Server virtualisation is becoming increasingly commonplace, according to a new survey carried out by the Corporate IT Forum. The research found that the technology was being deployed by 60 per cent of the forum’s members, largely in order to cut costs and consolidate the space needed for the servers in data centres. Dani Briscoe, the Corporate IT Forum’s research services manager, said, “Virtualisation is established. It is a known thing. People are happy with it. The distinction between private cloud and virtualisation is becoming blurred.”

The Corporate IT Forum’s annual survey on corporate IT strategies flagged more positive developments for the BI market over the ensuing 12 months. The study, compiled via responses garnered from almost 700 IT professionals between October and November 2011, revealed a 10.7 percent rise in the number or survey participants planning to implement a BI strategy for 2012. In addition, 45.8 percent of respondents indicated that they already have a BI strategy

With so much lip service being paid to virtualisation, it comes as no surprise that it has already become a mainstream facility. A survey from the Corporate IT Forum revealed that 60 per cent of its members are using virtualisation in order to consolidate their servers and cut costs in a difficult climate. The retail sector is the number one industry for embracing virtualisation, with 65 per cent of IT departments using it, although the manufacturing sector has the lowest proportion at 48 per cent.

Server virtualisation is proving a popular option among companies that are trying to cut costs, an expert has stated. According to Dani Briscoe, the Corporate IT Forum's research services manager, businesses are not increasing or cutting their investment in IT at the moment. This, she said, is partly because many firms are turning towards virtualisation, since they believe it can help them cut their hardware support expenditure. "Virtualisation is established – it is a known thing [and] people are happy with it," Ms Briscoe commented.

More than 60 per cent of companies are experiencing the benefits of running virtualisation as a way of reducing their IT costs. This is according to the Corporate IT Forum, whose recent survey of 170 organisations found that the technology was growing rapidly in all sectors but some are still more keen on it than others

A survey from the Corporate IT Forum has found that more than 60% of its members are running virtualisation for server consolidation and to reduce IT costs. “Virtualisation is established. It is a known thing. People are happy with it. The distinction between private cloud and virtualisation is becoming blurred,” said Dani Briscoe, research services manager at the Corporate IT Forum.

A growing number of data management professionals are looking at innovative ways to use data to enhance corporate performance, according to three surveys about IT strategic priorities in 2012. The Corporate IT Forum’s annual survey of IT strategies for 2012, conducted in October and early November 2011 among 692 IT professionals, found a 10.7% rise in the number of respondents putting a business intelligence or management information strategy in place for 2012, over the 45.8% who already have a strategy in place.

The decorations have come down and the lights have been out away for another year but as we look back over 2011 there are still plenty of things worth talking about. Ollie Ross, Head of Research at The Corporate IT Forum, said that perhaps unsurprisingly, corporate IT budgets have remained tight in line with the unstable global economy. However, this has inspired the IT function to focus on delivering 'more for less'. "A firm hand on expenditure has been matched with a determination to use both mainstream and emerging technologies and services innovatively," he says this has been seen particularly in terms of the attitude towards the cloud. "Realising the benefits of virtualisation has been a core focus for many corporate IT users this year. 2011 has seen the corporate IT function take a serious approach to the opportunities offered by the different aspects of cloud computing. Overall, initiatives involving a 'private cloud' have been more favourable with corporate IT users than public or 'mixed' cloud offering," he says. Ross also talks of the buzz word of last year 'consumerisation' and reveals it is spreading far and wide across the customer base.

IT industry figures have hit out against plans to scrap compulsory work experience for GCSE students. The comments follow government proposals to remove the statutory duty for schools to provide every young person at Key Stage 4 (14-16 year olds) with work-related learning. David Roberts, executive director of industry body The Corporate IT Forum, said the impact of removing work experience for students at GCSE level would be minimal. “Work experience is important, but it is debatable whether experience as shallow as that delivered by the current mandatory system is the best way of approaching it. We’d much rather see the current system replaced by a good mentoring scheme and better career advice,” he said.

