automation

Big Blue tackles cloud computing

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:59:59 -0400

IBM took a step into the great unknown this week when it launched an initiative that will ultimately deliver self-managing virtual data centers and automation in cloud computing environments. Big Blue partnered with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Ohio State University to conduct research aimed at developing self-managing technologies as part of IBM's autonomic computing division. "More adaptive and flexible computing environments promise benefits, but they increase the complexity of management. This research will bring automation to support these dynamic environments," said Matt Ellis, IBM's vice president of Autonomic Computing. While cloud computing is still in the distant future for many IT executives, it is good to know that IBM and other companies are working hard to bring this concept down to Earth.

For more on cloud computing:
- See this NetworkWorld article

Microsoft releases 11 patches, 6 critical

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

As we mentioned last week, today is February Patch Tuesday and that means patches, patches and more patches for users of Microsoft software. Looks like there are 11 patches this time around, 6 of which are critical, addressing 17 vulnerabilities in all. A quick run-down of the critical patches:

MS08-008: Addresses a vulnerability in OLE automation that could allow for a remote code execution attack. Affects Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2004 for the Mac and Visual Basic 6.
MS08-009: Addresses a vulnerability in Word that could allow for a remote code execution attack. Affects Office 2000, Office 2003 and Office Word Viewer 2003.
MS08-007: Addresses a vulnerability in the WebDAV Mini-Redirector. Affects Windows XP and Vista.
MS08-010: Addresses a vulnerability in Internet Explorer that could allow for remote code execution attacks. Affects IE 5-7.
MS08-012: Addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Office Publisher that could allow for remote code execution attacks. Affects Microsoft Office Publisher 2000, Microsoft Office Publisher 2002 and Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 Service Pack 2.
MS08-013: Addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Office that could allow for remote code execution attacks. Affects Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office 2003 and Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac.

For more on the latest patches:
- see this ZDnet article

IBM upgrades tech products

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

IBM is on the move. With technology demanding new ways to enhance performance, Big Blue is launching product and service upgrades to help customers using its automatic computing software and services support business with technology. The initiative is intended to enhance its automatic computer offerings that began in 2001. It is already a success, offering 500 related features in more than 100 products for data automation. Some 18,000 customers have downloaded the vendor's Automatic Computing Tool Kit. But the new products will reflect a lifestyle approach to how IT impacts the business, according to says IBM's Alan Ganek, CTO of IBM Tivoli and vice president of autonomic computing. "It is no longer enough to just automate operations; customers also need visibility into how technology is supporting and enabling the business," he says.

For more on this marketing strategy:
- see this NetworkWorld article

A techie has got to know his limitations

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0400

Every once in a while, it's good to get a reality check on the limitations of technology, and to remember that "tech" is sometimes just a fancy word for "tool". Today's management story, which briefly summarizes an excerpt from Jeffrey Pfeffer's latest business tome, alludes to the unfair burden people often place on technology and technologists. Instead of the "people thinking" and "elbow grease" that carbon-based sentient beings are really good at, executives too often default to the "automation option".

Customer relationship management often falls into that category. Don't get me wrong, I think CRM is an important technology that can streamline processes, reduce costs, and create new selling opportunities. Believe me, I am a fan. However, what the technology can't do is create relationships of trust and generate the feelings of loyalty that most businesses would like to see from their customers. For this, you need real people who are ready, willing and capable of building these relationships. Non-technical C-level executives who can work with CIOs to integrate this sensibility into a technology-enabled strategy are the real winners in this game. But I think such folks are rare. I'd like to see some good examples of effective technology implementations that actually improve the quality of inter-human relationships between vendors and customers. I know they're out there. Anyone care to point me in the right direction? Enjoy the issue. -Patty

Virtualization emerging as key to SOA

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Virtualization is shaping up to be a key element in the successful deployment of SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) strategies, according to an analysis in eWeek. As organizations harness SOA to break down silos of automation and tap into legacy systems, experts like David Greschler, director of integrated virtualization strategy at Microsoft, believe that virtualization provides a way for all the pieces of IT the infrastructure--applications, operating systems, presentation layers, virtual machines, and storage and network devices--to be separated from each other and then put back so that all the elements can work together as a whole. But many organizations are missing the opportunity to leverage virtualization SOA because the architects active in both environments are not talking to each other. Those channels of communication however, are beginning to open, says Jason Bloomberg, an analyst with market research firm ZapThink.

