Jim Williams

G-Drive G-Drive What is this X-Box design reject that’s nudging its way onto tech pages everywhere?  Apparently it’s Google’s latest stab at the cloud.  It’s the cloud – but in a nice tangible box.  Or rather, it’s a device that lets you access Google’s mighty servers and store all your stuff on them. Google’s still a bunch of high-school geeks coding up “cool stuff” But does this cut to the root of the problem? I don’t think so.  Google seems to argue that somehow this box will “amalgamate all of its services” but I think it’s a desperate attempt to think around a problem rather than dive in head-first and solve it. So what’s the problem?  It’s this: Google’s wasting its advantage in being early to market with cloud-based could-be solutions by not providing Enterprise-class cloud services.  Google docs is great but it’s totally focussed on the consumer end of the ma... (more)

Ask Jeeves: The Idiot Stepchild of Search

Is Ask’s marketing strategy a gift or a curse? I think it’s a bit of both. (Whatever the case, my mother-in-law literally thinks there is a real man called Jeeves who answers your questions when you hit the Search button.) Apparently Scott Garrell, president of Ask Networks, said in a recent interview: “In a very tough and competitive market, we’re holding our own… people don’t talk in keywords.” Well, my mother-in-law doesn’t, but then she can’t set the timer on the microwave. It’s always 00:00 in that house. It’s like Groundhog Day, only far less interesting and without the ine... (more)

Twitter Isn’t Dumb. You Are

So, ‘fess up. Who still doesn’t “get” Twitter? This blog post derides Twitter, saying: “Did you lose your minds? Get a job. Are you that bored?” Well, I have a job, and that job’s in PR – a sector where Twitter is invaluable (hey, you can follow me if you like… I’m @PostcodeJim). The gauntlet has been thrown down and I’m picking it up. Here are five reasons why Twitter’s great. Much kudos to the “PR Warrior” for his great post, which I have stolen from somewhat. Five things you can do with Twitter right now: 1. Win friends… Public relations depends on meeting people. It’s ridicu... (more)

Incompetent government? Data as a Service (DaaS) to the rescue!

DaaS is the answer to the question of public sector data management According to Vcunet.com, 176 government data breaches took place last year, compared to just 80 cases in the private sector. Information Commissioner Richard Thomas said: It is alarming that despite high profile data losses, the threat of enforcement action, a plethora of reports on data handling and clear ICO guidance, the flow of data breaches and sloppy information handling continues. So what does this mean for DaaS?  One big stumbling block to mass uptake is people’s resistance to the idea of having some exte... (more)

Windows Azure: A Breakthrough in Cloud Computing

Despite the huge announcement of this cloud computing development platform, the blogoshpere has been relatively quiet.  Now we’ve had a little time to reflect, what does Windows Azure really mean for cloud computing?  What will it mean for the future of web and software development, as well as the future of computing? If you are so inclined, you can read a lot of glossy bumf in the Windows Azure factsheet which doesn’t really tell you a great deal.  One key message to take from it, however, is this one: Windows Azure is an open platform that will support both Microsoft and non-... (more)