This issue aims to recommend a basis of company information system for staff use.

Some may have seen advertisements of digital 4 in 1 machines (photocopier, scanner, printer and fax). One such advertisement caught our attention because its headline said “converting paper into knowledge in a matter of seconds”.  Alongside the machine, the advertisement promoted a piece of software for managing documents in a central pool for sharing among staff.  The software is not cheap although the 4-in-1 machine is not expensive as prices of hardware have come down substantially over the year. 

We wish to point out that the advertisement is misleading as a scanner and a piece of software will not turn paper into knowledge.  The pair will turn paper into digitized data.  We still require human input to turn data into information and human knowledge to turn information into knowledge.  Information is “organized data” and the criterion is that information reinforces certainty and removes uncertainties.  Knowledge is the application of information for solving a defined problem or achieving a defined objective.  It is possible to have crystallized knowledge such as FAQ (frequently asked questions) on a website.  However, we must not aim to crystallize everything as the world is moving ahead at a high speed and the permutations of 6.4 billion brains (today world population) are not predictable by machines.

Our recommendation is to organize internal and specific company information in computer folders so that all staff members know where to find it and to use Search Engines to collect external information.  A clear mind in every staff member’s head remains the glue of the company information system.

This issue provides 3 examples of how we can keep in touch with current issues and reduce the fees spent with consultants.  Why keep in touch?  It is because all good businesses should do PEST review all the time.  P is political.  E is economical.  S is social and T is technological.  Current issues will affect our top line and bottom line some time in the near future.  If we have a good IT infrastructure in our company, our key staff will be equipped to stay current all the time. 

Example 1 PAYE Calculator: Tax rates change on 1 October 2008. If you're an employer you need to make sure you start using the new PAYE rates from the first pay period that ends on or after 1 October. You'll also need to have the updated Tax code declaration (IR330) form available for your employees from 1 October.  If you haven't received the new PAYE form or tables (IR340 and/or IR341), you can download them from the website below.  You can also calculate the PAYE online.  It is fun.
http://www.ird.govt.nz/calculators/keyword/paye/

Example 2 Carbon Calculator: The Ministry for the Environment has recently published a guide and a calculator for voluntary corporate greenhouse gas measurement.  Organisations undertake voluntary measurement for many reasons, such as to identify where emissions occur, understand the cost of becoming “carbon neutral”, increase market share by winning over the consumer who cares and to respond to customers’ requirements and supply chain expectations.  The URL below will bring you to the calculator.  It is an eye opener if you have not seen it before.  It is fun two (too).
http://nzbcsd.org.nz/emissions/content.asp?id=418

Example 3 Technology for Business: How much we should spend on IT as a percentage of turnover or overhead?  Do we need virtual servers, 64bit computers, dual core PC and etc?  Visit
http://www.compucon.co.nz/content/category/2/43/138/

Compucon Peer Group CPD Seminar
19 November 2008

3:30pm – 4:15pm  Demonstration of IP Video Surveillance (Rayson)
4:15pm - 5:00pm  VMWare ESX User Experience Case Study (Stephen)
5:00pm - 6:00pm System Platform & Roadmap Update (TN)
6:00pm - 7:30pm  Wine & Cheese


Demonstration of IP Video Surveillance

We have done an introductory session on IP video surveillance in September as a small step towards the blue ocean.  This session is a follow up and is a report of our hands-on test result with real stuff.  We will demonstrate the difference between D1 and megapixel cameras in terms of display clarity and traffic burden on the network, zooming for detail, transition of daylight and night, recording by motion detection, triggering of email alarms (motion detection & stream loss), storage and management of footage, and multicast of camera videos.  We will express what we think are the cool bits of IPVS and the steepness of the learning curve.  We will use real equipment and live images in the session.

Presentation: 2008-1119 IP Video Surveillance Rayson.pdf (1.7MB)


VMWare ESX User Experience Case Study

Stephen Sheehan has successfully installed and operated virtual servers at Chillisoft with ESX for a while.  He will share with us his experience at the seminar.  The talk will include some basic background on ESX and nice things and not so nice things about ESX to start with.  We will address key issues such as resource management, Virtual Centre, Lab manager, security via isolation and disaster recovery.  Stephen will connect to the virtual servers at home during the seminar for a full level of demonstration.   This seminar will conclude our channel training efforts on Hyper Virtualization for this calendar year.

Presentation: 2008-1119 Compucon_vmware_ESX.pdf (650KB)


System Platform & Roadmap Update

This is an effort to keep our channel members updated of developments on the global front as well as our local scene.  Global matters include the release of 6-core Xeon and Nethalem Desktop by Intel and the 6MB L3 Shanghai Opteron by AMD, the first peep at Intel Nehalem desktop processor performance (based on QPI similar to K8 from AMD) and the imminent debut of DDR3.  Local matters include a preview of the transition of Diamond and Jasper in line with the calendar.  There will be no surprise from the roadmap but we expect many changes will take place when we go into 2009.

Presentation: 2008-1119 System Platform Update.pdf (1.9MB)

END

CA-4200 is a Megapixel IP camera suitable for Daytime Indoor surveillance use.  Caution: It is not suitable for low illumination use, and it does not handle Power over Ethernet.   Street price is estimated to be $600 + GST each as at 26 February 2009.