IT Strategy

Get Better / IT Strategy — Comments Off on TechCrunch – Data As A Company’s Secret Weapon
20
Feb 14

TechCrunch – Data As A Company’s Secret Weapon

This year, we’re going to see data go from an opaque, untapped, and mystifying asset to a hyper competitive, I-can’t-believe-you-don’t-use-it weapon for businesses. I don’t mean big data; I mean data of any size: big, medium, and small. In fact, it’s not about the amount of data, it’s about the kind of data you have (and, of course, being smart enough to use it). This is all starting to happen because software is being built specifically to analyze lots of data – and it’s no longer cost-prohibitive to use this software, and the insights can fundamentally change the trajectory of your business.

Think of it this way: If you’re chasing after a $10-billion market and your competitor has a way to leverage the data generated by their customers – and you don’t – the odds aren’t in your favor. Chances are, you’re going to fall behind.

The taxi industry is being upended internationally due to the emergence of high-tech companies such as Uber and Lyft. These companies are rapidly taking over the market, and not just because they’re mobile-first. Uber and Lyft are successful because they approach a classic problem – getting from point A to point B – as a mathematical equation with hundreds of potential variables. All of these variables can be tested and improved upon to create the best possible user experience. And the only way they improve that result is by having better data and smarter software. Smarter software begets more customers which begets better data which begets smarter software.

More of the TechCrunch post by Suhail Doshi

Get Better / IT Strategy — Comments Off on DCIG – Converged Infrastructure Solutions Foretell the Future of Data Centers Large and Small
19
Feb 14

DCIG – Converged Infrastructure Solutions Foretell the Future of Data Centers Large and Small

With many IT shops still performing their own integration work, virtualizion implementations take far too long to complete the infrastructure deployments (e.g., backup, compute, disaster recovery, high availability, networking, recovery, storage and more.) In many cases, deployments can take weeks or even months before they are fully complete. Enter converged infrastructure solutions.

Converged infrastructure solutions do more than simply deliver all of the hardware and software components necessary to host and run virtualization. They also dramatically reduce the time it takes for organizations to get their virtualized applications up and running.This combination of speed and ease in which these converged infrastructure solutions are deployed foretells how data centers both large and small will eventually expect their virtualization deployments to take place.

Converged infrastructures can be sized with anticipated workloads in mind, enabling organizations to be much more competitive – agile if you believe all of the vendor hype. In other words, organizations can accelerate application deployments, which in turn enables them to respond to the markets those applications serve with increased readiness and dexterity. Now deployments that once took weeks can realistically be done in days.

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Get Better / IT Strategy — Comments Off on Forbes – How To Get Even More Value From Your Technology: Turn It Off
17
Feb 14

Forbes – How To Get Even More Value From Your Technology: Turn It Off

Digital media and technology are ubiquitous today, which means we are presented with an inexhaustible series of messages and opportunities to be entertained and informed. The resulting state of information intensity is generally considered to be a major benefit of living in our age, and to some extent even necessary to modern life. This being the case, what are the ways that we actually use this technology? At a high level, there are three broad categories of intention behind our use of technology, and they are not all good for us.

Distraction

A common use for media and technology is to distract ourselves from the present moment. In an uncertain world, the chance to be distracted from our worries and the pressures of life is often welcome. Media and technology can provide us with a temporary escape from reality, but like with addictive drugs, the pressing concerns of life don’t disappear — though when we are distracted with Twitter or Netflix they may fade into the unnoticed background for a while. Distraction (and remedy to boredom) is perhaps the worst use of technology because we pay for it with our most valuable asset –time– and we get little of value in the exchange.

More of the Forbes article by Kevin Ready

Get Better / IT Strategy — Comments Off on Forbes – Many CIOs Are Unprepared For The Next Era In Enterprise IT
17
Feb 14

Forbes – Many CIOs Are Unprepared For The Next Era In Enterprise IT

By Peter Sondergaard, Gartner, Inc.

