IBM relies on social business software at Lotusphere conference

At the IBM's Lotusphere conference in Florida last month, Big Blue made several announcements on the future of its enterprise collaboration software.

The theme was social business, and it was evident from the number of sessions with the word "social" in the agenda, that IBM is banking on it to drive growth in businesses (including its own) in the future.

Ultimately, social business is a competitive differentiator," says Alistair Rennie, GM of collaboration solutions at IBM.

Speaking at the opening general session, Rennie says businesses can profit from harnessing the knowledge and skills of its employees by implementing social networking functions into their IT. He says current collaboration tools, like email, are being misused, and companies should focus on a unified and integrated communications platform.

"I would shut off my own email if it wasn't running on Lotus Notes," jokes Rennie.

IBM says it is ready to provide the social business platform of the future, and announced a host of collaboration-orientated changes to its Lotus software to meet that demand. Big Blue demonstrated its much anticipated cloud-based document collaboration tool, IBM Docs.

The software, formerly known as LotusLive Symphony, lets users edit and manage documents with real-time collaboration, and has many of the same features found in competing products such as Google Docs and Office 365. Docs is currently in closed beta, but IBM says it will be available later this year as a part of its new SmartCloud for Business product.

IBM's Sametime also received new features this year. The telephony and communications software will see deeper integration into different Lotus systems, including the ability to start video conferencing from within emails and instant messages, using Polycom's RealPresence technology.

Collaboration software

IBM's social business platform will be tied together with its Connections collaboration software, which IBM says also supports Notes and Domino, Exchange and Sharepoint software.

Children's Hospital Boston is currently using the Connections software to help staff collaborate on cases within the hospital, and also externally through what it calls 'telemedicine'.




NEWS BY:http://www.computerworlduk.com

Industrial-strength award for Massey mathematician

A Massey University professor who uses mathematics to model the drift of ash from volcanic eruptions as well as solving industrial problems has just been awarded the highest Australasian accolade for maths in industry.

Robert McKibbin, a Professor of Applied Mathematics based at the Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences at Albany, received the 2012 ANZIAM (Australian and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics group) Medal for his lifelong work in applied and industrial mathematics.

He is known as one of the pre-eminent applied mathematicians in New Zealand, with a particular focus on geophysical and industrial applications, from modelling hydrothermal eruptions in areas such as Rotorua and the distribution of volcanic dust from eruptions, to fluid motion and pollution transport in groundwater aquifers, ground subsidence and aluminium and iron smelting.

Professor McKibbin says he had always been good at maths at school, but never realised until he reached university how diverse its applications and uses could be in a wide range of industrial, agricultural and other scientific areas.

“In mathematical modelling, we take an interdisciplinary approach. You need to understand the physics, chemistry or biology of a phenomenon as well as having the mathematical tools to address whatever the problem is,” he says.

Creating conceptual models for invisible or unpredictable phenomena – like volcanic dust particles and underground hydrothermal activity – is both challenging and fascinating, he says. “You are dealing with ‘what if’ scenarios, like 'what if Mount Taranaki blew its top?' What might the impact be, and how would the surrounding population and landscape be affected?”

Professor McKibbin, who was recognised at the awards ceremony for his contribution to research and enhancing the profile of applied and industrial maths through teaching and mentoring, including supervising more than 20 PhD and masters students, says budding high school mathematicians need to be made aware of the exciting job prospects available. "Mathematicians are a fairly rare breed, and are highly sought-after by a range of industries for their logical thinking and conceptual skills that are needed in problem solving.”

Professor McKibbin received the medal on February 1 at a presentation at the group’s conference in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. It has been awarded biennially since 1995, making him the ninth person, and only the second New Zealand-based mathematician to receive it. The other was Professor Graeme Wake, also from the Albany-based institute, who received it in 2006.

NEWS BY:http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1202/S00027/industrial-strength-award-for-massey-mathematician.htm