010 001 2960 [email protected]

Google Drive under scrutiny

The release of the long-awaited cloud storage service from Google, Google Drive, has been met with a flurry of concern over the implications of the service for enterprise and potential data ownership issues.
Google Drive went live last week Tuesday, offering Google users 5GB free storage space and deep integration of existing Google services – potentially giving the service an edge on competitors.
Principal analyst at Ovum, Richard Edwards, says the service will inevitably be used in the enterprise and may present some problems for CIOs.

“Chances are employees will start using this service to do more than share family photos and recipes,” says Edwards. “Corporate e-mail systems are notorious for their measly storage quotas and message attachment size limitations, and so the sharing and distribution of large corporate files, such as PowerPoint presentations, engineering drawings, and creative content, are an obvious use case for Google Drive.”
Edwards says the unsanctioned use of cloud storage services presents a “real headache” for corporate governance, risk and compliance managers. While some organisations already block access to file sharing services, Edwards says the inevitability of the use of such services warrants further investigation.
Ovum advises enterprises to consider the use of business-grade cloud drive and collaboration solutions, such as Box and Huddle.
“These services deliver user-friendly, device-agnostic, content-sharing features similar to Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft SkyDrive, but they also feature management and administration capabilities that Ovum deems essential from a compliance and audit perspective,” says Edwards.

Powertech CEO quits

JSE-listed Altron says Norbert Claussen, Powertech CEO, has resigned and will leave the company and relinquish his position on the Altron board at the end of June.
Altron, which is due to publish its results next week, owns all of Powertech, which supplies technology for the electricity sector.

Altron CEO Robert Venter says he has worked closely with Claussen for over 16 years. “I consider him to be more than a business colleague, and wish to thank him for the considerable contribution he has made to Powertech and the greater Altron group.”
Claussen joined the Altron group in 1996 as CEO of Willard Batteries, when Venter was CEO of Powertech. Willard Batteries rapidly expanded to become the Powertech Battery Group, comprising Willard Batteries, Dynamic Batteries, SABAT Batteries and Battery Technologies.
In March 2001, Claussen was appointed Powertech CEO. He guided Powertech through exceptional times between 2006 and 2008 when it was the largest contributor to the Altron group.
“After many years in a corporate environment, I am taking the opportunity to become a shareholder in a smaller private business unrelated to the power electronics industry. I have enjoyed over two decades in the corporate arena, the majority being at the Altron group, and will miss my interactions with Altron and its stakeholders,” says Claussen.
An announcement regarding Claussen’s successor will be made in due course after consideration of both internal and external candidates.