I have always thought that the fundamental problem with ‘business data’ is that it never quite tells the ‘whole story’. But according to a recent BBC report all that might be about to change.

In a 1950 paper entitled “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”, computer scientist Alan Turing started with the words: “I propose to consider the question, ‘Can machines think?’”  At that time the whole idea of such a thing as “intelligent Computers” seemed something out of science fiction and somewhat ridiculous. But now we are sixty years on and today the question is more valid than ever.

Technology continues to leap forward year on year with ever greater processing powers, bigger clouds, faster internet connections, sleeker interfaces and an increasing number of what might be termed “self-learning algorithms”.

It poses an interesting question: Are computers really getting closer to human intelligence by being able to make value judgements? In other words can they understand concepts and process in a world that is not just black and white and in real time? Surprisingly for many computer scientists the answer is a resounding “yes”.

Dr Mike Lynch, in particular, believes giving data ‘meaning’ could create a more predictable world.  Dr Lynch OBE is founder and chief executive (CEO) of Autonomy, and executive vice-president (EVP) of HP Information Management. Autonomy, makes software that processes what he calls “human information” including unstructured data, social media, e-mail, video, audio, text and web pages.

Dr Lynch believes that if technology can give data ‘meaning’, whether it is voice, video, text or images it should be able to create insights that could create a more predictable, and consequently less volatile, world.  In other words it has the potential to fundamentally change the world as we know it. And for CEOs, using technology to spot the “unknown unknowns” during this time of economic uncertainty would be useful in order to make better business decisions and ultimately beat the competition.

The reason why understanding ‘meaning’ in information has generated a lot of recent excitement is because of its enormous potential. Today, on a daily basis, we collectively produce 2.5 quintillion bytes of data, and the growth rate is so high that 90% of all information ever created has been produced in the last two years alone. The value of this information to organisations who want to gain competitive advantage is huge.

Traditionally data and information has been housed in databases which has been an effective way to keep information safe and stored in a uniform fashion. However, the concept of a database was created half a century ago.

As the majority of information flowing through companies today is unstructured “human information” – such as text, email, video, and audio, it is virtually impossible to box into traditional databases.  For example, you could store customer-service call centre recordings into a database but you would have no idea whether the customer was happy or not though this is exactly the type of insight businesses want. Future information platforms though, will make sense of, and understand the meaning of, information and use it to solve problems. This will give businesses a better understanding of themselves, their customers and the competition.

The challenge is that if your business has thousands of customers, each with potentially thousands of data points connected with them, it results in a very large amount of data being collected. Some of this might be structured data that can be easily categorised, for example, gender, age, and geography, but the majority will be unstructured ‘human information’.

The key, therefore, is to understand the data – but leaving it exactly where it is – in order to create an infinitely scalable platform and a powerful basis for analysis and action throughout the entire enterprise.

By applying meaning, we can get to the heart of the issue. In other words future computer systems will be able to process 100% of all information – both structured and unstructured. So by applying the ability to understand ‘meaning’, businesses will be in a position to finally view of all of their data – not just the ‘easy’ bits.

Science fiction? Who knows? But computers that can ‘think’ will open up a whole new world that will, no doubt, bring new challenges to all of us.

It was recently announced that the European Commission (EU) is undertaking a deeper investigation into the spread of the internet following a previous study. The regulator says it expects an explosion in the number of household appliances and other devices connected to the net between now and 2020.

As part of this new study it will be launching a consultation over controls relating to the way information is gathered, stored and processed. One of the motivations for this consultation is because the EU wants to “ensure the rights of individuals are respected”. The public are also being invited to send in their views before a 12th July deadline.

The commission says that the average person living within the twenty seven-nation EU membership currently has at least two devices connected to the net – typically a computer and smartphone. It expects the figures to rise to seven though by 2015. In other words a total of 25 billion wirelessly connected to the net worldwide. By the end of the decade it says that this figure could potentially rise to 50 billion.

Some examples given to demonstrate this ‘multiple interlinked devices’ concept are as follows: “If a university teacher were to cancel a morning lecture because they were sick, all the students’ alarm clocks could automatically be reset.” Or – “If an elderly person forgets to take an essential pill or medication, a warning message could be sent to a close family member.”