For more on SOA implementation:
- read more in eWeek. Article

Virtualization as an innovation enabler

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Application virtualization provides organizations with an important competitive edge. Business demand will always determine the allocated resources, and thriving organizations will always find a way to quench the demand. When virtualizing applications, make sure to decouple the application from the dedicated data center infrastructure, breaking down the stovepiped application to simplify manageability and help in deploying application changes in less time. Aggregate all server capacity into a single, virtual resource pool leveraging all capacity in the data center for improved application performance and availability. Allocate resources to the application in real-time through policy-based automation, based on demand, schedule, or priority.

Read more about application virtualization:
- read the column at Computer Technology Review

Survey: Companies failing at telecom expense management

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

According to a new report from the Aberdeen Group, many Fortune 500 companies are failing at reducing or containing telecom costs because they aren't implementing the right technology necessary for top performance. As a result, enterprises proactively manage only 67 percent of their telecom expenses. According to the study, the average company, with more than $1 billion in revenue, spends about 1 percent of its revenue ($182 million) on telecom expenses. The survey also found that 65 percent of enterprises don't have an accurate inventory for service usage data and 49 percent find a lack of automation for managing network expenses an obstacle to achieving effective network cost management. The most effective companies are using technology and business process outsourcing to bridge the gap between finance and IT, automating invoice processing and establishing effective reporting.

To read more about managing telecom expenses:
- check out the press release

Welcome to the joined-up enterprise

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Thanks to the fast proliferation of broadband, mobile devices and collaboration tools in the enterprise, the promise of the joined-up enterprise--the idea that organizations can share data and information across different departments and systems--is fast becoming a reality. Major technologies allowing that to happen include broadband, mobile devices, Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and SharePoint-type applications. But along with benefits come some challenges. In addition to security, the biggest challenge is identifying and delivering access to useful data in legacy systems across the enterprise. Other challenges include information overload and effective management. Managing the joined-up enterprise involves developing a clear corporate strategy around information. Without it, islands of automation will occur, creating silos of information lacking a connection to anything else.

Read more about the joined-up enterprise:
- read the article at Silicon.com

Do CIOs really know what's expected of them?

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 19:01:39 -0500

CIOs can't rely on traditional moves, such as improving operational efficiency, reducing IT costs and utilizing automation to meet their companies' mandates to raise corporate performance and build new capabilities with technology. Instead, CIOs must re-prioritize their work, creating ways to help push their businesses forward using technology, agility, information and innovation. To take advantage of these opportunities, CIOs must make sure that they're focusing their resources on projects that are worth doing and will really make a difference to the corporate bottom line. They also need to set deadlines and make sure they deliver promised services on time.

Read more on seizing the opportunity:
- read the blog at CRM Mastery
- also read this article at Baseline

Keeping users happy

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 19:01:36 -0500

IT-related complaints are common and CIOs are used to dealing with them. But to make your users truly happy, consider creating and implementing a pre-configured template that coordinates, integrates and automates IT operations. By doing so, you'll provide better visibility into incidents, problems, configurations, changes and release processes. In the process, you'll solve users' problems faster, and they will understand better how far along you are in solving their problem. This process, called Run Book Automation, can help better manage IT workloads and can deliver more quality into IT operations, empowering the CIO and making users happy.

Learn more about Run Book Automation:
- read the article at IT-director.com