Search Results

Search found 34 results on 2 pages for 'alastair pitts'.

Page 1/2 | 1 2  | Next Page >

  • Developing an Implementation Plan with Iterations by Russ Pitts

    - by user535886
    Developing an Implementation Plan with Iterations by Russ Pitts  Ok, so you have come to grips with understanding that applying the iterative concept, as defined by OUM is simply breaking up the project effort you have estimated for each phase into one or more six week calendar duration blocks of work. Idea being the business user(s) or key recipient(s) of work product(s) being developed never go longer than six weeks without having some sort of review or prototyping of the work results for an iteration…”think-a-little”, “do-a-little”, and “show-a-little” in a six week or less timeframe…ideally the business user(s) or key recipients(s) are involved throughout. You also understand the OUM concept that you only plan for that which you have knowledge of. The concept further defined, a project plan initially is developed at a high-level, and becomes more detailed as project knowledge grows. Agreeing to this concept means you also have to admit to the fallacy that one can plan with precision beyond six weeks into a project…Anything beyond six weeks is a best guess in most cases when dealing with software implementation projects. Project planning, as defined by OUM begins with the Implementation Plan view, which is a very high-level perspective of the effort estimated for each of the five OUM phases, as well as the number of iterations within each phase. You might wonder how can you predict the number of iterations for each phase at this early point in the project. Remember project planning is not an exact science, and initially is high-level and abstract in nature, and then becomes more detailed and precise as the project proceeds. So where do you start in defining iterations for each phase for a project? The following are three easy steps to initially define the number of iterations for each phase: Step 1 => Start with identifying the known factors… …Prior to starting a project you should know: · The agreed upon time-period for an iteration (e.g 6 weeks, or 4 weeks, or…) within a phase (recommend keeping iteration time-period consistent within a phase, if not for the entire project) · The number of resources available for the project · The number of total number of man-day (effort) you have estimated for each of the five OUM phases of the project · The number of work days for a week Step 2 => Calculate the man-days of effort required for an iteration within a phase… Lets assume for the sake of this example there are 10 project resources, and you have estimated 2,536 man-days of work effort which will need to occur for the elaboration phase of the project. Let’s also assume a week for this project is defined as 5 business days, and that each iteration in the elaboration phase will last a calendar duration of 6 weeks. A simple calculation is performed to calculate the daily burn rate for a single iteration, which produces a result of… ((Number of resources * days per week) * duration of iteration) = Number of days required per iteration ((10 resources * 5 days/week) * 6 weeks) = 300 man days of effort required per iteration Step 3 => Calculate the number of iterations that can occur within a phase Next calculate the number of iterations that can occur for the amount of man-days of effort estimated for the phase being considered… (number of man-days of effort estimated / number of man-days required per iteration) = # of iterations for phase (2,536 man-days of estimated effort for phase / 300 man days of effort required per iteration) = 8.45 iterations, which should be rounded to a whole number such as 9 iterations* *Note - It is important to note this is an approximate calculation, not an exact science. This particular example is a simple one, which assumes all resources are utilized throughout the phase, including tech resources, etc. (rounding down or up to a whole number based on project factor considerations). It is also best in many cases to round up to higher number, as this provides some calendar scheduling contingency.

    Read the article

  • Oracle Insurance Unveils Next Generation of Enterprise Document Automation: Oracle Documaker Enterprise Edition

    - by helen.pitts(at)oracle.com
    Oracle today announced the introduction of Oracle Documaker Enterprise Edition, the next generation of the company's market-leading Enterprise Document Automation (EDA) solution for dynamically creating, managing and delivering adaptive enterprise communications across multiple channels. "Insurers and other organizations need enterprise document automation that puts the power to manage the complete document lifecycle in the hands of the business user," said Srini Venkatasanthanam, vice president, Product Strategy, Oracle Insurancein the press release. "Built with features such as rules-based configurability and interactive processing, Oracle Documaker Enterprise Edition makes possible an adaptive approach to enterprise document automation - documents when, where and in the form they're needed." Key enhancements in Oracle Documaker Enterprise Edition include: Documaker Interactive, the newly renamed and redesigned Web-based iDocumaker module. Documaker Interactive enables users to quickly and interactively create and assemble compliant communications such as policy and claims correspondence directly from their desktops. Users benefits from built-in accelerators and rules-based configurability, pre-configured content as well as embedded workflow leveraging Oracle BPEL Process Manager. Documaker Documaker Factory, which helps enterprises reduce cost and improve operational efficiency through better management of their enterprise publishing operations. Dashboards, analytics, reporting and an administrative console provide insurers with greater insight and centralized control over document production allowing them to better adapt their resources based on business demands. Other enhancements include: enhanced business user empowerment; additional multi-language localization capabilities; and benefits from the use of powerful Oracle technologies such as the Oracle Application Development Framework for all interfaces and Oracle Universal Content Management (Oracle UCM) for enterprise content management. Drive Competitive Advantage and Growth: Deb Smallwood, founder of SMA Strategy Meets Action, a leading industry insurance analyst consulting firm and co-author of 3CM in Insurance: Customer Communications and Content Management published last month, noted in the press release that "maximum value can be gained from investments when Enterprise Document Automation (EDA) is viewed holistically and all forms of communication and all types of information are integrated across the entire enterprise. "Insurers that choose an approach that takes all communications, both structured and unstructured data, coming into the company from a wide range of channels, and then create seamless flows of information will have a real competitive advantage," Smallwood said. "This capability will soon become essential for selling, servicing, and ultimately driving growth through new business and retention." Learn More: Click here to watch a short flash demo that demonstrates the real business value offered by Oracle Documaker Enterprise Edition. You can also see how an insurance company can use Oracle Documaker Enterprise Edition to dynamically create, manage and publish adaptive enterprise content throughout the insurance business lifecycle for delivery across multiple channels by visiting Alamere Insurance, a fictional model insurance company created by Oracle to showcase how Oracle applications can be leveraged within the insurance enterprise. Meet Our Newest Oracle Insurance Blogger: I'm pleased to introduce our newest Oracle Insurance blogger, Susanne Hale. Susanne, who manages product marketing for Oracle Insurance EDA solutions, will be sharing insights about this topic along with examples of how our customers are transforming their enterprise communications using Oracle Documaker Enterprise Edition in future Oracle Insurance blog entries. Helen Pitts is senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance.

