Peruvian Government Agency Improves Employee Collaboration with Open Source Solutions from Red Hat, Alfresco and Zimbra

The Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation of Peru Implemented Zimbra Collaboration Suite on Red Hat Enterprise Linux to Achieve Greater Scalability, Security and Productivity

FAST FACTS

Company: Ministerio de Vivienda: Peru’s Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation

Industry: Government

Partner: Software Libre Andino

Geography: Peru

Business Challenge: Needed to replace the existing client/server e-mail and collaboration platform to achieve improved scalability, security, productivity, and to reduce costs

Software: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Zimbra Collaboration Suite, Alfresco Zimlet, Red Hat Consulting

Hardware: Dell Quad Core Server, 3.0 Ghz, 8GB ram, 1.5 Tb. Fully redundant

Migration Path: From a client/server system running on Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise to Zimbra Collaboration Suite, a Web-based email technology, running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and utilizing Alfresco Zimlet

Benefits: Improved communication and collaboration among users and provided a single integrated calendar and email solution; increased access to e-mail, agendas, and documents independently from physical equipment; reduced IT administration and support costs by standardizing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux

“The high level of know-how and expertise of Red Hat’s consultants, coupled with Red Hat’s local presence, were decisive in making the decision to secure consulting rather than performing these tasks internally.”
– Jaime Honores Coronado, managing director of the General Department of Statistics and Information Systems, Ministerio de Vivienda.

Download the case study PDF

BACKGROUND
Ministerio de Vivienda, Peru’s Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation, is a government agency whose goal is to promote and improve the development of housing, water, and sanitation services throughout Peru by facilitating access to adequate housing and basic services, facilitating the management, growth, preservation, maintenance, and protection of population centers.

BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Building community in Peru is a key objective for the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation. And technology—in the form of email, calendaring, messaging, and collaboration solutions—has become an essential tool in achieving that objective. The Ministry realized it was outgrowing its communications infrastructure, and the IT team began planning for the task of replacing its aging client/server email and calendar systems.

The Ministry’s aging and limited email communications platform was based on SUSE Enterprise Linux with Postfix and Horde for Web customers. Users relied on different versions of Microsoft Outlook to check their email, resulting in challenges due to the platform age and configuration. The platform also caused the need to add an exclusive server allocated to this service. The Ministry’s main problem consisted of the lack of scalability and security, and limited flexibility in management and constrained the user interface.

SOLUTION
In early 2009, the Ministry made the decision to evaluate solutions to replace its expensive proprietary software with lower cost, open source alternatives for a Web-based email solution with integrated email, calendar, and messaging.

The Ministry worked with Software Libre Andino, a Red Hat and Zimbra partner in Peru, in the evaluation process to replace its outdated systems.

“We needed a quick-to-deploy and easy-to-manage solution. We assessed several proposals from various vendors, among them, SUSE Linux and Microsoft Windows-based solutions, but we chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Zimbra Collaboration Suite, and Alfresco, for the cost savings, simplified administration, reliability, and quick implementation,” said Jaime Honores Coronado, managing director of the General Department of Statistics and Information Systems, Ministerio de Vivienda.

The entire project consisted of Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Zimbra Collaboration Suite, including the migration of each account, installation, configuration, start-up, technical, and end-user training. Email accounts were configured with a 900 MB per user quota.

With Zimbra Collaboration Suite, Red Hat Enterprise Linux serves as the primary development and deployment platform for the open source email platform. Zimbra Collaboration Suite integrates email, contacts, shared calendar, voice over IP (VoIP), and online document authoring into a single application with a rich browser-based interface, and is compatible with all standard email clients, and integrates easily with third-party applications.

The Ministry was able to deploy the Alfresco Zimlet, a tool created by Zimbra community members to allow a simple way for employees to store email attachments on the Alfresco server, and in turn select documents from the Alfresco server and attach them to a Zimbra email. This tool created by the open source community makes it easy for government agencies or companies to invest in multiple open source products to meet their needs.

