Intelligence | Blogs

The Truth about Cloud Computing

info@intelligence.co.im — 05 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

There is no shortage of information relating to the ever-changing global economic situation and its consequential effects on business. The news hungry media bombards us with facts and figures about the changing environment and the impact this is having on the global business community. In turn local political leaders work to identify the factors that threaten their local economy and try to mitigate those risks whilst balancing their budget. All these lead to uncertainty for business and therefore a heightened consideration of strategies to spread risk and protect bottom line.\a...more\a

Harsh Winter Warning for 2011-2012

info@intelligence.co.im — 30 Nov 2011 03:26:23 GMT

When I was watching the news yesterday, the headline 'another harsh winter will hit the UK' caught my attention. Straight away, I was reminded of last December/January. For those of you who do not remember - it was absolutely surreal. Traffic jams everywhere, people leaving their cars behind to walk the 20 miles home - because it was much faster. Whole businesses were empty or shut down, as staff could not or did not want to make their cold and dangerous way into work. Now… for those of you who are not members of any board of senior management team you will think, 'What a nice and relaxing day we had.' However if you are a board member you certainly felt the pain - un-manned offices,....more

Cloud computing can avoid millions of metric tons of CO2 annually

info@intelligence.co.im — 11 Nov 2011 04:06:05 GMT

Energy is central to our lives and the economy, fuelling our homes, transport, and workplaces. Green policies across the world are evolving in response to rising fossil fuel prices, issues over security of supply and the need to reduce carbon emissions. However, how much can one organisation actually do and what positive knock-on effect can such a well-planned initiative have on other parts of the organisation?...more

The Isle of Man in space

info@intelligence.co.im — 04 Nov 2011 01:51:11 GMT

I've been hearing a lot recently about the Space Industry being more prominent in the mix that makes up the local economy here in the Isle of Man. Here's a video that was produced by one of the UK channels about what's going on, in case you were curious:\a...more\a

IT Outsourcing

info@intelligence.co.im — 11 Oct 2011 10:14:02 GMT

Do you remember the days when every organisation had an IT department? Whenever someone had a problem with their computer they would phone up and wait for one of the boys to come round and fix it. Do you remember the days when every organisation had an IT department? Whenever someone had a problem with their computer they ...more

Will the future of IT be reduced to three kinds of jobs?

info@intelligence.co.im — 04 Aug 2011 12:00:00 GMT

One of my favourite bloggers, Jason Hint, recently caught my attention when he wrote that the IT profession and the IT job market are in the midst of seismic changes that are going to shift the focus to three types of jobs: Project managers, Consultants and Developers ...more

A New Vision for the Isle of Man Economy; Tinkering is Not Enough

info@intelligence.co.im — 28 Jul 2011 09:56:58 GMT

The Isle of Man's economy, like many others, is now under severe pressure. It needs a new strategic vision and a comprehensive plan with transformational initiatives ...more

F1 British Grand Prix 2011

info@intelligence.co.im — 18 Jul 2011 09:30:05 GMT

I know. There are only four of us but it is for a long weekend and comfort is important. Besides, if I am going to be living under canvas and having to put up with portable toilets and tepid weak showers, then I am going to make sure I take as many luxuries as possible. ... more

Market Successfully in the Internet Age - Part II

info@intelligence.co.im — 02 Jun 2011 03:06:45 GMT

Good communication is essential to business success. Each one of us has our preferred channel of communication and different ways of using them and the more an organisation can learn about an individual's personal preferences for those channels the better chance they have of selling to that individual. However, whereas there is a wide selection of communication channels available, companies typically use only a narrow selection such as post or email.... more

Market Successfully in the Internet Age - Part I

info@intelligence.co.im — 02 Jun 2011 02:46:13 GMT

The business needs of the Internet require different thinking, strategies, and products. The ability to react quickly to changing circumstances and new events is essential as the world of the internet moves many times faster than that of traditional business. Instant access to knowledge about the marketplace, competition and the impact of key events such as product launches and press comment and marketing campaigns is essential... more

