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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

Hamburg, 17. Februar 2011. Welche Kenntnisse werden von Projektanbietern auf it.projektwerk.de am häufigsten nachgefragt? Mit dieser Frage beschäftigt sich der aktuelle Marktmonitor von projektwerk IT. Erstmals seit dem erfolgreichen Launch der spezialisierten Branchen-Plattformen analysiert der Marktmonitor ausschließlich die Zahlen der IT-Plattform. Nicht nur bei der Zahl der Projekte des vergangenen Jahres, sondern auch bei der aktuellen Häufigkeit der Keywords in Projekten führt SAP das Ranking an, gefolgt von Java/JEE und SQL. Es zeigt sich, dass besonders Freelancer mit diesen Skills nach wie vor sehr gefragt sind.

Doch auf welche übergreifenden Trends können sich IT-Freelancer für das Jahr 2011 einstellen? Ganz vorne liegt das Thema Cloud Computing. Laut einer BITKOM-Umfrage ist Cloud Computing für 62% der befragten Unternehmen dieses Jahr ein wichtiges Thema, obwohl es in vielen Unternehmen noch nicht Teil der konkreten Planung sei. Dieser Trend ermöglicht es den Unternehmen, durch externe Betreuung Kosten zu sparen. Gleichzeitig verlangt die Umstellung auf Cloud Computing nach Investitionen. Auch das Thema Mobile gewinnt weiter an Bedeutung, der Siegeszug von iPhones, WebPads und Androids macht sich hier deutlich bemerkbar.

Weitere wichtige Trends sind Business-Intelligence-Anwendungen sowie das Customer Relations Management. Diese beiden Themen zählen nicht zu den Kernfunktionen von Unternehmen und gehörten so zu den Bereichen, in denen während der Wirtschaftskrise Kosten eingespart wurden. Mit der Erholung der Wirtschaft rücken sie jedoch wieder verstärkt in den Vordergrund.

„Die ITK-Branche erholt sich weiter, ein Großteil der Unternehmen erwartet für 2011 deutliche Umsatzsteigerungen. Trotzdem wird der Trend zum Einsatz von Freelancern weiter anhalten“, so projektwerk Geschäftsführerin Dr. Christiane Strasse.

Ãœber projektwerk
projektwerk ist die einfachste Projektbörse im Web. Mit elfjähriger Expertise vernetzt projektwerk Freelancer und Unternehmen und bietet allen Teilnehmern des flexiblen Arbeitsmarktes eine Plattform für die schnelle und effiziente Rekrutierung von Spezialisten für Projekte sowie zur Vermarktung der eigenen Dienstleistung. Dafür wurde eine innovative Matching-Technologie entwickelt, die auf den neuen Plattformen it.projektwerk.com, consulting.projektwerk.com, creative.projektwerk.com, engineering.projektwerk.com und fashion.projektwerk.com zum Einsatz kommt.

Nach dem Relaunch im vergangenen Jahr startet projektwerk jetzt mit den brandneuen Marktmonitoren. Sie sollen einen branchenspezifischen Überblick über geforderte Skills und aktuelle Entwicklungen auf dem jeweiligen Projektmarkt liefern. Mehr Informationen dazu finden Sie hier!

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

The IT service BSI has provided some advice for the implementation of software projects by using the Scrum methodology.

The IT service provider BSI Business Systems Integration has implemented many customers solutions based on the Scrum Agile methodology in recent years. According to BSI, there was a great costumer feedback. However, the BSI team knows that agile methods are not suitable for all kinds of companies or projects. Therefore the company has summed up the most important points that should be considered when choosing this approach. To avoid unpleasant surprises with Scrum projects and agile projects and the project is additionally realized in cooperation with a service provider; companies should consider the following five points:

• Agile requires a very direct communication and a good working atmosphere. The teamwork has to be particularly close and prompt – ideally, the customer is firmly integrated into the development team. Agreements are decided ad-hoc, via e-mail, chat, or face to face. This of course requires a time budget from the customers.

• Culture and language play a big role in how people communicate. What languages do the project workers speak best? Is it important to read between the lines? There are frequent misunderstandings and difficulties of interpretation. For example, in Switzerland they often use word “Pendenz” for open tasks, in Germany this term is not known.

• Agile methods and hierarchies are contradictory: the communication with Scrum and Co. takes place far away from hierarchical levels and traditional executions of decisions.

• Software development is a service and not an industrial production that you can outsource without complications. This point becomes even more important the more complex and specialized the requirements of the software are.

• Therefore, agile projects rarely work in the offshore model.

A fixed price for the project implementation and the Scrum methodology has, according to BSI, not to be oppositions in every case. “Companies should not be blinded by popular names like Agile, Offshoring or supposedly low prices,” says the Chairman of the Administrative Board, Jens Thuesen. His company counts on a fixed price model that works well. Under certain conditions with Scrum, the customer and the service provider were satisfied.

Did these tips help you in your current work?

Source: http://www.swissitmagazine.ch/software/entwicklungprogrammiersprachen/articles/290368/

A study of PAC (Pierre Audoin Consultants)

More and more German companies rely on the Business Efficiency of IT technologies. The main factors here are Product Data Management (PDM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Business Intelligence (BI) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM).

According to PAC, the use of IT experts could be crucial for the recovery or non-recovery of a company. Particularly affected by the economic crisis, the industry is now looking for new IT solutions. Support to reduce costs is now required more than ever. On one hand, the expenditure for IT employees is declining and on the other hand the business efficiency should be improved by IT tools.
Direct costs should be cut down by consolidating and standardizing the IT environment. In addition, the companies intend to rely more on outsourcing in the future. In order to further reduce costs, new contracts such as “pay-per-use” in which flexible pricing models are established should be made.

The PAC says that optimizing the business efficiency is particularly important at the product development stage. PLM and PDM are the appropriate fields. Using the Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), the manufacturing process should be designed more economical.
However, not only during the development process but also at sales and after-sales IT solutions are important. It is gaining in importance in the areas of CRM, BI and service management. From these findings, one is able to make better decisions in operational and strategic planning.

The investment priorities are different in every industry

In the automotive industry, for example, CRM, After-Sales, BI, PLM and collaboration are needed the most. In the aerospace and defense industry however it is more important to have an efficient product development and already adopted solutions should be harmonized. Building tools in the repair and maintenance area and the integration of applications with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) are common tasks of the IT employees.
Overall CRM, PLM and supply chain management (SCM) become increasingly important.

A detailed overview of the individual industries can be found directly in the study of PAC: Manufacturing Industry Germany 2010

Source: http://www.cio.de/strategien/analysen/2239448/