    Read the article

  • Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Executive Weighs in on Policy Administration Modernization

    - by helen.pitts(at)oracle.com
    James Klauer, vice president of Client Services Technology at Fidelity Investment Life Insurance, weighs in on the rationale and challenges associated with policy administration system replacement in this month's digital issue of Insurance Networking News.    In "The Policy Administration Replacement Quandary"  Klauer shared the primary business benefit that can be realized by adopting a modern policy administration system--a timely topic given that recent industry analyst surveys indicate policy administration replacement and modernization will continue to be a top priority for insurers this year.    "Modern policy administration systems are more flexible than systems of the past," Klauer says in the article. " This has allowed us to shorten our delivery time for new products and product changes.  We have also had a greater ability to integrate with other systems and to deliver process efficiencies."   Klauer goes on to advise that insurers ensure they have a solid understanding of the requirements when replacing their legacy policy administration system. "If you can afford the time, take the opportunity to re-engineer your business processes.  We were able to drastically change our death processes, introducing automation and error-proofing." Click here to read more of Klauer's insights and recommendations for best practices in the publication's "Ask & Answered" column.   You also can learn more the benefits of an adaptive, rules-driven approach to policy administration and how to mitigate risks associated with system replacement by attending the free Oracle Insurance Virtual Summit:  Fueling the Adaptive Insurance Enterprise, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, January 26.      Insurance Networking News and Oracle Insurance have teamed up to bring you this first-of-its-kind event. This year's theme, "Fueling the Adaptive Insurance Enterprise," will focus on bringing you information about exciting new technology concepts, which can help your company react more quickly to new market opportunities and, ultimately, grow the business.    Visit virtual booths and chat online with Oracle product specialists, network with other insurers, learn about exciting new product announcements, win prizes, and much more--all without leaving your office.  Be sure and attend the on-demand session, "Adapt, Transform and Grow: Accelerate Speed to Market with Adaptive Insurance Policy Administration," hosted by Kate Fowler, product strategy director for Oracle Insurance Policy Administration for Life and Annuity.   Register Now!   Helen Pitts is senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance's life and annuities solutions.

    Read the article

  • IASA Sessions on Social Networking Note Influence of Millennial Generation on Insurance Technology

    - by [email protected]
    Helen Pitts, senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance is blogging from the 2010 IASA Annual Conference and Business Show this week. Social networking continues to be a buzzword for many in the industry. Erin Esurance, the Geico Gecko and even Nationwide's "The World's Greatest Spokesperson in the World" all have a prominent presence in the social media world. Sessions at the 2010 IASA Annual Conference and Business Show this week in Grapevine, Texas, highlighted how the millennial generation's exploding use of social media is spurring more carriers to leverage tools like Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks to engage prospect and customers. While panelists encouraged carriers to leverage social networking tools for marketing and communications, they expressed the need for caution and corporate governance when it comes to using the tools as a part of claims, underwriting, and human resources recruitment business practices, and interactions with producers. (A previous Oracle Insurance blog entry by my colleague Susan Keuer noted that social networking and its impact on the underwriting process was also a hot topic at the recent AHOU conference.) Speaking of the millennial generation, IASA announced a new scholarship program and awarded three scholarships during the association's conference this week. The IASA Insurance Industry Collegiate Scholarship Program awards $2,000 scholarships to students in their second or third year of college who are studying an insurance-related field at a four-year college or university. The IASA scholarship committee is co-chaired by Wendy Gibson, vice president of business development for Oracle Insurance. Gibson, a long time IASA volunteer, is completing her second term on IASA's volunteer management team as vice president of industry relations. Helen Pitts is senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance.

    Read the article

  • Access Insurance Company Wins 2010 Technology Innovation Award at IASA

    - by [email protected]
    Helen Pitts, senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance, is blogging from the 2010 IASA Annual Conference and Business Show this week. For the second time in two weeks an Oracle Insurance customer has earned recognition at an insurance industry event for its innovative use of technology to transform their business. Access Insurance Company received the 2010 Technology Innovation Award during the 2010 IASA Annual Conference and Business Show this week in Grapevine, Texas. The company earned the recognition for its "Instant Access" application, which executes all the business rules and processes needed to provide a quote, bind, and issue a policy. CIO Andy Dunn and Tim Reynolds stopped by the Oracle Insurance Booth at IASA to visit with the team, show their award, and share how the platform has provided a strategic advantage to the company and helped it increase revenue by penetrating new markets, increasing market share and improving customer retention. Since implementing Instant Access in 2009 - a platform that leverages both Oracle Insurance Insbridge Rating and Underwriting and Oracle Documaker - the carrier has: Increased policies in force by 22%, from 140,185 to more than 270,000 Grown market share by 4.6% Increased 2009 revenue by 26.5% Increased ratio of policyholders per CSR by 30% Increased its appointed independent producers by 43 percent Now that's true innovation! You can learn more about the company's formula for success by reading Access Insurance Holdings CEO and president Michael McMenamin's interview with Insurance & Technology, Data Mastery Drives Access Insurance's 'Instant Access' Business Technology Platform. Congratulations to Michael, Andy, Tim and the entire team at Access Insurance on this well deserved honor - and for your role as a technology leader for the industry. Helen Pitts is senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance.

