Welcome to B & M Bulletin, produced specifically for users of IT technical services. In this issue:
• Tech View: making the most of Middleware 'glue'
• Update on the Agency Worker Directive and Regulations
• 10 benefits of strategic technical consultancy
• B & M ProSupport - proactive IT support
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Tech View: making the most of Middleware 'glue'
Technical Consultant Tim Crossland takes a look at the expansion of Middleware in the first of an occasional series on the subject
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... for applications to connect...
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As Apple launches its latest iPad, the number of different technologies that are used in business every day continues to expand at a prodigious rate. At the same time, the requirement for applications to connect together is also increasing. Today's Internet shopper expects to interface with stock checking, delivery and credit checking applications in a matter of seconds. The days of isolated business units with their associated stand alone technologies are over.
It goes without saying that connecting forty year-old mainframe-based technologies with distributed graphical front-end applications is not a trivial task. This is where Middleware has emerged as the 'glue' that allows applications to communicate with each other without having to worry about the underlying technology of the other applications.
One of the first types of Middleware to emerge and gain almost universal acceptance was Message Oriented Middleware (for example IBM's WebSphere MQ / Microsoft's MSMQ and Apache's ActiveMQ). The reasons for its rapid expansion are:
- An application can put the required data in a message and let the Middleware worry about how the data got there. The Middleware deals with issues caused by different platforms, protocols and data formats (amongst other things!).
- Flexibility: generally a message can contain almost any format of data, whether it is XML, a COBOL data structure or video.
When applications communicate with each other, they can use the following techniques:
- Asynchronous messaging, where messages are sent to another application without requiring a response. This is also called 'fire and forget' when the Middleware is trusted to ensure that the data reaches its intended destination.
- Request/Response messaging - an application issues a request from another application and expects a response to that query.
- 'Publish and subscribe', which allows data to be broadcast to a large number of recipients.
The need for robust communication between applications and services is paramount and will ensure that Messaging Oriented Software is likely to continue its role as a backbone for the Enterprise.
For access to experienced Middleware specialists, contact sales@bmeurope.com.
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Update on the Agency Worker Directive and Regulations
Jerry Smart, MD of B & M, explains what recent changes to the guidance on these UK regulations could mean for organisations that use contractors
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This month the UK Government issued guidance on the application of the Agency Worker Directive and Regulations 2010 (AWD) that is due to come into force on 1 October 2011. This Guidance has been the subject of a consultation period that closed on 15 April 2011.
No doubt you will have read articles interpreting who is affected by the new regulations and how, but it is important for employers as well as contractors to consider the practical application of these measures.
One of the key statements is that these regulations will NOT apply to "individuals who find work through a temporary work agency but are in business on their own account". B & M places contractors who work though their own supplier (personal service) company, most of whom can demonstrate this - much the same way as they would for the UK IR35 - and thus who are not bound by the new AWD.
Why does this matter? Well, the EU directive that caused these regulations to be enacted was intended to protect the rights of agency workers who were treated unequally versus permanent employees doing similar work. This covered pay, annual leave entitlement and other benefits (e.g. canteen facilities). Since these issues are not a matter of contention for contractors working on specialist IT projects, all we are left with is the potential for further red tape for both contractor and employer. For example, if specialist IT contractors were to come under the remit of AWD, then after 12 weeks on assignment they would need to provide details of their employment contact between them and their personal service company so that we could ensure that they were meeting their obligations under the AWD.
For contractors working elsewhere in Europe, similar enactments of the EU directive in each country will apply.
At this stage many agencies are taking legal advice on the application of this Guidance and a lot of water has to flow under the bridge before October.
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10 benefits of strategic technical consultancy
Jerry Smart highlights some of the key benefits of using strategic technical consultancy
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- Agreed objectives and outputs from the outset
- Independent insight from an IT authority in the skill area
- Improvement in IT processes
- Improved resilience and productivity
- Injection of external specialist knowledge
- Strategic advice and guidance
- Workforce performance improvement through clear vision
- Standardisation, integration and virtualisation of IT platforms
- Optimisation of high-value IT investments to maximise return
- Predictable, project-based fee structures
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B & M ProSupport
proactive IT support
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B & M ProSupport is a flexible support service designed to meet the very different IT situations within large enterprises. B & M ProSupport offers a choice of second and third-level support services that help to reduce downtime and keep the business running - right up to on-site, 24/7 support if required.
B & M ProSupport can be tailored to include a mixture of proactive and reactive services, combining cost-efficiency with optimum system protection. B & M's specialists work in collaboration with customers' own in-house IT staff to analyse, build, integrate, manage and develop IT continuity processes that make sure that key platforms are constantly available to support the business.
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