Home sweet home

Working on a report, which means that I do not have much new stuff to add to this site: because the work can not be published until the report has been, and that is not until September.

Working on a report is fun; you get to research a topic in depth, build up a detailed knowledge of a topic, and discover what has been happening in the market. The down side is most of this is done from home, and as such you do not get out and meet people, hence not much to say.

The world in a URL

The opening up of the dot name space, so you can have dot anything (up to 64 characters long) will be a nightmare for brand managers: do they protect all the brands, all the tag lines, and all the possible derivations, which could be thousands, or do they just register the brand name.

This is a risky business, as the brand reputation could be high jacked and destroyed on-line, the alternative is managing and funding all the domain names that could be used to link to the brand. Glad I am not a brand manager.

Chaos rules

Last few days have been mad, I am heads down on the report and to be honest getting stuck on some of the more complex models, but drawing pictures helps.

Yesterday was a write off, I had the dentist, doctors for the kids jabs, British Gas doing an inspection, school. And the day was trashed because the nurse got up late, was behind with her work. That small thing made my whole day one of catch-up, and re-assign appointments. The Journalist were OK, and I made the vendor briefing, but I do not want another day like that.

Hyper-v worth the Hype?


I thought the 2nd August was 180 days for when Hyper-v will be released, but I am picking up noises that suggest it is next month, but I may be wrong on that. Hyper-v is a basic hypervisor, and as such lacks some of the more advanced features that Vmware, Citrix (XENserver), VirtualIron, etc have. I believe that the link up with Citrix demonstrates that Microsoft is going after the SMB sector with Hyper-v and leaving XenServer to complete in the enterprise market with VMware, while it works on making Hyper-v as technically capable as its rivals that is.

Vmware with it price bundles is attempting to move into the SMB space, however, what Vmware provides in terms of capability it lacks is a clear understanding of the market, and how to deliver to the SMB sector. Smaller vendors such as VirtualIron and Parallels have created a good reputation in certain SMB markets, but they lack the funding to raise virtualisation profile. Therefore, I believe that as Microsoft winds up its PR message, this can be used by the smaller vendors to ride on the coat-tails and enjoy more success.

Windows server 2008, is a very good product and I think this will become more widely used as the business case evidence is released to support Microsoft's claims of reduced management time and hence cost savings. As for Vista, well 2008 and Vista desktop is an argument from a support perspective, but with talk of Microsoft seven (vista replacement) due in 2009 time frame I think many may hold fire (if they can), which will mean organisations if their refresh is due in 2009, 2010 will have a dilemma use Vista or stay on XP. Evidence is mixed on this, but I believe Vista will more widely adopted in conjunction with 2008, but not in every case.

Only 6 weeks until the football season starts

After last week when it was one day event after another, this week starts in London, but it is home for nearly two months while I complete a report. I will get the odd day out, but at least I will some work done.

Virtualisation aims at the desktop next

The take-away from the Citrix and Vmware analyst events was they have both woken up to the fact that what the analysts have been saying for the past 12 months plus is coming true. Server virtualisation was full of gotcha’s, and end-users found them out and management vendors were not ready. The result was it stalled and damaged confidence.

However, the rise of desktop and application virtualisation is characterised by other vendors being ahead of the game, and the virtualisation vendors being slow to recognise its value. We will have to wait and see how this battle shapes up, as Citrix have a leading position and it is theirs to lose, but their market is based on the old paradigm, not the new. Therefore, I see this as a more level playing field where the best proposition wins out, and so far Citrix has a good story and Vmware some cool technology. What is needed is the mix of both.

A Damp day in Munich

Munich is overcast; however, Citrix was a very good event. The day was long, especially after a late night. Now it is the dead time, pick-up for the airport is in an hour.

I will get home at 11pm, and then off to Vmware tomorrow for another overnight stop.

Think about image management in a desktop virtualisation world

The big topic that Vmware and other VDI vendors neglect to say is that managing the images and then the patches is an operation that must not be under-estimated, Citrix have a different approach, and it certainly resonates with hard pressed server managers.

Consider the how do I manage and how do I provision and patch the centrally hosted desktop images and applications. This is an area that should be considered, as the value you can obtain from both centrally hosted and managed images, as well as a method of image management provides a double cost saving.

