Welcome to my first post to a new blog for a new project. On Friday, April 1st, 2011, after luncheon (and thus after April Fools risks) we launch a new Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN). The new KTN is an upgrade of the previous Digital Communications and Digital Systems KTNs funded by the UK Government through its innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board. The _connect websites for the KTNs can be found here.
My role in the new KTN is to lead in the area of Enterprise computing. Topics included in this list to start with are:- IT as a Service, Government Computing (Platform/Service) and Scalability. Scalability is the process of taking systematic advantage of scalable resources in Cloud or Multi-core infrastructures. Along the way I will also keep an eye on developments in the Green IT space, via colleagues in the BCS Data Centre Specialist Group and their excellent work as part of a global network of innovators including Green Grid and an international standards body for defining metrics.
The challenge here is two-fold. Firstly, making more efficient use of power deployed in delivering computing services and, secondly, improved used of computing services to minimise expenditure of carbon. Both of these looking forwards to the 20:20:20 goals carbon emission targets set by the UK Government. I think that these targets are a genuinely useful filter to apply to advances in the industry as a whole. If you combine the target to double compute power each year, while reducing the carbon emissions to achieve a 20% reduction of power consumed and emissions generated by 2020, that should do the trick – as a start.
However, the main purpose of this first post is to reflect on the last 18 months of work in the Cloud and Government areas and offer some pointers to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Most of my work has been in the context of the Digital Systems KTN now coming to a close. We have looked widely at the concepts of cloud computing, potential for implementation and some genuine user case studies. All of which can be found on the KTN website. As of April 1st, I would contend that most attendees at events to which I have contributed recently are ready to explore adoption, or are already on their way.
Examples include:
- organisations using the cloud to deliver their software as a service;
- organisations using cloud services to supplement or replace existing in-house business processes;
- organisations looking to introduce cloud services to underpin other users. This includes Infrastructure service providers and the emerging platform service providers.
The balance towards adoption is demonstrably tipping and we will move forwards by focusing on practical activities to allow potential adopters to meet and learn from other users and their suppliers.
Nowhere is the potential more rich than in Government or the market for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). A year ago the last UK Government concluded work on the G-Cloud, an innovative strategy for changing the way that government services may be delivered using Cloud computing at its core. The documents from that project have been made available here and there is much of interest for students of government computing around the world.
The challenge in both cases is to find that judicious balance of bought-in services versus unique contributions which make the adoption of cloud anything but a trivial exercise from the IT side. There are risks in Security (though maybe not what the usual assumptions about this are); Supplier Dependability; Network Access and Scalability. There are also complications on service level agreements and billing. All of which we will highlight in our events and activities to help ensure better advice and understanding in user and supplier.
Related to this is my interest in open standards, which in Cloud computing terms are usually employed to describe standard application programming interfaces (APIs) which may be used to allow multiple sources of supply and thus avoid “lock-in”. It’s early days here but the work underway at Cloud-Standards.Org, the Open Grid Forum (OGF) and Open Stack are all aimed at moving the industry forwards in this area. A European funded initiative, Siena, is carrying the torch for the European Commission, which is waking up to the challenge and opportunity.
Scalability is a work in progress and growing in importance and understanding at the same time. In the next few months we will be working to bring insight to this area with colleagues from the industry leaders and from our academic friends. My colleagues at the BCS Distributed and Scalable Computing Specialist Group are keenly interested in this topic, but growing their new community too.
Underpinning all of this is the Knowledge Transfer agenda. The idea of bringing together those with an opportunity for innovation and those with the ability to help deliver business success. We will continue to use the tools that we know work well around the nation. Face to face events; speaking slots at industry conferences; webinars for wider access and reference and case studies demonstrating success “in the wild”. It is the members of the KTN community which are key to this. Please bring us your thoughts, interests, challenges and get involved. Membership of the ICT KTN is free and you can register for all the KTNs on the TSB _connect platform, an innovators network where you will meet like minded professionals from all walks or work life.
ianfos 