Social Media Marketing

info@intelligence.co.im — 09 May 2011 10:35:40 GMT

Marketing as an activity relates to promotion of brands, products or other information to a wide audience. Until recently this promotion or communication took place through well-established channels which were exclusively one way ... more

Life is Like a Fudge Selection

info@intelligence.co.im — 22 Mar 2011 09:27:46 GMT

Regular readers of our blogs will know that at Intelligence we enjoy well-deserved social events every so often. Our team can normally be found clay pigeon shooting, doing triathlons, bowling or at the go-kart track. As a change of pace some genius (my waist line would say 'evil genius') suggested we forgo the usual choices and instead visit the Manx Fudge Factory at Ballasalla ... more

"...After all, all he did was string together a lot of old well-known quotations"

info@intelligence.co.im — 05 Jan 2011 12:00:00 GMT

It was a comment on the work of Shakespeare that caught my eye recently, as seen in the title above, that provided me with an ideal opportunity to emulate the Bard and to string together some of my favourite quotes and inflict them on you.... more

Snowed Under? How to Cut Costs and Hassle

info@intelligence.co.im — 06 Dec 2010 09:37:21 GMT

Snow brings with it the promise of fun, children crossing fingers for school closures, anticipation of snowball fights and memories of snowmen past. Along with these pleasures is the reality of disruption to our daily lives, not least of which is our work ... more

Challenge Your Potential

info@intelligence.co.im — 05 Nov 2010 01:52:11 GMT

The Manx Executive Challenge, established in 1994 and staged every two years by the Chartered Management Institute, is widely regarded to be the premier development opportunity for future business leaders on the Island. This year the MEC has reached the finals for the Stewart Collins Awards for Excellence...more

CRM - Fastest Growing Core Business Application

info@intelligence.co.im — 11 Oct 2010 01:46:20 GMT

In 2009, a Gartner report into market trends identified CRM (Customer Relationship Management) as the fastest growing core business application, predicted to be worth $4.1bn worldwide by 2013 (MS Office Suite $0.25bn same period)....more

Intelligence Race the Sun

info@intelligence.co.im — 04 Aug 2010 08:42:16 GMT

On 19th June a team of game/foolish Intelligence staff took part in Race the Sun around the Isle of Man. Race the Sun is a relay race held by the IoM Children's Centre; the task is simple starting at sunrise, your team must complete a lap of Raad ny Foillan before the sun sets....more

Festival Essentials

info@intelligence.co.im — 15 Jul 2010 10:16:13 GMT

Like thousands of festival goers every year I can often be found searching for the latest festival gadgets and double checking I have all my essentials, even after going 4 times I find it doesn't hurt to check...more

Introduction to Social Media Marketing

info@intelligence.co.im — 14 Jun 2010 09:50:25 GMT

We are all social mammals, our civility makes us successful as a species, it is no surprise then that Social Media is now at the heart of the Web. Traditional advertising has begun a decline in favour of the viral nature of Social Marketing and it all boils down to our intricate personal social groups...more

Has IE6 reached the end of its useful life?

info@intelligence.co.im — 12 May 2010 12:00:00 GMT

I was designing standards compliant CSS based websites from the very beginning in 2003, back when browser hacks were the norm rather than the exception and many a web designer was to be transformed into a bald quivering wreck...more

'Reports of my demise are premature'

info@intelligence.co.im — 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00 GMT

This was the response offered to me by John when I passed on news that, following the recent sale of his company, Amber Business, in conjunction with his recent desision to leave the board of Neovia, that there appeared to be some speculation that this heralds the end of his interest in business on the Isle of Man...more

Impact of the UK recession on the Isle of Man ... and why does the UK appear to be treating the Isle of Man so badly?

info@intelligence.co.im — 19 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The beauty of working for a company like Intelligence is the access to knowledge and understanding on a wide range of topics: technical expertise is a given and for advice on how to drive competitively in the Karts at Jurby (whatever the weather) Malcolm is your man, but Intelligence's key strength is a wealth of business and financial understanding and more specifically how local and global economics impact on all our lives both in work and at home...more

iPhone versus Blackberry - a user's perspective

info@intelligence.co.im — 04 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Working within a technical environment there can be a fine line between gadgetry and toys but where that gadget has to perform an important task it can never be just about what's cool and what's not ...more

