This metaphor about executives seeing all the data but not being able to use it is a very old battle cry in IT. Data comes in faster than ever, has greater density every year and the crisis only deepens. As stated in a previous blog,the network is the nervous system of the enterprise, and as such it must help the stimuli flow. Everyone uses the network to pass information, so what’s the problem? Congestion, priority conflict, bad timing such as sending gigabyte files over the network during regular business hours, and the endless copying of the same data set, so that “I can be in control of my own destiny”.
Sound familiar ? So what can be done about it? How about establishing Information as a Service?
Information as a Service leverages a company’s infrastructure to streamline information flow by consolidating numerous data sources into manageable views and providing that information in real time. Given the typical congestion and chaos, how in your average enterprise network how would such an idea be possible? Remember another previous blog- the 100 million dollar blade? The case was made that change happens no matter what, so the only choice is to think about the business demands and make some intelligent bets while embracing change.
Making endless copies of data at the end of the processing day so that reports can be run is not a long term winning strategy, so it is important to consider a deliberate investment in Information as a Service. To create this service, the designers have to take a Demand Driven point of view, starting with critical business needs:
· What information is needed when?- Explore events and time critical windows
· How dispersed is that data, how many different sources, formats, time zones?
· Understand what decisions are not being made by executives because the information is not perceived to be there
· What kind of volumes must be processed
· How much data must be altered by the executives as opposed to viewed.
Armed with this kind of information, an Information as a Service pilot can be initiated. OK, now what? Get an army of coders?, Draw 1000’s of data diagrams write massive functional specifications that become outdated even as you print them?, Don’t panic
There is a growing list of products that help an architect create a federated data view, where moving the data is neither required nor encouraged. These products can find structured and unstructured data, build the relationships and then let the designer choose meaningful aliases. There are also emerging products that can help map the relationships between interacting servers in a data center, uncovering non-obvious collaborations between systems. This auto-discovery capability, allows architects to see how data moves, helping them make better consolidation choices. Finally there are advances in data caching and disk technology that make it possible to create tiers of query priorities based upon service levels. Coding does not go away, but it is now part of a sensible approach to leading with the business problem, while utilizing tools and products that add value to this complex problem.
This effort is not painless, and it will cost, but it is proactive as it embraces change, and shows how an enterprising technologist can make change an ally, and promote the network as a digital analog of the business
Sheppard D. Narkier
Chief Scientist & Co-Founder
Adaptivity Inc.
Sheppard.narkier@adaptivity.com
Tony Bishop is CEO, Adaptivity. He'd previously served as SVP and chief architect of Wachovia's Corporate Investment Banking Technology Group, where his team earned numerous awards for its SOA and utility computing infrastructure. Tony has 19 years' experience and is the recipient of 40 under 40 Most Innovative IT Leaders, Premier 100 IT Leaders as selected (by ComputerWorld in 2007) and a member of Wall Street Gold Book 2007.
Sheppard Narkier is chief scientist and co-founder of Adaptivity. Prior to that, he was head of software portfolio management and IT governance for the Wachovia Corporate Investment Banking Technology Group. Sheppard has more than 29 years of experience in the IT industry. He focuses on cost-effective IT systems and is an acknowleged expert at reusable components (frameworks, programs, architecture), the realtime enterprise, SOAs, messaging and legacy system integration.
Jim Houghton is the Chief Technology Officer and co-Founder of Adaptivity. Jim was the SVP of Architecture & Strategy for the infrastructure organization at Bank of America, where he drove legacy infrastructure transformation initiatives across 40+ data centers. Prior to that he was the Head of Wachovia’s Utility Product Management, where he drove the design, services, and offerings for SOA and Utility Computing for the technology division of Wachovia’s Corporate & Investment Bank. Jim has also led leading-edge consulting practices at IBM Global Technology Services and Deloitte Consulting.
The Leader in Network Knowledge
Nice start but..
The article starts well, explains some of the problems in information management, etc. But then, again, goes to same old problem which plagues IT - products solving architectural problems? So, if you use a certain CAD, you know how to create a city block, a new CPU, a car, a ship or maybe even a spaceship? And your ERM, whatever system gives you all the information you ever need about the product in it's life time, from requirements to maturity with great view of profits it will create?
Products are tools! Products don't solve problems, people do! There is NO product which federates information the way companies need and want! Yes - some products can be used to help it but if the infrastructure is not designed with a common view / design even the best of products often come a hindrance instead of a solution. And an expensive one!
Is it business information, security, capacity, whatever - none of those is technology but a business function.
Let's take a simple example, years ago if I promised that 1K certain type I/O would cost to a customer $0.01 - it would cost the same today even the whole infrastructure has changed - a good tool! Yes, but the calculations have to be modified based on all other costs all the time, hw/sw/personnel/network/premises/taxes/etc costs - the tool doesn't do it, a person does. And some of the tools can't, so if you acquired a tool like that, good luck!
And, please, if you have to rely on auto-discovery, something is already wrong. If you can't get an information map of your data, a picture of you network and network configuration, a detailed list of your sw/hw, a detailed list of roles, persons, their responsibilities and access rights, etc in seconds - do it now! Not when something goes wrong or even when planning changes to an environment nobody knows! Anything else in unprofessional!