    Read the article

  • Policy Administration is the Top 2011 IT Priority for Insurers

    - by helen.pitts(at)oracle.com
    The current issue of Insurance Networking News includes an interesting column by Novarica's Matt Josefowicz.  Recent research by the firm revealed that policy administration replacement or extension is the most common strategic IT project for insurers this year.  The article goes on to note that insurers are keenly focused on the business capabilities that can be delivered once the system is in production as well as the ability to leverage agile development methodologies and true business/IT collaboration during implementation. The results are not too surprising given that policy administration is a mission-critical system for life and annuity insurers.  As Josefowicz notes, "Core systems are called core for a reason--they are at the heart of the insurer's ability to function.  Replacing them is not to be done lightly, but failing to replace them can mean diminishing the ability to compete or function effectively as a company." Insurers can no longer rely on inflexible policy administration systems that impede their ability to rapidly configure and bring to innovative new products, add riders, support changing business processes and take advantage of market opportunities.  The ability to leverage the policy administration systems to better service customers and distribution channels by providing real-time access to policy information throughout the policy lifecycle is also critical to sustain loyalty and further fuel growth.Insurers can benefit from a modern, adaptive policy administration system, like Oracle Insurance Policy Administration for Life and Annuity.  You can learn more about the industry's most highly advanced, rules-based system, which is unmatched for its highly flexible, rules-based configurability, performance and extensibility, as well as global market industry trends by viewing a complimentary, on-demand Webcast, Adapt, Transform and Grow:  Accelerate Speed to Market with Adaptive Insurance Policy Administration.Data conversions can be a daunting process for many insurers when deciding to modernize, in particular when consolidating from multiple, disparate legacy policy administration systems to a single new platform.  Migrating from a legacy system requires a well-thought out approach that builds on the industry's best thinking from previous modernization efforts and takes data migration off the critical path by leveraging proven methodology and tools to capitalize on the new system's capabilities.  We'll discuss more about this approach in a future Oracle Insurance blog.Helen Pitts is senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance's life and annuities solutions.

    Read the article

  • Oracle Announces Oracle Insurance Policy Administration for Life and Annuity 9.4

    - by helen.pitts(at)oracle.com
    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Today's global insurers require the ability to provide higher levels of service and quickly bring to market life insurance and annuity products that not only help them stand out from the competition, but also stay current with local legislation. To succeed, they require agile and flexible core systems that enable them to meet the unique localization requirements of the markets in which they operate, whether in North America, Asia Pacific or the Pan-European Region. The release of Oracle Insurance Policy Administration for Life and Annuity 9.4, announced today, helps insurers meet this need with expanded international market capabilities that enable them to reduce risk and profitably compete wherever their business takes them. It offers expanded multi-language along with unit-linked product and fund processing capabilities that enable regional and global insurers to rapidly configure and deliver localized products – along with providing better service for end users through a single policy admin solution. Key enhancements include: Kanji/Kana language support, pre-defined content, and imperial date processing for the Japanese market New localization flexibility for configuring and managing international mailing addresses along with regional variations for client information Enhanced capability to calculate unit-linked pricing and valuation, in addition to market-based processing and pre-configured unit linked content Expanded role-based security and masking capability to further protect sensitive customer data Enhanced capability to restrict processing specified activities based on time of day and user role, reducing exposure to market timing risks Further capability to eliminate duplicate client records, helping to reduce underwriting risks and enhance servicing through a single view of the client "The ability to leverage a single, rules-driven policy administration system for multiple global operation centers can help insurers realize significant improvements in speed to market, customer service, compliance with regional regulations, and consolidation efforts,” noted Celent's Craig Weber, senior vice president, Insurance. “We believe such initiatives are necessary to help the industry address service and distribution imperatives." Helping our customers meet these mission-critical business imperatives is a key objective for Oracle Insurance. Active, ongoing dialogue with our customers is an important part of the process to help understand how our solutions are and can continue to help them achieve success in the marketplace. I had the opportunity to meet with several of our insurance customers at the Oracle Insurance Policy Administration Client Advisory Board meeting last week in Philadelphia, Penn. (View photos on the Oracle Insurance Facebook page.)   It was a great forum for Oracle Insurance and our clients. Discussion centered on the latest business and IT trends, with opportunities to learn more about the latest release of Oracle Insurance Policy Administration for Life and Annuity and other Oracle Insurance solutions such as data warehousing / business intelligence, while exchanging best practices for product innovation and servicing customers and sales channels. Helen Pitts is senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance's life and annuities solutions.

