A website and all the data needs to be stored at a suitable internet service provider.In the following you will find some tips when choosing a provider. On internetworld.de the provider Verio explains what should not be forgotten:

1. Providers should have long-term expertise
Only at experienced, established companies that are financially stable you can be sure that your data is well protected and always available.

2. Read the small print and footers
The monthly rent and other costs should be clearly indicated. It is not a sign of great reliability if prices are not evident. Also check all parts of the contract e.g.  duration and one-time setup fee and look for hidden costs before signing.

Of course it is alright if you pay extra charges for e.g. new sub domains, e-mail accounts or features like photo galleries or blogs – but also those costs should be clear from the beginning.

In addition : Availability of the site must be secured
The provider should offer so-called SLAs (Service Level Agreements). These SLAs set that incurring penalties or rental payments will be refunded if certain values ​​go below the limit. Important is a guaranteed availability of the site of at least 99.9 percent per month. This 0.1 percent sounds very little, but actually these are 43 minutes and 12 seconds.

3. Flexible solutions should be possible
Many standard solutions are barely adaptable. At least some design templates should be able to be adapted to your own ideas. For example by hiding page elements, changing the background colour or inserting images.

4. Check the scope of the provider precisely
Basic services like flash format should always be inclusive. Otherwise you would not be able to integrate an animated intro on your website. Other examples for basic services are features like blogs, guest books, forums or RSS feeds.

5. Websites grow with their company
The bigger your company becomes, the bigger and more complex your website should be. This affects not only the number of new pages, but also new features.

6. Service and support
Especially at big providers, service and support are often not taken seriously enough. The provider should be at least available on phone, fax or e-mail and answer realtively fast.

What is your opinion: What points matter most when choosing a provider?

Based on : http://www.mittelstanddirekt.de/c184/m187/um226/d6948/default.html

Skills shortage has been in the news for quite some time now. The VDI (Verband Deutscher Ingenieure – association of german engineers) has recently conducted a survey questioning 450 experts from various fields in the IT sector and came to the conclusion that the skills shortage in the IT sector is viewed as a serious problem.

According to the annual survey the biggest lack of experts is found in the field of software development, followed by IT-project management, IT-security, Consulting and Support. The hardware sector is not facing serious shortages in human ressources.

So what is done to counteract these growing shortages, that are thought to increase even further until 2015: Development programmes for young talents are essential on the long run. By now companies are already finding ways to solve the problem e.g. by hiring specialised staff from abroad, by providing professional training and development for their employees or by outsourcing of services.

Eventhough the skills shortage is likely to exacerbate over the next years, 2/3 of the respondents view the location of  Germany in terms of business and industry as good or very good.

The trend of skills shortage might be problematic for some, but especially for freelancing experts it might also bring full order books. Even better if those freelancers are specialised in the fields that are having a great potential for growth: cloud computing, IT-security, embedded systems and broadband infrastructure.

Based on VDI: http://www.vdi-nachrichten.com/vdi-nachrichten/aktuelle_ausgabe/akt_ausg_detail.asp?cat=1&id=52095&source=rubrik

To have installed an antivirus program is not enough to be protected against cyber criminals. Common sense and a critical attitude are essential in times of social networks, says the security vendor Sophos in its Security threat report 2011.

95,000 cases of malware were found by the Sophos security experts, last year. This means that every 0.9 seconds a new incident happens. The number is alarming, because in comparison to 2009 it has almost doubled.

For many people 2010 was a year in which their relationship to technology changed and became more intense: There is an increasing use of smart phones or tablets and one could also see the widespread use of social media.

Spam on social networks
The new communication behavior also changes the methods of cyber criminals: The focus is placed on raising curiosity or playing psychological tricks. Like this they harm clueless users. In addition to traditional attacks new targets are added, such as social networks or mobile devices.

In a survey by Sophos from 2010, 67 percent of respondents said that they have already received spam through a social network. Mid-2009 only 33 percent of respondents were affected. Phishing and malware attacked about 40 percent. Also enterprises have to deal with these figures: 59 percent fear that the conduct of its employees in social networks could be a risk for their security.

For example security experts observed so-called “clickjacking” on Facebook. Behind seemingly inconspicuous sites such as news or images of celebrities something different is hidden. If you share content from such sites or give it a “like”, you often send it to all of your contacts and spread spam with it.

Tips for Facebook users
Security experts recommend: If someone promises a prize to you without doing anything before, you should be skeptical. It is also recommended not to post any links or comment pictures with clicks overhasty. Rather, one should remain patient and always think of possible consequences. Rules from analog life should not be neglect. For example, never share personal information with someone you do not know at all.

