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Avatars at Work

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:25:52 GMT

What if you could wake up tomorrow, switch on your computer and with a few clicks attend your board meeting in your pyjamas?

In three clicks, you've chosen a nice shirt and pair of shoes for your avatar. You run a program, open a window, and your avatar is in Port Louis. On your screen you select a building, click on the 6th floor.

You join your other colleagues' avatars in the boardroom; interact with each other, controlling your avatar’s movement and speech.

No traffic, no parking... you've just gained an hour or more. A virtual reality?

A new era in workplace communication might be coming our way.

The use of avatars and virtual workplaces are already common in many of the largest U.S companies. During the last three years, thousands of employees at companies like IBM, Cisco, SAP and Boeing have been using avatars to interact with colleagues and customers around the world.

While avatars are a practical way to work across physical borders, they could also represent considerable efficiency gains in terms of time and productivity.

The movie Avatar has fascinated over millions of people across the globe, and while it represented a world and technologies that might be light-years ahead of today’s reality, avatars themselves are nothing new.
The avatar, a cartoon or stylized likeness of an Internet user, has been around for years. It can take various forms: a three-dimensional model used in computer games, a two-dimensional picture or simply a one-dimensional username.

At the origin, Avatar is a Hindu term for the manifestation or appearance of a deity. The use of the term "avatar" as a user’s on-screen representation was coined in 1985 for the online role-playing game Habitat.
Avatars have taken front-and-center in the video game industry and the age of Twitter and Facebook has fueled an appetite for these personal renditions amongst users.

They’ve also been gaining popularity in the workplace. Virtual worlds might change the way people work tomorrow. It might even become a key factor in creating best employees and competitive businesses.

Working as avatars would require little training for those used to playing computer games. You have to log on to the software, you have to get an avatar, you may spend some time customizing and personalizing it, then you jump into a virtual world. Within minutes, you're manipulating your presence with a group of others in a virtual environment, scooting around left to right, up and down and walking around.

For Stanford University Professor Byron Reeves avatars are extremely appealing for businesses because they allow employees to cross continents and time zones for work interaction but also because they are a lot of fun to manipulate. The notion of self-representation in media is incredibly interesting and gives users a new sense of power. Professor Reeves believes that the use of avatars on the job will boost interest and engagement in work activities resulting in increased productivity and satisfaction for employees.

Businesses are becoming more and more open to letting their employees experiment with virtual alter-egos. “That notion of doing something serious, but with an element of gaming and playful representation, is what's interesting to many companies right now”, Professor Reeves explains. “Three years ago, the notion of having fun at work wasn't widely accepted. You could get fired for having fun at work. But fun is not the opposite of work. Fun comes from engagement and it's the reason you work well. When you add the game element, you add a big sense of collaboration. You feel like you're playing with a team. To win in these games, you've got to encourage your colleagues. You can't win by yourself.”

A lot of questions still remain though on feasibility, ethics and technology reliability. We would need an extremely reliable and fast internet connection to interact seamlessly in the avatar workplace.

Will using avatars at work redefine social codes, or just reinforce the rules of real life in a virtual world? How do you monitor and control the actions of avatars and their operators at work?

How will we represent ourselves as avatars: Is it OK to be taller and more attractive? Is it OK to make my face look a little bit like your face? Studies show that you're more likely to like me if we look alike, but is it fair to take advantage of that with an avatar?

What will happen to human interaction? Will we be going out for virtual cups of coffee?

These are all questions that will need to be figured out as this concept develops.

In any case, the avatar wave has already spurred a new profession. Avatar artists are already in demand as people start looking for original, engaging and unique virtual representations of themselves.

Windows Server 2008

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:17:36 GMT

Harvard ManageMentor

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

eServices Latest Website

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Sending eCards

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

eCards are a great way to send your end of year and Christmas greetings to your colleagues, clients and partners. But there are often restrictions on design, size, spamming…

eServices expert Ahsinah Koossa answers your questions about designing your eCard, personalising it, and all the Do's and Don’ts you should know about…

What format should we use to send an eCard?
If you want your eCard to appear with all the nice graphics directly into the receiver’s mail, the best way to do so is using what we call HTML codes. This enables you to insert graphics and text into the mail. You need to use a special system to create your mail, like our eMailing Pro system or other equivalent system.

Do not send the card as an attachment. It is less visually appealing and you have more chances of being identified as spam.

Can the eCard be animated?
Not directly in the mail itself. You would then have to send out a link to see the eCard online. On the Web, you can do your eCard in a flash which will enable it to be animated. However, you reduce the number of viewers for your card by doing so – a limited number of recipients will bother to click to see the card online.

Can you personalise your eCard with the recipient’s name?
Yes you can include “Dear John” or other types of messages at the beginning but you need to have the information in your database with the names of the persons corresponding to each email address.
If possible, it is best to personalise emails as it increases the chances of being read.