BHX and a coffee, with the internet on the go

Off to visit Citrix today in Germany, so early start to the airport, this is the bit I like the best, short travel to meet vendors with an interesting story to tell.

Windows Server 2008 points the way to Microsoft’s future approach

Windows Server 2008 is a surprisingly diverse product, with some very small new enhancements that could be easily overlooked, and some large high profile additions that Microsoft is certainly not allowing anybody, including the media, to overlook. However, what is the balanced view on Windows Server 2008.
Firstly, it will have by 2 August an inbuilt Hypervisor – a Hypervisor enables the virtualisation of the commodity server hardware so that it can support the execution of multiple Virtual Machines. Hyper-V, as it is known, is not the most technically advanced Hypervisor on the market, that award goes to Vmware, but it is a very good basic Hypervisor with a couple of interesting features: The ability to execute a Xen based Virtual Machine, and the concept of synthetic device drivers – the synthetic device drivers are the new high performance device drivers that are available with Hyper-V, rather than emulating an existing hardware device Microsoft exposes a new hardware device that has been designed for optimal performance in a virtualised environment.
One of the smaller and easier to overlook features of Windows Server 2008 is the ability to have a finer grained password policy, which may sound dull, but consider the IT department that is supporting ‘C’-level executives who do not necessarily have the time, or inclination, to maintain a complex alphanumeric 10 character password that is forced to be changed every 30 days. This finer control allows for these users to have different rules to say a database administrator, which enables IT to ensure that password policies are designed appropriately for the role/purpose of the account.
The other big feature of Windows Server 2008 is the introduction of server core, a stripped down operating system. This according to Microsoft requires up to 40% less patches to be applied, and occupies significantly less disk space than for the full Windows Server 2008. I consider this to be a major advancement, which will enable organisations to install server core on systems such file and print servers, reducing the maintenance required, and hence the operational cost.
Other features that are worthy of a mention at this stage include; role-based installation of features, simplified clustering using the wizard concept, read-only domain controllers, modified boot process that brings the firewall up earlier and so reduces the window of vulnerability, and the use of Network Access Protection (NAP) so a health policy can be set for anything connected to the network.
I consider that unlike its code base cousin, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 actually provides the system administrators with the capabilities needed to make their operational lives easier. I are not predicting a massive up-take for Windows Server 2008 this year, but I believe that as organisations plan to refresh its technology Windows Server 2008 will be selected because it has been designed to make management simpler, and hence reduce operational costs.

Monday morning i feel fine, i have work on my mind?

First day of the week and only day I will be at home this week, a lot of travelling, Munich tomorrow for teo days, then Hampshire for two days, in between I will be home Wednesday night, before leaving for Hampshire in the morning.

Today has four telephone sessions, one with the team, two vendor briefings, and one journalist, then I will finish my last out-line for the report in between.

Virtual Management on the network

An aspect of virtual management that is often overlooked is that of network management, and how this becomes more complex in a virtual network world. Why, because the in a virtual world you are not restricted by the physical connections, so potentially you could create recursive loops, and instead of having network separation, have complete openness.

Friday, Friday the day we all adore, except fish that is

Continuing work on the report, and still doing the out-lines, my aim is to finish them today, but a colleague is ill so I have volunteered to do his duty analyst slot, which fits my plans fine.

I have a call with an end-user today on the report to discuss how they have approached IT strategy, all good background for the report. Do not forget to complete the survey please.

It’s the Network no it’s the Application

Sounds like a playground squabble, well that life in most silo’ed IT departments. This situation has given rise to a new generation of monitoring tools, such as Netscout, they are passive none intrusive, using either port mirroring or passive tapping techniques.

The benefit is that these tools can monitor the packet level transmissions, this level of information is important to understand normal behaviour. The problem with tools has been that they generate vast amounts of data, and it took time to analyse it and make it relevant.

Today, these tools can provide sub-second real-time data, and present this in different ways to match the audience. Therefore, it is not surprising that many telco’s are using these tools to ensure quality of service.

Beware, the benefits are great, but ask what effort is required to set-up and administer the tool once operational, that is where you will find the good tool from the bad.

Typical British climate, hot one day, wet and cold the next

Continuing work on the report, and still doing the out-lines, my aim is to finish them this week, as next week I am out so my boss can have time to send me comments.

