Freedom to Roam

Home

Editorial JANUARY 2016 How changes in mobile roaming charges will affect business users CWEurope

Will the Paris terror attacks spur France to compromise data protection measures? Freedom to roam The abolition of mobile roaming The 4G network in France: The business charges will benefit European user opportunity businesses, consumers and mobile network operators alike Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to raise their game

Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the internet of things

Delivering success with DevOps

computerweekly.com FLY_DRAGONFLY/ISTOCK CW EDITOR’S COMMENT Computer Weekly HOME 2nd Floor, 3-4a Little Portland Street Home London W1W 7JB General enquiries 020 7186 1400 Editorial EDITORIAL Editor: Karl Flinders Forthcoming freedom from roaming 020 7186 1423 | [email protected] How changes in mobile roaming Editor charges in chief: will Bryan Glick 020affect 7186 business 1424 | [email protected] users charges across Europe will benefit all PRODUCTION WillProduction the Paris editor: terror Claire Cormack 020attacks 7186 1417 spur | [email protected] to compromise data protectionSenior sub-editor: measures? Jason Foster his month, CW Europe looks in-depth at an issue that is set to affect people across all 28 European Union member states – the 020 7186 1420 | [email protected] abolition of mobile roaming charges, set for mid-2017. Sub-editor: Jaime Lee Daniels 020The 7186 4G 1417network | [email protected] in Up to now, most media coverage of mobile roaming charges has centred on the phenomenon known as “bill shock”, oth- France: The business T erwise known as that sinking feeling you get when you return from a vacation to find a much larger mobile phone bill than you user opportunitySALES Sales director: Brent Boswell ever expected. 07584 311889 | [email protected] However, this is not just a consumer issue; it is one that is set to affect enter- Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to prises all over Europe. The end of mobile roaming raise theirPublished game by TechTarget On balance, the changes look set to be a real boon for European business 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466 travellers. We explore some of the likely outcomes for European enterprises, charges looks set to be a Inside Taiwan:www.techtarget.com The such as increased productivity and less stress for employees on the move, and engine room of the real boon for uropean internet© 2016 TechTarget of things Inc. No part of this consider whether or not the end of mobile roaming charges will lead to more E publication may be transmitted or reproduced In any form or by any means without written enterprises adopting video-conferencing services or implementing a bring your business travellers permissionDelivering from success the publisher. TechTarget own device (BYOD) policy. reprints are available through The YGS Group. with DevOps We will also be examining some of the less obvious implications of the About TechTarget new European legislation, such as what it could mean for providers of Wi-Fi networking services and how mobile network operators TechTarget publishes media for information technology professionals. More than 100 might respond. focused websites enable quick access to a deep store of news, advice and analysis about This month’s CW Europe also asks whether November’s terrorist attacks in Paris might compromise data protection as governments the technologies, products and processes attempt to tighten security. n crucial to your job. Our live and virtual events give you direct access to independent expert commentary and advice. At IT Knowledge Alex Scroxton Exchange, our social community, you can get advice and share solutions Networking editor, Computer Weekly with peers and experts.

cw europe January 2016 2 MOBILE ROAMING

Home Editorial How changes in mobile legislation How changes in mobile roaming charges will affect business users will affect organisations across Europe

Will the Paris terror attacks spur France As roaming charges take a hike out of the EU, Alex Scroxton considers the implications for businesses users to compromise data protection measures?

The 4G network in t has been a long time coming, but at the end of October 2015 At face value, very little looks set to change, according to Dan France: The business – in a vote overshadowed by the issues surrounding net neu- Howdle, editor-in-chief of broadband and mobile comparison site user opportunity Itrality regulations – the European Parliament finally waved Cable.co.uk, who starts by pointing out that most businesses that through legislation that will put an end to mobile roaming charges can afford to pay to fly their employees around Europe have been Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to in the 28 European Union (EU) member states on 15 June 2017. able to afford roaming costs up to now. raise their game Mobile roaming charges have been a long-standing bugbear for European consumers jetting off to the Mediterranean for their A little less stress, a little less cost Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the holidays in the sun. Barely a summer goes by without a new round But there will be one meaningful difference that will make life internet of things of complaints about the phenomenon, known as “bill shock”. This easier for the number-crunchers back at home. is when a traveller returns home to find a mobile phone bill much “No more will accounts departments have to brave the mire of Delivering success higher than expected – a problem that has got worse in recent business travel plans, add-ons, daily rates, data overages, usage with DevOps years with the advent of 4G networks and data-heavy services. blockages or indeed the myriad differences between EU and But the problems associated with roaming charges are not con- global roaming,” says Howdle. fined to the consumer sphere. With hundreds of thousands of “The same as it is at home is something we can all understand business travellers moving around the EU – who rely on being able and, by that token – in its own way – it empowers business users to access emails, download reports and increasingly use services with a little more freedom and a little less stress,” he adds. such as video-conferencing from anywhere – bill shock can hit the If merely causing your accountants less stress is the aim of the enterprise world as well. So how will the EU’s legal changes affect game, then apparently it’s mission accomplished – but how about the business user? some statistics to show to the auditors?

cw europe January 2016 3 MOBILE ROAMING

Home

Editorial Earlier in 2015, Wi-Fi hotspot aggregator iPass – which controls At Blue Jeans Network, a provider of high-definition enterprise a global network with millions of access points and takes a keen video services, the end of roaming charges is an opportunity for How changes in mobile interest in the use of mobile devices when travelling internation- its business to really let rip in the EU, according to Europe, Middle roaming charges will affect business users ally – produced a Business Traveller Connectivity Cost Index. This East and Africa (Emea) general manager James Campanini. gives some insight into the costs of roaming to businesses today Blue Jeans already sees more than a billion minutes of paid

Will the Paris terror – and hence the savings from June 2017. video flowing across its network, and hopes to see a substantial attacks spur France The report claimed the average business traveller consumed uptick with the end of roaming charges. to compromise data protection measures? 760MB of data every day, or around 4.5GB per month, based on Ubiquitous network access across Europe will mean people are an assumed average of six days out of the user’s home country. far more willing to use cloud services, says Campanini. It may

