Chris Pepin

Posted by Christopher Pepin October 6 2009 07:34:57 AM

A great video with Sam Palmisano and Maria Bartiromo on Smarter Cities from CNBC.

Category:  IBM  SmarterPlanet   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin September 23 2009 10:39:14 AM

In 2008, IBM was number 205 on the Information Week 500 list of The Most Innovative Business Technology Organizations.  Based on the success of key initiatives last year and earlier this year, IBM has made a significant jump to the number 40 slot.  This is a significant accomplishment for the IBM CIO team and our sights are on breaking into the prestigious "top 10" for 2010.

Category:  IBM   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin September 14 2009 10:24:54 AM

IBM has published its annual CIO study with input from 2,500 CIO's worldwide.  Business intelligence was named as top proirity.

More than four out of five (83 percent) survey respondents identified business intelligence and analytics – the ability to see patterns in vast amounts of data and extract actionable insights – as the way they will enhance their organizations’ competitiveness.

Earlier this year, Pat Toole was named IBM CIO, replacing Mark Hennessy who had held this position for the past two years.   Pat is my new boss and is interviewed in the following video:



Source: IBM

Category:  CIO  Strategy   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin September 11 2009 08:42:08 AM

IBM has announced a subscription-based public desktop cloud service for customers.   The service delivers virtualized desktops to customers and leverages technologies from Desktone, VMWare and Citrix.

Inside IBM, employees in our labs and call centers are using this service to reduce costs and provide flexibility.

For more information, see the IBM press release.

Category:  Desktop  Client  Cloud  Virtualization   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin August 31 2009 09:08:53 PM

I had the opportunity to attend opening day of the US Open tennis tournament in New York city earlier today with my son.  Readers of this blog will recall my 2008, 2007 and 2006 visits.   I look forward to the US Open each year and this is the first time in several years that I attended a day session (I usually go in the evening).  As in the past, IBM is a major sponsor for the event and runs the USOpen.org website and other technology needs including the scoring, statistics and court side radar guns.  New this year was the the US Open iPhone application.   While I found it useful in making the most of my visit and keeping tabs on matches, I did have challenges with AT&T data and voice coverage throughout the grounds not unlike past years.  



American Express continued its tradition of offering free electronics rentals for cardholders to add to the enjoyment of the game.   Several years ago, they offered FM Sony Walkman rentals to hear the play-by-play but for the past few years they offered free, disposable headphones FM headsets which weren't as nice.  While 2008 introduced a new portable video device, the free, disposable headsets returned again this year.  The play-by-play commentary is very good and adds to the enjoyment of the match.  However, with the new iPhone application, I really didn't miss the portable video device and I didn't have to worry about returning it after the match.



My son and I saw three great matches this year (Clijsters, Federer, S. Williams) and participated in a number of activities including getting my picture taken (above), SmashZone, lunch at Aces restaurant as well as just walking around the grounds and taking in the sights.  I wish Roger Federer the best of luck in his pursuit for his 6th US Open men's title in the past 6th year.

More photos are available on Flickr.

Category:  Travel   |  Comments (2)

Posted by Christopher Pepin July 29 2009 10:11:36 AM

Readers of this blog will notice that the frequency of my posts has slowed considerably.  The reason?  I've been microblogging more - both on Twitter (external) and on IBM's internal deployment of Lotus Connections.  While blogging clearly has its advantages in terms of the length of the post and imbedding rich media, I've finding significant benefits of leveraging microblogging in terms of being able to post more often on timely topics.

While I'll continue to maintain this blog, I don't expect to be posting more than once a week.

Category:  Blog  Twitter  LotusConnections   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin July 2 2009 03:07:14 PM

I upgraded my iPhone 3G to a new 3G S model a little over a week ago.  While the new device has some nice features over the original 3G, it's not as dramatic an upgrade as the 3G was to the original iPhone.   Evolutionary, rather than revolutionary would be the best way to describe it.  That said, sales have been brisk with over one million devices just in the first weekend.  

I've been using iNotes Ultralight, Lotus Traveler, Lotus Connections as well as accessing IBM's corporate intranet via the Safari web browser on my new 3G S.   For network connectivity to IBM, I've been using the built-in wi-fi when I'm in an IBM location and both the Cisco client and Lotus Mobile Connect (clientless) when I am away from the office.   We've created a security profile that users manually install that configures the VPN, ActiveSync as well as creates a device password with 90-day expiration.    We're also developing our own iPhone applications that integrate with backend IBM systems.   We've seen great interest in iPhone/iPod Touch from our end-user population of 385,000 users world-wide to supplement our current production BlackBerry smartphone service.