    Read the article

  • Smooth Sailing or Rough Waters: Navigating Policy Administration Modernization

    - by helen.pitts(at)oracle.com
    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Life insurance and annuity carriers continue to recognize the need to modernize their aging policy administration systems, but may be hesitant to move forward because of the inherent risk involved. To help carriers better prepare for what lies ahead LOMA's Resource Magazine asked Karen Furtado, partner of Strategy Meets Action, to help them chart a course in Navigating Policy Administration Selection, the cover story of this month’s issue. The industry analyst and research firm recently asked insurance carriers to name the business drivers for replacing legacy policy administration systems. The top five cited, according to Furtado, centered on: Supporting growth in current lines Improving competitive position Containing and reducing costs Supporting growth in new lines Supporting agent demands and interaction It’s no surprise that fueling growth, both now and in the future, continues to be a key driver for modernization. Why? Inflexible, hard-coded, legacy systems require customization by IT every time a change is required. This in turn impedes a carrier’s ability to be agile, constraining their ability to quickly adapt to changing regulatory requirements and evolving market demands. It also stymies their ability to quickly bring to market new products or rapidly configure changes to existing ones, and also can inhibit how carriers service customers and distribution channels. In the article, Furtado advised carriers to ensure that the policy administration system they are considering is current and modern, with an adaptable user interface and flexible service-oriented architecture. She said carriers to should ask themselves, “How much do you need flexibility and agility now and in the future? Does it support the business processes and rules that are needed for you to be able to create that adaptable environment?” Furtado went on to advise that carriers “Connect your strategy to your business and technical capabilities before you make investment choices…You want to enable your organization to transform for the future, not just automate the past.” Unlocking High Performance with Policy Administration Transformation also was the topic of a recent LOMA webcast moderated by Ron Clark, editor of LOMA's Resource Magazine. The web cast, which featured speakers from Oracle Insurance and Capgemini, focused on how insurers can competitively drive high performance by: Replacing a legacy policy administration system with a modern, flexible platform Optimizing IT and operations costs, creating consistent processes and eliminating resource redundancies Selecting the right partner with the best blend of technology, operational, and consulting capabilities to achieve market leadership Understanding the value of outsourcing closed block operations Learn more by clicking here to access this free, one-hour recorded webcast. Helen Pitts, is senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance's life and annuities solutions.

    Read the article

  • Unlocking High Performance with Policy Administration Replacement

    - by helen.pitts(at)oracle.com
    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-CA; mso-fareast-language:EN-CA;} Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-CA; mso-fareast-language:EN-CA;} It is clear the insurance industry is undergoing significant changes as it consolidates and prepares for growth. The increasing focus on customer centricity, enhanced and speedier product development capabilities, and compliance with regulatory changes has forced companies to rethink well-entrenched policy administration processes. In previous Oracle Insurance blogs I’ve highlighted industry research pointing to policy administration replacement as a top IT priority for carriers. It is predicted that by 2013, the global IT spend on policy administration alone is likely to be almost 22 percentage of the total insurance IT spend. To achieve growth, insurers are adopting new pricing models, enhancing distribution reach, and quickly launching new products and services—all of which depend on agile and effective policy administration processes and technologies. Next month speakers from Oracle Insurance and Capgemini Financial Services will discuss how insurers can competitively drive high performance through policy administration replacement during a free, one-hour webcast hosted by LOMA. Roger Soppe, Oracle senior director, Insurance Strategy, together with Capgemini’s Lars Ernsting, leader, Life & Pensions COE, and Scott Mampre, vice president, Insurance, will be the speakers. Specifically, they’ll be highlighting: How replacing a legacy policy administration system with a modern, flexible platform optimizes IT and operations costs, creates consistent processes and eliminates resource redundancies How selecting the right partner with the best blend of technology, operational, and consulting capabilities, is an important pre-requisite to unlock high performance from policy administration transformation to achieve product, operational, and cost leadership  The value of outsourcing closed block operations We look forward to your participation on Thursday, July 14, 11:00 a.m. ET. Please register now. Helen Pitts is senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance's life and annuities solutions.

    Read the article

  • Install Problem (Ubuntu Server 10.04) with USB as it reboots when I hit 'enter' for 'Install Ubuntu Server' option! Help

    - by Alastair
    We cannot seem to install Ubuntu Server with USB as it reboots when I hit 'enter' for 'Install Ubuntu Server' option. My friend wants to try setting up a server so; we downloaded Ubuntu Server 10.04.4 we created a boot CD and installed ubuntu server no problem at all. But then the problem arose the hardrive we wanted to use is a 1tb sata drive and the computer orginally has 40gb IDE. So I bought a Sata to IDE and IDE to Sata converter from: http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Product/52926/IDE-to-SATA-converter---Converts-IDE-HDD-to-SATA-inc-sata-data-and-power-cables Unfortunately this converter means I cannot plug in the IDE cable meaning I only have one IDE connection i.e CD drive has to be disconnected for the 1tb sata Hardrive to be connected. So now the 1tb drive is connected, powered it on opened the bios to make sure the hdd appeared it did as ST3ASDAPFKG (somthing like that). Fortunately the computer supports USB booting, so I read ubuntu server usb install instructions I tried: Startup Disk Creator & Unebootin Startup Disk Creator made the usb bootable with the 'ubuntu-10.04.4-server-i386.iso' All looked fine stuck the usb drive in, booted the machine up and I am quickly presented with ubuntu language choice. I hit enter to select English then I am presented with: Install Ubuntu Server, Install Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud, Check Disk for defects, test memory, Boot from first hard disk, Rescue a broken system I can move up and down the menu fine everything seems ok, I select 'Install Ubuntu Server', computer just hangs and screen either goes blank or locks. So I rebooted the computer loads the same menus fine, I select 'Install Ubuntu Server' hit 'enter' and the computer just restarts then brings me back to the same menu. hmmm Then I tried choosing the rest of the options separately: Install Ubuntu Server, Install Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud, Check Disk for defects, test memory, Boot from first hard disk, Rescue a broken system computer just restarts and back to the same ubuntu menu every-time. Grrrr At this point I wish I actually new how to command line install or something but I don't have a clue how to do that. So I tried hitting 'f6' for 'other options' and I tried them all in various combinations and individually. No Luck: (Expert mode, acpi=off, noapic, nolapic, edd=on, nodmraid, nomodeset, Free Software only) At this point I am wondering if it is a bios setting causing problems, I tried turning every option in there on off that I don't understand. No Luck. I then discovered by accident if you hit esc in the ubuntu install menu it says "you are leaving the graphical boot menu and starting the text mode interface" I hit 'Ok'. Next a prompt pops up saying 'boot:' One time it responded when I typed somthing with 'Cannot find kernal image (something like that but since then it just restarts when I hit enter in that prompt). I had a browse on the net and found someone suggesting removing quiet from install command for 'Install Ubuntu Server'. Made no difference at all just reboots... Orginal boot options noprompt cdrom-detect/try-usb=true persistent file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu-server.seed initrd=/install/initrd.gz quiet -- Modified boot options noprompt cdrom-detect/try-usb=true persistent file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu-server.seed initrd=/install/initrd.gz -- Still I cannot install Ubuntu Server by USB as it, reboots when I hit 'enter' for 'Install Ubuntu Server' option. This is a real pain as we cannot take the 1tb Sata Hardrive and swap it for IDE to be able to use the cd drive. Why is is it so hard to install ubuntu server with usb? I have wasted a full day and half on this really frustrated any help would be amazing! I know the answers out there just seems a bit illusive at the moment! Computer Spec- Asus Motherboard, 1gb RAM 2X512MB, Powersupply 200watt, 2.8ghz Processor Intel, On-board 64mb graphics, 100mb Ethernet, 54mb Wireless,

