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| In the know: 9 technology buzzwords that matter |
September 11, 2008 |
 By Trevor Marshall
In the business technology world, new terms fly around like angry hornets whose nest has just been whacked by a kid aiming at a piñata.
Many of these fly past and are gone before anyone notices, while a few stick around long enough to trigger major changes in how businesses use technology.
And so, to ensure readers don’t find themselves in the position of the blindfolded kid with the baseball bat, Backbone polled equipment vendors, analysts and pundits to find out which key terms you really need to know. Some are new, others are new takes on older ideas. Some are tech intensive, others are more about how we use technology. All are worthy of consideration as Canadian companies look for an edge.
1 Data deduplication
 E-mail a file to 10 colleagues and the disk space required to store it increases tenfold, even though each version is identical. Data deduplication stores and monitors a single copy of that file, while still allowing all 10 recipients to retrieve the data.
Why it’s important: “We’re going to create, in the next five years, as much data as humans have created in our entire existence,” said Geoff Kereluik, vice-president of marketing and strategic alliances at HP Canada. “When we look at the storage implications of that and the cost for companies to keep up, it’s going to be virtually impossible.” Deduplication not only reduces server load, it will also trim all the data-centre costs, such as air conditioning, needed to support them.
What you need to know: It’s not just a money-saver. Kereluik points out that regulators are demanding better record keeping. “This is one way we’re able to better protect a company’s directors, and keep them out of jail, without incurring a ridiculous cost in order to do so.”
2 Everything as a service
 Companies traditionally buy computers, software licences, printers and other IT assets. Moving on from the software as a service model, everything as a service means all of these will be leased in packages that include the functionality and support.
Why it’s important: The technology landscape changes almost daily, so as soon as an asset is purchased it starts becoming yesterday’s news. But industry analyst Michelle Warren points out those assets still need to be cared for, and if they’re bought outright, that’s the company’s concern. So IT folks spend a lot of time on maintenance, time that could be put to better use. “Companies can transform those IT positions from maintenance-only roles into more of an application development role,” she said. “The IT department can work actively on solutions and applications that can directly benefit the organization by addressing its business goals.”
What you need to know: This may make it faster and less painful for IT-savvy workers to get the tools they need. “(Right now) purchases can be expensive for organizations to approve,” Warren said, “and there can be a long approval process during which business people go without.”
3 Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
 ITIL is a set of concepts and techniques for managing IT infrastructure, development and operations.
Why it’s important: Information technology has become so essential that it’s hard to remember IT is still relatively new in the corporate environment. And growth has been so rapid that even IT departments in enterprises sometimes operate on an ad-hoc basis. “Often what happens is there’s a business goal and the IT infrastructure doesn’t meet it,” said Kevin Restivo, an analyst at IDC Canada. But instead of throwing a piece of new tech at the problem “ITIL has the potential to align IT and business. (An ITIL) framework is not a silver bullet: it will just serve to amplify any kind of weak business processes or any lack of alignment that’s already there,” Restivo said, adding that he sees a lot of potential in the idea.
What you need to know: ITIL grew out of a 1980s U.K. government initiative to define best practices for managing IT, but it hasn’t been on the radar in Canada. Restivo expects that to change as IT organizations become more sophisticated and need to do more with less. If nothing else, Restivo said, ITIL certification and training will be beneficial for IT managers.
4 Mashup
 In music, a mashup combines music from one song with lyrics from another. In IT, a mashup takes existing software components, data and other information and mashes them to deliver an application that offers new value and insight.
Why it’s important: Nicole Carrier, a product manager at IBM, said mashups are an easy and fast way to develop applications. “A lot of times, business users want a simple application to get the job done,” she said. “This gives them a lot more agility and a lot more ability to be productive without always having to rely on
the IT department.”
What you need to know: Most vendors offer hosted environments where, Carrier said, “users can start experimenting and getting the wheels turning about what they can do with mashup technology.” Letting users mash up individual applications means IT departments can focus on the big stuff.
