Welcome to B & M Bulletin, produced specifically for users of IT technical services. In this issue:
 
•  Are you getting the best from your software?
•  Tech View: Up in the Cloud: what’s actually in Cloud computing
•  10 benefits of Cloud Computing
•  B & M Assure – premium continuity services  
Are you getting the best from your software?
 Jerry Smart, MD of B & M, considers whether organisations really need all the bells and whistles included in many enterprise licences  
“..so many features that people are overwhelmed …”
Companies developing technology products are brilliant at innovation and design. They provide so many features that people are often overwhelmed – yet what percentage of the options on your smartphone are you aware of, let alone take advantage of?

And so it is with hardware and software products, even in large enterprises. Of course, we have become much more adept at optimising hardware performance and only paying on a usage basis. But with software, we have to ask - do we need all of the features? Is there a product that does less (but meets the business need) and costs less?

In the mainframe world, the elements of many of these products have been around for decades. The manufacturer has bundled products and integrated features to the point where you are buying a licence for an array of features and capabilities, some of which are essential, others desirable (even if you don’t have the resource/skills to evaluate and apply) and some are just irrelevant.

Then you are encouraged to save money by taking out an enterprise licence agreement to encompass ‘all the software you will ever need’. But this may not be the best solution for you because:
* You will undoubtedly be using some products that are reliable and proven but not adopting the latest innovation and techniques
* You may be paying for much that you will never use
* You may lose flexibility going forward
* You will be locked into one vendor and this stifles a competitive market, rather than inspiring innovation that can benefit the user community. As Simon Cooper of William Data Systems points out in his article on network management in the Arcati Yearbook, Henry Ford observed that “Competition is the keen edge of business, always shaving away at costs”.

Furthermore, many users rely on back-level software releases (some even unsupported!). This may seem to be financially expedient, but it hardly advances the company’s technology.

It’s not just about value for money per se – after all, it costs less to do nothing. It is also about moving your technology forward to become more responsive and communicative. Why shouldn’t you be able to monitor real-time performance by standing next to your enterprise server with your secure, wireless-connected iPad 2?

Next time you evaluate software, look at the new kids on the block - they may surprise you!
Up in the Cloud: what’s actually in Cloud Computing
 Technical Consultant Tim Crossland looks at what’s behind Cloud Computing and considers the merits of public and private clouds
Although Cloud Computing may be a relatively new term, in reality it is underpinned by a blend of new and older technologies.  The concept is in many ways a form of deployment of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), which provides services to end-users who do not need to understand the technology that delivers them. In the case of Cloud Computing, services are supplied using utility computing – in much the same way that an electricity company varies its supply depending upon demand.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines Cloud Computing as “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of computer resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released”. This model of Cloud Computing provides some of the following characteristics:
  • Accessibility to software using Application Programming Interfaces that allow servers to interact with cloud technology
  • Device Independence: end-users are not tied to a particular technology
  • Elasticity/Scalability: the ability to expand and reduce resources as required
  • On demand: dedicated resources do not have be supplied when they are not needed
  • Pay-per-use: paying only for services when you use them
  • Resiliency: the failure of resources should be isolated from cloud users
  • Workload movement: Workload is moved to the most efficient location as required.

There are a number of different layers to Cloud Computing, including:
  • Cloud application services delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS) over a network, saving the end user from having to install the application on their servers
  • Cloud infrastructure services using the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model, where clients purchase services based on consumption rather than paying for all the individual underlying components (e.g. servers, software, network equipment etc.).
Underlying the provision of IaaS is the concept of virtualisation, a technology that was pioneered by IBM in the 1960s and more recently developed by Amazon as it implemented cloud technology to use its infrastructure more efficiently with the wide variation of its workload across its business cycle.

In addition to Public Clouds, which are available to users that are external to an organisation via the Internet, there are Private Clouds which provide services to users within an organisation.  Private Clouds allow a business to take advantage of the characteristics of Cloud Computing such as scalability, resilience and accessibility without incurring the risks of a Public Cloud (especially security).
Most organisations have a blend of technologies which make the implementation of Cloud Computing challenging. 

Demand for this technology is increasing as a growing number of organisations want the benefits of accessible, scalable, resilient services in uncertain times.
10 benefits of Cloud Computing
 Jerry Smart, MD of B & M Europe, considers ten benefits of using cloud computing
  1. Reduced cost of owning and maintaining multiple servers
  2. Improved business collaboration due to fewer technical barriers
  3. Improved scalability when business needs change
  4. Quicker adoption of IT change
  5. Improved deployment of internal resources
  6. Increased storage
  7. Improved flexibility
  8. Greater mobility as users can access data wherever they are
  9. Non-stop change implementation
  10. Reduced energy costs 
 
B & M Assure
 premium continuity services
B & M Assure is a set of bespoke services designed to meet the ICT needs of today's businesses, no matter what is happening in the business. B & M Assure enables customers to plan for temporary skills shortages - at times of exceptionally high workload or when key IT staff are on leave for example - or to react swiftly to unplanned events, such as staff sickness.

For planned eventualities such as project work or absence cover, B & M's specialists will spend time assimilating the customers' systems and business. For unplanned cover, we offer a priority search and selection service to help source specialists at short notice (subject to availability). Both services use best practice and deliver carefully-screened specialists that meet the needs of the customers' business. For more information on B & M Assure, contact sales@bmeurope.com.
B & M Europe Limited
B & M has specialised in delivering skilled ICT specialists to meet the needs of leading organisations throughout Europe since 1992. We focus exclusively on providing technical services, consultancy and support for z/OS, UNIX and Linux enterprise systems, including third-party systems software, open systems and networking connectivity. We add real value for HR and IT professionals by taking the time to understand their needs and applying best practice methods to deliver results.

To find out more about our approach to providing the best skills for each business, go to B & M Services.

The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of B & M Europe Limited or any employee thereof.

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