This week brings another piece of evidence charting the undeniable rise of cloud computing. This time, it is from an IT industry perspective. According to a survey of 1,300 IT professionals conducted by CWjobs, 40% of IT professionals believe that cloud computing will create more job opportunities in the sector.
Added to that, three-quarters of respondents said that cloud computing skills would make prospective job candidates more employable.
This comes to counteract the anti-cloud computing view that the technology will lead to job cuts in the sector. In one way, it is logical to assume that delivering services via the cloud will take fewer actual pairs of hands, but on the other hand, the rising demand means that many more technicians will be needed to meet the demand. It is becoming clearer that cloud computing will not be to the IT industry what automation was to the car industry; the technology isn’t that simple.
This is obvious from looking at the activities of the major players in the IT community. Capgemini, Steia, Fujitsu, Wipro and Infosys are all already creating cloud services, and they will need the right people on hand to make it happen.
Richard Nott, website director at CWjobs said: “It is encouraging to see that IT professionals recognise the career opportunities emerging from the rise of cloud computing.
“However, confusion evidently surrounds how candidates can best bolster their CVs for these opportunities.
“While it is not yet clear which specific skills will be useful for cloud computing, the majority of IT professionals do believe there will be a need to adapt to capitalise on the changing IT landscape, and that now is the time to do this.”
Showing posts with label cloud computing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cloud computing. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
SAP recommends multi-channel software strategy
Oracle competitor SAP highlighted some points about application delivery earlier this week. SAP’s managing director Tim Noble pointed out that businesses are increasingly shifting towards a mix of in-house, mobile and cloud-based applications, and that IT service providers and software developers need to provide those services or risk missing the boat.
According to SAP’s survey of 250 CIOs in large UK companies, on-premises software deployments will fall by 20% to 51% by 2015, as companies demand access to their applications on the go or via the cloud.
Additionally, the survey said, the share of on-demand implementations will increase 11% to 28% and on-device will increase by 8% to 21%.
Oracle’s Larry Ellison has been famously outspoken on cloud computing. Ellison, rather than believing that cloud computing and therefore businesses’ access to and use of it is a revolution, thinks it is in fact already in use under different names, and is evolving. As one of the world’s major players in the software market, Oracle has been dealing with what is now known as ‘cloud computing’ and access to applications via it for years already. As Ellison eloquently put it, “cloud computing is not only the future of computing, it is the present, and the entire past of computing is all cloud.”
Some what less eloquently, Ellison went on to say “All it is is a computer attached to a network. What are you talking about? I mean, what do you think Google runs on?” The point he is making is valid, and relevant in terms of SAP’s latest recommendation. Cloud is not something that software companies should be getting on board with and preparing for. It is something that they should already be embracing; if they are only just catching on, and claiming that businesses need multichannel application access and support, they perhaps have come a little late to the party.
According to SAP’s survey of 250 CIOs in large UK companies, on-premises software deployments will fall by 20% to 51% by 2015, as companies demand access to their applications on the go or via the cloud.
Additionally, the survey said, the share of on-demand implementations will increase 11% to 28% and on-device will increase by 8% to 21%.
Oracle’s Larry Ellison has been famously outspoken on cloud computing. Ellison, rather than believing that cloud computing and therefore businesses’ access to and use of it is a revolution, thinks it is in fact already in use under different names, and is evolving. As one of the world’s major players in the software market, Oracle has been dealing with what is now known as ‘cloud computing’ and access to applications via it for years already. As Ellison eloquently put it, “cloud computing is not only the future of computing, it is the present, and the entire past of computing is all cloud.”
Some what less eloquently, Ellison went on to say “All it is is a computer attached to a network. What are you talking about? I mean, what do you think Google runs on?” The point he is making is valid, and relevant in terms of SAP’s latest recommendation. Cloud is not something that software companies should be getting on board with and preparing for. It is something that they should already be embracing; if they are only just catching on, and claiming that businesses need multichannel application access and support, they perhaps have come a little late to the party.