    Read the article

  • American Modern Insurance Group recognized at 2010 INN VIP Best Practices Awards

    - by [email protected]
    Below: Helen Pitts (right), Oracle Insurance, congratulates Bruce Weisgerber, Munich Re, as he accepts a VIP Best Practices Award on behalf of American Modern Insurance Group.     Oracle Insurance Senior Product Marketing Manager Helen Pitts is attending the 2010 ACORD LOMA Insurance Forum this week at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be providing updates from the show floor. This is one of my favorite seasons of the year--insurance trade show season. It is a time to reconnect with peers, visit with partners, make new industry connections, and celebrate our customers' achievements. It's especially meaningful when we can share the experience of having one of our Oracle Insurance customers recognized for being an innovator in its business and in the industry. Congratulations to American Modern Insurance Group, part of the Munich Re Group. American Modern earned an Insurance Networking News (INN) 2010 VIP Best Practice Award yesterday evening during the 2010 ACORD LOMA Insurance Forum. The award recognizes an insurer's best practice for use of a specific technology and the role, if feasible, that ACORD data standards played as a part of their business and technology. American Modern received an Honorable Mention for leveraging the Oracle Documaker enterprise document automation solution to: Improve the quality of communications with customers in high value, high-touch lines of business Convert thousands of page elements or "forms" from their previous system, with near pixel-perfect accuracy Increase efficiency and reusability by storing all document elements (fonts, logos, approved wording, etc.) in one place Issue on-demand documents, such as address changes or policy transactions to multiple recipients at once Consolidate all customer communications onto a single platform Gain the ability to send documents to multiple recipients at once, further improving efficiency Empower agents to produce documents in real time via the Web, such as quotes, applications and policy documents, improving carrier-agent relationships Munich Re's Bruce Weisgerber accepted the award on behalf of American Modern from Lloyd Chumbly, vice president of standards at ACORD. In a press release issued after the ceremony Chumbly noted, "This award embodies a philosophy of efficiency--working smarter with standards, these insurers represent the 'best of the best' as chosen by a body of seasoned insurance industry professionals." We couldn't agree with you more, Lloyd. Congratulations again to American Modern on your continued innovation and success. You're definitely a VIP in our book! To learn more about how American Modern is putting its enterprise document automation strategy into practice, click here to read a case study. Helen Pitts is senior product marketing manager for Oracle Insurance.

