Microsoft and you - the dynamic duo

Windows Networking Strategies This newsletter is sponsored by Avnet IDC Whitepaper: Storage Encryption: Implementing the Linchpin of Data Security Encrypting Data in transit is a start, but encrypting data in storage is widely recognized as the next frontier in security. Find out how you can mitigate financial risk, prevent identity theft, block internal leaks and more, while keeping your vital information accessible and manageable. Network World's Windows Networking Strategies Newsletter, 06/27/07 Microsoft and you – the dynamic duo By Dave Kearns Earlier this month at Microsoft’s TechEd conference, Bob Muglia, senior vice president of Microsoft server and tools business, introduced a new initiative called Dynamic IT. Manage Skyrocketing Storage The data on your network is growing at a rapid pace thats only going to increase. Download Network Worlds latest Executive Guide and get the practical, real-world advice and insider information you need to best manage and meet your storage demands and industry regulations. Click here to download. According to a story by Network World’s John Fontana, the concept is derived from remarks by Gartner’s Tom Bittman who told the TechEd audience that agility is the key in a world that is becoming more connected, providing opportunities that appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. Bittman said agility is not only the speed needed to adjust to change but also the ability to ensure operational efficiency and to do it systemwide using variable cost model, which enables customers to pay only for what they need. In his talk, Muglia noted that customers want to take advantage of new technologies and computing approaches, such as mobile devices and software-as-a-service (SaaS), while still getting maximum value out of their existing environments. He identified four key areas of technical innovation that constitute Dynamic IT, which he called: Unified and Virtualized; Process-Led, Model-Driven; Service-Enabled; and User-Focused. Unified and Virtualized - This, according to Muglia, requires a comprehensive and unified approach to virtualization, spanning operating systems, applications and servers with more powerful and more intuitive front-end technologies. Unified and virtualized environments can be managed comprehensively and consistently across a wide range of scenarios. The benefits include reduced costs, increased availability and better response to changing computing needs within an existing infrastructure. Process-Led, Model-Driven - Dynamic IT takes advantage of ongoing advances in modeling capabilities to help IT automate processes where human decisions and input are not needed. Such capabilities improve organizational agility and help IT to optimize how a company’s systems and people work together. Using models to capture organizational knowledge helps to automate procedures, reduce complexity, and improve responsiveness to business demands. Service-Enabled - Dynamic IT provides a powerful way for companies to enhance and extend their existing environments to support new business scenarios based on services. Customers today are faced with an array of options that involve SaaS, service-oriented architectures, and Web 2.0 technologies. A key benefit is that companies can transform their existing array of heterogeneous, distributed and often inflexible IT systems into a set of more connected, simplified and adaptable ones that can better support the business. User-Focused - User experience has a direct impact on key areas such as productivity, customer loyalty and corporate image, yet many development efforts fail to meet even the most basic user-experience requirements. Dynamic IT will allow you to drive real business benefits through better user experiences. Some of what you’ll be seeing under the Dynamic IT label is old stuff repackaged, such as BizTalk Server and SQL Server, but there’ll be new developments like the virtual machine migration feature of Windows Server Virtualization (WSV) called Quick Migration. You’ll probably be hearing more about Dynamic IT in the months ahead leading up to the release of Windows Server 2008, so when you have a few moments, browse to the Web site and bone up on the new terms, services and products so you’ll know what the Microsoft sales team is talking about.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: Dave Kearns is a writer and consultant in Silicon Valley. He's written a number of books including the (sadly) now out of print "Peter Norton's Complete Guide to Networks." His musings can be found at Virtual Quill. Kearns is the author of two Network World Newsletters: Windows Networking Strategies, and Identity Management. Comments about these newsletters should be sent to him at these respective addresses: windows@vquill.com, identity@vquill.com . Kearns provides content services to network vendors: books, manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing, technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill provides "words to sell by..." Find out more by e-mail. This newsletter is sponsored by Avnet IDC Whitepaper: Storage Encryption: Implementing the Linchpin of Data Security Encrypting Data in transit is a start, but encrypting data in storage is widely recognized as the next frontier in security. Find out how you can mitigate financial risk, prevent identity theft, block internal leaks and more, while keeping your vital information accessible and manageable. ARCHIVE Archive of the Windows Networking Strategies Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007