Friday, July 9, 2010
SOA Series, July: Why SOA is still so now
SOA has had a torrid time of it in the press. At the start of this decade, it was cutting edge. By 2005, the love affair was waning; people were growing wearied reading endless blogs, articles and press releases about the wonder of SOA. It seemed that SOA had gone from wired to tired in just 10 years, but actually, there are several reasons why SOA should still be at the front of the minds of CIOs and consultants alike. In fact, the factors that have made SOA so important - intensified global communications, ever more demanding consumer needs, increased business collaboration - are unlikely to reverse themselves. So, SOA should now be considered less a hot topic that is wearing thin, and more a central ethos that has only just begun gaining ground in what will be a very long period of influence.
Most importantly, SOA is essential to real-time event processing. Businesses need to be able to respond to consumer needs and demands almost at the moment they arise, thanks to the hyper-competition brought about by easy global trade. Having data and applications accessible and logically ordered across a business gives a business the advantage it needs to survive in this kind of supply-demand climate.
On the subject of information itself, SOA is equally as important. Put simply, in systems designed according to SOA, information is seen by all eyes across an organisation, and updated and ‘cleansed’ accordingly. It’s simple, yet effective; good information makes for better, quicker decision-making.
Finally, it’s the biggie: cloud computing. Like it or not, cloud computing is on its way in and pretty soon, no business will be able to operate whilst avoiding it entirely, either within the organisation, or where it is being used by clients. Increasingly, businesses are using cloud applications to cut costs and save storage. SOA is the only way to successfully integrate and manage services coming from IT departments or outside providers.
Most importantly, SOA is essential to real-time event processing. Businesses need to be able to respond to consumer needs and demands almost at the moment they arise, thanks to the hyper-competition brought about by easy global trade. Having data and applications accessible and logically ordered across a business gives a business the advantage it needs to survive in this kind of supply-demand climate.
On the subject of information itself, SOA is equally as important. Put simply, in systems designed according to SOA, information is seen by all eyes across an organisation, and updated and ‘cleansed’ accordingly. It’s simple, yet effective; good information makes for better, quicker decision-making.
Finally, it’s the biggie: cloud computing. Like it or not, cloud computing is on its way in and pretty soon, no business will be able to operate whilst avoiding it entirely, either within the organisation, or where it is being used by clients. Increasingly, businesses are using cloud applications to cut costs and save storage. SOA is the only way to successfully integrate and manage services coming from IT departments or outside providers.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Gartner urges firms to use cloud computing with caution in 2010
Analyst group Gartner has identified cloud computing as the top issue for CIOs this year.
The research group said that businesses will relinquish control over some parts of their IT estate in 2010 as the new technology takes hold, and that using analytics to look forward instead of back will be a major trend.
Steve Prentice, vice president of Gartner, said that technology is “not the silver bullet” that will pull the UK out of the recession, but by keeping customer needs in mind, the IT industry will thrive this year. He also advised caution and careful planning when using cloud computing rather than “throwing technology at things.”
Prentice predicts that 20% of businesses will get rid of their IT infrastructure, saying that “small and medium companies and start-ups” would not bother building a datacentre but instead “have access to someone else's." The change-over to cloud computing is not expected to be sudden, but 2010 is seen by many analysts as they year that attitudes towards the technology will shift significantly.
Houston Spencer, vice-president at Alcatel Lucent, said, "Enterprises always have to evolve their legacy applications. They cannot just decide to 'go cloud this year'. It will take a while, but the next couple of years will see a tipping point."
The research group said that businesses will relinquish control over some parts of their IT estate in 2010 as the new technology takes hold, and that using analytics to look forward instead of back will be a major trend.
Steve Prentice, vice president of Gartner, said that technology is “not the silver bullet” that will pull the UK out of the recession, but by keeping customer needs in mind, the IT industry will thrive this year. He also advised caution and careful planning when using cloud computing rather than “throwing technology at things.”
