the "London Socitm Efficiency Group" with reporting lines to both the Capital Ambition Board and London Socitm. This mirrors the arrangements being put in-place for other London professional bodies, such as the London Society of Treasurers and, I think, may be a model that could work in the other regions. The existing London Connects work programme and budget will be ring-fenced and managed by the new board.

I outlined the package of support for the Government Connect programme and Code of Connection that will be launched at the conference. (There will be a press release on Monday.)

We also decided upon the agenda for the next London Branch meeting, which will have a security theme with, hopefully representation from the DWP, DCSF and CESG.


Hope to see you at the Conference!