http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/ en Copyright 2008 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:59:03 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss article from computerweekly about how you shouldn't ask about salary at IT job interviews. It goes on to say how this was given to them as a guide from itjobsforgraduates.com in one of their online videos which is the first in a series of online guides for graduates looking for a job in IT. It's worth a look and may well give you some useful hints and tips... then all you need to do is apply! Let me know what you think of the video and I would be really interested to see if it will change how you prepare for your next application!]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/08/getting-a-leading-edge-on-the.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/08/getting-a-leading-edge-on-the.php Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:59:03 +0000 Closing the Gates after Bill, he made it quite clear that although Microsoft has shaped the computing industry as we know it over the past two decades, what the company does or doesn’t do in the future is now less central to the continued development of the networked world as companies like Google begin to set trends by churning out increasingly powerful cloud computing apps. The notion of cloud computing, as dubbed the next ‘big thing’ by researcher Gartner, is that IT capabilities are provided as a service through the internet and are therefore readily available on any supporting device connected to the web, as opposed to being installed on and thus only accessible directly through ones own machine. Companies such as Google, with their online emails and calendars that can sync with locally supported software and other capabilities such as Docs, a virtual suite complete with word processor, spreadsheet and presentation application, and Talk, a voiceover IP and instant messaging combo, are superb examples of early success stories based on this radical new method of computing set to shape the industry. The idea has been widely adopted and gratefully received by the IT community, but many people have voiced their fears of losing data when ‘stored in a cloud’ and not locally, and privacy has been a hot potato amongst the long list of concerns. Apple have not helped to quash concerns recently after admitting to losing 10% of emails over a 2 day period through its MobileMe facility, a service harnessing the power of cloud computing to store information on a remote server that can be linked to and pulled down from by the iPhone as and when required. So why aren’t people viewing Microsoft as a central player in this new era? Well, the biggest problem is that Windows was designed to be a success in an environment where one user used a specific machine to complete work, meaning all required software is installed locally. Having data rely on locally installed software means that Windows will struggle to keep up in a much more mobile age where data is freely available to be accessed and modified remotely… the cloud age. Microsoft’s answer to this is the development of Midori, a stripped down operating system that is comparatively leaner than Windows, so much so that it will be centred on the Internet and thus do away with the current dependencies that tie XP and Vista to a PC. Midori is still one of many projects in the incubation phase of its development, and because of this not much is yet known about it, but many believe that the idea is to create a lightweight portable operating system that can easily be mated to many different applications. Gartner, who believe cloud computing will be as influential as e-business following the announcement that 3 industry leaders (Intel, HP and Yahoo) will be investing heavily by each opening a data centre dedicated to its development, have commented that the idea behind Midori is a sensible step for Microsoft. One thing's for sure - if this is the way the industry is moving at least I'll have a decent excuse for being caught with my head in the clouds... ]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/08/microsofts-answer-to-cloud-com.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/08/microsofts-answer-to-cloud-com.php apple apps blog capgemini cloud computing google graduate iphone micrsoft midori windows Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:27:14 +0000 clicking here. Until next time… ]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/07/word-of-the-weekendrustic-1.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/07/word-of-the-weekendrustic-1.php BTC Capgemini Charity work Grad Shceme Graduate Raleigh International scheme Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:03:07 +0000 Janie Davies Blog she mentioned some large numbers of IT experts saying that there are going to be over 4000 supporting the games. That's a whole lot of people, and it's believable because of the media coverage that the games are going to have (take a look at the media coverage of the flame, then multiply by x). What happens if it all goes wrong? It shouldn't as there are going to be 200,000 hrs spent testing the system (you would think that that would be enough), but nothing can replicate the full force and pressure on the systems during the 100m sprint. “Insert witty comment about Terminal 5 here” I will certainly be interested to see how the technology has changed since the last Olympics and see what benefits I see as a user, but something is telling me that I won't notice a change at all... which is a huge shame and I wait to be surprised. I will update you on my thoughts throughout the build up and during the games to any new excitements and hick-ups (but hopefully not too many of them) and want to hear your thoughts on what you expect. It's been 4 years since the last Oympics and technology has come a long way in that time! Some nice reading: BBC article on the UK's 2012 technology India Times article on how tech will change the Olympics ]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/07/road-to-beijing.