Ken Bunce of Friends Life and the Corporate IT Forum's Information Security Service Leadership Board features in The Times about IT security outsourcing.

In this UKtech50 video, judge John Harris gives his views on the state of UK IT and the role of IT leaders in the UK economy.

The Corporate IT Forum, the leading representative of large corporate IT users, is calling for entries to its 8th annual Real IT Awards. Designed and judged by large, enterprise-level IT leaders, the awards aim to recognise those IT projects that have contributed to real business success. Past winners include Marks and Spencer, Volkswagen, City of Westminster and Pizza Express, which scooped last year’s IT Project of the Year. Over the next month organisations are encouraged to submit details of IT projects that have delivered tangible business benefits in 13 categories, six of which are brand new for this year and have been introduced to reflect the latest industry developments and changing priorities of corporate IT users.

Measuring security in supply chains is inherently difficult due to their "third party" nature. Various contracts will be governing the relationship and it is a careful balancing act to negotiate around what is formalised within the contract and what makes for a pragmatic safeguard, writes Dani Briscoe, research services manager at The Corporate IT Forum. For the full article, click on Read More.

David Roberts, executive director at the Corporate IT Forum (TIF), says the organisation has received complaints that virtualisation makes licencing significantly more complicated, with others experiencing increased licencing costs. Recent user comments from TIF's Virtual Licence Management Workshop included: "We are living in a virtualised world where keeping on top of the necessary licencing is creating confusion as vendors try to get their licencing rules to keep pace with the technology." "There is no homogeneous approach to licencing around the world," said one user. Another said: "Sometimes it seems as if the market likes the complexity so it can baffle organisations."

... Harris says that the traditional career path in which people would start as a junior analyst, become a programmer then senior analyst and then architect has now largely gone. He says: “That raises the issue: how do we develop talent?” The question has led to Harris introducing a groundbreaking mentorship scheme among the Forum’s members. Whereas most mentorship schemes pair junior and senior employees from the same company, Harris’s looks to connect people from different companies or industries, or even from direct competitors. But doesn’t this employee and information sharing between companies raise thorny questions about the need to be competitive, or worse, result in breaches of intellectual property rules? Harris says that the information shared, even via mentorship, can be valuable without giving away trade secrets. “We tend to work under Chatham House rules, so you know what’s being said is as private as you want it to be. But it’s about what you share. An efficient email service is unlikely to help us develop products quicker than competitors, or commercialise or market them better. But it’s a problem we all share.”

... Consumerisation of technology provides the IT department with a golden opportunity to win friends and influence people by allowing them to use their own devices at work and unblocking access to social media sites, where appropriate. "IT can seem to drag behind a little, but we have evidence of IT and marketing now working together," Ollie Ross says.

A survey conducted by the Corporate IT Forum reports IT directors are increasingly deploying tablet devices. In the Consumerisation Reality Checker survey of 58 IT directors, 34 said they are already providing tablets to staff in various roles across the business

David Roberts, executive director at the Corporate IT Forum, said Oracle is losing touch with customer realities. "There is now a gap between customer expectations and the ability to deliver what the customer wants," David Roberts said. "Organisations are becoming nervous at the lack of roadmap delivery and are concerned at the potential complexity and capability of the 'one size fits all' middleware platform vision. And if it costs them money, they'll also be cross," Roberts said.

The lively CIO panel debate from Computing's recent IT Leaders' Forum event on Infrastructure and Platform as a Service. The panel is chaired by John Harris, chairman of the Corporate IT Forum, and chief architect, GlaxoSmithKline.

"Corporates certainly aren't sitting Canut-like against this endless tide of computing devices and cost-saving opportunities. However, maturity in large-scale IT management and application means the Chromebook will be evaluated critically and thoroughly - and in good time, despite promises of faster, easier and much cheaper," said Ollie Ross, research manager at The Corporate IT Forum.

