Ten Technologies that Made the Grade in 2009
Server Virtualization – Vizard says this saved IT organizations dollars on servers this year, which was valuable in the Great Recession. Business intelligence was also a benefactor of server virtualization. Without this application, BI would be struggling.
Smartphones – Where would we be without these artificial appendages? Not only are they putting personal information at our fingertips; they’re allowing employees better productivity because they can access email and important business info at the slide of a thumb or punch of a button.
Cloud Computing – Vizard says this new technology could threaten jobs, but it has freed up resources in IT.
Multicore Processors – Quad-core processors are “changing the fundamental economics of server systems,” says Vizard. He says the real value is in teaming them with virtual machine software. We concur.
Business Intelligence Apps – BI apps are helping businesses make informed decisions because they have intelligent data readily available. Now, if we could just bridge the gap between business users and IT, it really would be a happy New Year.
Application Acceleration Appliances – Vizard calls these “comparatively inexpensive option” to upgrading networks.
10GB Ethernet – Although this is not widespread yet, the option to deploy 10GB Ethernet as data needs increase is something to feel good about as the year winds down.
802.11n Wireless Networks – Before these networking devices arrived, Vizard says “managing a wireless network” was painful. Cheers to less end-user complaints!
Virtual Switches – Vizard says this is an up and coming technology for the enterprise because it will affect virtualization down the road. He says “virtual switch technology will not only be seen as invaluable enabling technology, but also the technology that allowed IT organizations to truly lower the cost of enterprise computing via data center convergence.” We’re all about technology that saves money. Here, here!
Desktop Virtualization – Another up-and-comer, desktop virtualization continues to improve, says Vizard. With more improvements come more deployments. Quality user experiences are the end-result, and that’s something to look forward to.