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 DataRealm Software now offers its Digital Warehouse lineup as an online service. This is a great solution for organizations in which adding Digital Warehouse to their existing IT infrastructure might be problematic.
Read more here... |
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 Its impossible to contemplate how many new findings the worlds labs are to uncover in the future. Good news recently broke about one of the most eluding topics of biotechnology. One of the most difficult areas has been looking into the molecular-level workings of living cells. Its been revealed a University of Massachusetts Amherst physicist has completed the construction of an instrument, to look into a working structure of a living cell and uncover secrets such as how enzymes regulate various cell functions.
The microscope has been named Single Molecule TIRF (total internal reflection fluorescence) by its creator Jennifer Ross. The device allows viewing and image capturing of single molecules in real time producing much brighter pictures than commercial instruments currently available.
Ms. Ross and colleagues have began to move forward already working on next steps, to build an even more powerful new microscope with more capabilities using National Science Foundation funding. They will be turning their attention next to a relatively unknown enzyme called fidgetin, named after a mouse strain with a tremor that twitches its head back and forth rather than the usual up and down.
A quote from Ms. Ross stated “We’re seeing such unusual things, we can’t afford to not look at it,” she adds. “I will not be surprised if, in 10 years, we identify numerous bone birth defects that are caused by the lack of this enzyme.”
With thousands of labs diligently working and discovering, we are learning more about our world every day thanks to the efforts of Ms. Ross and many others like her across the globe. |
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With the latest release of DW version 1.4, our team of developers focused on some upgrades that were requested by our customers as well as some features that had been on the drawing board for a while. The end result is a solution that allows users, no matter how many various types of items they want to track (physical, electronic or virtual) DW is now easier to manage it all.
First, configuration of items contained within the system has been made easier. Setup of different item types and the various statuses they can obtain throughout their lifecycle has been refined into a process that requires only a couple of minutes and also helps to eliminate configuration errors.
One of the biggest additions to DW is the added functionality of inventory management. We have been working on this for a while. Our team didn’t want to piece together a “mediocre” tool that just did most of the feature set required, after months of planning and programming, they developed a solution that rivals stand alone solutions that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Again, it is totally customizable to suite whatever (any) labs processes and procedures may be. Automatically track different volumes of dry, wet, refrigerated, frozen or any other type of chemicals you may need to manage. Track user usage levels, expiration dates and much more. Automatic notification will ensure no more running out as chemical levels are depleted.
These are just some of the upgrades that have made it into the latest upgrade of DW. We’re always working to make our solution better, so we can help make our customers manage better.
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Delays in London Authorities Transparency have Departments of US Government Facing Regulatory Action
Some public authorities, including the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defense, failed to meet requirements to reduce the time they take to respond to FOI (freedom of information) requests, the Information Commissioner’s Office announced today.
Thirty three public authorities were monitored for a period of three months by the ICO. This was after issues surfaced about delays in their responses to FOI requests. The IOC is in discussions with several organizations about improvements that still need to be put in place. The Ministry of Defense, Cabinet Office and Birmingham City Council are three areas the Commissioner had particular concerns about delays. Discussions on appropriate regulatory action are now taking place.
Many authorities have maintained or improved their response times sufficiently, and no action is being taken against them. But it was noted that while all of them are now meeting the required standard, the monitoring has revealed some areas of concern.
The ICO has also published its latest list of organizations being monitored. Eighteen public authorities have hit one or more of the following performance markers:
- the ICO has received six or more complaints concerning delay within a six month period;
- it appears that an authority has exceeded the time for compliance by a significant margin on one occasion or more;
- for authorities that publish data on timeliness, it appears that less than 85% of requests are responded to within the appropriate timescales.
Commenting on the publication of the list, Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, said: “Responding promptly to FOI requests is key to delivering citizens’ rights. Too many public authorities are taking too long to decide either way whether to release information or to refuse requests.”
The performance of the public authorities will be monitored for a three-month period, from 1 April to 30 June 2011. The ICO will then collate the findings and expects to make a further announcement on the results, as well as publishing the next list, in the autumn.
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 In a survey conducted with 1,680 senior IT and legal executives from 26 countries, there were several shocking facts that arose from the June 2010 results:
- Approx. 25 percent of backed-up data is not intended for business use or should not be kept
- It is 1,500 times more expensive to review data than to store it
- Only 46 percent of enterprises currently have retention plans in place
- Backup tapes allow for large amounts of data to be stored but it can be difficult to access, therefore making e-discovery an expensive, long and inefficient process
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 A goal has been set by the European Commission (EC) to give all Europeans access to secure online medical health data by 2015 as reported by Government Health IT. "The European Commission is proposing ambitious, wide-ranging public investments in digital technologies that will allow it to tackle looming challenges, including the support of an aging population and limiting health care costs." The EC is also "proposing that a minimum, common set of patient data be defined that will allow patient records to be accessed or exchanged electronically across all of the EU's 27 member states by 2012."
