Close
  • Latest News
  • 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
  • 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 Applications
    • Applications

    Managing IT Costs

    By
    Cameron Sturdevant
    -
    October 27, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      If youre like most IT pros, the costs of operating your computing hardware are rising, with no sign of leveling off. The culprit is the increasing complexity of hardware, which is driving a spiral that could break your IT budget if nothing is done.

      Vendors are responding. Microsoft announced in March its DSI (Dynamic Systems Initiative). Earlier, IBM unveiled its Autonomic Computing strategy, Hewlett-Packard rolled out its Utility Data Center initiative, and Sun introduced its N1 on-demand technology.

      Earlier this month, Microsoft Senior Vice President Bob Muglia fleshed out some of the concepts and upcoming milestones for DSI. The components of DSI are worthy of attention, even though many of them will not be completely formed for at least five years and probably never implemented in the form we know them today. IT managers should put together a chart comparing the facets of DSI with the other players initiatives.

      Muglia made a telling distinction between the approaches being taken by Microsoft and IBM. He praised IBMs focus on maximizing system resources but made it clear Microsofts management focus is on lowering the cost of application development and operations. “Our top priority is reducing the operations cost of running the system,” he said. “Yes, you want to have enough [processor] capacity present to meet the needs of the application. The real focus isnt [on] achieving the highest possible utilization of CPU resources, which are cheap. The real focus is [on] reducing the costs of the people to man the system and improving the overall availability of the system.”

      It will be a good thing if all the major companies working in this arena can come to agreement as to their goals and—I dread to write it—standards that will make common implementations a reality. Although I see the smoldering ashes of the enterprise management systems of the late 1990s, I also see progress in developing utility computing. Microsoft has simplified incremental application updates with fundamental components that will help enable a companys DSI. WMI (Windows Management Interface) providers are now playing a major role in providing services such as enhanced inventory data in Microsofts Systems Management Server 2003.

      One thing to keep on your checklist is whether a vendor supports any of the big boys utility computing strategies. The major vendors have their own products, but there is a host of products from third-party companies, such as Opalis Software and AlterPoint, that are competing to help IT managers reduce operational costs by automating some aspect of IT.

      Another checklist item when examining any of the IT automation tools and platforms is usability. A good way to learn about a products usability is to find out whether its vendor is “eating its own dog food.” I will be conducting tests to confirm a claim made by Muglia and David Hamilton, director of the Enterprise Management division at Microsoft. Hamilton said Exchange reduced the number of management messages it issued from thousands per day to fewer than 10 per day when responsibility for developing the Microsoft Operations Manager pack moved to the Exchange group.

      For Muglia and Microsoft, this means improving the life cycle of application management. Although its easy to recoil from such pie-in-the-sky phrases, the next release of Microsofts Visual Studio, code-named Whidby, is adding modeling tools to allow application developers to describe the interrelationships of components. Microsoft is putting real legs under DSIs five- to 10-year promise. The products in the initiative will soon use technology such as XML and a corporate version of Microsofts error-logging system called Watson, which is currently used only by Microsoft to track operating errors.

      What we will likely see over the next couple of years is a lot of wrangling over which standards bodies will govern the implementation of these utility products. While the polite language will likely continue in public, be ready for some power plays behind the scenes as the vendors jockey for position in the management arena.

      Senior Analyst Cameron Sturdevants e-mail address is cameron_sturdevant@ziffdavis.com.

      Cameron Sturdevant
      Cameron Sturdevant is the executive editor of Enterprise Networking Planet. Prior to ENP, Cameron was technical analyst at PCWeek Labs, starting in 1997. Cameron finished up as the eWEEK Labs Technical Director in 2012. Before his extensive labs tenure Cameron paid his IT dues working in technical support and sales engineering at a software publishing firm . Cameron also spent two years with a database development firm, integrating applications with mainframe legacy programs. Cameron's areas of expertise include virtual and physical IT infrastructure, cloud computing, enterprise networking and mobility. In addition to reviews, Cameron has covered monolithic enterprise management systems throughout their lifecycles, providing the eWEEK reader with all-important history and context. Cameron takes special care in cultivating his IT manager contacts, to ensure that his analysis is grounded in real-world concern. Follow Cameron on Twitter at csturdevant, or reach him by email at cameron.sturdevant@quinstreet.com.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      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.
      © 2022 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.

      ×