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Infrastructure Complexity: The Problem That Will Not Go Away

July 16, 2012 11:10 AM | Posted By: Vic Nyman
After my "APM is Broken" post, I've been amazed at just how many of you agreed that infrastructure complexity is the big issue causing IT availability problems.

The rise of infrastructure complexity has become the main source of application performance problems. The surprising thing is that it doesn't take many different kinds of components interacting to cause problems.

When we surveyed 126 IT execs from the Fortune 1000 a few months ago, 84% of those we surveyed had at least five technologies in their applications, and 64% had 7 or more different technologies! According to a survey Gartner conducted, 73% say their infrastructure complexity is either "high" or "out of control.""

Nearly 2 MILLION US Facebook users quit social network • The Register

Nearly 2 MILLION US Facebook users quit social network • The Register:

 "Shares in Facebook continued to slide on Tuesday, after an analyst claimed the dominant social network had seen a modest drop in its userbase.

Capstone Investment's Rory Maher said Mark Zuckerberg's company suffered a 1.1 per cent fall in US users over the last six months. The number of European Facebookers had also declined, he added.

Meanwhile, Facebook's stock hit a month-long low yesterday finishing the day at $28.09 on Nasdaq, after falling some 8 per cent at the start of the week."

ED: This coupled with the damning BBC Undercover Bagel operation brings FB's claimed user base into serious doubt, which flows through to put their advertising business model under question with investors and prospective advertisers.........

BBC’s fake bagel company gets 3000 Facebook likes – Facebook ANZ responds

Thousands of "Likes" – but none from actual customers, or maybe even humans

"We ran a Facebook ad campaign and got likes from dozens of 'fans' who had over 1000 likes each. One even had over 2000."

Featured comment

UPDATE/ July 16: Facebook is disputing a BBC story in which a reporter set up a fake company and found it got 3000 "likes" on the back of a $US10 ad capaign.

The social network's NZ marketing solutions manager, Paul Webster, passed on an NBR ONLINE query to Facebook Australia-New Zealand communications and public policy manager Mia Garlick.

NXP trials congestion management system in S'pore

NXP trials congestion management system in S'pore:

"NXP Semiconductors N.V. has begun testing what it says is a next-generation congestion management system. Cars equipped with the company's 3.5G telematics solution—the automotive telematics on-board unit platform (ATOP)—are currently piloting modern mobility solutions in Singapore.
Singapore's world-class infrastructure is the ideal test bed for intelligent traffic solutions as it faces the mobility challenges of today's global megacities and aims to reduce pollution and congestion. During the Singapore trial, cars equipped with ATOP, a module allowing for cost-efficient and flexible integration into automotive electronics, will wirelessly collect real-time traffic data via 3.5G mobile broadband. This allows testing congestion management as well as securing payment, road-side assistance and paperless parking."

MIS-Asia - Apple excludes China, India in Asian expansion of iTunes music and video

MIS-Asia - Apple excludes China, India in Asian expansion of iTunes music and video:

"but the two large markets of China and India were excluded.
The company said it was launching stores in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan with a selection of local and international music from major and independent labels.
Apple said it was also bringing the iTunes Store to music fans in Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Customers can also rent or purchase movies from the iTunes Store, including in HD, from major studios like 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures."

Computerworld Malaysia - BAE Systems develops GPS alternative

Computerworld Malaysia - BAE Systems develops GPS alternative:

"The technology is being touted as a replacement for current technologies such as GPS, which relies upon a relatively weak satellite signal that is vulnerable to disruption.
Known as Navigation via Signals of Opportunity (NAVSOP), BAE Systems' new system is resistant to hostile interference such as jamming and spoofing, and can learn from signals that are initially unidentified to build a more accurate and reliable fix on its location.
NAVSOP can function in places where GPS is unable to reach, such as dense urban areas and deep inside buildings, and can work in remote parts of the world, such as the Arctic, by picking up signals that include Low-Earth-Orbit satellites and other civilian signals"

Computerworld Malaysia - CA’s new country manager for Malaysia and Thailand

Computerworld Malaysia - CA’s new country manager for Malaysia and Thailand:

"IT management and solutions provider CA Technologies has put Malaysia and Thailand into the hands of an industry veteran, Nutapone Apiluktoyanunt, who has been named as new country manager.

