http://www.dunnsolutions.com/content/Sub-Solutions/Hosted_DataWarehouse.html
Chapter 2 briefly discusses the topic of hosted data warehousing. This is a site on Dunn Solutions Group's hosted data warehousing platform. This BI solution helps companies eliminate large capital expenditures for software and hardware, shortens long deployment cycles and significantly reduces the companies reliance on IT resources for implementation and maintenance. Their hosted data warehouse platform includes: professional ETL tool, dedicated database server, database backup, custom data warehouse database design, universe, reports and ETL scripts, web-based ad hoc reporting, interactive dynamic dashboards, tech support for the technical platform and custom solution, and future enhancements and additions to the solution. The site also lists the number of benefits of Dunn's hosted solution: no hardware or software to purchase, fast implemtantion-complete BI capabilities in weeks, professional management and maintenance, improved reliability and security, and lower entry cost with pay-as-you-go software and services. While data warehousing in general can be very beneficial for many companies, hosted data warehousing can provide an even easier solution. Companies still get the advantages of data warehousing without the hassle and cost of implementing and constantly maintaining the software. Dunn Solutions Group is one of many providers or this useful BI service.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Data Warehousing
http://www.dwinfocenter.org/
Data warehouses are collections of data designed to support management decision making that sometimes serve as repositories of organizational knowledge. I found this great website that contains a wealth of information on data warehousing. The site's "aim is to give you a taste of the good and (unlike most web sites) the bad in data warehousing and business intelligence." The site is a collection of essays that define data warehousing, give the pros and cons, and provide various other relevant information for anyone who is interested in the subject. An example of the other information is the section on what actions to take for successful data warehousing. For instance, establishing from the beginning that maintaining data quality will be an ongoing joint user/builder responsibility and training users one at a time are both actions that will assist in implementing a succesful data warehouse. Possible errors that users may come across are also available. These errors include data that may be incomplete, incorrect, incomprehensible, or inconsistent. The data that is contained in a data warehouse represents a large part of a company's knowledge. Companies need to have proper processes for gathering and storing information and data warehouses can be used for that purpose.
Data warehouses are collections of data designed to support management decision making that sometimes serve as repositories of organizational knowledge. I found this great website that contains a wealth of information on data warehousing. The site's "aim is to give you a taste of the good and (unlike most web sites) the bad in data warehousing and business intelligence." The site is a collection of essays that define data warehousing, give the pros and cons, and provide various other relevant information for anyone who is interested in the subject. An example of the other information is the section on what actions to take for successful data warehousing. For instance, establishing from the beginning that maintaining data quality will be an ongoing joint user/builder responsibility and training users one at a time are both actions that will assist in implementing a succesful data warehouse. Possible errors that users may come across are also available. These errors include data that may be incomplete, incorrect, incomprehensible, or inconsistent. The data that is contained in a data warehouse represents a large part of a company's knowledge. Companies need to have proper processes for gathering and storing information and data warehouses can be used for that purpose.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
green computing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=350Rb2sOc3U
As I have said in a previous blog, the idea of "going green" is becoming increasingly popular in today's society. The end of chapter 9 briefly discusses "green computing". Green computing is a strategy that many companies have been implementing in order to become more socially responsible. I found a video from explainingcomputers.com which introduces the importance of green computing. The use of computers has had somewhat of a negative impact on our environment. Computer use makes up about 2% of CO2 emissions and manufacturers use many chemicals and hazardous materials to manufacture PCs. The video suggests energy savers for companies interested in green computing. The energy savers include turning off idle PCs, using lower power hardware, server virtualization, hardware as a service, and energy efficient coding. An example of lower power hardware is the Atom created by Intel which uses far less energy than most hardware available.
The video also states that although computers are adding to environmental issues, they can also be used as part of the solution. Computers increase business efficiency and reduce the amount of travel people have to do. Virtual meetings and video conferencing allow people to communicate with others who are far away without having to drive or fly great distances. Also, many people now work from home saving them from having to commute to work daily. These things help reduce the negative affects travel has on the environment. This chapter focuses on companies being ethical and socially responsible and green computing benefits society by conserving global resources. Any company who uses green computing can both reduce their energy costs and become more environmentally friendly.
