Tag Archives: infrastructure

Zoom as a Platform (ZaaP) – Innovation for the current era

21 Saturday Mar 2020

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In a week full of stress and uncertainty, one thing is certain. We require new infrastructures to support the heavy load of all online all the time. And one thing I have learned from this week is that most video concall platforms are not scaling very well. They all meant well in offering free trials for 90 days and so on to take advantage of the online need, but cracks are showing in most platforms in terms of peak periods and performance.

Except for Zoom, I understand. Where Skype, WebEx, Google Hangouts, MS Teams are occasionally overburdened, most folks using Zoom have not had the same experience. In fact, many are turning to Zoom as the platform of choice for real life experience in the age of social distancing. Education in the form of classes (academic and practical) are springing up all over the Web.

There is a great opportunity here, assuming Zoom continues to scale, to base business models on the Zoom as a Platform (ZaaP). Let’s call it being ZaaP’d. Will Zoom become the next Facebook as the must have app to reaching and communicating with customers?

Is V2V the next big thing?

08 Thursday Jan 2015

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In reading an article on energy efficiency, I was interested in the discussion on vehicle to vehicle networks (V2V).  These are defined as ad hoc information exchanges between vehicles for a variety of information on blind spots, traffic, etc.

Given the US policy makers are looking to mandate this from 2017 according to the Wikipedia article linked above, my question would be the ability for a vehicle to opt out of the network.  This can be for a variety of privacy reasons, and some of them might be a question of ownership and safety for the owner, and some reasons might be less honest as to a get away car or other non-legal issues (not properly taxed or licensed, etc).    For example, in the US the driver is insured, and in Belgium the vehicle is insured.  Will the status of insurance or ownership impact the information provided?

But are we talking about adding intelligence to our networks, our objects, or our infrastructure?  In Belgium, like other countries, we already get free infrastructure traffic flow information both in terms of signage and free reports on radio and internet as to the status of the network. It is also dispensed over social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc).

I am curious to the development of V2V (or VANET) given its choice of bandwidth and its regulation/implementation.  Will this only end up being a national occurrence, or something that evolves per country in a different manner? Adding intelligence into the mix is good, if managed well and if it adds value.

What is digital risk?

14 Monday Jul 2014

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Those pundits at Gartner are trying to coin a new phrase (like they did with portals) and have starting discussing the term “digital risk officer” (DRO). They state that the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) now will develop a different profile to the DRO, as the CISO will focus on enterprise network security and compliance, while the DRO will oversee the CISO and focus efforts on the risks from digital innovation.

In a word, bullcookies.

The real issue is the evolution in the business model from IT being structurally a separate function to technology being the underpinnings of the whole business.  The risk from any activity these days has digital components to it, and the additional endpoints that internet-enabled objects  (IoT) bring to the firm is the same risk that humans that have internet ability bring, as all of them can be hacked or compromised.  So you have many more endpoints to protect — this is not new.  But the depth and breadth of what is in the operational frame of control is the question.

The COO needs to assess operational risk, both structurally and in terms of perimeter security. Risk is both strategic and operational, so digital risk is a vague term as it covers both strategic direction (loss of intellectual property) and operational effectiveness (security breaches, etc). From a public company perspective, the question is who is liable for the risk if not addressed?

Security needs to be baked into process, procedure and infrastructure so that all digital assets are securable.  THAT is the message that needs to come out, not new titles and hierarchical job functions.  #justmytwocents

 

 

Life in a parallel universe

09 Sunday Mar 2014

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For many more years than I would like to admit, I have been a technology market analyst.  I never covered the commodity products (PC, phones, printers) but that more complex infrastructural issues (mainframes, storage, middleware).

My problem with this right now is that I feel I belong in a parallel universe to my industry colleagues.  Social, collaborative and mobile business has driven all of them into the world of SXSW, Uber, WhatsApp, etc.  But the next hot thing, whatever it is,  is still about customer experience and retention.  And guess what?  Cannot do that without the decent infrastructure.   But plumbing only appears sexy to other plumbers, and even those plumbers are having less and less knowledge about what is under the hood. You cannot run an app if the infrastructure to do so isn’t working properly, or protecting your data and privacy, or giving you a decent signal strength.  Less and less people seem to care about infrastructure and outsource it, which can also be seen on national highways, domestic roads and other utilities.  Cheap and not so cheerful?  I want to make the fundamentals better, and I appear to be in limited company with the quest.  Sigh.

 

Predictions for 2014 – a few thoughts

24 Tuesday Dec 2013

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For me, technology is more than an enabler, it is a critical element of the business process.  When I see other firms predicting trends for the next year, I have to wade into the fray with my own thoughts on the matter. Hashtags are integrated in for Twitter usage…. 🙂

#Predictions for 2014 P1:  It’s not about the size of the data, but what it looks like during analysis. #datavisualization

Data gets bigger and bigger, but you have to see the forest for the trees to react in a timely and efficient way.  Visualization tools will be one of the hotter properties in 2014.

#Predictions for 2014 P2:  For business models being disrupted, it will be about the risk, not the reward. #riskybusiness

A number of industries are undergoing fundamental transformations, including journalism, tourism, retail and energy.   Business model shifts involve a great deal of risk, and the rewards are not so easily apparent. How you handle the risk says a great deal about the firm’s strategy and manageability.

#Predictions for 2014 P3:  Network infrastructural capacity will be a limitation businesses will creatively work around. #maxheadroom

Case in point:  The downtime yesterday (23 Dec) of the Belgian payment network.  Some creative retailers quickly offered alternatives to pay (invoice for later bank transfer, registering the transaction locally and transferring data once online systems were restored, etc.) to not lose the business this close to the holiday.  Many infrastructural systems are near capacity, or quite fragile when stretched.  Creative workarounds may soon be come the norm.

#Predictions for 2014 P4:  Data ingestion or data indigestion? Rate of data consumption critical for reflection& analysis #bigdata #eatwell

If you cannot properly consume, you may not see the trends quickly enough to react.

Hope these insights give you a taste of what I am working on for 2014 — happy holidays!