tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792137713970656612024-02-24T18:27:03.948-08:00Tech LeadershipAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-76216526471875782662015-10-07T20:22:00.002-07:002015-10-07T20:24:28.923-07:00Lessons from Shoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVwuz6ly71pp8xcYoEiwWlbhNCJpul3fQa_ClIjxJNUPm961-HNLJDjumaNxACwYDRDUJnjg6MSayT1JYHo1_i2snY8eQSckHpw8Lkv_puahUnByfAxNstrKRbR3B2nT8QEWT9W1QByE/s1600/shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVwuz6ly71pp8xcYoEiwWlbhNCJpul3fQa_ClIjxJNUPm961-HNLJDjumaNxACwYDRDUJnjg6MSayT1JYHo1_i2snY8eQSckHpw8Lkv_puahUnByfAxNstrKRbR3B2nT8QEWT9W1QByE/s320/shoes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a pile of shoes by my front door. Having lived in Florida for over 18 years now, they are mainly flip-flops, but there are a few others, too: Sneakers, 'yard shoes' (a.k.a. worn out sneakers), etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe this is corny (I'm sure my kids would agree), but it made me think about the diversity of influences in my life, and the shoes associated. Let me explain...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Boots - Steel toe, cowboy boots, etc. Chewing cactus when you're thirsty, getting thrown from a horse, barbed wire, shovels, and lawn mower. I learned that hard work, even when it's unnoticed, should be done with excellence because that's simply how work is done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Athletic Shoes - The dynamics of coaches, team-mates, and competitors. The mixture of victories, defeats, encouragement, tough discipline (in particular, running lines after a particularly bad game). I learned that often success relied on different roles and various forms of motivation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Comfortable Shoes - Teachers and health care professionals that had to be on their feet all day. Feeding minds, healing broken bodies, comforting the hurt and frustrated. I learned that investing in people is worth it - even if you can't measure it in your bank account.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dress Shoes - The shoes of corporations and churches (at least when I was growing up). I learned about the 'real world' of business. Negotiating, higher revenues, lower costs, tough decisions. Most importantly of all, I learned about God, faith, grace, and the truth about love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flip-flops - My personal favorite. I learned that sometimes, you just need to relax, see the beauty of the outdoors, and let your (quickly disappearing and graying) hair down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The key point - I'm the product of diverse people and lessons. Each critical to my development. Some formal, some informal. Some fun, some painful or tough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>What did I leave out? </i></b></span>I'd love to hear your perspective!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-41828291013344648872014-06-19T06:45:00.001-07:002015-10-07T19:07:28.347-07:00What you DIDN'T learn in junior high...about clouds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over a year ago, I jotted down my thoughts on making decisions about 'cloud' solutions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I referred to NIST (<a href="http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-145/SP800-145.pdf" target="_blank">Link to NIST's definition</a>), I thought it would be useful to offer a simple model that you might use for discussions with your colleagues, boss, or boss's boss. Plus, it may help identify opportunities for further investigation and use.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For simplicity, you can describe 'clouds' with three main questions:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What's special about it? </b> Characteristics that differentiate cloud services from traditional services.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Where is it?</b> The location of the control, the actual systems, etc,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How 'tall' is it?</b> What components are provided?</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's Special About It?</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mainly, flexibility and adaptability. 'Cloud' architectures are focused on the ability to quickly morph to the needs of the users and owners. Examples include:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Access:</b> Use the services from any device, and any network, at any time</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Scale</b>: Quickly and effectively add more functions, users, computing power, storage, etc.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Functionality:</b> Acquire as individual pieces, pre-assembled components, or complete solutions.<br /><b>NOTE:</b> The section on "How 'tall' is it?" will describe this further.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where is It?