As I have said in a previous blog, the idea of "going green" is becoming increasingly popular in today's society. The end of chapter 9 briefly discusses "green computing". Green computing is a strategy that many companies have been implementing in order to become more socially responsible. I found a video from explainingcomputers.com which introduces the importance of green computing. The use of computers has had somewhat of a negative impact on our environment. Computer use makes up about 2% of CO2 emissions and manufacturers use many chemicals and hazardous materials to manufacture PCs. The video suggests energy savers for companies interested in green computing. The energy savers include turning off idle PCs, using lower power hardware, server virtualization, hardware as a service, and energy efficient coding. An example of lower power hardware is the Atom created by Intel which uses far less energy than most hardware available.
The video also states that although computers are adding to environmental issues, they can also be used as part of the solution. Computers increase business efficiency and reduce the amount of travel people have to do. Virtual meetings and video conferencing allow people to communicate with others who are far away without having to drive or fly great distances. Also, many people now work from home saving them from having to commute to work daily. These things help reduce the negative affects travel has on the environment. This chapter focuses on companies being ethical and socially responsible and green computing benefits society by conserving global resources. Any company who uses green computing can both reduce their energy costs and become more environmentally friendly.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
BCP
Chapter 8
http://www.csoonline.com/article/204450/Business_Continuity_and_Disaster_Recovery_Planning_The_Basics?page=1
I found a great article on Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning by Derek Slater. In chapter 8, planning for business continuity is one of the activities a manager can expect from the IS organization. A Business continuity plan is an approved set of preparations and sufficient procedures for responding to a variety of disaster events. The article explains what the plan includes and how to succesfully create a BCP. Focusing on systems recovery is very important to a lot of companies. It is very important that after a crisis, a company can restore data or use back-up servers in order to continue conducting business. The article states "Business leaders and IT leaders should work together to determine what kind of plan is necessary and which systems and business units sre most crucial to the company." Mistakes that have been made in disaster recovery are also discussed in the article such as inadequate planning and testing. Sometimes it is difficult to convince higher executives to spend time and money on creating and testing these business continuity plans. Slater suggests addressing the need for disaster recovery or business continuity plans "through analysis and documentation of the potential financial losses". Companies will face extreme losses if they are not able to recover quickly from a crisis. IT systems are extremely important for many companies to continue with day to day business. The greater the impact on the company if a system were to fail or be affected by a disaster, the more money a company should spend to restore a system or process quickly.
http://www.csoonline.com/article/204450/Business_Continuity_and_Disaster_Recovery_Planning_The_Basics?page=1
I found a great article on Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning by Derek Slater. In chapter 8, planning for business continuity is one of the activities a manager can expect from the IS organization. A Business continuity plan is an approved set of preparations and sufficient procedures for responding to a variety of disaster events. The article explains what the plan includes and how to succesfully create a BCP. Focusing on systems recovery is very important to a lot of companies. It is very important that after a crisis, a company can restore data or use back-up servers in order to continue conducting business. The article states "Business leaders and IT leaders should work together to determine what kind of plan is necessary and which systems and business units sre most crucial to the company." Mistakes that have been made in disaster recovery are also discussed in the article such as inadequate planning and testing. Sometimes it is difficult to convince higher executives to spend time and money on creating and testing these business continuity plans. Slater suggests addressing the need for disaster recovery or business continuity plans "through analysis and documentation of the potential financial losses". Companies will face extreme losses if they are not able to recover quickly from a crisis. IT systems are extremely important for many companies to continue with day to day business. The greater the impact on the company if a system were to fail or be affected by a disaster, the more money a company should spend to restore a system or process quickly.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Cultural Differences
Chapter 7
http://www.cyborlink.com/
I found this website which contains cultural information on various countries. It contains information on appearance, behavior, and communication in each country. This is something that is very important for any global company. It is very easy to accidentally insult someone in a foreign country by using a gesture that is common in the United States. Since offshoring is now very popular among companies, this information is needed when dealing with people from foreign countries. I clicked on the link for India and found some very interesting information on that culture. For example, when dressing casual, short-sleeved shirts and long pants are preferred for men; shorts are acceptable only when exercising. Women must keep their upper arms, chest, back, and legs covered at all times. Also, the use of leather products including belts or handbags may be considered offensive, especially in temples. Hindus revere cows and do not use leather products. I found this fascinating because some of these things are worn by americans on a daily basis. A women could easily be controversial in this country if she wore a sleeveless top or carried a purse made of leather, both of which are commonplace in the US. I would hope that anyone who planned on doing business internationally or with employees from a foreign country would research this type of information to avoid any misunderstandings.
