Issue 62: May 2014
MONITOR
the newsletter of The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists
MASTER’S LETTER
T
he theme I have adopted for my year as Master, as reported in the November
edition of Monitor, is “Ubiquity” to emphasise the enormous advances and global
reach achieved by IT and digitally-enabled devices in recent times; a process which
is accelerating year on year. A by-product of such ubiquity is the concern which many in
society share about the downsides of combining computing, social media and the internet in
terms of invasion of privacy and security and of the impact on human interaction.
This was the thinking which prompted my inaugurating a series of Thought Leadership
debates. The first of these took place on 18th March at the Hall where the topic was
“Should the IT industry be doing more technologically to reduce the rising tide of
criminality and abuse on the internet?”. The result of that debate was an equal number of
participants voting in favour as against the motion. The result was of less interest than the
quality of the debate. The principal points made in the debate together with my blog about
this successful event are now available on the WCIT website. If you wish to engage in a
dialogue on the outcome you are at liberty to do so via the social medium of our dedicated
LinkedIn group, so long as you are a member of it. At least a quarter of our membership are
now members and we are encouraging everyone to sign up for it as it is such a powerful
communications medium for a membership organisation like ours. Our LinkedIn group is
“Information Technologists Company”.
Michael Webster
Inside this issue:
Master’s Letter
1
Liveryman Tom
Ilube receives
Award
3
WCIT Enterprise
Awards
4
WCIT Events
6-7
ChOps? Everything
you need to know
but never asked...
8-9
Pro Bono &
Projects update
10
IT4Arts
11
WCIT Livery
Schools Showcase
13
Archivist’s Corner
14
Clerk’s Letter
16
Since my February newsletter I have been involved in a multiplicity of activities, which I
will write about more fully in my blog, but it is appropriate that I mention here that my
wife, Penny, and I visited Treloar’s School and College, a school specially dedicated to the
physically disabled. OFSTED said about the School in its 2014 Report “Disability is not a barrier to
achievement”. This visit, made by over 40 Masters of Livery companies, reflects the importance of this charity
to successive Lord Mayors and the livery community at large and is a visible recognition of the impact of its
philanthropy. Thanks are given again to the professional IKC print centre within Treloars College for printing
our Monitor newsletters. Projects are carried out by the students and help enable them not only to develop
skills but also to achieve City & Guilds qualifications.
Two notable achievements of great interest to, and kudos for, the Company have been recorded in recent
weeks.
The first in point of time is WCIT Liveryman Paul Jagger’s book entitled: “The City of London Freeman’s
Guide” which is published electronically and in hard copy in the name of the Company, its first year’s royalties
all being donated to our Charity. This has generated great interest from other Livery companies and in under
two months the royalties accruing are in excess of £1000. Details of
how you can order this publication are on our website and also
via www.cityandlivery.co.uk, a web based information point for
all matters related to the City, Freedom and Livery.
The second is the City Livery Club’s centenary Root & Branch
Award for the most significant contribution in recent years for
transformational charity work by a Liveryman. For his signal
work in relation to Lilian Baylis Technology School and
Hammersmith Academy, our Liveryman, Tom Ilube, has been
selected as winner of this prestigious award. The citation reads
“for his outstanding record of service to education and young
people”. Please turn to page three more information on this.
Our hearty congratulations to both Paul and Tom for these
significant achievements.