</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many people immediately picture something that is 'out there' - out of my facilities, out of my control... As a result, they quickly dismiss it, and miss the benefits. In fact, there are three general 'locations':</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Private: I own it. </b>Fully owned and controlled for a single entity / business.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Public: I rent it. </b>Another firm owns and controls it, and let others use it, typically for a fee.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Hybrid:</b> <b>Integration of owned and rented.</b> The private components are blended with public components to deliver the full, flexible service.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How Tall is It?</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is probably the most complex part...</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Software as a Service: Ready to use</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An all inclusive service. The free e-mail services are good examples. They provide the e-mail software, underlying and connected functions, as well as the supporting hardware. All you need is a device, and enough network connectivity to reach it.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Platform as a Service: Some Assembly Required</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Provides one or more pre-assembled components that can be used to create a service. An example would be a 'database as a service'. The service provider delivers a fully functioning database, including the necessary storage, computing, and database software. However, additional components and integration is typically required to create the entire solution.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Infrastructure as a Service: Do it Yourself</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Delivers Individual infrastructure components, typically computing or storage. In this model, other infrastructure, software, and integration is needed to 'assemble' the full solution.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the full journey will include variations on these themes, complex issues, and tough decisions, this should prepare you to start.</span></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are your suggestions for starting a 'Cloud' journey?</span></b></i></h3>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-29370042914985003192013-05-14T20:19:00.000-07:002013-05-14T20:19:23.691-07:00Riding the Waves of Chaos<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxhB3HHkoyMMO5mYqFBGPX2PU_ho1mVzQYTKiOhj3j8c4YEMBOSmneJChLOeH9IQkVYnq7puIbAB4x4oIFZeq6z1i70duTwGzDwePSxJqm5QZ6CFgaOJnlvtW7zkPvPuMlMI6mNtGXdw/w445-h306-p-o/20121028_181826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxhB3HHkoyMMO5mYqFBGPX2PU_ho1mVzQYTKiOhj3j8c4YEMBOSmneJChLOeH9IQkVYnq7puIbAB4x4oIFZeq6z1i70duTwGzDwePSxJqm5QZ6CFgaOJnlvtW7zkPvPuMlMI6mNtGXdw/w445-h306-p-o/20121028_181826.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm blessed to live close to the Atlantic Ocean, where I can frequently visit the beach, and watch the waves. While the general patterns of the tide are somewhat predictable in terms of timing and height (predictable does NOT equal uniform), the waves themselves can vary dramatically, and the wind adds its own 'spin'. This drives different rates of erosion and rebuilding. Sometime, a major storm will drop in huge loads of sand, and at other times it takes huge bites. More frequently, the changes are subtle. Sometimes, people intervene to make changes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So what does this have to do with technology leadership? Let me suggest a two parallels:</span></div>
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<li><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Unpredictable: </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While we can partially predict / plan for specific components, the overall system is somewhat chaotic. In the context of technology, we experience interacting cycles of development for the sub-components (servers, storage, networks, etc.). Each cycle can be somewhat predictable, but the overall effect is somewhat chaotic.</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sometimes Constructive, Sometimes Destructive: </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With diligence, good leaders can set a course for these 'waves' to create constructive outcomes. However, the 'best laid plans' will occasionally be thwarted due to an unexpected entry, or an unfortunate 'mixture' of things.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I've worked in the IT industry for over 20 years, a few ideas have developed to deal with these challenges:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Establish a Solid Foundation:</b> Prioritize and protect the critical (it will differ by situation), change carefully, regularly re-evaluate / confirm.