The 4G network in Use of Skype for Business, Webex-type services and enterprise France: The business virtual private networks (VPNs) were the biggest data sinks. user opportunity The report revealed that, opting to use a predominantly mobile connection while on a business trip, the average European travel- Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to ling on the continent costs their company anywhere between €77 raise their game and €384 per day, or around €900 per month, even following the introduction of caps on roaming charges in 2012 and their reduc- The average business Inside Taiwan: The traveller in Europe currently engine room of the tion in 2014. internet of things Nevertheless, iPass’s statistics make it very clear that the elimi- costs their company nation of roaming charges represents a substantial cost benefit between €77 and Delivering success for businesses. €384 per day with DevOps Meanwhile, mobile security management provider Wandera CEO Eldar Tuvey claims that as much as 10% of the average total cost of ownership of enterprise mobile devices in the UK is made up of roaming top-ups – and 43% is made up of bill shock events. “The new laws from the EU will, of course, reduce the likelihood of bill shock and the need for roaming top-ups, and will have a dramatic impact on these costs for enterprises whose employees

travel in Europe,” he says. ANYABERKUT/ISTOCK

cw europe January 2016 4 MOBILE ROAMING

Home

Editorial even mean more people are tempted to use their own devices for The impact on operators working while abroad, so businesses will need to pay far more Some might expect that European MNOs would be up in arms How changes in mobile than just lip service to mobile device security. at the European Parliament closing off a lucrative revenue roaming charges will affect business users stream – but that may not necessarily be the case, says Jennifer And now for the bad news Kyriakakis, founder and vice-president of marketing at software

Will the Paris terror However, even with the cost savings, it is not all good news. house Matrixx. attacks spur France The iPass report notes that even when data roaming disappears “Operators’ new roaming strategies should not simply be about to compromise data protection measures? altogether, businesses will still have to buy extra data bolt-ons satisfying regulators and wooing customers – it’s really about to meet the average demand of 4.5GB per month, and predicts rebuilding the data experience and transforming a stream of rev-

The 4G network in mobile network operators (MNOs) will increase their prices to enue that is currently fraught with issues and only relevant to a France: The business cover the loss of roaming charges. small customer segment,” she says. user opportunity Tuvey went further, saying that enterprises may also see price rises on their domestic plans as operators try to counter their Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to losses. “This means enterprises that do not typically pay roam- “If the price goes down, use raise their game ing charges or be subject to international bill shock may suffer,” he says. goes up, which equals more Inside Taiwan: The How much do operators stand to lose? According to Ravi Palepu, engine room of the requirement for connectivity” internet of things senior director of global telecoms solutions at network consultancy Virtusa, it could be as much as 2% of their total sales. Mikael Schachne, BICS Delivering success Besides price rises, he predicts established MNOs could try to with DevOps make changes in their organisational structures as well, perhaps “With more subscribers using their phones abroad, operators by moving customer service call centres to cheaper locations. can now look for different ways to better monetise data, deliv- Campanini at Blue Jeans suggests there may be some negative ering innovative services and products in real time. Operators impact for small businesses, such as cafes or independent hotels, could have a much larger revenue stream that’s both predictable which have set up Wi-Fi hotspots on their premises. “This chal- and sustainable, while simultaneously driving customer loyalty lenges the free Wi-Fi model. There’s no way I’ll sit down at an instead of driving them away.” access point for Wi-Fi and sign up to receive emails for the rest of Virtusa’s Palepu says: “Subscribers using alternative meth- my life just to access a 4G network,” he says. ods – such as buying cheap SIM cards while travelling – would

cw europe January 2016 5 MOBILE ROAMING

Home

Editorial rely more on their current operator to provide better voice and data services, which will lead to improved average revenue How changes in mobile per user.” roaming charges will affect business users Joe Marsella, Emea chief technology officer (CTO) at network supplier Ciena, says cheaper and harmonised roaming is about

Will the Paris terror much more than lowering costs for businesses, but will ultimately attacks spur France lead to consolidation and unification across the 28 EU member TSVETKOV/ISTOCK TODOR to compromise data protection measures? states, both in markets and platforms. “A unified European telecoms market, with a single pricing

The 4G network in approach and similar cost base, is better prepared to collabo- France: The business rate, invest and innovate,” he says. “This will enable a generation user opportunity of innovative services that will promote longer-term economic growth in member states and in the telecoms sector as a whole.” Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to This will mean more common technology, services and innova- raise their game tion that businesses all over the EU can enjoy – although it will require plenty of operator investment in backhaul network ser- Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the vices to scale to meet greater traffic volumes. internet of things Mikael Schachne, vice-president of mobile data business at network wholesaler BICS – which acts as a go-between provider of Delivering success connectivity for a number of European mobile carriers – is already with DevOps planning to invest in the firm’s infrastructure to accommodate the death of what he refers to as “silent roamers” – users who switch off data when abroad. He says BICS has seen a rise in active roamers since the EU Cheaper and harmonised roaming not only capped roaming charges, and anticipates this will continue. “If the reduces costs for businesses, but will ultimately price goes down, use goes up, which equals more requirement for lead to consolidation and unification across the 28 connectivity,” says Schachne. “We expect to see more roaming EU member states, both in markets and platforms traffic on our network in the years to come.”n

cw europe January 2016 6 DATA PRIVACY

Home Editorial Will the Paris terror attacks spur How changes in mobile roaming charges will affect business users France to compromise data protection?

Will the Paris terror attacks spur France Terrorism often prompts governments to erode privacy, but EU law will curb any such move in France, says Pat Brans to compromise data protection measures?

