Today I am doing house-keeping, that is catching up on my expenses, sorting out my calendar, and generally doing all the stuff that you never get time to do. The big advantage of working from home is that you know what you must produce; you know how long you are allocated for that, so you can arrange your work accordingly.
New Microsoft Operating System
The first public news on Microsoft 7, as it is code named, was revealed on youtube. The replacement for Vista, which had very little new and compelling features, hence the slow up-take in the market, appears to be moving towards the Apple iPhone concept of touch screen, voice commands and jesters. However, Microsoft have been very secretive on this and very few people have been party to what they are thinking, but they need to get their skates on as the rumours suggest that it is due for release in the 2009/10 time frame.
Whatever, Microsoft 7 looks like the one thing it must do is provide the customer with the features that they want and do not yet know, they want and already know, and what they will need to compete in business successfully in the next five years. Therefore, it should be more like Server 2008, built to make out lives easier and increase productivity, security and collaboration.
About Me
- Roy Illsley
- A Senior Research Analayst for a leading firm, with a focus on infrastructure management and virtualisation
Friday, 30 May 2008
Thursday, 29 May 2008
VMware continues to broaden its capabilities
Day 2 of preparation on my key note speak next on ITSM, today will be all about putting the deck together, and doing a run-through. I generally find that I speak longer while practicing so for a 30 min key note at home it should be 40 min. We get three days prep and the last day will be Monday, see what I do then.
The weather has picked up and we are looking set for a dry day, the first for about a week. This helps as I find walking and running through my presentation very helpful, so if you see some chap who appears to be talking to himself, just listen a little closer, it could be me practicing. The reason I do it, is it is better to speak out loud as you hear what you are saying, and it gets your vocal chords ready for projecting your voice.
VMware acquires another company
VMware announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire B-hive Networks, Inc., a privately-held application performance management software company with headquarters in San Mateo, California and principal R&D facilities in Herzliya, Israel. With this acquisition, VMware will leverage the B-hive team and technology to offer proactive performance management and service level reporting for applications running within VMware virtual machines - on both servers and desktops. In addition, B-hive’s R&D facility and team will form the core of VMware’s new development center in Israel. The terms of the acquisition, which is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2008, subject to customary closing conditions, were not disclosed.
This is just another move by Vmware as they expand its capability in the virtual market-place: because as the Hypervisor becomes more available and is less differentiated the value-add capabilities will be in the management space, but this requires a broad coverage and a new thinking on how organisations will get value from a virtualised data centre.
The weather has picked up and we are looking set for a dry day, the first for about a week. This helps as I find walking and running through my presentation very helpful, so if you see some chap who appears to be talking to himself, just listen a little closer, it could be me practicing. The reason I do it, is it is better to speak out loud as you hear what you are saying, and it gets your vocal chords ready for projecting your voice.
VMware acquires another company
VMware announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire B-hive Networks, Inc., a privately-held application performance management software company with headquarters in San Mateo, California and principal R&D facilities in Herzliya, Israel. With this acquisition, VMware will leverage the B-hive team and technology to offer proactive performance management and service level reporting for applications running within VMware virtual machines - on both servers and desktops. In addition, B-hive’s R&D facility and team will form the core of VMware’s new development center in Israel. The terms of the acquisition, which is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2008, subject to customary closing conditions, were not disclosed.
This is just another move by Vmware as they expand its capability in the virtual market-place: because as the Hypervisor becomes more available and is less differentiated the value-add capabilities will be in the management space, but this requires a broad coverage and a new thinking on how organisations will get value from a virtualised data centre.
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
The rain comes from clouds, so is cloud computing a damp squid
Day 1 of preparation on my key note speak next on ITSM, today will be all about getting the message I want to convey and structuring the delivery. Apart from that I have an unhappy customer to answer, he could not find what he was looking for on the Web-site, so I am writing a response to his questions.
What next for the Cloud
The concept of cloud computing is an interesting topic, and one which will no doubt take up many column inches over the coming years. For now I believe that its use will be restricted to internal cloud deployments: because the idea of letting critical business processes and data be supplied from a pool, that is available to all subscribers potentially, is not a prospect that many CIO will feel comfortable with.
However, the SMB sector will probably embrace the concept, as it will make starting and running a business less complicated, especially if you need IT and do not understand the market. At this stage my views are not yet well enough formed to produce an compelling argument either for or against the concept. I shall be visiting the HP labs next week and will be discussing clouds.
What next for the Cloud
The concept of cloud computing is an interesting topic, and one which will no doubt take up many column inches over the coming years. For now I believe that its use will be restricted to internal cloud deployments: because the idea of letting critical business processes and data be supplied from a pool, that is available to all subscribers potentially, is not a prospect that many CIO will feel comfortable with.
