Is your organization looking to cut costs, reduce deployment time, or gain new capabilities that you find challenging to implement with traditional on-premises infrastructure? Then outsourcing IT may be right for you.
Are your projects making the dean’s list?Blake Bisson
Featured Speaker: Linda Sabatelli, Project Manager, Miami University
Have you reviewed a project portfolio and stared at columns of numbers, dates and Gantt charts only to wonder which projects are going to make the Dean's List and which ones are destined for dropout or failure? By turning the data in this report into Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), it is possible to identify projects that are thriving and those that are struggling. With these metrics in hand, management can intervene as soon as the project starts slipping and help get it back on track for the Dean's List.
Linda Sabatelli, Project Manager at Miami University presents how her organization works with PowerSteering Software to optimize their project portfolio
Just Say No to Spreadsheets: A Practical Approach to Automating Capacity Mana...Precisely
Many companies, even medium-sized and larger firms, still rely on a spreadsheet-based foundation for managing capacity, even if they’ve added other application- and platform-specific tools to the mix. Meanwhile, staffing and processes have, naturally, conformed to fit that collection of tools.
While everything might be working well enough for now, it’s only a matter of time before the looming risk of a serious failure becomes a reality. Capacity management functions that rely on spreadsheets are inherently risky, prone to failure and might not comply with today’s regulations. Even if they try to be structured like a database, or have been dressed up like an app using VBS, spreadsheets are flat files and have limitations.
Yet the prospect of throwing out years’ worth of processes and investing in an automated capacity management solution can seem overwhelming. Join this webinar to learn a practical approach to transitioning away from manual processes and spreadsheets while adopting automation that is right fit for your organization’s needs.
View this webinar with CMG on-demand, where we cover:
• Risks and limitations of a spreadsheet-based approach to capacity management
• Capacity Management Automation: Options and Advantages
• Best practices and real-world examples
Microsoft recently announced the release of Microsoft Project 2013, the latest Project and Portfolio Management solution from Microsoft. This webinar covers the four stages of the UMT Project Portfolio Management Governance Lifecycle: Create, Select, Plan, and Manage.
Are your projects making the dean’s list?Blake Bisson
Featured Speaker: Linda Sabatelli, Project Manager, Miami University
Have you reviewed a project portfolio and stared at columns of numbers, dates and Gantt charts only to wonder which projects are going to make the Dean's List and which ones are destined for dropout or failure? By turning the data in this report into Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), it is possible to identify projects that are thriving and those that are struggling. With these metrics in hand, management can intervene as soon as the project starts slipping and help get it back on track for the Dean's List.
Linda Sabatelli, Project Manager at Miami University presents how her organization works with PowerSteering Software to optimize their project portfolio
Just Say No to Spreadsheets: A Practical Approach to Automating Capacity Mana...Precisely
Many companies, even medium-sized and larger firms, still rely on a spreadsheet-based foundation for managing capacity, even if they’ve added other application- and platform-specific tools to the mix. Meanwhile, staffing and processes have, naturally, conformed to fit that collection of tools.
While everything might be working well enough for now, it’s only a matter of time before the looming risk of a serious failure becomes a reality. Capacity management functions that rely on spreadsheets are inherently risky, prone to failure and might not comply with today’s regulations. Even if they try to be structured like a database, or have been dressed up like an app using VBS, spreadsheets are flat files and have limitations.
Yet the prospect of throwing out years’ worth of processes and investing in an automated capacity management solution can seem overwhelming. Join this webinar to learn a practical approach to transitioning away from manual processes and spreadsheets while adopting automation that is right fit for your organization’s needs.
View this webinar with CMG on-demand, where we cover:
• Risks and limitations of a spreadsheet-based approach to capacity management
• Capacity Management Automation: Options and Advantages
• Best practices and real-world examples
Microsoft recently announced the release of Microsoft Project 2013, the latest Project and Portfolio Management solution from Microsoft. This webinar covers the four stages of the UMT Project Portfolio Management Governance Lifecycle: Create, Select, Plan, and Manage.
Driving Business Performance with Microsoft Performance ManagementNic Smith
Learn how Microsoft technology supports your initative for performance management. PerformancePoint Server completes an end-to-end vision for Microsoft BI and enables organizations to monitor, analyze, and plan to drive results.