The 4G network in n 13 November 2015, terrorists conducted simultaneous In the final analysis, when it comes to the eternal balancing act France: The business attacks at several locations in Paris, leaving more than between individual liberties and the common good of society, user opportunity O130 people dead. The French government responded by France reacts no differently to terrorism than the US. Less than enacting a state of emergency, which allowed government agen- a week after the terrorist attacks in Paris, French newspaper Le Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to cies to search homes without warrants and block websites. Figaro and radio station RTL conducted a survey in which 84% raise their game There’s no doubt that extraordinary measures were called for – of respondents expressed a willingness to accept higher surveil- and the French government’s efforts paid off. A number of terror- lance in exchange for greater security. Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the ists were caught and other attacks probably prevented. The present state of data privacy in France – with the European internet of things But will these measures extend to data privacy? Will the French Court of Justice’s wranglings over the EU-US Safe Harbour agree- government soften its stance on data protection in legal battles ment in the run-up to the expected passing of the EU General Delivering success with the US? And will it allow US authorities to violate French data Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) overhaul to European data with DevOps protection law, in the hope of reducing the threat of terrorism? protection – owes its existence to events over 30 years ago. There are two reasons to believe the French government could do just that: The French government has already allowed the US The origins of data privacy in France government to infringe privacy laws in France. French banks oper- In 1978, France enacted the Loi Informatique et Libertés leg- ating in the US provide the US tax authorities with information islation to protect citizens’ privacy. This wasn’t created out of on the French bank accounts of US citizens living in France. And the blue; it was created in reaction to a secret interior ministry French and other European governments rely on data collected project, started in 1973, which aimed to identify individuals by by US agencies, such as the CIA and the NSA, to track terrorists. cross-analysing electronic files.

cw europe January 2016 7 DATA PRIVACY

Home

Editorial Once this project was revealed to the public, in a 1974 article in the newspaper Le Monde, it took the French government four How changes in mobile years to pass legislation to protect citizens against the invasion of roaming charges will affect business users their privacy. It was one of the world’s first data protection laws. The legislation proved solid and most of the Loi Informatique

Will the Paris terror et Liberté is still intact today. French prime minister Manuel Valls attacks spur France said the fact that the law had lasted so long “explains how par- to compromise data protection measures? ticularly sensitive French people are to the issue”. Some years later the European Union (EU) passed laws around

The 4G network in data protection, and the US was deemed an unsafe territory for France: The business European companies to transfer data to. Companies that trans- user opportunity ferred data to such unsafe territories would be acting illegally, and could be fined as much as €150,000 in France. Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to In 2000 the US reacted through the US Department of raise their game Commerce, proposing the Safe Harbour Framework. The EU and the US Department of Commerce agreed the proposal, under Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the which organisations self-certify – meaning they look over the internet of things rules of the framework, and confirm that they do indeed follow them. They would then be added to the list of 5,000 or so US Delivering success companies that adhered to the Safe Harbour Framework. with DevOps ECJ throws out Safe Harbour agreement Google, Amazon, Microsoft and all the other US data giants self- Governments often respond certified. Why shouldn’t they? All they had to do was to claim to threats by curtailing civil they complied with the rules – and in the event that they were liberties such as data privacy found not to comply, the US Department of Commerce would – but the EU General Data fine them up to $16,000 a day. These sanctions were never very Protection Regulation should

frightening to the biggest companies. curb that in France LOUYOT/ISTOCK GUILLAUME

cw europe January 2016 8 DATA PRIVACY

Home

Editorial Perhaps not surprisingly, the Safe Harbour Framework didn’t After October 2015, when the ECJ rejected the Safe Harbour stand up in the European Court of Justice (ECJ). In October 2015, Framework, it was clear that the US and EU governments were How changes in mobile the framework was struck down by the ECJ on the grounds the US heading for legal battles. But this came as no surprise to anybody roaming charges will affect business users authorities are under no obligation to comply with the agreement. who had taken a close look. Several years before, a researcher So no matter what the framework says, companies at the CERSA/CNRS in Paris, Primavera De Filippi,

Will the Paris terror who choose to have their European customer noted that “several provisions of the Patriot Act attacks spur France data stored in the US are doing so in violation are known to clash with various aspects of to compromise data protection measures? of European law. European data privacy laws, insofar as they K O The EU and the US government scram- Y allow for US authorities to legally request A 7 9 / bled to come up with an arrangement I access to foreign personal data stored The 4G network in S T France: The business O to facilitate the intentions of the Safe C or transferred in to the US”. user opportunity K Harbour Framework. But the trouble In the end, the provisions of the EU is, any agreement they reach remains General Data Protection Regulation Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to in conflict with US law that requires (GDPR) – expected to pass into law raise their game US companies to turn over data to by the early part of this year – and its the US government on request. anticipated clash with the demands Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the of the US Patriot Act, look set to sub- internet of things The US Patriot Act ordinate the instincts of the French How did freedom-loving US citizens government in trading off data privacy Delivering success come to accept such an infringement on to reduce the threat of more terrorist with DevOps their privacy? Like any other people in the attacks on French soil. world, when they feel threatened from out- The French government may carry on turn- side, Americans are willing to loosen the reins ing a blind eye to isolated cases of conflict – such on government in the hope that it will protect them as with French banks operating in the US – where it from evil. In the US, loosening the reins on the government took proves expedient. But one of the notable distinctions between the the form of the US Patriot Act, which made it easier for agen- GDPR and the previous European data protection directive lies in cies such as the CIA and the NSA to collect electronic data on the fact that it will not be subject to interpretation by individual anyone they want. member states’ governments when passing into sovereign law. n

