| HOME > RSS Feeds > Infrastructure | ||
| Add To: | 
|
 |
Is the enterprise ready for the cloud? Companies like Google, Salesforce, IBM and others think so and they're creating solutions give enterprise customers what they want. Cloud-computing solutions are gaining traction across the market. As a CIO, the value of cloud computing is clear. And chances are, if your company hasn't already deployed cloud solutions, you're making plans to do so. However, with budget limitations, unless your CEO finds value in cloud computing, it may be challenging to get the solution you want. How can you educate your CEO and convince him or her that cloud computing will be a boon to your business? Here we take a look at some tactics you can use when talking to your boss. Cloud computing may not be the easiest sell, but when you make it abundantly clear that cloud services can help your company in a big way, they're bound to listen. Flip through the following slides to find out how to sell your CEO on cloud computing:
Enterprise Infrastructure Is Really About People
Evolving beyond providing basic enterprise infrastructure services does not mean we can forget about these services. While some CIOs have made the leap to be considered strategic partners with their C-level peers, these relationships are based on the credibility they have developed within their organizations. Nothing can destroy that credibility faster and easier than infrastructure services that are not working.
The Future of IT Infrastructure
A wave of technologies -- including cloud computing, mobility and social media -- are transforming the enterprise and fundamentally altering IT infrastructure. Navigating this new order requires vision and business acumen.
7 Ways to Prepare for the IT Infrastructure of the Future
What will the IT infrastructure of the future look like? According to industry analysts, cloud computing, mobility and social media are rapidly transforming how information is managed and processed throughout the enterprise. Here's what you need to know as you prepare for tomorrow's IT environment.
Ottawa Hospital Builds an IT Foundation for the Future
At Ottawa Hospital in Ontario, Canada, CIO Dale Potter has made it a point to transform a risk into an opportunity. The hospital, which is already 100 percent virtualized on HP and IBM blade servers, has an 802.11n wireless infrastructure in place across its 12-million-square-foot campus.
Cloud Computing Information Protection: Creating Peaceful Sleep for IT Leaders
To date, the United States Golf Association hasn't had any incidents that would cause its disaster recovery services to prove their worth. However, an important benefit for Jessica Carroll, managing director of IT, is that she can sleep well at night, knowing that USGA's critical data is backed up.
The Great CIO-CEO Disconnect Rises to the Cloud
Dealing with your company’s Chief Executive Officer is probably a pain from time to time. As many CIOs can attest with the Apple iPad and iPhone, your top executive from time to time will get jazzed up about some new nifty technology fad and start questioning you on why you’re not rushing to deploy said solution in the workplace. Such is the case now with & the cloud.& A recent survey, conducted by independent market research firm Marketing Solutions Corp. and sponsored by Dell, finds that CEOs are hearing great things about the cloud, and already they’re trying to think of ways in which they might be able to capitalize on it. But CIOs #151 who are the frontlines of the day-to-day realities of technology in the workplace #151 aren’t so sure jumping to the cloud right now is the best idea. In face, The survey polled 223 IT professionals during the Cloud Expo in New York City June 7-9. Many respondents believe the cloud might just be another fad that will come and go, but say their CEOs have a different viewpoint.
Cisco Beats Dell in X86 Blade Server Market: IDC
Cisco gained the No. 3 spot in the highly competitive and fast-growing x86 blade space, with 9.4 percent of the market, coming in right behind HP and IBM, and ahead by one percentage point of Dell.
IT Downtime Carries a High Pricetag
IT downtime costs businesses, collectively, more than 127 million person-hours per year—or an average of 545 person-hours per company—in employee productivity, according to an online survey of IT and business executives sponsored by CA Technologies and conducted by research firm Coleman Parkes in November 2010. This loss is equivalent to 63,500 people being unable to work for an entire year, according to CA. The survey of 2,000 organizations in North America and Europe also found that IT outages are frequent and lengthy, and can substantially damage company reputation, staff morale and customer loyalty. Despite this, a majority of organizations in North America don’t have a formal and comprehensive disaster recovery policy. “There are a variety of practical and affordable steps organizations can take to protect themselves against the adverse business impact of IT outages,” says Steve Fairbanks, vice president of product management, Data Management, at CA Technologies. “Given that these outages are a fact of life, and that some of the consequences of outages can be irreversible, investments in improved business continuity are extremely worthwhile.”
