Why Blade Servers Still Don't Cut It, and How They Might
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Sometimes, a good idea just doesn't take off. OK, this is information technology, not philosophy, so let me rephrase that more accurately. Sometimes, ideas and habits that were once laudable have an immense inertia that prevents a new and perhaps better idea from building momentum in the market; sometimes, a standard however begrudgingly adopted by IT vendors can overcome that inertia. Such is the case with the wonderful idea of blade servers. READ MORE >

Power Systems Memory Prices Slashed to Promote Virtualization
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

While server makers are, generally speaking, pretty excited about server virtualization, their excitement is not just limited to the idea that the advent of sophisticated virtualization hypervisors and the efficiencies that consolidation affords compels customers to spend money on new gear when they might otherwise not spend anything at all. Server virtualization and the consolidation it allows also compels customers to buy beefier machines, ones with lots of processor, memory, and disk capacity, and I/O bandwidth. These are machines that are inherently more profitable than the little boxes sprawled all over the data center these days. READ MORE >

Database Modernization Still Unknown Territory
by Dan Burger

Just because an IT manager is accustomed to flying in the face of convention doesn't always mean there is a flight plan involved. And that's not to say that the ranks of IT professionals are filled with high stakes gamblers, either. By and large, IT is a safe haven for the risk adverse. As an example, let's take a look at the integrated database used by AS/400, iSeries, and System i users and compare it with what is considered a modern database. Who is ready to make the jump? READ MORE >

As I See It: God Bless Technology
by Victor Rozek

Technology is a canvas painted in broad strokes. It tends to be discussed as an abstraction, serving as a one-word synopsis for the diverse exertions of scientists and engineers. Technology is a verb without a definitive object. It has become an end in itself, many steps removed from the lives of end users. READ MORE >