Uncovering Time and Money in a Virtual World

By: Susan A. Bacon, Internal Technology Senior Engineer

Virtualization has proven to be an amazing technology, and I am truly excited to be a part of this innovative aspect of the IT world.  Specifically, I am referring to VMware.  This is a time when technology budgets are taking a hit, and it is up to IT to make the most of technology dollars.  Virtualization is one way to do that.

Organizations considering virtualization must look at both the up-front costs and ROI.  Over time, virtualization can actually provide for significant savings on hardware.  Virtualization makes much better use of hardware by allowing many applications to run on the same type of equipment.   When evaluating a network to determine if virtualization makes sense, it is amazing how often the result uncovers the underutilization of the current server hardware. 

Among many other attributes, virtualization provides fault tolerance.  When a problem arises, fault tolerance can be an additional benefit to IT staff and end-users alike.  System maintenance can be performed during a normal work day while users are active on the system, directly reducing overtime for IT staff. It also ensures end-users a more reliable system.
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Deferring Upgrades Could Cost You: The Case for a Strategic Technology Plan

By: Theresa G. Stearns, Technology Director

Are you looking to cut costs this year? Contemplating putting off that new technology purchase?   While most companies are trying to find ways to save money these days, not investing in technology could cost you more than you think. 

This cost can be associated with lost employee productivity, costly repairs to fix what is broken, and the down-time associated with system failures. The best way to prevent your company from being a victim is to develop a Strategic Technology Plan, and then budget and assign accountability to implement the plan.  

The Strategic Technology Plan should be aligned with your company’s strategic goals.  When developing your strategic goals find out how you can use technology to achieve those goals.   If you don’t have a strategic reason for the new technology then you may be wasting money. 

Once your plan is complete, select someone to be accountable for the execution of the plan. The person that is in charge of your technology plan has to be able to understand and communicate the business value of the technology investment.  He or she must also be able to organize, implement and manage the project, and ensure the end users adopt the technology to realize the productivity gains. The owner of the plan may or may not be your IT Systems Administrator.  

Follow Gray Matter for a series of AMD technology posts.  We will identify cutting edge technology such as virtualization, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, best security practices, importance of a disaster recovery plan and more.  And, we will identify what your real costs of the technology investment just might be….

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