    Read the article

  • Underwriting in a New Frontier: Spurring Innovation

    - by [email protected]
    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";} Susan Keuer, product strategy manager for Oracle Insurance, shares her experiences and insight from the 2010 Association of Home Office Underwriters (AHOU) Annual Conference, April 11-14, in San Antonio, Texas    How can I be more innovative in underwriting?  It's a common question I hear from insurance carriers, producers and others, so it was no surprise that it was the key theme at the recent 2010 AHOU Annual Conference.  This year's event drew more than 900 insurance professionals involved in the underwriting process across life and annuities, property and casualty and reinsurance from around the globe, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Bahamas, and more, to San Antonio - a Texas city where innovation transformed a series of downtown drainage canals into its premiere River Walk tourist destination.   CNN's Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta kicked off the conference with a phenomenal opening session that drove home the theme of the conference, "Underwriting in a New Frontier:  Spurring Innovation."   Drawing from his own experience as a neurosurgeon treating critically injured medical patients in the field in Iraq, Gupta inspired audience members to think outside the box during the underwriting process. He shared a compelling story of operating on a soldier who had suffered a head-related trauma in a field hospital.  With minimal supplies available Gupta used a Black and Decker saw to operate on the soldier's head and reduce pressure on his swelling brain. Drawing from this example, Gupta encouraged underwriters to think creatively, be innovative, and consider new tools and sources of information, such as social networking sites, during the underwriting process. So as you are looking at risk take into consideration all resources you have available.    Gupta also stressed the concept of IKIGAI - noting that individuals who believe that their life is worth living are less likely to die than are their counterparts without this belief.  How does one quantify this approach to life or thought process when evaluating risk?  Could this be something to consider as a "category" in the near future? How can this same belief in your own work spur innovation?   The role of technology was a hot topic of discussion throughout the conference.  Sessions delved into the latest in underwriting software to the rise of social media and how it is being increasingly integrated into underwriting process and solutions.  In one session a trio of panelists representing the carrier, producer and vendor communities stressed the importance to underwriters of leveraging new technology and the plethora of online information sources, which all could be used to accurately, honestly and consistently evaluate the risk throughout the underwriting process.   Another focused on the explosion of social media noting:  1.    Social media is growing exponentially - About eight percent of Americans used social media five years ago. Today about 46 percent of Americans do so, with 85 percent of financial services professionals using social media in their work.  2.    It will impact your business - Underwriters reconfirmed over and over that they are increasingly using "free" tools that are available in cyberspace in lieu of more costly solutions, such as inspection reports conducted by individuals in the field.  3.    Information is instantly available on the Web, anytime, anywhere - LinkedIn was mentioned as a way to connect to peers in the underwriting community and producers alike.  Many carriers and agents also are using Facebook to promote their company to customers - and as a point-of-entry to allow them to perform some functionality - such as accessing product marketing information versus directing users to go to the carrier's own proprietary website.  Other carriers have released their tight brand marketing to allow their producers to drive more business to their personal Facebook site where they offer innovative tools such as Application Capture or asking medical information in a more relaxed fashion.     Other key topics at the conference included the economy, ongoing industry consolidation, real-estate valuations as an asset and input into the underwriting process, and producer trends.  All stressed a "back to basics" approach for low cost, term products.   Finally, Connie Merritt, RN, PHN, entertained the large group of atttendees with audience-engaging insight on how to "Tame the Lions in Your Life - Dealing with Complainers, Bullies, Grump and Curmudgeon." Merritt noted "we are too busy for our own good." She shared how her overachieving personality had impacted her life.  Audience members then were asked to pick red, yellow, blue, or green shapes, without knowing that each one represented a specific personality trait.  For example, those who picked blue were the peacemakers. Those who choose yellow were social - the hint was to "Be Quiet Longer."  She then offered these "lion taming" steps:   1.    Admit It 2.    Accept It 3.    Let Go 4.    Be Present (which paralleled Gupta's IKIGAI concept)   When thinking about underwriting I encourage you to be present in the moment and think creatively, but don't be afraid to look ahead to the future and be an innovator.  I hope to see you at next year's AHOU Annual Conference, May 1-4, 2011 at The Mirage in Las Vegas, Nev.     Susan Keuer is the product strategy manager for new business underwriting.  She brings more than 20 years of insurance industry experience working with leading insurance carriers and technology companies to her role on the product strategy team for life/annuities solutions within the Oracle Insurance Global Business Unit  

    Read the article

  • Facebook Connect with CodeIgniter login problems

    - by Alastair Dewar
    Im having a problem using Facebook Connect on my latest website. Im running it using the CodeIgniter framework and Elliot Haughin's library (http://www.haughin.com/code/facebook/). Everything is setup okay, when the user goes to login, the request is sent to Facebook okay and returns with the code (which i presume identifies the session?). However, it doesnt seem to update the library, and after doing all this still thinks that the user is not logged in. It makes me think its a bug in the library itself, but I can't see anyone else with this problem. I have tried dumping the error log from the library but it doesnt find any problems. If someone could shed any light I would be so grateful!

    Read the article

  • Ubuntu Server 12.04 Screen Resolution "Out of Range"

    - by Alastair Mackie
    I'm fairly new to ubuntu and have just installed Ubuntu Server 12.04 on a spare machine to experiment and play with! The installation went without problem, however whenever the OS boots the monitor displays a an error message saying the resolution is "out of range" and i can't see to do anything - i can wait as long as i like, but nothing appears. Ubuntu is the only OS installed so bypasses GRUB on boot, although the GRUB screen is also out of range if forced on startup. I can access a shell from the recover mode and i can get at a terminal through a LiveCD of the Desktop version but have had little luck with either. I've been trying to figure this out for days and i'm at a total loss. Any thoughts?

    Read the article

  • Escaping an equals sign in DOS batch string replacement command

    - by Alastair
    Hi, I need to replace some text in a JNLP file using a DOS batch file to tune it for the local machine. The problem is that the search pattern contains an equals sign which is messing up the string replacement in the batch file. I want to replace the line, <j2se version="1.5" initial-heap-size="100M" max-heap-size="100M"/> with specific settings for the initial and max heap sizes. For example at the moment I have, for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%a in (%filePath%agility.jnlp) do ( set str=%%a set str=!str:initial-heap-size="100M"=initial-heap-size="%min%M"! echo !str!>>%filePath%new.jnlp) but the = in the search pattern is being read as part of the replacement command. How do I escape the equals sign so it is processed as text?

    Read the article

  • AuthResend query string being appended to URL

    - by Alastair Pitts
    One of our clients is having an issue where POSTBACK seems to be broken when they connect to our Sharepoint application. When they navigate to a URL, an erroneous query string gets appended to the URL, so the end of the URL becomes: .../default.aspx&AuthResend1908BC2350124b5095AB75012FA405BA this isn't something that appears on any other clients computers or ours internally. This is the only difference and it seems to be breaking their pages. I had a quick Google and it seems that it's to do with a Microsoft ISA server, but I have no experience with that. Is this a bug or setting on their ISA server?