Integrated Project and Solution Delivery And Business Engagement ModelAlan McSweeney
Projects are a continuum from initial concept to planning, design, implementation and management and operation of the implemented solution (and ultimate decommissioning) and across IT and business functions.
Therefore it is important to have an integrated project delivery approach that crosses these core dimensions.
This describes an integrated approach to solution delivery encompassing Stages - project stages/timeline, Activities - IT and business functions/ roles/ activities, Gates - project review and decision gates and Artefacts - project results and deliverables. This combines project management into all other aspects and activities of project and solution delivery:
• Business
• Business Analysis
• Solution Architecture
• Implementation and Delivery
• Test and Quality
• Organisation Readiness
• Service Management
• Infrastructure
It emphasises early business engagement and solution definition and validation to detail a solution that meet a clear and articulated business need that will deliver a realisable and achievable set of business benefits. It ensures that the complexity of what has to be delivered is understood so there is a strong and solid foundation for solution implementation, delivery and management and operation.
Developing a Modernization Strategy: Evaluating the Options by Chris KoppeFresche Solutions
Chris Koppe, VP of Corporate Strategy at Fresche Legacy presented Developing a Modernization Strategy: Evaluating the Options during iBelieve 2015.
This presentation covers:
- Modernization strategies
- Establishing goals and objectives
- Strategy definition
- Planning
- Getting funding and support
Business Process Management for Housing Operations describes how the University of Florida Department of Housing and Residence Education uses BPM to manage software development projects.
Microservices And Fast Data: Industry And Architecture Trends [with 451 Resea...Lightbend
Streaming data systems, so called “Fast Data”, promise accelerated access to information, leading to new innovations and competitive advantages. But they aren’t just “faster” versions of Big Data systems. They force architecture changes to meet new demands for reliability and dynamic scalability, more like microservices. At the same time, they open up opportunities for new products and services.
Join Dean Wampler with Lightbend and Matt Aslett with 451 Research as they:
* Discuss the business justification for transitioning from batch-oriented big data to stream-oriented fast data.
* Explain the changes that streaming architectures require to meet their higher demands for reliability, resiliency, dynamic scalability, etc.
* Discuss how some of these requirements can be met by leveraging what organizations already know about microservice architectures.
Project Management and IT − Recorded Webinar by Dennis DrogsethServiceDesk Plus
This Webinar looked into key trends impacting the demands on IT from both inside and outside IT and how these are requiring new approaches to Project Management, Portfolio Management, and ITSM-driven governance.
The webinar also addressed some of the questions pertaining to
How IT is expected to perform in 2013 and the foreseeable future, and how this represents a rupture with the past.
How IT project management must change in response.
How PPM solutions will eventually evolve into uniquely optimized workflows coupled with automation and analytics.
The present/future role of social networking and stakeholder management.
How to begin to unravel the mess.
Where to go from there.
Accomplished IT professional who manages advanced technology operations for leading financial organizations. Mainframe storage management and data reduction expert: Initiated and managed numerous projects expanding storage capacity, streamlining data and optimizing efficiency with minimal or no disruption to business operations.
Getting started with Process Mining also means to motivate the Management Board to do it. Of course there are always a lot reasons not to start with Process Mining - Here you have some hints how to prepare your mindset for a pitch in front of the management board.
Driving Business Performance with Microsoft Performance ManagementNic Smith
Learn how Microsoft technology supports your initative for performance management. PerformancePoint Server completes an end-to-end vision for Microsoft BI and enables organizations to monitor, analyze, and plan to drive results.
Integrated Project and Solution Delivery And Business Engagement ModelAlan McSweeney
Projects are a continuum from initial concept to planning, design, implementation and management and operation of the implemented solution (and ultimate decommissioning) and across IT and business functions.
Therefore it is important to have an integrated project delivery approach that crosses these core dimensions.
This describes an integrated approach to solution delivery encompassing Stages - project stages/timeline, Activities - IT and business functions/ roles/ activities, Gates - project review and decision gates and Artefacts - project results and deliverables. This combines project management into all other aspects and activities of project and solution delivery:
• Business
• Business Analysis
• Solution Architecture
• Implementation and Delivery
• Test and Quality
• Organisation Readiness
• Service Management
• Infrastructure
It emphasises early business engagement and solution definition and validation to detail a solution that meet a clear and articulated business need that will deliver a realisable and achievable set of business benefits. It ensures that the complexity of what has to be delivered is understood so there is a strong and solid foundation for solution implementation, delivery and management and operation.