What is the limit of email addresses I can send my eCard to?
Do not copy-paste a lot of email addresses and e-mail in bulk. It is less personal and more importantly you risk to be blocked as a spammer. Being identified as a spammer could potentially be dangerous as you lose the ability to send mails for a few hours and you could in worse cases be blacklisted on servers. Not only will your email address be blacklisted but all users with the same domain name (ex: frci.net) will also be blacklisted. Again, using the professional mailing system, there is no restriction on the number of email addresses and it is specifically designed to mass mail.

Can I know how many people read my card?
You cannot if you sent it from your mail account unless you asked for read receipts. On the eMailing Pro you can get complete statistics report for the eCards sent. You can identify how many mails were delivered, how many people opened the mail and whether they clicked on any link in the mail. You can also see who opened the mail and who did not.

Can I use any database of email addresses?
Do use a list of email addresses you know. Do not use email addresses you found or copied from other mails or purchased. It is unethical to send emails to people who did not request to receive them. By sending emails to people you don’t know, you increase the risk of emails bouncing, being unread and risk your company’s image. If you are unsure about your email addresses, do always provide to recipients the possibility to unsubscribe/opt out from the list.

What is the size limit for an email?
The mail should not typically be more than 100KB to decrease chances of being identified as spam. Do not send large graphics from your mail account. If you are sending your mail from a specialised mailing system, all the graphics you send remain on the server and are not sent directly in the recipients inbox, thus reducing the mail size. The graphics are downloaded straight from the Internet.

If you use a specialized mailing system, like your eMailing Pro, how will the receivers know the mail comes from me?
You can choose to display any email address you like as the sender of the mail. You can also choose any sender’s name you want to display. The recipient makes no difference whether the mail has gone through a system or comes straight from your mail account. Do use a known name and email address for your recipients.

Fighting Software Piracy

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Maurice Publicité Ogilvy, first enterprise in Mauritius to obtain Adobe’s Certificate of Compliancy

Maurisoft, official representative of Adobe in Mauritius, has presented the first Adobe Certificate of Compliancy in Mauritius to Maurice Publicité Ogilvy.

“It’s a new milestone in the fight against software piracy,” rejoices Maurisoft General Manager Nicolas Le Maire. “Maurice Publicité Ogilvy opened its doors to Adobe and we encourage all Mauritian enterprises to follow this example. We are proud to recognise Maurice Publicité Ogilvy as a genuine partner of Adobe in Mauritius.”

Maurice Publicité Ogilvy Managing Director Jean Jacques de Robillard said he was proud to receive this certificate which embodies the company’s philosophy to be honest and respectful towards its partners, clients and the public at large.

“Pleased to celebrate 85 years this year, Maurice Publicité Ogilvy proudly nurtures its culture of “pioneering new ideas” whilst respecting the company’s values. This certificate is a case in point as the agency is the very first company in Mauritius to receive it,” adds M. de Robillard.

For Maurisoft and Adobe, we must go beyond crackdown campaigns on software piracy by promoting enterprises that are legal and transparent. Adobe partners benefit from different privileges and value-added services such as advice and training, by Adobe certified experts.

According to Nicolas Le Maire, many enterprises in Mauritius wish to be compliant and legal. However there is often a discrepancy between the managers’ will and the reality.

Managers often have little control over the software and licenses installed on each workstation. The larger an organisation, the more complex the control and audit are. Furthermore, users sometimes remain unknown because Adobe software is wrongly associated to designer jobs only whereas these can be used in a variety of different jobs such as textile, marketing, law, finance, government etc.

Maurisoft proposes to conduct a Software Asset Management (SAM) for enterprises. An audit of all computers provides an inventory of Adobe software being used. Other than licenses’ legitimacy, you must also verify that software are properly installed and up-to-date. Appropriate recommendations are then made for a complete update which, once done, will enable the company to receive a certificate of compliancy, as well as have better control and management of its software and increase its productivity.

“We are already working with several companies in this aim and are confident in the results, but there is still a lot to be done,” says M. Le Maire.

An official study from the BSA (Business Software Alliance) indicates a 57% piracy rate in Mauritius in 2008, resulting in estimated losses of around Rs.150 million per year for the country. Mauritius is considerably above the international average (41% in 2008).

During the past year, we noticed an increasing will from the government and regulatory bodies to fight more efficiently against piracy with new copyrighting laws, the association of the BSA and MASA in June 2009, awareness campaigns (including several scheduled for 2010) and the alliance of software editors such as Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk and Symantec.

However, for Nicolas Le Maire, the support and contribution of all Mauritian enterprises are also essential to win this fight.

“Everyone has a role to play in the fight against software piracy and we should all take a part of responsibility,” underlines M. Le Maire. “It’s good to be legal but we must go further and insist on a proof of genuineness from suppliers as well.”

“By choosing to work with genuine companies, we support the economical development of our country and its vision of becoming a key player in the ICT sector in the region and internationally,” explains M. Le Maire. “We must work together to achieve our ambitions of becoming a Cyber island by promoting and encouraging Genuine enterprises.”