...Members [of the Corporate IT Forum] are currently involved in determining and implementing KPIs that show value and progress. Just over 60% [of members surveyed] do have some measure in place and this varies from showing alignment to legislation and regulations to meeting and achieving SLAs agreed with the business. Value is demonstrated through the reduction in security issues or failed changes; alignment to external compliance and audit. One head of IT from the food distribution sector commented "We measure success in terms of compliance to the external audit and PCIDSS requirements. We will also demonstrate through the reduction in security issues and failed changes, etc."

As a member of the Corporate IT Forum, where enterprises come together to share experiences and learning, Fabes is keen on the mentorship scheme the body operates. Whereas many organisations offer internal schemes, this one organises mentorships from different organisations, sometimes even direct competitors. "...I think it’s great for my guys to get an external perspective on developments in IT – within both our sector and other industries – then bring that knowledge back.” Fabes encourages his team to attend [Forum] seminars and workshops where possible. “It’s useful to know how others approach the challenges we all have in IT.”

McDonald's has recently introduced contactless payment technology into all of its UK restaurants. UK IT director Mark Fabes talks about the programme.

John Harris, the chairman of the corporate IT forum discusses the benefits of external mentorship schemes. Can competitors share people and knowledge?

The wider IT change programme was acclaimed at this year’s Real IT Awards, from The Corporate IT Forum, in the partnership category. Gaines said that particular value the award recognised was that “for the first time many people in our business were able to see all of it. It was a massive educational activity that generated a greater sense of team and togetherness. Most had learned the job on the job. That was a huge unintended benefit. It put a smile on the face of our board directors!”

Simmonds explained how at a recent meeting of the IT directors' group Corporate IT Forum with, almost everyone who said they used intrusion detection systems admitted they had deployed the IDS on the external side of the firewall, which gave great statistics, which presumably justified the cost. He said, "This is actually a very unprofessional way to run security."

The IT skills shortage has long been an issue but it's been made worse by the outsourcing and offshoring of jobs, and a growing reluctance of young people to work in the industry. The result is insufficient home-grown IT talent entering businesses. The Corporate IT Forum (CITF) is one of the organisations trying to address IT skills development by tapping into the expertise of its 320 member organisations and 10,000 individual members. Much of the organisation's work is about helping businesses make savings and create value through the use of IT. Members share knowledge through case studies and innovation sessions and collaborate with other members embarking on similar projects. A focus for the CITF is developing skills and chairman John Harris is looking at several ways the organisation can help boost IT skills in the longer term.

Pizza Express and Costa Coffee walked off with plaudits ringing in their ears at this year’s Real IT Awards for data-focused customer insight projects. The Awards, held in London on 9th March, and organised by The Corporate IT Forum, seek to recognise real business IT projects.

Around one third of CIOs expect to invest more in 2011 compared with last year, according to the latest Strategy Survey from The Corporate IT Forum. Overall results from the survey reflect a positive outlook for the year ahead from the UK IT industry, with 61 percent of CIOs planning to maintain or increase their investment levels and 29 percent focusing on organic growth. Is investment going to increase in 2011? We would like to hear what you think.

The Corporate IT Forum declares the winners of the 7th Real IT Awards Winning projects showcase the innovation, clever thinking and visionary approach being applied in corporate IT today The Corporate IT Forum, the leading representative of large corporate IT users, last night (9th March) announced the winners of the 7th Real IT Awards at the Park Plaza Riverside Hotel, on London’s South Bank. The Real IT Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement in corporate IT and recognise outstanding IT projects that have delivered tangible benefits to their businesses. This year’s winners include Pizza Express, Whitbread, Volkswagen Group, Marks and Spencer, Severn Trent Water, Nursing Midwifery Council and Westminster City Council.

... But despite all the obvious benefits, the looming specter of data protection and security is never far from risk officers' minds. There are any number of security and privacy concerns that go with cloud computing, according to John Harris, chairman of the Corporate IT Forum. "How do you authenticate in the cloud? Who is responsible for data? Where are services being hosted? Where and how are they being backed up?," he says. "How can you be sure that the provider can be trusted to handle your data securely, effectively, and will adhere to your policies and regulatory requirements? It's a question of balancing the competitive cost of not using the cloud, against the risks of actually using it."