Some of the obvious concerns about multiple internet devices that are all interlinked relates to privacy, data protection and security of sensitive information. It can be a legislative minefield and lawyers are already starting to think about the legal implications.

The spread of wireless-connected devices has been dubbed “the internet of things” and has previously been identified as a potential catalyst to the economy. A recent example is the EU’s Privacy and Data Communications Directive which requires users to give permission for websites to install tracking-cookies into their browsers. The directive was introduced last year and comes into effect in the UK on 26th May.

“From a legal point of view the internet of things is the next big thing” said Dai Davis, an information technology lawyer at Percy Crow Davis “Usually European legislation lags years behind technology – we have seen that with recent data privacy regulation. It is worth noting that this won’t be the first time the EU has consulted on the subject – but we have yet to see significant action.”

London-based campaign group ‘Privacy International’ said it intended to take part in the process, “Technologies like these need to be carefully designed if they are to enhance our private lives, not endanger them” said spokeswoman Emma Draper. “Sharing highly sensitive personal data – like medical information – to a network of wireless devices automatically creates certain risks and vulnerabilities, so security and privacy need to be built in at the earliest stages of the development process.”

The commission said it plans to publish its recommendations by the summer of 2013 and the repercussions could be very interesting. On the face of it some might think – what is wrong with owning a number of devices that can all link to the internet? That might be missing the essential point though. It seems to me that it’s not so much about the amount of devices you own that matters. It’s more about the potential pitfalls. The internet is not a ‘perfect’ entity so any proliferation of the ‘non-perfect’ might have many other implications and unwanted side effects.

It will be interesting to see what this directive comes up with – and how it might affect our rights as consumers. I’m keeping an open mind!

According to Ofcom the UK’s first mainstream 4G mobile service may launch later this year. The regulator says it has received an application by ‘Everything Everywhere’ to use its existing spectrum to offer the higher-speed service. Also, interestingly Ofcom is saying that it does not believe the move by the owner of the Orange and T-Mobile networks would distort competition and has given other operators four weeks to submit their views about the proposed change.

Ofcom had previously stated that next-generation 4G services would not be rolled-out until 2013 / 2014 following a planned auction of 800MHz and 2.6GHz frequencies which include parts of the spectrum historically used by analogue TV and being switched off as part of the switch to digital services. Now ‘Everything Everywhere’ plans to jump ahead by varying its 1800MHz spectrum licenses to allow the use of LTE (long term evolution) and Wimax technologies.

One Everything Everywhere spokesman commented, “We welcome today’s notice of 1800MHz licence variation from Ofcom as it suggests Ofcom’s willingness to encourage the early deployment of 4G LTE. It is very important that the UK does not get left behind in the building of a new infrastructure for the digital economy.”

James Barford, a mobile telecoms analyst at Enders Analysis added that “Compatible 4G handsets are only just coming onto the market, so many of the firm’s user base will be unlikely to take advantage of the faster mobile broadband speeds straightaway.”

It was reported in the news that Vodafone has already signalled that it might challenge the move, commenting that; “It comes as a surprise that the regulator is now considering giving the largest player in the market permission to use its existing spectrum for 4G services before the rules for the auction have even been concluded or it has divested spectrum as required by the European Commission.”

There is going to be a consultation which closes on 17th April so it’s possible that Ofcom could grant approval during the second quarter. This would allow Everything Everywhere to have its 4G service up and running by autumn. The company has not yet said where it intends to make 4G available though, or when it will start.

The UK’s other operators, Vodafone, O2 and Three, are unlikely to be able to create their own 4G networks until they buy more spectrum and the auction is not due to conclude before the summer of 2013. This means their 4G networks will not be switched on until the end of 2013 thus potentially giving Everything Everywhere a 15-month head start.

Whatever the outcome might be, this recent series of events should lead to lots more benefits for consumers and once again 4G will probably dramatically change the way we all use and access information.

