Hot of the Press: Part 2 of the Cloud Computing Journey

Here it is.... Enjoy! :)

Hot off the Press: The Cloud Computing Journey (Part 1 of 2)

As IT departments across the globe embark on their cloud computing journey, they inevitably discover that cloud computing is the ultimate "paradox of ease." Things that should be difficult are handled by the cloud with suave finesse. On the other hand, things that might be dismissed as trivial turn into nightmares. But a cloud computing journey no longer has be an unpredictable series of events given the wealth of knowledge we can gain from the lessons learned by the early pioneers who are well into their respective cloud computing journeys.

Four key lessons that I will walk you through over the two-part series include:

1. Plan, plan, and execute: getting your data center in order


2. Understand the converging service models and their manifestations


3. Governance is crucial: not as an afterthought but from the get go


4. Workload migration: starting with the low hanging fruit

Click here to read the first part of the two-part series on "The Cloud Computing Journey - Learning from the Early Pioneers".

CISA Results are in... and I PASSED

After waiting for 47 gruelling days, I finally received the results for the CISA exam I took on December 12, 2009.

All that matters now is that I PASSED! :)

I'm thinking about preparing for and taking the CISM test next. Why do I keep doing this to myself?

Google V. China - My Thoughts.

Last week was indeed a week of shocking news stories including the breaking news about contention between one of the worlds leading corporations (Google) and one of the worlds strongest economies (China). And as I've followed the unfolding events, I have pondered several things:

1. Google has all but pointed their finger at the Chinese Government being behind the attacks. This leads me to believe that the attacks and the potential damages might be significantly higher than what is being told to us currently.



2. Google has taken a strong moral position on the freedom of information on the Internet by stating that they will not censor search results on Google.cn. This might mean that if the Chinese govenernment does not relent Google might close its doors in China for good. We can be sure that other companies - not just Internet/Web ones - are watching this very closely and what they do will definitely depend on what happens between Google and China.



3. Google is a distant second to Baidu in China with no foreseeable chance of ever becoming #1 unless something drastically changes Is Google using the recent cyber attacks as a lever to gain a competitive advantage in China with uncensored searches? After all, Google has a much better chance of gaining substantial market share from Baidu in an uncensored, open market. Taking the moral high ground is good for Google's image as well.



4. Today there are at least 18 cybersecurity bills before Congress with none having a clear majority. Most cyber security experts agree that nations such as China and Russia threaten the security of American government and private-sector key IT systems. Consider that the Pentagon has spent more than $100 million in only 6 months responding to and repairing damage from cyber attacks. Hopefully, the congress will finally get its act together in this critical matter and pass a cyber security bill with some real teeth to protect our national interests - public and private.
   

I'm sure, we've only seen the beginning of what is surely to be a memorable event in the history of IT.

* Originally posted in the ebizQ Friday Tech Forum on January 15, 2010.

Looking back on 2009 - What development in SOA am I most thankful for?

Hmmm... and the winner is the proclamation that "SOA is dead!"by Anne Thomas Manes, a Research Director with the Burton Group, in her blog entry "SOA is Dead; Long Live Services", which has actually resulted in a revived interest and focus on SOA by sparking much needed debates, soul-searching, and introspection.

* Originally posted in the ebizQ SOA Forum on December 23, 2009