cw europe January 2016 9 MOBILE NETWORKS 4G in France: The business rance has completed an auction of six blocks of 700MHz frequencies to provide its four mobile network opera- user opportunity tors with additional spectrum for LTE, LTE-Advanced and future 5G networks. Now France has auctioned off the spectrum to mobile operators, FIt had been speculated that Free Mobile – which entered France’s Anne Morris looks at what it will mean for business users mobile market in 2012 and has been quickly building its 3G and 4G networks ever since – would either be allocated 700MHz frequencies by regulator Arcep, or would struggle to get any spectrum at all. Neither scenario materialised: Both Free Mobile and Orange succeeded in obtaining two 5MHz duplex blocks, while Bouygues Telecom and SFR each gained one block. Frédéric Pujol, head of the radio technologies and spectrum practice at consultancy and research firm Idate, says it was crucial that Free Mobile obtained 700MHz spectrum. “It makes a real difference to Free Mobile,” says Pujol. The spectrum provides the operator with its first low-range frequencies and will enable it to accelerate the roll-out of 4G services across France. The company now holds 55MHz of 3G and 4G frequencies in total, following the auction. Orange now has over 90MHz of spectrum in total, while SFR has 80MHz of spectrum assets. Bouygues Telecom says its range of frequencies now represents 25% of the available spectrum. Orange is currently in preliminary talks with Bouygues Group with a view to buying the Bouygues Telecom mobile network. The additional spectrum assets will help operators improve services to consumers and business customers with better coverage and more capacity. As of November 2015, 22,110 mobile masts MATHISWORKS/ISTOCK HOME

cw europe January 2016 10 MOBILE NETWORKS

Home

Editorial had been authorised for 4G in France, according to to more than 60 million SIM cards, compared with figures from France’s frequencies agency, ANFR. ❯Orange has beefed up its growth of 3.1% a year earlier. How changes in mobile Orange has 8,028 towers, followed by Bouygues internet of things strategy A company on average spends just over €30 per roaming charges will and announced a long-range affect business users Telecom with 6,789. Free Mobile has now over- network to support IoT projects month for each subscribed line, compared with taken SFR to take third position with 5,164 masts, in 17 urban areas in France. €20 per month for residential subscriptions.

Will the Paris terror and Numericable-SFR takes fourth place with Orange, Bouygues Telecom and SFR all sell attacks spur France 3,697 transmitters. mobile plans to business customers, and place a to compromise data protection measures? The consumer market in France is already strong focus on elements such as data multi-SIM highly competitive, largely thanks to Free Mobile, which recently plans to share data allowances, multi-service bundles combining

The 4G network in launched a 50GB 4G plan for €19.99 a month. Free Mobile does fixed and mobile services, inclusive data roaming, national Wi-Fi, France: The business not yet offer specific plans for business customers but, interest- dedicated business support and cloud services, such as Le Cloud user opportunity ingly, its consumer plans have attracted the attention of small Pro from Orange. businesses, because of the low prices and high inclusivity of 3G Valérie Cussac, vice-president of mobile, France and Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to – and now 4G – data volumes. International, at Orange Business Services, says the company’s raise their game 4G network is a “key asset when thinking about mobile workers, Operators’ business packages working in the enterprise’s premises but also when visiting their Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the If Free Mobile steps up its efforts to provide more targeted customers or at home”. internet of things enterprise offerings with similarly competitive rates to its con- “The indoor and outdoor coverage combined with always- sumer plans, it could prove much more disruptive in the market expanding bandwidth, for both downlink and uplink channels, Delivering success for business users. are opening new fields for our busi- with DevOps The enterprise market is certainly ness customers. Above the per- valuable to operators. According formance, what really matters to to Arcep, the business market is “Eighteen months after launch, customers is how they use mobile,” maintaining consistent growth, ris- all enterprise offers have says Cussac. ing 2.9% year on year in the second “One of the most concrete exam- quarter of 2015, with 7.8 million SIM become 4G-ready” ples is how our very high broad- cards. That compares with a rise of band networks are enabling the Valérie Cussac, Orange just 0.4% in the residential market digital workspace, especially when

cw europe January 2016 11 MOBILE NETWORKS

Home

Editorial the IT resources of the company are outsourced in the cloud. have yet to benefit from the same Then the mobile network is all the more critical for VITALII TKACHUK/ISTOCK reductions,” he says. How changes in mobile the business,” she adds. Idate’s Pujol says mobile oper- roaming charges will affect business users Orange manages more than two ators do not make much effort million small to medium-sized to compete in the business

Will the Paris terror enterprises (SMEs) and busi- market, as was evident from attacks spur France ness customers in France, 50,000 his company’s own experi- to compromise data protection measures? medium and large enterprises, 250 ence as an SME with 50 key accounts, as well as 3,000 inter- mobile lines. “The tariffs

The 4G network in national large accounts. are generally quite high,” France: The business Cussac says all the firm’s services are he says. user opportunity accessible from its 4G network, rang- Pujol points out that tar- ing from packaged services for SMEs iffs for business users are very Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to through to tailor-made services for key complicated, making it difficult for raise their game clients. “Eighteen months after launch, all an enterprise to compare and anticipate costs. enterprise offers have become 4G-ready,” He says organisations would find it useful to have simple Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the she says. analysis tools with which to gain a clearer view of pricing. internet of things Orange’s Cussac says network operators are responding to Complex business tariffs business demands for mobile services, but they face different Delivering success Hervé Dhélin, worldwide marketing director at communications challenges, depending on who leads the adoption of mobile ser- with DevOps supplier EfficientIP, says most 4G providers and mobile phone vices in the organisation. operators generally offer a good service, but warned that the For example, the CTO at public accounting firm BDO wanted to level and standard of customer support remains an issue. put applications in the cloud. “It equipped its teams with smart- He says Free Mobile has not yet fully embraced business cus- phones and 4G Dominos routers to quickly download and update tomers. “Free offers low-cost contracts for which it only provides large and critical files in real time,” she says. online support and, although Free has decreased costs for indi- Meanwhile, a human resource consulting company deployed vidual customers – I have reduced my personal monthly bill from 4G tablets to enable an innovative way of recruiting people using an average of €65 per month to €15.99 – business customers video-conferencing application Visioconference, says Cussac. n

