IP Leaders

It’s not easy being green…

ad — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:32:48 +0000

If an organisation decides it wants a communications infrastructure as green as the world’s most famous frog, it will have to show commitment if it really wants to reduce its carbon footprint. Ultimately, it will face the decision whether or not – if push comes to shove – profit is sacrificed for environmental brownie points.
Any “green” benefits, including power, space and heat reduction - the by-products of a well-designed virtualised environment - happen to be part of an effective business strategy. Whatever the marketing hype declares, that business strategy always comes first. Fortunately, there are genuine reductions in an organisation’s carbon footprint to be gained by going virtual.

Many companies will attempt this balancing act in good faith, choosing to offer a socially aware front to the world at large while aiming still to satisfy the demands of shareholders. Among its technical, security and productivity benefits, virtualisation looks to be a natural fit for enterprises seeking to adopt a green agenda, but the position is not as simple as “virtual good; non-virtual bad” from an environmental perspective.

By reducing power consumption and management expenses, while increasing the efficiency of existing resources through the consolidation possible through virtualisation will certainly decrease both the impact of devices on the environment and on an IT department’s increasingly stretched budget.

Virtualisation – an environmental winner

The picture can get quite complicated: for example, different network devices draw differing amounts of power to deliver the same functionality - much depends on their load and configuration. Another variant is the amount of heat they generate, which affects how much is power is consumed and money spent trying to keep them cool. So, just as it makes a difference in a domestic setting, knowledge of a device’s power consumption as well as reducing the quantity of servers and devices needed in the data centre (including rack space) through virtualisation, can have a dramatic effect on the energy bill.

Some 85% of most IT annual budgets is allocated to general upkeep: upgrading systems and applications, maintaining a helpdesk, hardware maintenance and so on. Only around 15% is available to implement the new systems an organisation needs to maintain pace with its peers or, with luck, gain a modicum of competitive advantage.

A well-managed virtualised environment enables business improvement to be made more easily and cheaply which, in turn, makes the job of an IT department less fraught. Less time, money and energy has to be spent on general upkeep and fire-fighting, enabling IT to be more strategic and less of a mere utility.

Perhaps, through virtualisation, where “corporate social responsibility” strategies, for example, have largely failed to be anything other than a tick in a mandatory box, “green” IT can coincide with economic viability and make a real difference.

Visit IP Expo, the UK’s Leading End to End IT Infrastructure Event, to learn more. FREE to attend on the 20-21 October 2010. View more content from IP Expo.

Desktop Virtualisation – Taking Virtualisation Outside the Datacenter

The Hidden Challenges of Cloud Services

ad — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:57:58 +0000

An essential part of cloud computing is service provision via the Internet, delivering IT and communications services via a pay-as-you-go model. It seems highly desirable and cost-effective, but there are commercial risks that might not quite make it to the negotiating table for consideration.

That service provision has also become known as SaaS (Software as a Service) from an ASP (Application Service Provider), with the umbrella phenomenon of supply and demand often now called Utility Computing. Many of the biggest players on the planet – Google, Microsoft and Amazon included – are investing heavily in their own particular flavour of cloud services and SaaS delivery ideas.

Organisations can now consider renting applications from ASPs and access them over the Internet, saving the capital expenditure - and subsequent depreciation – of their choice of hardware and software. All the management, security and housekeeping issues are taken care of by a host company: end users just connect to the services they sign up for via a secure Web browser more or less as, when and wherever they need them. The network of computers that supports this attractive and highly flexible model is, collectively, the eponymous cloud.

The SaaS eggs might be very cost-effective to rent, but the basket has to be sufficiently robust, namely: the broadband connection that delivers them. Ensuring a resilient broadband connection depends a lot on geography – it is far easier to achieve it in the US than in Europe. In the UK, there’s BT’s ADSL service, Open Reach with a cable alternative in some cities, which almost certainly involves a single point of failure: not ideal for the customer with a mission-critical application.

Never explain, never apologise?

If an enterprise chooses to embrace cloud working as its norm, then it will essentially hand over its data to the ASP to be housed on a server somewhere in the host’s network. UK legislation in the form of the Data Protection Act 1998 places restrictions on taking personal data beyond the EU without the destination having a suitably vague “adequate” level of protection in relation to processing personal data. Pandora’s data protection box is all set to burst open.

A cause for concern further down the line in a cloud relationship is the agreements being drawn up by ASPs with their customers. The signs are that the ASP is about to turn out like the insurance company with its small print and wiggle room: in effect, no responsibility for a customer’s failure or loss adheres to its bright shiny surface. So the prudent client needs to consider how it will extract itself and its data resources from the deal in the event of a serious problem, such as ASP bankruptcy.

All that said, the reality is that cloud work is a great idea here to stay. Like dynamite, LSD, uranium and lots of other potentially lethal stuff, it just needs careful handling to deliver the benefits.