Developing a Modernization Strategy: Evaluating the Options by Chris KoppeFresche Solutions
Chris Koppe, VP of Corporate Strategy at Fresche Legacy presented Developing a Modernization Strategy: Evaluating the Options during iBelieve 2015.
This presentation covers:
- Modernization strategies
- Establishing goals and objectives
- Strategy definition
- Planning
- Getting funding and support
Business Process Management for Housing Operations describes how the University of Florida Department of Housing and Residence Education uses BPM to manage software development projects.
Microservices And Fast Data: Industry And Architecture Trends [with 451 Resea...Lightbend
Streaming data systems, so called “Fast Data”, promise accelerated access to information, leading to new innovations and competitive advantages. But they aren’t just “faster” versions of Big Data systems. They force architecture changes to meet new demands for reliability and dynamic scalability, more like microservices. At the same time, they open up opportunities for new products and services.
Join Dean Wampler with Lightbend and Matt Aslett with 451 Research as they:
* Discuss the business justification for transitioning from batch-oriented big data to stream-oriented fast data.
* Explain the changes that streaming architectures require to meet their higher demands for reliability, resiliency, dynamic scalability, etc.
* Discuss how some of these requirements can be met by leveraging what organizations already know about microservice architectures.
Project Management and IT − Recorded Webinar by Dennis DrogsethServiceDesk Plus
This Webinar looked into key trends impacting the demands on IT from both inside and outside IT and how these are requiring new approaches to Project Management, Portfolio Management, and ITSM-driven governance.
The webinar also addressed some of the questions pertaining to
How IT is expected to perform in 2013 and the foreseeable future, and how this represents a rupture with the past.
How IT project management must change in response.
How PPM solutions will eventually evolve into uniquely optimized workflows coupled with automation and analytics.
The present/future role of social networking and stakeholder management.
How to begin to unravel the mess.
Where to go from there.
Accomplished IT professional who manages advanced technology operations for leading financial organizations. Mainframe storage management and data reduction expert: Initiated and managed numerous projects expanding storage capacity, streamlining data and optimizing efficiency with minimal or no disruption to business operations.
Getting started with Process Mining also means to motivate the Management Board to do it. Of course there are always a lot reasons not to start with Process Mining - Here you have some hints how to prepare your mindset for a pitch in front of the management board.
EPM Cloud in Real Life: 2 Real-world Cloud Migration Case StudiesDatavail
In this presentation at the HugMN user conference, we presented 2 different successful real-world EPM Cloud migration and implementation case studies from different industries. Get a birds-eye view into the practicalities of moving to cloud, and the tools you need to make the business case for your own company.
Nearly every IT leader these days is wresting with Shadow IT – the dynamic in which end users obtain IT solutions from cloud service providers without informing corporate IT.
“Selecting and implementing a new asset finance system? In the second of three articles, we go back to basics to take a look at what you need to consider at the start of your project to give yourself the best chance of success.”
This has necessarily been a brief look at Project Initiation. We welcome comments and would be happy to help you get your project off to a good start.
Moving to the cloud in regulated environmentsKev Miller
Moving to the cloud in regulated environments - presentation by Astrix President, Dale Curtis at Lab Informatics Summit - details the process for moving from traditional premise-based lab tech to the cloud
• Understanding the ideal project lifecycle of a successful CMS implementation
• How to create truly exceptional, results-driven Web experiences
• Early considerations for building traffic through your website i.e. how to architect your website for maximum traffic, engagement and repeat visits and the feature sets you should look for in a CMS to make these happen
• Strategies for bridging social technologies into your CMS for maximum visibility, audience engagement and business benefit
• Current business and technology trends in Web Content Management
• The most common Web CMS pitfalls, and Best Practices for avoiding them.
Asset finance system project initiation 101. “Selecting and implementing a new asset finance system? In the second of three articles, we go back to basics to take a look at what you need to consider at the start of your project to give yourself the best chance of success.” This has necessarily been a brief look at Project Initiation. We welcome comments and would be happy to help you get your project off to a good start.