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Keep Planning, But Don't Over Plan</b> - For the critical, plan carefully, long and deep, but don't apply the same rigor for everything. That would prevent you from learning about future risk scenarios, that your end users will request / 'find' for you.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Allow for Errors:</b> As much as possible, leave some 'slack' between compoents that will give some cushion for errors and wiggle room for changes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Manage Expectations:</b> Make sure your partners, end users and executives recognize that 'one size DOESN'T fit all', and include them in identifying opportunities and priorities (e.g., where can we try something new, where can we take more risk, where do we need to eliminate risk, etc.)</span></li>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>What are your recommendations for managing through the "chaos"?</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-59240045324129332152013-02-07T13:08:00.001-08:002013-02-07T13:17:15.460-08:00What, Me Worry?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/19/Mad30.jpg/220px-Mad30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/19/Mad30.jpg/220px-Mad30.jpg" /></a></div>
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I'm sure that I'm dating myself, but as a kid, I loved Mad Magazine and the iconic Alfred E. Neuman. (<b><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_E._Neuman" target="_blank">Wikipedia Link</a></i></b>). His famous quote is often triggered when I speak with IT colleagues about their company's business continuity and disaster recovery plans.<br />
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I generally see organizations in one of three general phases:<br />
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<b>What, Me Worry?</b><br />
This is usually the result of either:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Naïveté: There are no plans because they don't understand that even seemingly low risk environments / locations are still at risk.</li>
<li>Poor Prioritization: the plans are on a to-do list, but other activities are always 'more important.'</li>
</ul>
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<b>Psychic</b><br />
They believe they've foreseen every situation and obstacle, accounted for the impact, and documented the perfect response. As a result, testing is a waste of time.<br />
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<b>Seasoned</b><br />
They've likely been through one or both of the other two, and experienced a disaster, or near miss. As a result, they've realized (a) having a plan is critical, (b) the plan needs to be regularly exercised, and the more realistic the better, and (c) the plan will never be done or perfect, so you need to keep an open mind and be flexible.<br />
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I'd like to recommend the following general process that can be used to mature you position, no matter which phase you are in.<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>Create / update your inventory:</b> You need to track down every resource - technology, processes, and the people that make it all work.</li>
<li><b>Prioritize: </b>Create a cross functional team to prioritize the inventory starting with "the company can't operate without that!" to "unnecessary". This will help you prioritize your investments (people and dollars) for the next steps.</li>
<li><b>Plan:</b> Start at the top, and for each item develop a back up plan. This can range from having paper forms and calculators to complex, highly reliable systems.</li>
<li><b>Exercise: </b>The more realistic the better. If possible, include people that haven't helped with the earlier steps try to follow the plans and identify gaps, issues, etc.</li>
<li><b>Repeat:</b> As the say, "The only constant is change." Priorities, people, technology, and everything else will change - sometimes without notice.</li>
</ol>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>What tips do you have for preparing for disasters?</i></span></b><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-27384691865521463422013-01-14T06:31:00.000-08:002013-01-14T06:31:04.338-08:00Nixon's Negotiating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugx-yteRelc4T7wLT0my2rzzWYEUCiDgXd7g_mwz_vfAiowNqUoIS4Pw7PbTu07oA2xCba29N351XMwQx13ZDKP_5WC_-yjTFHa39JvTvkulCVjKvBz0-AKjjX1UeGSNV8jA9soY8FTw/s400/Nixon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugx-yteRelc4T7wLT0my2rzzWYEUCiDgXd7g_mwz_vfAiowNqUoIS4Pw7PbTu07oA2xCba29N351XMwQx13ZDKP_5WC_-yjTFHa39JvTvkulCVjKvBz0-AKjjX1UeGSNV8jA9soY8FTw/s320/Nixon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
While many remember 'Watergate' and Nixon's resignation in 1974. The greater benefit is to remember his success as a statesman: detente with Russia, opening China, ballistic missile treaties, and bold support for our great ally Israel.<br />