With the recent spell of good weather it seems that many minds are now turning towards the 2012 London Olympics and looking forward to this amazing sporting spectacle with London at the centre of attention.

The build up to the games is now gaining increased momentum in preparation for the Summer and there is a flurry of activity in getting all the elements of the infrastructure tested and ready. In an increasingly digital age the role played by both operational and communications technology in the planning and staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is vital.

The technology will undoubtedly play a critical part in the planning and delivery of all services and functions across a wide range of venues including video boards, score boards and public announcement systems. The public address systems alone are vital components in terms of informing, educating and entertaining the audience particularly within the stadiums where good clear communication will be essential to enhance the whole spectator experience.  A number of dedicated Technology teams will ensure that core competition information and accurate sport results are captured, produced and communicated to a worldwide audience.

Apparently a number of new media technologies are being deployed to ensure that the most appropriate technical platforms are used to share vast amounts of information. And as the the games are of global interest it is vital that everyone is able to access, share and participate in the enjoyment of their preferred sporting activities.

The Olympic committees are also overseeing the installation of network connectivity and infrastructure within and between the venues to allow the delivery of all the required services to meet client and public expectations at Games-time. As well as directly supporting the delivery of the Games themselves the technology components are instrumental for all the ‘backroom’ business activities. As well as a massive amount of administration the network needs to be robust enough to cope with vast amounts of data with adequate security and backup systems – essential for the smooth running of all organisational and managerial tasks.

And in addition, unlike in the games of yesteryear, using technology intelligently to reduce power consumption, create less waste and promote sustainability as part of an overall ‘green‘ agenda creates extra pressure for the games organisers who need to be able to justify what they are doing from the environmental point of view.

In the Telecoms arena organisations like ours are also playing an important part as mobile phones – and the increasing number of phone apps – are utilised and deployed during the games. No doubt the games will have a few technical glitches along the way as rarely do such huge events go flawlessly. But it is our job as a trusted service provider to make sure the technology works away seamlessly in the background so that we can all focus on and enjoy the games without worrying about the technical details!

I was interested this week to read a recent technology report from the BBC about the growing phenomenon that some whimsically refer to as ‘BYOC’ which stands for ‘Bring Your Own Computer.’ It refers to companies who are now offering their staff the chance to choose the devices they use for work – a laptop, desktop, Mac, tablet or iPad etc.

Some commentators have even gone so far as to suggest that soon you may find yourself using your own device – laptop, tablet and/or smartphone – for work whether you like it or not!

Some of us dream of a world where you have your choice of laptop, smartphone or tablet at work – all of which are, of course, connected seamlessly and are constantly updated! Indeed for those who feel like screaming in frustration when their  ancient XP desktop computer tries and fails to open their inbox this might seem like an impossible dream – but for some people that day is already here.

The concept of BYOC though comes in a number of  ‘flavours’. For example, the company might cover either all or part of the expense on the understanding that the employee also purchases a support package. Or it might simply provide software to allow employees to access a virtual desktop using their own devices.  Most schemes allow for access via a virtual private network, or similar software application to ensure that data is always held securely on the company servers.

So what exactly has precipitated this idea?

In 2011 the level of smartphone and tablet ownership sky-rocketed and with it the trend towards the consumerisation of IT. In other words increasing numbers of businesses have come under ever-increasing pressure to let their employees choose what devices they use to do their work on. While many firms follow the traditional route of offering some sort of financial incentive, others expect their employees to pick up the tab. It is because of this huge increase in the rate of tablet and smartphone ownership that the ‘bring your own’ device trend has escalated.

A recent survey covering seventeen countries conducted by business technology company ‘Avanade’ found that a staggering 88% of executives said employees were now using their own personal computing technologies for business purposes. Another survey by Cisco found that although 48% said their company would never formally authorise employees to bring their own devices and 57% said that some employees now use personal devices without consent.

Ian Foddering, chief technology officer and technical director for Cisco UK commented that, somewhat obviously, companies need to have a clear policy on BYOC.

“We’ve been in the interesting position for the last 12-18 months. I look at what our clients are doing and up until recently they’ve been deciding whether to block BYOC or embrace it. Beforehand most people were ignoring it but now you’ll certainly find the more progressive organisations have embraced it.”