Foundational Strategies for Trust in Big Data Part 1: Getting Data to the Pla...Precisely
Teams working on new business initiatives, whether for enhancing customer engagement, creating new value, or addressing compliance considerations, know that a successful strategy starts with the synchronization of operational and reporting data from across the organization into a centralized repository for use in advanced analytics and other projects. However, the range and complexity of data sources as well as the lack of specialized skills needed to extract data from critical legacy systems often causes inefficiencies and gaps in the data being used by the business.
The first part of our webcast series on Foundation Strategies for Trust in Big Data provides insight into how Syncsort Connect with its design once, deploy anywhere approach supports a repeatable pattern for data integration by enabling enterprise architects and developers to ensure data from ALL enterprise data sources– from mainframe to cloud – is available in the downstream data lakes for use in these key business initiatives.
Similar to Outsourcing IT Projects to Managed Hosting of the Cloud (20)
We're constantly reminded about how fleeting time is—but what if you had more time? What would you do? We decided to illustrate some of the answers we found on Twitter.
If you're looking to get some time back in your day, consider letting Rackspace manage your servers. We can focus on the tech so that you can focus on innovation.
Learn more about Rackspace: http://rackspace.com
Learn more about this project: https://blog.rackspace.com/moretime-question-ages
Learn how to overcome security challenges, such as: identity theft, spoofed transactions, DDoS business disruption, criminal extortion and more. You'll learn how a security strategy promotes confidence in the cloud.
6 Commonly Asked Questions from Customers Building on AWSRackspace
This session is ideal for IT/Infrastructure Manager, Application Developers, System Architects/Administrators and anyone who is growing their AWS footprint. We will uncover recent customer experiences at every stage while you can network with peers that face similar challenges.
The Evolution of OpenStack – From Infancy to EnterpriseRackspace
As OpenStack turns 5 this year, we thought it would be a good time to take a look back at the evolution of OpenStack. We start with a quick overview of what OpenStack is, how OpenStack came to be and describe the OpenStack Foundation. Next we describe the problem that OpenStack helps to solve, the components of OpenStack and the timeline for when these components came to be. Last, we outline the current features and benefits that make OpenStack ready for the enterprise with supporting Enterprise use case examples. Blog can be found here (
https://developer.rackspace.com/blog/evolution-of-openstack-from-infancy-to-enterprise/) and webinar can be found here (https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/11427/138613)
Data is being generated at a feverish pace and forward thinking companies are integrating big data and analytics as part of their core strategy from day one. However, it is often hard to sift through the hype around big data and many companies start with only a small subset of data. Can smaller companies benefit from big data efforts? We will discuss several use cases and examples of how startups are using data to optimize their operations, connect with their users, and expand their market.
Deploy Apache Spark™ on Rackspace OnMetal™ for Cloud Big Data PlatformRackspace
There's an elephant in the room when it comes to Big Data. Apache Hadoop and Spark offer the promise to transform how businesses leverage Big Data, finding the right mix of flexible deployments, elastic scalability, and performance can be daunting.
Introducing Rackspace OnMetal™ for Apache Spark™ an industry first that combines the performance and efficiency of bare metal with the ease and flexibility of cloud. With Rackspace OnMetal for Cloud Big Data Platform you can transform how you run Hadoop and Spark workloads:
•Deploy in minutes, not months
•Spin instances up or down on demand
•Process data in-memory for faster query times
•Get bare metal performance and say goodbye to virtualization taxes
Sign up and learn how Rackspace OnMetal for Cloud Big Data Platform can rapidly move your organization from planning to deploying.
Rackspace::Solve NYC - Welcome Keynote featuring Rackspace CTO John EngatesRackspace
Solving business challenges - that was the focus at Rackspace::Solve in New York City, the second of three one-day summits that showcase how companies are overcoming the toughest challenges in their businesses and for their customers. In this presentation, Rackspace CTO John Engates kicks off the day with an overview of some of those challenges, and the various ways some of our customers and partners help solve them by using Rackspace's Managed Cloud offerings.
