Daily Biz Solutions

Article Contributed by Andy McLoughlin, Co-Founder of Huddle

Over the next few years, businesses worldwide will be welcoming in a new generation of employees. Yes, the class of 2010 is finally graduating and a wave of young professionals accustomed to being connected anywhere, anytime are coming to an office near you.  While their entrance into the world of work has been on the horizon for years, is your company really prepared for a generation that can’t recall life without the internet, have always owned a mobile phone and rely on Twitter and Facebook to communicate with family and friends? According to a 2010 survey by Cisco, which revealed that more than half of IT decision makers still ban the use of social media applications, the answer to this question seems to be no.

Companies clinging to the notion that social media is bad for business may soon have a big battle on their hands. The class of 2010 are accustomed to flexibility, openness and instantly connecting with people regardless of their location. They don’t know how to produce under the rigid constraints of an IT department and legacy software systems that reflect the hierarchical structure of old school organizations. Rather than being able to communicate effectively with everyone involved in a project, employees will find themselves working in technology silos. Instead of being able to freely collaborate with geographically-dispersed colleagues, partners and suppliers, many young workers will find themselves trapped behind a firewall.

Today’s restrictions were put in place for a reason. Security risks, a reduction in staff productivity, the impact on an organization’s available bandwidth and the leaking of corporate information are just some of the explanations that could be given for barring access to social media tools. However, the issue at the heart of the enterprise social software debate is control. By introducing the likes of wikis, blogs, podcasting and instant messaging into the work environment, IT departments are relinquishing their control over what users can and can’t do.

As daunting as this may seem for businesses, increased flexibility and collaboration will be vital for attracting the best and the brightest to join your workforce. By failing to examine how you can use social business software in your organization, you may also be missing out on an opportunity to use the best tools for the job and stay ahead of your competitors.

Introducing social tools into the workplace will start to break down silos and let people freely interconnect. Information will flow more efficiently, collaborating beyond the confines of your company will become a reality and overall productivity will increase. How many of us have played telephone tag with colleagues when they’re offsite, sat there waiting for emails with attachments to hit our inbox, struggled to establish which is the latest version of a document or spent a whole day travelling to and from a meeting that lasted just a couple of hours? Thanks to social media tools many of these pain points can be resolved.

Changing your organization’s policies and approach to working will not happen overnight, but small steps can be taken to pave the way for the class of 2010 and beyond. While cloud-based email, word processors and communication tools like Skype challenge the traditional boundaries of an IT department, they are accessible everywhere and mean people can work far more flexibly and don’t have to be shackled to their desks from 9am to 5pm.

Keeping social media tools out of your workplace sends a very clear signal that you don’t trust your staff. Trust the people you hire and ensure that the right policies and security measures are in place to reduce risk. By enabling access, you suddenly increase the number of channels through which employees can engage in real-time with your business partners, colleagues and suppliers.

A key piece of advice for businesses welcoming workers from the class of 2010 is: be prepared to listen and learn. If a member of your team suggests a new tool that they feel would improve business practices, increase productivity and make office life a little easier, take the time to listen and consider whether it is viable. After all, the new generation of workers live and breathe technology and they may be able to teach you a thing or two.

About Huddle

Huddle is the world’s only true provider of intercompany collaboration in the cloud. Huddle was developed out of the recognition that despite technology advances individuals, teams and businesses are still unable to work together efficiently. They continue to encounter numerous problems: from searching for information on office networks through cluttered inboxes and chasing approvals to the most important one – a huge disconnection between internal and external teams.

Leading industry non-profit association cites new research on CO2 emission reductions, industry coalition pledge to expand energy efficiency

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., July 27, 2010 – A new study that shows a sizeable reduction in the annual CO2 emissions associated with information technology (IT) equipment is clear evidence of the IT industry’s commitment to a cleaner and greener world, CompTIA, the non-profit trade association for the IT industry, said today.

The study released today by the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) shows that the IT sector has reduced CO2 emission associated with IT equipment by more than 32 million metric tons worldwide since 2007.

CompTIA is a sponsor of CSCI, a global industry coalition formed in 2007 to reduce the environmental impact of new and emerging IT equipment through energy efficiency.