However, the SMB sector will probably embrace the concept, as it will make starting and running a business less complicated, especially if you need IT and do not understand the market. At this stage my views are not yet well enough formed to produce an compelling argument either for or against the concept. I shall be visiting the HP labs next week and will be discussing clouds.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Virtualisation does not take bank holidays
The return to work is helped by a wet and windy day, which means working is the lesser of two evils, gardening being the other. Today will be sort out e-mail, as the rest of the world does not share the same bank holidays as us, and then doing my article for the company blog. This will be an update from my recent trip to Orlando to IBM Pulse.
Where are the big deployments of Desktop Virtualisation?
As an analyst I have been talking and writing about virtualisation for some time, and in fact desktop virtualisation, server hosted format that is, has been promising large benefits for over a year now. However, the uptake in the user community remains low, and this has prompted me to do some investigation.
The first issue appears to be that organisations are struggling to get the server side virtualisation projects working and bedded in, and this experience has made them more cautious than they were 12 months ago.
Secondly, the emotional attachment employees have to their desktop/laptop computer is proving to be harder to break than most observers first thought. This in its self will not stop any determined organisation, but does require some ground work to be conducted before these beloved items are removed.
Finally, the problems of getting power in to data centres is causing a re-think, because if all the desktop computing power is to be housed in the data centre then this will require significantly more space and power. Currently, data centres are finding it difficult to increase their power supply, and must first reduce consumption before they can accommodate this new centralised demand.
I believe that server hosted desktop virtualisation will become the de facto standard approach, but it will take another three – five years before it gains sufficient momentum to overtake the deployments of PCs.
Where are the big deployments of Desktop Virtualisation?
As an analyst I have been talking and writing about virtualisation for some time, and in fact desktop virtualisation, server hosted format that is, has been promising large benefits for over a year now. However, the uptake in the user community remains low, and this has prompted me to do some investigation.
The first issue appears to be that organisations are struggling to get the server side virtualisation projects working and bedded in, and this experience has made them more cautious than they were 12 months ago.
Secondly, the emotional attachment employees have to their desktop/laptop computer is proving to be harder to break than most observers first thought. This in its self will not stop any determined organisation, but does require some ground work to be conducted before these beloved items are removed.
Finally, the problems of getting power in to data centres is causing a re-think, because if all the desktop computing power is to be housed in the data centre then this will require significantly more space and power. Currently, data centres are finding it difficult to increase their power supply, and must first reduce consumption before they can accommodate this new centralised demand.
I believe that server hosted desktop virtualisation will become the de facto standard approach, but it will take another three – five years before it gains sufficient momentum to overtake the deployments of PCs.
Friday, 23 May 2008
EA is it the role for you
Friday, after this week a day at home is good, yesterday the points at Rugby failed, so Euston St at 5pm was manic, in fact they cancelled all trains until 6pm, then you had too many people on the trains that were going north. Today is a day of speaking to journo’s and vendors, reviewing some documents and doing my expenses.
Enterprise Architecture (EA) an art or a science
For the bank holiday weekend I have decided to discuss the role of EA and in this blog concentrate on the capabilities needed to perform the role. In IT we believe everything can be decomposed to 1’s and 0’s: because that is the way the computer works, but EA is a discipline that attempts to cross the divide between the business world of £’s and NPV’s to that of the 1’s and 0’s.
Currently EA is in its embryonic state, by that I mean as a profession it is relatively immature, when compared to engineering where the status of Chartered Engineer (CEng) is recognised as a symbol of competence and ability presided over by a well structured standards organisation. It my contention that EA requires a similar rigorous body to standardise the skills and training needed to become an Enterprise Architect. Because only by raising the profile and making it recognisable and easy for employers to know that an individual has the skills to be an Enterprise Architect will the role become more organisational in its scope and therefore break-away from its current association with IT.
I believe that EA should be a discipline that reports to the CEO, and not CIO, as its purpose is to enable business strategy to be translated to executable programs that can deliver organisational value over the long-term
Enterprise Architecture (EA) an art or a science
For the bank holiday weekend I have decided to discuss the role of EA and in this blog concentrate on the capabilities needed to perform the role. In IT we believe everything can be decomposed to 1’s and 0’s: because that is the way the computer works, but EA is a discipline that attempts to cross the divide between the business world of £’s and NPV’s to that of the 1’s and 0’s.
Currently EA is in its embryonic state, by that I mean as a profession it is relatively immature, when compared to engineering where the status of Chartered Engineer (CEng) is recognised as a symbol of competence and ability presided over by a well structured standards organisation. It my contention that EA requires a similar rigorous body to standardise the skills and training needed to become an Enterprise Architect. Because only by raising the profile and making it recognisable and easy for employers to know that an individual has the skills to be an Enterprise Architect will the role become more organisational in its scope and therefore break-away from its current association with IT.
