The Once and Future IT

The Reluctant Futurist

I'm not an IT visionary. At least I don't think I am. But I have recognized the importance of some technologies over the past decade or two, and pondered their future significance in IT.

When I first discovered the Internet and web browsing some 15 years ago, I was in awe. Imagine, viewing a file stored on a server halfway around the world! I'm still a bit amazed by it. I knew then that the web browser was destined to be the user interface of the future.

This year I again find myself speculating on two technologies poised for tremendous growth—cloud computing and wireless networks. But, neither of these technologies are really new.

Wireless networks have been around for years, and Wi-Fi is almost the norm for personal Internet access. Same for cloud computing. Online banking (a cloud computing service) has been in use for quite some time. In fact, the newest aspect of cloud computing may be its name.

Why do I believe these technologies are the future of IT? Frankly, they're simple and convenient. This brings me to another observation, a virtual paradigm shift, that personal technology seems to be influencing business technology more and more.

Now, to get back to the future...

Cloud Computing

With a somewhat nebulous name, cloud computing is causing quite a stir these days. It seems everyone has their own definition for cloud computing, which is probably the reason for all the confusion surrounding this technology.

I've also struggled with defining cloud computing and its associated implementation models such as SaaS (software as a service), Web 2.0 and SOA (service oriented architecture). Cloud computing can be a difficult term to pin down, but is essentially a generic term used to describe all of these models (see Cloud Computing Demystified).

Web 2.0 and SaaS are prime candidates for businesses. With wikis, blogs and mash-ups, these versatile services can effectively improve work group collaboration and communication. And, all that is needed is a browser with a fast Internet connection.

Cloud computing services are simple to implement and can quickly provide significant value to the business. Most services do not require additional on-site equipment, which keeps installation costs and time to a minimum. However, vendors are starting to offer appliance based solutions as well.

If cloud computing is such a great technology, why aren't businesses flocking to it and taking advantage of all the benefits it affords?

Businesses have some concerns and issues that must be addressed. While some of these are technical issues, most issues involve cultural changes.

The major issues are:

• Security – Probably the biggest customer concern is how secure their data is on the vendor's servers and who can access it. A strong user authentication process is a must. Also, many businesses are uncomfortable with storing their data outside their firewall. Vendors can address security in two ways.
  
  First, encrypting data during transmission and while stored so that only the customer can decrypt it will prevent anyone else from seeing the data. Second, vendors can install their service using an on-premise appliance at the customer site behind their firewall.
  
  
• Availability – If you're relying on a service to run your business, that service must be available when you need it. Service providers can provide an SLA (service level agreement) to address this concern. However, the customer must also have a reliable Internet connection.
  
  
• Customization – Can the service be customized to support the customer's unique requirements? It must be highly configurable. In addition to email, calendars and wikis, software packages like SAP and Oracle that can be configured without modifying the underlying code are great candidates for cloud computing. Company branding is also important, so the service must allow the UI (user interface) to be changed to match the company's look and feel.
  
  
• Migration – Can a customer migrate their data to a new service provider? Businesses might not like being locked-in to the current service provider. Customers must have free access to their underlying data. Migration to and from service providers should be no more difficult than migrating in-house applications.
  
  
• Data Backup – Customers must be able to backup their data at will. This is required for business continuity and disaster recovery, or in the event something happens to the service provider. Backups can be handled by a third-party escrow service, or by an online backup directly to the customer's premises. This latter option also provides a convenient copy of the customer data that can be used for migration or ETL applications.
  

Perhaps the primary issue is trust. What if the service provider is unable to support their SLA, or worse, goes out of business? As cloud computing service providers address these concerns and issues, businesses will be less reluctant to use them.

Wireless Networks

The subject of wireless networks is somewhat broad, ranging from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth to wireless broadband (2G/3G) to microwave and laser to WiMAX. Most of these wireless technologies are widely used today. However, Wi-Fi and WiMAX are especially poised for explosive growth in the near future.

I think most people have used or at least heard of Wi-Fi thanks to the ubiquitous cybercafes. Wi-Fi and wireless local area networks (WLANs) are also used in the workplace to one extent or another. Although widely used in business, issues concerning security, bandwidth and management have hindered Wi-Fi and WLAN growth, and wired LANs still prevail.