Although the Ministry’s technical staff had minimal experience with a web-based email technology, Red Hat Consulting facilitated a faster implementation and provided the technical staff with the knowledge and tools to effectively manage the new platform.

“The high level of know-how and expertise of Red Hat’s consultants, coupled with Red Hat’s local presence, were decisive in making the decision to secure consulting rather than performing these tasks internally. Red Hat, through partner Software Libre Andino, contributed to service deployment, technical, and end-user training, and the migration of old e-mail accounts, allowing our team to quickly become experts,” said Coronado.

BENEFITS
The Zimbra Collaboration Suite e-mail platform based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux immediately improved the productivity and coordination of the Ministry’s employees by enhancing collaboration and sharing of work agendas.

“We have achieved a larger physical distribution of our users who are now capable of accessing their e-mail accounts wherever they are. Our investment project coordinators can perform Web queries of their local e-mail, manage their work agendas, and refer to the document management system, all in one single platform,” said Coronado.

During the evaluation, the Ministry weighed Microsoft Exchange against Zimbra Collaboration Suite, and determined that the latter would account for 30 percent savings compared with the former. Zimbra’s own studies show similar TCO savings.

Saving the government money is definitely one reason for the switch to Zimbra, but another important factor in its decision to deploy open source solutions is that open source platforms allow users to easily integrate and build new solutions.

The Ministry’s future plans contemplate expanding the use of the solution by integrating it with other applications and platforms. Engineer Honores Coronado said, “We hope to continue our commitment to open source solutions and trust in Red Hat as the ideal partner for our projects.”

“The Zimbra and Red Hat solution provides a cost-effective platform that allows for greater efficiency and a unified email and collaboration platform,” said Coronado. “And we also benefited from significant cost savings with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.”

Businesses to Reach For the Skies With Cloud Computing

While we still have a ways to go when it comes to cloud computing, there are a lot of potentially, Computer, Hardware, massive benefits that it can afford businesses today. Its implications in company productivity and possibly, longevity, simply cannot be, Computer, Hardware, overlooked.Cloud Computing BasicsCloud computing operates on the premise that if there are computers switched on but being unused for the majority of the time, all this underutilized power can be accessed so that people can distribute computing jobs across users to get more things done.Today, cloud computing enables users to access computers and servers through the Internet to assist you with tasks that might otherwise be too huge for a single desktop to accomplish. This means that you no longer have to worry about the capacity of your computer hardware to handle data as these can be shared. You now have some sort of virtual workspace and virtual resources that you can take advantage of.AdvantagesOne of the components of cloud computing is software as a service or SaaS. SaaS allows you to pay for a service that gives you access to applications that you can operate through your browser, as opposed to paying one time for each software that you will be needing, Computer, Hardware, .There are a number of advantages to SaaS, foremost of which is that, Computer, Hardware, since it is available through the Internet, your data is also accessible from any location that has Internet access. And since the application isn’t restricted to a single desktop, any staff member can also access the software. Not only does this increase productivity,,, Computer, Hardware, Computer, Hardware, it also has savings implications and diminishes the hazards associated with storing applications in a physical hardware. Should there be problems with your equipment, your information, Computer, Hardware, isn’t compromised as it doesn’t physically exist within that equipment.This lessens the need for a dedicated IT team as the SaaS provider will be doing all the management, troubleshooting and maintenance for your organization. There is no need to worry about backing up your files, installing or re-installing software and so on.The implications on software developers and service providers are also significant. Cloud computing could pave the way for cutting edge innovations that were previously not possible or extremely difficult to execute because of hardware inadequacies. Because of these possibilities also, more new players can start providing cloud computing services.Adopting cloud computing in business will certainly expose employees to different types of technology and this can contribute significantly to the improvement of skill sets – something that will be of great import if you are to effectively compete with your rivals.ChallengesNaturally, there still some challenges that need to be addressed, Computer, Hardware, with cloud computing which is why many companies are not so keen on adopting it for their operations. Security is a major issue and justifiably so. All your business information will essentially be housed in the cloud and the potential of unauthorized access poses huge risks, Computer, Hardware, . There are also management issues associated with the cloud. Since it will be managed, Computer, Hardware, by third party vendors, companies, Computer, Hardware, fear they may not be able to exercise control over valuable resources. GP

Dell versus My Local Computer Store

The Computer Café: My Local Computer Store

My computer died last week and luckily because I use Carbonite my data was safe and secure. 

