Jenny Thomas
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Slow But Steady Growth for Data Centers Through 2015
October 17, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read moreOnce again, in contrast to the current economy in the U.S. at least, the analysts at Gartner are predicting an increase in worldwide data center hardware spending, projecting a total of $98.9 billion in 2011, which is up 12.7 percent from 2010 spending of $87.8 billion. The Gartner gurus go on to forecast that data center hardware spending will reach $106.4 billion in 2012, and surpass $126.2 billion in 2015.
Even though Gartner’s finest are saying growth will continue in the world’s data centers through 2015, it looks like it will see a slowdown after the spike in 2011. A
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IBM Grabs Q1 Labs and Creates New Security Division
October 10, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read moreIf the security of your company’s data isn’t a top item on your priority list, it’s becoming clear that IBM thinks it should be. Big Blue’s recent announcement of its acquisition of Q1 Labs, a provider of security intelligence software, is another in a string of clues that IBM is going to be putting a lot of emphasis on security.
Another clue is that with the Q1 acquisition, IBM also revealed a new Security Systems division that aims to blend security and analytics. According to IBM estimates, the Security Systems division will target a $94 billion opportunity in security
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Top 10 Ways to Reduce IT CapEx and OpEx Costs
October 3, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read more“Without reducing headcount” would be the best way for that headline to end. And although the analysts at Gartner, who just released a report with this cost cutting action list, don’t come right out and say that, most of us would associate reducing costs with the possibility of rolling heads.
But keep your chin up, because most of the 10 actions that Gartner has identified for reducing IT infrastructure and operations (I&O) expenses by 10 percent in 12 months, and as much as 25 percent in three years have nothing to do with personnel. (Why did Gartner have to
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Not All Telecommuters Are Getting The Job Done
September 26, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read moreI must be doing something wrong. I have been working from home for eight-plus years, and I can easily spend an entire day at my desk trying to get everything done. I find myself coming back into the office in the evenings, and even wandering in on weekends to try to get a jump on the upcoming week. I habitually check my email to make sure nothing’s come up that requires my attention.
Or maybe it’s just that I like, and value, my job.
But not all telecommuters are quite as fired up to get things done at home, at
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An Insider’s Look Back At The IBM
September 12, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read moreIt would be a safe assumption to assume that anyone who had worked for one company for 30 years might have some insights and opinions to share about that employer. During his three decades at IBM, Peter Greulich worked in administration, worldwide sales, marketing, and technical roles in Software Group. That gave him an insider’s view on what makes Big Blue tick and time to develop some strong opinions on why it continues to thrive.
Greulich holds IBM up as a company that should be studied and admired for its ability to weather multiple recessions and the constant change
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Status Update: Sick and Tired of Social Media
August 22, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read moreRemember the good old days when managing your email inbox was your biggest time drain? Then along comes Tweets and Status Updates that have to be posted and monitored for responses, which can quickly eat up a chunk of your day. Before you know it, you’re in the throes of social media overload.
It all started innocently enough. You were charged with getting your company into one of the growing menagerie of social media sites to see what it was all about, to keep up with the competition, or to make sure you didn’t get left behind in the digital
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WANTED: Unemployed IBM i Professionals
August 15, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read moreWe all know it’s a tough job market out there, and job seekers need to stand out in the crowd to land a new position. Manta Technologies has a new idea to help a lucky few get that edge.
Manta is looking for approximately a dozen unemployed and underemployed IBM i professionals who would like to participate in the beta test of the next generation of Manta’s training delivery software, EasyTutor 7.0.
“Lately I’ve been getting so many requests from people who have come to the conclusion that their skills aren’t up to date, and that’s why they aren’t employed,
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The SAP App Giant Rises in Q2
August 8, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read moreSAP has had its struggles in recent years, but it is out to prove that you can’t keep a software giant down. After being forced to cut thousands of jobs in 2009 due to the economic downturn, and spending years battling in court with competitor Oracle, SAP seems to be in the midst of an accelerated financial turnaround.
Citing strong customer demand for IT and particularly business software, and helped by new mobile solutions and data analytics technology, specifically SAP’s new HANA in-memory acceleration appliance that we reported on back in May, SAP recently reported continued financial progress
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Database Revenues on the Rise, So Sayeth the Tracker
July 25, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read moreThe database market is expected to perform well in 2011, according to a new report from IDC.
Current IDC projections for relational database management systems, or RDBMSes in the proper lingo for databases, added to data integration and access software that works in conjunction with databases, show that these combined categories will show 6.5 percent growth this year, hitting $33.9 billion. This follows a solid performance in the second half of 2010, when the market achieved year-over-year growth of 6.7 percent on revenues of $15.9 billion.
If you do the math on the data released by IDC, then the
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Hands-On, Virtual Training for i Coders and Admins
July 18, 2011 Jenny Thomas
… Read moreWhether you’re looking to learn some new skills or just brush up on techniques, if you’re an IBM i programmer you probably already know that finding hands-on education can be a tricky proposition. If you can find a class, you’ll likely have to travel, which means more time out of the office and away from home, plus the expense of airline tickets, hotel rooms, and rental cars, all of which can make the idea of training pretty unappealing.
Pre-recorded Webinars are another option. There’s no traveling, which many people would consider a bonus, but there is also no opportunity for