The internet though, is a tool that over 30% of Europeans have never used. So a big push forward in connectivity will have to occur by 2015 if the EC’s plan is to be rewarded to all.
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 From 3% in 2008 to 7% in 2009, that a 112% increase in fraud resulting from exposure of health data. Over 275,000 cases of medical information theft occurred in the United States last year, a Javelin Strategy & Research report found. The study also noted an estimated 19,250 cases of fraud resulting from stolen health records in 2009.
"Information such as social security numbers, addresses, medical insurance numbers, past illnesses, and sometimes credit card numbers, can help criminals commit several types of fraud. These may include: making payments from stolen credit card numbers and ordering and reselling medical equipment by using stolen medical insurance numbers," InformationWeek
With electronic medical records usage increasing, incidents of related fraud will also increase. Electronic methods are have not been perfected yet and not unlike shopping on the internet, if your health care provider uses electronic records and if an informed hacker targets that organization, your information may be vulnerable. Further, James Van Dyke, president of Javelin Strategy & Research, said, "We think medical providers aren't up to the task. They won't have security best practices in place to match the incidents of fraud, and we think theft of personal health information is going to get worse."
Therefore we as information management consultants have to be vigilant to continuing to push the envelope to develop methods and tools to preserve our customers information while keeping it safe.
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This is an advertisement for a destruction company but we thought it is a great idea and wanted to share it...
Being a “green” company is a status many businesses are striving for today. It boosts an employee’s moral knowing the organization they work for is trying to make a difference to the environment, while a customer may feel better about dealing with a company that is striving to be eco-friendly. A.R.M.S. (Automated Records Management Systems, Inc.) has developed a new initiative to help their customers see how they can contribute to a “greener” tomorrow. The “Save a Tree: One Document at a Time” document destruction services program, will provide an annual volume summarizing the number of trees that have been saved because their waste was shredded and recycled.
“We’ve always provided our clients with a certificate of confidential destruction showing how many pounds of paper waste was recycled, but we wanted to take our program one step further,” said Eric Haas, president of A.R.M.S, a full-service information management and protection firm serving clients throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. “Our clients can now display their certificates proving that by choosing to shred their office waste and confidential paper, they are in fact reducing their carbon footprint. All of us at A.R.M.S. are excited and proud about our new program,” said Haas. “We can’t wait to see how many trees are saved through our shredding services.”
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Data was stolen from a nonprofit company that helps with student loan financing. 3.3 million borrowers information may have been breached. The data included names, addresses, birth dates and Social Security numbers. Educational Credit Management, which services loans when borrowers enter bankruptcy, said the data was stolen from its headquarters either March 20 or 21. In a media release the organization said the information was on portable media. According to ITNews.com
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NARA states 164 of 221 of Federal agencies are at a high to moderate risk of improper destruction of records, especially e-mails, as stated in a report to Congress, the report found.
"These findings indicate that Federal agencies are falling short in carrying out their records management responsibilities, particularly regarding the exponential use and growth of electronic records," Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero commented on the findings in a press release: "Today, the Federal Government does not consistently manage its records and information – particularly its electronic records – well enough to meet business needs, protect rights or assure accountability, and ensure the continued preservation and access of permanently valuable records," he said. "The long-term success of the Open Government initiative – and the ability of the National Archives to safeguard the records of our government – hinges on the ability of each Federal agency to effectively manage its records."
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Unseen dangers lurk. Opportunistic bacteria, crocodiles and sleeper cells all lie in wait for the right moment to wreak havoc on the unaware. Some hide, some take cover and some wear camouflage until the moment of revelation. To paraphrase Thomas Pynchon, paranoia is valid when the threat is real.
Add to the list of dangers: digital records with long life cycles. If a digital file is a record, it is important, by definition. Keeping an (important) digital record viable for a long time is problematic.
How long is long? Definitions abound, but consider that common removable digital storage media—like DVDs and Digital Linear Tape—lose integrity in fewer than 10 years, according to many sources. Similarly, leading software producers typically end support for versions of operating systems and application software after 10 years. Ten years is a useful (and some would say generous) life expectancy for the original forms of digital records.
Read the full article here.
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"Information Management Health Check”, Symantec's 2010 survey, released during late 2010, revealed some very interesting results regarding random corporation’s data. The questioning was not just for North America but was conducted in June 2010 with 1,680 senior IT and legal executives in 26 countries. The highlights from the survey's findings include some startling results:
- Only 46 percent of enterprises actually have a formal information retention plan in place
- Roughly 25 percent of the data backed-up "is not needed for business or should not be kept"
- It is "1,500 times more expensive to review data than it is to store it"
- Because of "the massive amounts of information stored on difficult-to-access backup tapes, e-discovery has become a lengthy, inefficient and costly exercise"
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