Hardware Is Dead; Long Live Software

Hardware is dead — or, more precisely, it has left center stage. Gone are the days when we debated the merits of CISC (comprehensive instruction set computer) and RISC (reduced instruction set computer). We are now entering an era of optimization and abstraction of hardware through software that defines infrastructures. Of course, the transformation is not yet complete and will take some time, but it is an irreversible trend. In the meantime, business leaders see customer-oriented technologies as tools for winning, serving, and retaining customers. This report answers: How do technology management leaders prepare for this future? How will this shift affect infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders and their teams, who have invested years, even decades, in skills and roles focused on implementing and operating this hardware? How do we organize for this transition, and what steps do we need to take?