57 percent of the companies think that their employees share too much information on social networks. In policies this assumption is however rarely reflected. More than a half of the companies do not limit the access to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Only less than a quarter of employers block those pages for their employees.

Choose complex passwords
Not new but still current is the topic of secure passwords. Even if users know the importance of a secure password they still select unsafe and easy to guess passwords like “12345″ or “password “. Also popular is to use same passwords for multiple services and to never change them. A secure password is as long and complex as possible. It is composed of letters, numbers and special characters.

Common sense and software
To conclude: If you do not want to become an victim of cyber criminals, experts advise to use a mix of common sense and software protection. The best software can’t  do anything if you click thoughtlessly on unknown links or disclose all your personal information.

Did you also make experiences with malware, phishing or other attacks? How did you handle this? Tell us your tips!

Source: http://www.cio.de/knowledgecenter/security/2262439/index.html?r=6616306884612418&lid=106841

The high tech world seems to be happy with the achievements of this years CeBIT:

4200 companies from 70 countries were exhibiting and a number of 339000 visitors from about 90 different countries came to see what news the high tech industry holds in store. Both figures have increased slightly compared to 2010.

Furthermore over 500 CIOs were present and more than 7 million contacts were made. 8000 visitors were interested in the speeches and talks held at the CeBIT global conferences.

One of the main topics  “Work and Life with the Cloud” was published at the right time and had it’s fingers on the pulse of the time. Apart from Cloud Computing hot topics were evolving around tablets, smartphones, mobile business solutions, IT security and 3D.

A regional emphasis was put on this years partnering country Turkey – over 90 exhibitors were taking part and were meeting up with a growing number of international visitors.

Impressive numbers and facts – the CeBIT seems to be one of the main attractions and the place to be for everyone active or interested in high tech trends.

projektwerk CEO Dr. Christiane Strasse says “meeting freelancers and corporate representatives at the CeBIT is always interesting and very beneficial to our business.”

What is your opinion: As an IT freelancer is it crucial for you to be present at the CeBIT? Do you profit in terms of business or is it more about staying informed?

Based on: CeBIT Abschlussbericht

At the trade fair CeBIT 2011 hardware producers will exhibit trend-setting innovations of the IT sector. The exposition takes place from 1st to 5th march in Hannover. Here are some gadgets that might impress at this years CeBIT:

The CeBIT (short for Centrum für Büroautomation, Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation) is the worlds largest trade fair for communication technologies. And this year it’s going to be all about tablets: More than 80 implements will compete with the Apple iPad. Needless to say there are going to be numerous smartphones presented. So databased internet applications and social networking will be a great deal of the CeBIT as well as tridimensional displays on computer- and notebook-monitors. Flatscreen televisions and mini-displays of hand-held devices will imply tridimensional displays more often -but one will need 3-D-glasses still at all times.

Other novelties will be:

• the latest version of the google-software Android 3.0
• 6840 LTE: The first Fritz!Box with LTE-support
• an biodegradable mouse, the Fujitsu M440 Eco
• a 24-inch-full-HD-monitor with VA-LED-technology will be presented by BenQ as well as an interactive projector-chart
• a retro DECT-telephone called “Grundig Sixty”

Do you have more information about CeBIT innovations that you would like to share? Feel free to add a reply!

Article based on:  www.computerbild.de

Fair wages and a decisive, unanimous project management are the main motivational factors for IT freelancers, so far the results of a survey of IT job boards among 99 IT professionals.

Additionally IT professionals tend to be more motivated at the end of a project than at the beginning. The reason for this is the prospect of the feeling of satisfaction, that occurs when completing a project. For 93% of the respondents, productivity means to produce as much as possible and not to finalize one thing that one can show off in front of the chef.

Another motivational factor is money (important for 46%). So is time pressures of colleagues who are waiting for results (57%). An early finishing time seems to be rather unimportant and was only mentioned by 16% of the respondents as a motivational support.

Many IT experts stated that writing to-do lists on a daily basis is very helpful to them. With those lists you would have a little success in every evening, you would have achieved something and feel more motivated..

The main motivational killers are ambiguous instructions according to 85 percent of the respondents.

However, loud noises or simply a bad mood can harm the motivation. Distractions such as reading e-mails or checking the latest posts in social networks slow down as well. Short breaks on the other hand should not be despised: Seventy-five percent of the respondents said that after a small break they would feel much more productive than before.

We are curious to hear your view on this study. What motivates you most?

Source: http://www.computerwoche.de/karriere/karriere-gehalt/2361421/index.html

According to the latest study of Lünendonk the freelance IT business is booming.
But instead of IT departments, IT-experts are booked by buying departments more often.