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In 1997, James Hume, a former speechwriter for Nixon published <u>Nixon's Ten Commandments of Statecraft.</u> <underline 1997="1997" br="br" desk.="desk." ew="ew" his="his" in="in" kept="kept" negotiating="negotiating" nixon="nixon" office="office" oval="oval" president="president" principles="principles" s="s" scribner="scribner" shares="shares" that="that" the="the" york:="york:">These great principles stood the test of governing a superpower in the early 1970's, and are still great guides for today. For over 20 years, I used them, and recommended them to my teams and friends. <br />
</underline><br />
<underline 1997="1997" br="br" desk.="desk." ew="ew" his="his" in="in" kept="kept" negotiating="negotiating" nixon="nixon" office="office" oval="oval" president="president" principles="principles" s="s" scribner="scribner" shares="shares" that="that" the="the" york:="york:"><br /></underline><underline 1997="1997" br="br" desk.="desk." ew="ew" his="his" in="in" kept="kept" negotiating="negotiating" nixon="nixon" office="office" oval="oval" president="president" principles="principles" s="s" scribner="scribner" shares="shares" that="that" the="the" york:="york:">
While I recommend reading the book, and the related article by Thomas F. Fischer (<b><u><i><a href="http://www.ministryhealth.net/mh_articles/090_ten_commandments_of_statecraft.html" target="_blank">link to article</a></i></u></b>), I wanted to share the keys I took away.</underline><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Always be respectful:</b> This preserves the relationship required for future cooperation / negotiations.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Be tough, but reasonable:</b> Focus on getting everything you can without damaging the other party.</li>
</ul>
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<li><b>Be prepared:</b> Do your homework - understand the other party's motivators and drivers.</li>
</ul>
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<li><b>Keep the faith:</b> When your cause is right, stand up for it.</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">What principles do you use in your negotiations?</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-35797333976361486672012-12-28T14:10:00.000-08:002012-12-28T14:11:25.810-08:00"I Really Don't Know Clouds at All"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7obw4pR8cQAtCx8ZE5NhgSNJZ3GlavE9v74RGtHiwriuEYDdQRXYtoqYTqBKv1sg4e51CirA9ysfa9YIlfFaDrRtX6e5A-wzNlQVSbMtcJhKc0qw-MsWQRAD0fS1MFYoAQxK8oU4ySk/s640/blogger-image--917020329.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7obw4pR8cQAtCx8ZE5NhgSNJZ3GlavE9v74RGtHiwriuEYDdQRXYtoqYTqBKv1sg4e51CirA9ysfa9YIlfFaDrRtX6e5A-wzNlQVSbMtcJhKc0qw-MsWQRAD0fS1MFYoAQxK8oU4ySk/s320/blogger-image--917020329.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Joni Mitchell is best know as a musician, but is she also a 'technology philosopher', ahead of her time? The growing cloud discussion reminded me of her song "Both Sides Now", and the line "I Really Don't Know Clouds At All"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do we really have a clear view of clouds? While there is an 'official' definition from NIST*, it's not the same as the definition in business magazines, technology magazines, or tech vendor presentations. The descriptors are all over the place: infinitely scalable, highly available, unreliable, unsecured, low cost, hidden cost, flexible, proprietary ... and the list goes on.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The reality is, they are all true, to a degree. So now what?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are five key requirements I recommend you address as you begin your 'cloud journey':</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. 'Risk Posture':</span></b></u><b> </b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Work with your compliance, security, legal, and regulatory experts to consider items such as:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Location: What data can reside somewhere outside of my facility, state, country, etc.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Control: How much control am I willing to give to a third party (think about subpoenas being served to an external provider)?</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>2. Financial Profile:</b></u> Determine how you will evaluate the options financially. Key factors include:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How much am I willing to invest up front?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How much variability do I want / can I effectively manage?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do I want to be able to chargeback (or at least report) at a user / department level?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do I understand ALL the associated costs (there are sometimes additional charges for connectivity, etc. that are not well understood / explained)?</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>3. Service Criticality:</u> </b>Ensure the solution will be capable of meeting your reliability expectations. Contractual terms, while important, are little consolation for critical service failures. When you consider options, make sure you have a full understanding of the technology underneath the solution (e.g., possible failure points, fail-over options, and disaster recovery aspects).