Focus on shared services successes, not
failures
Stephen Butcher, chief executive Eduserv
Although many public sector organisations
are not embracing shared services as quickly as
hoped (Computer Weekly, 23 January), we must not forget
those beacons of best practice that have.
In the higher education sector, institutions have been
successful in adopting shared services to give millions of students
access to essential online materials from hundreds of publishers.
Those that have embarked on shared services have realised
substantial, tangible savings.
Perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves is not, "Why
are so many councils failing?" but rather, "What can they learn
from sectors that are succeeding?"
Often, the real success stories come from organisations that
realise the risks associated with developing a service directly
with a like-minded organisation, and instead work with a
third-party service provider, limiting collaboration with other
organisations to the management of their relationships with these
parties.
The best approach to shared services will depend largely on the
organisation in question, but it is important that the public
sector is educated about the different choices available, in order
to choose the best one to help meet savings targets.
It is time for serious opposition to ID
cards
Greville Warwick, MCS
I refer to
Bill Goodwin's article (Computer Weekly, 23
January) that pointed to the £5.4bn cost for ID cards. What is
so disturbing is the casual way that this government tosses out
funding estimates. £5,400,000,000 is the number we must fix in
our minds to grasp how we must sacrifice economic opportunity
and personal spending power for the government to issue its 65
million citizens with a duff means of identity that they
uniquely among the world's 6.5 billion people will possess.
We have an increasingly mobile world population, among which
only British people will have special terrorist security and
personal protection. Believe this and we are ready to believe
anything. It is time for serious opposition to political
irresponsibility and plain madness. Exactly what qualifications and
experience do safe-seat, part-time politicians have to nod this
nonsense through?
Rip and replace is not only answer to
modernisation
Julian Dobbins, director, product management, Micro
Focus
It is no surprise to hear that many insurers are struggling with
their legacy IT investments. These systems, often developed 30
years ago, sit at the heart of a company's critical business
processes, and yet have become in time increasingly complex and
disconnected.
While it is tempting to "rip and replace" these systems, there
is now more choice than ever for modernisation, giving insurers the
chance to realise the value in their IT infrastructures. SOA is
hugely relevant to these systems, and means companies that have
retained legacy applications can improve operational efficiency and
business agility, without risking the loss of vital business data
and competitive advantage.
It is time to put pressure on broadband
suppliers
Sarah Ednay, Optical Technology Training
I was struck by your recent
Big Question (Computer Weekly, 30 January),
with Jason Ripper lamenting that he has been waiting for his
home broadband service to be activated since Christmas. I know
how he feels.
Isn't it time you did a far-reaching survey to find out how many
IT managers are affected by "too far from the exchange" syndrome,
and put some serious pressure on providers. I could turn my home
into a retreat for over-stressed IT managers to escape any
connection with the world - but I would much rather have
broadband.
IT industry is responsible for shortage of
graduates
Lawrie Fernee, project manager, WM-data
Having read
Justin Richards' article on the shortage of IT
graduates (Computer Weekly, 23 January), it seems to me that we
may be overlooking another significant issue. Over the past
couple of years so many IT jobs have been reported as
transferred "offshore" that even medium-term job prospects in
the UK appear very shaky.
The threat this poses to our job security is a concern to many
of us, and I would not be at all surprised if it is a fact
seriously considered by those considering IT for a career.
Perhaps the UK IT industry is reaping what it has sown.
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