Cisco, Intel, IBM and HP are bridging virtualisation and the software-defined data centre “Composable infrastructure” is a term you’re about to start hearing a lot more, and the good news is that while it is marketing jargon behind the shiny is pleasing advances in server design that will advance server virtualisation and private clouds. The new term has its roots in server virtualisation, which is of course an eminently sensible idea that anyone sensible uses whenever possible. Intel and AMD both gave server virtualisation a mighty shunt forward with their…

EMC and VMware will funnel hybrid cloud services into their co-owned Virtustream brand EMC and VMware have announced plans to unify their cloud businesses under the single banner of the Virtustream brand. The move comes just a week after the announcement that Dell is to buy EMC for $67 billion, when it was also stated that VMware would remain a separate, publicly traded company. Virtustream – which EMC itself acquired for $1.2 billion in May – will incorporate Virtustream’s existing cloud offerings, EMC Information Infrastructure and VMWare services such as vCloud Air…

When you’re busy trying to run and grow a business, it seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. You may have the best intentions of sitting down for a strategy planning session, but paperwork, emails, and client calls can quickly eat up the day. Before you know it, the day is gone and that strategy planning session has been moved to tomorrow’s to-do list. It’s a vicious cycle, and one you’ll never get out of unless you actively work to change it. Instead of…

We have all heard of ‘hacking’, but what about ‘visual hacking’? When we think of hackers we imagine a web savvy individual, breaking passwords and firewalls to glean confidential personal and business information. But for the eagle-eyed there’s already a wealth of data up for grabs in the public arena thanks to our increasing use of mobile technology. From using our laptop work on the train to using our mobile to make transactions, most of us are unaware of the potential risks presented by visual hackers. A recent study by…

Most discussions about software selection cover general challenges, like the need to involve all stakeholders in the selection, the importance of defining a selection methodology, or how to create and implement a good project plan. While these topics are very important for software selection, other challenges—which may be sensitive or even controversial—are rarely discussed. These challenges actually have little to do with project management, but a lot to do with human nature—which makes them somewhat opaque, unquantifiable, and very difficult to address. Here are my top 5 problem areas. 1.…