Perfect end to the decade

info@intelligence.co.im — 18 Jan 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Sometimes just a few chosen words are all that is required to conjour up an image, a time or a place. Many thanks to all the staff for their contributions to this team blog. I hope the challenges of the coming year are all good ones and that you have a successful, exciting and fun 2010
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Even the animals agree it's the big box the other stuff comes in that is the real winner

info@intelligence.co.im — 14 Jan 2010 12:00:00 GMT

It was a good metre high and made of relatively sturdy card and the all singing, (well actually barking and cute whimpering) sitting, begging, fluffy dog that had originally been contained within, just could not compare ...more

The things children say!

info@intelligence.co.im — 13 Jan 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Some of the funniest conversations occur quite by accident - especially when children are involved. It's great to get them written down on paper, at the very least for prosperity but definatley for our own amusement, because children really do come out with so many gems ...more

I made it onto Santa's "nice" list as opposed to the "naughty" list

info@intelligence.co.im — 12 Jan 2010 12:00:00 GMT

I was asked what my best or favourite Christmas present was and it is hard to answer. They were wide and varied this year and, almost without exception, a lot of thought had gone into choosing them ...more

Credit Crunch Christmas ... Do you believe in Father Christmas?

info@intelligence.co.im — 11 Jan 2010 12:00:00 GMT

I am fortunate that my young sons still believe in Father Christmas and the preparations for the massive delivery of their every wish and whim started way back in September with some serious internet shopping. Whilst the arrival of numerous bulky parcels and boxes didn't seem to arouse any suspicions - finding somewhere to 'hide' them posed a logistical challenge ...more

Lung bursting, heart pumping start to the New Year

info@intelligence.co.im — 05 Jan 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Another year over and a new one just begun and after all the Christmas team bonding achieved during the festive season I thought it would be a great idea to start the year with the same togetherness and kick off with a team blog. I asked everyone to provide a few words about their Christmas. The first of these was provided by Alan Sandford and he writes ... I kicked off 2010 by competing in the opening race of the Manx Fell League at Slieu Whallian on New Years day...more

Intelligent renovation minimising cost and environmental impact

info@intelligence.co.im — 12 Aug 2009 12:00:00 GMT

As someone who has the time, inclination and knowledge to be conscious of their lifestyle impact on the environment we have been using the opportunity to renovate our newly purchased house to minimise that impact ...more

Why a lid on earnings could further deter economic growth

info@intelligence.co.im — 08 Jun 2009 12:00:00 GMT

When people ask economists questions about the future we must assume they lack judgement, need to go out more or that they are really worried. Judging from questions being directed at me, there is no doubt that people in the Isle of Man are now seriously concerned. I have been notoriously pessimistic for several years however, while I remain deeply concerned about the global economy I am extremely optimistic about prospects for the Isle of Man, providing we play our cards right ...more

New challenge provides a valuable, and strangely positive lesson, in being human

info@intelligence.co.im — 26 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

In the words of Shakespeare 'is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance' and so it is that, at the age of 38, I find a new sport which measures my aspirations against my capacity to succeed. Aspirations that were hatched one cold winter's night from the relative safety of a comfy chair next to a warm hearth, such is the nature of New Year's Resolutions ...more

Economic downturn or a period of possibilities?

info@intelligence.co.im — 22 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

It appears that the gloomier the outlook, the more call there is for our services - we're working flat out at the moment so I guess the downturn is going to be extremely serious. But for those businesses that agree that in times of economic uncertainty standing still is not an option, we offer our clients the tools both to survive in these times and to seize the opportunity to optimise their business, increase efficiency and effectiveness, develop innovative IT and business strategies and push ahead of their competition ...more

Work-life balance challenge

info@intelligence.co.im — 21 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Today more than ever achieving a work-life balance can be extremely challenging and I will risk raised sexist eyebrows when I say 'especially for working mothers like myself' - because obviously it's not just mothers juggling busy work and personal lives and struggling to find the balance and not allow one to dominate the other ...more