Turbonomic Blog

We experienced the first seismic shift in business when IT became accessible to all and revolutionized the workplace. Now, we are seeing new technologies power another shift in IT itself. Over the past 10 years, with the mainstreaming of concepts like cloud computing and the emergence of disruptive technology like the iPhone, IT has changed into a very different place than it used to be. 

We’re seeing these profound changes in IT due to user expectations – they want the best tools, and they want them now. An IT department that doesn’t meet these needs risks being either bypassed or replaced.
Then Vs. Now
Rather than talking in general about the changes in IT, we will look at the change, in a few key areas of IT:

Speed of Execution

Historically, IT has existed in a very siloed environment, with each function working on its own piece of the puzzle and nothing else. Silos are a natural outgrowth of specialized skills, and this mindset continued to be entrenched as IT grew into a more vital component of business. However, this method was not perfect. For example, communication was often minimal, with Development writing code in isolation and throwing the code “over the wall” to Operations when it came time to release and transition to support. Technology decisions were made in isolation, or with minimal input, often taking a long time to implement a solution that may or may not meet business needs.

It’s that time of year again: Companies are beginning to close the books on 2017 and work on the 2018 IT Plan. As always, certain principles and goals will guide the IT plan, and IT leaders will look to past plans and leading practice for guidance and inspiration. Not me.

The old riddle asks a simple but deep question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It’s not as easy a question as it seems, because a chicken would’ve had to lay the egg, and an egg would have had to hatch the chicken. Maybe there isn’t a right answer… In many ways, IT departments that implement Service Management policies have the same issue. These processes are meant to work together and build off one another, and you can’t fully succeed in one without the successful foundation that another provides. However, it can be hard to think about the best starting point in a Service Management program, because it may not be obvious.

There is a parallel IT department lurking within your organization, right under your nose. An estimated 1/3 of all technology spending is occurring outside the IT department. You may think you’ve stopped it, or you may have learned to live with it, but the fact remains that it’s there.

In a previous post, we tackled the pros and cons of virtualization, and wondered when it was good To V, or not to V.

Virtualization is no longer the new kid on the IT block; it’s a settled concept that’s here to stay. Gartner projected the worldwide x86 virtualization market to rise 5.7%, to $5.6 billion, in 2016.

A Primer (Priam-er?) on Troy

Homer’s Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War, fought between Greeks and inhabitants of the ancient city of Troy. The war was supposedly kicked off when Paris, a young Trojan, kidnapped Helen, allegedly the most beautiful woman in the ancient world, and wife of Menelaus, the King of Sparta. Menelaus beseeches his brother, Agamemnon, the King of Mycenae, to lead a Greek Army against Troy and its King, Priam, to punish the Trojan’s for Paris’ actions and recapture Helen. After years of brutal fighting, Troy eventually fell and was destroyed, thanks, partially, to the famous Trojan Horse, in which select Greek soldiers hid and attacked Troy from the inside.