The tech industry is dynamic-you innovate or get left behind, evolve or become obsolete. We've seen tech leaders establish the bar only to watch as other disruptive players raise it. So how can you possibly get your arms around that moving target, stay relevant and thrive?
It’s been a busy month since my last blog post, after presenting at COLLABORATE18 in Las Vegas and then at the British Columbia Oracle User Group (BCOUG) first-ever Tech Day in Vancouver. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my current topics – Database In-Memory enhancements, database options for the Oracle Public Cloud, and the latest database release’s capabilities for accessing data directly from JSON, HDFS, and HIVE formats – resonated with the Oracle DBAs and application developers that attended my sessions.
In my last blog post, I mentioned that I’ve had a lot of chances to chat with IT organizations – everyone from C-suite executives to Oracle DBAs and developers – about how they plan to migrate their existing Oracle Databases and corresponding computing infrastructures to the Cloud.
Over the past year, I’ve been assuming the mantle of “Subject Matter Expert” for all things Oracle on behalf of my colleagues at ViON Corporation. During this time, I’ve had numerous opportunities to talk at length with C-level executives, as well as the “boots on the ground” folks, including Oracle DBAs and application developers, about the promise of transforming their IT organizations by migrating at least some of their Oracle Databases and corresponding computing infrastructure to the Cloud. As expected, there is still a lot of confusion around the advantages and drawbacks of a Cloud migration strategy.
I'm a fan of Proper Cloth, the online apparel store, where I can customize a "near bespoke" shirt, for not much more than the cost of a quality off-the-rack shirt. I simply enter my measurements in their online form, select the style, fabric quality, color, trim, buttons, pockets etc. that I want and within a week or two, my new, one-of-a-kind shirt shows up at my doorstep.
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.