Intel Introduces AppUp Small Business Hybrid Cloud Platform
Intel's AppUpp Small Business Service consists of a server, pre-packaged small business applications and management software.
Amazon Unveils Oracle DB Management Cloud Service
Amazon Web Services on May 24 launched the Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) for use with Oracle Database 11g Release 2.
Microsoft, Google Battle for Enterprise Cloud Dominance
There’s one very large obstacle standing in the way of Microsoft’s path to the cloud: Google, which has devoted enormous resources to developing and deploying its own cloud-based offerings for small and midsize businesses, and the enterprise.
Gartner's Cloud Computing Outlook 2011
With cloud computing at a critical crossroads, research from Gartner cautions CIOs to manage inherent risks and unexpected costs during what is expected to be a technology revolution. The research examines key issues driving cloud adoption, and seeks to separate reality from hyperbole with respect to cloud computing. In the end, Gartner concludes that cloud computing is, indeed, the future. “The hype around cloud computing services has increased interest, as well as caution, for CIOs trying to determine where, when and if cloud services can provide valuable outcomes for their businesses,& says Frank Ridder, research vice president at Gartner. & Cloud computing is driving discontinuity that introduces exciting opportunities and costly challenges. Organizations need to understand these changes and develop realistic cloud sourcing strategies and contracts that can reduce risk.& Here are highlights from Gartner's recent findings:
CRM Evaluation: Four Tough Questions to Ask
Enterprises have spent millions of dollars on customer relationship management (CRM) systems since the late 1990s. Too often, though, companies have failed to get the value out of their CRM solutions that they’ve anticipated. This leads CEOs and CFOs to ask some hard questions about the ROI of their company's CRM choices. To head off the wrath of your top execs, CIOs need to ask their own probing questions before moving forward with any ambitious, CRM-driven proposal. In the book & Harvard Business Review on Increasing Customer Loyalty& (Harvard Business Review Press/available now), contributors Darrell K. Rigby and Dianne Ledingham weigh in on effective CRM planning, pinpointing the four questions that bring clarity to what otherwise could be a muddled process. In the end, it’s essential to ensure that much-hyped CRM tools deliver needed, measurable value to the organization, the authors contend. Rigby is a partner with Bain Company, directing its global-retail practice. Ledingham is a partner in Bain’s technology and performance-improvement practice. Here are four questions to ask that will help you make sound decisions about CRM:
Yankee Group Enterprise Connectivity Survey
If you’re thinking seriously about migrating your enterprise network connectivity services, you’re not alone. A slew of companies have been examining connectivity options over the past couple years. A new study from the Yankee Group -- based on a survey of 400 IT decision-makers at small, midsized, and large companies, as well as government organizations -- explores the decision-making process when choosing a network provider. The organization’s findings reveal that the tried-and-true criteria of service and support continue to rule decision-making. Here's what you'll want to keep in mind as you shop for enterprise connectivity options.
Overcoming Application Overload
Is the management of applications on your enterprise in need of rational revision? Rationalization refers to the retiring of apps that are simply no longer needed by organizations. But guess what? Far too few companies are doing this, according to a survey from Capgemini, a consulting/technology/outsourced-services company. Co-produced with HP, the Capgemini report reveals that businesses in the U.S. and Europe maintain millions of applications that are obsolete and no longer deliver full business value. Sometimes, application convergence results from a merger or acquisition. In many case, though, it's the & let’s keep it just in case& mentality that is creating a virtual landfill of apps. The majority of CIOs and other top tech execs say many of these apps are simply not serving a valuable function. In these economic times, proving the ROI of IT investments is essential. Senior execs are under the gun more than ever to increase cost efficiencies of app management. But the sheer number of apps supported -- up to 10,000 for large, global enterprises, with average data growth of 5 percent per month -- means that tech departments clearly are facing an issue of potentially critical significance. & Our research reveals that key goals for CIOs are value creation, improving efficiencies and cutting costs,& says Ron Tolido, CTO at Capgemini for application services in continental Europe. & Despite the fact that data archiving and application retirement can result in significant cost savings, process efficiencies and increased agility, it still does not rank high enough on the agenda.& Capgemini surveyed approximately 100 CIOs and top-level IT managers in companies of various sizes within a wide range of industries. This included 14 in-depth interviews. Thirty-seven percent of the responding companies are US based, and 63% are located in Europe (Benelux, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom).