cw europe January 2016 12 MEASURING SOFTWARE QUALITY

Testing software: Time for uropean CIOs have made progress in measuring software quality, but there remains work to do, according to speakers at a recent event in Brussels. The European CIO CIOs to raise their game Forum, held by software quality measurement specialist ECast Software – which attracted about 100 IT leaders from across IT leaders across Europe have more work to do to ensure the structural Europe – covered the challenges and benefits of measurement. quality of their software is sound. Mark Samuels explains When attendees were asked about their own progress, not one said they had implemented quality assurance testing across every area of software development. Andrew Agerbak, associate director at the Boston Consulting Group, said more effort was required on the part of European CIOs and their suppliers. “We’ve seen a lot of success when organisations use key performance indicators across vendors to agree a set of performance outcomes. It doesn’t mean the tensions go away, but every party knows what they’re working towards. Conversations about value don’t often happen in regards to IT, and knowing what the priorities are is really beneficial.” Testing times Danielle Jacobs, general manager of Belgian IT leadership asso- ciation Beltug, said European CIOs need to pay more attention to software testing. Her organisation has undertaken detailed research, focusing specifically on the Belgian market. Jacobs said the issues surrounding software testing are complex. While software is at the core of most modern organisations, there are significant differences in how measurement is used in organisations, such as those that are regulated and those that are not. “Many people believe testing is a mature discipline, but we DESTINA/FOTOLIA HOME

cw europe January 2016 13 MEASURING SOFTWARE QUALITY

Home

Editorial believe a lot of opportunities for change exist,” she specialist Proximus, is another IT leader who ❯Usability testing generally said. “There is a gap between what companies want takes place early in a project believes organisations that use testing can become How changes in mobile to do and where they are in reality.” cycle, and the end result fixated on cost. “I only have one expectation – and roaming charges will is often a prototype that affect business users The European CIO Forum did, however, demon- that is that my team delivers 400 to 500 initiatives strate that some big name European firms have presents the look and feel to the business in a year,” he said. “Every project is of the application. Will the Paris terror made progress. Paul Thysens, CIO at BNP Paribas important and cost can create emotional debates.” attacks spur France Fortis, said the bank is introducing a performance De Clercq is currently evaluating Cast Software. to compromise data protection measures? measurement system that measures the quality of The key lesson learned so far is that measurement all applications. He said the cost of software is always important, must be embedded in the processes of the organisation. “Any fig-

The 4G network in but CIOs should not use testing to simply track total outgoings. ures that can be used to help defend your position are really help- France: The business Productivity measures, for example, are crucial. Thysens said ful,” he said. “That’s why software measurement is so important.” user opportunity BNP Paribas Fortis analyses certain key elements, such as cost per function and the maintainability of software. “The benefits of Testing software: Agile approach It’s time for CIOs to testing should be related to making people great, not your tools,” Francois Bonifacio, managing director of IT services at labo- raise their game he said. “If your workers aren’t motivated, and they see testing as ratory specialist Eurofins, said his firm uses Cast Software to a way to monitor their roles, then you won’t be successful. You test software created through an agile development approach. Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the must position testing as a support mechanism.” Testing is used in an attempt to improve software quality. “If internet of things Thysens said workers should be trained to interpret results and you’re driving a fast car, you can’t drive it with your eyes closed,” prioritise key actions for the business. “The objective of testing said Bonifacio. “In agile, you need a lot of discipline because you Delivering success should be to improve the overall quality of your software,” he are working directly with the business every day and they will not with DevOps said. “There is a business impact accept it if you don’t work in a dis- because, once you link design into ciplined way. If you don’t measure, quality, you can start fine-tuning “If your workers see testing as the business will lose track. If you strategy in regards to where you put do measure, you will increase con- your money and your efforts.” a way to monitor their roles, fidence across the business, even if Gerdy De Clercq, head of inte- then you won t be successful you change direction,” he said. “You grated solutions and transforma- ’ ” have to prove that you’re moving tion at mobile telecommunications Paul Thysens, BNP Paribas Fortis forward in the right direction.”

cw europe January 2016 14 MEASURING SOFTWARE QUALITY

Home

Editorial Bonifacio said Eurofins had an issue with a low-performing web system. The firm used measuring to isolate modules and decide How changes in mobile which areas needed to be modified. “Testing saves costs in terms roaming charges will affect business users of development and refactoring,” he said. “It can be difficult to YABRESSE/FOTOLIA measure business benefits, such as cost. But for the customers,

Will the Paris terror the benefits of testing come in terms of service quality.” attacks spur France to compromise data protection measures? The benefits of testing Geert Ensing, former CIO at ABN Amro, said there are three

The 4G network in crucial ways that European technology chiefs can benefit from France: The business an investment in testing. First, guarantees around high-quality user opportunity technology operations are now essential because modern IT systems are highly integrated in the way businesses serve their Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to customers. Second, ever-rising system complexity means IT raise their game managers must be aware of how modifications to one platform can affect other applications. Finally, technology departments will Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the have already invested money in testing and it is crucial that CIOs internet of things exploit this. “It takes major effort for businesses to know the end results are reliable,” he said. Delivering success When it comes to progress on testing in Europe, Ensing said with DevOps ake an integrated approach CIOs across the region are broadly in sync with the efforts of “T other IT managers around the globe. Where variations exist, he and industrialise your process said, they are between individual firms and sectors of operation. “Take an integrated approach and make sure you industrialise in regards to the tracking and your process in regards to the tracking and tracing of modifications,” said Ensing. “Work closely with your external partners, too. tracing of modifications” Every change must be translated, and its potential impact on the Geert Ensing, ABN Amro business and its customers considered.” n

