A really interesting discussion has been going on in the LinkedIn IT Architect group. If you aren't a member of the group, I highly recommend you join. The question that fired off the discussion was, "Is 'the cloud' just another name for a hosted / out-sourced (web application) service? If not, what sets it apart? How is it different?"

Categories: IT Management

Although Tom Donnelly's Inc article is really targeted at sales meetings, I think it has some points that are relevant for all managers. Keeping team members engaged in a meeting is a surefire way to help them retain the information you are trying to pass along.

Categories: IT Management

'…when things ‘just happen,’ they often are not designed for ease or efficiency.'

Although ESG's white paper 'The Context and Value of a Fully Virtualized Storage Infrastructure' is a bit outdated (Nov 2009), many of the concepts are still relevant. These are exactly the sorts of things I have to think about in my work for a cloud provider. The following are some notes I took during my reading.

Categories: IT Management

ReadWriteWeb is highlighting the recent hubbub around the fact that IT staffs aren't shrinking despite the rapid adoption of cloud computing. It's always been assumed that outsourcing IT infrastructure would result in reductions in IT staffing. Although that is still generally assumed to be the future, recent studies have shown that the future is not here. In fact, IT hiring and salaries are still on the rise.

Categories: IT Management

I recently read "3 signs of a dysfunctional company" on Microsoft Business for Small and Midsize Companies. Although the article is aimed at CEO types, I think the lessons within are just as useful for IT managers.

Categories: IT Management