Josef Nankivell

Computing Fair

Josef Nankivell — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:22:08 +0000

The computing fair will be held on 10/03/10 and situated on the ground floor of the Sherwell bulding at the University of Plymouth. Feel free to come along and have a look at both my project and those of my collegues.

To provide a visual summary of my project I created a poster that will be part of a display at the computing fair. To view my poster for the final year project computing fair, please click here.

Project Initiation Document A project initiation document is a logical document that brings...
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Second Interim Report

Josef Nankivell — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:46:00 +0000

After Sprint 0, there were a couple of small fixes that need to be put in before doing any real work on the developing system in Sprint 1. The plan for the next Sprint is to develop the code further, then update the code to include the fixes, then bring the system online. If something does not work, repository backups are available to allow a roll-back.

View the rest of the second interim report here.

First Progress Report The project began with the research of a possible approaches...
Project Initiation Document A project initiation document is a logical document that brings...
The Relationship Between Risk Management and the Success and Failure of Software Development This report analyses the relationship between risk management and the...

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Google Buzz – First Impressions

Josef Nankivell — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:56:40 +0000

Firstly, I think Google Buzz is the reincarnation of Google Wave. I think that Wave was perhaps not adopted by people as a communication medium as well as Google had expected. However, I am not saying Google Wave is dead, just that Buzz is a version of Wave (with geo-location/social media/feeds) that people are ready to use and integrate in to their lives.

Buzz has great potential, a lot of which isn’t apparent at first. Currently you can pull up Google maps on your Android device and look at all of the Buzzes in a certain location. Want to see if there is an accident on the road to work? Check for clusters of Buzzing on Google Maps. Want to know what a gig is like? Keep an eye on Buzzing in that location for information and photos.

It does seem to encourage the Google Wave communication methodology that exists somewhere between Google mail and Google Chat (but this time with social media goodness thrown in). Plus, with the vast varity on information stored on Google’s services these days (photos, email, docs, feeds etc) Google Buzz could be a medium way to share your information.

The public/private functionality built into buzz is interesting because it appears to reside in the space between Twitter’s public functionality and Facebook’s private messaging. I realize you can make tweets private and Facebook updates public (especially now), but each service carries a different expectation. It looks like Buzz will use a public/private switch as a differentiator.

Buzz also partially resides in FriendFeed’s super-aggregator domain (FriendFeed is owned by Facebook). You can integrate your Picasa (owned by Google), Flickr (owned by Yahoo), Twitter and Google Reader updates into your Buzz feed.

Buzz does not only seem to lie between Google Mail and Google Chat, but also also partially exists in the space between Twitter’s public nature and Facebook’s private messaging, due to the public and private functionality built in. Obviously tweets can be private and Facebook public, but each service is perceived differently. It looks like Buzz will sit in the middle, using the option to change between public & private.

Google Buzz is reminding me slightly of FriendFeed and it’s ability to amass data. You can combine your Picasa, Flickr, Twitter and Google Reader updates into your Buzz feed in a similar fashion to FriendFeed.

I am curious as to what will happen to Google Wave now that Buzz is here. The two do overlap somewhat, although not entirely – But enough to be significant. Google Wave was excellent for taking collaborative notes and producing reports with a group (when I didn’t forget to check it!) but my use of it slowly faded. However, Gmail is now still the best email service out there, plus I am always signed in to Gmail on my Nexus One. It’s going to be interesting to see if Buzz and Wave develop their own personalities, or will Buzz just replace Wave?

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Skills for the Information Age

Josef Nankivell — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:46:58 +0000

My notes from lecture 3 of ISAD337 – Professional practice and social responsibility.

Skills for the Information Age

ICT Industry – Practice

1960s/70s – Programming in 3GL and Assembly languages, manual control of processes, storage-constrained environments, hierarchical, network-databases.

1980s – 3GL/4GL (non procedural) languages automatiion of processes, growth of storage, networks, relational databses (mathematical set theory), personal computers and user computing methodologies.

