Viva la Twitter!

Ever since time began the media has been very influential in what we do, wither we want to believe it or not they withhold information that they don’t necessarily want us to hear, they give us selective quotes and hype up thing that they feel are right and cast down things they don’t approve of.

This has never been more apparent than during Election time when Parties wait with baited breath to find out who the big hitters in the media will back. Thanks to the internet for the first time ever the Editors and Owners of these media outlets are losing control of the Election and they don’t like it!

Case in Point: Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems are for the first time I can remember keeping up with the big boys – this is not because an Editor has decided to throw their might behind them but because of the debates, where only the party leaders control how their policies are portrayed and the public are responding to how they feel about these policies via twitter. Every second tweet on my list at the moment is about the #GE (general election) and even if I don’t agree with the sentiment I am enjoying the build up to the election this year, I feel involved and engaged.

In a frantic attempt by the newspapers to assert what they feel is their right to be judge and jury over the political manifestos of the day the claws have come out for the Lib Dems -I am sure they got quite the fright when they woke up and realised that they were front page news as they normally get a small mention on the 7th page of the papers!

I should point out that I am in no way a staunch Lib Deb Supported in truth my vote is still available to who I feel responds best to my needs in the last debate. I just am so excited that people are engaging with the General Election by using the internet. I am not suggesting that my Parents or Grandparents will vote differently because of Twitter, but it’s undoubtedly engaging millions of young and thirtysomething voters – the demographic that has traditionally turned their back to politics. I wouldn’t mind betting that the turnout at this General Election will be highest we have seen in a long time.

I just feel really please that the same people that make Jordon a ‘Celebrity’ no longer get to have such a massive influence on what the public think, the Editors and Owners are scared – and so they should be!

The internet and technology has changed the face of politics and voting forever by giving the public a real voice!

www.alchtech.co.uk

A Virtual Leap!

virtual - adjective, temporarily simulated or extended by computer software When the technical team started talking about going virtual, I thought brilliant the future is here, when does my cool visor and headset arrive? I had visions of a second life / Sims style working environment - I would sit at home in my slippers and via a stylishly designed image of myself visit customers and the office in some online virtual world. I was halfway through designing my alter egos outfit when I was brought back to the real world with a bump. It seems that the technology employed by Tom Cruise in the movie Minority Reports is not quite with us yet, unfortunately! So what is virtualization then? When IT companies talk about virtualization, they are usually referring to server virtualization – this means the partitioning of one physical server into several virtual servers. Each virtual machine can interact independently with other hardware, applications, data and users as though it were a separate physical server. You may already know a bit about virtualisation if you've ever divided your computer's hard drive into different partitions, where a hard drive is divided to create two separate hard drives - this is virtualization just on a smaller scale. Why have virtual servers instead of a real one? Save money - By needing less hardware - the average server will run at approximately 10% to 15% of total capacity, with virtualisation you can run several functions on one server cutting down on wasted server space. In the reduction of hardware you are also saving on powering and cooling the servers (which is also good for the environment) Increased Capacity - Many businesses are turning to virtualization when they want to boost the capacity of there IT network without purchasing new hardware. Flexibility - Virtual servers can be moved around easily without rearranging your server room or office. Virtualisation also frees up valuable office space by cutting down on your server footprint. Efficient - Functions such as backing up, archiving, desktop management and disaster recovery are easier and quicker with virtual servers. Less time will be spent maintaining the physical hardware as there is less of it – which means less down time for your business. Is virtualisation for you? If you are a small business with one server and a few desktops then this is probably not a great investment of your IT budget at the moment. If you have more than one server it is something to think about and consider next time you are looking to improve or upgrade your IT network. If you have 3 or more servers this is something that you should seriously consider implementing into your infrastructure. The momentum around virtualisation is likely to continue in the next few years with companies who are looking to cut their carbon footprint, save money and invest in a more efficient reliable network, taking the leap into a virtualized world. Watch this virtual space!