http://www.cyborlink.com/
I found this website which contains cultural information on various countries. It contains information on appearance, behavior, and communication in each country. This is something that is very important for any global company. It is very easy to accidentally insult someone in a foreign country by using a gesture that is common in the United States. Since offshoring is now very popular among companies, this information is needed when dealing with people from foreign countries. I clicked on the link for India and found some very interesting information on that culture. For example, when dressing casual, short-sleeved shirts and long pants are preferred for men; shorts are acceptable only when exercising. Women must keep their upper arms, chest, back, and legs covered at all times. Also, the use of leather products including belts or handbags may be considered offensive, especially in temples. Hindus revere cows and do not use leather products. I found this fascinating because some of these things are worn by americans on a daily basis. A women could easily be controversial in this country if she wore a sleeveless top or carried a purse made of leather, both of which are commonplace in the US. I would hope that anyone who planned on doing business internationally or with employees from a foreign country would research this type of information to avoid any misunderstandings.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Agile Processes
http://www.objectmentor.com/resources/articles/agileProcess.pdf
As we all know, the world around us is constantly changing. Organizations need to be able to keep up with this change in order to stay competitive and meet changing customer demands. I found an article that discussed in more detail the importance of agile processes and what it takes to make them work. The article states "It is the ability to respond to change that often determines the success or failure of a software project." There is an emphasis on the ability of a plan to be flexible and adapt to change throughout the process. This whole chapter (5) is about dealing with changing business processes and agile processes, if done properly, are a great way to work through these changes. It is impossible to predict what will happen with a software project far into the future. A detailed plan should be made for the first few weeks only, then the plan should remain rough and flexible for any variables that may come up in the next few months or in a year. I think this article provides great guidelines for successful agile processes. "The principles and values of agile software development were formed as a way to help teams break the cycle of process inflation, and to focus on simple techniques for reaching their goals." As long as the principles and values discussed are followed, an organization should be able to apply the agile process successfully and adapt to change properly.
As we all know, the world around us is constantly changing. Organizations need to be able to keep up with this change in order to stay competitive and meet changing customer demands. I found an article that discussed in more detail the importance of agile processes and what it takes to make them work. The article states "It is the ability to respond to change that often determines the success or failure of a software project." There is an emphasis on the ability of a plan to be flexible and adapt to change throughout the process. This whole chapter (5) is about dealing with changing business processes and agile processes, if done properly, are a great way to work through these changes. It is impossible to predict what will happen with a software project far into the future. A detailed plan should be made for the first few weeks only, then the plan should remain rough and flexible for any variables that may come up in the next few months or in a year. I think this article provides great guidelines for successful agile processes. "The principles and values of agile software development were formed as a way to help teams break the cycle of process inflation, and to focus on simple techniques for reaching their goals." As long as the principles and values discussed are followed, an organization should be able to apply the agile process successfully and adapt to change properly.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Virtual Organizations
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 discusses virtual organizations and how they have changed work environments. Although this comic is a bit extreme, it does portray the convenience virtual organizations provide employees. The flexible hours and lack of commute makes this a benefit to both the employee and the company. For example, I know someone who was able to experience these benefits while working for HP. This person worked for HP in a New Hampshire office for years. Then, he was able to start working from home most days rather than make the drive to NH everyday. Eventually, he moved to the area he grew up in in West Virginia. He only visited his office a few times a year when he was in the area to visit family. Although he was a few states away from his office, he was still one of the most productive people in his department. Being able to work in other locations other than the office has numerous advantages: not having to schedule around or live in a certain area just because work is there; companies save money on real estate by not needing offices for all employees all the time; saving gas and according to this comic, less laundry :) Many companies are using virtual organizations to their benefit and IT has made that possible.
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