Rackspace (NYSE: RAX) is the #1 managed cloud company. Our technical expertise and Fanatical Support® allow companies to tap the power of the cloud without the pain of hiring experts in dozens of complex technologies. Rackspace is also the leader in hybrid cloud, giving each customer the best fit for its unique needs — whether on single- or multi-tenant servers, or a combination of those platforms. Rackspace is the founder of OpenStack®, the open-source operating system for the cloud. Headquartered in San Antonio, we serve more than 200,000 business customers from data centers on four continents. We rank 29th on Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit www.rackspace.com.
Rackspace::Solve NYC - Solving for Rapid Customer Growth and Scale Through De...Rackspace
At Rackspace::Solve NYC, Jon Hyman, CIO of Appboy and Prashanth Chandrasekar, GM of DevOps at Rackspace, discuss the role of DevOps in helping to solve the technical challenges that come with rapid growth.
Rackspace (NYSE: RAX) is the #1 managed cloud company. Our technical expertise and Fanatical Support® allow companies to tap the power of the cloud without the pain of hiring experts in dozens of complex technologies. Rackspace is also the leader in hybrid cloud, giving each customer the best fit for its unique needs — whether on single- or multi-tenant servers, or a combination of those platforms. Rackspace is the founder of OpenStack®, the open-source operating system for the cloud. Headquartered in San Antonio, we serve more than 200,000 business customers from data centers on four continents. We rank 29th on Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit www.rackspace.com.
Rackspace::Solve NYC - Second Stage CloudRackspace
James Staten, VP and top Analyst at Forrester Research discusses tech adoption of cloud computing at Rackspace::Solve New York. Staten explains the Second-Stage Cloud, which means that the optimization phase of client-server is ending while we enter the rationalizations phase of cloud computing. This makes the cloud-competition today based on “service-value”, causing a hyper-growth for cloud services.
Rackspace::Solve NYC - Solving for Rapid Customer Growth and Scale Through De...Rackspace
At Rackspace Solve New York, Jon Hyman, CIO of AppBoy, shared how AppBoy uses Rackspace’s DevOps Automation Services to increase app engagement for their clients, including Urban Outfitters and Shape Magazine. With Rackspace’s managed cloud providing support, Appboy was able to excel rapid customer growth and scale through DevOps.
Rackspace::Solve NYC - The Future of Applications with Ken Cochrane, Engineer...Rackspace
What does intermodal shipping have to do with managing your app’s components in different environments? Ken Cochrane, Engineering Manager at Docker, explains in this presentation from Rackspace::Solve NYC. For more information about Rackspace::Solve, visit http://www.rackspacesolve.com.
Rackspace (NYSE: RAX) is the #1 managed cloud company. Our technical expertise and Fanatical Support® allow companies to tap the power of the cloud without the pain of hiring experts in dozens of complex technologies. Rackspace is also the leader in hybrid cloud, giving each customer the best fit for its unique needs — whether on single- or multi-tenant servers, or a combination of those platforms. Rackspace is the founder of OpenStack®, the open-source operating system for the cloud. Headquartered in San Antonio, we serve more than 200,000 business customers from data centers on four continents. We rank 29th on Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit www.rackspace.com.
vCenter Site Recovery Manager: Architecting a DR SolutionRackspace
VMware’s vCenter Site Recovery Manager is the market-leading disaster-recovery management product. It ensures the simplest and most reliable disaster protection for all virtualized applications. However, it is not a turn-key DR solution. Architecting your SRM solution requires deep thought and heavy planning. This presentation will help you with planning and architecting your SRM solution as well as addressing specific configuration and installation challenges. Our goal is to help you deploy and maintain a solid SRM solution to enable your DR Plan.
Some IT initiatives, such as disaster recovery, are natural fits for cloud computing. Yet it can be challenging to know exactly where to begin when it comes to configuring self-managed recovery plans and replicating virtual machines (VMs) from on-premises to a cloud service provider.
Migrating Traditional Apps from On-Premises to the Hybrid CloudRackspace
Re-architecting legacy apps for the public cloud is very resource intensive. However, migrating apps to a hosted hybrid cloud that’s composed of bare-metal servers, VMware® virtualization, EMC® storage and public cloud offers cloud-bursting benefits, but with less risk and cost. Check out our presentation and learn the five-step path to hybrid cloud.
How vSphere and OpenStack fit together to build a hybrid solution.
