Posted on Fri, Sep 09, 2011 @ 08:36 AM
In many organizations, both public and private, there has been a greater focus on leveraging IT as a competitive differentiator. With cloud computing, virtualization and other disruptive technologies, IT holds the power to attract customers and employees, and help organizations gain market share. As a result, IT has shifted from a reactive and supporting role to a proactive driver of business decisions.
Technology as a Competitive Differentiator
When all other things are equal between two organizations, technology can be the distinguishing factor and act as a competitive differentiator. Read on for some examples:
Recruitment and Retention
Today’s workers are digital natives, meaning they have grown up using computers and technology in a virtually (no pun intended) unlimited and unrestricted manner, and have come to expect the same experience in the workplace. The younger workforce in particular spends as much time or more computing from their phones and tablets as they do from their more traditional platforms of desktops and netbooks.
Virtualization and cloud computing can provide these individuals with the mobility and flexibility they expect and demand, while giving IT the security and management requirements it needs for compliancy. These seemingly incongruous worlds are suddenly bridged for the benefit of both parties.
This versatility helps businesses attract — and keep — the biggest, best and brightest talent. Especially in IT, medicine and healthcare, where quality job candidates are in high demand, professionals often make career decisions based on the technology and work/life balance opportunities their employers will provide.
If you had hired a developer 10 years ago out of college, handed him the Fortran Bible and said, "go forth and learn," he or she most likely would have said "no, thank you; I prefer to work somewhere else." IT “benefits” are fast becoming a standard conversation and negotiation point when attempting to attract top-shelf talent. In many cases the work/life balance, and the ability to work in a more mobile capacity, are given equal footing to compensation and other traditional benefits.
See Enterprise Mobility and Collaboration: A Better Work/Life Balance by Andrew Borg of TechNewsWorld for details and statistics on how modern technologies can help attract and retain top employees.
Expansions and Acquisitions
Say your CEO wants to open a new office or acquire a competing company. Historically, it would have taken months and a hefty budget to put the IT structure in place to support these types of initiatives. In the cloud model, however, this time and upfront monetary commitment is significantly reduced, making projects like this much easier to execute.
John Shaw’s SYS-CON article, Cloud Computing: David and Goliath Rival Companies, gives more details about companies like Netflix and Amazon that used the scalability of the cloud to grow their businesses.
Customer Service and Sales
Disruptive technologies can help your team improve sales processes, and better serve existing customers. For example, instead of time- and budget-intensive onsite customer meetings, your organization can use telepresence to virtually connect. And, your sales team can respond quicker to prospects through the use of tablets and other mobile devices, as they always have the most updated information, no matter their location.
See our previous blog post for more on the business drivers and benefits of telepresence.
Monitoring and Management
Enhanced management tools let you identify issues before they escalate, allowing you to focus on strategy instead of troubleshooting. In addition, monitoring tools give you insight into who is accessing your technology, and when and how they are using it. This enables IT to continually optimize systems and processes to meet core business objectives, and even make cost-saving operational suggestions based on user data.
The Computing article by Stephen Prentice, Big Opportunity, Big Dilemma, discusses the evolving role of the CIO, largely based on the implications big data can have on an organization.
The Evolving Role of IT
These examples and others driven by disruptive advancements in technology, provide a different type of relationship between IT and business.
Traditionally, IT was the laggard, the one potentially holding back or slowing strategic business plans. This is because it was much easier to dream up an idea then to actually get the technology in place to execute it. Now, IT can often deploy a solution faster than the business can act on it through a variety of private, public and hybrid cloud offerings. As a result, businesses can be more dynamic and agile than ever before.
Because of this, CIOs are assuming a more strategic, innovative position within executive teams, and are often asked for input on mergers, acquisitions, outsourcing, remote workforces and more.
Closing Thoughts
With IT taking a larger role in business strategy, this is an exciting time to be in the industry. What trends are you seeing? How are you taking advantage of this shift?
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Andy Jones is Senior Vice President of Sales. He has more than 15 years of IT industry experience, and is an expert on cloud, virtualization and managed services solutions. Connect with Andy on LinkedIn.
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Posted on Thu, Jul 07, 2011 @ 09:57 AM
Each month, we share a collection of articles that provide insight into the ever-evolving world of IT. June’s roundup looks at: improving IT business strategy, virtualization management and securing mobile devices.
Business Strategy
According to a recent study by Financial Executives International and Gartner, many CFOs lack faith in CIOs and their IT teams. In fact, “only 25% see the CIO as a key player in determining the business strategy.”