1990s – Programming in var languages, dev of services, client/server, internet begins, OO techniques, enterprise-wide apps.

2000s – Programming/scripting, automation of services, browsers, search engines, internet established, systems of ICT (ITIL).

Side-notes

Once invented, does not need to be invented again
Doing anything strategic was difficult
Focus moves from data to information (and to knowledge)
Increasing use of databases
Convergence of Human-Computer technology
ICT becomes the “business enabler”
Information viewed as an organisational asset
Service orientation
ICT personnel seen as “professionals”

Information viewed as an organisational set

An organisation is only as successful as the quality of its decisions
Decisions are required at strategic, tactical and operational levels
Information provides a major input to decisions
ICT is now the main delivery means for information
Information must be treated like any other organisational resource – it must be looked after or it may be lost, damaged or remain unused

The rise (and fall?) of the Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Manager of IT resources and operations
- Governance of the IT function
- Operating the core infrastructure and related services
- Managing the applications portfolio supporting business
- Recruiting and managing IT skills, expertise and people
- Developing and retaining IT project management skills
- Managing the suppliers of IT services and products
- Measuring and managing the company’s IT investments
The CIO as an enabler of business change
Strategic business player and part of the senior management team

Above information from Cranfield University paper (exemplar paper)

Side-notes

Low level & high level activities mixed together.
CIO should not have to do low level activities?

Service Orientation

An IT Service is a set of related components provided by IT systems in support of the business and perceived by the customer/user as a coherent and self-contained entity. Or: something “end-to-end.”

Of what is a service compromised?

Peopleware
- Docs
- Skills
- People
- Procedures
- Guides
Software
- Databases
- Dev environments
- Operating systems
- Applications
- Services tools
Hardware
- LANs
- WANs
- Mainframes
- Work stations
- Servers
- Networks
- Telephones
- Sensors

E.g. Email:

Server hardware
Client hardware
Network infrastructure
Email server software
Email clients
Directory services
System administration
Users

Is our orientation now aimed towards service?

ITIL v.3

Sevice design
Service Transition

Configuration Management

To record all Configuration Items (CIs)
And relationships/dependencies between them
To provide accurate information to support other ITIL core processes
To provide a sound basis for Incident, Problem, Change and Release Management
To account for all IT Assets and verify configuration records, correcting any exceptions

ICT Personnel as Professionals

Development, support, networks, suppliers, problems, technology change, users, management – how can we cope with the world of ICT?
What skills have we got?
What level of skill – Basic/Expert?
How many skills?
How can we evaluate our skills?
What/how do organisations recruit?

Create a skills management strategy

Determine the business case for skills/resource management, professional development, and other strategic, tactical or operational change
Analyse professional development processes and strategy versus a Maturity Model of professional development
=> Skills for the Information Age
“SFIA describes what people do, not necessarily what their jobs are called”

SFIA

Categories and Levels

Strategy and architecture
Business change
Solution development and implementation
Service management
Procurement and management support
Client interface

Skill Level (tag)

7. set strategy/inspire

6. initiate/influence

5. ensure/advise

4. enable

3. apply

2. assist

1. follow

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The Relationship Between Risk Management and the Success and Failure of Software Development

Josef Nankivell — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:47:49 +0000

Software development projects have a long history of failing due to numerous factors. such as bad design, poor resource allocation, lack of communication, software bugs and risk management; The latter being the focus of this report. Jiang and Klein (1999) find that different types of risks will affect budget, user satisfaction and system performance. Other studies indicate that 15 to 35% of all software development projects are cancelled and the remaining projects suffer from schedule slippage, feature creep, expenditure issues or failure to meet their project goals (Boehm, 1991).

The relationship between risk management and the success and failure of a software development project is very important and has gained an increasing amount of interest over the years.

During a software development project, methodologies are applied in an attempt to manage risk by gathering and evaluating information using a structured process. The assumption that a good risk management methodology will reduce software development risks enough to prevent failure is true to an extent. However, problems may arise if, for whatever reason, the software development project does not adhere to traditional approaches.