In this presentation you will learn more about:
- OpenStack
- Legacy vs. Cloud native architectures and application deployments
- OpenStack architecture compared to the vSphere architecture
- Building hybrid solutions with vSphere and OpenStack
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and GrafanaRTTS
Watch this recorded webinar about real-time monitoring of application performance. See how to integrate Apache JMeter, the open-source leader in performance testing, with InfluxDB, the open-source time-series database, and Grafana, the open-source analytics and visualization application.
In this webinar, we will review the benefits of leveraging InfluxDB and Grafana when executing load tests and demonstrate how these tools are used to visualize performance metrics.
Length: 30 minutes
Session Overview
-------------------------------------------
During this webinar, we will cover the following topics while demonstrating the integrations of JMeter, InfluxDB and Grafana:
- What out-of-the-box solutions are available for real-time monitoring JMeter tests?
- What are the benefits of integrating InfluxDB and Grafana into the load testing stack?
- Which features are provided by Grafana?
- Demonstration of InfluxDB and Grafana using a practice web application
To view the webinar recording, go to:
https://www.rttsweb.com/jmeter-integration-webinar
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...Ramesh Iyer
In today's fast-changing business world, Companies that adapt and embrace new ideas often need help to keep up with the competition. However, fostering a culture of innovation takes much work. It takes vision, leadership and willingness to take risks in the right proportion. Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder of Builder.ai, has perfected the art of this balance, creating a company culture where creativity and growth are nurtured at each stage.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
2. Our Definition of Outsourcing IT
Moving an application or workload from
your data center to a 3rd-party
managed service or cloud service.
www.rackspace.com 2
out·sourc·ing
/out, sôrs, iNG/
3. 3
Why Businesses Outsource IT
www.rackspace.com
• Move costs from CapEx to OpEx
• Eliminate mundane IT chores
• Reallocate staff to more strategic projects
• Preserve governance
5. • Involve all departmental and executive stakeholders whose
budgets will be affected by the effort
• Create a statement of the problem that is specific, quantifiable
and properly scoped
• Understand effective use cases for outsourcing IT, including
– Reducing high IT costs, especially for CapEx
– Improving response to user requests for new apps or new workloads
– Increasing data center capacity
– Eliminating mundane IT chores that distract from strategic projects
• Realize when outsourcing IT is not a good fit
– Solving an irritating or non-mission critical challenge
5
#1: Clear Definition of the Problem
www.rackspace.com
6. • Begin with the end in mind
• Make goals quantifiable and
measurable, such as
– Increased revenues – How much extra
revenue do you want to generate, and in what
timeframe?
– Cost savings – How much can you save on
infrastructure by turning in-house IT functions
over to an outsource provider? How long will
this take to achieve?
– Reduced time-to-market – How long will it
take to put your outsourced IT into production
compared with today?
• Set quantifiable goals and review them
periodically to increase outsourcing
success
6
#2: Quantifiable Criteria for Success
www.rackspace.com
7. “An engaged executive sponsor—with a vested
business interest in the project from kickoff to close—
can mean the difference between
success and failure.”
- Project Management Institute
8
www.rackspace.com
8. • An executive sponsor for an outsourcing project
should have
– Enough authority to see the project through
– A vested interest in achieving the stated goals
– Control of resources required for the project
– A willingness to be actively involved, but comfortable
delegating day-to-day authority to the project manager
9
#3: Appropriate Executive Sponsor
Executive Sponsor
www.rackspace.com
Vice President
Director
Manager
9. • Role
– Add outsourced IT as a new project in the PM’s workload
– Make PM final decision-maker and accountable for overall project success
• Responsibilities
– Serve as single point of contact for partner and internal resources
– Oversee day-to-day decisions without constant approval from the executive sponsor
10
#4: Competent, Empowered Project Manager
www.rackspace.com
10. “Every negative issue encountered boiled down to poor
communication.”
