As I’ve thought about how to implement high-performance, very large-scale networks within a secure hybrid cloud, I have come to the conclusion that the cloud works best with disaggregated network functions. This is the goal of network function virtualization, or NFV, but the real problem is knowing what functions to virtualize and how to do …
Continue reading “Cloud: The Great Disaggregated Everything”
One of the big trends of 2016 was the rise of “serverless” application architectures. The most visible was AWS’s Lambda product, but Microsoft has Azure Functions, and Google has Cloud Functions. But what about organizations that want serverless but must run their IT on-premises? Cloud services are not an acceptable option for some businesses, often …
With cloud monopolizing many IT discussions, a great many organizations are somewhere between dipping their toes in and having one foot fully in the cloud. Many get started with Office 365. As with any new technology, embracing it involves learning, planning, and yes, making a few mistakes, before making the plunge.
RightScale just published its annual report on the state of the cloud, and some of the key findings are very interesting. Topics range from cloud vendor market share to cloud adoption concerns, DevOps tools adoption, public vs. private cloud adoption, and much more. Below, I highlight the major findings I thought most interesting and follow each with …
Continue reading “RightScale State of the Cloud Report for 2017”
Over the past few months, I’ve been writing about my engagement with a global organization and its journey of transformation into a more agile organization, driving business enablement. One thing has remained missing: real leadership. This large corporation has thousands upon thousands of people, and many of them are in “leadership” roles. The problem here is that …
Continue reading “Notes from the Field: Leadership Matters in Transformation”
There is a growing movement to encrypt everything. I prefer encrypting specific data, not everything. However, modern CPU chipset features have sped up encryption so much that encrypting everything is a valid option. Encryption requires one to have access to the keys or the related encryption secrets. Those secrets need to be at the fingertips …