This demonstrates the need for IT departments to think more strategically about the business drivers and ROI of the technologies they are advocating. But, how do you do this? Below are a few lessons from the former CIO of HP, Randy Mott:
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Demonstrate Results — At HP, Mott advocated for a cost-benefit analysis for every IT project to show both the monetary and intangible results of each.
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Get Projects Done Faster — The only way end users will understand a technology’s potential is by using it. To get technologies in employees’ hands quickly, Mott pushed for faster turnaround and refused to extend IT deadlines.
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Take Advantage of Opportunities — Technology is always in a constant state of flux. Mott recommends developing the staff and infrastructure needed to capitalize on technology improvements as they are made available.
For a complete list of Mott’s lessons, see Chris Murphy’s InformationWeek article, “10 Lessons in IT Strategy from Ex-HP CIO Randy Mott.”
Virtualization Management
Ongoing network management is key to virtualization’s success.
By hiring a managed services provider, organizations can simplify day-to-day network management responsibilities, and devote their time to more strategic initiatives. Using Carousel Industries’ whitepaper as a guide, David Sims offers some criteria to find the right managed services provider, including:
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Availability of proactive 24/7/365 support
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Vendor-agnostic expertise
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Strong industry reputation and satisfied customers
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Comprehensive reporting and communication
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Remote and full-security management
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Fair contracts and pricing
There are also technologies available to improve network management by providing greater insight into computing machines. For example, Symantec’s Veritas Operations Manager 4.0 and V-ray products provide organizations better visibility to adapt and manage their physical and virtual environments.
In addition, IT professionals can improve their virtualization results with the right amount of CPU, memory, storage, redundancy and networking. Check out this article by InfoWorld’s Paul Venezia for hardware spec guidelines.
Learn more about the benefits of IT managed services.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Numerous IT leaders believe the benefits of BYOD outweigh the risks; however, information security on mobile devices still remains a top concern for many. To combat this, TechJournal offers seven tips on keeping mobile devices secure, based on the Smartphone Malware Report from Spain’s National Cyber-Security Advisory Council (CNCCS). Recommendations include:
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Activate access-protection measures, such as requiring a PIN or password.
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Configure the device to lock after a specific period of being idle.
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Disable features such Bluetooth or WiFi when not in use.
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Check the reputation of apps and services prior to installation, and only install software from trusted sources.
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Regularly update the OS and applications as new versions are released.
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Be wary of files, links or numbers from unsolicited messages.
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Do not use untrusted WiFi networks.
As BYOD becomes more popular, mobile device management will become increasingly more important to safeguard company data.
What Do You Think?
What articles, blog posts, videos or podcasts did you find interesting last month? Post a comment, and we’ll be sure to keep an eye on those sources and topics for future articles like this one.
This post is an MCPc blogging team collaboration.
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Posted on Fri, Jul 01, 2011 @ 07:25 AM
Transitioning to a cloud-hosted infrastructure can present a wealth of advantages to companies. As a result, most CIOs expect cloud penetration to rise 40-50% within the next five years.
However, this transition should be approached cautiously, as cloud computing is more than a technology play; it affects the way the business as a whole is run. Below are five tips for a smooth move to the cloud.
1. Assess Your Current Business Needs
According to Sandra Hamilton from EMC Consulting, the first step is to consider the business reasons for moving to the cloud.
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What benefits are you hoping to achieve?
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What can the cloud help you deliver?
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How will you measure success?
These objectives will drive your overall strategy and help establish your case for a cloud-based environment. It will also help you determine what type of infrastructure (private, public or hybrid cloud) is best for your organization.
2. Review Your IT Infrastructure
Next, take a look at your current IT infrastructure to identify where improvements can be made, and how updates will affect the overall ecosystem and business processes. Some key items to consider include:
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What devices (desktops, laptops, tablets, thin clients, etc.) are in use?
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What are your end points? How are they secured?
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How and where do end users access printers?
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How do you handle data storage? How are files backed up?
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How is the network designed? What systems do you regularly use and rely on, and how are they accessed?
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What security concerns might you face?
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What regulatory and compliance issues must you adhere to?
During this phase, InfoWorld’s J. Peter Bruzzese recommends taking a close look at your data and security needs. While provider service level agreements and data encryption can protect some of your assets, he explains that “not all data may be suitable for the cloud,” and that you might want to hold on to sensitive information internally.
After reviewing business drivers and your current technology infrastructure, you can then begin to create a roadmap that outlines planned updates. We’ll discuss these in more detail later.