The next era of enterprise IT is upon us, but many CIOs are not prepared to manage the demands that come in this new era. We refer to this next era as the digitalization of IT, and it’s the beginning of the digital industrial economy.

According to Gartner’s annual CIO Agenda survey, the CIOs responded to say that they often feel overwhelmed by the prospect of building digital leadership while, at the same time, renovating the core of IT infrastructure and capability for the digital future. The survey found that 51 percent of CIOs are concerned that this change is coming faster than they can cope and 42 percent don’t feel that they have the talent needed to face this future.

The survey, which was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2013, represents the views of more than 2,300 CIOs in 77 countries. The survey highlights the need for CIOs to respond to the dual goals of effectiveness and digitalization.

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Get Better / IT Strategy — Comments Off on CIO.com – IT Departments Losing Control Through Cloud Services Say Cisco and Intel
14
Feb 14

CIO.com – IT Departments Losing Control Through Cloud Services Say Cisco and Intel

The cloud offers senior executives the business control they demand, according to international research from Cisco and Intel, meaning IT departments need to “become more collaborative and innovative as result.”

The rising adoption of cloud services is “fundamentally changing” how businesses consume IT, according to the Cisco Consulting Services report, in conjunction with Intel.

The report found that in a majority of organisations, control of IT planning and purchasing is increasingly being shifted to lines of business (LOBs), such as HR, sales and R&D. Their rising influence “represents a marked departure from the traditional ‘top-down’ approach, forcing IT departments to adapt”, Cisco says.

“The Impact of Cloud on IT Consumption Models” report – based on a global survey of over 4,000 IT decision makers – found that while 43 percent of funding currently comes from LOBs, 59 percent of respondents predict this will rise.

As a proportion, the cloud represents almost a quarter of total IT spend (23 percent), with that figure expected to rise to 27 percent by 2016.

More of the CIO.com article by Antony Savvas

IT Strategy — Comments Off on Network World – Ex-network engineer faces prison after admitting he sabotaged employer’s system
12
Feb 14

Network World – Ex-network engineer faces prison after admitting he sabotaged employer’s system

A former network engineer at a West Virginia oil and gas company could face up to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty this week to sabotaging the company’s systems so badly that its operations were affected for a month.

Ricky Joe Mitchell admitted to prosecutors that in June 2012, just after finding out he was going to be terminated, he tapped into EnerVest’s system and reset its network servers to the original factory settings, according to a press release issued this week by U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin’s office.

“As a result of his intentional conduct, EnerVest was unable to fully communicate or conduct business operations for approximately 30 days,” the release said. “In addition, data that the company thought had been backed up could not be retrieved.”

Mitchell faces sentencing on April 24. He could receive up to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release, according to Goodwin’s office. He must also pay restitution.

More of the Network World article by Chris Kanaracus

Get Better / IT Strategy — Comments Off on Cloud Computing Journal – The Grand Challenge: Simplifying IT to Unleash Innovation
10
Feb 14

Cloud Computing Journal – The Grand Challenge: Simplifying IT to Unleash Innovation

I don’t listen to music before I buy it anymore. I don’t need to – as long as I’m purchasing it from Amazon. Based on algorithms that crawl my purchasing history, the online retailer knows what I like as well as I do and, dare I say, better than my wife.

A company develops this intimate knowledge by using Big Data to improve the customer experience in an economical and adaptable way. Amazon has integrated this agility into every aspect of its business, from running its warehouses to its revolutionary ability to publish on demand.

Game-changing innovation happens when you simplify everyday processes. But managing a large, traditional application portfolio – however crucial it is to your business – disrupts innovation.

The cloud virtualizes your software, protecting you from the inefficiencies associated with IT. As a result, you spend less time and money introducing and maintaining applications and more resources innovating and advancing your business. Whether you implement a software-designed data center, a hybrid cloud approach or and end-user computing strategy, you’re taking the burden off of your own team and into the virtual world.