cw europe January 2016 15 INTERNET OF THINGS Taiwan: The engine room treaking across the Taiwanese hinterland on its superfast bullet train service, presented with an apparently end- of the internet of things less vista of light industrial units, crowded freeways and shabby apartment blocks, something becomes immedi- Alex Scroxton travelled to Taiwan to meet some of the companies Sately obvious to the first-time visitor: Taiwan is taking capitalism that are quietly laying the foundations for the internet of things to the extreme. Thanks to the weight of history and the overtures of its power ful neighbour, this little-understood and hard-to-reach island remains diplomatically isolated and officially friendless. It is a humid, crowded and intense place, but for those who seek an understanding of the IT industry beneath the surface, it is a place of pilgrimage. Taiwan may not be where it all began – Alan Turing was born in Maida Vale and Ada Lovelace is buried in Nottingham – but it is where a great deal of IT begins. The silicon chip made Taiwan rich and, today, its industrialists and businessmen are quietly laying the foundations of the next evolution of IT – the connected, digital, smart society and, of course, the internet of things (IoT). Component giants At the heart of the IoT are sensors, components and silicon, so given its history, it is hardly a surprise that Taiwan is taking the lead here. British semiconductor supplier ARM recently opened the doors of its central processing unit (CPU) design centre in the city of Hsinchu. It is the first CPU design centre in Asia and will focus on the design and delivery of its Cortex-M family of processors. DRICAL/POLIGRAFISTKA/ISTOCK HOME

cw europe January 2016 16 INTERNET OF THINGS

Home

Editorial ARM believes the Cortex-M will be instrumen- authorities recently introduced electronic traffic ❯With the expansion of the IoT tal to the IoT, thanks to its small footprint and low market, protecting your firm’s control on its motorway network, automating tolls How changes in mobile power requirements, which it claims make it suit- data and IP is more important across the country. roaming charges will than ever. Click here to read affect business users able for, among other things, smart street lighting, Although automated tolls are common world- home energy monitoring, connected appliances how to put security at the core wide, Advantech is taking the idea to its logical of the IoT proposition. Will the Paris terror and wearable devices. conclusion. Up until now, vehicles carrying elec- attacks spur France Peter Hsieh, general manager of ARM Taiwan, tronic tags have had to slow down to drive through to compromise data protection measures? wants to create a “revolution for entry-level a gate, but the Taiwanese are removing these toll devices” to bring the internet to everyone. plazas and replacing them with overhead gantries.

The 4G network in Having transformed the mobile device market through suc- Internet-connected cameras mounted on these gantries detect France: The business cessfully licensing its CPU designs to smartphone builders that and record approaching licence plates and tags and transmit the user opportunity lack the expertise, Hsieh says ARM hopes to replicate this model data to a processing centre, where usage and appropriate tolls are when it comes to the silicon needed to drive the IoT. calculated and charged automatically. Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to “We will bring intelligence and connectivity everywhere, not To date, 319 of its contactless toll booth gantries have been raise their game only smartphones and PCs, but in future devices in the home, fac- set up across Taiwan, and are processing an average of 14 mil- tories and businesses. All will be connected with intelligence built lion transactions a day. Advantech estimates that, because cars Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the into the devices,” he says. no longer have to slow down, its systems are already saving internet of things Advantech is another large local firm taking full advantage of the Taiwanese motorists time and 60 million litres of fuel per annum. growth potential of the IoT. It has been providing IoT-like embed- Delivering success ded automation and compute platforms since the 1980s, but now Connected kitchens with DevOps these platforms are going beyond their traditional industrial bases It is not merely big hardware companies such as ARM and and hitting the mainstream, Advantech has evolved as well. Advantech developing IoT systems in Taiwan: the companies According to a recent smart city whitepaper produced by the that build the things the IoT will connect to are also sitting up company, having spent some 30 years developing the underlying and taking notice. hardware that has made the IoT possible, Taiwan now finds itself Sakura Group is one such company. Founded in the 1970s, the in the right place, at the right time, to carve out a niche of its own. Taichung, central Taiwan-based firm is one of the largest suppli- Thanks to Advantech, Taiwan is already implementing smart ers – if not the largest supplier – of kitchen appliances and equip- city systems, not just as part of a pilot test, but in the field: the ment in south-east Asia.

cw europe January 2016 17 INTERNET OF THINGS

Home

Editorial A popular and much-criticised trope in the west is to talk about communication with the driver, it can also monitor vehicle activ- the IoT only in terms of connected appliances, so Sakura provides ity and safety in real time, through a network of in-vehicle sen- How changes in mobile an interesting case study, because connected appliances sit at the sors that place the vehicle at the centre of an overhead view of its roaming charges will affect business users heart of its strategy. immediate environment. Among the applications Sakura Hsinchu-based Holux is also mov-

Will the Paris terror is exploring are connected water ing into the IoT from a background attacks spur France heaters, gas hobs and range hoods, “The IoT is a great opportunity in the automotive sector. But its to compromise data protection measures? which consumers will eventually be as long as we open up and change of focus is a response to the able to control over a wired or wire- decimation of its previously suc- The 4G network in less connection. allow innovative companies cessful GPS system business at the France: The business Sakura’s appliances will also have hands of smartphones and naviga- user opportunity a certain degree of autonomy built to engage with us” tion apps. Its answer is to use its in. For example, future generations GPS heritage to expand into health- Testing software: Marc Nadell, MediaTek Labs It’s time for CIOs to of its gas hobs will be able to detect care and wearables, and it has suc- raise their game whether there is a pan on the trivet, cessfully brought to market a com- and shut off the gas supply if one is not found. Meanwhile, its bined activity and health monitoring smartwatch product, the Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the hoods will use smoke detectors to power up or down as appropri- Impulse 8100. Although in many ways a standard sports watch, internet of things ate, removing the need for manual control. the Impulse 8100, which has a 1.28in touchscreen and weighs Mobiletron, which occupies a large and curiously empty office about 56g, also incorporates a feature designed to detect fatigue Delivering success block on the other side of Taichung, is a specialist in automotive in drivers – perhaps harking back to Holux’s legacy GPS devices – with DevOps electronics and components, producing engine parts and preci- to help it stand out in an increasingly crowded wearables market, sion machine tools for mechanics. It is now seeking to break into according to director of sales and marketing, Eddy Huang. connected cars – its internal parlance refers to the internet of “Early on, we recognised the need for a unique selling point. vehicles – with products such as high-definition cameras, tele Driving fatigue detection – based on heart rate – provides an early matics and gateways. warning for drivers as a key differentiator,” says Huang. Mobiletron demonstrated its internet of vehicles system – However, Holux is also expanding its IoT ecosystem beyond designed as a tool for fleet management – over a live feed to wearables outside the home, with its recently developed IoLiving one of its trucks driving around the city. Besides enabling direct lines for smart homes and businesses.