I believe that EA should be a discipline that reports to the CEO, and not CIO, as its purpose is to enable business strategy to be translated to executable programs that can deliver organisational value over the long-term
Thursday, 22 May 2008
HP is solid as i get over jet lag
Another early start, as London today for one of our events, I am not speaking due to the fact I only arrived back in the country yesterday. Today is all about meeting the team who are working on the report with me, and doing some background research on the topic. I shall be meeting the other speakers and asking questions about strategy formation.
HP has a solid quarter in EMEA
HP announced its quarterly earnings yesterday for EMEA and this can be reported as more solid that spectacular. However, that has to be set in the context of a very good last quarter. On the whole HP out-performed the market, and reported that is was seeing excellent growth in the emerging markets such as Russia and the Middle East.
Once again the trend in the Personal Systems Group (PSG) was that notebooks continue to grow, with revenues up 31% and units 46% demonstrating that prices are continuing to fall in a very competitive market. Desktop revenues were flat and units up only 2%. These figures indicate that HP is moving more units in the commercial sector and is getting this balance correct; both the commercial and consumer sectors grew 17% and 16% respectfully in terms of revenue. This balance enables HP to ensure it maintains a strong presence in the highly influential consumer sector, where I believe many innovations are being piloted by home users, then being translated to industrial use, for example Skype.
Technology Solutions Group (TSG) saw the software division grow by 28% and now represents 7% of this group’s revenue. The biggest highlight is that blades are continuing to grow and HP reported a near 60% market share in EMEA. Add to this the EDS acquisition then this group should continue to see good growth prospects.
HP has a solid quarter in EMEA
HP announced its quarterly earnings yesterday for EMEA and this can be reported as more solid that spectacular. However, that has to be set in the context of a very good last quarter. On the whole HP out-performed the market, and reported that is was seeing excellent growth in the emerging markets such as Russia and the Middle East.
Once again the trend in the Personal Systems Group (PSG) was that notebooks continue to grow, with revenues up 31% and units 46% demonstrating that prices are continuing to fall in a very competitive market. Desktop revenues were flat and units up only 2%. These figures indicate that HP is moving more units in the commercial sector and is getting this balance correct; both the commercial and consumer sectors grew 17% and 16% respectfully in terms of revenue. This balance enables HP to ensure it maintains a strong presence in the highly influential consumer sector, where I believe many innovations are being piloted by home users, then being translated to industrial use, for example Skype.
Technology Solutions Group (TSG) saw the software division grow by 28% and now represents 7% of this group’s revenue. The biggest highlight is that blades are continuing to grow and HP reported a near 60% market share in EMEA. Add to this the EDS acquisition then this group should continue to see good growth prospects.
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Day 3 for Pulse, but home for me
Just got off the red-eye, landed at 6.45 am, which is good, but now I remember why I hate events in Orlando: the plane was full of children, and one constantly, and loudly, kept asking his Nan how long left, every 20-30 mins. Therefore, I got no sleep; still you have to take the rough with the smooth.
Today is catch-up on sleep and general bits and pieces day, because if you are cleaver you use the extra hours going over to the US to do any work and get ahead of yourself so it can be an easy day.
Pulse is Green
IBM are beginning to drive home the message that if you want to make energy savings in the data centre you have got to be able to measure and control the devices at a granular level; however, the value is by taking this information and making it relevant to a non-technical audience by demonstrating which business services are consuming what and when.
IBM has a really good story to tell here, but they are struggling with how to market it, and for me the title ‘big green’ does not work. I applaud what they have and how it can be used for eventually even non-IT management, but think the potential audience is a currently confusing mix of IT and facilities teams. Therefore, until organisations resolve the internal responsibilities then IBM is trying to sell to two different groups with different agendas.
Today is catch-up on sleep and general bits and pieces day, because if you are cleaver you use the extra hours going over to the US to do any work and get ahead of yourself so it can be an easy day.
Pulse is Green
IBM are beginning to drive home the message that if you want to make energy savings in the data centre you have got to be able to measure and control the devices at a granular level; however, the value is by taking this information and making it relevant to a non-technical audience by demonstrating which business services are consuming what and when.
IBM has a really good story to tell here, but they are struggling with how to market it, and for me the title ‘big green’ does not work. I applaud what they have and how it can be used for eventually even non-IT management, but think the potential audience is a currently confusing mix of IT and facilities teams. Therefore, until organisations resolve the internal responsibilities then IBM is trying to sell to two different groups with different agendas.
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