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>4. Flexibility:</u> </b>Determine the amount of flexibility you want to maintain for future growth, moving to other vendors, etc. While there can be benefits to embracing a specific platform, there are also risks of becoming 'trapped' as new factors emerge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>5. Participation:</u> </b>A powerful option is a 'hybrid' / 'federated' model where some of the service is managed internally, while the remainder is managed by a third party. Determine your ability to effectively manage / operate some of the service internally. This is often a great option for more sensitive or critical functions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What other requirements are you including in your decision making?</span></b></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*NIST defines cloud computing as "a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient,
on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing
resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services)
that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management
effort or service provider interaction."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-47341405303417038452012-12-10T20:31:00.004-08:002012-12-10T20:31:44.413-08:00Mobility: From the Smartphone and Beyond<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How did you get your last sports score, the weather for tomorrow, or the information for that new gadget? Increasingly, you are using your smartphone. In many cases, you have a specialized 'widget' that keeps it updated on your screen - you don't even have to look for it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While this isn't news, have you considered what this means for you and your company? Here are a few thing to think about:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'<b>Landscape':</b> Think of an index card, not a notepad - an iPhone, not a monitor. The smaller screen requires you to understand what your users / customers want first, and how they can easily get to the next item (hint - think 'tap' or 'swipe' versus 'scroll'). If you just try to 'shrink' your current 'landscape', you'll lose.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Secure Personalization:</b> People love 'at a glance' service. The weather icons with current local conditions or small box with the most recent score update. Beyond size, you must have a way to know who they are, and handle it as a trusted friend. People need to be confident that 'private' is TRULY private, and as secure as their bank / wallet.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Omnipresent: </b>Alas, people want multiple entry points, but will want the personalization to seamlessly follow them. They will also want the interface to adapt to the change in size and function.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Technology leaders will need an ever growing toolbox to meet this challenge, including:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'Big data' platforms for the personalization</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Multi-platform security tools</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A new breed of development skills / tools that loosely couple the functions and user interface</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>What other things should we be considering?</i></b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-4994673850112953812012-11-29T15:18:00.000-08:002012-11-29T15:19:20.566-08:00Choose: Transmogrify or Transfigure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060402184037/candh/images/8/86/Calvin_the_Frog.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060402184037/candh/images/8/86/Calvin_the_Frog.gif" width="156" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Higher Sources of Learning</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I lean toward highbrow sources, like comic strips, to guide me on complex topics. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calvin and Hobbes often played with a cardboard box labeled 'Transmogrifier'. While Calvin advertised it as able to 'turn you into anything at all', the dictionary gives us a different spin: "To change or alter greatly and <b><i>often with grotesque or humorous effect."</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Technology Implications</span></b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the context of technology, we run the risk of 'transmogrifying', unless we invest in architecting adaptable solutions that are equipped for: </span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Complexity in the Middle:</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Plan for dynamic interactions, across a variety of connections, and a wide array of gadgets.</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">(Perceived) Simplicity at the Edge: </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"> Expect users to demand stable, easy to use solutions that translate across devices (phone, tablet, PC, etc.)