    Read the article

  • ArchBeat Link-o-Rama for 11/22/2011

    - by Bob Rhubart
    A Brief Introduction on Migrating to an Oracle-based Cloud Environment | Tom Laszewski "Before you can start migrating to the cloud, you must define what the cloud means to you," says Tom Laszeski. "The cloud is not a specific software or hardware product; contrary to what many technology vendors would have you believe." Custom Exception Registration for ADF BC EO Attribute | Andrejus Baranovskis "Sometimes customers prefer to implement business logic validation completely in Java, without using ADF BC declarative/Groovy validation rules," says Oracle ACE Director Andrejus Baranovskis. "Thats fine, we can code business logic validation in ADF and implement different custom validation methods on VO/EO level." Oracle Exadata Virtual Conference - Jan 20 2012 The Exadata SIG, along with IOUG, is organizing the First Exadata Virtual Conference, to be held on January 20, 2012. Proposals for presentations are now being accepted. Smooth Sailing or Rough Waters: Navigating Policy Administration Modernization | Helen Pitts "It’s no surprise that fueling growth, both now and in the future, continues to be a key driver for modernization" says Helen Pitts. "Why? Inflexible, hard-coded, legacy systems require customization by IT every time a change is required." Architects putting on the Ritz; Info integration book learning; Platform for SAS Grid Computing This week on the Architect Home Page on OTN. Webcast: Introducing Oracle WebLogic Server 12c: Developer Deep Dive - Dec 1 - 11am PT / 2pm ET Learn how Oracle WebLogic Server 12c enables rapid development of modern, lightweight Java EE 6 applications. Discover how you can leverage the latest development technologies, tools and standards when deploying to Oracle WebLogic Server across both conventional and Cloud environments. Architecture all day. Oracle Technology Network Architect Day - Phoenix, AZ - Dec14. Free registration. When: December 14, 2011 Where: The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix, 2401 East Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ 85016 Registration is free, but seating is limited.

    Read the article

  • Escaping an equals sign in DOS batch string replacement command

    - by Alastair
    I need to replace some text in a JNLP file using a DOS batch file to tune it for the local machine. The problem is that the search pattern contains an equals sign which is messing up the string replacement in the batch file. I want to replace the line, <j2se version="1.5" initial-heap-size="100M" max-heap-size="100M"/> with specific settings for the initial and max heap sizes. For example at the moment I have, for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%a in (%filePath%agility.jnlp) do ( set str=%%a set str=!str:initial-heap-size="100M"=initial-heap-size="%min%M"! echo !str!>>%filePath%new.jnlp) but the = in the search pattern is being read as part of the replacement command. How do I escape the equals sign so it is processed as text?

    Read the article

  • UpdateModel() fails after migration from MVC 1.0 to MVC 2.0

    - by Alastair Pitts
    We are in the process of migrating our ASP.NET MVC 1.0 web app to MVC 2.0 but we have run into a small snag. In our report creation wizard, it is possible leave the Title text box empty and have it be populated with a generic title (in the post action). The code that does the update on the model of the Title is: if (TryUpdateModel(reportToEdit, new[] { "Title" })) { //all ok here try to create (custom validation and attach to graph to follow) //if title is empty get config subject if (reportToEdit.Title.Trim().Length <= 0) reportToEdit.Title = reportConfiguration.Subject; if (!_service.CreateReport(1, reportToEdit, SelectedUser.ID, reportConfigID, reportCategoryID, reportTypeID, deviceUnitID)) return RedirectToAction("Index"); } In MVC 1.0, this works correctly,the reportToEdit has an empty title if the textbox is empty, which is then populated with the Subject property. In MVC 2.0 this fails/returns false. If I add the line above: UpdateModel(reportToEdit, new[] { "Title" }); it throws System.InvalidOperationException was unhandled by user code Message="The model of type 'Footprint.Web.Models.Reports' could not be updated." Source="System.Web.Mvc" StackTrace: at System.Web.Mvc.Controller.UpdateModel[TModel](TModel model, String prefix, String[] includeProperties, String[] excludeProperties, IValueProvider valueProvider) at System.Web.Mvc.Controller.UpdateModel[TModel](TModel model, String[] includeProperties) at Footprint.Web.Controllers.ReportsController.Step1(FormCollection form) in C:\TFS Workspace\ExtBusiness_Footprint\Branches\apitts_uioverhaul\Footprint\Footprint.Web\Controllers\ReportsController.cs:line 398 at lambda_method(ExecutionScope , ControllerBase , Object[] ) at System.Web.Mvc.ActionMethodDispatcher.Execute(ControllerBase controller, Object[] parameters) at System.Web.Mvc.ReflectedActionDescriptor.Execute(ControllerContext controllerContext, IDictionary`2 parameters) at System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethod(ControllerContext controllerContext, ActionDescriptor actionDescriptor, IDictionary`2 parameters) at System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.<>c__DisplayClassd.<InvokeActionMethodWithFilters>b__a() at System.Web.Mvc.ControllerActionInvoker.InvokeActionMethodFilter(IActionFilter filter, ActionExecutingContext preContext, Func`1 continuation) InnerException: Reading the MVC2 Release notes I see this breaking change: Every property for model objects that use IDataErrorInfo to perform validation is validated, regardless of whether a new value was set. In ASP.NET MVC 1.0, only properties that had new values set would be validated. In ASP.NET MVC 2, the Error property of IDataErrorInfo is called only if all the property validators were successful. but I'm confused how this is affecting me. I'm using the entity framework generated classes. Can anyone pinpoint why this is failing?

    Read the article

  • Conditional Regular Expression testing of a CSV

    - by Alastair Pitts
    I am doing some client side validation in ASP.NET MVC and I found myself trying to do conditional validation on a set of items (ie, if the checkbox is checked then validate and visa versa). This was problematic, to say the least. To get around this, I figured that I could "cheat" by having a hidden element that would contain all of the information for each set, thus the idea of a CSV string containing this information. I already use a custom [HiddenRequired] attribute to validate if the hidden input contains a value, with success, but I thought as I will need to validate each piece of data in the csv, that a regular expression would solve this. My regular expression work is extremely weak and after a good 2 hours I've almost given up. This is an example of the csv string: true,3,24,over,0.5 to explain: true denotes if I should validate the rest. I need to conditionally switch in the regex using this 3 and 24 are integers and will only ever fall in the range 0-24. over is a string and will either be over or under 0.5 is a decimal value, of unknown precision. In the validation, all values should be present and at least of the correct type Is there someone who can either provide such a regex or at least provide some hints, i'm really stuck!