Apiluktoyanunt, who is based in Bangkok, will oversee the operations with the respective country representative partners (CRPs), namely, CA IT Infrastructure Solutions (CA-IT) in Malaysia and CA Solutions (Thailand).

"The opportunities associated with a company that has experience in providing leading platform-neutral software are very exciting," said Apiluktoyanunt. "I look forward to working with the CRPs in each country to address local needs and help businesses deliver operational efficiency, reduce risks and monetise innovation."

Half the team at the heart of the RBS disaster WERE in India • The Register

Half the team at the heart of the RBS disaster WERE in India • The Register:

 "Exclusive Cost-cutting RBS management had halved the team within which the banking group's recent data disaster happened, sources have told The Register. The sacked British employees were replaced by staff in India, and there had been concerns about the quality of the work done in India for a lengthy period prior to last week's catastrophe"
ED: My goodness gracious me

RBS: outsourcing not to blame for bank IT glitch | Enterprise | News | PC Pro

RBS: outsourcing not to blame for bank IT glitch | Enterprise | News | PC Pro


: "The incident has left many wondering how such a serious fault could last so long at a bank, and what the actual cause was - with reports suggesting a flawed upgrade in Computer Associates' software was the root of the problem.

A report in The Guardian said an update to CA 7, a workload automation system, went awry for three nights in a row. That meant the bank failed to properly process payments, leaving accounts out of date and the system struggling to catch up.


Things go wrong in technology - we have to learn the lessons from what went wrong here and try to make them less likely in the future


CA confirmed that RBS is a customer, and a spokeswoman said the software firm was "offering all assistance possible to help it resolve its technical issues which are highly unique to its environment." She added: "We do not comment on customer confidential issues.""

Gain a productivity advantage with Windows 8 and multiple monitors | TechRepublic

Gain a productivity advantage with Windows 8 and multiple monitors | TechRepublic:

 " I found that I can essentially forget about the Metro Start screen as it will only be visible on one monitor and then only when you click the Start Screen button or press the [Windows] key on your keyboard. Otherwise all you see is miles and miles of the beloved desktop real estate.

Not only does a multiple monitor configuration give Windows 8 a better feel on a desktop system, but all the new multiple monitor features that Microsoft has empowered the operating system with are really great! For example, you no longer need to have a third-party utility to put a Taskbar on each monitor or have a different wallpaper image on each desktop. Plus, there are a number of other features built into Windows 8 that are designed to boost productivity when using multiple monitors."

Microsoft expected to announce Windows Phone 8 tomorrow | Mobile - CNET News

Microsoft expected to announce Windows Phone 8 tomorrow | Mobile - CNET News:

 "Windows Phone 8, code-named Apollo, should headline the agenda. Microsoft has all but announced that future iterations of Windows Phone OS will support multicore processors, a hardware consideration that requires software on their end to function efficiently. However, getting developers to code for multi-threaded processing is also key. We should expect for multicore processor support to become official.
NFC support and more flexibility with the hardware and software should also come into play. As Near Field Communications (NFC) heats up, Microsoft will need to make sure that its phones don't get left behind. We'll be keeping our eye out for a virtual wallet.
ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley got some inside information that suggests the Zune phone-to-PC update software will get a makeover, code-named Daphne. Even better is if Microsoft altogether abandoned tethered handset-to-desktop communications and went completely cloud-based."'

EMA Radar for Workload Automation 2012 – Key Findings « Torsten Volk

EMA Radar for Workload Automation 2012 – Key Findings « Torsten Volk:

 "During this year’s research for the 2012 EMA Workload Automation (WLA) Radar Report, we encountered a number of very interesting core findings. These research results mostly originated from dozens of conversations with end customers, who have been using WLA software for many years and sometimes even for decades. WLA, by definition, is a mature discipline, as it started during the beginning of mainframe times, then became more complex when organizations adopted distributed computing, and today is faced with a new challenge: the cloud. Please take a look at what our research showed as the most important aspects of a modern WLA solution. The following vendors were included in the report: Arcana, ASCI, ASG, BMC, CA Technologies, Cisco, Flux, MVP Systems, Network Automation, ORSYP, Stonebranch, UC4."

