July Monthly Roundup: Top IT Industry Articles
Posted on Tue, Aug 02, 2011 @ 02:17 PM
Each month, we share a collection of articles that provide insight into the ever-evolving world of IT. July’s roundup looks at: the realities of IT management, open versus closed networks on college campuses, transitioning to the cloud and mobile device management.
The Realities of IT Management
As InfoWorld’s Dan Tynan explains in 10 Hard Truths IT Must Learn to Accept, today’s IT environment is far from perfect, and professionals need to accept these realities when building their IT strategies. Following are some examples of modern IT truths:
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The mobile revolution is here to stay; therefore, IT departments must find ways to manage BYOD situations.
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IT has lost some control. While traditionally the IT department was involved in all technology purchasing decisions, the cloud enables other departments to easily “research, procure and implement new apps and gadgets,” on an at-need basis, without IT assistance.
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Network downtime is inevitable. In fact, 95 percent of data centers suffered at least one unplanned shutdown in the past two years.
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IT will always be understaffed. The key is to take advantage of outsourcers and contractors to supplement internal needs. Or, as Eric Berridge explains in his Computerworld article, Your IT Staff Should be as Flexible as Your Technology, organizations must establish flexible IT staffing models, frameworks and staff members.
For Tynan’s full list of IT realities, read his complete article.
Virtualization and the Path to the Cloud
Virtualization is the first step to the cloud, according to Todd R. Weiss in his InfoWorld article. He goes on to provide tips from Laura DiDio, principal analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Consulting, on how your organization can simplify its transition to the cloud, including:
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Outline objectives prior to developing your strategy. What types of benefits would you like to achieve?
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Identify and confront major challenges upfront, including issues of security and compliance.
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Find the most appropriate business model for your needs. For example, will you deploy a private, public or hybrid cloud? Will it be a PaaS, SaaS or IaaS model?
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Understand how your cloud vendor handles data. Consider visibility, support and response time.
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If you choose to run a private cloud, invest in training and staff.
For more on preparing for the cloud, read Bernard Golden’s article, Are you Making Your Data Centers Cloud-Friendly?
Mobile Device Management
There are a growing number of people accessing company networks and data via personal mobile devices, according to Entrepreneur’s Dan O’Shea in the article, Don’t Forget to Wipe. Mobile-device growth introduces numerous security issues and management challenges, which a third-party mobile device management platform may be able to solve.
These solutions “might include the ability to run automatic firmware updates, diagnostics, data backup and restoration, to scan for security threats and the particularly valuable ability to remotely lock and wipe data from a phone if it is lost or stolen.”
For a compilation of additional mobile device management resources, see Linda Musthaler’s article, Tame the Challenge of Mobile Device Management.
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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