- Six managers who led 16 IT outsourcing projects over an eight-year
period in a University of Portsmouth (UK) research study
11
Alessio Ishizaka and Rebecca Blakiston, “The 18C’s model for a
successful long-term outsourcing arrangement”, Industrial Marketing
Management, 41(7), 2012, pages 1071–1080, section 4.3.1
www.rackspace.com
11. • Change happens
• Create an escalation process – a systematic way for
any changes to be handled by the PM
• Keep communications open, clear, systematic and
unhindered
12
#5: Clear Channels of Communication
www.rackspace.com
12. • Identify clear phases
• Organize the effort required during each stage
• Three-stage Unisys Transitional Methodology*, an example
– Planning – Define objectives, evaluate application or workload, assign roles and engage partner
– Knowledge transfer – Familiarize partner with internal team, workload to be outsourced, and expected results
– Responsibility transfer - Bring outsourced IT into production (partner)
13
#6: Identified Phases of the Project
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Planning
Knowledge
Transfer
Responsibility
Transfer
13. • Flow milestones naturally from project phases
– Agree on them with partner
– Make them visible to all interested parties
• Meet weekly to evaluate progress
• Balance accountability and flexibility, especially as milestones get closer
• Stay engaged with the service provider throughout
14
#7: Clear Project Milestones
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Milestone 1 Milestone 2 Milestone 3 Milestone 4
14. • Listen to your outsourcing partner’s ideas
– They know how to avoid issues that threaten success
– They can suggest smart course corrections that save time or effort
– They have experience on their side
15
#8: An Open Mind
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15. • SLA with a service provider will likely include these
metrics:
– Network uptime
– Incident response time
– Hardware replacement response time
• It should also include metrics that matter most to the
project champion:
– Business-unit satisfaction levels
– Results against criteria set up when you defined the problem
• Best practice – discuss metrics monthly with line-of-business
managers, executive sponsor and outsourcing
partner
16
#9: Metrics that Matter
www.rackspace.com
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Hardware
Replacement Time
Incident Response
Time
Overall
Response
Time
16. • Record the work the provider has done (or will do) and any
issues encountered during implementation
• Pay particular attention to transitions**
– Asset ownership or transfer
– Data protection and retention
– Rights for departments or new contractors (e.g. gaining access to
information, accounts, physical locations, etc.)
– Labor termination and compensation
• Create documentation templates to save time during future
projects
17
#10: Adequate Documentation
**Government of Hong Kong Efficiency Unit, “A General Guide to Outsourcing, March 2008, page 12, retrieved 21 May 2014 from www.rackspace.com
http://www.eu.gov.hk/english/psi/psi_guides/psi_guides_ppgpop/files/guide_to_outsourcing_200803.pdf
17. • High project success rate is correlated to companies
using scorecards
• Focus scorecards on your needs as a customer, not
the provider’s capabilities
• Set performance targets
• Retain scorecards as part of the project record
19
#11: Vendor Scorecards
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18. • Contract Management*** magazine suggests including:
– System outages – The acceptable number of outages over a period of several months (“no more than two monthly outages
in any given six-month timeframe”)
– System interruptions – How long an interruption lasts (“no more than two interruptions of service lasting longer than 10
minutes each between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM weekdays”)
– Time to resolution – How long it takes to fix any issues that require a skilled technician or developer (“95% of priority #1
escalations will be fixed and deployed in no longer than 72 hours”)
20
What to Include in a Vendor Scorecard?
www.rackspace.com
19. 21
#12: Scheduled Post-Mortem
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• Focus discussion on what happened, not on
assigning blame
• Cover issues such as
– What worked well?
– What didn’t work as well as it could have (or perhaps not at
all)?
– What painful processes could have been avoided?
– What did you learn about working with this particular
vendor?
– What opportunities do you see to implement the successful
points in future projects?
20. IT Project Management Literature Review of Success Factors
Source: International Journal of Project Management 24 (2006) 53–65
Total number of publications analyzed: 63
16
31
51
34
7
13
10
10
12
29
15
9
Post-Mortem
Vendor scorecards
Adequate documentation
Metrics that matter
Open mind
Clear milestones
Identified phases
Clear Communication
Competent PM
Appropriate executive sponsor
Quantifiable criteria for success
Clear Definition of problem
Times Cited in
Recent
Literature
22. 24
Next Steps...
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Rackspace consultants have years of experience
helping businesses move applications and
workloads off-premises.
Contact Rackspace or read more at
Outsourcing IT Projects to Managed Hosting or the Cloud – White Paper
Call Rackspace at 800-961-2888 to talk to an expert.
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About Rackspace
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