“The results of this important study clearly indicate that our industry is on the right track,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. “Our members remain committed and dedicated to CSCI’s energy efficiency mission. We look forward to helping achieve even greater CO2 emission reductions in the coming years.”

The benchmark study was conducted by Natural Logic to assess progress of the CSCI’s goal of reducing annual CO2 emissions from the IT sector by 54 million metric tons by June 2011. The research shows that annual CO2 emissions from IT equipment have decreased by 32 million to 36 million metric tons worldwide since 2007. This amount is equivalent to taking nine coal-fired power plants offline and is equal to more than $2 billion in annual energy savings.

Additionally, the study indicates that the IT sector is on target to achieve CSCI’s reduction goal by the end of its 2010 fiscal year in June 2011.

“When CSCI was established in 2007, desktop computers wasted 50 percent of the power coming from the wall,” says Pat Tiernan, executive director of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. “Today, through the collective efforts of our members, hardware manufacturers, large IT buyers and other key partners, the IT sector has cut that waste by at least 25 percent for new systems.”

Up Next: Focus on Networking Equipment
Going forward, the CSCI will leverage the expertise and leadership of its members as the organization expands its focus to include commercial and home networking systems and devices. CSCI will begin by setting new energy efficiency criteria for networking technologies. These new criteria will be developed by working with members and through alliances with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others.

“As the number of networked devices continues to increase the energy demands on networks and networking equipment will increase in step,” said Rick Bauer, director, product management, CompTIA. “With this growth, there is significant energy and cost savings potential. CSCI and CompTIA recognize that in order to achieve end-to-end computing energy efficiency, we must address the energy used by connected devices and their interaction with the network.”

As part of this expansion, commercial and residential routers and switches, commercial WLAN, and security and access devices will be incorporated into the organization’s environmental mission, with the goal of reducing annual CO2 emissions by an additional 38 million metric tons by 2015. This is the equivalent of $5 billion in annual energy cost savings.

“We’re also eager to expand our collaboration with CSCI in the training and credentialing of green IT professionals worldwide,” Bauer added. “Technology professionals with skills unique to the green IT environment are essential.”

The study covered the first three program years of CSCI, Initiative, from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2010. Data was compiled by examining member company progress on power-management adoption and market data, including shipment and installed-base information, PSU efficiency levels, number of units sold worldwide, operating systems in use, market research, and estimates from industry analysts.

About CompTIA
CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/comptia.

About Climate Savers Computing Initiative
Climate Savers Computing Initiative is a global consortium dedicated to reducing the energy consumption of end-to-end computing. Since 2007, more than 645 members, including large commercial enterprises and technology industry stakeholders, have joined the initiative, and thousands of individuals have pledged their support. The initiative is dedicated to reducing the energy consumption of the IT sector through three focus areas: increasing the energy efficiency of computing equipment, increasing the adoption and deployment of power management, and shifting user behavior to smart computing practices. The initiative is led by Cisco, CSC, Dell, Emerson Network Power, Google Inc., HP, Intel, Juniper Networks, Microsoft, and the World Wildlife Fund. Sponsors include 1E, Acer Inc., CompTIA, Faronics, Fujitsu Limited, Hitachi Ltd., Lenovo, NEC Corporation, Sony Electronics, Sparxent Verismic Software, Symantec, and Verdiem Corporation. For more information and to pledge your support, visit www.climatesaverscomputing.org.

Climate Savers® is a trademark or registered trademark of WWF, the international conservation organization. Used under license.

by Deborah A. Bailey www.dbaileycoach.com

Do you find yourself spending a lot of time planning and thinking, but you never take action? Are you a “big picture” person who has no patience for details? Feeling stuck because you can’t decide on the right course of action? Don’t give up!

#1: Take the Load Off of Your “To Do” List

Are you taking on too much? Do you always say “yes” when asked to do a favor or work on a project? Are there things that are on your “to do” list that never get done?

If the answer is yes, perhaps it’s time to take some items off of your list. It may be hard to prioritize when everything appears to be important. However, trying to do everything will only lead you to burnout and frustration.

Accept that some things will have to wait and address those items that really are high priority. If you find that you are always overwhelmed with things to do, it’s time to consider bringing in help. Read the rest of this entry »