cw europe January 2016 18 INTERNET OF THINGS

Home

Editorial Based on the idea that the most common variables measured by IoT devices are temperature and movement, IoLiving sensors can How changes in mobile be deployed in service of a number of objectives, such as monitor- roaming charges will affect business users ing air quality and room temperature in the home, improving food safety standards in restaurant kitchens, or simply making sure

Will the Paris terror children or elderly relatives are keeping active. attacks spur France Each sensor stores its data locally and uploads it to the cloud to compromise data protection measures? whenever its paired device moves within range, in effect eliminat- ing the need to install wireless networking infrastructure. In this

The 4G network in way, says Holux, it hopes to lower some of the barriers to entry France: The business to the IoT. user opportunity

Testing software: Innovative startups seek funding It’s time for CIOs to Back in Taipei, at the Taiwanese government’s Institute for raise their game Information Industry (III), a number of local startups shared some insight into life for developers in Taiwan, which differs from Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the the UK’s in one major aspect: whereas in the UK, startups have internet of things tended to concentrate on the code and the application, in Taiwan the focus is very much on the device itself. Delivering success Anecdotally, this is thought to have been caused by a shift in with DevOps policy following the 2001 dot com crash. Having seen what hap- pened to the software industry, the Taiwanese government got MediaTek Labs cold feet and pushed people into hardware instead. has backed Serafim Technologies – which bills itself as sitting “at the inter- Skuromoto, a service section of hardware and software for wearable technology” – that helps Taiwanese provides a good example of the sort of company the Taiwanese students to track down government has supported up to now. Serafim has developed and rent scooters

a product called Odin, a new type of mouse, which uses laser INTRAPRES/ISTOCK

cw europe January 2016 19 INTERNET OF THINGS

Home

Editorial technology to project a workspace onto the desk, and translates “The IoT is a great opportunity as long as we open up and allow How changes in mobile movement in that space into actions on a workstation. However, innovative companies to engage with us, get their hands on our roaming charges will affect business users attracting funding for his project was not a smooth process, hardware kit and get the support they need,” says MediaTek Labs explains Serafim’s CEO, GZ Chen. vice-president Marc Nadell. “As long as we can be a part of that

Will the Paris terror “It is not easy to find money in Taiwan. We got our first funding revolution, we are going to benefit because we have the product, attacks spur France round from Japanese investors,” he says. “The government does the supply chain and the relationships.” to compromise data protection measures? support us, but the money is not enough for hardware companies. MediaTek Labs is a free programme for IoT developers and sup- We ended up spending it all on tooling, so you have to find some ports them through the development of IoT devices, cloud ser-

The 4G network in way to build a product to attract more money.” vices and mobile applications. Its online portal provides access France: The business Jerry Chang, CEO of Joyray Technology – developer of a smart- to the MediaTek software development kit, technical support and user opportunity watch for children, called Jumpy – says there are more investors documentation, community forums and a systems catalogue. active in Taiwan now, but most are looking for companies more Some of the ventures it has already backed include Skuromoto, Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to advanced in their lifecycles. a service developed at Yuan Ze University in Taoyuan, which helps raise their game Taiwanese students track down and rent scooters; and Colombia- Talent and innovation in flux based Buggeek, which has developed Zazu, a pet tracker and Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the “Talent is our biggest difficulty. Our young generation is very activity monitor that turns the family dog into a peripheral device. internet of things risk-averse, so we have to pay more to attract them, which is a Alchema, another local startup, might also prove popular with big burden to startups. Fundraising is getting better, but it is not students. Its system was developed using MediaTek’s LinkIt One Delivering success as good as in mainland China,” says Chang. development board, a $59 open-source, high-performance board with DevOps However, he adds, there are signs of change. “The biggest for prototyping IoT devices, based on MediaTek’s Aster system- Taiwanese ICT companies are all original equipment manufactur- on-a-chip (SoC), combined with Wi-Fi and GPS chipsets and pin- ers; they have momentum and energy. They are becoming a little out features to Arduino boards – and it brews beer or wine for you. more willing to help hardware-oriented companies,” he says. The IoT home brew kit holds about a litre and comes with 100 Hsinchu-based fabless semiconductor firmMediaTek has seen recipes for beer and wine. Onboard sensors monitor aspects of the way the wind is blowing when it comes to IoT startups. Earlier the brewing process such as temperature, acidity and alcohol in 2015, it gave $300m for a new venture to back startups in China content, and feed the data into a mobile app. Unfortunately, there and Taiwan, Europe, Japan and the US. is, as yet, no information on availability in the UK. n

cw europe January 2016 20 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Delivering success with DevOps Organisations need to get rid of change request forms, make friends with change control management and get teams to communicate and share ideas. Lis Evenstad reports

s demand for ever-increasing flexibility and faster delivery of IT and technology grows, tearing down silos between development and operations is key. A DevOps culture is emerging to support this drive Atowards more agile and automated processes, which are replacing long development and testing cycles and delivering faster and better. How to do this and what DevOps really means were among the topics discussed at a recent CW500 Club event. On the surface, DevOps sounds remarkably straightforward, but getting software developers and IT operations personnel, who come from different worlds and traditionally keep interaction to a minimum, to talk and work together can be tricky. “It’s about getting people to sit together, talk together and have honest conversations,” says CW500 panellist John Fredrickson, online DevOps and cloud manager at Sky. “It’s about getting different teams to talk about what you like to have, what’s working, what’s not working and seeing what you can do about it.” SHIVENDUJAUHARI/ISTOCK HOME

cw europe January 2016 21 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Home

Editorial DevOps requires cultural change the problems in the DevOps world is recruitment, The idea is to enable IT departments to test and ❯At some point businesses and I’m not sure we’ve totally cracked it. Mention How changes in mobile release updates and new products faster, increas- will need to invoke a disaster DevOps to anyone and it’s an extra 20% in salary. roaming charges will recovery plan, but does it cover affect business users ing automation and monitoring tools. With the everything the modern digital It can be really difficult to retain and recruit the emergence of DevOps, suppliers are pumping out company needs? right people,” says Fredrickson.

