Megan A. Irvine

[This article was submitted for future publication on ThoughtsOnCloud.com] Years ago, I had the opportunity to chat with a VP in charge of IBM software research, and I asked him point-blank, how are IBM products different from the competitors'? He answered simply that other products on the market were “uni-taskers” – having limited function – whereas IBM offerings were like a whole set of dependable Craftsman ® tools. The uni-tasker might offer a quick and easy fix, but IBM offers customers a range of options they can use to build the right solution. I am reminded of this conversation again as I look at the IBM cloud offering portfolio. In the cloud marketplace, there certainly are a lot of uni-taskers, but the value in the IBM cloud portfolio is that it is extensive, with offerings to meet the needs of all kinds of businesses, large and small. However, having too many choices can be daunting. I am definitely in the camp of “having a lot of options is a good thing,” but ...

This post was originally published on ThoughtsOnCloud.com on Oct. 26, 2011. As with any new technology, there is a learning curve, and cloud poses some unique challenges when it comes to determining the right training path. There are so many different cloud offerings right now, and so many education resources, that it can be difficult determining exactly what type of training might be needed by the people working on your cloud project, and just where to start. You want to seriously consider your training needs. A lot of organizations skip this step, and that is not a good idea, especially if you consider how much of an investment you are making in the technology and in your staff. Making the wrong choices can cost you time and money. You might think that you cannot afford training, but if you don’t have the right skills to implement your project, you cannot afford not to train. Besides, a lot of good cloud education resources are out there and are free! Without knowin...

Check out this story on NPR: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/28/143834727/ibm-sees-a-big-boost-as-it-turns-100 That sums it up very nicely.