At ViON, we have the privilege of working with many government agencies and veterans who have served or continue to serve our nation in government and commercial IT organizations. I come from a military family and I too served in the military, so it comes as no surprise to me that many veterans who once protected our nation are often found working toward similar missions in a civilian capacity.
The ISG Index™ report for the second quarter of 2017 revealed, “as-a-service now makes up 41 percent of the global commercial sourcing market – and growing.” It's expected that in short order the global as-a-Service spend will heavily compete with traditional sourcing and actually eclipse it. Spending in the U.S. over the last year is already evenly divided between traditional sources and cloud-based platform services, including Infrastructure as-a-Service and Software as-a-Service. In other words, the momentum has already shifted.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As we close out the month, researchers have shared some good news at the OncoArray Consortium, which includes an international team of 550 researchers across six continents. This group of scientists and doctors has discovered 65 new genetic mutations that are common in women with breast cancer, bringing the total number of variants to almost 180. This means that women now have even greater insights into their risk for breast cancer, and based upon their own genetic sequence, can determine if mammography screening is needed earlier in life. While not a silver bullet, these genetic mutations can offer some warning signs for early detection and treatment.
Celebrating Navy Day October 27 (Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday) has always been a way to honor the past contributions of the Navy. However, this year as we look at the strategic vision for the Navy and our armed forces as it relates to IT, we not only celebrate the past but also the innovative thinking that’s driving future success.
The cloud adoption memo from Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan is a welcome one. In fact, it represents further innovation from DoD in the IT arena. We don’t tend to pair the terms “DoD acquisition” and “innovation,” but if we look back over the past two or three decades, DoD has innovated in IT and IT acquisition. The use of The Defense Working Capital Fund (DWCF) to drive consumption models for IT in 2003 was very progressive (and long before we even had the terms “cloud” or “as-a-Service”). The DOD began the process and continues to lead the way in data center consolidation and optimization. The establishment of the Cloud Executive Steering Group (CESG) to drive efficiencies of cloud business models for IT within DoD is the latest innovative move and one that’s got the support of industry.
As much as mainframes will be with us for years to come, the traditional approach for mainframe operations can now be provided in an as-a-Service financial model that can be very advantageous in the long-run. Mainframe as-a-Service (MFaaS) allows these systems to be consumed through a subscription, not through capital-intensive purchases of physical platforms, which is traditionally required of mainframes. This enables IT managers to make purchases through service level agreements (SLAs) using “consumption of MIPS or MSUs” and storage pricing models – paying for true consumption and ensuring usage through a flexible financial model.
CIO Dive’s recent article titled, “Big Cloud Players May Get the Hype, But They Aren’t For Everyone,” makes a bold statement about future shifts in the cloud landscape. It is exactly the change-up we expected as the cloud market matures and the technology evolves.
At ViON, we have been evangelizing the concept of the "Data Driven Mission" - the idea that big data analytics, cloud and data management / protection should no longer be addressed as separate silos of IT, but as interdependent functions that enable organizations to maximize the effectiveness as their second most valuable asset: data. In case you're wondering, we believe that people are the most valuable asset to any organization. For any organization to derive value from their data through analytics, it needs to be secure, organized and accessible. To achieve this state, the right tools, technology, people and processes must be in place. While this function has traditionally rested with the CIO, increasingly we are seeing this responsibility fall under the Chief Data (Analytics) Officer (CDO/CDAO).
Being on a restrictive diet can take the fun and enjoyment out of food – especially when you have to give up life’s simple pleasures like sugar and carbs. You know what you should be eating, but change is hard. Trying to manage all your data in an efficient way that meets your needs now and into the future can spawn a similar response. Simply put, it’s a tall order and its often overwhelming. Paleo, gluten-free and no-carb dieters have new hope. There’s a trend brewing in the culinary world around a new approach to carbs called “cloud bread” that claims to be a high-protein bread alternative that could stave off cravings without compromising your eating habits.
As the market becomes increasingly crowded with cloud providers and a range of models all claiming to be the best choice, consumers wrestle with their fair share of operational challenges. Moving applications, data and workloads to the Cloud while continuing to buy traditional IT infrastructure is not always an easy process.
