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Archive for September, 2010

Dell announced it has introduced new capabilities and services for its Virtual Integrated System architecture on Wednesday.

Following in the footsteps of HP BladeSystem and Cisco’s Unified Computing System, the move signifies Dell’s approach to converging its data center management solutions,.

According to the press release, Dell VIS architecture and services “help customers transition new and existing technologies to an open, cloud-like model that dynamically provisions application workloads and unifies heterogeneous compute, storage and networking assets into a common pool of resources.”

Dell says customers of VIS architecture and services can lower the costs of managing IT, improve the flexibility needed to respond to changing business needs, and more efficiently deploy and move application workloads across physical and virtual resources.

At the foundation of these new capabilities and services is Dell’s Advanced Infrastructure Manager, which Dell releases last year.

The solution simplifies data center management by enabling a single administrator to allocate server, storage and network resources against application workloads.

And what is particularly unique with the service is that it allows businesses use a wide range of vendors for hardware, including servers, Ethernet switches, and storage arrays.

Unlike HP BladeSystem Matrix and Cisco UCS, which require users to purchase and install their own equipment, Dell AIM allows businesses to use their existing data center infrastructure.

As a result, businesses do not have to replace all their hardware.

Advanced Infrastructure Manager integrates Scalent technology data center management software into its solution, which Dell acquired in July.

HP VIS is also working closely with partners like Microsoft, VMware, Citrix and BMC to deliver better utilization of current investments and the ability to standardize and leverage existing IT processes and workflows to improve control and consistency.

The VIS architecture is comprised of modular components that integrate with customers’ existing IT environments, giving customers greater selection and the ability to deploy best-of-breed solutions.

Additionally, the VIS Self-Service Creator helps to standardize and automate application deployment.

The Web portal can manage these services across multi-vendor hardware and software solutions, resulting in the increase of IT control and acceleration of IT processes.

Finally, Dell VIS Director serves as the IT operations hub for the virtual environment, giving customers a comprehensive view of virtual dependencies and enabling customers to quickly identify issues within the virtual environment.

The module includes advanced reporting, what-if and trend analysis, capacity and utilization reporting, and cost allocation and chargeback solutions.

Dell has also introduced its Dell Consulting Services, which help address key technology and business challenges such as self-service provisioning and automation of operational tasks.

Consultants can help customers with a range of tasks, such as basic-to-advanced software troubleshooting, and software subscriptions with remote deployment assistance of patches and updates.

Dell Advanced Infrastructure Manager and Dell VIS Self-Service Creator are now available, while Dell VIS Director will be available in the coming quarters, says Dell.

“Dell’s VIS architecture is unique in that it works with a customer’s existing architecture and their current products and investments — whether from Dell or another provider. Customers absolutely value this flexibility and approach to meeting their IT challenges.” While Brad Anderson SVP of Dell’s enterprise product group says “Cloud computing is the emerging frontier for IT and there’s no doubt it’s providing customers with demonstrable benefits in terms of cost savings and agility,”

A Content Management System (CMS) not just can make internet sites more impressive but also makes it easier to formulate good quality sites. Furthermore, these are far better regarding establishing internet sites with numerous users or a lot of content. Some other reasons for using a website cms are:

Effortless Updates

Content Management System makes it simple to revise a site coming from any computer. Just about all you need to have is the account web page plus a pass word. Whereas, without any cms the user will need to have all of the data files they’re using, rendering it impossible in some instances. Will save you Money

In addition to easy to revise functions, Content management system net development also helps decrease the task costs because it is generally free of charge. Although it is strongly recommended to use specialist Website cms web-developers from a professional web development organization if you wish to modify your site according to your business, which is also not too expensive.

Easily Controllable

Using the features such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), adjusting your website structure is like a nightmare because then one has to change each page, which not just requires a lot more energy but also requires considerable time, whereas, CMS web-developers can simply prevent this kind of inconvenience for the reason that cms make use of layouts as soon as the template is modified every one of the inner webpages is going to be up-to-date. Thus, Content management system web development makes all the managing process easier.