Category:  Apple  Smartphone   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin June 17 2009 06:04:39 PM

I upgraded my iPhone 3G 16GB to 3.0 earlier today.  The upgrade was painless and includes a number of new features listed below.   I have a iPhone 3G S 16GB on order and hope to get it next week.  

iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update

This update contains over 100 new features, including the following:

• Cut, Copy & Paste with shake to undo
• Landscape keyboard in key applications
• Enhanced Messages application
 - Send and receive photos, contacts, audio files, and location via MMS*
 - Forward and delete single or multiple messages
• Added search feature in Mail, Calendar, Notes and iPod
• Spotlight search across iPhone
• Support for CalDAV and subscriptions in Calendar
• Improvements to Safari
 - Performance
 - HTML 5 support
 - HTTP Streaming audio and video
 - Auto-fill usernames and passwords
• New Voice Memos application
• Sync Notes with a Mac or PC via iTunes
• Internet Tethering over USB and Bluetooth*
• Browse and download movies, TV shows, and audiobooks from the iTunes Store**
• Stereo Bluetooth***
• Wi-Fi auto login
• Enhanced Stocks application
• More Parental Control options for Apps, Music, Movies and TV Shows
• iTunes account creation and login**
• YouTube account login and access to subscriptions, ratings and favorites**
• Shake to shuffle
• New languages, dictionaries, and keyboards
• Find my iPhone and Remote Wipe via MobileMe (subscription required)**
• Support for more Exchange policies
• Create and send Exchange meeting invitations
• Search mail on server (Exchange Server 2007 and supported IMAP servers)
• Search LDAP company directory
• VPN on demand and VPN proxy support
• Encrypted configuration profiles
• Encrypted iTunes backups
• 1,000 new developer APIs, including:
 - In App Purchases
 - Apple Push Notification Service
 - Accessories support
 - Peer to Peer Connectivity
 - Embedded Maps
 - iPod Library Access
• Bug fixes

Products compatible with this software update:
• iPhone
• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 3G S

* Compatible only with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S and requires support from your wireless provider.
** Not available in all regions or in all languages.
*** Compatible only with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S.

For feature descriptions and complete instructions, see the user guide for your iPhone at:
       

For more information about iPhone, go to:
       

To troubleshoot your iPhone, or to view additional support information go to:
       

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:  
       

Category:  Apple  iPhone  Smartphone  Mobility   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin June 16 2009 08:37:05 AM

While I wasn't able to attend Apple's worldwide developers conference in person, I followed the conference remotely with great interest.   In recent years, IBM has moved away from a homogeneous computing environment and to a more flexible model with greater choice and flexibility for employees including Apple products.   For example, IBM employees have the ability to leverage personally owned devices, including Apple Macintosh and iPhone/iPod Touch devices for business purposes.   IBM Software Group has a number of products in targeted to the OS/X platform including Lotus Notes, Lotus Sametime, Lotus Symphony, iNotes and the upcoming Lotus Traveler 8.5.1 with ActiveSync support for iPhone/iPod Touch.   The following are the key announcements that I took away from the Apple conference:

• iPhone - An evolutionary 3G S model with double the memory, a faster processor, video support and improved battery life.  The 8GB 3G price is slashed to $99.   Inside IBM, the iPhone is an extremely popular device and is used to access mail, calendar and contacts (iNotes and Lotus Traveler), Lotus Connections, Lotus Sametime 8.5.  In addition, IBM is developing custom iPhone applications to access IBM backend systems.  
• MacBook Pro - The entire line is upgraded with new evolutionary features and lower prices.   In recent years, IBM has seen growth in the number of Macs that its employees use for business purposes and this trend is expected to continue with Apple's new MacBooks.
• Snow Leopard - Apple's upgrade to OS/X is due out in September and has a number of evolutionary features.  The upgrade price is $29 and a family pack upgrade will be available for $49.   I'd like to see Microsoft follow suit with aggressive pricing for Windows 7 as well as offer a family pack.

The new iPhone come out of Friday and I hope to receive mine next week and I will post my impressions on this blog.

Category:  Apple iPhone Mac Client Smartphone   |  Comments (5)

Posted by Christopher Pepin May 26 2009 08:15:07 AM

IBM has announced the beta release of Lotus Notes and Domino 8.5.1 collaboration software, including plans to support Apple iPhone in version 8.5.1 of Lotus Notes Traveler. You can read the press release and preview this capability exclusively in the Lotus Greenhouse at greenhouse.lotus.com,

Category:  Traveler  iPhone  Smartphone  Mobility   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin May 17 2009 08:57:46 PM

International Business Machines Corp.'s chief financial officer said IBM could meet its per-share earnings goal this year even if revenue tumbles further, as the company benefits from cost cuts and a richer mix of business while it continues buying back shares.

