Thursday, 29 September 2011
So, what will the next post be about?
Tonight I will start writing a post about DaaS – Desktop as a Service. According to me there are two types of DaaS, I will try to sort them out and at the same time give Microsoft a remark about available operating systems in SPLA vs VL and/with SA.
"Making Sense of ‘The Cloud’" by Extrinsica Global
Great reading: "Making Sense of 'The Cloud'" by Extrinsica Global.
The Exec sum from the article:
"The term ‘cloud’ is currently being used to describe a wide range of IT-based services that are delivered or consumed via the Internet. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the term and plethora of ‘cloud services’ already available in the market causes confusion in the minds of potential customers. This non-technical white paper is designed to enable business owners and leaders to understand the options when it comes to ‘the cloud’; to understand the range of cloud services available and which types of services are likely to be most suitable for their businesses.
The paper first segments cloud services into logical groupings and then describes, in general terms, each type of service. It also examines the applicability and the pros and cons of each service for small (25 – 250 employees) and mid-market (250 – 2000 employees) businesses. Finally, the paper addresses objectively some common concerns about the cloud approach and cloud service providers.
The paper demonstrates that there is a wide variety of services in the marketplace but, by segmenting the services and examining each segment in turn, it is possible for non-technical business leaders to make sense of ‘the cloud’ and get a good feel for the type of cloud services that would be appropriate for their business. It also shows that, while businesses should be cautious, the cloud approach to consuming IT functionality is a viable and practical proposition even at current levels of Internet bandwidths available to businesses. Nevertheless, because it is an emerging market, there is variability in the quality of vendors' offerings and companies should choose their service providers with care."
Register and download the complete article from: http://blog.extrinsicaglobal.com/extrinsica-global-white-paper-making-sense-of-the-cloud/
The Exec sum from the article:
"The term ‘cloud’ is currently being used to describe a wide range of IT-based services that are delivered or consumed via the Internet. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the term and plethora of ‘cloud services’ already available in the market causes confusion in the minds of potential customers. This non-technical white paper is designed to enable business owners and leaders to understand the options when it comes to ‘the cloud’; to understand the range of cloud services available and which types of services are likely to be most suitable for their businesses.
The paper first segments cloud services into logical groupings and then describes, in general terms, each type of service. It also examines the applicability and the pros and cons of each service for small (25 – 250 employees) and mid-market (250 – 2000 employees) businesses. Finally, the paper addresses objectively some common concerns about the cloud approach and cloud service providers.
The paper demonstrates that there is a wide variety of services in the marketplace but, by segmenting the services and examining each segment in turn, it is possible for non-technical business leaders to make sense of ‘the cloud’ and get a good feel for the type of cloud services that would be appropriate for their business. It also shows that, while businesses should be cautious, the cloud approach to consuming IT functionality is a viable and practical proposition even at current levels of Internet bandwidths available to businesses. Nevertheless, because it is an emerging market, there is variability in the quality of vendors' offerings and companies should choose their service providers with care."
Register and download the complete article from: http://blog.extrinsicaglobal.com/extrinsica-global-white-paper-making-sense-of-the-cloud/
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
the Orchestrator
Orchestration is one of my favorite topics to preach. I will come back to it many times.
The cloud market increases. Public boxed clouds will continue to emerge and some systems will not be available for local installations. There will be systems and services that never will be able to put in the sky. So hybrids already exist and will continue to exist. Customers, on-premise and/or outsourced, will need help in this matters. I mean it is not possible for customers to have the competence to organize hybrids without a strong IT department or together with a partner. Here MSP and SP and IT departments have an opportunity and an important role to take because I think customers really need help with this. We need to bring best possible value to the customers; IT will be far too complicated for the customers and the Cloud to scary.
Orchestration: an arrangement of events that attempts to achieve a maximum effect
First; know and/or take your position. Then, even if you’re an internal IT department; take the key role as a trusted advisor and organizer. Know how to combine on-premise (or outsourced) systems with public boxed and private cloud services - become a unified service provider, be thee partner. Customers should have only one contact in all IT related matters; evolve the SPOC to SPoSP – Single Point of Service Provider. You should be the primary contact to all of your customers systems and services. One should also know which services the market offer, you should be able to propose new and other services that will affect the customers IT in a positive way. Know well known issues, advantages and disadvantages of services – know the Cloud.