Will the Paris terror different products to help this agile way of working, At Sky, the goal is to get everyone involved in the attacks spur France but Fredrickson warns people not to get too caught process. “Our systems talk to each other, so if we to compromise data protection measures? up in buying different tools. roll out a feature in one system, people need to be “The main challenge is not really a tech challenge, but a com- talking to each other as well,” he says.

The 4G network in munication challenge. If we can get people to communicate and To do that, Sky has begun to make a range of the environments France: The business collaborate more, the technology just seems to work,” he says. on which it delivers services widely available in the business so user opportunity “There’s a huge choice of technology for automation, for deliv- people can share ideas and innovation. ery. There seems to be a new DevOps tool out every week. The “That can make us do things a bit quicker,” says Fredrickson. Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to constant factor is the people and the teams. If we can get people raise their game together to share ideas and see what works, that’s how DevOps is Development and operations versus DevOps most successful for us,” he adds. Another organisation which has embraced DevOps is British Gas Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the Traditionally, the real problem with delivering technology is Connected Homes. The company, which operates much like a internet of things hand-offs between teams. To update a product, the job may be startup, is a fully autonomous unit of its parent, British Gas. passed between several teams, Connected Homes has a complex Delivering success some of which may be “very inno- structure, with a range of products with DevOps vative” whereas others may operate “Getting people together that vary in their maturity levels and in a different way. This drags out the product teams that work from dif- development cycle and is not really to share ideas and see what ferent locations in the UK. in line with fast delivery. When it first decided to embrace So how do you solve that? “There’s works is how DevOps is most DevOps, Connected Homes ran a no magic bullet,” says Fredrickson. successful for us centralised DevOps team across all Another challenge is attracting ” its products, but the varied levels of people with the right skills. “One of John Fredrickson, Sky maturity and different technologies

cw europe January 2016 22 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Home

Editorial made servicing the requirements very difficult, says CW500 pan- Automating change ellist Chris Livermore, head of operations at Connected Homes. Change processes are often long, laborious and involve various How changes in mobile Instead, Livermore now has around 14 DevOps engineers levels of sign-off, but if companies are to keep up with competi- roaming charges will affect business users embedded in the various teams. To him, DevOps is the collab- tors and push out new features and updates quicker, something oration between developers and operations. “You know you are has to give.

Will the Paris terror doing DevOps if you have a collaborative DevOps team,” he says. “A bugbear of mine is change control risk management,” attacks spur France “If you have an operations team and a development team, Livermore says, adding that he hates change request forms. “I to compromise data protection measures? plus a DevOps team that sits in the middle, you have some- absolutely refuse to complete any kind of paperwork like this. It what missed the point,” he adds, has no place for me in a world of

The 4G network in although he acknowledges that it automated deployment and test- France: The business could be a way of transitioning to a “If you have an operations ing,” he says. user opportunity “full-blown DevOps”. “To me, the change process hap- “I like to see our operations engi- team and a development team, pens at the development and Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to neers being part of the full lifecycle plus a DevOps team that design part. Releasing a code to live raise their game of the software. They’re as much should be a formality. My issue with entitled to have an opinion on how sits in the middle, you have change control is it has to happen in Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the the software should be designed the right point of the process. The internet of things and architected as the archi- somewhat missed the point” developer should not even be work- tects and software developers,” Chris Livermore, British Gas Connected homes ing on a feature if it hasn’t been Delivering success says Livermore. approved, so that’s where you do with DevOps He adds that there is clear demar- the change control.” cation between what he expects a technology developer to The problem, he says, is that when something doesn’t work, do and what he expects an operations engineer to do: “In my it’s easy to fall back to “what you know” and wrap more process world, the developer is responsible for the code, and those two around it. teams come together to create the solution. You should be able At Connected Homes, some of its more mature products have to move people around; the development team needs to under- automated change processes, especially those that have full, stand operations and the ops guys need to understand the continuous integration into delivery. Product owners are in com- development experience.” plete control over when they release, and can release as often as

cw europe January 2016 23 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Home

Editorial they want, says Livermore, and the release process is enforced by the automation. Sky’s approach to automating change is to be friendly and How changes in mobile For less mature products that aren’t automated, Connected compromise with its change roaming charges will Homes has an offshore testing centre in India. “However, I think affect business users management colleagues about 20% of that time is spent trying to automate tests, so with

Will the Paris terror every release the idea is that the manual testing gets less and attacks spur France automated more,” he says. to compromise data protection measures? At Sky, the approach is to “be friendly with our change management colleagues”, says Fredrickson. “Some of our teams are

The 4G network in happy to do continuous deployments and demonstrate what France: The business they’re doing, how they’re doing it and hopefully get buy-in user opportunity that you don’t need to follow a process, you’ve got the process baked in.” Testing software: It’s time for CIOs to Sky started off with a compromise that some teams that do raise their game small changes would have approval to do that, and adjust the change request when a major change is to take place. “It’s a small Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the victory, you can’t win everything,” he says. internet of things Making DevOps work Delivering success Going down the DevOps route requires stamina, determination with DevOps and, most of all, getting your IT department on board with it. Fredrickson says making things that used to take a while – such as firewalls and some domain name system changes, which used to be process driven – faster and self-service are real wins which “people get quite excited about”. “Look to see where you can reduce friction in your organisation and see if you can find ways of making things more self-service

and make things faster,” he says. n FRANCKREPORTER/ISTOCK

cw europe January 2016 24