Welcome to B & M Bulletin, produced specifically for users of IT technical services. In this issue:
• Consolidate for today and tomorrow
• Tech View: Unified Communications update
• 10 areas that benefit from consolidation
• Real Skills, Real People – B & M’s Sarah Yandle
• B & M ProSupport - proactive IT support
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Consolidation for today and tomorrow
Amanda Dunn, Sales Director at B & M Europe, examines the trends and long-term benefits of IT consolidation
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"Consolidation is a key factor for success"
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Industry analysts such as Forrester have recognised consolidation as a key factor for success in IT infrastructure and operations for some time. It's no surprise therefore that in the current business climate, IT directors are highlighting the rationalisation and consolidation of IT infrastructure as a key priority (source: Forrester Inquiry Spotlight: IT Consolidation, Q1 2009).
The 2008 survey for The IT Directors' Forum (a Richmond event) shows server and application consolidation ranked as the highest priorities for IT directors, above the pressing technical challenges of mobile computing, integration and security.
Although server consolidation dominates IT activities in most large enterprises, there are plenty of other areas in IT where consolidation projects are taking place, such as data centres, storage, networks and even the rationalisation of some client systems. In the meantime, improvements in efficiency are being delivered by relatively new technologies such as virtualization (Forrester estimates that two-thirds of large companies are currently using server virtualization), multicore processing, unified networking and by adopting new methods of application delivery.
However experts warn that IT consolidation should not be viewed simply as a 'quick fix' to reduce IT costs; rather, it should be considered as a strategic business initiative that encompasses the entire IT enterprise. For many organisations, it’s about streamlining assets and processes, reducing complexity, enhancing business agility and increasing the speed of execution. More fundamentally, however, it should be used to drive competitive IT innovation and to enable IT to add more value to the business.
For access to senior IT professionals who are experts in consolidation and rationalisation, contact us at sales@bmeurope.com.
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Unified Communications update
Paul Smith, Technical Manager at B & M Europe looks at the latest trends in the
fast-moving world of Voice over IP and Unified Communications
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We last explored the concept of Unified Communications (UC) about a year ago, but a great deal has changed since then. It seems that growth is being driven equally by developments in the technologies themselves and increasing pressure on businesses to reduce both costs and their carbon footprint - and there are plenty of service providers who are capitalising on this with advertising and marketing campaigns built around these benefits. Traditional VoIP may have been largely subsumed by UC, but in reality it offers the main structural base for UC and gives organisations the choice of whether they want full or partial voice and data integration using IP connectivity.
Software-based solutions are available from IBM (Lotus Sametime and Notes) and Microsoft (Office Communications Server, Outlook 2007 and Exchange 2007), while Cisco's Unified Communications Manager enables organisations to exploit their own software, hardware and converged IP networks.
There are many other manufacturers providing solutions for or making components of UC; Nortel, Avaya, RIM and Dell to name but a few. Some already have tie-ins with other solutions providers, for example Nortel and Cisco are working with Microsoft and IBM. To further spice things up, Open Source developers have come up with two offerings, Druid and Elastix, which are built on the Open Source PBX Asterisk and there is a free of charge UC software offering from Unison.
There are plenty of cost-effective solutions to choose from and, as software becomes more widely adopted, the transition to UC can be relatively straight forward - even without the interim step of adopting VoIP.
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10 areas that benefit from consolidation
Consolidation and rationalisation projects are prevalent across the whole IT infrastructure. Here are some of the areas where B & M is able to provide expertise to help organisations reduce complexity, add value and improve business agility:
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1. Server infrastructure
2. Data centres
3. Storage systems
4. Virtualisation
5. Client systems rationalisation
6. Core processing
7. Application enablement
8. Converged data networks
9. Business continuity
10. Remote hosting
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Real Skills, Real People: B & M's Sarah Yandle, HR Team Leader
This month we hear how HR Team Leader Sarah Yandle has made a success of remote working
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Following the completion of her BA in Business Administration at the University of Glamorgan, Sarah began her career as Payroll Assistant for a Social Services division in South Wales. She subsequently moved into a support role for the Children’s Service Department.
Sarah relocated to Hampshire and joined B & M in 2003 as HR Administrator and has developed an expertise in identifying suitable specialists for our customer requirements. Sarah has succeeded in cultivating relationships with our specialists and has helped to tailor how B & M focuses its attention to meet their needs. Sarah is also responsible for delivering valuable and essential administrative support to our Account Managers, thus helping to increase our core business productivity.
In 2007 Sarah moved back to South Wales to be close to her family and now works for B & M remotely.
In her spare time, Sarah can be found visiting family and friends, cycling in the Welsh valleys and renovating her new home.
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B & M ProSupport
proactive IT support
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B & M ProSupport is a flexible support service designed to meet the very different IT situations within large enterprises. B & M ProSupport offers a choice of second and third-level support services that help to reduce downtime and keep the business running - right up to on-site, 24/7 support if required.
B & M ProSupport can be tailored to include a mixture of proactive and reactive services, combining cost-efficiency with optimum system protection. B & M's specialists work in collaboration with customers' own in-house IT staff to analyse, build, integrate, manage and develop IT continuity processes that make sure that key platforms are constantly available to support the business.
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