Freeform Dynamics

Want to reduce mobile voice costs? Change the channel

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:14:21 GMT

Josie Sephton take a look at mobile roaming costs

It has been a while since the EU introduced regulations to address the cost of roaming in Europe - 2007 to be precise. Undoubtedly, this was a welcome piece of legislation for consumers and businesses, with 'Eurotariff' limits being imposed - no more than 43 Euro cents per minute to make a voice call and 19 cents per minute to receive a call before 2010. In addition, mobile service providers now have to apply per second billing, as well as sending users information on the price of calls when they first enter another EU country, usually done via a 'Welcome' SMS. The legislation was extended in 2009 to encompass SMS and data services. So far, so good and, according to Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, this has resulted in a reduction of retail prices (not costs) of more than 50% for most users.

Getting up to speed on desktop virtualisation

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:28:00 GMT

Dale Vile takes a look at what to consider in 2010

Now's not a bad time to be considering this stuff

Data protection and identity management - are you sure you're safe?

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:31:27 GMT

Companies may often consider that their approach to data security and identity management is sufficient.

Data protection is an essential area for businesses, and an increasingly critical one to deal with, as volumes and complexity of data grow, along with the volume and complexity of interactions both within the business and with the outside world.

Does business social networking really need IT?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:03:32 GMT

David Tebbutt of Freeform Dynamics asks, who should be involved in social networking in your business?

Are you wrestling with the idea of bringing social networking (choose your own preferred term) into your organisation? Whether a grass roots movement or an edict from the top, at some point it's going to impact your department.

Keep a clear head on environmental issues

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:23:55 GMT

David Tebbut of Freeform Dynamics talks about the Act On CO2

Did you see the Act On CO2 quango's 'bedtime stories' advertisement? It tells children that if the grown-ups would change their ways, they may (note: only 'may') be saved from the devastating effects of climate change. It nails 'ordinary things' that grown-ups do, like warming homes and driving cars, for 40 percent of emissions.

The Bathtub Curve and other over-simplistic ideas

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:00:49 GMT

Getting the balance right between capex and opex.

Every now and then, a certain model or other seems to have direct relevance to a whole series of challenges. It's funny how it happens - at one stage (for me anyway) it was Eli Goldratt's Critical Chain theories for project management (and the whole world started to look like projects), at another it was Rich Man, Poor Man by Robert Kiyosaki (and the whole world started to look like a series of investments), and elsewhere it has been Charles Handy's Sigmoid Curve (which makes the whole world look like a series of false starts). Right now, as companies tussle with balancing capital expenditure (capex) with operational expenditure (opex), it's the bathtub curve.

UC - FMC usurper or saviour?

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:00:34 GMT

Josie Sephton of Freeform Dynamics discusses the pros and cons of Fixed Mobile Convergence

As enterprises move through their comms journey, should FMC still be on the cards, or has it been beaten to the budget post by other more compelling technologies?

What's enterprise energy use got to do with IT?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:02:47 GMT

IT's energy saving opportunity extends way beyond the data centre

Energy use results in two major consequences: expense and environmental impact. Most organisations care a great deal about the former and somewhat less about the latter. They are highly interested in how to cut their expenditure.

Vodafone UK ready to walk the walk

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:32:12 GMT

Dale Vile of Freeform Dynamics talks about Vodafone's total enterprise communication services

It has been very interesting watching Vodafone go through its journey over the past five or six years. From the delivery of relatively unsophisticated utility type services around telephony and SMS, it's moved into the online media space on the consumer side of the equation, and has been edging more into the IT solutions space on the business side.

Incongruous cloud communication

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:50:03 GMT

Vendor over-positioning can easily lead to customers dismissing everything being said, says Dale Vile.

I have recently been involved in a number of vendor events in which the keynote focused on the massive change that cloud computing is supposedly bringing to our industry, only to be followed by feedback from customers, embarrassingly sometimes from the same stage, making it clear that that senior IT professionals are generally not swallowing the hype at the moment.

Audience power and the death of deference

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:51:24 GMT

David Tebbutt of Freeform Dynamics discusses whether using devices at conferences is a good or bad thing.

How do you feel if you're addressing a large group of people and some of them are hammering away on laptops and smartphones? Do you use your own kit when you're a conference delegate? If you're peeved at the first and averse to the second, then you are going to become increasingly uncomfortable as this behaviour becomes the norm.

Scoping UC - all bases covered?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:34:27 GMT

Josie Sephton of Freeform Dynamics gives practical advice on implementing Unified Communications.

While lots of people think Unified Communications (UC) is a nice idea, they don't necessarily see it as inevitable. The debate around fragmented communications, and moving to a more joined up, coherent way of working will help UC gather pace. As higher echelons in the enterprise ultimately decide that UC is for them, the IT manager will then be handed the challenge of deployment. What is less likely is that the task will be fully scoped, with full appreciation of what UC is, or should look like. Confusion about what UC really is about is still rife, thanks in no small part to the vast array of UC solutions in the market, and as yet, limited availability of impartial guidance. In the main, companies still do not know what UC can really do for their business, and what an implementation should actually look like. And the market still suffers from a shortage of solid case studies to reference.

The evolving role of the mobile operator

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:16:38 GMT

Worthy yet of strategic supplier status?

Mobile operators have their roots firmly in the utility services space. Indeed, many business customers still think of them largely as providers of voice minutes, perhaps with a little bit of data access or mobile email thrown in as a peripheral part of the deal.

The Future of Mainframes

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:14:03 GMT

Tony Lock of Freeform Dynamics gives advice on the challenges of using Mainframe platforms.

Over the course of the last decade there has been considerable discussion about the future development and use of the revered Mainframe platform, usually now to be found under the IBM System z banner. At times much that has been written has not flattered the mainframe but that may be about to change. Whilst the platform is still by no means cheap in absolute Dollar, Sterling or Euro terms there is usually an array of financing options available to help meet most potential scenarios. Beyond that, the platform usually manages to compare favourably when its scale, management and overall TCO estimates are calculated.

Event review: IBM Information on Demand, Berlin

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:23:11 GMT

Dale Vile recently attended IBM's 2009 'Information on Demand' event (IOD2009) in Berlin.

Organisations are accumulating information rapidly - a lot of information - and as research shows, the majority have challenges managing and exploiting it.

A realistic exploration of the Desktop Linux opportunity

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:43:41 GMT

Locating objective information on the practicalities of using desktop Linux in a mainstream business context can be a challenge, Freeform Dynamics tracked down over a thousand IT professionals who had done it and extracted a range of tips.

How often have you dismissed the views expressed by extremists because what they are saying is so far removed from your own position and perceptions? The problem is that while single issue activists can make a lot of noise, they often come across as being out of touch with the complexities of the real world. Indeed, the irony is that when idealism takes precedent over practicality, the cause being promoted is actually far less likely to strike a chord with the mainstream.