Become the Orchestrator!
The cloud market increases. Public boxed clouds will continue to emerge and some systems will not be available for local installations. There will be systems and services that never will be able to put in the sky. So hybrids already exist and will continue to exist. Customers, on-premise and/or outsourced, will need help in this matters. I mean it is not possible for customers to have the competence to organize hybrids without a strong IT department or together with a partner. Here MSP and SP and IT departments have an opportunity and an important role to take because I think customers really need help with this. We need to bring best possible value to the customers; IT will be far too complicated for the customers and the Cloud to scary.
The role to take is the Orchestrator role.
Orchestration: an arrangement of events that attempts to achieve a maximum effect
First; know and/or take your position. Then, even if you’re an internal IT department; take the key role as a trusted advisor and organizer. Know how to combine on-premise (or outsourced) systems with public boxed and private cloud services - become a unified service provider, be thee partner. Customers should have only one contact in all IT related matters; evolve the SPOC to SPoSP – Single Point of Service Provider. You should be the primary contact to all of your customers systems and services. One should also know which services the market offer, you should be able to propose new and other services that will affect the customers IT in a positive way. Know well known issues, advantages and disadvantages of services – know the Cloud.
Become the Orchestrator!
Orchestration by TeleComputing
Premium is to be able to integrate several services and their provisioning systems in to a single provisioning system with a friendly user interface which also the customer can use.
One issue that might cause trouble is that the end customer has to sign the agreement with the service provider, even in the cloud. This might cause legal and invoicing issues. Microsoft has the syndication program but it’s only available for really large SP’s. The market, including Microsoft and other large ISV’s have to dig in to this, it has to become easier.
Please engage me if you want to know more about how I reason.
Premium is to be able to integrate several services and their provisioning systems in to a single provisioning system with a friendly user interface which also the customer can use.
One issue that might cause trouble is that the end customer has to sign the agreement with the service provider, even in the cloud. This might cause legal and invoicing issues. Microsoft has the syndication program but it’s only available for really large SP’s. The market, including Microsoft and other large ISV’s have to dig in to this, it has to become easier.
Please engage me if you want to know more about how I reason.
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Bad "wrapping"!
I'm definitely positive to evolution and development. I’m definitely positive offering services who “wraps” a customer (i.e) to you. But the offer, add on or “the wrapper” should always add something positive for the customer in saving money, unease activities etc. I really can’t see how all these updates on Facebook do add something positive. It’s all about market, advertisement, lobby and keeping the developers busy – pipe dreams. I really getting tired of Facebook and Google trying to rule the world wrapping everything in and trying to make business in everything, in the end it might hit back. It all feels desperate.
This post is the comment I did on yet another idea from Facebook posted and great commented by Devin Tonhaeusers blog post 'Dude, You're not helping' http://devintonhaeuser.com/2011/09/24/dude-youre-not-helping/#comment-22
Friday, 23 September 2011
Great Reading: "The Cloud Diagnosed By IT. And It Isn't Pretty" by Brad Peters
To connect to my latest blog post Don't blame the cloud I would like to mention Brad Peters article about people running anti-cloud campaigns.
Short breakout where Brad Peters says:
"As the long-anticipated backlash against cloud computing begins, I want to thank technology journalist and IT consultant Frank J. Ohlhorst for making the strongest case yet for the anti-cloud camp… and in the process making the case for the cloud stronger than ever.
Recently, in a thoughtful and well-written blog essay, Ohlhorst sets out all of the arguments to make against companies adopting the cloud model over an in-house IT operation. He makes some very good points; but with a little scrutiny it quickly becomes apparent that the topics Ohlhorst doesn’t address are even more important – and telling – than the ones he does.
Here, in brief summary, are Ohlhorst’s arguments why companies should probably steer clear of the “hype” surrounding cloud computing these days. I’ll list each of his points in turn, then add my counter-argument:..."
Read the full article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/bradpeters/2011/09/23/66/?feed=rss_home
Short breakout where Brad Peters says:
"As the long-anticipated backlash against cloud computing begins, I want to thank technology journalist and IT consultant Frank J. Ohlhorst for making the strongest case yet for the anti-cloud camp… and in the process making the case for the cloud stronger than ever.
