IT

My Data Center Drives Faster Than Yours

Posted Thu, 04/11/2013 - 14:00 by mark.thiele

I jumped on my data center the other day and rode into town for a beer at the local saloon. I tell you, these data centers keep getting bigger and faster every year. Did I confuse you? What does a data center mean to you? Is it some converged infrastructure with virtualization on it or is it a container with some racks of computers?


Why am I Bothered?

Server Power Consumption Cost Exceeds the Cost of the Server – SO WHAT!

Posted Thu, 02/21/2013 - 18:50 by mark.thiele

Saying a modern server uses too much power is like saying a train uses more power than a horse drawn wagon. Of course it does, but it also does way more work. Let's not forget what's important to the question of cost and that is simply how much work is the server performing?

No Man is an Island and neither is a Data Center

Posted Mon, 01/07/2013 - 09:32 by mark.thiele

Is it safe to build a data center anywhere along the coast? Can you really protect the availability or accessibility of your systems in the face of hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters? Just because you've built a solid structure, doesn't mean you can guarantee accessibility and your data center is nothing without connections.

Keeping the Data Center alive

Is building a data center more sustainable than building a soccer field?

Posted Sat, 04/28/2012 - 16:37 by mark.thiele

I fully expect controversy will be created by this blog especially amongst some of my awesome friends in the Sustainability/Green space and I am not actually advocating putting away the cleats and buying a game console.

Is Public Cloud Computing Green – Or at least Greener than Traditional IT?

Posted Mon, 01/09/2012 - 11:52 by mark.thiele

Unfortunately, there isn't a simple answer to the "Is Public Cloud Greener" question as the only real answer is "it depends".  At the core of the question is that assumption that because you're theoretically using fewer physical machines more effectively, that you are thereby greener or more efficient.  However, even if we stay with that assumption, when you dig into the details of what being "greener" really means, you'll see that there's still no easy answer.

In order for cloud to be greener, it has to accomplish two things at a very high level:

Why Enterprises Will Force Down the Cost of Virtualization

Posted Thu, 01/05/2012 - 12:27 by mark.thiele

Force it's such a strong word, but it definitely applies if my reasoning has any basis in reality.

The point of this blog is to illustrate that regardless of the intrinsic value of any given tool in the IT tool chest, once it's implemented it becomes a cost. Now, please don't read this the wrong way, I'm not an advocate of the thinking that IT is merely a place that helps us cut the cost of IT. What I am saying is that once you've effectively implemented a new technology solution, managing the on-going costs becomes a factor in your survival.

Why in Spite of the Numbers Private Cloud Will be Prominent for Years to Come

Posted Mon, 11/28/2011 - 11:09 by mark.thiele

 

Why in Spite of the Numbers Private Cloud Will be Prominent for Years to Come

Public cloud is the way forward, it's cheaper, has better scale, probably better security than most in house IT solutions and it allows your IT team to focus on business benefit higher up the stack. So, why am I saying Private Cloud will be here for some time to come?

Assessment/Predictions:

1.      Inappropriate Business Risk Evaluation:

Decoding Data Center Modularity

Posted Tue, 11/22/2011 - 15:22 by mark.thiele

The word du jour at least in the data center space is “Modularity”. The only word used more often and loosely in the IT space is “Cloud”. Even though the two words “Modularity” and “Cloud” are hyped, it doesn’t mean there aren’t real opportunities in both areas of technology.

Deep thoughts on Cloud SLA’s

Posted Tue, 10/18/2011 - 10:51 by mark.thiele

OK, they aren't really deep thoughts so much as they are observations on the SLA assumptions made between provider and customer.

Earlier today there was a great back and forth on Twitter about SLA's and Cloud. Following are some of the associated Tweets:

@GeorgeDWatt
When SLAs are broken cash compensation may trump credits. It hurts more & if service is really bad may simplify exit. #CloudViews

@mthiele10
So much talk about Cloud SLA's. The real issue is how the provider measures outages vs. how the customer does. Penalties are immaterial.

Does Loyalty Have a Spot at the Table in Modern Companies?

Posted Wed, 10/12/2011 - 15:03 by mark.thiele

It can be really frustrating as a job seeker to have an interviewer ask "why have you moved around so much?" Of course you'd like to say what you feel, but that won't go over well, so you come up with some other answer that is "interview correct".

But really, why do many of us move around so much these days? There are some obvious answers; layoffs, bad leadership, termination, poor fit, better opportunity, etc., etc. I happen to believe that there are deeper underlying reasons and that the above are but the symptoms. Loyalty (or lack thereof) being the primary reason!

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