WiMAX is a newer and perhaps the least known wireless technology. Most may not have heard about WiMAX yet, let alone used it. So, what is WiMAX?

WiMAX Explained

WiMAX is short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, also referred to as wireless MAN (metropolitan area network). It's a relatively new standard for both fixed and mobile wireless broadband.

WiMAX can theoretically provide synchronous (uplink and downlink) speeds of up to 70 Mbps. Fixed WiMAX is primarily intended as an alternative for the often troublesome wired last mile network access traditionally provided by the local telephone company.

The Wi-Fi Explosion

Issues with Wi-Fi are quickly being addressed. For security, WPA2 implements the 802.11i security standard and is now considered fully secure. The nascent 802.11n specification has raised Wi-Fi throughput to 100 Mbps and higher. New WLAN controllers are improving WLAN provisioning and management.

Wi-Fi is extremely convenient for accessing the network and reduces the need to install costly Ethernet cables. Although notebook users gain the biggest benefit, desktop workstations can also take advantage of wireless network connections.

Soon, most if not all workstation network access will be wireless. As Wi-Fi equipment continues to improve and costs continue to fall, it will only make sense for businesses to simplify their network management by fully adopting Wi-Fi for workstation network connectivity.

Future of IT?

Is cloud computing and wireless networks the future of IT? Only time will tell. There are some hurdles to jump, both technical and cultural, before we see wider adoption of these technologies.

What are your thoughts? Am I on base or completely off? In either case, post your comments and let me know where you think IT is headed.

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 31 Dec 2008

ITIL V3 Lifecycle And CSI

In 2007, ITIL underwent its latest major revision. Commonly referred to as ITIL V3, this newest incarnation of the popular British IT service management framework adopts a lifecycle model.

In addition to the V2 processes and functions, V3 includes new concepts and processes. There are now 27 processes in V3 including some new ones such as Service Portfolio Management, Service Catalog Management, Request Fulfillment, Access Management and Knowledge Management.

The number of core books was reduced from eight in V2 to five in V3. Each new V3 book represents a lifecycle phase. The V3 core books and lifecycle phases are:

1. Service Strategy
2. Service Design
3. Service Transition
4. Service Operation
5. Continual Service Improvement
   

The Continual Service Improvement (CSI) lifecycle phase is especially important. The new CSI model (depicted below) expands on the service review and improvement planning activities previously included in V2 Service Level Management.

The basic concepts of the CSI model are determining a vision, setting the current situation baselines, and defining improvement objectives. When measuring and setting baselines, it's critical to emphasize why you measure above all else.

At the heart of the CSI lifecycle phase is the 7-step improvement process. This process is based on the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) Cycle popularized by William Edwards Deming during post-war Japan restoration. PDCA in Japan ultimately lead to the continual improvement philosophy of Kaizen ().

Tightly integrated with the other four lifecycle phases, the goal of CSI is to make incremental improvements to processes. CSI accomplishes this goal by measuring and using metrics in an iterative process with the following 7 steps:

1. What should you measure?
   
2. What can you measure?
3. Gather data.
4. Process data.
5. Analyze data.
6. Present and use information.
7. Implement corrective action.
   

Step 1 refers to the CSI model vision and establishes overall goals. Step 2 addresses the current subset of goals for which you can set baselines and define improvement objectives. Step 3 performs the measurements for the baselines and objectives defined in step 2.

Step 4 organizes and formats the measurement data in a way that is meaningful to both business and technical audiences, and transforms the data into information. Step 5 looks for discrepancies, trends and explanations to be presented to the business, turning the information into knowledge.

Step 6 informs stakeholders on whether goals and objectives were achieved, and translates knowledge into wisdom needed for strategic, tactical and operational decisions. Step 7 creates a Service Improvement Plan (SIP) based on improvement opportunities identified in step 6, establishes a new baseline and prepares to repeat the cycle starting with step 1.

Although it's the last book in the V3 series, CSI is perhaps the most significant for organizations attempting their first pass at ITIL. CSI encompasses the strategy, design, transition and operations of the other ITIL phases. And by focusing on CSI, organizations can quickly deliver value to the business by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their existing IT processes.

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 24 Dec 2008

The Real Fear Factor

When asked what makes them most anxious, people may answer public speaking, flying, heights or even spiders. But from my observations, the one thing that causes the most stress is change.

