David Tebbutt on IT-Director.com

What if the lights go out?

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:01:55 +0100

We humans have a talent for getting other people and other things to do stuff for us. If we didn't, we'd all be out there scratching a living from the forests and fields and we'd have a pretty... [Read More...]

Sidestep formal structures for effective change

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:24:00 +0100

Many companies like to think they understand all about business processes and change management. They spend fortunes on consultancy, design, structures, processes, training, roll out and management,... [Read More...]

Collaboration: the old way. Why not?

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:05:19 +0100

Just lately I've been wondering a lot about stimulating innovation inside companies. It was sparked off by a visit to the Imaginatik user conference in London. I was treated to a number of case... [Read More...]

Green Grading

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:53:26 +0100

Getting people interested in environmental issues is tough enough but, once interested, they are faced with a blizzard of conflicting advice. Part of the problem has been that no single organisation... [Read More...]

Piggy-backing on social software

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:02:56 +0100

While our attention has been diverted by the razzle dazzle of the social software startups, traditional software companies have been quietly getting on with updating their own products. In the past... [Read More...]

Just semantics? Or is it here?

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:49:55 +0100

The semantic web is one of those things that has been much talked about, especially in propellor-head circles for several years. It leaves most outsiders a bit cold. They actually don't care about... [Read More...]

How to tackle green apathy

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:16:32 +0100

Coming back from a holiday, loaded with the usual environmental guilt, I found a 14-page (free) report on my digital door mat from EcoAlign. Called Visibility, Ambivalence and Trust: Cultural... [Read More...]

Data Centres, Carbon and Clouds - Balancing in-house with cloud services

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Commercial and environmental pressures on businesses and IT are leading to profound change. [Read More...]

Social software and a troubled bank

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:16:48 +0100

Wachovia Bank is in the process of being largely gobbled up by Citigroup. It was losing money hand over fist already this year and the more recent firestorm in the financial world brought it to its... [Read More...]

HP raises the green bar

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:16:35 +0100

Most vendors are very uneasy about discussing the accumulated environmental harm in their backward supply chain (materials, manufacturing and assembly world-wide). The usual excuse is that it's too... [Read More...]

Home-grown Enterprise 2.0 at GE

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:38:08 +0100

The recent Office 2.0 conference appeared a well-organised and serene affair, totally hiding the furious hidden paddlings of organiser Ismael Chang Ghalimi and his team. He put the event together in... [Read More...]

Adobe Genesis addresses real needs

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:29:59 +0100

Breaking ranks with the 'browser-only' brigade, Adobe is planning to introduces a desktop client to integrate the worlds of web and enterprise applications. Code-named Genesis, it was given its first... [Read More...]

Office 2.0 unconference

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:15:25 +0100

Went to an unconference today. For those unfamiliar with the term, it's based on the assumption that the folks in the audience often know more than those on the platform. So why not invert the normal... [Read More...]

BCS to help data centre decision making

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:42:18 +0100

People around the world are tearing their hair out trying to get to grips with environmental issues. well, some of them are, anyway. Should they replace their car or run it into the ground? Should... [Read More...]

Putting email in its place

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:23:23 +0100

A very brave chap I know, called Luis Suarez, has dared to challenge his company's predilection for email. Email was used for everything. File sharing and editing, appointment bookings,... [Read More...]

National EPEATs needed now

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:37:36 +0100

It doesn't matter who you ask in the 'environmental IT' world, no-one can point to a single authoritative source of hard UK or EU information on IT purchases. I've rummaged all the reports about how... [Read More...]

Hacking through the green jungle

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:11:56 +0100

If you want to lead a guilt-laden and depressing life, get yourself a machete and try hacking your way through the environmental jungle. No sooner do you read a news report or a piece of research... [Read More...]

A desirable and practical digital book?

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:26:51 +0100

Nothing is more satisfying, nor more wasteful of resources, than printing out some of the pdfs that land on my digital mat. Yet, if I'm to work on a train, I'll quite often set the printer going... [Read More...]

A breath of fresh air. Eventually.

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:06:47 +0100

Many companies have spoken to me of their ambitions to become carbon neutral by some date - usually long into the future. Others talk of cutting or offsetting their C02 emissions in a shorter... [Read More...]

Todd Stephens on Enterprise 2.0

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:43:43 +0100

Sometimes it's easy to be overwhelmed by new ways of working. Enterprise 2.0, for example, has crept up on us over the past few years. Those who've tracked it from the start have something of an... [Read More...]

Sustainability winner: SOAK

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:24:59 +0100

I'm not totally sold on the Microsoft environmental story (hint: lifecycle costs of replacing kit) but you have to take your hat off to the company for selecting the theme 'a world where technology... [Read More...]

How ICT can help broad environmental initiatives

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:02:22 +0100

For some time, I've been banging on about the opportunities for ICT to improve the environmental performance of organisations, even if it results in more energy use by the data centre. The whole... [Read More...]

Who controls your personal information?

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:31:35 +0100

Doc Searls is a long time blogger, a deep thinker, a co-author of the seminal Cluetrain Manifesto, an open source wizard, and too many other things to mention. He is held in massively high regard by... [Read More...]

Will software gallop to our rescue?

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:10:19 +0100

My first love, apart from my family and close friends, has always been software. I say 'always' but, in truth, it's only been since November 1965, when I got 100 percent in a programming aptitude... [Read More...]

FrEDI: Freeform's Environmental Discussion Image

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:38:55 +0100

We've just released a research report called Green Computing: The role of IT in the push towards environmental sustainability. While doing the research and validating the findings it rapidly... [Read More...]

HP green lab gets green light

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 07:47:27 +0100

Sometime today, as a consequence of its labs shake-up, HP will announce that its new Sustainability Lab has had its projects and staffing approved. But our tip-off goes on to say, As befitting a Lab,... [Read More...]

Decarb the supply chain

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:31:49 +0100

Seeing the pictures of lorries blocking a main route into London as their drivers get themselves bussed in to protest against fuel prices made me realise that these poor people are a link in an... [Read More...]

Microsoft and EEA's environmental early warning system

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:04:21 +0100

Confession time: I get a horrible sinking feeling when I hear terms like 'EU', 'human rights' or 'observatory'. When they come at me all at once, my usual temptation is to run away. But, this time I... [Read More...]

Be heard. Be seen. Be green.

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:48:00 +0100

The push for environmental sustainability must have been music to the ears of those involved in videoconferencing and its many derivatives. It provides another strong weapon in the vendors' sales... [Read More...]

Some reflections on Green IT 08 day 1

David Tebbutt, Freeform Dynamics — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:11:21 +0100

Today saw the start of Green IT 08 at the Design Centre, Islington. It's a combination mini-exhibition and conference. It was interesting to see a mix of customers, vendors and analysts sharing their... [Read More...]