I facilitated an event in London last weeek dealing with the integration of iPads (and other post-PC devices) into the corporate environment. The organisation had to move the event into a bigger, more central venue: there were at least three times as many takers as for most normal events. The event itself was under Chatham House rules, so this is not a report. Anything in this posting comes from my pre-event research. But simply: the size of the response to this event shows what a topical topic this is (if I may put it that way). And yes, the stimulus from the “Christmas present factor” (or other ways that top executives acquire iPads and then demand to be able to use them) is real; but so too is the portfolio of business uses and softer, but no less real, benefits that are emerging.

A third of CIOs will be investing more in 2011 compared to last year, according to a recent survey. This latest Strategy Survey is from The Corporate IT Forum. Overall results from the survey reflect a positive outlook for the year ahead from the UK IT industry, with 61% of CIOs planning to maintain or increase their investment levels and 29% focusing on organic growth.

John Harris, who took over as chairman of the Corporate IT Forum in July 2010, believes technology will make running IT easier. Speaking to ComputerWeekly.com last year he said, "As the basic technology gets easier, some of the fire-fighting can go. It will be more about understanding and managing services well. It will be just IT, and businesses make use of it in certain ways to grow."

This could be an important year for data management, and business intelligence in particular in the UK, according to a recent survey. CIOs and retail in particular are optimistic about their IT projects.

Most IT leaders wouldn't countenance the idea of replacing their PC estate with Apple's Mac alternatives, but there is a growing acceptance that employees may be more comfortable with using their home system at work, said David Roberts, executive director of the blue chip IT users group, the Corporate IT Forum. "So it may well be the case that there will be more Mac systems in the enterprise in future," he added. But can Apple really be treated as enterprise ready? Its approach to security may give some IT leaders pause for thought. Read more: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/1899050/security-derail-apple-s-attempt-woo-corporates#ixzz1IGujV6Oh Computing - Insight for IT leaders Claim your free subscription today.

... The result will mean dramatic changes to the way people manage their home and work life, with dramatic consequences for the IT department, John Harris, IT vice-president at GlaxoSmithKline and chairman of The Corporate IT Forum told the group. ... The take-up of the cloud will accelerate as businesses seek to get to grip with their costs. Pressure will come from the chief financial officer and other parts of the business, Harris predicted. "We have all heard the stories about client-servers and all the wonderful licensing deals you can get. We have 10,000 people and we have negotiated the cost down to £1 per licence. But then you work out that only 12 people are using the software, so then it does not look quite so good. "The beauty of cloud is pay as you go. You pay for what you use when you use it. There is no longer a huge amount of negotiation to be done. We will want to work that way because financially it makes sense," he said. "More and more cloud services will happen." But to take advantage of these new technologies, businesses will need to trust their employees to use them properly. "We have to assume people know how to behave with a PC. It's not like it was 20 years ago. If you work in finance and you know the company results, we don't follow you to the pub to make sure you don't talk to the bar maid. There are certain things people should know.

When polled, the majority of Corporate IT Forum members replying to a recent member Q&A about the impact of Stuxnet agreed that its complexity had deservedly heightened security concerns. However, most felt that the issues raised were, by and large, those that IT security professionals already face day to day. Employee awareness of the risks associated with malware goes a long way to protecting corporate systems. The response to Stuxnet has been to raise malware awareness among support staff and control engineers, and reiterate that Scada security can be as important as network or information systems security. In reality, many sectors' Scada security should be considered just as important as data security. Basic mitigation is a fairly simple process, if sometimes harder to put into practice. Defined system ownership and management carries responsibilities for implementation of patching and anti-virus against a strict policy (of course ensuring patches are verified). Removable media cannot be used without express permission of the system manager and all must be checked for viruses, for example via an offline PC. Many anti-virus systems can also monitor and alert upon the use of any portable media or network device being used on the system. To quote one member: "It's a relatively old lesson: training, training, and training. Teach people not to accept updates blindly. Put a process in place that allows them to check that updates are genuine and uncorrupted quickly and easily. And check the process is being followed." As an IT professional, your challenge is to keep the message fresh and in the minds of all employees, irrespective of their role.

