Going Green with IT

Last night, I was having dinner with friends and visiting colleagues from Center of the International Cooperation for Computerization (CICC), Tokyo, Japan. Having friendly talked about good past time and state of the art IT development in some Asia Pacific countries, we came to a chat about energy conservation. Some offices in Japan set the aircon to an unbeliveable 28%C to conserve energy! The buzzword is now cool-biz - no tie, no suit in the office so that your business activities would demand less (electrical) energy to consume.

It seems that energy conservation has been becoming very serious matters for the business community in Japan. Mr. Yutaka Ikeda, GM Planning & Coordination, then handed over to us a 5-page paper from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry - METI (whom CICI report to) : Green IT Initiative in Japan. This whitepaper is quite neat, addressing a framework to halving global (CO2) emissions by 2050. As a follow up of Kyoto Protocol and Heiligendamn Summit, Japan establishes US$ 10 billion fund to support developing countires with Cool Eart Partnership program, and will be investing US$ 30 billion in R & D in the environment and energy sectors over the next 5 years.

As developing countries are becoming more industrialized and the world is moving toward more information-intensive society, the need for both energy and IT are growing fast. Electricity consumption of IT devices is estimated to grow 5-fold in 2025 than that of today, as the whitepaper reports. The efforts are then directed toward two ultimate goals: minimizing energy consumption by IT use and maximizing contribution of IT to energy efficiency.

Radically going green for IT is still posing some challenges for some to take bold actions, yet opportunity are widely open. Replacing reliable IT infrastructure today with new stuffs just for going green is of great concerns. Nevertheless, there are now available to offer an array of green IT solution: wind-powered data centers, dynamic power management software to shut off power in semiconductor chips until it's needed,...

On the other side, effectively (strategically ?) using IT for minimizing energy consumption is quite real and can be expanded to contribute more. When things go virtual on daily busines practices, physical undertaking can be minimized to save energy. On-line net meetings and video conferencing facility saves people from travel, freeing from a chain of energy consumption for physical transportation. Intel uses heat recovery chillers, in its new development center building in Israel, to recover waste heat from data centers and other equipment to heat the building in winter and to provide hot water for the bathrooms and kitchens year-round. The system eliminates the need for energy-consuming gas or fuel-oil boilers and reduces CO2 and NO emission. Intel claims, in its Premier IT Magazine (Summer 2008), to save around US$ 235,000 annually due to reduced fuel consumption.

Green IT iniative should be fairly adopted by IT shop, especially those big ones managed in big organizations. Not only that it reduce energy consumption by and potential hazardous waste from IT equipment. It could be creatively taken into a next level of strategic function for maximixing its use for helping business to reduce pressure to environment and optimize energy efficiency. There might be some costs incurred in the beginning. Managed smartly, it could at the end contribute to the positive impact of the bottom line.

So, how green are you ? Green business shall be good business. Or as some are starting to say, green is beautiful.

Best CIOs in Indonesia 2008

Early morning Friday this week, I got a called from my former boss. He was talking about the Best 10 CIOs in Indonesia as he saw on the coverpage of a national magazine here. One of them was before working for us. Knowing some top guys, the industry, the business, and the community at large, my ex-boss was quite curious and wondering where are those guys hiding.

I shared with him that we knew of many people that might (or certainly) be on the top list. Just bear in mind, this is a result of processes for those willing to participate for this particular magazine. A total of 12 people was short-listed from 21 candidates that were identified and participated. Also, one of the general requirements is that the companies CIOs belong to shall be headquartered in Indonesia.

Nevertheless, I congratulated our former guy to make to the top 10 list. We notices few familair faces on the list as well. While few mentioned about implementing business transformation, the majority is still struglling about applications and integration. The criteria is developed arounf current challenges (complexity, roles of IT) and Individual achievement. This is in light of the evolution of CIO roles as laid out by the Panel from operational transforming to strategic.

Some can be learned about this result and those challenges the CIOs are facing. The remaining big chunks are still on general, typical, and average IT shops trying to help the business. It would be interesting enough if Warta Ekonomi, the magaizine, can look at the angle as to try to portary that IT is (part) of the business and run IT as a business. IT Doesn't Matter -- a debate quite a while ago from an article on the Harvard Business Review. The author then further published again in response to many feedbacks - Does IT Matter ?. I would like to keep on saying to my collegues that the 'ultimate' measure of IT 'success' could be simply sensed: senior level managment (CEO or the executive team) is to have IT come into their mind when about to make strategic business decisons.

The gap between theory and practice seems very wide when it comes to the CIO role, wrote Edaward Cone in The Accidental Strategist, CIO Insight April 2008. New research from CIO Insight indicated that a sizebale percentage of CIOs identify themselves as more tactical than strategic in their day-to-day affairs. Fewer than half of responding CIOs say they "create or co-create business strategy". Sixty pecent say they "contribute" to their company's strategy. Cone put it that tactical and operational jobs still matter.