Cisco now runs a BYOC programme for its own employees who have the choice of either using company-issued laptops and phones, or buying their own.

Working in technology it’s useful to keep abreast of these sorts of developments in IT. The idea of BYOC is not a bad one and I can clearly see a number of advantages – but I can also see risks too, particularly in terms of my managerial responsibilities relating to IT security and data protection. That being said it’s also important to keep an open mind so I will watch this development of this interesting new trend with great interest.

Our responsibilities at Virtua are these days as much about project managing as they are providing experienced technical people to work on complex telecoms projects.

In many ways deploying experienced and qualified project managers is becoming more and more important as discrete pieces of work are often wrapped up within larger projects with a lot of critical interdependencies. Even for dedicated technical experts having an awareness of project management concepts can help enormously in their day to day work.

But being a ‘good’ project manager doesn’t happen overnight! Anyone who regularly reads the Newspapers, Telecomms or IT magazines will be familiar with the shocking track record of projects that have either failed to deliver or delivered late and over budget.

In fact, studies by numerous research bodies have proven beyond doubt that despite many advances in the reliability of components generally, and a much greater focus on training Project Managers, every year billions of pounds are wasted on systems and projects that fail to deliver and thus the true costs to business of months wasted on non-productive effort are staggering.

So where is it all going wrong? And why?

To answer these questions means we have to look beyond the surface explanations offered to the media by embarrassed corporations or governments to the true root causes of the problem.  What we find, time and time again, is that it is not the project itself that is at fault – after all a project is only a series of sequential tasks – nor the project goals or objectives – which may be very clear and explicitly understood – it is usually something much more elusive.

Like all business tasks a project has to be well managed, regardless of shape, size, complexity or timeframe. A good Project Manager therefore is the lynchpin of any project and quite simply is fundamental to the success or failure of the project. A good Project Manager needs to be an inspirational leader, a diplomat, a good organiser, a good communicator, a mediator and a motivator, thick skinned, focused and goal orientated.

Good Project Managers who meet these demanding criteria are a rare breed indeed – and perhaps it is for this reason that many would-be Project Managers simply don’t make the grade. This does not mean however that seemingly ‘average’ Project Managers do not have the potential. Usually it means that they have not been given the guidance and tools to help them excel.

Delivering complex systems requires structure and for this reason Project Managers looking for some kind of structure are usually handed a very thick set of manuals created by consultants. They are called “Methodologies” and rapidly became the ‘Bible’ for would-be managers. The methodologies come in all shapes and sizes but basically offer the same thing – a detailed framework to help PM’s navigate their way through the complex world of Project Management. Some of these methodologies are ‘home grown’ and others. Like PRINCE, are now increasingly recognised as ‘industry standard’. So in theory if you give a PM a good methodology, and perhaps some training in how to use it, then your worries should be over shouldn’t they?

If only life were so simple!

Let’s take a moment to look at things from a slightly different angle. If 80% of projects are going pear shaped then what about the other 20%? – i.e. the one’s that are delivered on time, on budget and to their correct specification. What is it that the PM’s of successful projects are doing that that the other 80% aren’t doing? And what can we learn from this?

Perhaps the answer is that it is something more than a methodology in isolation can provide? Perhaps it is that elusive something called ‘real world experience’.

Basically there are a number of key elements that all Project Managers need to understand in order to be fully effective. Many of these elements are missing from traditional PM courses because they are viewed as ‘peripheral’ or ‘soft skills’ based. In reality we believe that they are the fundamental building blocks on which effective Project Management is based. These elements include factors like managing and motivating people, learning to be an effective communicator, understanding the real meaning of leadership, understanding what the client is really looking for, understanding planning and estimating, knowing how to deal with issues and problems, knowing how to focus on the things that are important and how to harness the power within teams.

Here at Virtua we are busier than ever with a number of project management initiatives well underway. We are delighted that a host of team members from our newest recruits right up to the board are working on project for a range of clients.  It is a fundamental part of what we do and one of the most critical factors in our success.