When I told one of my clients that I needed to replace my computer he asked me if I was going to get the latest and greatest and I responded with a resounding no.  My approach has always been to have an average computer because that’s what most of my clients have, and I’ve always felt it allows me to relate to their software predicaments better.

The first thing I did was to call and get a quote from Craig Rabe and Justin at the Computer Café in Arlington, Massachusetts.  I’ve known Craig for years and I wanted to give him the business.  I also called Dell and got a quote and was surprised that the price difference was almost $250.00.  I emailed Craig and told him of my moral and business dilemma; I wanted to give him the business but the difference was substantial.

Sometimes you have to look at the cost and not just the price when you make a purchase.

Because I’ve known Craig for years he gave me a $100 discount right away (I’ve also referred business to him over the years and vice versa).  In addition, he offered to transfer all my old data from my two old hard drives to the new computer.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much time that saved me.

Dell told me the delivery time would be 5 to 10 business days; the Computer Café had my computer in three business days.  Dell had a $35.00 delivery charge; all I had to do was drive about two miles from home to pickup my computer from Craig and Justin.

Craig was still about $115 more expensive, but I knew he was local and just a phone call away and he was providing me a service (transferring my data) that would save me a great deal of time.  After I got my computer, I called Ted at the store and he spent about 15 minutes advising me on some things that I had questions about with the new system.

When you purchase your next computer, consider the local guy or gal down the street, because the price difference isn’t always what it seems.   And you have the opportunity to support your local economy.  Sorry Dell.

Moblin v2.0 en su version final

Intel ha anunciado la esperada versión final de su novedoso y optimizado sistema operativo para netbooks con plataforma Atom. Sin duda alguna, es una grata noticia para los poseedores de uno, y es que con dicho sistema operativo se consigue mayor velocidad de arranque, mayor autonomía y un sinfín de ventajas gracias a estar basado en Linux.

Lo más interesante es que estamos ante un sistema operativo abierto, que cualquier ensamblador podría instalar de manera gratuita y ofrece una gran funcionalidad en estos pequeños dispositivos. El primer fabricante en anunciar un netbook con Moblin ha sido Dell con una versión del Dell Mini 10v, 299$ aunque también ha ofrecido una imagen del sisitema para que cualqueir usuario de Dell Mini 10v pueda disfrutar de Moblin v2.0.

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Una de las mejoras frente a la versión beta ya existente es que se ha integrado un nuevo y sencillo sisitema de control e instalación de software a modo de tienda de aplicaciones, gratuitas y de código abierto.

vINQulos
Moblin.org
Descarga Moblin v2.0 final

Fuente: theinquirer

Hey Dude, Got a Dell?

So… I got my Dell Mini-12 a week ago. It is kind of sad that your own netbook is better than desktop. I suppose it just show what my value actually is. I means I lost interest in PC gaming after Call of Duty came out, and back then my computer could handle that.

Anyway, I am quite satisfied with the Mini-12. I was able to bring it wherever i want it. It has a reasonable battery life as well. The webcam is not bad, but I will stick with my Canon for video-blogging, once I get around to doing that kind of thing.

I know I am behind since now it is all about the Dell Mini-10 and everything, however I just wanted something ultralight and just to do work processing and watch a few digital movies; nothing more than that. If I really wanted to watch a DVD or play a video game, that is why I have my Xbox 360, Nintendo 64 and a SNES.

So I loaded up all of my documents from my old computer to the netbook. I haven’t really been this happy since maybe– two years ago? I means that when I hauled my laptops everywhere with me before they started breaking down due to their inability to withstand the impact.

Have fun,

Dave

Tech Titans Holding $260 Billion In Cash

As the economic slump is fading off, tech titans have amassed cash for possible takeovers. Here is an opionion further explaining this from 24/7 Wall Street Blog.

