Hill Associates

The 2012 April Fool's Day Pranks from Google

April Fool's Day is always such an interesting time of year.  One never knows what to expect.  Especially if one looks to the Internet for inspiration.  And one of the best places to look is to an inspirational group of creative pranksters... the folks at Google. 

Go ahead.  Check it out.  We know you want to.

What Bugs me - Advertising in the Air

Being a frequent traveler, I am constantly bombarded with advertizing while traveling. From the bilboards on the freeways to the napkins in on the planes. Even the tray tables and escalator handrails have advertizing these days. Like most of us I have become acustome and now immune to most of it so here is something that really bugged me. When the pilot/percer of a plane gets on the overhead announcement and prattles on for ages about some purchase you can make or some rewards program you can sign up for. Isn't that announcement service meant for important things we should be paying attention to, for safety, or to alert us of change of conditions to keep us informed? If the practice continues I will undoubtably be tuning out to announcements which I do not think is a good thing. We constantly hear about FAA regulations that limit what an airline passenger is supposed to do, like using the first class toilets when not in that ticketed cabin (really? that is an FAA regualtion) but what about some regulations about what we are subjected to over the airline loudspeaker? 

The Mother of Invention

We're talking about Ma Bell, and specifically Bell Labs. Back before we broke up the phone company, the monopology's research arm was Bell Labs.

There are two points of reference to mention with regard to this story.  The first has to do with how, after 85 years, the research laboratory founded by AT&T in 1925 and responsible for an amazing array of inventions - from the transistor to the cell phone and the first laser - continues to innovate. I personally remembering going to the 1964 New York Worlds Fair and being captivated by the AT&T exhibition, especially with denonstrations of things like video phones.  How futuristic and Jetson-like.  Now we have telepresence technology we so often take for granted.

And in the same vein, we offer up "The Idea Factory," a new book out by author Jon Gertner, that chronicles the history of the labs as that incubator of invention and the birthplace of so many influential technologies.

Enjoy!

A Significant Date in History

Telecommunications, as we note in our wiki, is about communication at a distance. 

And so it is important to make mention of two things that happened on this date in history.  This first, in 1876, of Alexander Graham Bell receiving his patent for his new invention, the telephone, closing the communication gap and making it easy to reach out to talk with someone else.  In two subsequent forms - the rotary phone and the smartphone - the telephone also made the top 10 gadgets of all time that changed the world. Pretty amazing!

The second event happened on this date in 1926. Even though engineers from the Bell System were able to send the first voice transmission across the Atlantic, connecting Virginia and Paris briefly in 1915, and then a year later, the first two-way conversation with a ship at sea, it was not until 1926 that the first two-way conversation was made across the Atlantic on March 7th 1926. Then on January 7, 1927, commercial telephone service (using radio) began between New York and London.  Finally, on September 25, 1956, the first submarine Transatlantic Telephone Cable system (TAT-1) went in to service and forever changing our ability to communicate around the world in an instant.

Does the Tablet's Success Demand New IT Thinking?

I'll admit it.  I do not own a tablet.  Nor do I see myself purchasing one anytime soon. I also don't own an e-reader.  Perhaps for the same reason.  I just don't see the need.  Sure, they are cool, interesting devices.  But, for me, why would I want to lug around yet another device that does some (most?) of the same things I can do on my laptop?  And I actually still like to read books and magazines.  Sad, but true I suppose. 

If I need to it to be more mobile - read 'not have to boot up the laptop' to check email - then I use my smartphone to do that.  Right?  Kind of like not carrying around a GPS when I have that capability in my smartphone too?

So, it was with interest that I read this article on whether the success of the iPad (or actually tablets in general) will demand a change to an IT organization's thinking.  I see the point here.  With the advent of Cloud Computing and the proliferation of high speed access to the cloud, why not just carry around a tablet and access whatever you need from you person preference of device, regardless of where you are... the "bring your own device" methodology IT has for so long avoided.  (We must have a standard platform and a standard application interface so everyone can be supported equally.  Sounds like old-school thinking doesn't it?)

The most telling observation of how far things have come is this statement:

IT must adjust its thinking about the most vital interface is for internal applications. For more than a decade, it has been the PC with perhaps an Internet interface. Going forward, it needs to be an Internet interface, possibly with a smartphone and iPad app. Client-based, corporate PC interfaces will be one of the casualties of this shift from PCs, with the exception of dedicated production applications, such as the general ledger for the finance team or a call center support application. 

(Bold and italic emphasis are mine.)

And according to the auther, government agencies are leading the charge here, not corporate entities.  Wow!  Really?  I'd like to see more stats on that... but still. 