It’s almost auction time again and the usual scramble for spectrum space has now started to gain momentum.

In the words of Ofcom, “The auction of 4G licences will allow smartphone and tablet computer users to stream and download at super high speeds almost anywhere in the UK.” The new ’4G’ connections work like current phone technologies, but deliver internet as fast or faster than many home wi-fi connections. What is still not clear though is when UK phone users will get access to the high-speed mobile networks that are now widespread in the USA. Based on the current proposals for the auction later this year at least 98% of the population would have access to mobile broadband.

This is likely to set the scene for an explosion in tablet and smartphone use because demand for mobile data in Western Europe is expected to go up by more than 500% over the next five years according to analysts.  Users will have to upgrade to new 4G tablets and phones in order to benefit but demand is expected to be high. In particular Apple’s upcoming ‘iPhone5’ is widely expected to have a 4G connection.

The new licences will give operators access to frequencies that are being free’d up as the UK switches off analogue TV and moves to digital. Ofcom’s proposals will be of particular benefit to people living in rural areas where there has been no commercial incentive to set up a new mobile infrastructure in the past.

Ofcom Chief Executive Ed Richards commented: “This is a crucial step in preparing for the most significant spectrum release in the UK for many years. The proposals published today will influence the provision of services to consumers for the next decade and beyond.”

A similar auction for third generation bandwidth in 2000 saw the Government rake in a staggering £22.5 billion – but that was at the peak of the dot com boom. In the current economic climate it is anticipated this year’s auction may generate between £1 billion and £5 billion.

During early consultations between March and May 2011, Ofcom suggested that one 800MHz licence should carry with it the obligation to spread the 4G network to 95% of the UK. They are now saying that the 800MHz operator should be required to either provide 4G to 98% of the country or match existing 2G coverage and extend into so-called mobile “not spot” areas.

In October, the Government announced plans to invest £150 million to boost mobile coverage in those areas with poor or no mobile service. These long-awaited and complex package of measures makes significant concessions to Vodafone and O2’s parent Telefonica, by scrapping controversial plans for a system of spectrum ‘caps’ and ‘floors’, which effectively guaranteed a minimum level of spectrum to rivals ‘Everything Everywhere’ and ‘Three’.

Both Vodafone and O2 had objected to the caps and floors system, and O2 had threatened to take legal action which forced Ofcom to delay the spectrum auction.  “Because of their current spectrum holdings, and the much lower risk that these national wholesalers would fail to acquire further spectrum in the auction, we do not consider it necessary to reserve any spectrum for Everything Everywhere, Telefonica or Vodafone,” Ofcom said.

Ofcom’s stakeholders now have 10 weeks to comment on the revised proposals and a final decision on how the auction will work will be made by summer 2012 – just in time for the Olympics!

Personally I think this is fantastic news for consumers. The sort of speed and capacity that 4G brings can revolutionise the way we use communication devices. We can’t predict which apps will succeed, but we can be pretty sure that a number of them will prove popular and that consumers will consume as much data as we can give them. There are big challenges in getting 4G deployed and in solving the economic equation. However it seems to me that for the networks there is no real alternative. They will, with the help of their partners, figure out how to deploy 4G and how to make money out of it. And their competitors will no doubt ensure that they do.

Let’s hope they don’t have to pay too much for the licences!

It’s interesting how Partnerships can start in so many different ways. Some result from careful analysis of business synergies resulting in formal proposals, some are the end result of a slow and steady convergence of ideas and strategies and some result from nothing more than a casual conversation between like-minded people.

The owner of the business park where we are based, Llew de Souza is also the MD and owner of an organisation called ‘Graham Smith UK’ who provide network connectivity solutions – particularly cabling for the Telecoms sector. When Virtua moved to our new premises a year ago we soon got to know our new neighbours better and it’s amazing how quickly relationships can develop from these casual acquaintances.

After chatting with Llew it soon became apparent that there were a lot of synergies between our two companies and it made a lot of sense to start exploring how we might productively work together for mutual advantage.  Explorations I might add that proved succesful as we are now regularly working together on a variety of projects.