3. Obtain Buy-In from Executives and Employees
During the planning process, it’s important that candid conversations are had with all C-level executives, as well as with employees, to get their buy-in. Cloud computing can impact corporate culture, employee devices and the end-user experiences. Therefore, discussions should be held upfront on the benefits and potential challenges. This will prevent roadblocks later and ensure everyone is on the same page moving forward.
4. Evaluate Providers and Solutions
In moving to the cloud, you are exchanging technology control for lower costs, better scalability and reliability, and less ongoing maintenance. As a result, CIO’s David Taber recommends you consider the following when evaluating vendors and cloud services:
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Ensure contracts and service level agreements provide the security and user access privileges you require.
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Understand that cloud services providers will manage in the best interest of their overall business; this may not always be what is most convenient for you. As changes are rolled out to cloud services, plan on preparation and testing from your internal team.
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If you’re thinking of using a free service, consider alternative options in case that provider goes out of business or puts their services behind a pay-wall.
When dealing with service providers, Bruzzese also adds that you should get everything in writing, and know how you can reclaim your data should you choose to move it back in-house or to another provider. He also recommends qualifying your provider by considering how long they have been in business, the security systems they have in place and how they handle your data.
5. Ease into the Technology Transition
As mentioned previously, transitioning to the cloud usually involves four major steps – server virtualization, application and/or desktop virtualization, private cloud and public cloud. Developing a roadmap for your move to the cloud, and following this process ensures that the proper infrastructure is in place before moving on to the next step.
By taking a strategic approach to cloud computing, you can ensure the best possible solution for your organization’s unique culture, processes, needs and objectives.
Learn more about MCPc’s approach to cloud computing.
Your Thoughts?
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Have you transitioned to the cloud? What tips would you recommend?
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What are your key concerns about moving to the cloud?
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What steps have you put in place to prepare for a cloud-based infrastructure?
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Andy Jones is Senior Vice President of Sales. He has more than 15 years of IT industry experience, and is an expert on cloud, virtualization and managed services solutions. Connect with Andy on LinkedIn.
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Posted on Tue, May 10, 2011 @ 01:20 PM
As technology continues to drive innovation, an increasing number of higher education CIOs are taking IT services off campus and cashing in on the benefits of data center consolidation.
Often a central focus of the overall IT environment, approaching data center consolidation, virtualization and even cloud technology with long-term vision can make higher education CIOs the most valuable force on campus, and can bring agility for the university’s lasting growth and success.
The Evolving IT Landscape
A 2010 technology survey found that reducing energy costs and data center consolidation strategies are top-of-mind for higher education CIOs.
- 74% have or are developing programs to reduce IT energy use and are familiar with the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Rating for Data Centers program, but only 13% track Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) — the core measurement for the EPA ENERGY STAR Rating, which is the ratio of total power into the data center compared to the power used by IT.
- 78% have or are developing specific data center consolidation strategies.
Data consolidation and off-campus service trends continue within The Chronicle’s CIO Leadership Board survey, which examines functions handled off campus. Email and social networks are most often pushed off campus; others include applications, desktop tools, and administrative functions such as grading, registration and admissions.
What Does the Data Center in Higher Education Look Like?
As the central location for all computing resources, the data center is the starting point for a strategically managed IT environment. It includes your servers, networks, technology equipment, applications, software, management tools and IT team.
Consolidation means simplifying the IT environment with increased manageability, which has many benefits, including:
- Reduced IT costs
- Decreased energy consumption
- Strengthened security
- Improved accessibility and business agility
- A framework for expansion into future technology
Overcoming Barriers
Two of the most common barriers higher education CIOs face in efforts to consolidate data centers are decreasing budgets and senior management priorities, which are usually not focused on data center consolidation.
A CIO’s path to data center consolidation includes a foundation that overcomes these challenges and wins internal buy-in for data center consolidation.
- Research. Knowing the data behind data center consolidation (case studies, standards, primary interviews) makes you the expert, and gives your recommendation more weight among decision makers.
- Think holistically. Show that data center consolidation not only benefits IT, but has lasting university advantages and impact (green initiatives and commitments, growing mobility and agility for future students and programs, reduced costs, etc.).
- Do the math. Make the decision into a financial “no-brainer” investment. Evaluate your existing budget, then use results from other universities and relate those to your IT environment.
- Leverage free programs. The EPA and DOE have free tools and programs that can assess data center improvements and validate investments. Measure while planning, throughout the process and after completion.
- Attend workshops. Consolidation can be a daunting task. Available workshops specific to higher education data center consolidation are valuable resources critical for success.
- Do an assessment. Work with a partner to secure third-party support on your plans, develop a strategic design based on your college or university’s data use, storage needs and future objectives.
