The HP ExpertOne Technology & Solutions Summit (ETSS) has recently taken place, and by focussing heavily on emerging and disruptive technologies, it is sending a very powerful message to all key stakeholders in the IT industry.
This year’s ETSS saw several trending topics emerge. Perhaps the most exciting of these was the focus on The Machine – HP’s response to current memory technology that is unable to keep up with the rising needs of data usage. HP is using photonics and optics to create “memristors” that decrease latency and power consumption, while at the same time dramatically increasing speed and storage capabilities. This is just one way HP is securing the future of converged computing in the face of the impending big data explosion.
Fusion IO is another exciting technology set to drastically improve what we can do with data analytics. By taking solid state technology and putting it onto a card that’s as close as possible to a processor, Fusion IO reduces the bottleneck between server and back-end storage. The result could be solid state machine storage in the region of 500 terabytes that allows for incredible amounts of high-volume data calculations on the card itself.
While both Fusion IO and The Machine are four years away from mainstream use, they clearly show the quantum leap of power that HP is looking to deliver. Indeed, the one question that underpinned these and other technologies discussed at ETSS is how to take waves of information and make them meaningful. The emphasis is turning toward data and ensuring that the handling of it is as fast, secure and efficient as possible, even if it means radically redesigning the hardware.
HP’s heavy investment in data analytics can also be seen in its rollout of Hadoop, the framework set to become the universal platform for big data and business intelligence. Once again, we see that push to overcome the data-processing limits of today’s technology.
Of most interest to South Africans was the discussion around ConvergedSystem – HP’s portfolio of systems that can be custom-built for specific purposes. ConvergedSystem takes the guesswork out of integration to ensure performance is at optimal levels.
OpenStack meanwhile symbolises another important trend, that of an open-source approach to developing new operating systems that overcome the limitations of today’s operating systems. OpenStack is an open and scalable operating system for building clouds. Its strength lies in providing the agility that CIOs (Chief information Officers) strive for.
All of these trends represent an important shift in thinking: that the hardware itself is only a means to an end. It’s not about the hardware anymore, it’s about the application. HP calls this the new style of IT.
This signifies a positive future for CIOs who need to provide services to customers and staff that deliver, regardless of hardware. However, players in the IT industry should take note of this fundamental shift in thinking.
Traditional approaches toward hardware are going to be obsolete sooner than we think. Companies like HP are going to be key players in driving this new style of IT. In South Africa, companies such as Aptronics have already begun leveraging HP’s research and development investment. As an HP Platinum Partner they are already setting out their strategic roadmap and investing in the future.
Technologies like ConvergedSystem will allow them to create "applications in a box" according to unique customer requirements for platforms such as Hadoop. As the world embraces these emerging technologies, it will allow them to use hardware to enable better and faster applications.
Hardware resellers need to look at the way they play the game. In a world where it’s no longer about the hardware and where applications are king, we will need to start engaging with customers on a higher level. The new style of IT that we’re seeing emerge requires everyone in the industry to embrace a major paradigm shift.
<sidebar> About Aptronics
Aptronics is one of South Africa’s foremost black empowered IT solutions providers. Based in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, Aptronics and its subsidiaries possess the strategic counsel, skills, and implementation experience to provide end-to-end IT solutions and services in any environment.
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