Welcome to B & M Bulletin, produced specifically for IT specialists. In this issue:
• Keeping the legacy alive
• Tech View: Unified Communications
• Specialist Profile: Andrew Rozwadowski
• B & M staff member profile - Ruth Allsopp, Accounts Controller
• Current Vacancies
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Keeping the legacy alive
Amanda Dunn, Sales Director at B & M Europe, proposes that organisations should take a proactive approach to maintaining and managing legacy systems
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"Legacy systems are key.."
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Legacy systems are bespoke applications that are, by definition, difficult to modify or update. So probably all old hat then? Not at all. Legacy systems are very often key to a mission-critical business process and are generally in place to process large volumes or complex types of data. According to Forrester's Reference Guide for Effective Management of Legacy Applications, legacy systems account for more than half the processing volume of the world's largest organisations. And it is interesting to note that they often include newly-delivered applications provided by external service providers, as well as systems inherited from other organisations.
The key issue with legacy systems relates not to the applications themselves but to sourcing the skills necessary to maintain and operate them. It has long been acknowledged that there is a scarcity of skills to support systems built on older programming models such as CICS and CORBA, but the same skills shortage issues also apply to systems built on a wider range of programming models, such as Java applications which may now be reaching their 10-year anniversary. Legacy applications now come in virtually every technology genre and programming language available.
It is prudent therefore for organisations to carefully review the way that their legacy systems are maintained and operated. Many organisations have found that, as part of their IT governance process, there is a strong case for using specialist external service providers to support their legacy systems. This route has many advantages, and the consensus from advisers such as Gartner (in its 2007 report 'Adopt Disciplined Multisourcing in Your Organization') is to use a blend of IT services from the optimal set of internal and external providers.
For more information about working with Legacy systems contact people@bmeurope.com.
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Tech View: Unified Communications
Paul Smith, Technical Manager at B & M Europe, looks at the trend towards 'bringing it all together' with Unified Communications
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Unified Communication (UC) is a significant and growing feature in business. The growing band of 'road warriors' who don't use an office base already rely on a single device for email and phone calls to keep in touch wherever they may be. Attending a meeting? They can use IP telephony and Video Conferencing. How about accessing office systems? The answer is WAP and VPN.
The problem with these facilities is that although they allow the individual to be more virtually available, it still requires a good deal of thought in your choice of communications. Let's take an example: you want to communicate with someone, they have a mobile phone, email, instant messaging, laptop with webcam and two landlines. Which of these five media and three phone numbers do you use?
What you need is greater 'presence', making the person you want to reach available in real-time. Software can be used to determine their whereabouts by reading their electronic calendar, finding their normal working hours, availability, geographic location and, importantly, whether or not they are online. From this information clicking on a name could automatically direct you as follows:
- On holiday or in a meeting - ring their assistant
- Do not disturb - send an email, voicemail, or both
- Out of mobile email range - send a text message
- On the internet using instant messaging in the USA - start an IM session.
Similar resources could be used for help desks. After determining some basic facts, a call could be routed to the most appropriate individual to help - anywhere in the world.
One stumbling block thus far has been the inherent incompatibility of systems. IBM, Microsoft, NEC, Cisco, Nortel and others all offer 'presence engines', each using proprietary technology.
However this log jam could possibly be broken as Microsoft and Cisco have agreed to make their systems more compatible.
There are of course issues to consider before UC becomes viable:
- Do you have the network bandwidth available, everywhere you need it?
- Do you have the resilient systems you require?
- Do you need 99.99999% (known as 5-9s) uptime?
- Do you have technicians with the right skills available?
Whatever the future of Unified Communications, it seems certain that the convergence between what are now disparate communications technologies is set to increase.
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Specialist Profile: Andrew Rozwadowski, Senior Storage Specialist
We find out how Andrew Rozwadowski has used his storage skills and experience to gain a wide variety of permanent and contract roles
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Andrew Rozwadowski is on his third assignment in as many years at the same major bank based in the UK, during which time he has worked in three different teams. His current role is as a Senior Storage Specialist where he is responsible for managing the transfer of files to the test system for one of the bank's consolidation projects, as well as carrying out normal storage management tasks on this test system.
Andrew started working in IT as a PL/1 programmer in the late '60s and moved into storage management when working in Saudi Arabia, where he helped implement an early version of HSM. As Andrew explained, "The five years in the middle east were very enjoyable - especially as I met my wife Ellen there. Playing rugby on sand pitches was quite demanding, but the chance to travel around the Gulf, as well as Thailand and the Philippines made it bearable. Even golf was played on sand fairways and greens, which without the comfort of the 19th hole was a hot affair!"
On returning to the UK, Andrew moved into contracting, spending five years on a variety of contracts at big-name organisations including Marks & Spencer and Mars. He then left contracting although, as Andrew says, this was not actually his intention. "I enquired about a contract in Yorkshire and somehow ended up with a permanent job with Eagle Star in Cheltenham, where I stayed for nearly fifteen years".
A few years after Eagle Star was taken over by Zurich, the UK data centre was moved to Switzerland with the loss of a number of technical jobs. So in 2005, Andrew moved back into contracting, as he wanted to continue working in IT which, he says, "keeps me mentally and physically active''. The only downside for Andrew is having to stay in London during the week, although he adds, "I have managed to visit quite a few curry houses while I've been here - my colleagues tell me I should produce a guide book".
But after almost 40 years in IT, is Andrew ready to quit contracting? He told us, "When an old American consultant retired from IBM after 33 years his wife said to him after a few weeks, 'Darling, on our wedding day I said I had married you for life, but that didn't mean for lunch'. I think my wife feels the same, so I plan to keep working for a few years yet!"
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Real People, Real Skills: B & M's Ruth Allsopp
This month we profile Accounts Controller Ruth Allsopp
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Having worked originally in administration roles, Ruth then trained as a bookkeeper and worked with an accountancy firm in Leicester, providing bookkeeping and payroll services for local companies including golf clubs, factories and public houses.
Ruth relocated to Berkshire in 2000 and worked as an Accounts Administrator for Black Box Network Services, a worldwide provider of network infrastructure services and products. Her role here encompassed all aspects of the financial function as well as assisting with the administration of the company's car and van fleet.
In 2004, Ruth joined Secure Systems in Newbury, a company which specialises in commercial and domestic electrical and security installations. Ruth's responsibilities included purchase, sales, cash book and job costing functions, as well as processing the weekly and monthly payrolls.
Ruth joined B & M in October 2007 as Accounts Controller where she is now responsible for maintaining the payroll function for B & M staff, ensuring prompt issuing and payment of invoices, maintaining regular contact with B & M specialists, customers and suppliers and performing credit control.
Ruth has re-homed two dogs - a greyhound who didn't want to work for a living and a border collie. Ruth's dogs enjoy the same long walks that she does and while they're recovering, Ruth enjoys good food and wine and generally socialising with her family and friends.
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If you have storage experience like our featured specialist, Andrew Rozwadowski, we have a number of vacancies in the UK and Continental Europe. We are seeking EMC specialists with SAN Storage experience for our multi-national Dutch customer and a SAN expert to join the busy Open Systems Storage team at our financial customer in Brussels.
We are also seeking Unix Systems administrators in both The Netherlands and Germany, each for six month contracts with multinational organisations.
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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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