Recently, in a thoughtful and well-written blog essay, Ohlhorst sets out all of the arguments to make against companies adopting the cloud model over an in-house IT operation. He makes some very good points; but with a little scrutiny it quickly becomes apparent that the topics Ohlhorst doesn’t address are even more important – and telling – than the ones he does.
Here, in brief summary, are Ohlhorst’s arguments why companies should probably steer clear of the “hype” surrounding cloud computing these days. I’ll list each of his points in turn, then add my counter-argument:..."
Read the full article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/bradpeters/2011/09/23/66/?feed=rss_home
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Don’t blame the cloud
I often read articles which say something like:
- ”Don’t go to the cloud, it’s not safe”
- “Office 365 down for several hours – what did I tell you”
- “Datacenter on Ireland knocked out by thunderstorm – keep it on-premise”
- “Companies will move back IT on-premise in the future, away from the service providers”
And that often said by trusted IT advisors and renowned journalists. This makes me a bit confused and irritated. I also ask myself: how trustworthy is it to diss the evolution?
Of course; we have to and should review all small as big service providers. If they deliver in time, to agreed service levels, established penalties and so on. Cloud computing and service providers should be reviewed, no doubt.
But, and that’s a big BUT, what if keeping all in-house/on-premise; what will happen when the thunderstorm comes to you, you get hacked or firewalls and gateways start to loop? How will this affect the core business? Can you afford to keep all necessary knowledge in-house or having support agreements with very short response time? Can you afford to have or buy HA-environments in-house? Does your IT have established SLA's (or OLA's) and will you get paid from the IT-department if they don’t meet them? If you say yes to all of this then you are lucky and are most probably one of a few + your owner or the management isn’t informed or don’t understand the actual cost.
Conclusion:
Don’t ever go to a restaurant. It’s awful and scary to meet new people, order a nice meal to a known price, to have a pro chef cook your hopefully excellent meal. It’s also unnecessary to have the possibility to complain if something doesn’t taste like it should or if the table doesn’t meet your preferences of a good table. And that you definitely can leave and go to another restaurant isn’t your style. Stay at home and cook, it might be cheaper buying but it will most probably cost some time to cook and if you burn it…. then you most probably not will have the dinner you planned for. Who to blame then? Not me! “Bah! A nice dinner is overrated…” And don’t even think about looking up or reserve table on the Internet…it’s a cloud service.
Note:
I don’t say cloud services are perfect all the time in every way. And as I say in my article ‘Cloud – by TeleComputing’ I don’t say you should or can put everything in the cloud; X-ray equipment’s will never be sourced in a datacenter on Ireland, the software might be but not the equipment. Laws will say you can’t store some data outside the organization or country. Hybrids exist and will keep on existing.
For sure:
When there is a power outage, a thunder storm, services stops or lack in quality or whatever similar else happens at a service provider, the service provider will do everything they can to solve the incident. Why? Because service levels will start to tick, penalties will cost and reputation will start to drop. Being a service provider means being a pro of delivering services. Service providers will do everything to deliver a secure, available service – it’s a mindset.
The affect will of course be extensive if an incident hits a multicustomer service provider. And it will be written and read about. But what about all outage on-premise solutions, have they been counted, how much do they cost and what frustration does it cause the organization?
Please:
Stop this “retrogressive nonsense” that cloud is all things bad. A trusted advisor should advise the best for its customer, and cloud is for sure a good part of a solution. Stop blame the evolution of IT, blame yourself for not telling the big picture. Stop blame the cloud. Then, and only then, you will be a trusted advisor.
- ”Don’t go to the cloud, it’s not safe”
- “Office 365 down for several hours – what did I tell you”
- “Datacenter on Ireland knocked out by thunderstorm – keep it on-premise”
- “Companies will move back IT on-premise in the future, away from the service providers”
And that often said by trusted IT advisors and renowned journalists. This makes me a bit confused and irritated. I also ask myself: how trustworthy is it to diss the evolution?
Of course; we have to and should review all small as big service providers. If they deliver in time, to agreed service levels, established penalties and so on. Cloud computing and service providers should be reviewed, no doubt.
But, and that’s a big BUT, what if keeping all in-house/on-premise; what will happen when the thunderstorm comes to you, you get hacked or firewalls and gateways start to loop? How will this affect the core business? Can you afford to keep all necessary knowledge in-house or having support agreements with very short response time? Can you afford to have or buy HA-environments in-house? Does your IT have established SLA's (or OLA's) and will you get paid from the IT-department if they don’t meet them? If you say yes to all of this then you are lucky and are most probably one of a few + your owner or the management isn’t informed or don’t understand the actual cost.
