For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Help Yourself Make Tomorrow's IT Decisions

Tools For IT Planning

by Simon Yates, June 23, 2009

Flexibility and quick thinking are vital when planning for IT, so go ahead and arm yourself with the best weapons: You're going to need them. Volatility in the marketplace and an increased reliance on IT across all business sectors have forced IT managers . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Keep An Eye On All IT Costs

Do You Know Your IT Cost Of Goods Sold?

by Simon Yates, June 17, 2009

Understanding your IT cost of goods sold can lead to a more agile and competitive organization. Cost of goods sold (COGS) includes the variable and fixed costs — for example, materials and labor — directly linked to the product or service. The key to . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Virtualization Is This Season's Cap Management

Capacity Management In A Virtual World

by Simon Yates, June 17, 2009

With improved service performance, coupled with the rise of virtualization and the limits of hardware sprawl, Forrester anticipates improvements to the capacity management process. Data centers will make a comeback. They'll be different though, and better, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The iPhone Is Ready For The 9 To 5

Making iPhone Work In the Enterprise: Early Lessons Learned

by Simon Yates, May 12, 2009

Apple has proven adept at diverting the course of entire industries, their most recent shake-up being in the mobile device world with the iPhone. This visible diversion, which it surely is, has caused companies to wait intently for things to settle a . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

BT For I&O: Make IT Easy For The Business

BT Changes IT's Operating Model

by Simon Yates, May 12, 2009

IT's role is changing. As business units become ever more reliant on technology and more comfortable with implementing it themselves, IT is becoming an advisor and a service integrator rather than the direct manager of all technology assets. Forrester . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

During Tough Economic Times, IT Leadership Will Rely On I&O To Drive Cost Savings

Redesign IT Roles To Drive IT Cost Reduction

by Simon Yates, April 22, 2009

When times get tough, executives start looking for ways to cut costs. In many cases, their cost-reduction strategies will require considerable input from the infrastructure and operations (I&O) group. Whether the department is being restructured, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

PaaS Has A Place In Your Infrastructure Plans

Taking The Fog Out Of Cloud Computing: Platform-As-A-Service

by Simon Yates, April 3, 2009

Cloud computing has generated a lot of interest, but what services exist to support this model? In an effort to cut through some of the hype and let you discuss their real benefits and drawbacks, Forrester has defined a taxonomy for understanding cloud . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Don't Panic! The IT Jobs Picture Isn't As Bad As You Think

Where The Jobs Are: 2009 US IT Occupation Trends

by Simon Yates, March 19, 2009

The economic slowdown is affecting everyone, including infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals. With all the news of layoffs and bailouts, you couldn't be blamed for worrying about how safe your job might be. A quick look at the current . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

How To Secure Funding For Green IT Projects

Q&A: The Economics Of Green IT

by Simon Yates, March 11, 2009

Let's be clear: The driving force behind green IT is financial, not environmental. Even in the face of a worsening economic climate, twice as many organizations expect to accelerate their green IT plans as expect to slow them down. If you're not considering . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Let Someone Else Run The Data Center

Look To Managed Hosting As An ITO And Colocation Alternative

by Simon Yates, February 19, 2009

Cloud computing is all the rage right now, as it offers some exciting new models and possibilities for IT infrastructure and operations; however, some companies have had bad experiences with infrastructure outsourcing, while many others have requirements . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Cloud Computing Can Save You Money

Talking To Your CFO About Cloud Computing

by Simon Yates, February 10, 2009

Infrastructure and operations (I&O) is underfinanced, and those in the profession should know that they need to add new technologies if they want to lower their costs. The appeal of presence technologies like cloud computing is growing as a viable . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

IT Security Remains An Integral Part Of The Enterprise

The State Of Enterprise IT Security: 2008 To 2009

by Simon Yates, January 29, 2009

Forrester's recent security survey of North American and European enterprises shows hope for the current state of IT security. Thankfully, we found that the IT security organization continues to be a strong and important part of the business, as is demonstrated . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