Making the Grade: Examples of Successful Consolidation
Taking a look at some of the lessons learned by peers and examining higher education IT case studies is one way that CIOs can define considerations about their own IT landscape and consolidation.
Examples of recent successes and thoughts on the topic from university CIOs follow.
Your Thoughts?
Is your school considering data center consolidation? Please share your questions, concerns and lessons below.
MCPc recently worked with Malone University in Canton, Ohio to consolidate its data center. Read the Solution Spotlight or watch a video interview about their experience.
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Perry Szarka is a Solution Consultant at MCPc with expertise in data storage and network infrastructure. He works closely with clients to understand their business objectives and discover solutions to help them achieve their goals.
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Posted on Mon, Apr 11, 2011 @ 02:42 PM
Each month we share a collection of articles that provide insight into the ever-evolving world of IT. March’s roundup looks at: the changing role of the CIO and IT departments, the case for BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology), how upgrade your network for mobile employees, cloud computing security, and trends in data center design.
IT Industry & Expectations
In The Four Personas of the Next-Generation CIO, R “Ray” Wang focuses on the advancement of the role of CIO as it assesses new and disruptive technologies with a business purpose in mind.
Wang outlines the personas he anticipates for the next-generation CIO:
- Chief “Infrastructure” Officer – responsible for cost reduction and technology.
- Chief “Integration” Officer – responsible for connecting internal and external ecosystems.
- Chief “Intelligence” Officer – responsible for bringing the business actionable insights, and improving access to information and data.
- Chief “Innovation” Officer – responsible for identifying disruptive technologies for pilot projects through trial and error.
For more on the changing expectations for CIOs, see our blog post, The Evolving Role of the CIO.
In Stewardship, Not Ownership: It’s Time for IT to Give up on Control, Bob Lewis argues for IT to shift from the ownership and regulation of technology to application, device and user management.
Several historical and current trends combine to indicate the need for a fresh look at IT’s role:
- Changes in IT responsibilities over time (from the 1960’s to present day)
- The consumerization of IT and increased sophistication of end users
- Changing computing processes that put end users in more control of their technology assets
Lewis argues that IT departments need to let go of control and take advantage of new opportunities provided by becoming “stewards, not owners,” of the company computing processes.
For more on the trends driving Lewis’ recommendations, as well as a few “baby steps” to help you get started, see his complete article.
Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT)
As employees continue to bring their own devices — such as personal laptops, smartphones and tablets — to the office, some companies are starting to transition from supporting only standard, recognized corporate devices to creating “BYOT” (or BYOD – Bring Your Own Device) workplaces.
In the article, Is it Time for Bring Your Own Technology? John Parkinson outlines three trends that are making BYOT a more likely reality for many organizations:
- Mobility – Today’s innovation is focused on mobility and evolving technology in the mobile market. Advancements in this technology have also upped the cost of a mobile device, making BYOD even more attractive.
- Virtualization – With end-user technology as an access point, companies can allow multiple devices to log in securely through device identification and user authentication.
- Contracted Support – When working with partner organizations and consultants, it’s unlikely that you can dictate the technology they use, but you’ll likely need to provide support for their devices when used within your environment.
To learn more about these trends, check out the new section of our website focused on managing mobile devices in the workplace, and BYOD options.
Mobility
Galen Grumen discusses the fallbacks of local area networks (LANs) in today’s IT landscape, and shares a new technology designed to help push LANs into the post-PC era, in his article, In the Smartphone Era, Why is Your LAN Still Dumb?
As Gruman states, “the network itself is not architected to handle the post-PC environment rapidly developing at many businesses. LANs are generally designed under the assumption that each user works in a designated space, so an Ethernet port is a proxy for a specific user.”
This article describes a possible solution from Aruba Networks: a set of network-management tools called Mobile Virtual Enterprise that includes wired switches, wireless access points, iPad and iPhone self-registration, VPN and more. The solution provides enhanced visibility into what devices are connecting to your network when, as well as security controls.
Expect to see similar solutions arise, and talks about network stability continue, as mobility support comes to the forefront with increased use of personal devices in the workplace.
Cloud Computing
One of the top concerns among executives thinking about a move to the cloud is security. In his article, Simon Crosby discusses Why the Cloud is Actually the Safest Place for Your Data.
In traditional IT environments, data security issues arise when organizations loose control of the data. Questions like, “How is data stored and transmitted?” and, “What do end users do with that data?” could show leaks in the security of any infrastructure.
