David Norfolk

About David

David was working in the Research School of Chemistry at the Australian National University in the 1970s, when he discovered that computers could deliver misleading answers, even when programmed by very clever people. His ongoing interest in getting computers to deliver useful automation culminated in his joining Bloor in 2007 and taking on the development brief.

Development here refers to developing automated business outcomes, not just coding. It also covers the processes behind automation and the people issues associated with implementing it. He sees organisational maturity as a prerequisite for implementing effective (measured) process automation and ITIL as a useful framework for automated service delivery.

He also looks after Collaboration and Business Process Management for Bloor, and takes a lively interest in the reinvention of the Mainframe as an Enterprise Server.

Professional Background

David has worked in database administration (DBA) and operations research for the Australian Public Service in Canberra. He then worked for Bank of America and Swiss Bank Corporation in the UK, holding positions in DBA, systems development method and standards, internal control, network management, technology risk and even PC support. He was instrumental in introducing a formal systems development process for the Bank of America Global Banking product in Croydon.

In 1992 he started a new career as a professional writer and analyst. He is a past co-editor/co-owner) of Application Development Advisor and was associate editor for the launch of Register Developer. He helped organise the first London CMMI Made Practical conference in 2005 and has written for most of the major computer industry publications.

He has the ability to extract the essence of significant technical developments and present it for general consumption, at various levels, without compromising the underlying technical truth.

Education

David has an honours degree in Chemistry, a graduate qualification in Computing, and is a Chartered IT Professional. He has a somewhat rusty NetWare 5 CNE certification and is a Member of the British Computer Society (he is on the committee of its Configuration Management Specialist Group).