So that’s where I have been hiding, getting ramped up for OCS Wave 14 and how HP adds value from a Technology Services and HP Software & Hardware integration stand point.  2010 is going to be a smashing year for everyone involved in Unified Comms, and if you can’t tell I am really EXCITED about it!

Don’t worry, the blog will still stay agnostic, and I won’t just be rabbiting on about HP, I still am a MAC fanboy after all.  I am going to say this though, no iPad for me.  I have an iPhone, why would I want somthing that I need ANOTHER 3G plan for, and it doesn’t even fit in my pocket.  I will let the Tablet/Slate game play out before I dip my toe in the water.  Although I am toying with the idea of getting a HP 2740p http://bit.ly/cWuTZD for work and ucoms demonstrations.  I’d love to use my MacBook at work, but it just doesn’t quite sit right with customers.

Anyway, while I develop more content, be sure to follow me on twitter @mjokeefe13.

If you run a small business or are just looking to develop an online presence so that you can build brand and product awareness, I really recommend checking out his post here, where he discusses the sorts of technologies you should be looking to to undertake this.

As a user of a number of these apps, I see real value at looking at these online services.  Out of the Mashable recommended technologies, I currently use the Google Apps for Domains platform (my opendcx.com mail is hosted here), Linkedin, Facebook & Youtube frequently.

Out of the suggestions that Ross adds, I also use Evernote, to synchronise my thoughts and ideas between my PC in my contract role, my iPhone and Macs at home.  This is a simple and brilliant application that is based on Cloud based application storage, with a client front end.  I can capture photos, written text, and snap websites and links.  It even has an Microsoft Outlook plugin which allows me send an email to Evernote for archive or for editing.

As I am branching out and developing the ‘killer business plan’ to work for myself, the technologies on the top of my to use list are:-

• Salesforce – SaaS provider of CRM software
• Basecamp – Online Project Management tool

Both these products have API partners where you can link these online services and start to create real innovation by linking data and providing workflow between the applications.  Examples of this are Run My Process that runs on the Google AppEngine.  I think that this is a really exciting time to find services that are different to the standard offerings from all the vendors that small businesses currently use.  Tradition only lasts five minutes in IT and I think that will translate into business software in the not to distant future.

Fundamental to reducing the required floor space, power and air-conditioning requirements of a data centre, is capacity planning and understanding system usage.  In a previous lifetime, I worked on a commentary for the Australian Federal Government review of Data Centre usage, and how they should look to consolidate systems and develop smarter infrastructure services, before thinking about developing the bricks and mortar of a data centre.  There is obviously some merit, both financially and environmentally in consolidating data centres, but they must take it further to achieve long term benefits, to reduce the power consumption and remove the cost of operating the whole of government IT systems.  Shared infrastructure services (in this I mean, sharing the building blocks) and improvements in service management must occur.

The Victorian State government has a similar view of providing these services, through a shared services organisation called CenITex, and it will be interesting to see how this organisation succeeds through the next 3-5 years.

I think it’s great that technical innovators have had an opportunity to get into the halls of Parliament and explain their case for data centre consolidation.  I also see merit in using regional centres to supply the site and resources for delivery of these data centres.  It makes sense to locate them outside the CBD and use free-cooling.

Let’s hope they don’t make the same mistakes of the past, and make sure regional suppliers can provide enough power…

and I also hope that it’s not just spin before the impending NSW election…

The cheapest I could find was from EYO at just under $AU340.


Microsoft, all I can say is that Windows 7 isn’t worth that much to me to upgrade my PC at home.  My Apple Snow Leopard upgrade cost me $39.95 delivered to my door.  I know that Apple have the whole lifecycle to make money from (Hardware, Software & Online Services), hence why they can discount their OS.  But, their OS works (apart from a few small glitches ‘we delete files automagically for you when you logon to Guest account’), and they aren’t superseeding, honestly, one of the worst technical PR disaster’s ever…Windows Vista.  

Actually, Vista with SP2 runs pretty well now, so Windows 7 is de-valued just that bit more as a home upgrade.



Microsoft need to look at the consumer pricing of Windows 7 very closely. I know I won’t be a consumer of the product until it becomes a bargain, or I get it for next to nicks with my next OEM licensing hardware compliant product.

• Application Platforms (web services/databases/multi-tier) – Controversial I know, but applications teams shouldn’t own the platforms that they develop on.  When it comes to providing a service level, applications can be the most difficult to monitor and measure.  App Platforms might make up multiple services, but all the same, the developers should be requesting access to components such as a database, a web service and an authentication service and providing the workflow and access methods only and allowing the service bus or user to populate the data.  Bring this into the infrastructure team and put process and supportability wrappers around the platforms.

• Authentication Services – If you can’t provide a secure service, you won’t be able to provide a stable service.  Have one core identity source, and use this as the source of truth.  Traditionally this would fall under the operating system building block, but yank it out into its own service.  Know how much this cost to run. Automate it and allow self service management.  Measure the service management practices and costs.  It helps to justify head count later when HR wants to know what it costs to provision and manage users.

• System Management – Find a system management platform that can monitor your data centre and preceeding upward building blocks holistically.  Make sure it integrates with the platforms, networks and storage layers natively.  If it doesn’t, enquire into the third party integration tools.  If you have a small environment, don’t go out and buy the Mercedes Benz model.  Think Open Source and get a consultant to install it.  Some of the Open Source products are MORE than capable.

• Operating Systems – Windows, Unix/Linux or Mac?  Does it really matter with enterprise software?  Unless you have a distinct requirement to have a mixed operating system environment, stick with the core knowledge of your support teams, and keep it simple.  Remember, that as a service, you want a locked down, secure known environment that you can build a rock solid service level with, and make changes easily.

• Virtualisation/Platform – As I have already discussed, you are buying not just virtualisation, you are buying a management framework.  Choose the platform that you can identify with, and scale out as required.  Make sure you can measure and monitor it and even if you don’t intend on using chargeback to the business, understand the costs of all the options so that you can see that you are providing a good value service to the business.

• Servers/Storage – I must say I see this as the largest commodity within IT infrastructure.  There are hundreds of solutions out there, and most provide the same functionality at different costs (I’m not excited by the latest developments in storage).  Think carefully before signing the multi-million dollar lease deal and beware of vendor lock-in.  You need to provide an open storage system to the layers above to provide a true storage service.  Power comes in 2 flavours, AC & DC, and you can covert both ways, why would you want to have three or four flavours of storage that you can’t move between?

• Network – These are the plumbing pipes that allow your organisation to provide a stable IT environment.  I include storage networks in here.  Redundancy and bandwidth is key.  Capacity planning is essential when planning your network.  In the data centre, the port in the rack is the service.  The internet feed, the DMZ, the port on the users desk is the service.  Know what the monthly cost of providing this is.

• Data Centre – You take the utilities and integrate them into delivery of providing power to your cooling solution (Free Cooling I hope), racks, batteries, etc…The data centre itself is made up of service offerings.  Each deliverable is measured, monitored so that you know the true cost of providing the service to your business.

• Utilities – These are the services supplied to you by the Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, and Water companies.  Each of these is provided with a cost and a service level.  Hopefully you have redundancy for each of these services and it’s built into your SLA?  Are these now sourced from a green power provider?