Prentice predicts that 20% of businesses will get rid of their IT infrastructure, saying that “small and medium companies and start-ups” would not bother building a datacentre but instead “have access to someone else's." The change-over to cloud computing is not expected to be sudden, but 2010 is seen by many analysts as they year that attitudes towards the technology will shift significantly.
Houston Spencer, vice-president at Alcatel Lucent, said, "Enterprises always have to evolve their legacy applications. They cannot just decide to 'go cloud this year'. It will take a while, but the next couple of years will see a tipping point."
Friday, July 31, 2009
Cloud computing still vulnerable
iSec Partners presented at Black Hat cybersecurity conference their research into the vulnerabilities existing in Cloud computing.
The new buzz word in the IT industry has been provoking debate on how the infrastructure should stand for global business. The Digital Britain report also talks in depth on the subject and its relevance to the future of computing in the UK.
However, as the technology is still in its early stages full understanding of security implications are still being research. iSec Partners have found that the encryption is too simple for hackers - obviously critical to data security.
Engaging in new progammes and opportunities at this time are fundamental to remain competitive - however take an err of caution. In the early stages of implementation ensure your network is monitored 24/7 to provide security round the clock.
The new buzz word in the IT industry has been provoking debate on how the infrastructure should stand for global business. The Digital Britain report also talks in depth on the subject and its relevance to the future of computing in the UK.
However, as the technology is still in its early stages full understanding of security implications are still being research. iSec Partners have found that the encryption is too simple for hackers - obviously critical to data security.
Engaging in new progammes and opportunities at this time are fundamental to remain competitive - however take an err of caution. In the early stages of implementation ensure your network is monitored 24/7 to provide security round the clock.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
IBM’s CloudBust may not be as innovative as it claims to be
IBM announced the release of its new offering, WebSphere CloudBurst, this month with much pomp and circumstance.
The new product allows firms to make use of “private” cloud computing, and, according to IBM, speed up the process of testing and then rolling out new business applications. IBM’s general manager for Application and Integration Middleware division Tom Rosamilia, explained the advantages of the product in details: “About a year ago we started talking with customers about where the pain points were around cloud, and this is the resulting product," he began.
"You're doing development or modelling on someone else's cloud and making use of their services. The usage cases will be those you're willing to allow outside your environment. With the private cloud, you're doing the same thing but inside your firewall.
“Traditionally you've had to provision for peak use so your servers can stand up. With CloudBurst, you can dispense images so you can quickly bring up capacity and bring it back down again," he concluded.
This all sounds cutting edge, but, according to Inatech’s Simon Ellis, it is an approach that has already been used at length before now. “IBM’s latest announcement is in my opinion a small evolutionary step for clients either currently using virtualisation or cloud solutions."
“IBM takes elements of both and allows IT departments to provide cloud services internally through the deployment of their appliance. However, most tech savvy organisations are already following this approach: using virtualisation for provisioning on demand in their datacentres. Adding the word ‘Cloud’ doesn’t mean it really is new, but is perhaps a re-branding or evolution of something that already exists today."
“The use of an appliance means that it may be easier for some customers to get started as they can effectively buy it off the shelf, but in essence it’s nothing that most vendors and savvy IT organisations can do today, potentially for less cost.”
The new product allows firms to make use of “private” cloud computing, and, according to IBM, speed up the process of testing and then rolling out new business applications. IBM’s general manager for Application and Integration Middleware division Tom Rosamilia, explained the advantages of the product in details: “About a year ago we started talking with customers about where the pain points were around cloud, and this is the resulting product," he began.
"You're doing development or modelling on someone else's cloud and making use of their services. The usage cases will be those you're willing to allow outside your environment. With the private cloud, you're doing the same thing but inside your firewall.
“Traditionally you've had to provision for peak use so your servers can stand up. With CloudBurst, you can dispense images so you can quickly bring up capacity and bring it back down again," he concluded.
This all sounds cutting edge, but, according to Inatech’s Simon Ellis, it is an approach that has already been used at length before now. “IBM’s latest announcement is in my opinion a small evolutionary step for clients either currently using virtualisation or cloud solutions."
