Blade Watch

Realwire

London, 29 April, 2009: A survey* commissioned by NetApp has revealed that UK business leaders are in the dark about how to reduce business costs through technology, focusing instead on managing security risks through IT.

Despite the fact that 59% of Britain’s ‘Captains of Industry’ see the current financial crisis as the most critical issue facing Britain, 41% do not feel confident that they know enough about technology to be able to evaluate the options available to improve their business performance.

When questioned about their understanding of IT’s ability to support the business, 74% of board-level respondents claimed to understand data protection and recovery, with 62% saying the same about data loss and security. In contrast, only 25% of respondents claimed knowledge of virtualisation. NetApp has just announced a guarantee that they will increase companies’ storage capacity by 35% when they purchase a new V-Series system, hence vastly reducing associated costs.** The study was carried out as part of NetApp’s commitment to enabling customer breakthroughs and delivering an outstanding customer experience.

The vendors, analysts and service providers have made great efforts in spreading the virtualization, the green IT message, the next step is to put this in the business context both in terms of empowerment and in return on investment.

Virtualization is a real business enabler through achieving more with less, through abstracting the end user or the application from the underlying device. At the same time, in terms of cost, being able to bring online new services, new applications without having to buy another server can reduce your capital expenditure costs, but most importantly be a tremendously freeing activity. That I have the floor space, the ability to say, for the next three weeks, we’re expecting more traffic to the web site, can we bring online a new web server for the time being and finding that IT can deliver this without the normal barriers to delivery transforms not only my perception of IT, but also with what I as a business can achieve, can do with my IT.

Could I white label my applications to another client or business? Do I now have possibilities for earning revenue without necessarily a corresponding increase in my direct IT costs?

Regardless the debate will continue, that we stay on stream, enable and empower end users, be they IT or business to achieve the most from their platforms must continue, their success with the platform is my success with the technology, with my revenues, and my business.  One user gaining benefits from virtualization might lead to four more organizations, four more businesses adapting the platform, the more easier we make it, the more best practice, hints and tips we publish, the more community and contactable people are to help with issues, the more the technology and business revenues can grow and transform.

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