government

Building IT Value – the IT Val Framework

by

Catching up with Tony Hayes – currently Chairman of the Information Technology Governance Institute’s ‘ITGI Committee’ (they’re the ones that release COBIT) – recently, Tony mentioned the new Val IT Framework that ITGI has been working on to develop as a complementary framework to COBIT.  Tony happens to live in Brisbane where he is currently Executive Director of the Performance and Service Delivery Commission for the Queensland Government, after a long (long) stint with Queensland Health. 

The Val IT Framework is designed to provide a frameweork for realising value from the investment in information technology.  Currently, the framework has three components to it, all recently released:  Val IT Framework, Val IT Business Case, and Val IT ING Case Study. 

Quoting from the opening chapter, COBIT is considered to be the means by which the value from IT is delivered, whilst Val IT is considered the end product in measuring and optimising business value from information technology:

“Val IT now adds best practices for the end, providing the means to unambiguously measure, monitor and optimise the realisation of business value from investment in IT. Val IT complements COBIT from a business and financial perspective and will help all those with an interest in value delivery from IT.” (Val IT Framework p6)

I am not sufficiently versed in the Val IT Framework just yet, but if it is anything like previous ISACA publications it is a worthwhile exercise.  For any medium-sized organisation, you could do worse than investigate the framework in terms of your ICT Service Delivery.  There is an entire program of work in the field that the Val IT Framework is delivering upon, the initiative is built around Benchmarking and Empirical Analysis, Technique Guides and Cases, and Enterprise Exchange and Community Influence.

If you are in business, spend a significant amount on information technology (and sometimes wonder where it all went), this is a must-read for either yourself or someone in your organisation.

Budgets in Australia, IT, and You

by

The new Smartcard seems to have given the government’s budget expenditure on information technology a bit of a boost.  Hopefully they realise that replacing 17 cards with 1 is a whole lot more difficult than it sounds when you say it really fast. 

ZDNet has an overview on the implications of 2006’s budget on the technology industry, as does Australian IT.  Department of Communication, Information Technology, and the Arts has its wrap-up here (predictably positive):  Budget at a Glance.  A quick glance at party-politic websites finds no specific responses to issues around technology, as yet, as contained in the budget. 

The big deal seems very much to be on the adjusted depreciation schedules on business – the diminishing value for assets including computers has gone from 150 percent to 200 percent.  This ‘merely’ reflects the real decline in asset value, particularly for technology – which alone should be pretty good for business.

Governing the IT Beast

by

I note the chaser’s take on blogs and how they can peter out (warning: some strong language in the Chaser Comments and some articles – non-FYOSS): “Blog Abandoned After Five Entries”.

At any rate, tonight I am to present at the CPA Australia IT Discussion Group, so you can as usual expect to see the growth in thinking that has occurred on IT Governance since the last time a presentations similar to this one was done. We had to close the books on this one at 50, so it is being re-run in May as I understand it from John Halliday.

Presentation for CPA Australia IT Discussion Group

Micheal is presenting to the CPA Australia IT Discussion Group on 29th March 2006 on the topic “Governing the Information Technology Beast”.

John Halliday is the convenor of this group – thanks John!!!

Topic: “Governing the Information Technology Beast”

Date: 29th March 2006 5:30pm for 6:00pm

About this Topic

This one hour presentation will introduce the topic of Information Technology Governance, and provide specific and practical tools to assist with taming the information technology ‘beast’ within your organisation.

Tools examined include:

  • Leading Approaches in Information Technology Management
  • The role of the Boardroom in Planning, Building, Managing, and Running the Information Technology business function
  • Business IT Planning Process
  • IT Governance Calendar
  • Project Governance Management Tools

The presentation is practical and is focussed on having an impact on the organisation, from an SME to a listed company. The material for this seminar will operate within the framework presented by CPA Australia’s recent ITM CoE publication, “IT Governance: a Practical Guide for Company Directors and Business Executives”.

About your Presenter:

Micheal is the Director of Information Systems Consulting within BDO Kendalls’ Consulting Division. Micheal has extensive expertise in the evaluation and assessment of information system projects and information technology services for large businesses and government agencies in line with business strategies, goals, and objectives.

Micheal has had several articles published on information systems and business in his role as Chairman for the CPA Australia Information Technology & Management Centre of Excellence. Micheal is also co-author of research papers on information systems in association with the University of Queensland and Georgia State University.

Data Quality Metrics and IT Governance

by

Micheal is presenting a workshop on Data Quality Metrics and IT Governance in Sydney on 13th April 2006 for Ark Group:

Data Quality Metrics and IT Governance

Registration: 9.00am
Workshop starts: 9.30am
Workshop ends: 12.30pm

About the workshop:

This workshop will examine the link between data quality metrics, and the delivery and monitoring of this information to the operational, executive, and board management levels of your firm. These tools and approaches will ensure measurable impact on data quality and improved corporate governance over the information under management by the organisation.

In this workshop, the relationship between the frameworks available for implementing data quality and the metrics for assessing levels of data quality will be explored, together with their application to your industry. Practical tools to report on data quality at various management levels will be examined and their strengths and weaknesses will be tested. The issues to consider in the design of the reporting process necessary to address the corporate governance requirements of the information management function will also be addressed, together with templates and tools for addressing these requirements.

About your workshop leader: Micheal Axelsen

Micheal is the Director of Information Systems Consulting within BDO Kendalls? Consulting Division. Micheal has extensive expertise in the evaluation and assessment of information system projects and information technology services for large businesses and government agencies in line with business strategies, goals, and objectives.

Micheal has had several articles published on information systems and business in his role as Chairman for the CPA Australia Information Technology & Management Centre of Excellence. Micheal is also co-author of research papers on information systems in association with the University of Queensland and Georgia State University.

Phishing Expeditions

by

After receiving a spate of National Australia Bank phishing attempts, and then Westpac bank phishing attempts, over Christmas I couldn’t let this one pass without recording it for posterity.

“Verification Required

Attention Banking Customer,

Criminal and terrorist elements have recently increased efforts to launder
money through dormant debit-oriented accounts under the identities of deceased
citizens and residents. Dormant accounts with linked Debit Cards are
specifically targeted due to the increased ease of stealing the true identity
associated with the account. In accordance with new anti-terrorism legislation
aimed at preventing money laundering and financing of terrorist operations the
Reserve Bank of Australia is working on behalf of Australia’s financial
institutions to verify customer debit cards. This enables us to ensure the
activity and validity of your debit cards.

Note that no verification is necessary for credit-oriented cards as they are
based on a different system.

You may do so by clicking Here and verifying your information.

Failure to do so may result in a temporary cessation of your banking services
pending verification.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and your co-operation in
helping the government maintain the integrity of the Australian financial system.

– Fraud Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Col Dyson

© Reserve Bank of Australia, 2001-2006. All rights reserved.”

No typos that I saw, and Col Dyson is a real person. And nobody’s tried the RBA before.Spam, Scam, Phishing Expedition, Confidence Trick, call it what you will, we would like to think that only those who are truly at risk in modern society would usually fall for this trick, but if I came into work one morning bleary-eyed and under pressure there’s probably a 1% chance I might fall for it too. And that’s all they need – if your spider-sense for evil-doing was off for just a minute or two, you’d be broke now.

 

Once more the internet proves that communication between peoples of all different creeds, backgrounds and moral standards quickly shows that you can’t like everyone.