On a wet dull day working from home when nobody is here does take the shine off it, but the work output will increase so it is swings and round-abouts.

EA or IT Strategy which came first

One question that appears to be the cause of much debate on the discussion forums and twitter is what role EA plays in an IT strategy. The proponents argue that it either defines the strategy, or is defined by the strategy.

However, if you examine the process of strategy as it relates to IT, then it becomes clear that EA is a component part in this process. That is to say, it works in conjunction with the strategy development process, and does not define the strategy, or is defined by the strategy. The role of EA is to translate the business strategic imperative into an IT architecture, an IT strategy considers more than just the architecture, as organisations, and strategies, are constructed from a combination of people, process and technology.

Therefore, neither came first, they are twins hatched from the same egg.

Webinars save the planet, but do not meet the speakers needs

The day has started bad, I was getting ready for a speaking engagement in front of a couple of thousand people in Orlando, but the vendor has decided to cancel the conference, and replace it with a Webinar. I hate doing presentations when I can not see the audience, you just do not know how it is being received.

Anyway today is day two of the report, more out-lines to produce and get approved.

The Virtual Desktop will it happen

The death of the desktop PC has been predicted by many in our industry for years, but we still have millions of them in use all over the world, and with the cost of the hardware falling the economics look like keeping the status quo.

However, as the world goes more mobile, and the devices used require less local processing power the need for smaller intelligent devices that can connect to the data sources and applications will increase. This will be the point that organisations look at the value of the desktop in terms of how does it fit my business model.

Home Home in the office

Back home today, working on the out-line for the sections in the report, good job I have done some of it: as I have four calls with PR agencies and vendors today, so half the day lost.

The good thing is that I am in charge of my own work load, so if it is a hot and sunny day, I may well be in the garden, and catch-up when it is wet and windy (we are talking about a British summer here).

Tripwire, cool and useful – not something you hear everyday

In the world of server virtualisation one of the biggest challenges is the problem of ensuring all the virtual machines are operating according to a strict set of policies. Tripwire have developed, in conjunction with VMware, a Hyper-V solution will be available shortly, a free downloadable tool that will allow organisation’s to set policies and to test how the current environment conform to them.

I am a believer in the fact that one signal of a maturing market is when the eco-system includes free-ware, and many tools to help solve problems that only become apparent when technologies are used in live production situations. Virtualisation is rapidly moving in this direction, although it still has some way to go before you could class it as a mature technology.

Office day

Today is a day in the office, that is a 5am start and 9 pm finish. The sunny day makes it a pleasant journey. I forgot my battery charger for the laptop, so I hope the meetings drag on to conserver power.

I.S. Strategy

The purpose of an I.S. strategy is to define the direction that I.T is taking in support of the business objectives. I am working on a six step model for the stages to be addressed in the production of a strategy, which should be completed by the end of July.

To start this discussion what is the role of a mission statement. I believe that this is stage one, and should be about telling different audiences what I.T does, and why it does it. This is as much about motivating the team as it is about telling the business what your role is.

At home with no cat

Today is catch-up day, e-mails to sort out, small articles to write, and try and get my mind around the report I am on. My office could do with a good sort out; I have papers, books and notes all over the place, the report will help me focus the office on the topic in hand.

Discovered a new on-line site yesterday Snapfish.com, I will check it out over the weekend.

HP Labs a proper report

Last week HP made major announcements about the structure of its Labs, and the focus of its research. The number of commercial organisations that still retain a pure research capability, as opposed to a development capability, is limited to a handful of the leading vendors. The challenge for these organisations is to ensure that pure research can be funded, but is still compatible with an era where the focus is on value and reducing costs.

HP spends approximately US$3.6B on R&D with nearly 30,000 employees working in business units, but of this pure research not connected to the business unit’s accounts for about 5%, which is a budget of US$150M, and 600 researchers. HP Labs is a corporate function with the remit to look at new innovations that HP can take from concept to product in the long term.

HP Labs, a great place for a good idea

Today I was in HP labs in Bristol, I got to the hotel at 8.30 pm, and was too late for the meal, so did some work until bed, spoke to a US based journ who had been hassling me for days.

The early start was not what I wanted, but the day was excellent, plenty of good debate, and plenty of stuff that would blow your mind.

