Stories by Rob O’Neill

Senior IS executive: Ibrahim Simiyu
Reports to: NA

Documents appear to confirm that IT vendors with strong existing installations in Auckland councils are in the box seat to become ICT suppliers to the new Auckland Council, which takes charge of the city on November 1.
Auckland Regional Council's group manager of ICT, John Holley, recommended last October that the Auckland Transition Agency should use systems that are already in use within the councils or systems selected as part of a recent tender, to deliver both strategic and tactical IT services on Day One of the Supercity.

Name: Mike Paranihi
Title: Director IS

IDC launched its predictions for 2010 last week, featuring consolidated buying in government and a restructure of the ultra-fast broadband plan that, in part, appears to support statements made last week by controversial analyst Paul Budde.
IDC Top 10 predictions are

The Auckland Transition Authority (ATA) has outlined its assumptions, draft structures and change processes in a discussion document released to local body staff in the region this afternoon.
The planning is based on a number of key assumptions, including that call centres and ICT will be centralised from November 2010.

Auckland-based Phitek's noise cancelling headphones may cost more up-front than some competing products, but the company continues to score wins from price-sensitive international airlines, today announcing it has signed up Virgin Blue boutique brand V Australia.

The New Zealand Automobile Association is moving its mobile users off Vodafone and on to Telecom's new XT network.

Microsoft's keynote developer event, Tech Ed, kicked off at Auckland's Sky City convention centre today to the rousing beat of African drums.
Scott Wylie, developer and platform group manager, welcomed developers to the 14th Tech Ed, thanking them for coming despite hard economic times.

The global financial crisis has driven Fuji Xerox New Zealand deep into the red in its 2009 financial year.
According to financial reports held by the Company’s Office, Fuji Xerox’s combined operations in New Zealand, across its trading and finance companies, lost $15.6 million for the year ended 31 March 2008. That compares with a break even result the previous year.

Telecom's IT services devision Gen-i is claiming it has already won 5,000 users back from Vodafone for its XT network and expects 25,000 users of its CDMA network to upgrade to XT by the end of June.
Gen-i’s head of mobile, Joe Caccioppoli, says Gen-i will offer "Gen-i only rates" for data, devices and plans reflecting the spending levels of large corporate clients with the company.

Katrina Troughton, IBM's New Zealand country manager, is moving to a new position based in Shanghai as director of WebSphere in IBM's growth markets unit.
An IBM spokesperson says her replacement is likely to be an internal appointment.

Any publication needs its special edition; that is one of the fundamental, tried and tested rules of publishing. A good special should not only be one the readers – and advertisers – love but one that really plants a flag about the publication that created it, that somehow conveys the essential ethos and reason for existence of the regular editions.
Vanity Fair does its Hollywood issue. Fortune has its 500. When I think about successful New Zealand specials, I think of the NBR Rich List, but there are many more.

For large companies all around the globe, the challenge to be truly innovative has proved tough. Generally, the larger a company gets, the more ponderous and bureaucratic it becomes. And the more risk averse.
For large companies processes and systems are important, even vital. They ensure numerous corporate governance regulations and requirements are adhered to. They regulate the way human resources are managed. They ensure corporate IT policies are adhered to?–?and corporate IT costs are kept under control. But arguably these structures also stifle innovation and creativity.

One of the most important lessons Ian Angell gives to his information systems students at the London School of Economics is how to deal with failure.
“Remember the two golden rules of systems development,” he says. “One, always leave before the system goes live; and two, always set someone up to take the blame.”

My time as a young dad passed a while back but I have been observing various people around me and in the industry as they embark on parenthood and I’m struck by how completely frazzled they seem. They are tired, worn out and stressed almost without exception.
These people don’t work in dark satanic mills. They are white collar people, sometimes senior managers and, despite all the talk of ‘family friendly’ working environments, I can’t help concluding the role of the working parent is tougher now than it has ever been.