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately, tools are available, and improving. Things like cloud services, service oriented architectures, and standards give us the <b><i>building blocks</i></b> to create dynamic, adaptable solutions, as long as we invest (time, people, dollars) to architect them.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Choose to Transfigure</span></b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Transfigure is defined as "transform outwardly and <b><i>usually for the better</i></b>".</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"> <b><i>"For the better"</i></b> or <b><i>"with grotesque or humorous effect"</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not much of a choice when you put it that way.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>What challenges do you face in architecting dynamic, adaptable solutions?</i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-92015465349113552432012-11-21T10:01:00.000-08:002012-11-21T10:01:32.781-08:00Move Slow to Move Fast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHZWAlBK21y5Zgj02vkLyaUS1MLiUwynWwNv4_Qigo3XNb51t2xiaUN34NZDYSaxv_5Jw8b5JCJt6NflELV0QBu2yuRhyphenhyphenxCM3a368aWD5_aBrYw26yY9lKHgkKMrgPPSLpBO31lzfoCQ/s144/.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHZWAlBK21y5Zgj02vkLyaUS1MLiUwynWwNv4_Qigo3XNb51t2xiaUN34NZDYSaxv_5Jw8b5JCJt6NflELV0QBu2yuRhyphenhyphenxCM3a368aWD5_aBrYw26yY9lKHgkKMrgPPSLpBO31lzfoCQ/s200/.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
One of my former bosses used this phrase frequently. It applies to many topics, but I'll focus on two in particular. While they require you to 'slow down' with up front investments, they will streamline future efforts.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Portfolio Management:</u></b><br />
Invest in tools, labor, and processes to create and maintain an IT portfolio (e.g., physical IT assets, facilities, software, skills, etc.). By leveraging you portfolio, you will:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Estimate projects more quickly and accurately</li>
<li>Identify efficiency opportunities </li>
<li>Clarify risks (especially cyber / security risks)</li>
<li>Build stronger budget requests</li>
<li>Enhance IT team credibility </li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>NOTE:</b> <b><u><i>Pace your investment wisely</i></u></b>, starting with assets closely linked to your underlying costs. Typically, workstations and software will be your biggest items.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Project Profiles:</u></b><br />
IT teams struggle between two extremes: "Never be Slow"<b> </b>and "Never be Over Budget"<br />
<br />
I recommend you have your <b style="font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline;">best</b> project managers collaborate to develop project profiles that enable <b><u><i>all</i></u></b> project managers to pick the right approach based on key factors such as cost, risk, interface complexity, and expected benefits. Each profile should address key items including:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>What does the basic project plan look like (e.g., high level phases, tasks, etc.)?</li>
<li>How much can they spend without higher level approvals?</li>
<li>How many other teams need be involved (e.g., Do they need a full time security expert?)?</li>
<li>What level of testing is required?</li>
<li>Are there any special regulatory considerations (e.g., Sarbanes Oxley)?</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>What are your suggestions for 'Moving Slow to Move Fast'?</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-67371480616072691932012-11-14T17:04:00.002-08:002012-11-14T17:04:34.575-08:00Big Data and The Power of the People<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRHTaOiggCvAyU2pxMZqqqrN9N5DktJSZxhqptYn-jknau4Ubludz6fgHnzVHTq64wF7_Fcu0s4IdPDlBBFwnBMdywKvEW_MF5xZADFTkGMVLUBc-9fcsFzGFfKOtTmrUu4KYX-ED4k4/s1600/600px-TsunamiHazardSign.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRHTaOiggCvAyU2pxMZqqqrN9N5DktJSZxhqptYn-jknau4Ubludz6fgHnzVHTq64wF7_Fcu0s4IdPDlBBFwnBMdywKvEW_MF5xZADFTkGMVLUBc-9fcsFzGFfKOtTmrUu4KYX-ED4k4/s200/600px-TsunamiHazardSign.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
While the alerts may not be as overt as a hazard sign, there are plenty of concerns about the impact of 'Big Data'. Typically, the first reactions include critical technology factors:<br />
- Where can I store it?<br />
- How can I analyze it?<br />
- How will I report / display it?<br />
<br />
Over the past several weeks, I've read a number of articles that encouraged me to step back and realize, we also need to consider the human factors:<br />
<ul>
<li>What are customers generating, and what are they comfortable sharing?</li>
<li>How quickly can data be 'digested' by decision makers, and turned into action?</li>
<li>Where does the data link people's behaviors and outcomes?</li>
</ul>