Terma Software Labs' Award-Winning Workload Automation Analytics Solution Comes to the Mainframe with Support for CA Workload Automation CA 7 Edition - MarketWatch

Terma Software Labs' Award-Winning Workload Automation Analytics Solution Comes to the Mainframe with Support for CA Workload Automation CA 7 Edition - MarketWatch: "

BOULDER, Colo., Jun 14, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Terma Software Labs Inc. today announced the general availability of JAWS for CA 7, the fourth Workload Automation engine integrated with JAWS alongside CA Workload Automation AE, Cisco Tidal Enterprise Scheduler and Stonebranch Opswise Automation Center. In addition, Terma has been awarded this year's "Best Workload Automation Analytics Utility" by Enterprise Management Associates in their 2012 Workload Automation Market Radar Report."

Coastal Federal Credit Union Selects BlueStripe FactFinder To Ensure Consistent Customer Experience via Personal Teller Machines

Coastal Federal Credit Union Selects BlueStripe FactFinder To Ensure Consistent Customer Experience via Personal Teller Machines:

 "BlueStripe Software, a leader in application and transaction monitoring for IT Operations, today announced that Coastal Federal Credit Union is using BlueStripe’s FactFinder to ensure the availability and performance of critical business systems including Coastal’s innovative Personal Teller Machine (PTM) system."

IBM Outlaws Siri, Worried She Has Loose Lips | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com

IBM Outlaws Siri, Worried She Has Loose Lips | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com: "It turns out that Horan is right to worry. In fact, Apple’s iPhone Software License Agreement spells this out: “When you use Siri or Dictation, the things you say will be recorded and sent to Apple in order to convert what you say into text,” Apple says. Siri collects a bunch of other information — names of people from your address book and other unspecified user data, all to help Siri do a better job."

Computerworld Malaysia - Thailand to outspend Singapore in IT: IDC

Computerworld Malaysia - Thailand to outspend Singapore in IT: IDC: \

"Thailand has been tipped by research firm IDC to overtake Singapore in terms of IT spending in 2012.
Thailand is expected spend US$11 billion on IT while Singapore is forecasted to spend US$10.6 billion. According to IDC's latest IT spending forecast, the total IT spending for Southeast Asia will reach US$54.7 billion by 2012. Asia's new economic giant, Indonesia, will continue to lead the pack.
IDC projects that IT spending in Thailand will leapfrog ahead of Singapore, growing at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 10.8 percent from 2012 to 2016."

MIS-Asia - NXP opens R&D centre in Singapore

MIS-Asia - NXP opens R&D centre in Singapore

 "NXP Semiconductors today launched its research and development (R&D) centre in Singapore.
One of the projects the company intends to focus on with the new facility is developing “Car-to-X detection to increase safe driving” in collaboration with A*STAR (Agency for Science Technology and Research). NXP also said it plans to collaborate with institutes to develop smart environment sensors in buildings to improve energy efficiency.
NXP said it plans to invest more than US$16 million (S$20 million) in the new facility and employ 50 employees."

The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011 | World Economic Forum - The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011

The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011 | World Economic Forum - The Global Information 
Technology Report 2010-2011:

"Sweden and Singapore continue to top the rankings of The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011, Transformations 2.0, released by the World Economic Forum, confirming the leadership of the Nordic countries and the Asian Tiger economies in adopting and implementing ICT advances for increased growth and development. Finland jumps to third place, while Switzerland and the United States are steady in fourth and fifth place respectively. "

CIO-Asia - Application performance management top priority for CIOs: Quocirca

CIO-Asia - Application performance management top priority for CIOs: Quocirca:

"Application performance management is the top priority for IT executives in 2012, over improvements to private cloud, network upgrades and new internal apps, according to a report by analyst firm Quocirca.
In a study of 500 IT executives and CIOs from organisations in the UK, France, Germany and the United States, 82% of CIOs and 66% of all respondents said that users will expect better performance from their online applications in 2012.
However, nearly half of the CIOs surveyed said they were not confident that their organisation will be able to meet the expected demand without improving their application performance management (APM) capabilities."

