Biometric data to be used as a part of GMAT exam

For the first time in its history, the French National Commission for Data Protection and the Liberties (CNIL) has granted approval to a private testing company -- the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) -- to collect biometric data as part of its efforts to ensure the highest level of security for the GMAT exam. No other private examination has obtained this permission.

GMAC is the international organization of business schools that owns and administers the GMAT exam, used by almost 2,000 business schools worldwide as part of the admission process. In consideration of the guarantees taken by GMAT to protect privacy, the CNIL authorized GMAC's use of the new PalmSecure biometric device to authenticate the identity of individuals taking the GMAT. In the near future, data collected from this device will be used to match candidate information across a central database that includes biometric data from individuals sitting for the exam at other test centres around the world.

The GMAT exam is currently the only examination that utilizes the new PalmSecure palm vein identification technology. PalmSecure features a near-infrared light that captures a palm vein pattern, generating a unique encrypted biometric template that is matched against the pre-registered candidate's palm vein pattern, thus ensuring the test taker is that candidate. It offers a highly reliable form of authentication because it utilizes no trace technology, no image is ever stored, and the data cannot be read by other devices. The CNIL noted in its approval, "It is not likely to be captured without the knowledge of the person concerned and therefore presents very little risk for the civil liberties and fundamental rights of the individuals."

"We want to express our appreciation to the CNIL for reinforcing, in its decision, our commitment to leadership in protecting personal data and complying with international data privacy laws," said David A. Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC. "We want to ensure the highest level of security to protect the interests of schools and of honest test takers."

Wilson noted that leading business schools around the world have relied upon the GMAT as a proven predictor of a candidate's academic success for five decades. "The CNIL's action in granting approval for the collection of biometric data only to the GMAT exam reflects the importance of the high priority we place on vigilant security."

In 2005, GMAC notified the CNIL of other security measures under the Data Protection Act to protect the GMAT exam against fraud, including audio-visual recording in the test room and photos of candidates. However, France and some other countries did not accept the collection of fingerprints, which was also a part of GMAT exam security measures. GMAC then began a search for alternatives to fingerprinting that would comply with international data privacy laws. The CNIL received a letter of support for the value of the palm vein technology in guaranteeing the security of the test from the HEC School of Management in Paris.

GMAC will now implement PalmSecure and file requests for its use with other European countries. Portugal has already authorized it. GMAC expects to use the PalmSecure technology in all test centers by the close of 2009.

About Graduate Management Admission Council

The Graduate Management Admission Council (www.gmac.com) is a nonprofit education organization of leading graduate business schools worldwide dedicated to creating access to and disseminating information about graduate management education. GMAC is based in McLean, Virginia, with a European office in London. The Council owns the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), used by approximately 4,600 graduate management programs at some 1,900 business schools around the world to assess applicants. The GMAT -- the only standardized test designed expressly for graduate business and management programs worldwide -- is now available at more than 450 test centers in 110 countries.

For more information about the GMAT, please visit www.mba.com.

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How heavy is the Internet

Using publicly available information, for the first time in the world,the weight of the internet has been calcuated precisely and scientifically. Obviously this information is only really useful to someone attempting to work out the cost of posting the Internet somewhere, perhaps to North Korea. Still, the casual reader -- hi there! -- may still enjoy learning just how damn heavy the thing is.

Around 570,937,778 computers are believed to be connected to the Internet, according to the Internet Systems Consortium. That's an awful lot of heavy hardware jacked into the idiot pipes. In fact, at an average of around 40kg per machine, including your monitor, it all adds up to a staggering mound of electronics. Obviously some of these machines are laptops. Many desktop machines will have printers or scanners plugged into them though, offsetting the difference.

Servers are the place where all your 'Internet' is stored. Picture them as electronic lending libraries, only your book is never on loan, or smeared in sick. Instead, servers serve up the pages you ask for when you type those addresses into your browser window. As you can see, there's a fair number of them. Netcraft estimates there are 175,480,931 servers worldwide.

This is one of the few definitive figures available on the weight of cabling that makes up the Internet. It's the approximate weight of the 15,000km TAT-14 cable that links the US to France, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and the UK. The cable weighs 5.8kg per metre.

Quite a lot of iPhones have been sold, 42 million in total, and all of them connect to the Internet. Collectively they weigh an absolutely mindblowing 6 million kilograms.

BlackBerry: the iPhone for people who like to 'do business'. The 'business people' have spent a huge amount on BlackBerrys. RIM has sold over 50 million of the critters since the gadget was first introduced. The weight soon adds up!