Here a few of the articles, and I welcome your links and comments, too.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3002282/what-happens-when-superpowered-customers-meet-smart-touchpoints" target="_blank">Fast Company: What Happens When Superpowered Customers Meet Smart Touchpoints</a><br />
<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/10/17/big-data-much-hadoop-about-nothing/?goback=%2Egmr_4341993%2Egde_4341993_member_176562336" target="_blank">Forbes: Big Data: Much Hadoop About Nothing?</a><br />
<a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/09/predicting_customers_unedited_behavior.html" target="_blank">HBR Blog Network: Predicting Customers' (Unedited) Behavior</a><br />
<a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/09/big_data_knows_what_your_customers_are_worth.html" target="_blank">HBR Blog Network: The Big Goal Behind All that Customer Data</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-80602521817029504612012-11-07T10:48:00.001-08:002012-11-07T11:24:16.210-08:0050-50 (Or So) and Moving Ahead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqKFjZMPKtfwAr3orzS1KaQcM1gcDNrpXu9ZBngL6di6AWx7AABsjikleSk7MfUZXFlKRdCA3XEma2_GL3Aow7ZRI5vReCM3Xd-gfic5kwnE6A4m10TBa47WMQp1f61Pq5etHjFJpiXQ/s1600/Glass-of-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqKFjZMPKtfwAr3orzS1KaQcM1gcDNrpXu9ZBngL6di6AWx7AABsjikleSk7MfUZXFlKRdCA3XEma2_GL3Aow7ZRI5vReCM3Xd-gfic5kwnE6A4m10TBa47WMQp1f61Pq5etHjFJpiXQ/s200/Glass-of-water.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
<b><u>50-50 (Or So)</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
I didn't wake up with plans to write about this, but it dawned on me that <i style="font-weight: bold;">only </i><b><i>half</i></b> the people we encounter today will be happy about the election. While you have your own feelings, <b><i>your team will follow your lead.</i></b><br />
<br />
My simple advice - remember the lessons on being a 'good sport' from childhood. Be respectful and gracious. Don't go overboard with celebrating or whining. Get ready for what's next by realistically assessing what will (or will not change). Focus on facts, and move ahead.<br />
<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Moving Ahead</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
I read an insightful blog post today (see link below), that made a simple, clear statement:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"...And we are in the place we started."</blockquote>
Most of the players did not change, <b><i>including me.</i></b><br />
<br />
Regardless of our expectations of better / worse, easier / harder, etc., we are each accountable for moving ahead, and exhibiting the leadership to pick the right direction and move ahead.<br />
<br />
LINK: <a href="http://www.liveintentionally.org/2012/11/07/election-over-up-to-you-and-me/" target="_blank">Live Intentionally: The Election is Over. Now It's Up to You and Me.</a><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u><br /></u></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479213771397065661.post-16325938074886137342012-11-03T09:46:00.001-07:002012-11-05T21:33:38.622-08:00Introductions and "Are You a Leader"Thank you for joining me. Recognizing there is so much to learn and so little time, my objective is to make this a quick, worthwhile stop by combining my own content, and references to other great sources.<br />
<div>
<br />
<b>Let me introduce myself...</b></div>
<div>
<br />
I generally answer the question, "What do you do?" with "I'm a geek". I learned how to program in elementary school, and had a Commodore 64. When I grew up, it did not stop. I've been a consultant at a top tier consulting firm, and led IT functions at Fortune 500 companies. Meanwhile, I still get my hands dirty. Earlier today wrote a little HTML and I still set up my own (and my friends') networks, and computers. I keep up with technology through any channel possible, and even read an occasional manual.<br />
<br />
<b>Are you a Leader?</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some of you will picture an organization chart and immediately respond, "Yes." Others, for the same reason, will respond, "No".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I learned that organization charts don't create or define leaders. While they clarify who manages who (or what), they don't determine your leadership. After all, did you have an org chart when you played 'follow the leader'?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I love the quote by John Maxwell: "Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Everyone creates some form of influence, so ask yourself:<br />
How is my influence leading my friends / family / co-workers?<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Check out this blog post for five ideas to improve your influence / leadership:</div>
<div>
<a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/i-am-not-a-leader.html" target="_blank">Tammy Helfrich: I am Not a Leader (or So I Thought) on MichaelHyatt.com</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15669106733767772988noreply@blogger.com0