Pathfinder - The evolution of the data centre in the age of cloud

Some commentators are predicting the end of the private data centre as cloud computing becomes more widespread. However, the more likely outcome is a hybrid mix of functions being run within a private cloud (either within a fully owned data centre or in a co-location facility) and commercial and free public cloud services. In order to maximise the opportunities this provides, organisations need to understand their own risk profiles in order to place their technical services in the right place, at the right time. The design of an internal data centre – and the demands placed on external facilities as to how they are designed – means that different approaches will be required. To create a flexible, elastic, energy-efficient hybrid cloud platform will require new thought processes and architectures – which will be discussed during this short session.

Some commentators are predicting the end of the private data centre as cloud computing becomes more widespread. However, the more likely outcome is a hybrid mix of functions being run within a private cloud (either within a fully owned data centre or in a co-location facility) and commercial and free public cloud services. In order to maximise the opportunities this provides, organisations need to understand their own risk profiles in order to place their technical services in the right place, at the right time. The design of an internal data centre – and the demands placed on external facilities as to how they are designed – means that different approaches will be required. To create a flexible, elastic, energy-efficient hybrid cloud platform will require new thought processes and architectures – which will be discussed during this short session.

When and Where?

Wednesday 19 October, 9:50 AM - 10:20 AM

Theatre: Data Centre Optimisation

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Speaker Profile

Clive Longbottom
(Founder & Service Director) Quocirca

Clive Longbottom is founder of Quocirca and is a highly respected and globally recognised industry analyst. Quocirca is a Business and IT analysis company with a main focus in Europe, and a global research capability.Clive’s primary coverage area is business processes facilitation. Clive covers the needs for companies to understand the core processes in their value chains, and the technologies that should be utilised to facilitate these processes in the most flexible and effective manner. Within this remit, Clive covers a range of process approaches and technologies, including collaborative tools, workflow, business process discovery and management tools, service-based architectures, data centre design and optimisation, hardware and software stacks and outsourcing (including functional outsourcing such as cloud computing), as well as other associated areas such as security, voice/data convergence and IT asset optimisation. Clive works with ITC vendors to help them in coordinating their approach to underserved markets through the provision of pragmatic solutions to meet the complex needs of individuals and communities in these markets.Clive is a regular presenter on public platforms, as well as being a contributor to silicon.com through Quocirca’s Straight Talking column, and to other media outlets. Consistently placed high in Apollo’s “top European quoted analysts” tables, Clive understands the importance of dealing with the media at a sensible level – not just being a “rent a quote”, but helping the journalists understand the real issues behind the headline.Clive has been an ITC analyst for over 15 years, but started his working career as a Chemical Engineer, before entering the world of ITC. Clive’s background covers a mix of end-user experience as a process engineer in the chemical and research industries, as well as ITC work and project management in large and medium sized organisations, working in the UK, the US and mainland Europe. This breadth of experience gives Clive a solid viewpoint on the pressures and problems impacting today’s businesses – and keeps him from viewing technology as a solution in itself. Now, as an internationally recognised expert in business and ITC, Clive’s pragmatic approach concentrates on the provision of actionable advice, keeping away from “flavours of the month” and from the “cut and burn” approaches of many analysts.Clive started his working career working in a research role for Johnson Matthey in the UK, researching in such areas as car catalysts, fuel cells and advanced low-NOx burners. From here, Clive moved to implementing office automation across the European and American operations of Johnson Matthey, developing integrated solutions in such areas as X.400/X.500 messaging, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and laboratory management systems. From here, Clive moved to the UK’s largest electricity generator, National Power (now nPower), where he was responsible for the integration of PC-based systems into back-end office automation systems, as well as the development of secure messaging systems for National Power’s fledgling international research group. Clive then became an IT consultant before joining the European arm of META Group, taking responsibility for areas such as desktop hardware, operating systems, office suites, collaborative systems and information management systems. On leaving META Group, Clive joined Strategy Partners for a period of time, creating a successful CRM practice based on the premise that multi-channel, personalised, service-based CRM solutions would be the future, as opposed to the received wisdom of the time of large monolithic systems.On leaving Strategy Partners, Clive founded Quocirca to provide a highly personal offering to the market based on fixed-price projects, rather than retainer-based services. Clive’s work was recognised in 2007 when he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Promotion of the Arts, Commerce and Manufacturing (FRSA).In his spare time, Clive is a fully qualified wolf handler, working as a volunteer with the UK Wolf Conservation Trust based in Beenham, near Reading.Clive has a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Aston in the UK.