These viruses don't actually weigh anything, but they're a huge part of the Internet you know and love. There are over 287,524 viruses available on the Internet for free installation on your Windows PC.

Web sites are also an important part of the Internet experience, but they don't really weigh very much either. Most of them are electrical impulses, magnetic stripes on hard disks, or electrons floating about the place, giddy with excitement. The Internet Archive stores over 85 billion pages, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The Internet is very heavy indeed. To give you some idea of just how heavy the internet is, imagine an absolutely enormous tower of computers and servers and cables reaching up into the sky like the evil fingers of some apocalyptic demon. Now imagine sparks, thunder, electrical storms. And, on top of it all, an otter screaming pointlessly. That is the closest you are likely to come to visualising the Internet.

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MBAs Consider startups

Business Schools have quietly become the back door to starting your own business. Once considered merely the hallway to a high-salaried career with an investment banking or consulting firm, business schools are now drawing attention from those tinkering in their garages and hoping to find the next big thing. Through virtual and traditional business incubators, business schools are helping students launch startups with everything from fund-raising and networking to finding office space and interns.

During the economic crisis, many people took shelter in graduate programs, while many others who had been pursuing careers at companies large and small sought opportunities to become their own boss so they won't have to worry about the next round of layoffs. These ingredients have come together in a recipe that has graduate business programs cooking up entrepreneurial ideas like never before—from RecipeKey, a reverse search engine that has visitors to its Web site typing in ingredients to get recipes, to WallStreetOasis.com, an online community for finance professionals.

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MBAs face a tough job market

The MBA Class of 2009 was hit harder than expected by the recession. At some top schools, 1 in 5 are jobless 3 months after graduation

According to the latest data reported to BusinessWeek, 16.5% of job-seeking students from the top 30 MBA programs did not get even one offer by the time schools collected their final fall employment data three months after graduation. Last year that was true of just 5% of students. And despite the meteoric rise of salaries over the past several years, starting pay was down this year for the top 30, dipping from roughly $98,000 in 2008 to $96,500. For many programs, it marked the first time since the tech bubble burst that salaries didn't increase. Signing bonuses, too, fell both in value and quantity.

Even students at top schools have been affected by the slump. With MBA mainstays like the consulting and financial services sectors still hurting from the crisis, industries that were once elite schools' bread and butter have hit lean times. The average number of students without job offers three months after graduation at the top 10 programs was 15%, just three percentage points better than the rest of the top 30.

One factor that made this recession different was that it hit MBA students where it hurt the most, with thousands of high-paying finance jobs going up in smoke. The companies usually responsible for doling out generous bonuses dramatically scaled back both their hiring and incentive packages. The percentage of employed graduates who got signing bonuses fell to 71% from 81% the year before, and their median value dropped by $5,000. In 2007 signing bonuses went to about 76% of students who accepted jobs across the top 30. That number fell to 65% in 2009.

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How A Project Manager Stayed on Track : London Heathrow Airport

Unforeseen problems can derail even the most carefully planned projects. Just ask this project manager. Then ask them how he managed to snatch success from the jaws of project politics, unforeseen setbacks, and way too little time.

Terminal 1, London’s Heathrow Airport

The goal: Refurbish Terminal 1 at London’s Heathrow Airport. David Buisson led the high-profile, $93.8 million project, which started in January 2006 and wrapped up in April 2009, to redevelop the arrival area and construct new check-in desks, retail facilities, baggage equipment, and business-class lounges.

The problem: The terminal had to continue to function at all times and not inconvenience the 20 million passengers who use it annually. Buisson’s construction team had a very limited window of time each night, normally between 11 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. The crew worked in an area of the terminal used by a number of airlines, including BMI, the second-largest airline at Heathrow. The team had about 21 weeks to renovate BMI’s part of the terminal. When they set to work on BMI’s tiled flooring, the construction crew ran into a big, unexpected problem: a completely degraded concrete floor and metal infrastructure underneath. There was no money or time budgeted to fix it. Buisson initially estimated it would take 20 extra weeks of work to fix it, on top of the 21 weeks the project required.

What happened: Buisson immediately brought all of the stakeholders to the project site, where they could better understand the size of the problem, the constraints the team faced, and the cost and equipment required to finish. Getting everyone together eliminated weeks of going back and forth via phone and e-mail to describe the problems, decide who would fix them, and obtain separate work approvals — the kind of piecemeal steps that can bring a project to a standstill. The team finished the project only one day later than originally scheduled.

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