The Inovis Blog

At the System i Network roadshow I attended in April, one of speakers (Bob Tipton) said that if people chose products based upon competency and not emotion, every person would own an Apple Mac and every business would run a System i.

I, on the other hand think that people always look for the cheapest, best answer to their overriding needs and therefore these two products are not always top of the list.

And then, the other day, something occurred to me about this premise. I have long commented on the amazement i have of folks who purchase small budget cars, and shell out cash to buy rims, spoilers, tinted windows and defeaning sound systems. My immediate thought is always “Why didn’t you just buy a better car, that had all those things as standard but with a better engine and body to boot?”

Now you may call me old-fashioned but the answer must be along the lines of that fact that as people we like to spend little and often because quite frankly, it’s more fun and keeps us occupied.

IT staff need, as with all folks, to justify their job, so choosing a larger upfront investment, that will make them and those around them obsolete would be wrong on all fronts, even if it is better for the business!

So here’s my point for the CTOs and CFOs out there, like it or leave it! When your IT manager or staff hand you the proposal for your next major investment in IT Infrastructure, think about the kind of car you drive and ask them,

 ”Why not i?”

In a recent post on the Wall Street Journal’s Business Technology blog, Ben Worthen posted a timely blog with a simple question — when is good enough really good enough?

The point he makes is that 99.9% may not be good enough, particularly in the case of a cell phone where you just dropped an important call at the worst possible time. Good enough is good enough until it’s not.

High-availability is an imperative across a number of business and technology areas. While 100% may not be achievable with any reasonable and justifiable investment amount, companies are coming close with tier IV data centers that by definition deliver 99.995% up-time.          

Our company gets really pumped about high availability and disaster recovery – very similar to watching a child excel in a sporting, school or other event. But sometimes we’ve heard that quality isn’t cool. Ouch!

Check this out. Damon’s post  highlights a minor availability issue with Facebook during what appears to be a regular maintenance window. Tried to log onto Facebook but couldn’t. It happens, but he wonders what this downtime means for social networks that want to run applications.

Right now some applications on Facebook are growing quickly – according to a blog by Eric Eldon. Today these apps focus on building better sites on Facebook. What if these were business apps – not photos or slide shows? With the growth of social networks or networks that support outsourced business processes, even minor disruptions cause ripples throughout the network.

Believe me that with this growing focus on networks, whether cellular networks, Facebook, SalesForce.com or anyone else, the debate over whether “good enough is truly good enough” will be cool again. It may even cause some to renew their focus on the topic of network availability and quality for business-focused networks of interconnected companies, people and business processes.

Like the older tech TV commercial (and I’m paraphrasing – cut me some slack!!):

• Old Business Dude: “cool is my daughter’s nose ring and my son’s blue Mohawk. Cool costs me money.”

• Young IT Hot Shot Dude: “It will save us millions.” 

• Old Business Dude: (With stunned look) “Cool.”

Repeat after me: “Quality is Cool.”