Conclusion:
Don’t ever go to a restaurant. It’s awful and scary to meet new people, order a nice meal to a known price, to have a pro chef cook your hopefully excellent meal. It’s also unnecessary to have the possibility to complain if something doesn’t taste like it should or if the table doesn’t meet your preferences of a good table. And that you definitely can leave and go to another restaurant isn’t your style. Stay at home and cook, it might be cheaper buying but it will most probably cost some time to cook and if you burn it…. then you most probably not will have the dinner you planned for. Who to blame then? Not me! “Bah! A nice dinner is overrated…” And don’t even think about looking up or reserve table on the Internet…it’s a cloud service.
Note:
I don’t say cloud services are perfect all the time in every way. And as I say in my article ‘Cloud – by TeleComputing’ I don’t say you should or can put everything in the cloud; X-ray equipment’s will never be sourced in a datacenter on Ireland, the software might be but not the equipment. Laws will say you can’t store some data outside the organization or country. Hybrids exist and will keep on existing.
For sure:
When there is a power outage, a thunder storm, services stops or lack in quality or whatever similar else happens at a service provider, the service provider will do everything they can to solve the incident. Why? Because service levels will start to tick, penalties will cost and reputation will start to drop. Being a service provider means being a pro of delivering services. Service providers will do everything to deliver a secure, available service – it’s a mindset.
The affect will of course be extensive if an incident hits a multicustomer service provider. And it will be written and read about. But what about all outage on-premise solutions, have they been counted, how much do they cost and what frustration does it cause the organization?
Please:
Stop this “retrogressive nonsense” that cloud is all things bad. A trusted advisor should advise the best for its customer, and cloud is for sure a good part of a solution. Stop blame the evolution of IT, blame yourself for not telling the big picture. Stop blame the cloud. Then, and only then, you will be a trusted advisor.
Cloud - by TeleComputing
Starting with my article Cloud by TeleComputing.
Short breakout:
"The Cloud - a word and concept challenging to define and constrain. No matter what we call a service or function, there is a specific purpose that makes the nomenclature a side issue; someone wants to satisfy a clients needs by providing a service and the client should not have to think about the technology behind it. Everything should work, be safe and available and of course be governed by an agreement, which also handles discrepancies. For it to attract a larger crowd, it should also bring value for the client. The value must be clear and understood by the buyer.
Cloud is good. Effectively used, it saves time, reduces costs and increases efficiency and production. Startup time is short and there is no need to invest costly infrastructure or specialists in a particular area. Of course there are general things to consider, i.e.:
· Purchasing role becomes more important. You should have good knowledge of your company's need for IT support and how to put together one or more cloud services.
· How cloud services are billed. For example, what are the activities, or other similar, that "triggers" a cost.
· What's included in the terms of support, updates and responsibility.
An IT outsourcing provider should support you in addressing these and other
issues.
When talking about IT and services provided to a computer, mobile phone or web browser I like to define it as cloud. It is not so dramatic. It is present and the future."
Enjoy!
Short breakout:
"The Cloud - a word and concept challenging to define and constrain. No matter what we call a service or function, there is a specific purpose that makes the nomenclature a side issue; someone wants to satisfy a clients needs by providing a service and the client should not have to think about the technology behind it. Everything should work, be safe and available and of course be governed by an agreement, which also handles discrepancies. For it to attract a larger crowd, it should also bring value for the client. The value must be clear and understood by the buyer.
Cloud is good. Effectively used, it saves time, reduces costs and increases efficiency and production. Startup time is short and there is no need to invest costly infrastructure or specialists in a particular area. Of course there are general things to consider, i.e.:
· Purchasing role becomes more important. You should have good knowledge of your company's need for IT support and how to put together one or more cloud services.
· How cloud services are billed. For example, what are the activities, or other similar, that "triggers" a cost.
· What's included in the terms of support, updates and responsibility.
An IT outsourcing provider should support you in addressing these and other
issues.
When talking about IT and services provided to a computer, mobile phone or web browser I like to define it as cloud. It is not so dramatic. It is present and the future."
Enjoy!
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