Facebook Launches Facebook Platform

I haven't had the time to cover much of the social network phenomenon, but I believe it's part of the ubiquitous network as it allows people to communicate. This announcement probably marks the end of MySpace or any other web property who wanted to capture some big slices of the social media pie. I always believed in finding application innovation outside of the four walls. Trying to innovate and build your own application, like MySpace has done so far. So unless MySpace is already working on such an open platform, they can kiss their leader position good-bye.

Facebook could easily become the most important portal for your internet experience as Yahoo or MySpace were. I would call them the internet operating system.

Boeing Phantom Works uses Omnitrol Networks' Open Application Network Appliance

As Boeing has transitioned to being a leader in systems integration, it has created an extensive network of internal and partner manufacturing operations. The cognitive factory includes a complex global supply chain, numerous Boeing sites, and interaction with multiple customers’ logistic locations. A network-enabled manufacturing approach will minimize infrastructure needs, ensure rapid deployment of productivity enhancements, and provide for unlimited incremental expansion through the newly-created lean supplier network. Read the complete news release here.

Cisco to Acquire WebEx

This is a very bold move from the networking giant. Cisco is not only dominating the network corner of the triangle, they are looking at owning the content side (or supply side). How serious are they? Well, $3 billion looks like serious to me. What better strategy to sell more of their routers and Unified Communications products than to provide applications that will create a demand for higher bandwidth (voice and video) and quality of service. Microsoft will have to respond and will probably lower their prices or bundle office and VoIP applications with their Live Meeting offer.

What is the play for the Service Providers? Will they just resell either webex or livemeeting? The center of gravity of the network triangle is clearly shifting on one side away from them.

Evolution of the Data Center

As I am looking at the triangle to explain the transformations happening around content, networks, and devices I can't help thinking about the other changes happening in the IT industry. Is one driving or enabling the other?

In the past, I talked about utility or cloud computing and it seems that cloud computing is becoming the new buzz word. It is true that content providers, service providers and network infrastructure manufacturers believe in the same shared network service architecture. Cloud computing meets all the scalability, reliability, flexibility and performance (one could argue with this last one :-) required to deliver these services over the web.

Big players like Sun, Microsoft, IBM, HP, Oracle and Amazon are already offering cloud computing services to other companies to run their software. Like email and web hosting in the past, this is not for everyone. Large companies still see their data centers as a competitive weapon and won't let anyone running it outside their four walls. They are using the same convergent infrastructure (server, storage, software) to make their own data centers much more flexible but it will be a while before they transition. This explains the success of VMware ($700M of revenue can't lie).

In the meantime, more cash-sensitive companies will buy computing resources on the web to run some of their software (or buy the service outright from salesforce.com). The data center is evolving to better server the business model outlined in the triangle.

EMC to spin off part of VMware in IPO

EMC's CEO is probably getting pressure from shareholders to get the share price up from where it is right now and he's parting with a very valuable asset (or fraction of). I'm very impressed with what VMware has achieved in a very short period of time. In a few years, they (and their competition) have made virtualization a top priority for all IT managers.

Omnitrol Networks

A new chapter opens in my professional career. I've just joined Omnitrol Networks, a start up developing new software to integrate intelligent sensors (as in RFID, M2M and others) with advanced services in the network. While I'll miss my colleagues at Sun, I'm excited about this new opportunity to develop a new emerging market and industry. I will lead the product and marketing efforts as the new VP of Products and Marketing. Read the complete announcement here. Our offices are right next to the Google campus, so we'll get good vibes.

Amazon and Utility Computing

Fascinating article here about Amazon's new bet on utility computing. Jeff Bezos is now going to sell computing power and storage to companies looking to access these resources over the web. Utility computing (or Cloud computing) is nothing new. Sun Microsystems launched its own hosted services based on N1, nearly 3 years ago. What is interesting in this announcement, is that Amazon has been able to integrate computing power, storage, network and provisioning software and offer it as a service while other companies are only starting to implement or talk about convergent IT infrastructure. I'm not sure if this is going to skip one adoption cycle but if Amazon (and other large companies or service providers) is going to be successful, this is going to upend the IT industry in a very significant way. I'm always wary of believing in quick adoption rates and this is going to take time. The route to utility and cloud computing will need more salesforce.com companies first before a move to a hosted converged infrastructure. As any platforms, you need developers to make it meaningful.