Bob Supnik | interview and work out specific plans tailored for each domain. The challenge is far broader than simply addressing one issue such as securing mobile devices or securing cloud-computing environments. Organisations can use cyber security strategy and logical framework to address all of these inter-related trends and business leaders can be confident of a comprehensive approach.
security play an important trend in Unisys? We see four disruptive trends in India and these include— mobility, cloud, social networking and data analytics. I would add one more which is security that is equally important. Therefore, the disruptive IT trends include cloud computing, cyber security, IT appliances, consumerisation of IT/mobility, social and smart computing. Cyber security plays a vital role owing to the sensitivity of the businesses and its information which has a threat perception. By developing a logical framework for understanding cyber security, and the major domains it represents, enterprises can implement their cyber strategies
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Can you comment on the impact that cloud would have on IT managers? What are the inherent challenges that they face with regard to cloud now? Cloud computing is going to have both positive and negative impact on IT managers. Going with the cloud, I would suggest that they should be spending much less time and effort on the already automated IT operations. It is going to change the IT operations to be deployed in a strategic way. IT managers job is not just keeping the data centre running but also deploying the resources in a meticulous fashion. Unisys believes that cloud computing should be a strategic area of focus for CIOs and IT managers, for the overwhelming agility and economic advantages that it brings. A common framework, however, is essential for all IT service delivery models, including cloud, which addresses governance, security, integration, processes, policies, applications, and architecture within the context of three core areas: applications, data centres, and management. The biggest challenges for CIOs today are managing and securing the data and information is growing at a geometrical progression. In such a scenario, a secure cloud, whether private or public, will enable them to both support the business and provide
centralised access to multiple data centres across the globe. We believe that cloud computing will also change the kind of paybacks that they receive from their IT investments. In a severely constrained global economy, the prospect of de-capitalising enterprise IT, deferring and avoiding operational costs, fixing the IT bottleneck and more effectively mapping the availability of IT resources to fluctuating business demands provide powerful incentives with cloud adoption. Cloud computing, which is a multi-tenant model has the capability to process the needs of multiple users with shared resources, both dynamically and transparently. It is scalable as resources can be expanded and contracted when needed and users need to pay only for what they use. Through cloud computing software, platform and hardware can be provided as a service.
Does working on the cloud throw up opportunities for IT managers to scale up? IT managers are used to working in silos related to their skills spreading across networking, storage, data centre, etc. Now that is breaking down into a set of operations. IT managers also do programming in various languages to automate the processes. Getting the processes in place is a big challenge. Therefore, as IT managers move up higher roles, they need to learn about different technologies and also programs and automate them to function efficiently. Cloud plays a major role in throwing up sufficient application integration opportunities for them. Exposure to different sets of cloud services will help them expand their horizon and scale up.
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