I've always been fascinated by how the pendulum swings back and forth over the years.  Is this the latest interation of computing shifts... from data center to desktops to latops to Service Oriented Architecture to Cloud Computing, tablets and smartphones?  Could be.  I may just have to ask for a tablet for my birthday.

What's your thought here?  Have you made the jump to tablets with cloud computing behind it, and given up your laptop?  If so, why?  Curious minds want to know.

Mobility Threat to Enterprise Security

We've often blogged on the topic of security.  But we have not focused a lot on the risk associated with the growth of mobility as it relates to Enterprise Security. 

We all know that we can access many applications off our smart devices.  And with the proliferation of smart devices (Android, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, other tablet, or manufacturer of choice), we can now truly be connected anywhere, anytime, and access most any application - - including those for work.  (Afterall, who wants to be tied down to using only their PC or laptop?)

And with the advent of expanding cloud services for businesses of all sizes, this challenge will only grow.  All the more reason that you should be looking at the challenges and risks associated with this new access methodology.  If nothing else, treat these mobile devices as you would any other computer... and start educating the staff.  (Which we are willing to assist with if you desire.)

Let's be careful out there.

An OpEd on the Future

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope that you all have had a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

As you know, we try to read all kinds of things and point out those that are both interesting and relevant to you, our readers.  Something caught my eye this morning that I had to share.

This is an OpEd piece from Tom Friedman posted in the New York Times.  Whether you read Tom or not, or if you agree or not, he makes some interesting points about the growing IT revolution and the world getting smaller.  In our lifetimes, we have certainly seen the effect of Moore's Law on the world of electronics we take for granted.  From TV's (I just bought a new one over the holidays), to cameras, MP3 players, computers - whether PC's, laptops or tablets, to mobile phones and smart devices... innovation as a result of this trend has pushed technological innovations forward over the past half-century. (Think faster, smarter, more cost effective.)

But we (in the US) still lag in ubiquitous broadband connectivity at speeds and costs that at far down the list in comparison to the rest of the world.  As we look at starting a new year, should a re-energized discussion about our proposed National Broadband initiative be more up front and centered as is suggested? 

What are your thoughts?

It's Over: AT&T Ends its Bid to buy T-Mobile

Sadly, it seemed inevitable.  In a bow to U.S. antitrust authorities, AT&T today officially withdrew its $39 billion bid to acquire T-Mobile.  This brought to a close a nine-month fight to complete a deal many saw as a long shot.  It also seems that what may have been a "one plus one is greater than two," could be leaving both carriers uncertain of their future.

AT&T will wind up making a $4 billion payment to T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom (DT) in the fourth quarter, and turn over some of its wireless spectrum to DT for failing to complete the deal.  In the end, it appeats AT&T couldn't come up with a package of divestitures or other tactics to appease U.S. officials that had deemed it anti-competitive and against the public interest.  And so, it ends. 

Is this also the end of the large M&A plans of the past?  Will we be seeing a different type of merger strategy in the coming years?  If nothing else, the industry remains interesting to watch.

Here is a link to what this will this mean to AT&T and T-Mobile customers.  We are sure there is more to be said on the topic... Feel free to jump in.

The End of the PSTN?

We've been talking about the migration from a time-division multiplexing, circuit-switched infrastructure for years.  

Convergence and topics such as Voice over IP have been consistent areas of interest over the past decade.  But the conversation has not often turned to the question of what about the end of the Public Switched Telephone Network as we know it.  With all the changes in technology (MPLS, Carrier Ethernet that enables CoS/QoS, voice as just another application, SIP signaling versus SS7), it probably is worth noting that the FCC is considering how to make the transition to the sunset days of the phone network as we have known it for most of our lives.

In a series of workshops, there have been some interesting comments, and questions, raised.  But so far, no specific answers have emerged.  Perhaps later in the series.  

We'll try and give you posted.  For now, feel secure that this is not happening tomorrow, or any time too soon apparently.

Pondering the Airwaves

I have been following the debate between LightSquared and the Federal government over GPS interference. It is a given that some of the frequencies that will be used by LightSquared are near the GPS frequencies and interference is possible. LightSquared agreed to use frequencies further away from GPS, but according to a leaked government report that may not be enough. From LightSquare's view the GPS problem is because the GPS devices were not constructed to be hardened from interference. This saga continues to roll on.

In the same vein, there have now be reports of cell phone interference with Cable TV reception. It seems that as the cable companies move above the 700 MHz, they are now in the cellular and ESMR frequencies. While the problem is not major, a cell phone next to a TV that is tuned to a 700+ MHz may cause some interference. This will be interesting as LTE is squarely set in the 700 MHz bands.