Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Development
    • Development

    Microsoft Focuses on Agility

    Written by

    Darryl K. Taft
    Published June 4, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      ORLANDO, Fla.—Microsoft kicked off its 15th annual Microsoft TechEd conference here with a discussion of the companys strategy for “Dynamic IT for the People-Ready Business,” as Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the companys server and tools business, put it.

      But first, Muglia had to play out the live re-enactment of a scene from the movie “Back to the Future,” in which he drove a time machine-enabled DeLorean onstage with the “Doc” character, also known as Christopher Lloyd, from the film.

      In his keynote address, Muglia discussed the challenges IT professionals face, including the pressures of global competition and regulatory compliance requirements. IT professionals are also trying to determine how to take advantage of new technologies and computing approaches, such as mobile devices and SAAS (software as a service).

      However, Muglia identified agility as a requirement for businesses looking to become more dynamic.

      Tom Bittman, vice president and distinguished analyst with Gartner, said three things are pushing the need to more agility: Connectivity is pervasive, response time expectations are shrinking, and relationships are online and short-lived.

      Bittman described agility as the ability to sense a change in something and do something about it efficiently and effectively.

      Agility is not only achieved by technology, he added, but also by culture and process.

      He noted that even today 70 percent of IT budgets are being spent on maintaining the status quo. And “complexity triumphs agility,” Bittman said.

      Indeed, Bittman said, agility will become a major business differentiator in the connected world, and the gap between agile businesses and non-agile ones is growing.

      /zimages/5/28571.gifMicrosoft unveils its “coffee table” PC. Click here to read more.

      “We need a variable-cost model,” Bittman said. The cost model should account for costs based on usage and take into account quality of services and service-level commitments.

      Moreover, Bittman said it is important for organizations looking to become more agile to use some sort of IT maturity model. He also identified key reasons many organizations see as interfering with their ultimate push to become more agile. According to Gartner research, 29 percent of the companies said they believe technology was the key factor impacting their push toward becoming more agile and dynamic, 26 percent said process, 25 percent said cultural or organizational issues were the main factor, and 20 percent said “other.”

      And while Bittman identified the Capability Maturity Model for Software that came out of Carnegie Mellon Universitys Software Engineering Institute as the “granddaddy of all maturity models … the CMM is not good enough for high-technology changing IT.”

      Overall, organizations need to look at the major factors that can be tweaked to reach agility. “You need to look at it all,” Bittman said. “Its not just process, but also the technology and the culture. … We need to take IT from being a cost center to an investment center.”

      Indeed, “those that are on a path toward a real-time infrastructure have experienced a dramatic reduction in their costs, improvements to their quality of service and, most importantly, significant value-add in terms of business-differentiating agility,” Bittman said.

      Muglia then described the new wave of innovation and progress coming from Microsoft in the areas of application development, server, enterprise security and client management.

      Microsoft has provided a name for the next release of SQL Server: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, formerly code-named SQL Server “Katmai,” and announced the delivery of the first SQL Server 2008 Community Technology Preview.

      Microsoft also announced the name for the next release of Visual Studio: Visual Studio 2008, formerly code-named “Orcas.” Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 is expected to be available later this summer and will include the Visual Studio Shell, a new offering that enables developers to create and distribute their own custom tools built on top of the Visual Studio IDE (integrated development environment).

      /zimages/5/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis in programming environments and developer tools.

      Darryl K. Taft
      Darryl K. Taft
      Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×