Before you dig into this piece, know that if you have multiple networking certifications, or have been designing and implementing networks for years – this article is probably not for you. If, however, you are interested to learn more about what Software-Defined Networking is (SDN) is and how it can potentially drive cost out of your technology spend and ease the manageability of your network – read on. The network hardware niche is like many others in the technology supplier market. The technology cartel lines up to lock in customers with expensive, proprietary hardware, coupled with complicated firmware to run it all, then typically charge ...
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Oracle has doubled down – literally – in their ploy to shore up declining revenue in its traditional licensing model. Filed under ‘in case you missed it’, Oracle starting in January literally doubled the cost of running its software in the AWS cloud. Here is a basic summary: Previously each one vCPU was equivalent to .5 Oracle Processor License or two vCPU required a Processor license….but now: AWS EC2 and RDS - one vCPU as equivalent to one Oracle Processor license if hyper-threading is not enabled The same increase applies to Microsoft with: Microsoft Azure – one Azure CPU Core as equivalent to one Oracle Processor license The net of it ...
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Follow up to our quote in Redmond Magazine around Microsoft Premium Assurance Plans. Many enterprises deal with the challenges of “legacy” technology solutions, that for whatever reason can’t or haven’t been updated in many years. In our clients, we frequently see cases for example of core / critical applications running on Microsoft Windows 2008 and SQL Server 2008, or even older versions. There are many valid reasons to keep using these older installations, including the cost to upgrade / re-platform, lack of vendor support for newer environments, and restrictive licensing rules among disparate suppliers. Whatever the reasons, the result ...
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There is a famous saying in the United States that exclaims, “Remember the Alamo!”. This was used as a battle cry for the State of Texas fighting for independence from Mexico in 1836, after a severely outnumbered band of Texans all lost their lives to the Mexican Army at The Alamo. Their memory lived on as soldiers shouted this war cry in the battles to come until the end of the Mexican-American war in 1848. While no lives were lost in this battle, February 16th 2017 may be the day where we will coin a new phrase: “Remember Diageo!”. SAP has now won what is considered by many to be a landmark decision in London that will have serious ...
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From January Issue, Manager-Magazin - click here. Original Article - click here. To download original PDF in German - click here. To download translated PDF in English - click here. LITTLE BIG BLUE (translated) IBM: The turnover of the US technological icon has been shrinking for years. If super-brain Watson fails to bring about the turnaround, CEO Virginia Rometty will probably have to go. For Virginia Marie Rometty (59), called Ginni, the domination of the world is only a matter of time. At the end of October, at her in-house exhibition in Las Vegas, the chief executive of IBM announced that in five years her computer technology will ...
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For some time, we have espoused the wisdom of diversification out of your ‘Microsoft’ portfolio, and look for ways to find, test and integrate disruptive suppliers and solutions. The reason is pretty simple – with diversification comes innovation, cost reduction, and eventually transformation. However, if you never make an attempt to diversify and look at new solutions, you can hardly ever hope to achieve any of the aforementioned goals. In fact, quite the opposite will happen. Over time you will wonder why the organization is ‘stuck’ while costs are rising and innovation flounders. In this kind of company, we see folks running from one ...
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We are all conditioned to some degree either consciously or subconsciously, that when we hear the word free - it must be a good thing: Buy one, get one free! Free with purchase of two or more… Free to the first 10 customers… Claim your free gift by registering today… And the list goes on…. However, these marketing terms are not limited to the realm of retail. We are exposed every day to the same conditioning in the world of B2B technology and software. And just like in the retail world, more often than not, “free” is really not free at all. No one gives something away for nothing, or they wouldn’t be in business very long. There has to be ...
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As we close out 2016, on behalf of the global staff at NET(net), I reflect on the blessings we experience on a daily basis and wish to thank all our clients and partners for entrusting the team at NET(net) to help you find, get, and keep more value in your IT agreements, investments, and relationships. NET(net) ends the year on the highest of notes, celebrating many Clients successes, achieving significant milestones with our closest partners, and initiating a record number of new relationships with various companies throughout the world. We at NET(net) are committed to creating long-term sustainable value in our client relationships, and ...
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Planning ahead with tech suppliers can be daunting and time consuming, especially if you don't rely on the suppliers themselves and the consultant firms that take money from them for all your information. For many however, escaping from the Technology Cartel is difficult. Back in May, we wrote about: Oracle - Fiscal year ended May, and often the renewal cycle is the best time to change terms Microsoft - Fiscal year ended June, biggest month for license renewals and new license deals Cisco - Fiscal year ended July, best time of year to review Cisco estate for M&S optimization and more And now - its SAP's turn - fiscal year ending ...
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For those that are not yet aware, Microsoft has announced SIGNIFICANT price increases due to start January 2017. Microsoft claims that the price increases are a result of the UK's exit from the European Union and the resulting decrease in the value of the British Pound. The price increase will be as much as 22% for Enterprise Cloud Services, and 13% for on premise Enterprise Software. Given there are only two months left before these changes take effect, there is significant urgency around evaluating the potential impact and how to adjust and mitigate it. Additional Articles: The Guardian Engadget The Independent Email us to get in contact ...
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