    Read the article

  • SQL INSTR() using CSV. Need exact match rather than part

    - by Alastair Pitts
    This is a follow up issue relating to the answer for http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2445029/sql-placeholder-in-where-in-issue-inserted-strings-fail Quick background: We have a SQL query that uses a placeholder value to accept a string, which represents a unique tag/id. Usually, this is only a single tag, but we needed the ability to use a csv string for multiple tags, returning a combined result. In the answer we received from the vendor, they suggested the use of the INSTR function, ala: select * from pitotal where tag IN (SELECT tag from pipoint WHERE INSTR(?, tag) <> 0) and time between 'y' and 't' This works perfectly well 99% of the time, the issue is when the tag is also a subset of 2 parts of the CSV string. Eg the placeholder value is: 'northdom,southdom,eastdom,westdom' and possible tags include: north or northdom What happens, as north is a subset of northdom, is that the two tags are return instead of just northdom, which is actually what we want. I'm not strong on SQL so I couldn't work out how to set it as exact, or split the csv string, so help would be appreciated. Is there a way to split the csv string or make it look for an exact match?

    Read the article

  • Determining which form input failed validation?

    - by Alastair Pitts
    I am designing a creation wizard in ASP.NET MVC 1 and instead of posting back each step, I'm using javascript to toggle the display of the different steps divs. This is a quick sample of the code, just to explain. <% using (Html.BeginForm()) {%> <fieldset> <legend>Fields</legend> <div id="wizardStep1"> <% Html.RenderPartial("CreateStep1", Model); %> </div> <div id="wizardStep2"> <% Html.RenderPartial("CreateStep2", Model); %> </div> <div id="wizardStep3"> <% Html.RenderPartial("CreateStep3", Model); %> </div> </fieldset> <% } %> I have javascript that just toggles the visibility of the divs, with each partial view containing a different section of the input form (which is pretty large by itself) My question is, if the form fails validation and I reload the page with the validation errors, is there a way for me to determine which div contains the error? Either in javascript or other? Failing that, is there a good client-side validation library for MVC 1? Ideally I'd love to move to MVC2 and the client side validation built into that, but I am required to use MVC1

    Read the article

  • Updating a Foreign Key constraint with ON DELETE CASCADE not updating?

    - by Alastair Pitts
    We've realised in our SQL Server 2005 DB that some Foreign Keys don't have the On Delete Cascade property set, which is giving us a couple of referential errors when we try and delete some records. Use the Management Studio I scripted the DROP and CREATESQL's, but it seems that the CREATE isn't working correctly. The DROP: USE [FootprintReports] GO IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.foreign_keys WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID(N'[dbo].[FK__SUBSCRIPTIONS_Reports]') AND parent_object_id = OBJECT_ID(N'[dbo].[_SUBSCRIPTIONS]')) ALTER TABLE [dbo].[_SUBSCRIPTIONS] DROP CONSTRAINT [FK__SUBSCRIPTIONS_Reports] and the CREATE USE [FootprintReports] GO ALTER TABLE [dbo].[_SUBSCRIPTIONS] WITH CHECK ADD CONSTRAINT [FK__SUBSCRIPTIONS_Reports] FOREIGN KEY([PARAMETER_ReportID]) REFERENCES [dbo].[Reports] ([ID]) ON DELETE CASCADE GO ALTER TABLE [dbo].[_SUBSCRIPTIONS] CHECK CONSTRAINT [FK__SUBSCRIPTIONS_Reports] If I manually change the value of the On Delete in the GUI, after dropping and recreating, the On Delete isn't correctly updated. As a test, I set the Delete rule in the GUI to Set Null. It dropped correctly, and recreated without error. If I got back into the GUI, it is still showing the Set Null as the Delete Rule. Have I done something wrong? or is there another way to edit a constraint to add the ON DELETE CASCADE rule?

    Read the article

  • multiple redirect??

    - by Ryan Pitts
    Ok, i won't go into the full details (too much to explain) but here is what i am trying to do. I have a button on a webpage (we'll call page-1) that links to a page (we'll call it page-2). This page opens in the same window. However, i need the page (page-2) that opens to open up a new window with another page (we'll call this one page-3) when it loads. So virtually when you click the initial button (on page-1) it will go to a new page (page-2) AND a window will open as well with a different page (page-3). This is where it gets tricky. I need page-2 to automatically redirect back to page-1 after it launches page-3. Is this possible and if so, how?? Could it be a JQuery thing? Please just give some answers...i know this is way crazy and a huge workaround - but this is my last resort for this particular website. I have to do it this way because of the lack of control over some of the code.

    Read the article

  • ASP.NET MVC: Problem generating thumbnails...need help!

    - by Ryan Pitts
    Ok, so i'm new to asp.net mvc and i'm trying to make a web application photo gallery. I've posted once on here about this issue i am having of trying to generate thumbnails on-the-fly on the page instead of the actual full-size images. Basically, the functionality i am looking for is to be able to have thumbnails on the page and then be able to click the images to see the full-size version. I am pulling the images and images info from an XML file. So, i did this so i could display them dynamically and so it would be easier to make changes later. Later, i am going to add functionality to upload new images to specific galleries (when i figure out how to do that as well). I am providing a link to download the project i am working on so you can see the code. I would appreciate any help with this! Thanks! URL to project: http://www.diminished4th.com/TestArtist.zip Ryan

    Read the article

1 2  | Next Page >