Upbeat comments on the changing nature of IBM which generates less than 10% of profit coming from hardware and the growth in software revenue, currently at 23%

Source: Wall Street Journal

Category:  IBM   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin May 12 2009 06:58:37 AM

IBM Lotus Notes/iNotes/Domino 8.5.1 Code Drop 5 is available for download by design partners.  Code drop 5 includes the first Lotus Notes Traveler 8.5.1 beta version with ActiveSync support (Apple iPhone/iPod Touch), as well as a refreshes for Quickr 8.2 (Domino) and the Symphony Toolkit, and a reposting of the Expeditor Toolkit for Notes 8.5.1.  

Category:  Notes  iNotes  Domino  8.5.1  iPhone  Apple   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin May 5 2009 07:42:31 AM

Key messages from the Research in Motion Wireless Enterprise Symposium for Blackberry 2009 opening general session:

Mike Lazaridis, Co-CEO of RIM

• Conference theme: Enable, Empower, Inform
• RIM has sold 50 million smartphones to date
• RIM sold 26 million smartphones in 2009
• RIM is the #1 smartphone in North America
• 2009 is the 10th anniversary of Blackberry
• RIM has 12,000 employees
• Blackberry Enterprise Server 5.0 now shipping
• Security is a key differentiator of RIM
• RIM acquisition of Chalk Media - mobile content on demand
• Mobile Voice System - MVS.  Wireless extension to the PBX.  "Single-number"
• Vocera (partner) - VoIP for nurses
• Wireless Presentation Solution - leave your laptop behind and use your Blackberry to present
• Blackberry App World
• "Office in your hand"
• "Doing things better and saving costs"

Bob Picciano, General Manager, Lotus and Websphere Portal Software, IBM Software Group

• Lotus State of the Business - over 13K new Lotus customers (Notes, Sametime, Symphony, Connections, LotusLive, etc.).   30% increase in Sametime customers in 2008
• Smarter Planet - the world is connected: economically, socially and technically.  Smart people working smarter
• Working Smarter - 71% of CEOs plan greater focus on innovation and doing things differently
• Working  smarter requires vision
  • Universal access to collaboration
  • Messaging becomes in integrated platform - Notes 8.5.  Notes and Blackberry, stronger together
  • Managing through human networks and not rigid corporate hierarchies
  • Telephony becomes voice collaboration - Sametime Unified Telephony,  Click to call becomes click to collaborate
  • Innovative desktop productivity tools - Lotus Symphony (Open Document Format).  This keynote is Bob's one year anniversary of uninstalling Microsoft Office and using Lotus Symphony for all his presentations.  BES 5.0 - supports ODF attachments (first applause from the audience)
  • Transform SMB into Global Trading Partners
  • Linux emerges onto the Corporate Desktop.  30% of netbooks purchased run with Linux.  Divert critical spending to other initiatives
  • Proliferation of cloud computing - LotusLive.  Collaboration in the cloud.  More than just delivering services through a web interface.   Planned beta for Blackberry 2Q/2009.  Key value proposition is collaborating with other customers and sharing
  • Situational apps solve daily problems - mashups
  • Working smarter - Alloy by IBM and SAP.  First public demo of Alloy on Blackberry.  Come visit the IBM booth at the product showcase to see it for yourself.  Working smarter on a smarter planet

Laurent Philonenko, Vice President and General Manager, Unified Communication Business Unit, Cisco

• Improving the nature of work through mobile collaboration
• Cisco & RIM - enabling mobile collaboration one capability at a time
• End to End Connected Experiences
• Great product demo showing participating in a meeting from a Blackberry
  • Audio conference on the Blackberry
  • Slide presentation on the Blackberry
  • Automatic re-connect to the meeting (audio and slides) when exiting a tunnel
  • Receiving a call on the Blackberry while in the meeting and adding the user to the meeting
  • Receiving an SMS message while in the meeting, ability to share the content with the team (slide presentation)
  • User arrives at the office and available conference rooms in displayed on the Blackberry
  • Upon entering the room, the audio switches automatically to the speakerphone in the room and the video is display on the monitor

Category:  Smartphone  mobility  conference  WES2009   |  Comments (0)

Posted by Christopher Pepin April 29 2009 09:55:42 AM

I'm very pleased to announce that I have taken a new job in the IBM CIO office.  In the past, I've had responsibility for collaboration strategy, specifically the IBM internal deployment of collaboration and social networking tools such as Notes, Domino, Quickr and Connections.  In my new role, I have responsibility fo client hardware (netbooks, laptops, desktops, smartphones) as well as software (client operating system, web browser, software distribution, software license management) asset management, security management, backup, end user services and remote access (VPN).   I'm very excited with this new role and the opportunity to play a key role in IBM's internal IT transformation effort.  

Category:  Career   |  Comments (5)

Posted by Christopher Pepin April 28 2009 07:43:12 AM

IBM has unveiled the details of its plans to build a computing system that can understand complex questions and answer with enough precision and speed to compete on America's favorite quiz show, Jeopardy!



Reference: IBM

Category:  Watson Supercomputing   |  Comments (0)