Chuck's Blog

What Does Your Storage RFP Say About You?

For those of you unaccustomed to the inner workings of the IT business, the RFP (request for proposal) is a formal, written communication to multiple IT vendors.

The use of RFPs used to be nearly universal.  These days, you see far fewer of them.  Certain kinds of organizations (e.g. public sector) are legally bound to use an RFP process.  And you still see the occasional private enterprise issuing RFPs as well.

I get sent a lot of storage RFPs to comment or contribute.  And they can be very telling as to what kind of IT organization is creating them.

Of iPads, Productivity Apps and Atmos

Yes, iPads are incredibly successful in the consumer electronics world -- just about everyone has that one figured out.  The combination of form factor, integration and a touch interface makes it the new standard for conveniently consuming content of all types.  And there doesn't seem to be any end in sight.

But within our world of enterprise IT, there's an equally fascinating revolution that the iPad has ignited -- a new way to support the all-important class of mobile knowledge workers.

And not by simply recreating traditional desktop experiences -- but by creating an entirely new class of purpose-built applications that bring even more productivity to these professionals.

Introducing The Open Data Center Alliance

Big news in our cloud world today -- the formal announcement of the Open Data Center Alliance.

I'm cautiously optimistic that this group -- if successful -- will help all of us accelerate the transition to next-generation IT (e.g. the proverbial "cloud") sooner than later.

Why?  It has the potential to provide what all of us vendors need -- a clear and unequivocal target to aim at -- in a way that ordinary standards efforts just can't address.

Live From EMC Partner Council

Monday, I took a six-hour flight from Boston to San Diego to spend time with EMC's North American Partner community.

I'm very glad I did.  The new insights are incredibly invaluable.

So, what could possibly be so interesting?

An Atmos Update

Last week there was some idle banter online that few people knew what was really going on with the Atmos cloud storage platform.  Many people in our industry presume that no news means bad news, and tend to assume the worst.

I knew differently, though.  So I took it upon myself to reach out to some of the Atmos storage team and ask the generic question -- how is it going these days?

And I found the answer far more interesting than I had suspected.

See if you agree ...

That's (Information) Logistics

I don't know about you, but I tend to study advertising intently.  

In the consumer world, I was mightily impressed by the recent spate of "Old Spice" commercials.  So was my wife -- she even bought me some Old Spice aftershave, perhaps with the hope of a magical transformation that didn't occur :-)

 

In the B2B space, my current hero is the UPS "That's Logistics" TV spot.  They bring to light a vitally important -- but largely invisible -- infrastructure function that so much of our physical economy depends on.  And it's a catchy tune as well :-)

I don't think it'll be too long before we collectively find ourselves focusing on the digital equivalent -- information logistics.

The Business of Innovation at EMC

Hopefully not lost in all the earnings hoopla is an interesting announcement in its own right -- this week, EMC is conducting its 4th annual Innovation Conference.

As all business leaders know, the business of innovation is a very serious business indeed.  At EMC, we  compete successfully in a very demanding industry segment: IT infrastructure. 

Disruption is the norm. 

Without a steady stream of innovations to power our business model, we'd be in dire straights indeed.

So, how does EMC go about the "business of innovation"?

Do You Know Where Your Money Is?

Time for another analogy.  

Apologies in advance to those who don't like analogies, or -- more to the point -- don't like the ones I come up with :-)

As part of various panels and speaking events, we get into the whole topic of cloud, information mobility, federation, etc. -- and people's heads start to hurt a bit.

They know they're responsible for the integrity of the information: privacy, security, recoverability, etc.  And we as industry types sometimes get way ahead of our skis in describing a world where that valuable information stuff is moving here and there and everywhere -- oh my!

So I've come up with a simple way to frame the debate: do you know where your money is?

Another Year, Another Blogoversary

My, how time flies.

Just four short years ago, I took a brave leap and decided to start blogging here at EMC.  I had absolutely no idea how it might turn out.  I just thought it was something I should do.

What a long, strange trip it's been ...

So, if you'll indulge me, I'd like to share a few thoughts on the whole topic.

The Lure Of Kit Cars

OK, time for a "guy moment" here.  

All the adult males reading this, be honest -- is it true that at one time in your life you seriously considered building a kit car?

I know I did.  I looked at the sleek shapes, the ability to pick and choose components -- even the potential of converting a somewhat boring ride into a potential thrill machine.

And then reality started to encroach on my fantasy.

I rode in a few, and noticed that there were always a few "details" the owner hadn't quite sorted out yet -- like brakes that worked reliably.  Or a ride that wouldn't jar your fillings loose if you hit a pot hole.  Or starting reliably, for that matter.

Not only that, as I looked at some of the plans, all them assumed hundreds of hours (or more!) of assembly time.  Not only that, a place to do the assembly and a bunch of tools and equipment I didn't own.  

I also had serious doubts as to my own mechanical abilities and commitment.  My initial investment could end up being a half-finished project sitting in my garage for years at a time.  My wife saw that future scenario clearly, and made her perspectives very clear to me in that unambiguous way that she does :-)

Finally, I realized that the whole kit car thing was more of a hobby than an alternative method to procure reliable and stylish transportation.

I passed -- as many people do.