The crisis is over. The German economy grew by an average of 3.7 percent in 2010. Even for projects that were suspended during the crisis money seems to flow again.

Just good news for IT freelancers: Internal IT departments are overstrained and companies are increasingly reliant on external support. Compared to 2009, the demand for IT professionals increased by 11.5 percent in 2010.

The development over the last 3 years:

Due to Lünendonk there were a high number of project requests in 2008. The crisis in 2009, made the number of project requests drop. However, in 2010 the industry experienced a boom of project requests for IT professionals again.
Until 2015, experts for the IT freelance market expect an equally high, annual market growth of over 17 percent! For 2015 until 2020 an average growth of about 14 percent per year is expected.

Three ordering fields: the IT areas, the buying departments and other specific departments

The purchasing department is not only discussing charges. Increasingly they are the ones who are contacting the recruitment agencies of freelancers directly: 33.5 percent of the project requests are already made directly by the purchasing department.
Next to the IT and the buying department the individual departments already rank third when it comes to booking IT freelancers – with 19.2 percent.

Of course we would like to hear your experiences. What was the most interesting department you have worked for?

So we have already started into the new year and haven’t been talking about IT trends? Good that others have been quick and precise: By the end of last year CIO published their list on the hottest topics in the IT world in the year 2011. Here is an overview of what is believed to change the IT sector in the year that has already started:

1. Tablets
These devices will not only be used for business but even more in the private. The market for tablets will flourish this year, while the iPad will stay market leader.

2. Oracle will buy salesforce.com
Software vendor salesforce.com and its small and medium sized business customers will finally be bought by Oracle. This will open the field in small and medium sized businesses for Oracle and in turn salesforces CRM software will find its way to larger businesses.

3. IBM or HP will buy SAP
Being independent is getting more difficult…and it would would fit IBMs as well as HPs strategy to be building highly integrated systems.

4. Flash memory
The use of flash memory in enterprises will boom. Flash memory will become less expensive and the demand for data centers will grow over the next years.

5. Wikileaks
Wikileaks won’t be stopped and will go on in 2011.

6. Cyberwarfare
According to CIO Cyberwarefare will become reality. Cyber espionage and online sabotage will play an increasing role in warfare.

7. Clouds
More and more business applications will be moved to the cloud. Especially start-ups will play an important role in the process of migrating data to the cloud. The topic of connectivity will also be driven by the cloud.

8. Social media
Social Media will reach a maturation stage in 2011, which leads to a different use: not only non-profit organizations will use social media channels to spread their word, also profit enterprises will find their way to make use of social media. The challenge of misused data will remain.

9. U.S. congress takes tech break
There will be no important tech-related legislation passed this year by the U.S. congress.

10. Steve Ballmer believed to leave Microsoft
The CIOs prediction concerning CEOs is that Microsofts Steve Ballmer won’t stay CEO.

What are your predicitions for this year? Anything to add or any points here you wouldn’t share? We are looking forward to your opinions on this.

Being a successful freelancer is not as easy as it may seem in the beginning. A key to being successful is a person’s motivation. Still everyone seems to be experiencing times when the job motivation is low – IT freelancers like everyone else. The complex and quickly changing IT industry is a special environment for freelancers and their clients. Especially clients have to keep in mind that money is not the most important motivating factor. But what are motivating factors for IT freelancers?

Money alone is not a factor to motivate IT freelancers permanently. It’s more about the significance of work and what the success of a project means to the freelancer and his/her colleagues. Appreciation for their competences has a much more powering effect than simply being payed for doing something irrelevant. As a matter of fact earning money is essential. Being able to e.g. go on holiday or take some time for the family, means freedom and independency. But nevertheless it’s then more a status symbol as a basic or survival need.

Things that have a motivating effect on IT freelancers:

This years Consumer Electronics Show (CES) started just yesterday and again many IT experts will make use of the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow and will be among the estimated 120,000 attendees.

The 2011 tradeshow will have its Las Vegas gates open from the 6th until this Sunday the 9th of January. The so called “launchpad for new technology” will have around 2,500 exhibitor presenting around 20,000 new products.

All kinds of new products and enhanced technologies are to be found at the tradeshow. But after the release of Apple”s iPad last year tablet PC’s will be one of the main topics at the CES and Apple’s competitors will present their style of tablets. Also still in focus: smartphones. Faster than previous models due to dual core technologies.

Like every year we’ll be curious to see what else the CES will hold in store for us.

Do you have the chance to be there? Looking forward to your opinions.

Find out more on: www.cesweb.org