Welcome to B & M Bulletin, produced specifically for users of contract IT services.
In this issue:
• Market Update - the renaissance of contracting
• Tech View - Working with WebSphere
• Specialist profile - Mike Whetton, Senior Systems Specialist
• Real Skills. Real People - a profile of one of the B & M team
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The renaissance of contracting
B & M Managing Director Jerry Smart explains why the boom in IT projects is just one of the reasons for a resurgence of interest in working on contract
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Around two years ago, there were two main factors that drove contract specialists to return to permanent employment. Firstly, the demand for IT contract staff had diminished and secondly, there were fears about the impact of IR35 legislation.
As most of you know, the market for contract work is now growing healthily, with specialist skills in high demand. Companies are investing in new systems and demand is being further driven by new web development and relentless data growth (Silicon.com reports an annual average growth of 60%).
The concerns over IR35 have been addressed by well-informed financial advisors who are able to conduct IR35 audits and work with individual contractors to put a number of counter-measures in place. It seems that the Inland Revenue only chooses to investigate the weakest cases and we have not heard of any contractors who have been selected for review after taking professional advice.
The result is that many specialists are now moving back to contract work and there are attractive opportunities for people with the right skills and experience. So, whether you are in permanent employment and considering a change or you are nearing the end of your current contract, it is worth contacting B & M. Or you may like to recommend a friend seeking contract employment to us.
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Tech View - What exactly is WebSphere?
Paul Smith, Technical Manager at B & M, looks at how WebSphere has grown from a tiny acorn into something much, much bigger
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WebSphere is many things, a marketing term, a trademark, a brand and - if you believe IBM's marketing - the best thing since sliced bread. It started life as a single Java plug-in 'product', but since acquiring its own brand name, has expanded to encompass the wide array of products it does today.
IBM WebSphere is a 'middle-tier' enabler, although its influence extends to the client tier (for products such as voice and WAP mobiles, PDAs and web browsers), as well as the data tier (for message queuing and databases, for example). It runs on most of the common commercial platforms (z/OS, Unix and Windows) and interfaces to most data sources (DB2, Oracle and SAP to name but a few). WebSphere functions much like Sysplex under z/OS, having the ability to distribute work units to WebSphere Application Servers, wherever they exist in a network.
The great benefit from an administration and training point of view is that it uses an identical interface, regardless of platform. For applications development, WebSphere supports J2EE (JSP, Servlet, EJB), JVM and CORBA services which combine to deliver very flexible 'anything to anything' transparency. As a result the penetration into all levels of industry does appear to be quite significant and growing fast. Its main competition here is BEA Weblogic, Oracle Application Server and .NET from Microsoft.
It could be said that if there is a middleware need, WebSphere has a middleware solution that will address it. But it is up to individual organisations to decide how they will reap the benefits of WebSphere, by using specialist help to create the infrastructure and develop or customise applications.
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Specialist Profile
Each issue of B & M Bulletin provides an insight into the lives of some of our leading specialists. This month, we profile Mike Whetton, a senior systems programmer
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Mike Whetton has seen quite a few changes in his 38 years in the IT industry. Working in languages including ASSEMBLER, REXX and SAS, Mike has worked as a contractor for public and private enterprises ranging from banking to car manufacturing - and virtually every industry in between.
Although Mike has found that many projects have been similar over the years, he believes that it is the diversity of attitudes and approaches of the people that he works with that make the jobs he takes so interesting. As he explains, 'However different people are, there is always a common objective in that everybody wants the end product to work'.
But what would his advice be to people just starting a career in contracting? "There have been occasions when I have started a new contract and thought: 'If I had known it was going to be like this I would never have started'. But this view soon disappears because completing the task in hand quickly becomes your main desire. You need to be adaptable and use your skills to deliver what you have been contracted to do - no matter how things change. I often feel sorry for permanent employees who are dissatisfied with changes happening in their company - but IT is bound to be based on change?.
In terms of ambitions, Mike would like to develop his skills in MVS and security further with his next project, although more pressing is the need to invest in a new piano! As he explains, ?One day I expect to play for several hours each day, but I need to buy a decent piano in the near future as I have played mine until it is literally dropping to bits?.
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Real Skills. Real People
Get to know more about our people and find out how their expertise helps to make the most of specialists' skills
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Ed Hopper joined B & M after graduating from Durham University in 1997, since when he has developed wide-ranging expertise in the provision of technical support services and consultancy. His particular specialisation is in providing specialists for projects within the banking and insurance markets, where his knowledge has been instrumental in providing highly experienced specialists for a variety of projects with customers such as the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Abbey (formerly Abbey National) and Norwich Union.
Ed is also responsible for helping to develop new business markets for B & M, growing our business to ensure that we build on our twelve years' experience and continue to provide services that are relevant to our customers in the UK and Europe. Ed has led the development of our business in France - notably with SNCF; in Luxembourg - with Credit Agricole and in the Republic of Ireland where we have worked with organisations such as Allied Irish Banks and the Bank of Ireland. In the UK, Ed is the B & M Account Manager for five of the UK's 'big six' high street banks and some of the country's largest insurance and retail organisations.
In his leisure time, Ed spends his time freestyle kayaking and represented Great Britain at the 2003 Freestyle World Championships in Graz, Austria. He has also retained a link with his alma mater, providing advice and helping to fundraise for the Durham University Canoe Club.
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B & M has specialised in delivering skilled ICT specialists to meet the needs of leading organisations throughout Europe since 1992. We focus exclusively on providing consultancy, technical services and support for z/OS, UNIX and Linux enterprise systems, including third-party systems software, open systems and networking connectivity. We add real value for HR and IT professionals by taking the time to understand their needs and applying best practice methods to deliver results. To find out more about our approach to providing the best skills for each business, go to www.bmeurope.com B & M Europe Limited
www.bmeurope.com
+44 (0)118 981 1880
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