Eating for England

Geoff & I met with David Fitton, Google's Industry Head for the Public Sector to talk about Google Enterprise and Search. Initial thoughts were that Google Apps. could provide a cost-effective means of extending ICT benefits to manual workers. We were also interested in the Google Search Appliance for corporate search.

We asked about the prolonged Gmail failure that caused such embarrassment for customers in the US. "Google has learned the lessons."


I had lunch at Spiga, in Soho, with Bryan Glick, Computing's Editor, to discuss developments in Socitm, its relationship with Computing and the way recent stories have been covered.


In the evening I dined at Shepherd's, in Marsham Street, with Graham Palmer, Intel's UK and Ireland Country Manager and some of his senior management team. Other dinner guests were the Heads of IT from Tube Lines and UK Parliament. Our discussion ranged over infrastructure development, Green IT, wireless technology, tele-health and other developments in domestic technology and entertainment.


With the number of reported data breaches continuing to grow, yesterday, the UK Information Commissioner's Office called on CEOs to ensure there are robust arrangements for maintaining data confidentiality and security.

Digital Inclusion Action Plan Launched for Consultation

For some time we’ve been waiting for the publication of the Digital Inclusion Action Plan that Paul Murphy announced back in April. Last Thursday, I heard that it was to be published the next day, although this did not seem to be picked-up in the news, so I’ve done a quick search, and here it is (for consultation). (Interestingly, www.digitalinclusion.org.uk is suspended.) Meantime, Viviane Reding, the EU Commissioner for Information Society & Media, has published an article on the subject, and the Welsh Digital Inclusion initiative is up for a top European award.


Speaking of which (awards) I spent all day judging, again. Vicky has given me a hand (thanks, very much, Vicky) and I’m nearly done for these latest rounds.

I don't like Mondays...

Here is an excellent report of the StartHere event that I attended last week.

I’m exhausted, and it’s only Monday! I worked on LGC and e-Gov Awards all day, interspersed with trying to stay on-top of correspondence.

Martin proposed we establish and maintain a database of best practice and case studies – that have been through some sort of process of evaluation to substantiate benefits claimed – that we can refer to / refer Members to when requests for project information and evidence arise. That seems very sensible; another for the Action List. This would have made gathering our input to the annual Transformational Government Report, which Jos and I discussed this morning, a great deal easier. In the meantime, I have a great many awards submissions that Insight could review….

A More Productive Day

The minutes of the Socitm EGM, confirming the momentous decisions on membership, are now on the website. (Member log-in required.)


Today, I worked from home, as I shall do on Monday and Tuesday – and started assessing entries for the e-Government National Awards, and the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards.


Three Teleconferences, today, would have wiped my day out, had they all been meetings I had to attend, but took only about two hours in total.

The first was with Steve Palmer, Steve Hopson and Adrian concerning Socitm Membership Benefits, properly establishing the Membership Benefits Board and implementing the new membership model. Steve P. had prepared a paper with initial thoughts.

I am anxious to ensure we also reflect the benefits that come from our ability to lobby and influence - not just on behalf of individual members, but also on behalf of their employing organisations - epitomised (off the “top of my head”) in our work on the Local Public Sector CIO & CTO Councils, Government Connect, the Microsoft Software Procurement Project, the Ocean Unified Computing Subgroup, the Public Sector Infrastructure Team, the DCSF Employee Authentication Service and DCLG and CESG Security Strategy and Data Sharing Guidelines.

We agreed a few of us would work on developing the “brochure-ware”. Adrian and David Houston are working on the administration with Bernard Gudgin. The new membership fee structure will be proposed to the board on 6th November. The new CRM system will be ready in time for invoicing at the beginning of January.

After lunch my Teleconference was with the Unified Communications Subgroup of the Ocean Procurement project – on developing the Government’s vision on Unified Communications. Jim Boyle, from the HMRC, who chairs the subgroup, circulated an initial draft vision that we discussed and added to, and a further version will be circulated. I’ll publish it to Members, once agreed.

Later I teleconferenced with Andy Collett and John Sweeney from IBM on Government security. This resulted from a conversation I had at the Socitm Conference. It made me realise that we need to get the industry onboard with our lobbying for the agreement of a sensible pan-Government Vision, so I’ve now asked for this to be put on the agenda for a forthcoming Socitm/ Intellect Meeting (5th November).


Today I’ve been in-touch with both SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives) and the CMA (Communications Management Association) who we will be meeting with to discuss how our respective organisations will work together. Unfortunately, because of existing commitments, and the fact that I shall be attending the ALGIM (New Zealand equivalent of Socitm) Conference and taking an extended holiday from 15th November to 12th December, this can’t be until mid-December, on my return.


What with those, and a few other distractions, I didn’t actually manage to review all that many Award entries, but I at least finished the week feeling I’d had a productive day!
Have a good weekend, and don’t forget the clocks go back.

Don't Start Here, StartHere

In my euphoria following the success of the annual conference, I forgot about this month’s President’s Report! Other than the conference itself, which has already been reported upon in various places, there isn’t too much to report, but much is now happening as a result of the decisions made at the Conference EGM, so I’m planning a fuller report following the Board’s meeting on 6th November.