More of the Cloud Computing Journal article by Paul Strong

IT Strategy / Uncategorized — Comments Off on SecurityWeek – Understanding IT Risk from the Business Perspective
07
Feb 14

SecurityWeek – Understanding IT Risk from the Business Perspective

Most Organizations Lack the Tools and Processes to Assess and Prioritize Risks and Vulnerabilities from the Business Perspective…

Recent security breaches at major retailers such as Target, Neiman Marcus and Michaels Stores have given further visibility of and placed a greater urgency around IT risks that have a direct impact on the business. For many years, information security has taken a back seat to other corporate priorities, but security has evolved — and moved up the corporate ladder — from simply restricting access to a few monolithic systems, to enabling safe access in a business environment that is dynamic, global, and always on.

Security is no longer just a technical issue that can be managed in bits and bytes; it’s a core business issue. Modern networks and data centers consist of many complex and intertwined business applications — from commercial off-the-shelf applications such as SAP and SharePoint, to homegrown applications performing custom business logic, to 3rd party cloud-based services — all are critical for the business to run.

A security breach or an outage to a business application or an entire network has a direct impact on a company’s bottom line. Security has to be effective enough to minimize risks to the business but also must enable the business to be agile in order to stay relevant and competitive. This requires a different approach to vulnerability management and a shift in the way security is viewed.

More of the SecurityWeek post from Nimmy Reichenberg

IT Strategy / Uncategorized — Comments Off on Tech Time Tea – How PaaS and DevOps are the next big wave in Enterprise Cloud computing
06
Feb 14

Tech Time Tea – How PaaS and DevOps are the next big wave in Enterprise Cloud computing

Cloud computing, a disruptive phenomena has gone mainstream in 2013 and now in 2014, PaaS promises to revolutionize the enterprises globally. Although virtualisation of cloud computing is now ubiquitous, It is the implementation of private PaaS, a competitive and evolving service model along with DevOps internally for enterprise organization that promises to drive the next big wave in cloud computing. Cloud computing itself too has tremendously evolving from just being a software-as-a-service to complex forms that also includes hardware and platform as a service. The three service models namely IaaS, PaaS and SaaS too are now showing signs of integration through 2014 with SaaS as the dominant service model by 2015. For 2014, The spotlight is on PaaS and Enterprises across globe are rapidly adopting PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), as a delivery model for software application development. However, even within PaaS, enterprises are in need for a faster delivery of software developments therefore a hybrid of private PaaS and DevOps emerges as better option. By working around the respective trade offs of PaaS namely extreme productivity at the expense of control and of DevOps namely high level of control and flexibility at the expense of productivity, Enterprises seek to tap into the benefits of Hybrid cloud computing. Thus by utilising DevOps as foundation for PaaS, Enterprises can have the control of DevOps and productivity of PaaS. This enables to bring more fluidity to automation, continuous delivery and integration. Such a hybrid system allows for significant cost advantage by reducing development cost and increasing margins.

More of the Tech Time Tea article

Get Better / IT Strategy — Comments Off on IT World – OpenStack still has an enterprise problem
05
Feb 14

IT World – OpenStack still has an enterprise problem

After trotting out some impressive enterprise users at its conference in Portland, Oregon, early last year, OpenStack hasn’t been able to showcase many additional big names. Supporters tried to address “the debate about the opportunity for OpenStack in the enterprise” at a half-day conference yesterday that was held at the Computer History Museum and webcast.

The speakers ended up highlighting a few of the challenges holding back OpenStack deployments.

Many businesses are looking for the kind of enterprise technology product that they’re used to seeing, and that’s not what OpenStack looks like yet, said Ken Pepple, CTO and founder of Solinea, a consulting company that helps businesses implement OpenStack clouds. On one end of the spectrum are vendors that are packaging parts of OpenStack and adding support. On the other are tightly packed solutions that go as far as designating what hardware to use. “People want something in between. They want pretty installers and great looking GUIs. They want some management tools around it, things you normally see perhaps in an ERP system,” he said.

More of the IT World article by Nancy Gohring

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