I happen to like change, even embrace it, and believe change is necessary. Without change, there would be no innovation; no new technology. And since working with technology is both my profession and passion, change is extremely important to me.

So why do many people resist change? What are they afraid will happen?

Fear Factor

One reaction to change is fear of the unknown. On the whole, people are comforted by the familiar and wary of the unfamiliar. Even when the familiar is flawed and change promises improvements, fear of the unknown seems to take precedence and causes some to resist change.

In fact, some people are so fearful of change they will fight to prevent it. At the very least, change raises the stress level for most people, even if they recognize that change is necessary.

In any event, these reactions raise significant issues for project managers effecting changes. Addressing people's reactions to change is perhaps the greatest challenge for project managers.

The Change Compromise

An interesting phenomenon I've observed over the years is what I call the change compromise. This typically occurs when problems with existing processes or services become so intolerable they override the fear and anxiety of change.

But there's a twist. Changes made in this situation are usually very simple and generally ones that were made before. This makes the change more familiar, which somewhat mitigates the anxiety. Unfortunately, these changes are usually inadequate and rarely fix the underlying cause of the problems.

One example of change compromise I experienced was at a former client. The company had been struggling with ongoing problems with their consumer-class hosted email service. Messages were delivered late or not at all, and there were many service outages.

These email problems were cyclical, occurring every few weeks over an 8-year period. When the problems became intolerable, the company would just change their email provider. It was a simple change and one they had made before.

Changing to the new email service provider seemed to alleviate the problems—at least for a while. The perception that the new email service fixed the problems regrettably reinforced the viability of the change, making it the familiar and acceptable response to their ongoing email problems.

A New Approach

After repeatedly changing their email provider only to experience the same problems over and over again, the company realized they needed help and hired me to fix their email problem once and for all.

When I learned of their previous attempts to fix their email system, it was obvious that simply changing email providers was not effective. I decided the best approach was a root cause analysis to determine exactly what was causing their email failures. This included researching and documenting the current email system to gain a thorough understanding of how it worked, which was very time consuming.

My approach shocked some of the client stakeholders. Their expectation was that we just needed to replace the email provider again, relying on my knowledge and expertise to pick a "good one." I assured them that this was part of my approach, but we needed to go further.

I was about to break their comfort level by introducing a new and unknown change. It was very unsettling.

I discovered the client had a more complex email system than they realized. They were using two separate providers (one for sending and one for receiving email) for some locations, and two locations were each using their own internal Groupwise servers. Plus, some people were using their personal email services such as AOL since the company email service was so unreliable.

The final solution was to implement a single business-class hosted email service for sending and receiving email that was used by the entire company. This greatly simplified email system administration and maintenance and reduced the number of potential points of failure. The new service reduced spam, improved email security and storage management, provided a 99.9% service level, and was fully documented.

But the new email system wasn't accepted at all levels. Some people were unsure of the new system and preferred the old one, even if it didn't work well. The AOL and personal email users were reluctant to switch. It was understandable given their prior experiences with changing email providers.

Although we kept the stakeholders in the loop during the project, we were still faced with the challenge of acceptance. But, as people used the new email system they realized its value and most everyone overcame their fear of change.

The ITIL Relationship

If you've read this far and have knowledge of ITIL service management, you may have recognized some familiar terms. ITIL describes processes for addressing service failures or disruptions (Incident Management) and resolving underlying problems (Problem Management).

To resolve a problem, ITIL suggests determining and documenting both the problem and the root cause, developing a work-around and ultimately a full resolution. A root cause analysis finds the fault in the service that caused the failure or disruption to occur.

By following these guidelines, you can greatly improve the success of your efforts to resolve service problems. Successful problem resolution can lessen the anxiety that accompanies change, especially if people are confident that the change will improve their ability to do their job.

This is the promise of ITIL. Rather than a "hit or miss" approach that may or may not work, the guidelines described in the ITIL framework will help you improve your IT services. And with the advent of the V3 lifecycle model, ITIL brings continual service improvement to the forefront utilizing a Kaizen philosophy.

Hopefully, we will finally be able to ease the fear of change. Now, if we can only do something about spiders?

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 9 Dec 2008

---