SMBs Struggle To Keep Pace With IT Security

The State Of SMB IT Security: 2008 To 2009

by Simon Yates, January 29, 2009

Forrester's recent security survey of North American and European SMBs provides some insight into the current state of IT security. We found that the IT security organizations for small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) are becoming more similar to those . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Client Virtualization Improves Security Of The Corporate Desktop

Demystifying Client Virtualization

by Simon Yates, November 12, 2008

The traditional corporate desktop is quickly becoming a thing of the past, because it's difficult to manage, insecure, and inflexible. Thankfully, emerging client virtualization technologies have improved upon the traditional desktop in exactly these . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Infrastructure And Operations Professionals: Must-Read Research In An Economic Downturn

by Simon Yates, November 7, 2008

The global economy stands on the brink of a complete meltdown, but the impending threat to the 2009 IT budget is nothing new to infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals: For years now, you've been asked to do more with less. However, this . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Security And Risk Professionals: Must-Read Research In An Economic Downturn

by Simon Yates, October 30, 2008

As the global economy stands on the brink of a complete meltdown, the role of the security and risk management professional is never going to be more important than it is right now. With so many unknown hurdles still ahead, it's up to you to help navigate . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Lower IT Spending Means Protecting Your Security Budget

What The Financial Crisis Means To The Tech Market

by Simon Yates, October 28, 2008

Since Forrester's September 24, 2008 review of the US IT market, the United States, along with countries in Europe and Asia, has been hit with a severe financial crisis. As the US slips into a recession, Forrester remains confident in its prediction that . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

What The US Recession And Tech Slowdown Mean For The Security And Risk Professional

US IT Market Outlook: Q3 2008

by Simon Yates, October 27, 2008

The prospect of a United States recession followed by a related tech market slowdown raises a lot of questions about the future. For many security and risk professionals, you're wondering how this will directly affect you. You'll sleep better at night . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

"Every Year Is A Recession In IT Ops"

What The Financial Crisis Means To The Tech Market

by Simon Yates, October 24, 2008

Everyone will be affected by the economic downturn caused by the trouble in the global financial markets. Understanding how the tech market will react to the slowdown will let IT professionals adapt without overreacting. Even in the midst of dire financial . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

How To Stay Compliant When Times Are Tough

Best Practices: IT Control Testing, Reporting, And Integration

by Simon Yates, October 24, 2008

In the midst of an economic downturn that seems at least partly caused by inadequate enforcement of regulations, the demand for IT controls is increasing. IT professionals must monitor an ever-expanding array of IT assets and track their compliance to . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

How To Successfully Implement Network Access Control

Overcoming The Common Pitfalls Of NAC

by Simon Yates, October 10, 2008

Today's security professionals are faced with the challenge of extending application and data access to an increasing mix of users, supporting mobile workers, and remaining compliant to corporate and regulatory compliance requirements. Thankfully, network . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Microsoft Licensing: What Every IT Operations Pro Should Know

Successfully Negotiating Microsoft Licensing Agreements

by Simon Yates, September 25, 2008

Working out a volume licensing deal with Microsoft is an important and nerve-wracking task. While many of you handle this by yourself, many of you work with your sourcing and vendor management team to negotiate the deal. Either way, IT operations professionals . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Consolidate Your Security And Management Tools For Better PC Protection

Market Overview: Client Security

by Simon Yates, September 22, 2008

Protecting the organization's laptops and desktops is a crucial and never-ending battle for many IT professionals. Evolving security threats have led to a proliferation of security tools, increasing IT costs and systems management headaches. Infrastructure . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Rich Internet Applications: Security Professionals Must Understand The Security Implications

Securing Rich Internet Applications

by Simon Yates, August 26, 2008

The use of rich Internet application (RIA) frameworks has sharply increased in the past year as more and more application development professionals embrace rich Internet development technologies like Ajax or Adobe Flash. But what does this mean for security . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Securing Virtual Server Environments

Server Virtualization Security: 90% Process, 10% Technology

by Simon Yates, August 18, 2008

There are no known vulnerabilities that can seriously compromise a virtual server based on hypervisor technology from Citrix/Xen, Microsoft, or VMware today. As vendors improve the control and visibility of the underlying virtualization layer, however, . . .