January, 2011

I have already written a preview posting on the fourth ukgovcamp (un)conference that is being hosted by Microsoft on Saturday January 22nd.  Over 230 passionate and committed individuals from across the public sector have registered to take part and explore innovations in how ICT can achieve more effective open government and smarter use of open data.

You can follow ukgovcamp 2011 live and view sessions online or read Twitter commentary on Saturday January 22nd from 10:00AM:

 http://ukgovcamp.com

@ukgovcamp

#ukgc11

Posted by Ian

ICT is undergoing significant and rapid transformation. The advent of cloud computing, the boom in mobile devices, and monumental shifts in the desktop make these interesting times to be an ICT professional.

To keep you at the forefront of what’s new and what you need to know during these changes, Microsoft is running a series of Tech.Days Online – a series of real-time webinars hosted by Microsoft’s leading experts on the private cloud, public cloud and desktop.

Tech.Days Online will be bringing you IT insights and debate most Tuesdays from February to June, between 2 and 3pm. The links below will take you directly to the session descriptions and registration links.

Microsoft Tech.Days Online Schedule (February - June 2011)

Posted by Ian

Is cloud computing truly scalable and can a solution be rolled out quickly?  Microsoft’s current experience with the US Department of Agriculture strongly suggests that the answer to both parts of the question is yes.

The past few months have marked a transformative time in government IT in the USA , with the State of California, the State of Minnesota and New York City embracing cloud computing.  And now that momentum is carrying into the federal sector, as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) becomes the first cabinet-level agency to move its e-mail and productivity applications to the cloud.

USDA will transition 120,000 federal workers from on-premise messaging and collaboration to Microsoft’s cloud computing solution over four weeks.  The migration to the cloud is part of USDA CIO Chris Smith’s vision to consolidate disparate messaging environments onto a single, unified platform, which will reduce costs, boost workforce productivity and improve communications and collaboration across the agency.

USDA is an incredibly complex enterprise, with a distributed workforce, 27 sub agencies, and a broad mission that touches everything from homeland security to food safety.  Organisations like USDA require enterprise-grade collaborative capabilities like global address lists, full calendar synchronisation, presence and video conferencing.  Through the power of the cloud, USDA personnel will have better access to information and improved data sharing capabilities, all while reducing computing costs and building on existing investments.

These stories would indicate that, to use the Geoffrey Moore ‘Crossing the Chasm’ terminology, cloud computing is moving from a few early adopters to becoming an increasingly mainstream choice of ICT strategy for organisations in both the public and commercial sectors.

Posted by Ian

I am starting the New Year of Microsoft UK Government blog postings with a reminder that Microsoft is hosting the ukgovcamp 2011 conference on Saturday January 22nd at our customer centre in London. I posted an entry on this back in December and thought an early New Year reminder would be timely. Also, in addition to the ukgovcamp 2011 conference itself we are also in the process of arranging a ukgovcamp 2011 highlights briefing on the evening (17:00-20:00) of Friday February 17th, also in London.

Set up by volunteers, the first ukgovcamp took place in January 2008.  The 2011 conference will be the fourth year in succession for an event which gets bigger and better every year. In a nutshell, ukgovcamp is an unconference, or a conference without a predefined agenda, where the sessions are proposed and agreed at the start of the day. They’re posted as a big grid on the wall for the participants to choose from, and there’s plenty of time for the informal hallway chats which, let’s face it, are the best bit of any conference.

It’s run to the rules of open space events, where the Law of Two Feet applies: people move freely between sessions which interest them, tweeting, blogging, snapping and filming as they go. What emerges is always a high-energy, dynamic event which leaves people buzzing with new ideas and connections.

The 2011 event will be massive: almost twice as big as 2010.  The first allocation of tickets was issued in December and were snapped up in a few hours. The second allocation of tickets is available now and if you would like to attend please email ukps@microsoft.com and we shall arrange for you to receive a personal invitation (subject to places still being available). Please use the same email address to request a place at the ukgovcamp 2011 highlights event on Thursday February 17th if you are unable to attend on the conference day itself.

What you will get out of attending GovCamp 2011:

• 250 of the most motivated and dynamic people in the government 2.0 space in the UK. In one place, both at an event and online
• An informal, friendly culture. Not a big conference run as a commercial enterprise, or a members-only club. UKgovcampers are open-minded and there because they want to be, in their own time
• A fantastic venue in central London (5 minutes from Victoria station) provided by Microsoft, with up to ten simultaneous event strands throughout the day, including a ‘cool tools’ room for app and service demos and Q&A
• A super-networked community, via ukgovcamp.com, @ukgovcamp and #ukgc11 across social media. Govcampers will be blogging, tweeting and uploading their way through the day, talking about the ideas and services they’re hearing about to friends and colleagues outside, including via our professional-quality video livestream
• A conference that never really ends. We’ll be sending the govcampers email updates before and after the event, and keeping up the networking through 2011 via established monthly TeaCamp events, the ukgovcamp.com online community and spinoff govcamps
• The right time for this stuff. As the shock of public spending cuts fades and the reality bites, there’s never been a greater need for fresh ideas and smart use of technology in the public sector. Come and inspire, and be inspired.

UKgovcamp is free to attend, and open to anyone with an interest in this field, making it the only large-scale event of its kind.  Tickets are being snapped up quickly so if you want to reserve one to attend this unique (un)conference on Saturday January 22nd or the follow-on ukgovcamp 2011 highlights briefing on Thursday February 17th please email ukps@microsoft.com

  Posted by Ian