IP Expo Seminar Content Release #6 - Server Virtualisation Theatre Day 1

ad — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:59:41 +0000

In past releases, you have seen exclusive interview footage, digested Desktop Virtualistation content, and viewed our Data Centre Management theatre presentations and audio. Keeping up the pace, we are pleased to announce the latest content release from the successful IP Expo: the Server Virtualsation & Infrastructure Theatre content (Day 1).

All the latest trends are covered here - From cutting OPEX through to maximising efficiencies of existing infrastructure. Anyone interested in Green IT, Consolidation or storage should indulge in this release, even if you were lucky enough to attend the popular Server Virtualisation and Infrastructure Theatre at IP Expo!!

If you require a breather in between all of the presentations, then please take time out to fill this quick survey from our friends at the TDM Group, who are conducting some research into the perceptions of virtualisation. Your thoughts, as always at IP Leaders, are invaluable to us and this survey provides a quick way of being heard.

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IP Expo - Exclusive Interviews and Footage #1

ad — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:22:11 +0000

Want to gain more insight into the amazing IP Expo? We believe at IP leaders, that we can enhance your experience of the UK’s largest Infrastructure, Virtualisation, Cloud Computing and Wireless event, right here with our ground breaking content and exclusive footage. In this release, we provide you with real world examples and explanations in how to integrate cloud computing into your organisation, showcasing practical and smooth day to day running of your virtual infrastructure, and a glimpse into the future of the implementation of virtualisation and the political landscape.

Update 09 Keynote Videos - brought to you by

Follow this link to IP Expo Exclusive Footage, and hear from the some of the best speakers from IP Expo. Once you have taken it all in, why not check out our other content releases whilst you wait for the next installment in this series of Exclusive Interviews and Footage… The content released today is free for you to download without login, however future content may require you to be a registered user of the blog in order to gain access to the audio (.mp3 format) and presentations (.pdf) format. To register, simply complete this simple registration form. Once you have confirmed your registration, you will be able to login to IP Leaders and be automatically directed to the presentations which you can then view / listen / download at your pleasure. and remember - registration is completely FREE. What’s in it for you? Well, by registering for the blog you will be able to take full advantage of the premium content which we will be adding from our shows such as our UC Expo event, taking place on the 10 – 11 March 2010 at Olympia, London – incorporating Unified Communications, VoIP for Business, Visual Communications and Mobile Communications (keep me updated for registration!) as well at next year’s IP Expo which we know will again be the pinnacle of the IT Events calendar in the UK. We will also be adding exciting premium content from our exhibitors and speakers throughout the year so it is a fantastic opportunity to keep up to date. How will we keep you informed of new content? Well, short of visiting the site every day (is that so much to ask? ;-), we recommend you take the opportunity to sign up to the blog’s newsletter via the form to the left. We usually send out a newsletter every week with latest blog posts and content additions etc so it is fairly low volume and you can unsubscribe at any time (and it doesn’t effect your access). For now and for flexibility we have left the newsletter and subscription process seperate to allow you to subscribe to one or the other or both - your choice. Alternatively or as an addition, why not follow us on http://twitter.com/IPLeaders or http://twitter.com/ipexpo.

IP Expo Seminar Content Release #5 - Data Centre Management Theatre Day 1

ad — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:57:58 +0000

Following our post on Glasshouse’s The Data Centre of the Future vs The Future of the Data Centre, we thought we’d treat you to even more presentations from IP Expo’s popular Data Centre Management Theatre.

From FCoE to Fabric Computing, as well as the imminent concerns of managing infrastructure while not having to apply for planning permission to build a power station, the Data Centre Management Theatre covered it all, and you can view that content right now on IP Leaders.

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IP Expo: See The Data Centre of the Future vs The Future of the Data Centre

ad — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:47:31 +0000

If you missed Richard Scannell - Senior Vice President of Glasshouse Technologies at IP Expo then you are in for a treat, follow the link above to see Richard present on this video and slide combination from our friends at Haymarket.

The evolution of the data centre can be simplified into a small number of major computing shifts – the invention of the mainframe and therefore the data centre, the client server revolution, the adoption of the internet and most recently, Virtual insanity…

So, as we ponder the next technological shift and its impact on the data centre, we are also forced to consider not just what the data centre will become, but also, how many of us will even own one or anything that resides in one. As virtualisation changes everything from tiering models, to DR strategies, Cloud computing, it would appear, it is about to hit the big time. Along with it, comes a potential that the infrastructure market will consolidate into a much smaller number of much larger players and therefore we may be on the precipice of rapid shifts in way technology is purchased, deployed and managed throughout all our businesses.

IP Expo Seminar Content Release #4 - Cloud Infrastructure Day 1

ad — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:30:46 +0000

As our editor highlights in his previous post - Cloud Computing or Cloud Nine, you cannot just adopt cloud computing; you have to prepare the ground.

