Computer chip maker Intel has found a practical application for big data, using number-crunching software Hadoop to...
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Emergency mismanagement
Declaring an emergency is a great way to justify taking drastic action. Keil Hubert suggest that well-meaning employees can often do more harm than good in their attempts to solve problems. Somehow, largely on accident, this week’s topic got taken over by the idea of fire trucks. First, there’s a fire station at the end [...]
Left handed unicorns
Business leaders tend to have strangely unrealistic expectations about what constitutes a good IT leader. Keil Hubert suggests that a change of perspective is in order. I wanted to cover something that would resonate with the members of our profession for this week’s piece since this my fiftieth (50th!) column for Lyonsdown. I started the [...]
Much ado about adverts
People all over the US are inexplicably anxious about a novelty marketing gimmick. Keil Hubert suggests that everyone take a deep breath and relax. Some days, the world writes my columns for me. Today is one of those glorious days. I’d barely made it to work on Tuesday last when my new message chime started [...]
Terminal customer disservice
Social media engagement can help sustain brand loyalty, but it can’t mitigate truly reprehensible customer service. Keil Hubert tells a cautionary tale of a retailer that went out business after providing an awful customer experience. Brand loyalty is a wonderful thing – if you can get it, and if you can maintain it. I’ve written [...]
Full Marx for effort
You can sometimes outsource production, but you can never outsource brand management. Keil Hubert argues that you must constantly fight for your brand’s reputation if you want it to survive in the Internet age. Karl Marx famously urged the proletariat to ‘seize the means of production’ in order to change society such that everyone would [...]
High Tea leadership
Technology leadership is a difficult concept for some people. Keil Hubert tries to explain what it is and why it’s necessary. It’s no secret that I’ll be changing employers over the course of the next year. I’ve known for years that my current contract couldn’t extended, no matter how much my current boss might wish [...]
Technology alters bedroom activities
According to a survey of 1,000 commuters in London, carried out by Infosecurity Europe, 29% of people look at emails – on computers or smartphones – and catch up on work while they’re in bed, especially if they can’t sleep. Apparently, 15% of them do this at the same time as their partner is doing [...]
U R SO HOT #CareerSuicide
Social networking can be a powerful tool to raise brand awareness. Keil Hubert suggests that unfiltered social networking can easily do more harm than good. We’re always being watched. This should not come as a surprise. This morning, I drove my youngest down to the grocer’s to take part in a fundraising event for his [...]
The Bless You Problem
When is it appropriate to introduce your faith into official workplace discourse? Keil Hubert suggests that the only reasonable answer is “when requested.” Throughout most of the world, business is expected to be a sober and rational affair. You can (and should) have passion for your product or service, for customers or “for quality,” but [...]
‘The biggest DDoS attack in history’: is this the beginning of the end for cyber security?
A leading cyber security expert says that people must wake up to the new threat: DDoS attacks.