“The economy is obviously getting better, so long as you are not one of the unemployed or about to lose your job.  Now with more than a 50% rally from the March lows and a Dow Jones Industrial Average challenging the 10,000 level, suddenly everyone wants to put on their investment banker hats again and look for buyers and buyout candidates after deals are announced.  This week’s Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) deal for Perot Systems Corp. (NASDAQ: PER) was a $3.9 billion acquisition versus $12.7 billion in cash and equivalents held at the end of the quarter.  The Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) deal for Sun Microsystems Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) is valued at $7.4 billion, or $5.6 billion net of Sun’s cash and debt.  We went back through our list from September 2, 2009 where we noted that outside of the financials  in the 20 largest US companies had a cash hoard of $335 billion that could be used for mergers and acquisitions, and that is not accounting for lines of credit, stock or debt that could be sold, and other means of financing a deal.  While nowhere near all of the cash will ever be used, many companies could pay big dividends before any tax changes.

So we wanted to look through the technology sector and after we looked through the top 100 markets caps in our 24/7 Wall St. Real-Time 500 we added a few new additions in the tech sector that still had over $5 billion in cash.  Out if the $335 billion from those in the top twenty, we broke out Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL).  Even after a huge rally, $335 billion and then some could go a very long way for strategic and bolt-on acquisitions as a positioning strategy for the next decade.  Now, going further down the list of the top 100 companies with $5 billion or more in cash from tech companies alone adds in Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ), QUALCOMM Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM), EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC), and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO). When we tally up all the cash, there is over $260 billion available from these few tech companies that could be deployed for mergers, acquisitions, or the good old dividends.  Again, that is before tallying up credit lines, factoring, debt sales, and other financing methods.

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ) had almost $25 billion in cash and long-term investments.  Now that it has migrated away from just selling PCs and printers, we think that there will be a rather long lull before H-P tries to match its big buyout of EDS even if Dell is tip-toeing into IT-services and consulting with Perot.  But in the end, what we think may not matter.  Nearly $25 billion in cash when you know you will be profitable ahead leaves a lot of room to go out make purchases.

QUALCOMM Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) was the 29th largest company as of Wednesday with a $74.12 billion market cap. If you tally up its cash, short-term and long-term investments, it is sitting on almost $15 billion in cash and equivalents as of last quarter.  After all the lawsuits that the Jacobs team are settled, it might consider a way to deploy capital to get around future patent cases.  If only it was possible, although anything is possible.”

Read the full article here.

Insider Trading Lesson 1: No Call Options

You guys are so stupid.  The first place the SEC looks is at the call option activity whenever there’s a high profile merger or takeover.  Anything unusual is gonna be flagged.

From DealBook:

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday charged two men with running an $8.6 million insider-trading scheme connected to Dell’s $3.9 billion agreement to buy Perot Systems.

One of the individuals charged, Reza Saleh, 53, is an employee of a firm affiliated with Perot Systems and is the one accused of masterminding the scheme. Unsurprisingly, it revolved around the purchase of call options.

Almost every insider trading perp I’ve read about over the last few years has been busted because they bought the calls.  Once an investigator determines that options trading is outside of your normal scope of activity, you’re toast.  Especially if you’re trading in a size that’s completely disproportionate compared to what you usually do.  All of these records are out there, they will get them, and then they’ve got you, they just need to connect the dots and figure out how you could’ve been informed of the deal.

That’s a piece of cake.

But the trail of crumbs that leads to the cake is in the options market, plain and simple.

Oh yeah, I thought this was pretty cool…Zero Hedge picked up on the unusual activity last week:

The lawsuit by the S.E.C. follows reports of a spike in options trading volumes following the companies’ deal announcement on Monday. Zero Hedge, in particular, highlighted a big spike in purchases of Perot Systems call options last week.

Who says bloggers, even anonymous ones, are no good?

Nice pick up for both Zero Hedge and the SEC.  Cart these little dirtbags away.

Sources:

Perot Systems Employee Charged With Insider Trading (DealBook)

Dear SEC – Obvious Perot Frontrunning (ZeroHedge)