"For IT leaders, there is a tightrope to be walked between the necessary short term measures to meet savings targets and the need to retain and grow the ongoing capability for success in the future," said Harris. "It is not just the current economic climate that is driving the changes. The industry is already striving to figure out the impact of new service models such as cloud technology, respond to the demands for consumerisation and maintain the right balance around in house and offshore sourcing models," he added. "It may be tough, we do need to ensure that we continue to find opportunities for people at the start of their careers, whether it is apprenticeships, industrial placements or graduate training programs, these are the routes through which different thinking - the Generation Y - enters the organisation." The DWP apprentices have become victims of their own success, said David Roberts, executive director at blue-chip user group The Corporate IT Forum

Sales and marketing executives are getting excited about social media, and savvy IT professionals are backing them up. There has been a sea change in the last three months, as Twitter, in particular, takes the corporate world by storm. Forum members are left wondering whether social networking is leading the way, or in the way.

John Harris, Chairman of The Corporate IT Forum and VP Applications at GSK, talks to Denise Plumpton at 360IT about the Forum, the global challenges that face IT today and who's harnessing and driving value to change the service IT can offer.

The rise of social media in the corporate world is leading to many organisations simply shutting down access as a form of control rather than leveraging the potential benefits. The Forum has seen a noticeable increase in use amongst the membership...
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Security delivered via the cloud does offer value-added potential for corporates - but will depend entirely on the nature of the business, the structure of the organisation, the IT strategy and architecture, and ultimately the appetite for risk.
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David Roberts, chief executive of the Corporate IT Forum (Tif), said: "£7m over three years seems a very small sum for a very large problem. We doubt whether it will be enough to tackle an issue that the Home Office itself calls a global menace."
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The Corporate IT Forum: Users are human and part of the risk matrix
Dani Briscoe, services manager, The Corporate IT Forum (Tif), points out that secure user authentication is a difficult balancing-act for IT security professionals.
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Private sector IT can give cost-cutting lessons: an open letter to Francis Maude
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has appealed for help from anyone who can help the government cut costs.
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New chairman sees special role for Corporate IT Forum
Business IT user group the Corporate IT Forum will aim to better prepare IT professionals for the changes in the industry, says new chairman John Harris.
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Apply commercial nous to government IT, say IT leaders
Government policy from the new coalition is now taking shape. Both parties adhere to a state model that is smaller and more efficient. With respect to government IT, the new administration would do well to learn from corporate norms in optimising efficiency and benchmarking continuous performance improvement, writes David Roberts, executive director at The Corporate IT Forum.
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Tif. Sets out IT wish list for new government
Synergy is a much abused term in business, but there is an opportunity for more of it, and better when it comes to central government and the large IT organisations of the UK, writes David Roberts, executive director at the Corporate IT Forum.
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Kevin Birch, IT service cost manager at Severn Trent Water Ltd., a UK-based H2O utility, usesthe cost administration review apparatus from Service-Now.com. “You wish to obtain divided from the rational that IT is free,” Birch said. “We wish to make executivesaware of the cost of infrastructure services, similar to service desk, the information center, the Unixenterprise platform, the desktops.” Birch provides the expenses related with around 100 applications to the business managers. Inturn, the execs can then import the cost to give the service against the business benefit. If Birch’s group wants to replace, ascent or decommission an application, then thesecosts will be used to help with the financial review and cost gain of the business case. Servern Trent uses a a third-party provider to benchmark IT expenses against comparable companiescalled The Corporate IT Forum , and it allows Birch to see wherehis group spends more on IT services than it should.