Greater Freedom

A content management system shows your site content using current web standards, that makes it much more user-friendly and it gets to be more “long term proof.” The Website cms also has built-in search capability, which will help you modify and add or delete pages using the built-in browser based editor so that when the new web pages are added, removed or relocated the page navigation menu links are instantly adjusted on the pages of your internet site.

Content management systems assist develop a professional looking website that’s easy to use and update and that’s the reason why a lot of Website cms web designers and publishers appreciate the user friendly features of Website cms website development and use it to produce both e-commerce and customized websites.

America seems obsessed with the notion of “net neutrality”, the idea that the web be free of all restrictions… “On content, sites, platforms, on the kinds of equipment that may be attached,” and “on the modes of communication.”

Google clearly wanted a wide open market for a wireless Internet, and was open to paying a premium for higher speeds on wired infrastructures. Verizon, like all ISPs was looking for incentives to continue to build out their Internet infrastructure. But the agreement between Google and Verizon is only the beginning.

Since Google, a user, and Verizon, an Internet provider, reached an agreement in principle, according to the Washington Post, in “hope [it] could be used as a model for legislation aimed at preventing telephone or cable companies from delaying or blocking Internet traffic,” every politician, every user, every provider, and consumer group has weighed in. The debate over net neutrality has dominated discussion in Washington DC, Congress the FCC and all our media including this newspaper.

Congress and the FCC have yet to hash out their version of a compromise, and sooner or later the FCC has to declare all such distribution service as “telecommunications” so as to assure fairness, and to assert jurisdiction as a regulator.

There is a lot of money exchanging hands in the process in Congress, and the Senate wants its share. Even Senator Al Franken, eyeing the pot of gold on the side of those arguing for the status quo, was the first to say “net neutrality, is the First Amendment issue of our time.”

Hillary Clinton, wisely, has made development and operation of the Internet a matter of foreign policy. And as secretary of state she can make the arguments clearly and convincingly but only if they make sense. Other countries do not share our “free enterprise ” model and have no qualms about regulation.

While the issue of regulation of the web and the end of the so-called “open Internet” has become a matter of national importance, we should settle this latest issue quickly and make our view of the future of the Internet something we can not only be proud of but also argue for in foreign markets.

When it comes to Internet access, speeds vary greatly around the world, as does the cost for basic access. In Japan, Korea and Finland, Internet speeds are blazing fast and cheap compared to those less fortunate users in other countries.

But the idea of different rates for different speeds is on the minds of lawmakers in Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, and elsewhere in the world. Countries like Italy have already moved to hold Google and its executives personally liable for text, photographs or videos made available on YouTube, thus posing a significant challenge to the company’s business model, along with those of other Internet companies like Facebook and Twitter.

And in South Korea last year, Google blocked users of the local version of its YouTube video service from uploading material after the government imposed rules requiring contributors to register with their real names. Why? Because South Korea has made such regulation a matter of first importance.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France is already talking about even tougher measures against file sharing, calling for tests of technology that filters unlicensed music and movies from the Internet.

France enacted a law allowing Internet connections to be cut off if a user is pirating copyrighted material. Germany has rejected that approach, but Britain is watching the outcomes of the law with interest.

And Australian Internet service providers suggest that they could soon have the most restrictive Internet regime in the Western world because of proposals pending in their legislature.

There are over 3000 Internet police in China regulating what is accessible, restricting access to web sites they deem politically incorrect, or contrary to public order.

China as we know has already forced Google to move its operations to Hong Kong and China’s Communist leaders have long tried to balance their desire for a thriving Internet and the economic growth it promotes with their demands for political control.

Secretary Clinton paid tribute to the power of the Internet both for opening new forums for the exchange of ideas and for fostering social and economic development. “In this context,” she said, “the Internet can serve as a great equalizer. By providing people with access to knowledge and potential markets, networks can create opportunity where none exists.”

