Challenging the Hype Cycles
Finally! LinkedIn Newsletters have arrived on my account, I’ve only been waiting 4 months!
It’s great to move the OCTO Retrospective to a proper newsletter so you can all (hopefully!) subscribe. This is issue three of the OCTO Retrospective series, but the first as a full newsletter. Here are the links to the first two for continuity.
This month, I wanted to talk about hype cycles and how we need to break them to avoid the constant accumulation of technical debt.
What is a hype cycle?
A hype cycle is the cycle of new technical advancement, the wave of innovation it drives and then the inevitable increase in complexity and attempts to control and simplify.
Let’s take the example shown below in infrastructure hosting.
Everyone had (and some still have) bare metal servers. As the quantity increased so did the complexity to manage, scale and support. Virtualisation arrived and solved many of these challenges, allowing for a period of innovation and accelerated outcomes. Fast-forward and that virtual stack was sprawling and becoming more complex, and we started to see similar operational challenges reappear.
Solutions like VMware Cloud Foundation, Dell VxRail and Nutanix HCI appeared to address some of these challenges, but in reality, the next cycle was already starting – public cloud. Many organisations started the whole cycle again, deciding that the answer to complex virtualisation was the public cloud. This gave birth to the “cloud-first” mindset.
How hype cycles can adversely affect organisations
Fast-forward another few years and, guess what? We are talking about the public cloud being complex, and some of the same challenges are appearing again. What’s a potential solution for this? Going Hybrid or Multi or Super or Meta Cloud -but will this really solve the challenges!?
These cycles are very common in our industry, not just in infrastructure but also in applications and end-user computing.
The issue is that many organisations still have all the above cycles running in their environments: Physical Servers, Virtual Platforms and Public Cloud deployments. All these cycles are likely to be operating in silos, increasing technical debt, and putting significant pressure on internal IT teams, operational resilience, talent acquisition and service quality.
A clear, outcome-aligned strategy is key
The adoption of new technology is not the core issue, it’s the jump onto the next hype without a clear business outcome or a strategy to retire or modernise the previous cycle. It's one of the reasons we are having super cloud conversations at the same time as cloud reversal conversations; decisions are being led by technology in a lot of instances (i.e. ‘the hype’) and not by strategy.?
This is why CDW approach can deliver so much value for our customers. We are not vendor or technology aligned, giving us the ability to provide an independent view that is free from bias. That bias could be product-related, market trend aligned, hype cycles influenced or internal bias inside an organisation. Our aim is to have the right workload on the right platform to deliver the organisational outcome that is needed.??
How a fresh perspective can deliver unexpected benefits
The holiday season does impact the number of customer conversations taking place. However, there is one that I want to talk about, as it shows how taking a step back and getting other opinions can uncover unexpected outcomes.
I met with a distribution company that was looking at multiple workstreams across future platforms, modern workspace, and security.
The complexity of the organisation soon became clear in the discovery conversation, as the numerous acquisitions and disparate IT systems that the business had acquired became apparent. There was a real desire to modernise and consolidate, but as the meeting evolved, it became clear that many initiatives were already underway and that a whole host of new technology investments had been planned. The challenge was that each area was being viewed as an isolated problem, for example:?
As we uncovered the full scope of projects and mapped those to business needs and objectives, several common themes became apparent and potential options for technology consolidation presented themselves. Being able to take that unbiased view, stepping back and guiding to the bigger picture helped the customer define a strategic direction that would not result in the purchase of future technical debt.
My final thoughts and a question to ponder
One final thought and question, as we move to the end of life on Windows Server 2012 next month. Why, given the known and catastrophic risk of ransomware, do we still see organisations placing the Windows operating system's end of life on a risk register and marking it as accepted? Essentially moving it down the priority list and leaving the organisation at significant risk!?
More content on Hybrid Platforms
As the CDW Office of the CTO begins to get into its stride you will see content arriving in written, audio and video formats. The content will range from industry insights and trends to technology updates. I will look to highlight each month the relevant content for Hybrid Platforms in this newsletter.
VMware Explore came and went in August, hosted in Las Vegas it was a wealth of innovation announcements that could help customers on the journey to making hybrid cloud a reality. Have a look at our roundup here.
Also, I will be authoring a monthly blog series called - Hybrid Platforms Trends, in which we will cover a topic breaking down the why and relevance of that trend. Before we can start that journey, I believe we need a common base of understanding to build from. To this end, please have a look at the OCTO intro series linked below, covering who is the Office of the CTO at CDW, what are hybrid platforms and how our 4 pillars offer combined value.?
The none work thought for this month
Outside of work this month it has been about dodging the weather and finding time to get behind the camera, which is not always the easiest thing to do in the Northwest (UK)! I did find some time for a trip to the Scottish borders in search of the lovely red squirrel. If you have never seen one in the wild, I do recommend you find a local sanctuary and take a trip, they have such an amazing character.
Stay Safe and look out for next month’s recap and please reach out if you want to discuss anything in more detail.?
Rob Sims?
Chief Technologist (Hybrid Platforms)?
CDW UK?
Chief Technologist, Digital Enablement
1 年What a fantastic shot of that squirrel mid air ??