“IBM takes elements of both and allows IT departments to provide cloud services internally through the deployment of their appliance. However, most tech savvy organisations are already following this approach: using virtualisation for provisioning on demand in their datacentres. Adding the word ‘Cloud’ doesn’t mean it really is new, but is perhaps a re-branding or evolution of something that already exists today."
“The use of an appliance means that it may be easier for some customers to get started as they can effectively buy it off the shelf, but in essence it’s nothing that most vendors and savvy IT organisations can do today, potentially for less cost.”
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Businesses sing praises of cloud computing regardless of challenges
Predictive analytics software producer SPSS has this week made its case for cloud computing at its user conference in Prague.
In an interview with Silicon.com, CEO Jack Noonan said: “The whole cloud thing is a terrific deployment opportunity for this kind of technology.
“The greatest thing that ever happened to SPSS was the web."
Noonan went on to explain that a service orientated architecture approach would be fundamental in allowing SPSS technology to improve the data businesses have access to for their CRM and ERP systems. Furthermore, the conference included many glowing references to cloud computing in terms of its possibilities for data predictions from SPSS clients.
Car manufacturer Fiat has been using SPSS PASW Modeler technology, and customer intelligence manager at Fiat Giovanni Lux claims this has increased customer retention by between six and seven percent.
Insurance group RSA’s analytics manager Simon Dudley said that RSA “bought into the whole vision of being a predictive enterprise,” and that RSA plans to expand their SPSS technology in future.
While cloud computing, and in turn, data prediction, have both created excitement in all IT sectors, the risks have not yet fully been explored, and so it seems short-sighted to leap into the cloud without waiting to see how the technology pans out.
Inatech’s Simon Ellis, CTO, said: “Cloud computing brings both benefits and challenges to both customers and infrastructure suppliers. For example, cloud computing allows organisations to size for environments only when they need them, saving massively on infrastructure spending and with cloud computing they can essentially get capacity on demand.
Ellis was as interested and enthusiastic as anyone else in the IT sector, but highlighted some reservations about the new technology.“At last the vision of real GRID computing can start to be realised; but not without another set of challenges,” he conceded.
“For example, how do organisations (both suppliers and clients) measure usage and licence compliance?”
Concluding, Ellis summed the prospects and problems of cloud computing up thus: “With new operating models come new operating challenges.”
In an interview with Silicon.com, CEO Jack Noonan said: “The whole cloud thing is a terrific deployment opportunity for this kind of technology.
“The greatest thing that ever happened to SPSS was the web."
Noonan went on to explain that a service orientated architecture approach would be fundamental in allowing SPSS technology to improve the data businesses have access to for their CRM and ERP systems. Furthermore, the conference included many glowing references to cloud computing in terms of its possibilities for data predictions from SPSS clients.
Car manufacturer Fiat has been using SPSS PASW Modeler technology, and customer intelligence manager at Fiat Giovanni Lux claims this has increased customer retention by between six and seven percent.
Insurance group RSA’s analytics manager Simon Dudley said that RSA “bought into the whole vision of being a predictive enterprise,” and that RSA plans to expand their SPSS technology in future.
While cloud computing, and in turn, data prediction, have both created excitement in all IT sectors, the risks have not yet fully been explored, and so it seems short-sighted to leap into the cloud without waiting to see how the technology pans out.
Inatech’s Simon Ellis, CTO, said: “Cloud computing brings both benefits and challenges to both customers and infrastructure suppliers. For example, cloud computing allows organisations to size for environments only when they need them, saving massively on infrastructure spending and with cloud computing they can essentially get capacity on demand.
Ellis was as interested and enthusiastic as anyone else in the IT sector, but highlighted some reservations about the new technology.“At last the vision of real GRID computing can start to be realised; but not without another set of challenges,” he conceded.
“For example, how do organisations (both suppliers and clients) measure usage and licence compliance?”