She cannot do it until we have decided how we want the Internet to serve us, and what rules should be put in place to serve not just America but the world in a rapidly changing new global economy.

The Great Recession is officially over — and has been for more than a year.

The panel of economists that is the widely accepted arbiter of business cycles has called an end to what is now officially the longest U.S. economic downturn of the post-World War II era. The recession ended in June 2009, 18 months after it began in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research’s business cycle dating committee.

But the committee took pains to make clear that it was not asserting that the economy has returned to full health.

“In determining that a trough occurred in June 2009, the committee did not conclude that economic conditions since that month have been favorable or that the economy has returned to operating at normal capacity,” the committee said in statement published on the NBER’s Web site. “Rather, the committee determined only that the recession ended and a recovery began in that month.”

In other words, economic activity peaked at the end of 2007, fell for a year and a half, and has been rising since then. But it hasn’t risen back to its pre-recession levels yet. Moreover, the committee said, “any future downturn of the economy would be a new recession and not a continuation of the recession that began in December 2007.”

The committee moves slowly and cautiously in its pronouncements, aiming not to characterize the economy in real time but rather to establish historical benchmarks for when periods of economic expansion and contraction begin and end. It waits until ample economic data is available and has been revised, and hence there are often long delays between the onset or end of a recession and the NBER’s call. The recession that began in December 2007 was not formally designated one until a year later.

The committee defines a recession as “a period of falling economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales.” The designation of June 2009 as an end date for the recession conforms to a view that many economic analysts have held for some time.

According to the committee, such indicators as gross domestic product and industrial production appear to have bottomed out in June 2009. Others, however, particularly involving employment, did not begin expanding until December 2009.

The business cycle dating committee consists of eight top macroeconomists, chaired by Stanford University’s Robert Hall. Only seven participated in the decision, however: David Romer, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, is on leave as his wife, Christina Romer, was until recently serving as a top adviser to President Obama.

It was a miniscule number of voters in just one slice of the US political spectrum, but a weekend straw poll gives insight into how Republican hopefuls stack up for the 2012 presidential race.

On Saturday, at least, social conservatives within the GOP favored Rep. Mike Pence. The Indiana lawmaker won 24 percent of the 723 votes cast, just ahead of last year’s winner, Mike Huckabee, who drew 22 percent. Farther back in the back were Mitt Romney (13 percent), Newt Gingrich (10 percent), and Sarah Palin (7 percent).

“I am a Christian, a conservative and a Republican – in that order,” Pence told some 2,000 people at the two-day Values Voter Summit in Washington, an annual affair whose lead sponsor is the conservative Family Research Council, for whom social issues are a prominent focus. Those at the summit named abortion, government spending, and the repeal of President Obama’s health care reform as their top issues.

Depending upon how those tea leaves are read, there can be two conclusions: That this socially conservative GOP base is not exactly in line with the tea party insurgency shaking up the political scene. (Many libertarians are pro-choice on abortion.) Or that looking at the list of recent winners in Republican primaries – most recently Christine O’Donnell in Delaware – social conservatives can easily ride the tea party wave.

O’Donnell was one of the main stars at the event, having just beat establishment favorite Rep. Michael Castle in the Republican primary to fill the US senate seat vacated by Vice President Joe Biden.

To thunderous applause and multiple standing ovations, she said of the conservative insurgency’s skeptics and critics, “They don’t get it. We’re not trying to take back our country. We are our country.”

Sarah Palin, to whom O’Donnell has been likened in style, may have been down in the straw poll because she was not there. Instead, she was the keynote speaker at the Iowa Republican Party’s “Ronald Reagan Dinner,” where she made teasing jokes about running in 2012.

In his speech to social conservatives, Romney emphasized the economy.

“Since the Obama stimulus was passed, 127,000 government jobs have been created, but more than 2.4 million private sector jobs have been lost,” he said. “There are now nearly 15 million Americans that are out of work: if they stood in a single unemployment line, it would stretch from the coast of California to Washington D.C. and then back again! If that’s their vaunted ‘recovery summer,’ heaven help us from their recovery winter!”