From data center to delivery to endpoint, clouds can give control back. With defense resources far beyond anything most corporations could match with in-house data centers, reputable cloud providers are equipped with vast and deep resources for data management and control.
For details on the security advantages you can find in the cloud — including back-end automation, data accessibility models and new methods for endpoint security — see the complete article.
Looking for more on cloud computing? Check out David Taber’s Cloud Computing: Advice for Application Control Freaks, which discusses benefits and drawbacks of private and public cloud solutions, and how to choose what’s best for your company based on both cost and business impact.
Green Data Center Design
According to Pike Research, global investment in energy efficient data center technology will represent 28 percent of the $150 billion data center infrastructure market by 2015.
The study also identifies seven key trends driving the move toward green data center design, such as virtualization, dynamic infrastructure, increased business value of data centers and modularity. For more, see the complete report, Green Data Centers (requires registration).
What Do You Think?
What articles, blog posts, videos or podcasts did you find interesting last month? Post a comment, and we’ll be sure to keep an eye on those sources for future wrap-up articles like this one.
This post is an MCPc blogging team collaboration.
Stay Connected with MCPc: Subscribe to the blog; follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Posted on Mon, Apr 04, 2011 @ 10:35 AM
Traditionally, CIOs managed company systems and integrated technologies, led troubleshooting tactics, and drove crucial IT efforts for the company. Today, however, experience with systems is not enough; the role of CIO has become more business-minded.
CIOs have an increasingly important place at the table as a trusted advisor capable of leading his or her company by providing direction on how IT advances the business, drives results and impacts the bottom line.
Why the Shift?
While industry experts agree that CIOs need to take a more active, entrepreneurial approach to their IT departments, the reasons for the shift vary. However, common themes include:
- Dynamic technology and environments. With so many new technologies to translate and sift through, CIOs are becoming more consultative for their companies. “How will new applications impact our business?” and “What compatibility issues may we face when integrating this solution?” are questions CIOs need to understand, and educate CEOs and CFOs about in terms of risks and rewards.
- Value shift from technology to data. Virtualization and cloud computing are systems CIOs can use to transition from managing technology to being able to track that technology and its usage data. Comprehending that information, and the value it can bring to an organization’s overall operational and sales strategies, is where CIOs make a direct and strategic impact on boosting revenues.
- Economic and political changes. In the article CIOs Need Greater ‘Business Focus’, former Australian Computer Society president Kumar Parakala notes that everyday pressures a CIO faces internally are compounded by current outside forces, such as economic challenges and the political rhetoric around outsourcing. What it means for next-generation CIOs is that businesses can change shape overnight, sometimes without any say from within.
What Does the New CIO Look Like?
Today’s CIOs are not only responsible for managing information technology, but also translating it into innovative, cost-reducing technology, connectivity and overall business intelligence.
A CIO with a business strategy is how the Harvard Business Review paints the new look of the CIO, with Four Personas of the Next-Generation CIO including:
- Chief “Infrastructure” Officer – focus on overall cost reduction and technology
- Chief “Integration” Officer – focus on connecting internal and external ecosystems
- Chief “Intelligence” Officer – focus on bringing the business actionable insights, improving access to information and data
- Chief “Innovation” Officer – focus on identifying disruptive technologies for pilot projects through trial and error
How to Achieve It
Defining the best way to achieve a next-generation outlook as CIO depends on your company’s existing IT strategy and business plan or vision. Varying models for a transition to the new roles of CIO can range from a single, business-minded CIO taking all responsibility to an entire “CIO Department.” Some examples:
- A single, business-minded CIO with upgraded skill sets and entrepreneurial thought processes can handle all personas of a next-gen CIO.
- A central CIO that leads “CIO departments” (infrastructure, integration, intelligence and innovation). Advantages of this model include devoted resources for each CIO persona, with one overseeing and guiding the business ties and processes.
- VARs and managed technology organizations can support CIO responsibilities. Cloud computing, virtualization and managed IT services allow CIOs to focus less time on technology or infrastructure management and more on innovation and intelligence.
Once you know what the ideal CIO for your organization looks like, getting there takes commitment from all players within IT and the C-suite.
Measurement, rhetoric, advocating for your role, and the ability to adapt quickly to change are some of the necessary means involved in the transition. InfoWorld also published a helpful article with more tips for bringing IT and the business together.
Your Thoughts?
How have you transitioned the role of CIO within your company, and what challenges or results have you already seen?
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Jason Taylor is Senior Vice President of Sales Operations and in the past has served as an IT consultant for several major enterprise-level organizations throughout Northeast Ohio. Connect with Jason on LinkedIn.
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