Concluding, Ellis summed the prospects and problems of cloud computing up thus: “With new operating models come new operating challenges.”
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Future of cloud computing looks positive
The release of a report by analyst Gartner puts the timeframe for the take-off of cloud computing at seven years, but Inatech’s Ravindra Krishnappa has a more positive take on the future of the technology.
Gartner claims that, although there has been immediate excitement and development surrounding cloud computing, it will be at least seven years until it is adopted in mainstream IT. Gartner predicts that in the next three years cloud computing will be adopted by a select group of vendors, but will take a further four to be taken up by application development organisations.
Ravindra Krishnappa, Director of Inatech Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd, India, has different ideas:
“I disagree with Gartner’s timeframe. I expect the adoption of cloud computing to leap-frog in the next three years just as webmail did, as compared to owned or operated mail accounts.”
Having said this, Krishnappa went on to explain that some vendors will be quicker on the uptake than others. “All application vendors who are adept at integrating or interfacing with external applications are likely to adopt cloud computing early,” he said.
“This is primarily true from a vendor perspective. Examples of applications supporting theses are ‘point’ solutions that cover independent areas like campaign management to third party logistics. The reason they are best suited for this is because most of the already have some component of SOA in place.
“The best candidates to get onto the cloud computing structure within the business today, are the ones that are ‘collaborative’ in nature. The ‘backbone’ of business communication, including email, workflow, intranet components, workflow-enabled applications, calendaring and appointments; these would be the first set of candidates.
“In some cases, these can also be extended to the various communications channel of Voice, Video, File Share or Information share. The applications that will follow IMHO are the ones that are reliant on the above, such as time and expense management, issue tracking, customer service, and ticketing.”
Friday, December 5, 2008
Microsoft invests in skills while UK battles recession
While Oracle’s OUG held their annual conference this week, Microsoft has been pushing out new products and investing in European skills. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced its investment of a further £4million in NGOs running community skills training projects in 30 countries across Europe. The investment is part of the company’s drive to create employment opportunities for young unemployed people, the older generation and people with disabilities.
Following on from this, Microsoft have backed the housing of a £20million cloud computing datacentre in Inverness, run by Scottish IT firm Alchemy Plus.
Also this week, Microsoft has launched the latest beta of Windows Vista Service Pack Two (SP2), which became available on Thursday. The code will be available to who join Microsoft’s Customer Preview Program (CPP).
Mike Nash, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for Windows Product Management, said: "The CPP is intended for technology enthusiasts, developers and IT pros who would like to test SP2 in their environments and with their applications prior to final release." On Wednesday, Microsoft released Open XML Document Viewer, a plug-in working within Firefox to allow open XML documents to be viewed within the browser, and which can be used on Windows and Linux plaforms without installing Office.
On the same day, Microsoft announced that it has halved the number of criteria LARs must meet to hit rebate targets, meaning that partners will earn less on volume licensing deals. The new programme will come into effect on 1 January 2009. Simon Aldous, UK partner group manager at Microsoft. “We are simplifying the scheme, halving the number of metrics on which rebates are paid.”
Outside of Microsoft, investment in IT is proving to be a popular choice amongst some businesses in an effort to beat the credit crunch. Red Hat, the IT services provider, reports that it has had a high demand for Linux since the recession began, with its revenues growing 30% year-on-year. Chief executive Jim Whitehurst said: "The downturn is good for open source software. We have an embarrassment of opportunities. In a difficult economy our message sells well."
It isn’t just IT firms reporting the financial benefits of investing in IT. Insurance firm Kennedys and Rowanmoor Pensions are now using the cloud computing model of online services to virtualise its IT operations, and claiming to have saved £350,000 in the process.
All this in one week just makes you realise that even during an economic downtown industry development and the IT market is still going strong. CIO magazine said that now is the time for CIOs to prove their worth which means there really will be some winners in a recession.
Inatech has been working with businesses to find these solutions; CIOs struggling to identify core IT needs for their company should explore the priorities to maximise customer relationships and increase efficiency.
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