» Télécharger la version française de cet article :
Lutte anti-piratage : Maurice Publicité Ogilvy, première compagnie à Maurice à obtenir le certificat d'authenticité Adobe.

Training with Trevor Neil

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Trevor Neil, Europe’s leading investment manager and technical analyst, and the presenter of Thomson Reuters' Friday Technical Analysis Surgery Webinars, is back in Mauritius for some more training sessions at our training centre, Nuclei.

From the 26 to 28 November 2009, Trevor Neil will deliver courses in market timing expertise for financial professionals.

Trevor Neil has been a trader for over 30 years and a daily user of technical analysis. He was the celebrated head of technical analysis at Bloomberg LP and prior to that a floor trader for Merrill Lynch. He has served on the board of the STA in London. Today, the top investment firms and funds throughout Europe choose him to train their staff.

Trevor Neil is a respected experienced trader to institutional traders, portfolio managers & analysts. He is concerned with the practical application of technical analysis and realises one answer does not fit all. This is a mistake made by most other trainers and authors. The technical analysis you should use will be determined by your job. Some technical analysis will be wrong, even harmful to you. Each attendee will be asked in advance of the course to complete a Client Questionnaire to ensure Trevor Neil knows in advance what your individual learning objectives are, what you do and in what timeframe.

Here is what some had to say about training with Trevor Neil:

"An exceptional day of learning from someone that knows precisely what they're talking about and has the experience to back it up, brilliant"
J.B-B, Davinci Invest Ltd, Zürich

"One day with Trevor Neil beats reading ten books. Now just imagine, spending two or three days with Trevor..."
Albert Klein, Euronext

“I would definitely recommend doing this course and I intend to do some more of his courses in the future”.
S. O’K. NCB Stockbrokers Ltd, Eire

"Excellent stuff!"
Adam Kaszynski, Citigroup

“It was great to me following your TA course. It really has opened my eyes and I must say I enjoyed your explanation. … I started setting up my screens..did my first trade this morning and guess what....IT WORKED!!!”
Maurice Bours, WE Equity Trading, Amsterdam

“I really enjoyed the course very much. I really thought it was presented in a practical way. Learned a lot!”
Jonine Mostert, Bank of International Settlements

View more information about the Market Timing workshop >>
Or contact us for more information by filling in our online form or by phone: (230)286 9636

WINDOWS 7

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Windows 7 : What should we look forward to ?

Expected to be Microsoft’s most successful operating system, allying highly refined user experience, exceptional performance and integration of the latest technologies, Windows 7 will be officially released worldwide on the 22nd October.

Isys Managing Consultant Clarel Constance says many organisations that chose not to upgrade to Vista are now planning to migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7.

“We have deployed Windows 7 on several computers, up to 2 years old, and can say that user experience is great”, adds M. Constance.

While many criticisms of Windows Vista pinpointed compatibility issues, Windows 7 should not disappoint users. Not only has most compatibility issues been addressed but Microsoft also proposes an exciting new feature: the Windows XP Mode, which allows a portion of Windows 7 to operate as a Windows XP computer and run non-compatible applications.

The upgrade to Windows 7 should be much smoother than it was with Windows Vista. While Vista required new hardware to be deployed, it is not the case with Windows 7. Nonetheless, for medium to large scale migrations, M. Constance recommends planning and assistance from experienced IT consultants.

“The first step before migrating to Windows 7 is to test it on a computer and explore the new features and constraints. This will allow IT executives to make a more informed decision” underlines M. Constance.

In this optic, FRCI is organising this week presentations of Windows 7 for enterprises. The aim of these free interactive sessions is to introduce Windows 7 new features and address any concerns users might have.

Nuclei’s manager Mary Jane Perrault says she is enthusiastic to present this new operating system.
“Enjoy working! That’s what Windows 7 can do for you. It’s sexier, faster, more efficient… it’s really all about user experience.”

Some of the new features include improved taskbars, speedy access to your favourite documents, improved search and a new way to compare windows on your desktop.

Other features will particularly interest businesses: Windows Touch (native support for touch screen PCs); Problem steps recorder (enhanced support from helpdesk); direct access (New VPN technology for mobile users to seamlessly access their corporate applications); Branch Cache (greater user experience for users from remote offices when using files server and intranet sites hosted in the head office).

Although the new platform is extremely user-friendly, Mrs. Perrault still recommends a training session. “There are so many possibilities and options you might miss, we decided to offer short training sessions for those who wish to learn everything about Windows 7 and maximise their user experience”, she explains. “When users are presented with a new platform, they often waste a lot of time looking around and often remain ignorant of a lot of available options. Training is all about encouraging efficiency.”

Following the success of our first Presentations of Windows 7, future presentations will be scheduled at Nuclei’s training centre, component of FRCI. Those interested by these sessions should contact us.