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Welcome to B & M Bulletin, produced specifically for IT specialists. In this issue:
• What specialists want - highlights from our specialists' survey
• Tech View - NAS futures
• Specialist profile - Chris Tee, Senior Database Specialist
• Real Skills. Real People - B & M's Seamus Hayes
• Current work opportunities
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What specialists want
B & M has spoken to 76 specialists to find out more about what they want, and has already taken action to deliver on some of their wishes
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B & M recently conducted a survey of opinions and needs among specialists who are registered with us. The aim of the survey was to get feedback on the services we provide, to find out more about what specialists think of us and to understand better how they would like to communicate with us.
76 people were interviewed who are either on contract for us at present; have worked through us in the past or who are registered with us but who have not worked through B & M thus far. Of those interviewed, 51 were based in the UK and 25 were based abroad; skills included:
• AIX System Administrator
• Capacity Planner
• Change Specialist
• CICS Systems Programmer
• Network Specialist
• Operations Analyst
• Oracle DBA
• Performance Specialist
• Software Developer
• Solaris System Administrator
• Storage Specialist
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• DB2 DBA
• HP-UX System Administrator
• MQ Specialist
• MVS Systems Programmer
• Systems Test Analyst
• Technical Project Manager
• TPF Specialist
• UNIX System Administrator
• VM Systems Programmer
• WebSphere Specialist
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Not surprisingly, most of those interviewed get the information they need from the Internet, notably from the JobServe (where B & M advertises current opportunities) and IBM sites. The main thing they look for is job opportunities, IT product data and trouble-shooting hints and tips.
The majority of current and past B & M specialists know B & M Bulletin, though most admit that they have not read it fully. Although the percentage of people interviewed who read our newsletter is low, the great majority do believe that it is a good way for us to stay in contact.
Specialists currently on contract for B & M believed that B & M uses the right approach to find them new contracts, send them off on assignment and maintain contact. A few constructive suggestions were made on improving contact.
Our response
B & M has already put in place plans to improve its communications in line with findings from the survey. We are introducing new features to our web site specifically for specialists; we are going to be covering some of the topics suggested by specialists in forthcoming issues of B & M Bulletin and we are evaluating ways of promoting our own web site more widely.
It appears from the survey that B & M has the right approach as to how and when to stay in contact with its specialists, although we recognise that it is vital to keep working on this aspect of our relationships. Some specialists have made suggestions as to how we can further improve our service and we are currently looking at these.
If you have ideas as to how we can improve 'B & M Bulletin' to meet your needs, please contact Melanie Thompson on people@bmeurope.com
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Tech View: NAS Futures
Paul Smith, Technical Manager at B & M, looks at some of the benefits and trends of Network Attached Storage, or NAS
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In its simplest form, NAS is a disk attached to a network with a small front-end operating system supplying data control and security. The big business advantage of NAS is that it can usually be supported by IT staff with generalised skills, rather than the more specialised Storage Administrators required for SANs (Storage Area Networks) and DFSMS (Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem), for example. The initial investment cost is also much lower than for a SAN.
Building a NAS solution can be achieved by augmenting in-house networking skills with contract specialists rather than having to train existing in-house staff or buying in permanent network expertise, making them more cost effective to the business in the short term.
However, many businesses are finding that with storage needs growing by an estimated 40% - 60% a year, they need to think beyond simply adding NAS units - each holding between 10 to 40TB of data - and move to SAN solutions. This has the benefit of freeing up core capacity on the LAN and delivers improved resilience against technical or physical threats to the network. When a company is at the point of potentially moving from NAS to SAN, they can use contract expertise to carry out an assessment of the benefits of the change.
In the next issue we will look at the range of skills needed to implement and support SAN software - particularly in multiplatform environments.
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Specialist profile
This month we interview Senior Database Specialist, Chris Tee
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Chris Tee is currently on assignment with B & M, working for a major electronics firm in the UK. In fact, he has had very little time when he has not been in employment in his seven and a half years of working on contract, as his skills and experience of working with DB2 has meant that finding the next assignment is never a problem.
Chris took his degree in Computer Science at the University of Cape Town before working for a couple of life insurance companies in South Africa. He began his IT career as a PL/1 programmer, later moving into systems analysis and database administration on Datacom. In 1990, he expanded into systems programming and database administration on DB2 and Datacom.
In 1998, Chris, a British national, moved to the UK with his wife and two sons and began contracting as a DB2 Systems Programmer and Database Administrator, working mostly on z/OS and acquiring some AIX experience. During his contracting career, Chris has worked in large companies including Legal & General, Zurich Financial Services, IBM and Lloyds TSB - the latter of which were both long-term contracts. Chris' current project is working on a DB2 V8 migration project.
But what made him decide to work on contract rather than seeking a permanent position when he came to the UK? "I enjoy the variety that contracting offers and I appreciate being able to pass on some of my 15 years experience of DB2 to others that I work with".
In his spare time, Chris plays tennis in the summer and league badminton in the winter and manages the cricket team for which his elder son plays.
For information about current opportunities visit www.bmeurope.com or send your CV to people@bmeurope.com
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Real Skills. Real People - B & M's Seamus Hayes
Get to know more about our people and find out that their expertise helps match the right specialist with the right assignment
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Account Manager Seamus Hayes is an IT sales professional with over 30 years? experience - mainly in the services sector.
Seamus began his career with a subsidiary of the Glaxo Group, training staff to use computer systems for such activities as telesales and stock control. In 1984, Seamus began working in sales for Nixdorf Computer (now Siemens-Nixdorf), where he handled accounts in the government and financial sectors. He later worked in sales management for Omron Systems and Datalect Computer Services, before being appointed European Services Sales Director for Hitachi Imaging Solutions in 1998.
In 2000, Seamus moved to the Gartner Group and then to Allnet Limited (a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless) before joining B & M in July 2004.
Seamus enjoys sport and has played football at a senior amateur level. Nowadays he prefers golf, which he plays with a handicap of 14.
To contact Seamus or any of his colleagues, email people@bmeurope.com
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Current work opportunities
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If you are coming to the end of a contract, or are considering contracting in the near future, have a look at some of the current vacancies on our web site at www.bmeurope.com - then just click on Vacancies to view opportunities in the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe.
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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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