'

Jackson Hewitt Selects BlueStripe FactFinder to Ensure Top Performance of Critical Tax-Time Applications and Transactions - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

Jackson Hewitt Selects BlueStripe FactFinder to Ensure Top Performance of Critical Tax-Time Applications and Transactions - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports:

 "BlueStripe Software, a leader in application and transaction monitoring for IT Operations, today announced that Jackson Hewitt, the nation’s second largest tax preparation firm, will use BlueStripe Software’s FactFinder solution to proactively manage application and transaction performance across all of their 6,600 franchise locations.

FactFinder gives Jackson Hewitt a view into its entire IT infrastructure from transactions through applications and servers. FactFinder enables the IT Operations team to quickly pinpoint and solve transaction bottlenecks by allowing the team to drill down into each level of the application system when problems occur. That visibility enables Jackson-Hewitt to focus the right remediation resources on any problem for a fix before end users are impacted, ensuring that Service Level Agreements are being met"

Computerworld Singapore - Amazon releases desktop app for Its cloud storage service

Computerworld Singapore - Amazon releases desktop app for Its cloud storage service:

 "If you have an Amazon account, you also have five gigabytes of free online storage for your files at your disposal through the Amazon Cloud Drive service. You may not have known that, though, because accessing that space hasn't been as easy as it is with services like Dropbox and SkyDrive."

Computerworld Malaysia - Microsoft to retire Windows Live brand ahead of Windows 8 launch

Computerworld Malaysia - Microsoft to retire Windows Live brand ahead of Windows 8 launch: "In Windows 8 machines, pre-installed applications that will have both local and cloud components include Microsoft Account, SkyDrive, Mail, Calendar, People (contacts), Messaging and Photos/Videos.
Along the way, Microsoft will shed their existing names, including Windows Live ID, Windows Live Mail, Windows Calendar, Windows Contacts, MSN Messenger, Windows Live Photo Gallery and Movie Maker.
It will also be possible to link the Microsoft Account with third-party online services, like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, in a way that a single list of contacts is maintained not only across Microsoft products but is also augmented"

'

BlueStripe Software Named "Cool Vendor in APM" by Leading Analyst Firm

BlueStripe Software Named "Cool Vendor in APM" by Leading Analyst Firm

"BlueStripe Software has been named a "Cool Vendor" in the Gartner "Cool Vendors in Application Performance Monitoring 2012" report which evaluates selected vendors that have innovative, impactful, and intriguing solutions in the Application Performance Monitoring segment of IT Operations management software."

MIS-Asia - Cloud computing adoption remains slow among AP manufacturers

MIS-Asia - Cloud computing adoption remains slow among AP manufacturers:

"Cloud computing is still at a nascent stage among manufacturing companies in the Asia Pacific region, according to a study by research firm IDC Manufacturing Insights.
"Keeping costs down continues to be the primary focus of Asia/Pacific manufacturers," said Dr William Lee, senior research manager for IDC Manufacturing Insights Asia/Pacific. The report Manufacturing and Cloud Computing: A View from Asia Pacific excluding Japan compiled responses from 59 manufacturers across the region."

Computerworld Singapore - TCS becomes the first U$10 billion Indian IT company

Computerworld Singapore - TCS becomes the first U$10 billion Indian IT company:

 "Indian IT services, consulting and business solutions provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), became the first IT firm in the country to cross the 10 billion dollar milestone posting annual revenues of US$10.17 billion.
The IT firm reported its consolidated financial results today for the quarter and financial year ended March 31, 2012.
Annual revenues up 24 percent at US$10.17 billion and annual net income stood at US$2.2 billion, up 16 percent year on year"

Computerworld Malaysia - Intel's new Studybook tablet reignites rivalry with OLPC

Computerworld Malaysia - Intel's new Studybook tablet reignites rivalry with OLPC:

 "Beyond OLPC's XO-3, many tablets are already available at much lower prices than Intel's Studybook, with some priced under $100. But Grant argued that Intel is adding more value with software geared towards learning.
Intel is bundling a range of classroom software to provide a more interactive and engaging learning experience to students. Also included is textbook e-reading software from Kno, which last year received a $20 million cash fusion from Intel."