One of the finding on this annual survey the magazine conducted is on the role CIOs perceiving about their jobs. On the top lists are 1) Adviser on improving business processes across the company, 2) Technology visionary. On the bottom lists (rank 15 and 16) are 1) product or business process innovator, 2) discover of new business opportunities.

On talking about the new height of challenges, seems that CIOs are loaded with a heavy-weight busines expectation when CIO Insight describing that CIOs confuse operating a business with running a business. It's a tough job to be expected from the technoogy chief to really contribute to the bottom line, devising new ways to put more money in shareholders' pockets.

Would it be Career is Over if it's not delivering that way? Again, It would be quite a hot discussion if Warta Ekonomi could package it all with the above matters in spotting and selecting the next best CIOs of Indonesia corporations.

Beyond Computing, Above the Earth

On May 9, 2008, I was one of a 1,000 crowd waiting at Jakarta Convention Center for Bill Gates to give a Presidential Lecture. It was the very first visit that Bill paid to the country and had been a strong magnet attracting enthusiasm of people to watch.

I don't know why it's called a 'Presidential Lecture'. Probably, it was opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and moderated by Minister of Trade Mari Elka Pangestu that both stayed present, along with some other members of Indonesia cabinet and top brass, until the very end of the session. As the moderator introduced, it was part of Government Leaders Forum that regularly invites world dignitaries to deliver presentation to and have discussions with top brass in the goverment. It was the first time that GLF was made public to selectedly invited attendees with Bill Gates addressing the forum. And wherever countries he goes, he seems to make it sure that we would be with the country's numero uno.

Bill was talking about some IT progress and trend, how that technology can help some world issues, and addressing global health and program that his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is working on. He then introduced the audience with the latest Microsoft products, or I would say contribution to IT and community. Microsoft Surface is about a new wave of human interface with computers, a natural way of doing computing, a very human being nature. And Microsoft WorldWideTelescope that is (currently) made free for everyone to explore outer space - stars, galaxy, nebulae and the like. Both are quite impressive and promising (future) Microsoft undertaking. Bill also managed to applause creativity of Indonesia students, called on stage a team of students from ITB winning national software development contest.

Looking at the back, a crowd of students was at the upper balcony, seat allocation given to University of Indonesia, Swis German University, and Univesitas Pelita Harapan. The way the session was delivered. It's like a deja vu of sort of Student Studium General. While it's interesting, nothing is quite special and spectacular. Only Bill Gates in person that make it different and special. The Q & A session was very much controlled with 5 (five) questions were already pre-arranged. A Studium General would be more lively.

Expectations for interesting discussions were popping up when a schduled TV interview with Bill Gates would be aired few days afterwards. But then, the interview with RCTI channel was plain and dry. Creative Capitalism ? Microsoft bid for Yahoo - would it be a hostile take-over ? Competition playing field with Google - earth and outer space ? None was addressed, to name a few of interesting hot topics.

Nonetheless, a salute shall be for Bill Gates that dedicate his time now with his foundation for serious efforts to improving global health and education. The visit is good for Indonesia, in light of, among other things, Visit Indonesia Year campaigns, attracting more foreign investments to come in. A credit to Tony Chen, President Director of Microsoft Indonesia, of being able to help convincing Bill Gates to come visit, after a successful arrangment previously of meeting Presidnet SBY and Bill Gates in USA (Redmond ?). And the keynote speech from the President was quite good, rich, within the context, and with a good sense of humor. I just was wondering who was the speech writer.

For sure, Bill is now now beyond computing, leaving a legacy behind for Microsoft to go above the Earth.

Generation W2: Collective Intelligence at Work

Business IT Forum, March 3-6, 2008, San Ramon, California. This was an annual gathering of business-IT leaders within one of super-major oil companies that I was attending. Social computing was one of the topics addressed during this 3-day session. It was quite coincidently surprising and personally entertaining as a week before I managed to post Social Networking and Balance of Power to this blog. Listening to speakers in a break-out session and technology trend keynote, it's a bit deja vu, connecting dots back about 4-year ago my conversation with a good friend of mine. Andy Eyschen has been an independent consultant working and travelling around the globe and often dropped by at my office when he is in town. We're discussing about knowledge management, learning that it was not about knowledge database that mostly matter. It was connecting the subject matter experts that would really be the name of the game.

Back to the future, I could not be able to resist thinking that it's in a way transforming into or surfacing as what we see today as the phenomena of social networking. Or in broader and more general context, social computing. The wall of hierarchy is falling down for the sake of more collaboration and sharing, connect thru on-line networks with each node (user, people) able to be a subject active contributor rather than an object passive reader. It is not a fad. Nor is it something that will pass you or your company by. Forrester Research articulated that gradually, social computing will impact almost every role, at every kind of company, in all parts of the world... Big names like Microsoft and IBM have established research groups dedicating to social computing.

