Management in a world of inescapable data

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: DENNIS DROGSETH ON NETWORK/SYSTEMS
MANAGEMENT
08/01/05
Today's focus: Management in a world of inescapable data

Dear security.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Review: 'Inescapable Data'
* Links related to Network/Systems Management
* Featured reader resource
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This newsletter is sponsored by Avocent
Network World Executive Guide: Reviewing Trends and Insights for
SMB Executives

Life is different for IT professionals at small and mid-sized
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trends and insights surrounding VoIP and VPNs; plus get
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_______________________________________________________________

Today's focus: Management in a world of inescapable data

By Dennis Drogseth

I don't usually do columns about books - I think this is the
first - but I decided to make an exception when I was contacted
by Chris Stakutis, one of the authors of "Inescapable Data:
Harnessing the Power of Convergence."

Co-authored with John Webster, the book
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0131852159/fusion0e> is
a mixture of technological and sociological speculation and
insight. It takes the reader through a vision of pervasive
information and what it means to different industries (for
example, retail, manufacturing, entertainment and the military),
through a mix of enabling technologies - from wireless, to
advances in storage, to supercomputing, to new forms of
visualization and intelligent networking.

The "convergence" discussed in the book is not simply about
voice, video and data, but also about a steady surge of
information in various forms, accessible across multiple access
points, and how it will likely affect (and to a significant
degree already is affecting) the way we live and work. The
vision in the book is one of pervasive access to increasingly
information-rich applications for both entertainment and work -
whether this means more versatile interaction with Web sites,
holographic applications for industrial designers, simple
glowing orbs to let us know when a bus is likely to arrive, or
indicators for whether a temperature threshold is likely to be
exceeded in an industrial environment.

My personal favorite was "motes," or "miniaturized thumb-sized
computers attached to radio transceivers, powered by batteries
or solar cells." Motes can actually be so tiny that they can be
sprinkled across a wall surface in "smart paint." These can
"self-organize" into "mini computer societies." Requiring
minimal power and virtually no real maintenance, this would mean
you could walk into a room where the paint on the walls would be
literally "listening" to detect, say, security-threatening
behavior, or maybe to identify you and trigger a communication
so that the building you were entering would welcome you as an
honored guest. It's easy to imagine the military and security
value of such computer designs.

Manipulation and interactivity for entertainment and work are
also part of this vision. And of course this will bring risks in
terms of privacy, distraction and disruption, and - surprise! -
a drastic need to enhance the consistency and performance of
increasingly complex applications over increasingly diverse and
expanding networked systems.

From a network and application management perspective, one of
the most interesting sections is entitled "Intelligent
Networking" and references work done by Cheng Wu, founder of
Acopia Networks. The book presents a vision where the core
intelligence for applications moves into the network, so that
the user's view of the application and the network's view of the
application largely coincide. The benefit of this would be that
huge performance advantages could be achieved as the network
sorts through application and user priorities in real time. XML
encapsulation is seen to be the best answer here. Although
nowhere in the book are service-oriented architecture and Web
services mentioned, the potential advantages of this design
point in a modularized application environment become even more
enormous.

Since the notion that the network is, or should be, a utility in
an absolute sense has always troubled me, I found this vision
particularly attractive. Taking the hackneyed analogy of the
network to a utility train transport, this would be the
equivalent of a train system that would transport each passenger
knowing the urgency with which they had to arrive, their seating
preferences, what type of traveling companion they would find
most entertaining, their eating preferences, their work
requirements during the trip and their entertainment needs
during the trip - and of course any medical issues or the
possible fact that what they really need to do is sleep. It
would then create a magic kingdom in which each passenger
virtually inhabited their perfect "traveling" world.

While there is little in "Inescapable Data" that's purely
targeted at network and systems management, I found that the
book was enormously stimulating in framing what the future might
hold for the management of application services across a wide
variety of networked transports. It also had a solid section
with direct implications for storage management and storage
performance. The book is written for an executive-level reader
interested in technology and its effects, so it doesn't require
a background in engineering or even computer science to follow
it.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Furor over Cisco IOS router exploit erupts at Black Hat
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm4120>

2. Cisco, ISS, Michael Lynn and Black Hat sign legal accord
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm4121>

3. Researcher at center of Cisco router-exploit controversy
speaks out <http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm4122>

4. 2005 Salary Survey <http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm3898>

5. Cisco nixes conference session on hacking IOS router code
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm4123>
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Dennis Drogseth

Dennis Drogseth is a vice president with Enterprise Management
Associates <http://www.enterprisemanagement.com/>, a leading
analyst, market research and IT consulting firm based in
Boulder, Colorado, focusing exclusively on all aspects of
enterprise management. Dennis has extensive experience in
service level management and network management platforms and
products. He is actively researching trends in management
software and changing IT roles internationally. His 22-plus
years of experience in high-tech includes positions at IBM and
Cabletron. He is widely quoted in the press and is a speaker at
many industry events. He can be reached via e-mail
<mailto:drogseth@enterprisemanagement.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Avocent
Network World Executive Guide: Reviewing Trends and Insights for
SMB Executives

Life is different for IT professionals at small and mid-sized
businesses, which don't have the luxury of hiring legions of
network experts. Read how network executives are keeping a firm
footing on an ever-shifting product landscape. Learn about
trends and insights surrounding VoIP and VPNs; plus get
commentaries from leading experts on storage strategies for
smaller businesses.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=109152
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

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http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/nsm/index.html

Management Research Center:
http://www.networkworld.com/topics/management.html
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE
SIX TIPS FOR GETTING WHAT YOU DESERVE

Before you go in for your next annual review or promotion
interview, you would be wise to consider these tips for ensuring
you've got the right stuff to move ahead. Network executives
offer advice to help you gun for that next promotion and fatten
up your paycheck. Click here:
<http://www.networkworld.com/you/2005/072505-salary-side2.html>
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