5 Real-time conversations
 This happens anytime two or more people are exchanging information and ideas, and specifically when they do so over a distance.
Why it’s important: People have been having real-time conversations since language was invented, but these days we tend to focus on the medium more than the message. It’s not about voice, text or video, said Jim Courtney, industry watcher and associate editor at Skype Journal, it’s about using all of these technologies to understand each other better.
What you need to know: Courtney is a big believer in broadband audio for important conversations. “It can make a difference, especially with accents, intonation and that sort of thing.” He’s also keen on high-quality video. “You get all the visual signals of a person-to-person, face-to-face conversation,” he said. “That’s especially useful within companies where people are working with each other as teams, or where a company has strong customer or vendor relationships.”
6 Remote manageability
 The ability to manage the needs of the IT user—including security, support, backup and disaster recovery—without having to do a desk-side visit.
Why it’s important: Visiting the IT department when your laptop freezes is fine when you’re in the office, but what if you’re about to give an important presentation on the other side of the world? David Allen, Intel Canada’s head of distribution channels, said remote manageability allows a technician to take over a machine, diagnose a problem and hopefully repair it in time to save your bacon. “There’s a lot of comfort and value in that.”
What you need to know: “IT budgets continue to be squeezed, yet IT needs are not decreasing at all. At times, they’re becoming more complex,” Allen said. “Remote manageability enables IT departments to support their users no matter where they’re located. It’s a way to do more with less.”
7 Social networking PR team
 A dedicated unit within a company’s public relations team that manages online media, blogs and social networking sites.
Why it’s important: PR is all about managing one’s image and reputation, and Amit Kaminer, research analyst at The SeaBoard Group, points out that the online world has increasing power to shape public opinion. “We’re starting to see some kind of acknowledgment by big corporations of bloggers and social networks,” he said. “We are starting to see dedicated PR teams that monitor these types of Web sites and actually actively intervene with these online media.”
What you need to know: Kaminer said companies have to be careful whenever they open a new line of communication with their customers. “It can backfire and instead of facilitating things the company can become a target for all forum users,” he said. “Just intervening in terms of content is not good enough. Companies have to offer something back and show that they are helping.”
8 Virtualization
 The use of technology to make one computing platform seem like many, or many seem like one. It isolates applications from hardware, allowing IT departments to tailor their operating environments to diverse applications while simplifying their hardware needs.
Why it’s important: IT experts have been great about developing technology and delivering services. But Jimmy Fulton, vice-president and general manager, area sales in Canada for Computer Associates, points out many companies depend on a variety of applications running on both Wintel and Unix platforms. “With a single hardware platform you could, through virtualization, create the illusion of diverse networked machines, which would allow applications to run as they do in their natural environment,” he said. “At the same time, the IT department would enjoy the simplicity, centralization, ease of physical management and reduced costs of fewer machines.”
What you need to know: Any innovation in a company’s business will have some technical requirements, Fulton said. “Can virtualization get the company there quicker? I think it’s the way of the future and a great answer to many of the challenges facing CIOs.”
9 Unlicensed mobile access
 The Holy Grail of mobile communication, this system allows mobile phones to seamlessly switch between wide-area cellular networks and unlicensed local—and likely free—Wi-Fi systems.
Why it’s important: We’ve been told for years that mobile phones would become the businessperson’s single point of contact. But most people have at least one spot in their home or office where cellular coverage is lousy. Motorola Canada vice-president Steve Orr said a mobile device that can also connect to a Wi-Fi network eliminates that. He knows: he uses one. “I’ve never had this kind of coverage in my house, ever,” he said.
What you need to know: There are actually two opportunities to cut costs. “One is longer calls or extensive use while you’re in the office, and the other is the possible elimination or consolidation of your services,” Orr explains. “It’s another way to take advantage of the high-speed Internet connection and the router that business users probably already have. So there’s not a lot of upfront cost to get into this.”
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