Two years before the next presidential election, stressing the economy is a political calculation and campaign strategy favored by the Republican establishment.

“Any issue that takes peoples eye off of unemployment, job creation, economic growth, taxes, spending, deficits, debts is taking your eye off the ball,” Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, chair of the Republican Governors Association, said at a recent Monitor-sponsored breakfast for reporters.

But to those who say the GOP needs to downplay social issues in the 2010 and 2012 elections, conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly says, “That’s not only wrong, that’s dumb because we need the social conservatives as well as the fiscal conservatives to take those seats in November.”

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said on Friday that the planned web filter by the government would not slow down internet speeds but simply ensure that child pornography would not invade Australian households hooked up on the national broadband network (NBN).

Senator Conroy pointed to successful precedents in Europe where countries such as UK, Finland and Sweden established filters that up to 95 percent of online users have to go through yet no considerable complaints on web connection slow downs were ever pushed forward, effectively underpinning the accuracy of the initiative.

He rejected earlier claims of his opposition counterpart Malcolm Turnbull that the proposed internet filter would do nothing but slow down broadband connections and only give Australian parents a false sense of security, countering that “it has no impact on speed and anybody who makes a claim that it has an impact on speed is misleading people.”

Senator Conroy argued that the actual threat on Australia’s internet speed is the Coalition’s intent to block the NBN’s full implementation on claims that the project is a huge waste of money that otherwise be used for the national government’s more pressing social services.

Opposition leader Tony Abbot labelled the federal project as a white elephant in the making and put Mr Turnbull in charge to lead the Coalition’s campaign of sidelining the Labor government’s pet project, with hopes of eventually reducing it to oblivion.

The Coalition said that a more viable alternative could have been implemented had their leaderships were given the chance to take the lead in the government as Mr Turnbull assailed the NBN plan as lacking in sound business and financial sense that would only drain taxpayers’ money from federal coffers.

The communications minister, however, countered that contrary to the Coalition’s claims, the NBN is poised to spark substantial improvements in the country’s economic activities, which was outlined in the $25 million McKinsey report, that the Liberals may have failed to appreciate, according to Senator Conroy.

He said that Mr Turnbull’s claim that Australians could enjoy the same amount of speed offered by mobile online access was based on questionable facts as the technology that supports the fixed-line broadband capacity is way ahead from the capacity that is being carried by wireless networks.

Senator Conroy maintained that the fibre-optics being utilised by NBN as the backbone of its network would soon ease out the current copper lines widely used in the country as he added that once fully operational, the NBN would spawn economic productivity and advantages in areas such as e-health and telecommuting.

Also, the communication minister said that reports of only 50 percent of residents in a number of Tasmanian towns should not be a cause for alarm now as he stressed that NBN would eventually realise its 93 percent footprint target for the state once the deal with Telstra takes its full course, which is for the telco giant to retire its copper network to make way for the superior fibre-optics network of NBN.

The Ukrainian Economy Ministry expects that in 2010 exports of good and services will grow by 21.8% and imports will rise by 20.3%, while the official government forecast for this year foresees a 15.1% and 14.4% rise in these indicators respectively, reads a posting on the Economy Ministry’s Web site.

“[The revision of the export and import forecasts] has led to the improvement of the balance of trade: from minus $1.9 billion [in the government's forecasts] to minus $1.6 billion,” the ministry said.

The ministry said that the key goods exported this year would be those of the chemical and engineering industries. Due to a certain fall in demand and prices on the international metals markets, a slowdown in the growth in metal exports is forecast.

According to the report, imports will grow along with the economic growth of the country’s main trade partners and the post-crisis recovery of domestic production.

As for inflation, the ministry said that it would not exceed 12% this year, while the official forecast foresees a 13.1% rise in prices.

