For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Overview: Workload Automation, Q3 2009

Is BSM The Future Of Workload Automation?

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, November 9, 2009

Job scheduling is a necessary component of data centers. Without job scheduling, an enterprise could simply not execute long application processes that deal with massive amounts of data and are necessary to prepare for online and transactional processing. . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The IT Automation Imperative

Putting IT On The Road To Industrial Mass Production

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, July 30, 2009

Cost reduction is the universal 2009 battle cry. With 35% of a typical IT budget spent on personnel, staffing represents the heaviest IT financial burden. The way in which IT evolves in complexity and size, combined with the current inefficiency of many . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

IT Operations 2009: An Automation Odyssey

Prepare For The IT Automation Inflection Now

by Glenn O'Donnell, July 24, 2009

A combination of forces, including skyrocketing complexity and severe economic pressure, are radically and irreversibly altering the IT landscape. New methods, new functional sourcing, and new organizational structures are needed to address this onslaught, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

TechRadar™ For I&O Professionals: Green IT 1.0 Technologies, Q2 2009

Helping IT Ops Professionals Understand And Prioritize Green IT Hardware, Software, And Service Investments

by Doug Washburn, June 12, 2009

Green IT is on the rise. Even in the face of a weak economy, twice as many organizations expect to accelerate their green IT plans as expect to slow them down. Why is this? Green IT initiatives are financially motivated, exposing opportunities for cost . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

IT Process Automation: Q4 2008 Market Update

Helping IT Through The Economic Storms

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, February 5, 2009

Efficiency and cost reduction are going to be the key IT words of 2009. With 35% of a typical IT budget spent on personnel, staffing represents the heaviest IT financial burden and is perceived as the easiest area to cut. In 2009, we expect that the general . . .

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 Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Retrofitting Your Data Center For Better Capacity

by Galen Schreck, James Staten, October 29, 2008

Data centers are expected to last 25 to 30 years, but you need to periodically refresh your environmental gear for better capacity. Many companies can't deploy modern server equipment like blades that consolidate more wattage within single racks. But . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Data Center Automation, Q2 2008

HP Is The Unified Data Center Automation Front-Runner; BladeLogic And BMC Follow Close Behind

by Evelyn Hubbert, April 15, 2008

Data center automation (DCA) solutions allow IT organizations to automate a variety of workflows that support configuration and change management processes across IT infrastructure. In Forrester's 80-criteria evaluation of DCA vendors, we found that HP . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Data Center Automation Defined

Steps Toward IT Service Automation — Doing More With Less

by Evelyn Hubbert, February 26, 2008

Operating a data center not only requires the daily assistance of people who have deployed a variety of tools, but it also calls for a variety of processes and best practices to ensure smooth data center operations. While IT budgets are largely flat, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Five Trends That Will Shape The IT Infrastructure And Operations Profession In 2008

by Simon Yates, December 14, 2007

2008 will be a busy one for IT infrastructure and operations professionals. With CIOs openly espousing the benefits of server virtualization and losing sleep over the real costs of power leakage in their data centers, you will be on the CIO's "must call . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Data Center Fire Suppression 101

What To Do When The Roof Is On Fire

by Galen Schreck, October 1, 2007

Data center fire suppression is a complicated topic with many variables that affect the correct system design for your particular situation. But what are the variables that go into implementing a well-designed system? We spoke with two respected fire . . .

Symantec Buys Relicore: The Application Dependency Mapping Market Takes Off

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, February 9, 2006

The acquisition of small innovators by large vendors is a clear sign that a technology is approaching widespread adoption. Relicore's purchase by Symantec definitely fits this pattern, especially because it follows closely on the heels of the acquisition . . .

The Future Of Data Center Automation

How Automation Tools Will Mature And Consolidate Through 2007

by Galen Schreck, February 3, 2006

Data center automation (DCA) products have evolved from basic provisioning and software distribution tools into powerful platforms that govern many aspects of data center operations. While many products share a common foundation in configuration management, . . .

State And Local Government Data Center Spending Trends: 2005

by Gene Leganza, September 20, 2005

To support service transformation, systems modernization, and cost reduction, state and local governments are investing in infrastructure. Forrester's recent survey of IT execs responsible for data center technology and services shows that consolidation, . . .

Selecting A Data Center Automation Vendor

by Galen Schreck, January 12, 2005

Data center automation (DCA) products have grown from simple provisioning tools to general-purpose platforms for configuration management and automation of IT operations. Increasing product complexity has made finding a good fit for your specific environment . . .

What's Next For Data Center Automation

Configuration Management Tools Need Better Discovery And Mapping

by Galen Schreck, November 30, 2004

A number of vendors, including BladeLogic, HP, and IBM, offer data center automation tools that orchestrate application provisioning, configuration management, patching, and ongoing operations. But automation comes at a cost beyond the software price . . .

EMC's VMware VirtualCenter Leads To A Data Center Automation Strategy — For Firms And EMC

by Frank E. Gillett, September 29, 2004

EMC's recently acquired VMware subsidiary is growing rapidly due to the success of server virtualization, a key element of next-generation data center architecture, which Forrester calls Organic IT. Despite early success, VMware faces emerging challenges . . .

VERITAS Acquires Invio For IT Process Automation

by Galen Schreck, July 19, 2004

VERITAS has announced plans to acquire privately-held Invio in a deal worth $35 million — VERITAS' fourth utility computing-related acquisition since it began building its portfolio with Jareva and Precise in December 2002. Today, Invio markets an extensible . . .

Data Center Automation: Buyers Are Torn Between Proprietary And Multivendor Choices

by Galen Schreck, Frank E. Gillett, June 24, 2004

Tools that support Organic IT like server and storage provisioning software suffer from a split personality. The products with the best hardware integration are usually proprietary, while the products supporting the broadest range of platforms have more . . .

Getting Started With Data Center Automation

by Galen Schreck, June 16, 2004

In thinking about data center automation platforms, firms must consider long lists of qualified vendors and even longer lists of required capabilities. Thus, here we lay out the criteria and architectural considerations that matter most.