This week in links - week 9, 2008

Google launches online collaboration environment (a future SharePoint killer?):

"Meet Google Sites, the newest addition to the Google Apps product suite. It was designed to allow you to easily create a network of sites and share them with whomever you choose. Google Sites lets you pull together information from across Google Apps by embedding documents, spreadsheets, presentations, videos, and calendars in your sites. Of course, we also harness the power of Google search technology so your search results are always fast and relevant"

"India Outsources to US Tech Workers" by Rajan Chandras:

"The buzz in the local Indian trade magazines is about IBM recently grabbing a multi-year outsourcing deal from the Indian operations of Vodaphone, the global communications giant. Deals like these demonstrate that countries like India and China are more than merely the source of competition for US-based IT firms (and US-based consultants), they offer a solid opportunity for those willing to brave the geographical and culture gap."

"Another view: SOA opening up ‘can of worms’ in organizations" by Joe McKendrick:

"SOA means a change in thinking not only among IT professionals, but among line of business executives and professionals as well. That systems are there to serve them, not the other way around. And they have the power and capability to make adaptations in those systems, easily, whenever they need to be made. And leaders of the organization need to recognize and support this new interaction between people and systems (and that’s going to take a long time)."

"Keeping Employees Productive—What Do You Mean I Can’t Surf the Web?" by Melanie Turek:

"In today’s virtual workplace, where more and more of us work from home or remote offices, far from the prying eyes of our bosses, it’s still frustrating to see how many of them insist on “visibility.” These managers want to know that we’re punching the clock as expected, and that we’re 100% focused on the business at hand when we’re logged in. But it’s better to judge people on what they produce than how they produce it. For some of us, that means reading the comics in between the business news; for others, it’s catching up on the latest You Tube videos. Either way, if we’re doing our jobs well and efficiently, who cares?"