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/07/road-to-beijing.php Olympics Technology Olympics Sport Technology Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:59:50 +0000 David Evan's BCS Blog]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/07/dragons-spotted-in-london-the.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/07/dragons-spotted-in-london-the.php Innovation Technology BTC innovation technology Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:39:35 +0000 It has recently been announced that the new Microsoft software, Boku for the Xbox 360 will be released within the next 12 months. For those of you who don't know about this project; at the 2007 tech fair Microsoft presented "Boku: lightweight programming for kids". The general idea behind this educational game is not to teach children a programming language per se, but rather to introduce them to the general concepts of software creation. Boku is the name of the central character, a cartoon robot head that hovers over a grassy field. The system will use as little text as possible to allow youngsters to understand the system intuitively without getting bogged down with detail. Instead, users will string together cards with different emblems on them, each allowing Boku to perform a different action. The system will incorporate behavious, generality, abstract states, sensors, physics and messaging without users even knowing it. All wrapped up with real time experimentation and feedback. The general concept seems a lot like the LOGO system of old with a bit of Phrogram thrown in for good measure. However, unlike these other systems, and simple languages like BASIC, the real hook with Boku is the integration into a gaming platform. The possibility of great graphics and a "game like" feel would have definately interested me when I was younger. Instead I had to cope with the pressure of a blank screen and a blinking cursor. The future plans for Boku include giving the system a secondlife feel and Facebook type interactions, allowing the developers of tomorrow to share programs and discuss ideas. http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/07/boku-programming-is-childs-pla.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/07/boku-programming-is-childs-pla.php Innovation Software Engineering Technology microsoft programming technology Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:28:24 +0000 Employers’ Perceptions of Key Skills What is the evidence that employers value key skills? ]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/05/skills-skills-and-more-skills.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/05/skills-skills-and-more-skills.php Student to Suit Wed, 14 May 2008 14:37:15 +0000 BCS Techdigest BBC iPlayer and Wii ]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/05/this-month-the-bbc-iplayer.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/05/this-month-the-bbc-iplayer.php Innovation Technology BBC Internet iPlayer Tue, 06 May 2008 13:27:24 +0000 Michael Mitzenmacher's Blog he asks the question "Does University, in particular his classes prepare you for the real-world?" He is a computer science teacher at Harvard University and wanted to know peoples opinions on this subject. Michael thinks that his courses and university in general prepared you in good stead for the working life out there in the real world. I can't help but think how much of my university work I have used in the real-world, and that has been almost 3 years of industry specific work. My opinion of university is that it gave me a great foundation for real world. I learnt how to meet deadlines, work in groups, and manage my own time to name only a few. These are all key skills that I now use every day of my life and i have university to thank for that as it was the first time I had to do things for myself. University also improves your learning ability. When you are thrown in at the deep end in the first week to produce a C# module you realise that there is support for you, but essentially you have to get up of your backside and do it yourself. The same thing relates to real-life, all organisations have support in place for their employees especially graduate programmes, but you will have been selected for the job because you are a quick learner that is prepared to jump in at the deep end and swim to the top using the resources available to you. I am in no way disregarding that a computer science degree will not help you in you career should you choose one in technology, but there is no reason why having done a business or physics degree to name a couple you can't still do as well in a career in technology as the computer science graduates. How do you think your preparation is going? Are you ready to face the real-world?]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/in-a-recent-blog-entry.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/in-a-recent-blog-entry.php Student to Suit Technology Graduate Harvard real-world University Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:18:09 +0000

