Google Chrome: My New Favourite Software!

Apologies first for a slight departure from IT Service Management matters but I just have to tell you about my new favourite software.

I’m not normally the type to get over-excited by software. I like it to do it’s job and, if it doesn’t cause me too much grief in the process, I’m usually happy, but I don’t shout about it. If it is software for the home I might have a quiet word with a couple of my friends to let them know but, more often than not, they will already know about it and have already tested it to destruction (yes Martin I mean you). If the software in question is business-related I’ll mention it to customers if it is relevant to them but otherwise I usually keep it to myself. After all, choice of software is often quite personal and most experienced IT users are able to up their minds for themselves.

So why I am writing about Google Chrome? It isn’t just because Chrome is an excellent piece of software. It is undoubtedly an excellent application but it has the potential to be much more than just the fastest web browser on the planet. The experts predict that, within 12 months, we will see the first PCs running on a “Chrome” based operating system and I have no reason to doubt this. Google are a business and, apart from trying to upset Microsoft, they have no reason to launch a web browser unless it is going to make them money in the long run.

For some time now Google have been offering web-based applications for home and business (check them out at http://www.google.com/apps/, not that they need any free advertising from me). The apps themselves are great but you need an operating system and a web browser to use them so Microsoft (for the non-Linux users among you) still get a very large share of the Google pie even if Google have eaten into the Microsoft Office market in a small way. Removing the need for an independent operating system and making a PC, laptop, palm device or phone work on Chrome is a perfect way for Google to dominate the world in much the same way that Microsoft has done for as long as anyone can remember. Personally I can’t wait!

And why do I like Google Chrome so much? Like most people I use the web extensively for work and play and ever since I started with Netscape Navigator about 100 years ago I’ve been searching for the perfect web browser. For a short time I was lured by the bright lights of Internet Explorer, then the stripped-down functionality of Opera and the millions of add-ons for Firefox. However all of them had their downside; IE was too flabby and clunky, Opera was just a little bit boring and I never used any of the add-ons I’d installed with Firefox (except maybe the ebay companion). All I want to do is browse the web, listen to music, watch video and check my e-mail and Chrome does all of this really well with the minimum of fuss and at great speed (and I love the way you get a picture of your most visited web pages on your home page). 

If you use Windows XP or Vista and haven’t already tried Google Chrome get it now from http://www.google.com/chrome. If you are using Linux you will have to wait a while for Chrome but you can sign up here http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/linux.html to find out as soon as it released.

Which ITIL Version is Right for Me? – Part One

I’m often asked by companies just starting to roll-out formal Service Management processes which ITIL version they should use. The answer I give them depends on a number of factors:

1. Have they got any formal processes in place already? If they have there is a good chance that these have been based on a version of ITIL, even if they don’t know it. Chances are that these processes have been in place for some time and have therefore been based on ITIL v2. In this scenario I would advise them to continue with the version they are already familiar with, at least until all the existing processes have been audited. If the majority of existing processes are deemed fit for purpose following an audit stay on your existing version of ITIL. If most of the existing processes are being discarded you might as well start from scratch on v3.

2. Do you have any staff with ITIL qualifications? If you have staff with v2 qualifications you probably want to implement v2 first. If, however, you’ve got someone with the v3 Master or Expert qualifications you might want to go straight to v3.

3. Are you going to need outside help? The number of v3 qualified consultants is rising quickly but there are still many more people with v2 knowledge than with v3. Also, most of the pitfalls of a v2 implementation have been discovered (sometimes painfully) whereas v3 is still largely unknown in the live environment. One further consideration is cost of outside help. Because of the shortage of qualified v3 consultants their advice is likely to cost you more money in the short to medium term. You may, of course, make long term savings by missing out v2 entirely but many businesses don’t plan this far ahead.

4. The final consideration is the nature of your IT Department and its attitude to new technology. Are you normally early adopters or do you like to wait for a solution to be fully tested and bug-fixed by others before you commit to it. If you are one of the few companies to have already implemented Vista throughout the business you are likely to want to jump straight into the relatively untamed wilderness of v3. If you prefer to play it safe you will be much happier with tried and tested v2.