Read the rest of my report here.

Project Initiation Document A project initiation document is a logical document that brings...
Skills for the Information Age My notes from lecture 3 of ISAD337 - Professional practice...
First Progress Report The project began with the research of a possible approaches...

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What is Cybercrime?

Josef Nankivell — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:05:24 +0000

This definition provides the basis from which we will explore a fuller meaning of cybercrime. This report catalogues key events in the history of cybercrime and investigates how it occurred and evolved over the last 40 years. It also provides information about the current situation and how this affects governments and businesses. Finally it speculates on the future of cybercrime, how it may evolve, and how it could be controlled. This full-spectrum analysis provides a more complete answer to the question, “what is cybercrime?”

Read the rest of the report here.

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First Progress Report

Josef Nankivell — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:33:07 +0000

The knowledge gained through the prototype development precipitated the decision to redesign a second version of the site . The focus of the redesign is a separation between data model (i.e. the content) and view (i.e. the user interface). This also allows for the workload to be balanced more appropriately. This will allow easier collaboration with Cornwall & Devon Media Ltd through phases 4-7, and facilitate future software development. Progress so far is good and I expect to be able to meet the majority of project milestones on time.

View the rest of the report here.

The project began with the research of a possible approaches for a web application at Cornwall &

Devon Media. This was useful and allowed fast and detailed learning about the possible

approaches: both with user interface design, and with back-end technologies such as MySQL and

PHP.

The knowledge gained through the prototype development precipitated the decision to redesign a

second version of the site . The focus of the redesign is a separation between data model (i.e. the

content) and view (i.e. the user interface). This also allows for the workload to be balanced more

appropriately. This will allow easier collaboration with Cornwall & Devon Media Ltd through

phases 4-7, and facilitate future software development. Progress so far is good and I expect to be

able to meet the majority of project milestones on t

Final Year Project Proposal Bid4It is an online auction marketplace that features items and...
Project Initiation Document A project initiation document is a logical document that brings...
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Project Initiation Document

Josef Nankivell — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:34:09 +0000

A project initiation document is a logical document that brings together the key information needed to start the project on a sound basis. It should be conveyed to all stakeholders and agreed and signed off by the business sponsors. In short, this is the, “who, why, what, when and how”, part of the project. It defines all major aspects of a project and forms the basis for its management and the assessment of overall success.

A common part of formal project methodologies such as PRINCE2[1] the document is a major milestone in the Initiating a Project (IP) process. It is the document that goes before the Project Board for sign- off to commence a project.

View my project initiation document here at Google Docs.

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Ubuntu 9.10 Download is Live

Josef Nankivell — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:40:26 +0000

The wait is over! Once again it is that wonderful time of year when we are graced with another glorious build of Ubuntu Linux. Full of the same awesomeness with the promise of being even better than the previous release. Get your hands on the juicy Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala here.

Don’t forget to come back in a few days to read my review of Ubuntu 9.10.

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Data Loss – A Time for Change

Josef Nankivell — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:23:15 +0000

With smart-phones and WiFi hot-spots everywhere, many companies have replaced desktop computers with laptops. Meaning that email and USB drives are now the norm for transferring corporate data. All of these large data transfers have resulted in employees accidentally and deliberately leaking corporate and personal data; often through losing the device or through social netoworking channels.

Organisations tend to make the mistake of concentrating on the device instead of the data. Often the hardware is managed by one individual and security by somebody else altogether. As you might be able to guess, having such a separation can prove to be very difficult, therefore an alternative method needs to be found.

The alternative is Data Loss Prevention (DLP). DLP provides organisations with knowledge of where their confidential information is being stored, how it is being used and allows them to monitor and restrict the movement of data. Policies can be put in place to block confidential data being copied or saved to local drives and devices. A DLP solution will also inform users about the importance of securing data, reducing the risk data loss in the first place.

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