HP Labs

HP have taken a practical and different approach to research, they have designed and built a governance model that helps them decide what to research. The work is designed with the environment in mind and HP are showing a leadership approach to how to do blue sky research in a commercial organisation, and show it is valuable.

Sunny day in London, but a cloud in my heart

Today’s update is late, as I was speaking at an event today, the event went well, but looking at my scores some delegates were un-happy, and gave me one’s on their feedback form. These people really p*** me off, nobody, should score a one unless they really are a waste of space, but others gave me five out of five, if i did not meet thier expectations then they should learn to read. Why come to an ITSM presentation if you do not want to find out about it. However, I know who you are, so beware you may ask me to rate you………

I was positive until I saw the three or four duffers that scored me that way, but waiting here at Paddington stn I am sure I will bounce back.

WAN Optimisation.

Three aspects of managed services in this space to consider.

Keeping up with advancements in the technology and the network are the main reasons for using a managed service, it can also be cost effective in SMB or organisations that do not have the network skills in-house. Another reason for managed services is the ability to make the service subject to penalties so you can guarantee to users the level they need to operate the business, this obviously has the side-effect that you are not in control, but remain responsible for that level, the penalties would compensate you but may not help you keep your job.

Not every thing will benefit from WAN optimisation; it needs to demonstrate a clear increase in the service that is provided for the cost. For example VPNs do not benefit from WAN optimisation as much as some other traffic, so make sure you use the correct solution for the correct job. Also, data de-duplication is beginning to gain traction as, WAN optimisation will work, but if you are sending duplicate data you are not being as effective as you could be.

Not that my research has found, the managed services market is beginning to be seen as a good option for all industries, it is down to how much control the organisation wants/needs over the network, as a managed service is good but only as good as the contract you have and the provider.

Systems Management is set to get hot

Just packed my bags, as I am heading off at lunch to meet a vendor in London, then stop over for a speaking event tomorrow, when that finishes it is over to Paddington to catch the train to Bristol. Another stop over, and then tour the HP labs Thursday. I should be home about 9pm Thursday night.

Between now and lunch I am writing two pitches for the magazine, these are evaluated by the editorial committee, so if your pitch is not accepted you get to write somebody else’s, so that is motivation enough to put in good pitches.

ASG to make a significant acquisition?

ASG the ITSM and BSM vendor has been rumoured to be about to make a significant acquisition. A few years ago the rumour mill had ManagedObjects as a potential, but this time round the rumour mill is quiet, probably because it got it wrong last time.

If the rumours this time as true and they came from Mr Allen himself reportedly this time, then this will signify that the systems management market is becoming more competitive. If the rumoured acquisition is of a rival, i.e. little technology transfer then it can be taken as it is about market share and customer numbers; however, if it is a new technology then this should be to fill the current gaps in ASG’s solutions as compared to its rivals, such as IT Governance, Enterprise Asset Managagement, or automation. Either way it shows ASG is serious about breaking its label as the ‘best kept secret in systems management’ and certainly over here in Europe will become a serious contender to the likes of HP, IBM, CA, BMC, and now Microsoft.

IT Service Management coming out of its IT shell

Final practice for my Keynote on ITSM on Wednesday morning, this means that I will update this blog tomorrow, but I am out on the road Wednesday and Thursday, so updates may not be possible.

I am also working on planning the Virtualisation events for the company, which means sorting out the content, picking the speakers and putting the agenda together, and writing the material the sales team can use to sell the events.

ITSM and the increasing role of BSM

The significance of ITIL® v3.0 is that it begins the process of externalising IT Service Management (ITSM), which it could be argued is what Business Service Management (BSM) has been doing since 2001. However, the difference is that although both are making the connection with critical business processes, ITIL® v3.0 has been developed over time in-line with the technology that can support and deliver its capabilities. BSM on the other hand was developed as a concept that although sound lacked the technology to drive increased adoption.

Today, the growth of x86 virtualisation is a catalyst for both concepts to be able to deliver real business benefit, the advantage that each has is clear:

ITIL® has strong connections with IT processes and procedures, whereas BSM has strong links to Business Process Modelling (BPM). The two disciplines are coming at the same problem from different aspects, but I believe BSM will be used for the business face, and ITIL® v3.0 for the IT face. That way combining them an organisation can exploit IT for business benefit.