Communications in a global village

Posted by Judith on March 14, 2008 12:22 PM

Waterstons' managing director, Mike Waterston comments on the changing world of communications:

My varied experience in business over the past 30 years has seen a major transformation in people’s ability to communicate, share ideas and learn from each other.

In the early eighties I was the technical manager of a large chemical enterprise with manufacturing sites in eight countries. We ran a very successful coordinated manufacturing development programme which in those days, before the cheap PC and email, required many telephone calls and a lot of travel to meetings where participants could compare and share ideas. Work duplication was rife and the process of shared learning was difficult and inefficient. The result was slow if steady progress and the overall exercise was relatively costly to run. I often reflect on how different things would have been if the same exercise had been carried out today with the current green agenda and with access to modern communications tools.

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Technology priorities in construction

Posted by Judith on March 3, 2008 10:26 AM

Waterstons' Executive Consultant Alistair McLeod talks about how construction companies can use technology to drive change or gain a competitive advantage...

Traditionally the construction industry has had an indifferent approach to IT and while investment has risen in recent years, it is still low compared to the worldwide average. However, raising the budget is not the only answer and construction organisations need to place IT at the centre of the business strategy, enabling them to use technology more effectively to drive through improvements. IT Managers should have more involvement in defining and prioritising business strategy so they can bridge the gap between business requirements and technology. It is crucial that the IT investment is relevant and embodies the principles of both a strategically enabled and commodity-focused IT strategy.

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Could your business leak sensitive or valuable data?

Posted by Judith on February 5, 2008 3:11 PM

Waterstons' executive consultant, John Prescott talks about the recent information security blunders...

It has been widely reported that it has cost the taxpayer £2.25 million just to send a letter of apology to everyone who’s affected by the loss of two HMRC CDs containing 25 million child benefit records. The potential long term cost is yet to be confirmed especially if the data gets into the hands of organised criminals and we may not see the impact of this for years. It isn’t just limited to government agencies as we hear about banks that have lost laptops containing customer details on the hard disks, yet we still see a large percentage of businesses not setting measures to protect sensitive data from leaving an organisation into an unsecured environment. This can include: clients personal information, intellectual property documents and precious client relationship information that forms the lifeblood of any business.

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The power of relationships

Posted by Judith on January 18, 2008 12:27 PM

Waterstons' senior consultant, Anna Ferguson talks about the power of networking...

When you stop and think, it’s amazing how crucial productive relationships can prove to be, both in business and personal life. I have now been with Waterstons for nearly 9 months, and in this time forming new relationships has reaped benefits. Through a stronger relationship with Microsoft we have become one of the first four partners in the UK to obtain their new Search accreditation, which gives us exposure on their website. Another new partner has chosen us to be one of the companies they’d like to help grow, and will work with us to generate new leads.

In one of my former roles at the Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs, relationship building was deemed so important that we were given networking training. This was delivered by Victoria Legge-Burke, Lieutenant, Royal Victorian Order (L.V.O) who was formerly Lady-in-Waiting to HM the Princess Royal and is currently Executive Director for LAMDA (The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). Goldman Sachs, being a fairly aggressive establishment, made no apology for the fact that successful networking and relationship building would lead to rapid advancement in the company, and even encouraged us to pick a Managing Director (MD) for a mentor. I still remember Victoria coming armed with a large, floppy plastic fish in order to demonstrate how NOT to shake hands! She was certainly a character, and made a lasting impression on most of us, but her lessons were invaluable.

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Technology in 2008

Posted by Judith on January 7, 2008 2:30 PM

Waterstons' executive consultant Alistair McLeod shares his predictions for the year ahead...

The New Year will hold some interesting challenges for Information Technology as the predicted slowdown in the economy begins to bite. It will put pressure on costs and ultimately the IT budget and during these periods that IT investments need to be managed wisely. IT should have its roots embedded into the framework of an organisation both as a commodity and a strategic enabler, and will be increasingly pulled in opposite directions by these competing forces. It will require tight management from a new breed of IT Manager who has business and leadership skills and can create a balance between focus on the vulnerabilities of not implementing a technology against using IT to gain a competitive advantage or drive change within the business.

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Trust: the essential element of a successful organisation?

Posted by Judith on December 21, 2007 12:15 PM

Waterstons Managing Director, Mike Waterston talks about the role trust plays in the evolution of a successful organisation...

I guess the precursor to providing an answer to the question posed above is the definition of success as far as a commercial enterprise is concerned. In my view success has to encompass more than simply making money; it should also include satisfying the needs of all of the stakeholders including customers, employees and the surrounding community. In fact trust underpins all productive human interaction; without trust a mutually acceptable negotiated settlement, a delighted customer and a committed employee are but pipe dreams. In the limit a lack of trust will lead to disenchanted employees and customers who will frustrate the aim of ongoing financial sustainability by inhibiting a company’s natural ability to adapt to changing market demands and emerging technologies.

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Women in IT

Posted by Judith on December 11, 2007 9:14 AM

Waterstons' Consultant Vanessa Karnebogen talks about Women in IT, or rather the lack of...

I recently read an article about a Gartner study on women in IT. It stated that only 25% of employees in the IT sector are female with a decreasing trend. So why is that? Is this industry still very much a male domain? Or are the majority of women simply not interested in IT and technology as soon as it goes beyond mobile phones and the Internet?