Llew’s business has been built on a philosophy of providing great customer service and meeting the needs of their clients. In fact, most of his business comes through existing client recommendations. This is the same philosophy that we strive for constantly at Virtua and it helps enormously when two businesses share the same ethos and passion in relation to what they do.

Our commitment to service means that most of our customers tend stay with us and this has enabled us to build up trusted, long-standing relationships with some very large clients over the years.  Llew’s business is based on the same model and this is very encouraging.

One thing that I have come to realise over the years is how open communication with like-minded people can often lead to long and fruitful relationships. We all know the old adage that in business it’s all about “who you know rather than what you know” and actually, I have to say, there is a lot of truth in that statement.

An area where Virtua has been leading the industry is the deployment of ‘femtocells’.

Essentially a femtocell is a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business, that connects to the service provider’s network via broadband (such as DSL or cable). A femtocell allows service providers to extend service coverage indoors, especially where access would otherwise be limited or unavailable.

For a mobile operator, the attractions of a femtocell are improvements to both coverage and capacity. Consumers benefit from improved coverage, potentially better voice quality, better battery life and, depending on the carrier, they may also be offered more attractive tariffs.

Femtocells are an alternative way to deliver the benefits of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC). The distinction is that most FMC architectures require a new (dual-mode) handset, while a femtocell-based deployment will work with existing handsets but requires installation of a new access point that uses a licensed spectrum.

Until today, because femtocells were not regarded as ‘mainstream’, the early adopters have needed a lot of support. Fortunately, here at Virtua we have been leading the field in femtocell technical expertise since the start and have gained an enormous amount of experience in this relatively new technology.  In fact, we have been deploying femtocell networks across the world for almost five years, during which time we have evolved great expertise in surveying, testing, installing and commissioning dedicated solutions for clients.

Now that the femtocell market is starting to rapidly expand there is an increasing demand for knowledgeable engineers and Virtua are therefore very well placed to provide the specialists the market needs.

We have all been there. That awful moment when we need to make an important phone call or send a critical email and then we suddenly find our battery-life has run out and our device needs urgent re-charging. Because of the power-hungry nature of nearly all today’s portable devices whether tablets, laptops or smart phones, we are often left staring in desperation at a rapidly diminishing battery-life indicator in annoyance and frustration.

The good news, though, is that getting caught short with a dwindling power supply may soon be a thing of the past thanks to the efforts of researchers at Illinois’ Northwestern University.

A team of engineers at the University claim to have created a battery that will not only hold a charge up to ten times greater than current technology is capable of but it can also recharge up to ten times faster. If this is true then it means batteries may go from ‘dead’ to ‘fully charged’ in as little as fifteen minutes and then last for up to a week.

Detailed in the journal “Advanced Energy Materials” a team led by Harold H Kung’s have designed a new technological solution based on a re-engineered version of the common lithium-ion batteries currently in use in everything from mobile phones to digital cameras.

These new types of batteries produce power through the transport of lithium ions from one side of the device to the other, i.e. from the anode to the cathode via an electrolyte. When the battery is being recharged the direction of travel is then reversed. The capacity of the battery is only limited by the number of ions that can be packed into the anode, while the charging speed is limited by the rate at which the ions can pass back into it.

After extensive research and prototyping the team managed to greatly increase the ion storage capability by sandwiching clusters of silicon between thin layers of ‘graphene’ that make up the anode. The charging speed was then increased by providing shortcuts for the returning ions by peppering the graphene with tiny 10 to 20nm holes.

According to Kung this new battery technology could be on the marketplace within the next three to five years.

“We have found a way to extend a new lithium-ion battery’s charge life by 10 times” Kung said in a recent interview, “And even after 150 charges, which would be one year or more of operation, the battery is still five times more effective than all lithium-ion batteries on the market today.”

Although this new technology is not yet on the high street the benefits are obvious. No doubt there will still be times when the inevitable happens – even with these new super-batteries – but having that little bit of extra power can make a real difference.

An even more in-depth look at new technology and its impact on battery life can be found here –  http://bit.ly/vNFWA9