Enterprise Network Services: What to Look For
If you’re thinking seriously about migrating your enterprise network services, you’re not alone. A slew of companies have been examining connectivity options over the past couple years. Research firm Yankee Group surveyed IT decision-makers at 400 small, midsize, and large companies, as well as government organizations, to see what factors guide their decisions when choosing a connectivity provider. The organization’s findings reveal that two of the tried-and-true factors -- service and support -- ruled decision-making over the past year. If you’re thinking seriously about your enterprise connectivity options -- and whether or not you should change network services in the next 12 to 18 months -- take a look at the highlights from the Yankee Group study. Not only will you discover what your peers are after, but you'll also gain a solid understanding of what you should (and should not) be looking for as you shop around.
Public Cloud Spending by Businesses is on the Rise
When it comes to productivity in the enterprise, you’re probably thinking seriously about ways to improve it. And much of the time, you’re undoubtedly considering how public IT cloud services might be able to help you achieve that goal - particularly when cloud services are combined with enterprise mobility . But, the very fact that you’re thinking about cloud services speaks to the changes that continue to occur in the enterprise. Gone are the days when all of your solutions will sit on the desktop. Nowadays, your employees are all over the globe, they require many more devices to get their jobs done, and they need cloud services to help enhance their daily output. The enterprise has evolved in such a way that a one-size-fits-all solution just isn’t possible any longer. Perhaps that’s why enterprises are expected to increase their spending on IT cloud services, according to a study from IDC. In fact, between 2009 and 2014, spending by U.S. companies on cloud services is expected to more than double. Read on to find out how dollars will be flying in the clouds in the coming years.
Managed Service Providers: Room for Improvement
In an increasingly international business environment, the vast majority of global CIOs and other senior IT executives rely upon the performance of managed service providers (MSPs). The perceived performance among MSPs is good, but could improve, according to a survey conducted by Virtela, a global managed network, security and cloud services company. MSPs must effectively communicate about project status updates and potential system problems, according to the survey. They need to deliver the value that's expected with the price. And they sometimes lack adequate response times, as well as understanding of an organization's needs. Global companies are looking for improved value in services – better and cheaper – in order to make their remote workers abroad function just as productively as employees at the home headquarters. More than 400 IT professionals worldwide took part in the survey.
IBM's Watson Supercomputer Goes to Work for You: 11 Personal Apps
Beginning Feb. 14, man matched wits with machine on Jeopardy! as the world watched IBM supercomputer Watson face off against the quiz show’s two most famous human champions. For three days the world tuned in to see how IBM’s Watson supercomputer fared in the two-game tournament. In the battle of man vs. machine, machine won. To achieve this victory, researchers fed Watson 200 million pages of text–about 1 million books–ranging from encyclopedias to movie scripts to newspapers to children’s book abstracts. With its ability to store all that data, Watson then mines it to formulate contextual relationships. Puns and wordplay? No problem. Obscure trivia? Combining random facts? Elementary, my dear….er, Watson. IBM says Watson’s Deep Q amp;A technology could be applied in diverse fields such as health care, legal, education and government. Now assuming you could afford the hardware and information resources, imagine if you had your own personal Watson to help make you healthy, fabulously wealthy, well-dressed, well-adjusted, a great conversationalist at parties and perhaps even happy. Here, we present 11 of our best ideas for personalized Watson apps.