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Green IT

Posted by Judith on November 28, 2007 4:11 PM

Waterstons' technical director Andrew Kershaw talks about how IT can make a positive impact on the environment around us...

With climate change becoming a reality the importance of operating in an energy efficient way is becoming increasingly accepted. Up until recently energy efficiency in IT meant how long would your laptop battery last whilst away from the office. This attitude is clearly changing and leaders are starting to emerge to demonstrate what is possible. Two key areas in which IT can make a difference are reducing power consumption, and enabling flexible working.

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Visions of the future

Posted by Judith on November 19, 2007 11:14 AM

Waterstons' executive consultant, Alistair McLeod, debates where technology will take us...

I was watching BBC Four's new series called ‘Visions of the Future’ the other night and it got me pondering about what an exciting time we live in, and what the future will hold for us in the next twenty or so years. It may not feel like it, but we are really only at the start of the information revolution, and we still have some way to go before we can say that information is truly available on-demand wherever we are. The Internet is the greatest biggest contributing factor to the information age, and if somebody told me when I was child in the seventies that we would be able to download music, news, information, and chat with people on the other side of the planet I would not have believed it would be possible, yet we now all take it for granted.

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The future of education

Posted by Judith on November 1, 2007 1:03 PM

Waterstons' Managing Director, Mike Waterston talks about the part technology is playing in the future of our Universities and Colleges...

Technology is undoubtedly transforming the world of education. The progressive growth in the power of choice for the average student is making the world of education a very competitive place. Universities and Colleges have to worry about providing students with both a great life and learning experience if they are to build a reputation for educational excellence.

In parallel with these key cultural changes the arrival of the technically aware student combined with the availability of broader internet bandwidth and the speed with which communications and collaboration tools are evolving is placing technology at the centre of a profound shift in improving the level of service to the student.

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Can voice provide the service of the future?

Posted by Judith on October 18, 2007 3:18 PM

Waterstons' executive consultant Nadine Crich talks about speech recognition...

I am always intrigued by new technolgies, and none more so than the latest speech recognition software that is slowly creeping into our lives.

Although it isn't widely available yet, we will soon be able to speak a message into our mobile phones, which it will convert into a text message. When we get into our cars, we will be able to speak the destination we would like directions for instead of typing in the address or postcode. We will be able to speak the name of the CD we want the car to play (assuming you actually have the CD), or say the name of the person we want the car to call.

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Making the right choices

Posted by Judith on October 9, 2007 3:36 PM

Michael Stirrup, Senior Consultant at Waterstons talks about how business intelligence can aid decision making…

Imagine if Gordon Brown didn’t have the research poll information showing the latest upswing in support for the Tories. Then imagine if he’d called an election and lost. Depending on your political standing this may or may not be a good thing (!), but one thing is for sure….. Gordon would have made the wrong decision if he didn’t have all the necessary information at hand.

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Under lock and key

Posted by Judith on October 2, 2007 9:38 AM

Richard O’Connor, head of Waterstons’ Security and Infrastructure Consulting team talks about his experiences…

The term “Information Security” carries a number of meanings and can be interpreted in many different ways. However, one thing it usually does is frighten company directors and business owners – sometimes to the point where they prefer to close their eyes and ignore the issue!

We often hear of high profile security breaches such as the recent hack into the US Pentagon; rumoured to be the work of the Chinese military. Stories such as this can often fuel concern and fear, the result of which can be ‘knee jerk’ reactions and overspending in the wrong areas.

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The tortoise and the hare

Posted by Judith on September 14, 2007 2:45 PM

For this blog entry I'd like to introduce one of Waterstons' executive consultants, Alistair McLeod...

I love technology and working in an IT Consultancy company I see the benefits it brings to our clients every day. It can be an extremely powerful way of accelerating processes, consolidating information, or providing useful information quickly; however it is always important to ensure that technology is fit for purpose. This means you use the right technology in the right place to improve the way something is done. I’ll give you an example:-

I have a PDA device that allows me to pick up emails on the move, check my calendar, and generally act as an electronic organiser. It is fantastic, and as an added bonus it doubles up as a phone and a camera (ok, so the camera is not fantastic, but it has comes in handy on several occasions).

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IT Can Drive NE Business

Posted by Judith on September 5, 2007 3:17 PM

For today’s blog entry I’d like to introduce Anna Ferguson who will speak as a fairly recent addition to the Waterstons' consulting team, having previously worked in London in both IT and Management Consulting roles:

Here at Waterstons one of our key focuses is to tailor IT to help realise business’s strategic objectives, and this concept initially attracted me to the company.

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Using technology to reduce your carbon footprint

Posted by Judith on August 24, 2007 2:18 PM

Public consciousness is being raised over the increase in average temperatures across the planet. The debate on man-made contribution versus planetary cycles is still contentious and makes the carbon footprint very much an issue of the moment.

Considering that two thirds of the population drive to work it is not surprising that commuter traffic and ongoing air travel are the largest contributors to air pollution.

Printed paper documents – which are immediately out of date once they are printed – produce a massive amount of waste; as it takes effort, consumes unnecessary paper, printer toner and electricity all adding up to an unintentionally increased carbon footprint. Doing business in the most efficient way with the least amount of waste could have a significant impact to climate change.

Technology can help reduce an organisation’s carbon footprint whilst saving money in the long term by making processes more efficient and improving communication and travel.

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