“The price growth pace in H1, 2010 was influenced by the increase in prices of gas for end consumers, the rise of tariffs for utility services, grain prices, excise duties on alcohol, tobacco and fuel, prices of lubricants in the period of active farm work, and the continuation of the trend of growing deposits of the public,” the ministry said.

According to the report, due to the impact of the accelerated rise in prices on some commodity markets, in particular, ferrous metals, a higher rise in industrial prices is expected – 18.5% against 14.4% forecasted by the government.

The Economy Ministry’s forecast of GDP growth coincides with the cabinet’s assessments – 3.7%.

The growth of real wages in the country in 2010 is projected at 7.4%, while the government forecasts 5%.

It’s common knowledge that you can catch computer viruses on porn Web sites. But did you know it’s also risky to surf the Web searching for free movies or music?

A study from McAfee to be released on Tuesday finds that adding the word “free” when looking for entertainment content in search engines greatly increases the chances of landing on a site hosting malware.

For instance, searching for free music ringtones increases the chances of hitting a malicious site by 300 percent, according to the report, “Digital Music & Movies Report: The True Cost of Free Entertainment.” (PDF)

Searching for “lyrics” for a particular artist is twice as risky on average as searching for “ringtones” for the same artist for the first five pages of results, the report found.

And including the term “MP3″ increases the riskiness of music searches in general. There has been a 40 percent increase in the number of Web sites that are delivering infected MP3 files or that seem to be built for purposes of financial fraud or delivering malware, according to the report.

Meanwhile, McAfee found malware associated with a number of Web sites around the world advertising free downloads of sports games, movies, and TV shows.

Twelve percent of sites that distribute unauthorized content are distributing malware, and 7 percent of sites offering unauthorized content have associations with cybercrime organizations, the report concluded.

“The sites often look very professional and attempt to lure the user with the idea of a ‘trial period’ or even some nominal fee that is much less than what may ultimately be charged,” the report says. “Once the user agrees, they have to authorize their computer to access and interact with computers that are involved in a wide range of schemes–from money laundering to stealing credentials such as user names and passwords. In addition, with this access, your computer is profiled–with all of its software versions, user agents, and any other date–and this information can be provided to third parties for malicious purposes. (This is often called ‘fingerprinting.’)”

To reduce the chances of landing on malicious sites, McAfee recommends avoiding the use of the word “free” in searches for entertainment content, avoiding clicking on links in banner ads on content sites that aren’t well established, not clicking on links posted in forums and on fan pages, keeping security software up to date, and using safe search plug-ins like McAfee Site Advisor that warns of potentially risky sites.

The Government has placed two further trusts established by Allan Hubbard into statutory management, Commerce Minister Simon Power has announced.

They are Temple Bar Family Trust and Barns Charitable Trust.

The decision to put the trusts into statutory management followed a recommendation from the Securities Commission, which made its recommendation after receiving a report from the statutory managers of Aorangi Securities Ltd.

The move is a result of ongoing investigations by statutory managers into Aorangi Securities and seven charitable trusts, which were put into statutory management along with Mr and Mrs Hubbard on June 20.

Mr Power advised Cabinet of his recommendation today and the Governor-General made the Order in Council.

Both trusts hold company shares which are recorded as assets in the financial statements of Aorangi. Temple Bar Family Trust was established in 1983 by Mr Hubbard, while Barns Charitable Trust was established in March this year.

“This decision has been taken pursuant to section 38 of the Corporations (Investigation and Management) Act 1989, and was effective from 5pm today,” Mr Power said.

“The Securities Commission recommended the trusts be placed under statutory management to preserve the interests of the creditors of Aorangi, in the public interest and to enable the affairs of the corporations to be dealt with in a more orderly or expeditious way. It was satisfied that those interests could not be adequately protected any other way.”

The Securities Commission consulted Mr Hubbard’s legal representatives before it made its recommendations and they were advised this afternoon of the Government’s decision.

