Day: September 29, 2017

Oracle’s Willingness to Revamp Java and Update Cycle via Community Is a Turning Point

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

  • The application development industry gathers next week at JavaOne to weigh in on Java’s fate.
  • Oracle’s recent releases of Java 9 and Java EE 8 address current issues including cloud and the need for more regular updates.

Next week kicks off JavaOne in San Francisco, and it will foreshadow an especially interesting year to come, considering the increased expectations being placed on Java and its changing role in a cloud-centric development era.  Oracle’s long-anticipated releases of Java 9 and Java EE 8 this week begin to address some important issues, including the addition of features that help developers adjust to a modern app development era involving PaaS, containerization, and microservices. Continue reading “Oracle’s Willingness to Revamp Java and Update Cycle via Community Is a Turning Point” →

Hitachi Next 2017: Newly Minted Hitachi Vantara Must Assert its Unique Differentiators to Succeed with Industrial IoT Plan

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

• At its 2017 NEXT conference Hitachi announced the creation of a new business division, Hitachi Vantara, and a revamped strategy to target opportunities in industrial IoT.

• To succeed Hitachi must overcome several challenges, including the communication of the new Vantara brand and the assertion of its chief competitive differentiators.

Hitachi’s 2017 NEXT conference in Las Vegas was a pivotal event for the Tokyo-based multinational. Hitachi announced the creation of a new, wholly owned but independently managed business division, Hitachi Vantara, and a revamped strategy to target opportunities in the field of industrial and enterprise Internet of Things (IoT). Hitachi Vantara combines three former Hitachi businesses: Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), a provider of data center infrastructure solutions; Hitachi Insight, which was launched in May 2016 to advance Hitachi’s IoT initiatives; and Pentaho, which Hitachi acquired in May 2016 and specializes in big data integration and analytics solutions.

According to Hitachi, the move to establish Hitachi Vantara effectively formalized cooperation that was already occurring between the individual Hitachi businesses – particularly in relation to IoT. Hitachi Vantara will aim to leverage innovation, development initiatives and experience from across the Hitachi group to target emerging industrial IoT (IIoT) opportunities. Hitachi’s experience includes more than 100 years as a provider of operational technologies (OT) for industries ranging from finance and government to manufacturing, energy and transportation. It also includes more than 50 years of experience as a provider of IT offerings that include data center solutions such as storage and converged platforms.

Continue reading “Hitachi Next 2017: Newly Minted Hitachi Vantara Must Assert its Unique Differentiators to Succeed with Industrial IoT Plan” →

NetApp Insight 2017: Solution Announcements Will Reinforce Strategy Success and Further Fuel Takeover Rumors

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

• At its 2017 Insight event, NetApp will reinforce its ability to help enterprises manage growing volumes of data in a hybrid cloud and IoT era.

• Investments in all-flash storage, converged infrastructure, and hybrid cloud solutions are increasing NetApp’s competitiveness relative to rivals Dell EMC, HPE, IBM and Pure Storage.

Next week at its 2017 Insight event in Las Vegas, NetApp is expected to announce several important product initiatives, amid growing intrigue about what the vendor’s future holds.

Foremost among NetApp’s announcements will be the general availability of its hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) solution, which includes QoS-based profiling for different workloads and the ability to scale compute and storage separately. Other expected announcements include the integration of the new HCI offering with NetApp’s Data Fabric, and the latest version of NetApp’s ONTAP data management software. Alongside these announcements NetApp is expected to reinforce the message that it is a company committed and best able to help enterprises manage growing volumes of data in a hybrid cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) era. Continue reading “NetApp Insight 2017: Solution Announcements Will Reinforce Strategy Success and Further Fuel Takeover Rumors” →