The current global financial turmoil bolsters the case for government adoption of social networks. Well, they do say it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good!

My train was cancelled and I arrived really late for a meeting organised at Starbucks in Victoria Street, so I would be handy for a Microsoft Project Board Workshop ‘round the corner, which was cancelled, so, all in all, I had a wasted morning! I headed to Direct House and spent the rest of the day clearing correspondence.

In the evening I attended the 10th birthday celebration of “StartHere”, my favourite IT-mediated charity. There were presentations, in the Ground Floor auditorium, from Sarah Hamilton-Fairly – StartHere’s founder, Tom Hughes-Hallett – Marie Curie Cancer Care, Helen Milner – UK Online Centres, John Gillies – Citizens Advice, and Douglas Johnson-Poensegen from BT, our hosts, following which we went up to a Reception on the 34th floor. The presenters who followed Sarah all spoke of her tremendous energy and commitment, touched with a hint of madness(!) and StartHere’s consuming raison d’être, which I absolutely agree with. I hope we can now get StartHere onto the Public Sector Mobile Portal (PSMP) and will be taking this up at a meeting at the end of next week.

The motor that drives the revolving 34th floor observatory had broken-down, but the views were as spectacular as ever.

Reunion

Feedback from the Socitm Annual Conference has been excellent. Here are four exhibitor’s remarks forwarded, today, by Elaine.

'...It was the first national event I have been to that I think was genuinely worth doing, an excellent couple of days and we will certainly be at the event next year'.

'...Many congratulations for a great show, we enjoyed it and again felt that the quality of attendees makes it a very worthwhile event for us to attend'.'... It turned out to be a very good event for us, with IT security being top of everyone’s agenda this year'.

'...We had a good event with plenty of interest; it's highly likely we'll be back next year'.


The first meeting of the Government Connect CoCo Exemptions Committee took place today, by Teleconference. Details are embargoed until letters go out at the end of this week, but the Committee was very pleased with the positive way Councils have engaged with the process and encouragement at the evident progress that’s been made.

Geoff invited me into a discussion with Vince Tooke and another colleague from TfL to discuss our respective Data Centre requirements and continued collaboration. Newham ICT’s initial hopes for the redevelopment of the Council’s Bridge Road Depot were dashed when the commercial offer for the land was considered far too low. However, it’s still intended to dispose of the Depot, and future Data Centre provision is still a key consideration.


I completed a Socitm President’s “Thought Leadership” piece to be included in the publication of Green ICT research by Local Government IT in Use magazine.


Shane and I had a meeting with a Steria representative at the company’s Holborn office to discuss Caboodle pension issues, and Caboodle’s final accounts. I hope to be able to report more in the near future.


Following which we met a former colleague – Steve Paxman – for a long-postponed reunion and catch-up over dinner. I got the train home and Chris, bless her cotton socks, met me at the station.

Making New Contacts

This article by the Managing Director of the organisation that manages IP addresses in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia was published yesterday. It provides a short overview of the IP addressing system, and urges Government to facilitate the deployment of IPv6. “Governments are influential forces for Internet growth. Leading by example, governments can play an important part assisting in the deployment of IPv6. Where governments lead in creating an atmosphere of change and encouraging a landscape for safe and effective Internet development, the private sector will join.”


Adrian and I met with Steve Reynolds, Chairman, and Martin Ballard, Director, of the MDA (Mobile Data Association) at City University, in Finsbury. This was a very productive use of two hours, with agreements on sharing relationship-mapping to determine how we can best represent and support one another, MDA participation in Socitm GovX Spaces on Mobile Computing, participation in Socitm Futures and, potentially, reciprocal discounted membership fees for one another’s’ memberships. Other discussion was of joint events, the green agenda and mobile IT and public sector Case Studies. (Steve is an admirer of the Newham PSMP development.) We agreed to draft a Memorandum of Understanding as a framework for the relationship.

The MDA is organising an event, to be held on 13th November, on security relating to mobile payments, with broad representation from mobile industry stakeholders. However, the representation of public sector requirements was an obvious gap, from the Socitm perspective. Given our current focus on achievement of the GCSx CoCo, and the need to ensure that mobile data also complies with the requirements, Adrian and I suggested that Government Connect be invited to present its requirements at the event. We will try and ensure that Socitm is also effectively represented.


Back at Direct House, I had a short meeting with Martin Stobbs from Newham’s Audit Service, concerning the procurement of consultancies for the NTC project, and then was introduced to, and had a discussion with, Louise Delahoussaye, the new HP Account Manager for Newham.


In the evening I attended The Chemistry Club at Sartoria. It was a useful evening in which I got to make several new contacts, such as John Widowson, the GCHQ’s Director of Information Assurance in Government, and get up-to-date with other associates. The straight-talking John Moulton was the evening’s speaker. If I understand correctly, he predicted the financial mess we’re in when he last spoke at the Club a year ago. Anyway we were all ears for his views on where we go from here; it’s not good news, I’m afraid. Do you understand how “super senior credit default swaps” work? No, nor do AIG, or anyone else, apparently! “We need innovative bankers about as much as we want innovative pilots at the controls of our 747s.”