Would you want this kind of lifestyle?

Could you become a Technology Consultant with your degree?

To answer the first one, I think it is worth pointing out that living away from home for 5 days a week is not such a bad thing – you save lots of money, you get certain perks such as being able to use the hotel's gym for free, and I have personally found that I now make the absolute most of my weekends back home. The second question is much harder to answer, and it involves asking yourself more questions about what your degree has taught you:

• - Can you work in a team?
• - Can you prioritise efficiently?
• - Are you a positive learner?
• - Can you break down a problem into small tasks, researching the necessary information to complete each task?

If you feel that your degree has armed you with a skillset that enables you to complete all of the above, the final thing you need to ask yourself is 'do you take an active interest in technology'? As a Technology Consultant, you will have to work with technology, but it’s not as daunting as it seems – technology is all around us, and just by using basic applications to write essays, calculate what marks you need to get a 2:1 and even to read this blog, you are improving your grasp of technology. Depending on your first role, which is always assigned based on your strengths, the skillset required could even be as simple as Microsoft Word and Excel to start with, and although you can be thrown in at the deep end (which I personally find is the quickest way to learn), there is always enough support around you in various forms, be it online tutorials or helpful work colleagues, to get you through. Now that you’re interested, tune in to my next post where I will be talking about the various types of roles you can expect on your first assignment, and see whether your skillset could help you thrive as a Technology Consultant… ]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/whats-your-skillset.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/whats-your-skillset.php Careers consultant consulting Skills Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:43:09 +0000 IT Career Paths You Never Dreamed of.]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/honey-i-shrunk-the-geeks.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/honey-i-shrunk-the-geeks.php Innovation Technology Careers Skills Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:17:50 +0000 do you really need a technology degree to be a technology consultant? More and more IT companies are opening their doors to graduates from non-technical disciplines, and, if anyone can learn to program, with good reason. In this blog I will attempt to answer the question, do you really need a technology degree to be a technology consultant, by covering a range of topics such as the types of work you can expect to complete and how everyday skills can help you in the IT workplace, to answering the controversial question - what is more important, soft skills or technical skills? What skills have you picked up whilst at university? Do you think these skills could be transferred to a career in technology? ]]> http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/introduction-do-you-really-nee.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/introduction-do-you-really-nee.php Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:29:40 +0000 Hi, welcome to the Business Technology Consultants blog. I thought for my first post it would be prudent to let you know a little about myself and my interests so you will know what to expect from my posts. I graduated from the University of Birmingham in the summer of 2006, after completing a degree in Computer Science and Software Engineering and I joined the Capgemini graduate scheme in February 2007. Since then I have worked in several different areas of technology. But, I have decided my real interests lie in the world of information management and ECM. So, I hope to transition from the graduate scheme to this area of the business in the future. I will be writing a series of entries regarding the IT industry at the moment and how it has changed in recent years. Hopefully giving you some ideas of the sort of skills you will need to develop in addition to formal qualifications. I will also be giving my opinion on other technology news that grabs my attention. Please don't be afraid to post your thoughts and opinions on anything you read on this site. The more you get involved with this site the more interesting it will become. http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/in-the-beginning-there-was.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/in-the-beginning-there-was.php Technology introduction Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:19:53 +0000 As I travel up the country to my respective client site this blue skied Monday morning I feel it is only polite to introduce myself in the form of a 'First Post'. My Name is Ben Henderson and I have been with Capgemini on the BTC for nearly 9 months now. Before my life at Capgemini I graduated from Oxford Brooks University after a sandwich course in Computing. After graduating from Brookes and a few months travelling around Europe, I went back to the organisation I completed my year out with and set about my first full time job as a software tester. Two years into my job I realised that software testing wasn't for me, or more specifically testing the same piece of software week in week out wasn't for me. I wanted variety! I set about looking for a job that would offer the variety that I was after but also develop me as a person. At the end of the day there are so many IT jobs that I just didn't know enough about any of them to say "yes" I want to do that. That’s when I saw the BTC offered you the chance to try many different roles before making the decision to jump into a discipline, and this ticks every box! I joined the BTC along with 8 other graduates in July 2007 and we were from all different backgrounds, some straight from university and others had been out of university for longer than they cared to remember. In that first week we learnt all sorts and were given the preparation needed to go onto a client site should we be required the following week. So back to my Blog... I will be airing my thoughts on the move from student to suit, trying to get to the bottom of the debate into whether or not the things that you are learning at university are preparing you for a life in the real world of work. I may also voice some opinions that I have of technology of today and what I think will be the next big thing. I hope you enjoy my entries and feel free to comment and I endeavour to reply within a day or two. http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/introducing-ben-henderson.php http://brighteraltogether.uk.capgemini.com/the_schemes/atp/blog/2008/04/introducing-ben-henderson.php Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:06:37 +0000