Credit policy

Credit gives the consumer the opportunity to buy, purchase or acquire goods and services, and pay for them at a later date. This has its advantages and disadvantages as follows:

Advantages of credit trade

• Usually results in more customers than cash trade.
• Can charge more for goods to cover the risk of bad debt.
• Gain goodwill and loyalty of customers.
• People can buy goods and pay for them at a later date.
• Farmers can buy seeds and implements, and pay for them only after the harvest.
• Stimulates agricultural and industrial production and commerce.
• Can be used as a promotional tool.
• Increase the sales.
• Modest rates to be filled.
• can be a marketing tool

Disadvantages of credit trade

• Risk of bad debt.
• High administration expenses.
• People can buy more than they can afford.
• More working capital needed.
• Risk of Bankruptcy.

Forms of credit

• Suppliers credit:
• Credit on ordinary open account
• Installment sales
• Bills of exchange
• Credit cards
• Contractor’s credit
• Factoring of debtors
• Cash credit
• Cpf credits
• Exchange of product

Factors which influence credit conditions

• Nature of the business’s activities
• Financial position
• Product durability
• Length of production process
• Competition and competitors’ credit conditions
• Country’s economic position
• Conditions at financial institutions
• Discount for early payment
• Debtor’s type of business and financial position

Credit collection

Overdue accounts

• Attach a notice of overdue account to statement.
• Send a letter asking for settlement of debt.
• Send a second or third letter if first is ineffectual.
• Threaten legal actions.

Effective credit control

• Increases sales
• Reduces bad debts
• Increases profits
• Builds customer loyalty
• Builds confidence of financial industry
• Increase company capitalisation
• Increase the customer relationship

Sources of information on creditworthiness

• Business references
• Bank references
• Credit agencies
• Chambers of commerce
• Employers
• Credit application forms

Duties of the credit department

• Legal action
• Taking necessary steps to ensure settlement of account
• Knowing the credit policy and procedures for credit control
• Setting credit limits
• Ensuring that statements of account are sent out
• Ensuring that thorough checks are carried out on credit customers
• Keeping records of all amounts owing
• Ensuring that debts are settled promptly
• Timely reporting to the upper level of management for better management.

Stock

Purpose of stock control

• Ensures that enough stock is on hand to satisfy demand.
• Protects and monitors theft.
• Safeguards against having to stockpile.
• Allows for control over selling and cost price.

Stockpiling

This refers to the purchase of stock at the right time, at the right price and in the right quantities.

There are several advantages to the stockpiling, the following are some of the examples:

• Losses due to price fluctuations and stock loss kept to a minimum
• Ensures that goods reach customers timeously; better service
• Saves space and storage cost
• Investment of working capital kept to minimum
• No loss in production due to delays

There are several disadvantages to the stockpiling, the following are some of the examples:

• Obsolescence
• Danger of fire and theft
• Initial working capital investment is very large
• Losses due to price fluctuation

Rate of stock turnover

This refers to the number of times per year that the average level of stock is sold. It may be worked out by dividing the cost price of goods sold by the cost price of the average stock level.

Determining optimum stock levels

• Maximum stock level refers to the maximum stock level that may be maintained to ensure cost effectiveness.
• Minimum stock level refers to the point below which the stock level may not go.
• Standard order refers to the amount of stock generally ordered.
• Order level refers to the stock level which calls for an order to be made.

Cash

Reasons for keeping cash

• Cash is usually referred to as the “king” in finance, as it is the most liquid asset.
• The transaction motive refers to the money kept available to pay expenses.
• The precautionary motive refers to the money kept aside for unforeseen expenses.
• The speculative motive refers to the money kept aside to take advantage of suddenly arising opportunities.

Advantages of sufficient cash

• Current liabilities may be catered for meeting the current obligations of the company
• Cash discounts are given for cash payments.
• Production is kept moving
• Surplus cash may be invested on a short-term basis.
• The business is able to pay its accounts in a timely manner, allowing for easily obtained credit.
• Liquidity
• Quick upfront pay.