Wikis, blogs, "walls" on people-connect tools, and the like establish a paradigm shift to user-generated content, trusting users as participants or co-developers. Millions and millions of people do write, post, interact, share and refine on topics of interest to them - no money involved (well, not the first and foremost, as to some extent and forms, you might "invite" commercial ads), it's just out of curiosity, enthusiasm, and feeling good to contribute. The result ? collective intelligence is being embraced and well established. Here is the example of the work of many collaborating in Wikipedia formulating social computing :

In the weaker sense of the term, social computing has to do with supporting any sort of social behavior in or through computational systems. It is based on creating or recreating social conventions and social contexts through the use of software and technology. Thus, blogs, email, instant messaging, social network services, wikis, social bookmarking and other instances of what is often called social software illustrate ideas from social computing, but also auction software and other kinds of electronic market or electronic negotiation platforms where people interact socia

And what the hell is Web 2.0 ? Don't get it wrong. It is not a product. Nor it is a software release. It is a second generation of internet technoligies that pave ways for social computing. The concept of "Web 2.0" began with a conference brainstorming session between O'Reilly and MediaLive International in 2004. Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but to changes in the ways software developers and end-users use webs. According to Tim O'Reilly (founder of O'Reilly Media and supporter of the free software and open source movements) on clarifying What is Web 2.0, there's still a huge amount of disagreement about just what Web 2.0 means, with some people decrying it as a meaningless marketing buzzword, and others accepting it as the new conventional wisdom. He formulated the initial brainstroming with some examples below:

Web 1.0 ------------- Web 2.0
DoubleClick --------> Google AdSense
mp3.com -----------> Napster
Britannica Online --> Wikipedia
personal websites --> blogging
publishing ---------> participation

Got it ? No ? A high-level executive addressing the Business IT Forum mentioned above started his speech by mentioning about social networking that his kids are coversant in playing around and said jokingly that he/we might be dynosaurs by now. So watch out. A new generation is born! Generation W2 - social interaction growing on top of Web 2.0 foundation. Unlike with many notion of generations before, it is not bound by age nor time-stamp (date) when those people are born at the same period. It is a network of community that has the energy and enthusiasm to embrace collaboration and sharing, across boundaries of age, geography, and hierarchy.

Again, a collective intelligence, a global brain. Be part of it or be virtually isolated in Jurassic Park!

Social Networking and Balance of Power

Don't be scary. It's not about political power struggle. This is purely about IT. Or can be said so. The social networking has been becoming so popular, easy and fun to do so with on-line tools freely available in the Internet. It connects friends of friends, relates, doing people search, write and collaborate. It operates on many levels, from families up to the level of nations. In conjunction with blogging, it seems to be entering into corporate realms. Once that looks like things for teenagers to play around with, it would be part of a new game for information warfare. I was about to address it to an IT leadership meeting in Pekanbaru, Sumatra as to ultize it for corporate purposes. It was then postponed because of time limitation, giving more for other important stuffs. Some might also still perceive it as just toys.

Kevin Werbach, professor of legal studies and business ethics at Wharton, commented to the discussion on How Facebook Gave Birth to an Industry that "social networking will be the basis for a great deal of innovation and business opportunity". Eager to get a friend of mine into this circle of networking wave, I sent a text message asking her email addrees mentionng that I want to invite her to join Facebook. The answer is "I don't' have one. Please send the invitation to my shop at Tator Cafe, 4th Fl. Pacific Place, Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Jakarta".

Amidst all those millions of people in some parts of the world unaware about this new game, a new set of creative ways of doing things unimaginable before keeps on coming to market. In a corporate language, business is not (would not be) as usual as it should be in the past. IT-enabled innovations are becoming real, fast and more to happen. The roles of IT in corporation would need to be re-defined to find a new seat on the table. Many IT-related services are becoming commodity. A lot of things can be done nowdays in a plug-and-play fashion without intervention of highly skilled IT guys. To some extents, the balance of power has been shifted from IT shop to the hands of users. The paradox seems to be that the more successful of IT implementation in a corporate, the less the business needs from the IT department. This is something that IT leaders in corporations shall be aware of and need to come up with a next generation of IT skills to contribute in a diferent way to the business as before.

Wikis, blogs, and social networking would be new enabling tools inside corporation. The new school of thoughts would be for IT functions to live with it, while transforming its competency into business partnering that orchestrate an array of technology solutions for high-value business benefits. Leave gradually all those low-margin "hard stuffs" of old-day romantism to plug-and-play automation or external parties that woud combine with those from others for their economies of scale benefits.

A new challenge for corporate IT leaders to make that IT DOES MATTER.