Attending IP Expo’s packed Cloud Infrastructure Theatre would have done just that. Public or Private clouds, federated clouds and much more, the Cloud Infrastucture Theatre gave you fundamental educational content on this genuine paradigm shift to help you make up your mind on the Technology Worlds hottest topic.

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IP Expo Seminar Content Release #3 - Network Optimisation & Infrastructure Day 1

ad — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:40:20 +0000

Think you know how to optimize your network? You do? Then you must have been in the fantastic Network Optimisation and Infrastructure Theatre at IP Expo. If not, you probably struggled to get a place inside the packed theatre.

But don’t panic - you can catch up with all the sessions from Day 1 right here at IP Leaders. With a fantastic array of top level speakers from the likes of Netcordia, tuscany networks, Orange Business Services, HP and more, what better place than here to catch up on the educational seminars at this year’s network Mecca at IP Expo 2009!

Collision Course: Business, Policy and Politics

Neil Robertson-Ravo — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:31:05 +0000

The IP Expo ‘09 keynotes and sessions offered insights not only to the current state of the industry, but also the drivers and challenges in the years to come, as Lord Carter’s opening address illustrated.

The “bedrock” of a series of lectures on trends in the IT industry is surely the future of infrastructure - whatever that happens to mean in the context - followed by a sufficiently robust service architecture and delivery mechanisms.

With this in mind, Stephen Carter – created a life peer (Lord Carter of Barnes) under Blair regime, former head of ntl and lead author of the Digital Britain report chose a wide-ranging brief to set the debating ball rolling at IP Expo ’09.

The former Communications Minister in Gordon Brown’s cabinet, now resigned from Downing Street and possibly heading towards Brussels, Carter described his own peripatetic career as “carrier, operator, regulator, fake politician and advisor”.

Views of the world

Showing the famous cover of The New Yorker, March 29th 1976; The world as seen by from New York’s 9th Avenue, Lord Carter made the point that our perspective depends entirely on where we start from. President Obama writes of the challenge in life to avoid being “a prisoner of one’s own biography”: in other words, to understand the perspective of another. This is never truer, he said, than in technology markets.

Carter’s varied career, he pointed out, has enabled him to examine several contrasting perspectives. An operator’s focus, for instance, is customers and cash - assessing the commercial position, now and in the future, relative to the competition. As an advisor, new perspectives are his stock in trade.

The regulator tries to solve complex puzzles, find reasonable and acceptable alignments for parties that find it difficult to work together and act occasionally as policeman and referee. His task is to create a framework in which people can make investment decisions with confidence. In front-line politics, the sheer pace in which issues are presented and the consequent challenges outstrip anything in the conventional business world.

In Arthur C Clarke’s book Profiles of the Future (Victor Gollancz 2001; original edition first published in 1962) concludes that it is impossible - and, in truth, ridiculous to even attempt - to predict the future. However, Clarke did a pretty good job with envisioning, for example, the “orbital post office”: in effect it is today’s Internet. He discusses the challenges of content distribution and licensing issues for the book industry – remarkably pertinent for today’s multimedia creators. He considers what we would do with this information and entertainment, who might make money from it, plus patent and piracy issues – all over 40 years ago.

Rapid global change

Carter believes we are living in world that is changing more rapidly than ever at the macro level of geopolitics, since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In China, we are seeing a speed of change (in politics, commerce, economics and more) and a willingness to embrace multilateralism at a pace not seen since Nixon in 1972.

* As a UK government minister negotiating on IP issues and protocol development, says Carter, he sat with his opposite number over lunch. The Chinese minister said that clearly, the UK had issues with the way business is done in China, but you appear also to admire some things because you are copying them. ‘I asked what he referred to and he said “un-elected ministers!”’

We are now seeing the US engaging with Russia, the Middle East and Asia in a different way from the past eight years – in effect, a new global framework is emerging. This is matched by a shift in the position of the dollar in these key markets and where the economic power lies now and in the future.

He talked of “the dogs that have not yet barked” – in particular, Southern and Central America which will is witnessing explosive growth in many sectors. Only Africa – “a stain on our consciousness” has not been brought into that global world of engagement and economic power. However, the power (of African countries) in resources will give them an increasingly important political position in the future. Sign up to the blog newsletter now to ensure you are kept up to date with the rest of this series.

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IP Expo Seminar Content Release #2 - Desktop Virtualization Theatre Day 1

Neil Robertson-Ravo — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:37:22 +0000

We are proud to release the next set of seminar content from the education programme at IP Expo 2009. With over 7,000 visitors over 2 days and a stellar cast of speakers and session titles it was no suprise that the theatres were bustling and none more so than the Desktop Virtualization theatre. With top level speakers from VMWare, EMC, Cisco and Microsoft we had all the major players discussing all the latest topics and content.

The content release contains all of the Day 1 sessions within the Desktop Virtualization Theatre (View the full and up to date programme by downloading the Timetable in PDF format). Continue reading to view the presentations.