[kictanet] IT posts for full circle

Tue Aug 9 17:33:52 EAT 2011

I think all the arguments are essentially saying the same things from
different perspectives...
--
Josiah Mugambi

On Tue, Aug 9, 2011 at 12:55 PM, S.Murigi Muraya <murigi.muraya at gmail.com>wrote:

> Excellent notes.. by Phares
>
> It is not that ICT does not have money, it is that we do not implement /
> support Information Systems as much as we should to increase transparency /
> accountability / good (profitable) behavior in our organizations / societies
> / governments.
>
> Beware: When an IT Pro becomes an Enemy of Fraud.. He becomes an enemy of
> the Corrupt State..
>
> CEO's and CFO's who keep CIO's from doing their work -- that is to increase
> efficiency (reduce wastage and grow profits), business intelligence and
> transparency within organizations -- should be penalized / punished by their
> employers / shareholders.
>
> After financial scandals in the USA, messaging (not just accounting)
> systems in Corporate firms, are being developed to help compliance with
> their Sarnabanes Oxley (SOX) and other Acts..
>
> http://www.cbe.wwu.edu/dunn/rprnts.SOXGoals.pdf
>
>
> http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/exchange2010/thread/d2398d2a-03bf-446b-877c-7d9a58040b89/
>
> Three or so years ago, a technical associate (MS Exchange Technology
> Specialist) was available for consulting and could not find / get good
> consulting work. This with all the cooperative societies / government
> parastatals that could have benefitted from his expertise in setting up and
> managing Corporate messaging systems. He got hired by an American
> organization that set up their regional HQ in Nairobi and is managing their
> IT (including Google Apps) in a number of African countries..
>
> Colleges / Universities should not mislead their students into believing
> FOSS will help corporate career development as much as major IT brands do.
>
> :)
>
>
>
> On Tue, Aug 9, 2011 at 10:23 AM, Phares Kariuki <pkariuki at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 8, 2011 at 2:17 PM, Charles Maye <cmaye at ke.nationmedia.com>wrote:
>>
>>> Actually, IT on its own cannot create profits.
>>>
>>
>> I choose to strongly disagree. Equity Bank credit's a large chunk of
>> it's profitability to good use of IT. Will give a basic example, Business
>> Intelligence. A forte of IT which enables a business to make informed
>> decisions e.g. Starbucks previously had an issue with declining coffee
>> sales. BI enabled them to figure out *which* demographic was not buying
>> coffee and they started positioning the lot for coffee consumption (move
>> them from the regular milkshake to frappuccino to cappuccino to latte and
>> hopefully espresso enthusiasts). IT can lead to new services that can create
>> profits, the CIO's job is to create these...
>>
>>
>>> ****
>>>
>>> Airtel Kenya has a network that is as good as any. But they are losing
>>> cash. Same goes for Telkom Kenya. Africa Online was a great idea born by IT
>>> experts. It was ahead of its time and never made money. When a technology is
>>> new to the world, it can generate profits. The moment it is duplicated and
>>> commoditized and for the rest of its life, it needs another set of skills.
>>> That set of skills is what makes organizations select people other than IT
>>> experts as CIO’s.
>>>
>>
>> This is actually a failing of business, not technology. Correct me if I'm
>> wrong but Airtel had the best *technology* circa 2001, but the problem was
>> that they chose to go for per-minute not per-second billing, the CEO, not
>> the CIO was at fault in this case....
>>
>> We have some brilliant CIO's in Kenya and beyond, the issue, in my opinion
>> is a HR issue (i.e. getting the right CIO for your organization with the
>> right blend of technical and commercial skills).
>>
>> I find it ironical that we claim to be a country that is aiming to be at
>> the bleeding edge of technology that has no hope for the role of CIO or jobs
>> in the IT sector in general....
>>
>>
>> --
>> With Regards,
>>
>> Phares Kariuki
>>
>> | T: +254 720 406 093 | E: pkariuki at gmail.com | Twitter: kaboro | Skype:
>> kariukiphares | B: http://www.kaboro.com/ |
>>
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>
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for
> people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>
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