Archives : June 2009

US broadband market picks up in Q1 2009

published on 2009/06/25 by Anthony Plewes

The latest world broadband statistics from Point Topic have just been published By the end of Q1 2009, there were 429.2 million broadband subscribers worldwide, an increase of 4% over the last quarter of 2008. This put global broadband household penetration at 27.3%, an increase of 17.7% over penetration in Q1 2008. This growth comes in spite of the economic slowdown which affected take-up worldwide in 2008. Growth in Europe and Japan was still slow at the start of 2009, but the survey shows that growth in the US picked up again in the past two quarters and it has seen the......

Green IT and cost savings align

published on 2009/06/16 by

While much of the talk here at Orange Business Live 09 has been about saving costs in a tough economic climate, Green IT is still bubbling under, with a certain amount of cross-over between the two meaning that is possible to be both green and cost-conscious. Topics drawing the most interest included server virtualisation, data centre energy efficiency, and video collaboration. Rising oil prices will affect the cost of power and air travel, which can be offset by the deployment of new technologies, and can in-turn bring productivity benefits -- looking like an all-round "win/win". Sonny Reid, Global Network Director for electrical......

Orange outlines sustainability strategy

published on 2009/06/15 by

Mark Fossier, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility for Orange, outlined the company's sustainability strategy at Orange Business Live '09, which hinges on three principles:Include: provide access for all (fight geographic, economic and physical exclusion); forge solidarity ties with local communities.Preserve: reduce environment footprint; develop innovative solutions for the protection of the environment.Care: provide security of information and protection of privacy; promote safe and responsible use of Orange products and services; act as a responsible employer; promote responsible sourcing principles.In line with these goals, Orange is acting to reduce its own carbon footprint, of which the lion's share (around two thirds) is......

How do I reduce my Telecoms costs?

published on 2009/06/09 by Rob Evans

The Orange Business Live event is split into large conference style presentations and keynotes from industry experts. There are also "Buzz Session" that are running in-between those sessions. These 'Buzz Session' are smaller group session of which there are 7 running simultaneously. The reducing costs 'Buzz Session' was one of the most popular sessions here at Orange Business Live, which is no surprise as we all know the state of the economy and the shifting focus of most IT Businesses. Michael Burrell from Orange led the presentation in an innovative way. Michael's first slide was a games showesque wall of options,......

Clever IT financing discussed at Orange Business Live 09

published on 2009/06/09 by

Unsurprisingly, managing business IT costs has been a popular topic at Orange Business Live '09, as enterprises are forced to walk the tightrope between reducing costs and maintaining quality of infrastructure. The danger is that for CFOs looking to control spending, IT will be seen as a support function rather than a strategic investment, and therefore suitable for cuts. Possible outcomes can include the shelving of new programmes and delays to infrastructure "refreshes", with businesses opting to make-do with their existing kit. Unfortunately, delayed or postponed investments can have an impact on a businesses' ability to function, at a......