Welcome to B & M Bulletin, produced specifically for users of contract IT services. In this issue:
• Value for money
• Tech View: Computing, but not as we know it!
• 10 ways to achieve value for money
• B & M staff member profile - Sales Director Amanda Dunn
• Profiles shop window
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How do you define 'value for money'?
Jerry Smart, MD of B & M Europe, explains the pitfalls of trying to get the cheapest deal - rather than true value for money
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"..the law of business balance…"
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It is without doubt that we all want value for money (VfM), but how do we define it and how do we achieve it?
When it comes to resourcing projects, budgets are set based on certain assumptions including day rates for differing skill levels. However, all too often, the procurement process is concerned with lowest cost rather than VfM. This is usually because VfM is difficult to measure, especially in advance of work being undertaken.
However, if you procure at lowest cost then you run the risk that the person recruited to do the job may not be up to your expectations - perhaps they do not produce the quality or the volume of work needed or don't actually have the precise level of skills required. The consequence of this is additional cost – either in time taken to complete the project or expenditure to find a more suitable resource. As the Victorian social commentator John Ruskin succinctly puts it:
“The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better."
Suppliers should be able to demonstrate those attributes of their candidate that will deliver true VfM and thus assist the procurement department to weigh up alternative proposals more accurately. Our list below features some of the key indicators to whether or not you are getting good VfM.
For excellent value every time, contact sales@bmeurope.com
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Tech View: Computing, but not as we
know it!
Paul Smith, B & M's Technical Manager, considers the future of Quantum Computing
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According to Moore’s Law, CPU power will double every 18-24 months - a theory that to date has turned out to be accurate. Basic physics will probably dictate the limits of chip design within the next decade - conductors are already down to 25 atoms thick, but it will never be possible to make them less than one atom thick. Pundits predict that by around 2010 we could have CPUs running at 30Ghz, but that they will have the heat output of a small sun!
The origins of Quantum Computing date back to those of Quantum Mechanics (QM); however it is only relatively recently that these principles have been applied to computing:
• 1980 Paul Benioff proposes a Quantum mechanical model for computing.
• 1982 Richard Feynman postulates that any physical system could be modelled by a
Quantum Computer.
• 1985 David Deutsch publishes a mathematical description of a universal Quantum Computer.
A Quantum Computer is a device that will perform computations making use of ‘Quantum Mechanical Phenomena’. It exploits ‘superposition’, ‘entanglement’ and the fact that Quantum bits (Qubits) can both be zero and one at one time, to deliver vastly improved processing speeds.
But why is this all so interesting today? Consider cryptography - an application that can demand significant processor power. For example, RSA encryption is based on two numbers that multiply together to produce a larger third number, but it’s very difficult to factor that third number to get back to the starting points.
There is plenty of evidence to show the benefits of quantum computing, for example:
• 1994 Peter Shor of AT&T shows a 250 digit key that will take a million times longer
to factor than one of 130 digits. Using quantum technology, it would only take 4 times longer.
• 2001 IBM’s Dr. Isaac Chuang demonstrates Shor’s factoring algorithm, in a test-tube 7-bit
Quantum array, to solve the factors of the number 15.
• 2005 The University of Michigan builds a 'trapped ion chip' and improves it in 2006.
• 2007 D-Wave Systems Inc. demonstrates Orion, the world's first 'commercially-viable'
Quantum Computer. It is a 16-Qubit superconducting adiabatic processor specifically aimed at
solving QM NP-Complete problems.
The age of the Qubit clearly has applications for factoring, discrete logarithm and Quantum physics simulations. My guess is that over the next few years we will see add-on Quantum co-processors similar to Orion for mainframes and eServers. These co-processors could provide functions similar to the conventional engines that IBM already provides.
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10 indicators that you're getting value for money
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How do you tell if you are getting good value for money from your specialist IT resource? B & M has put together a top 10 list of indicators that show whether you are achieving VfM. A good-value specialist will bring:
1. High level of skills that match your requirements
2. Greater levels of productivity
3. Fast delivery that means that they can complete a given task in less time than a less experienced (and possibly cheaper) contractor
4. High quality work which does not need double checking or to have corrective actions taken
5. Added value through their experience on a wide range of projects which will give them a unique perspective, not generally available from in-house or less experienced specialists
6. Significantly reduced levels of risk on project delivery as they have proven their worth over a number of years in different settings
7. Less time expended on the project overall, keeping costs down and enabling the business to begin benefiting from IT developments sooner
8. A structured approach to their work, initiating clear, regular reporting to project managers
9. Professional and social interaction with his or her colleagues - building the relationships that make everyday business tasks a little more enjoyable and fulfilling
10. A positive attitude that helps spur everyone involved towards a successful outcome for the project in hand.
For the best in value, contact us at sales@bmeurope.com
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Real Skills. Real People - B & M's Amanda Dunn
This month we profile Sales Director Amanda Dunn
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Amanda is an experienced sales director with a strong track record of providing high-value IT services into the international marketplace, who joined B & M in April this year.
During the 20 years that Amanda has spent in the IT Industry she has worked for a number of blue-chip companies including IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Landmark (now part of Halliburton), Dun and Bradstreet Software Services and a number of prestigious JVCs.
Amanda has an MBA and is Siebel certified. Her work experience includes running a wide range of global and major accounts; board-level responsibility for channels and alliances and running teams of over 30 sales and technical staff.
In the last few years Amanda has focused her energies in the area of professional IT services and has won a number of strategic consultancy contracts with multibillion dollar turnover companies.
Her aim is to use her expertise to help B & M achieve its goal of becoming the major provider of expert technical support and consultancy services in its chosen niche markets.
Amanda’s out of work interests include travelling, engaging in country pursuits and spending time with her children.
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Profiles shop window
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B & M offers you the opportunity to view the credentials of some of our most senior IT contract specialists before you get in touch with us. We have active relationships with some of Europe's most experienced IT specialists for z/OS, UNIX and network communication systems, including notable technicians skilled as:
• WebSphere Specialist
• Unix Systems Administrator
• DB2 Systems Programmer and Database Administrator
• MVS Systems Programmer
• MQSeries Specialist
• Network Specialist
• CICS Systems Programmer
For more details, go to www.bmeurope.com/profiles or call us on +44 (0)118 981 1880.
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