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WiMax is the next big thing for Telecommunications Providers?
Submitted on 02/25/2011

WiMax technology is the rage of most telecommunications providers today. Providers are continuing to battle to capture market space in the wireless technology space. As users become more and more dependent on their wireless devices the need for faster and more robust networks is becoming necessary. Observers are quick to point out that the common wisdom comes down squarely on the side of Long Term Evolution (LTE),the variation of 4G technology favored by the telecommunications industry.

4G data communications technology is well on its way in the U.S. and globally. Sprint was the first of the providers in the U.S. to launch 4G services by partnering with Clearwire. Verizon Wireless is also becoming a big player in the 4G market when in 2010 it announced they would be launching 4G technology in 30 cities. Other companies such as AT&T are still behind the curve and were slow to roll out their 3G service but have strategic visions to launch a faster solution in 2011.

Both WiMax and LTE are international standards, and discussions are already in progress to regulate the technology. In addition, in some countries such as India there are multiple 4G solutions which can cause issues for the consumer if there devices are only compatible for one and not the other.

The likelihood that WiMax will end up being the long term solution over LTE is slim. Most companies appear to be planning eventual migrations to LTE even if they’re starting on WiMax. Strategically companies will need to strategically plan what direction they want to go and how they will get there.

By Junaid Naqvi, Senior Consultant

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Are Frameworks and Content Manage Systems the Way To Go?
Submitted on 02/14/2011

We have many frameworks and Content Management Systems (CMS) to choose from in today’s Web world. If you are a PHP programmer, you have Drupal, Joomla, Prado, codeigniter, and Symphony just to mention a few. For .NET there is DotNetNuke, ASP MVC, Umbraco, etc. For Java there is Spring, Struts, Vignette, Liferay, OpenCMS, etc. All of the above mentioned items allows for saving time in creating websites and web applications, but are they the way to go?

Current trends show that they are, but because they are “trends” they change. I remember when everything was to be done in DotNetNuke (DNN), then it was SharePoint, and now it is Drupal and Java based frameworks and CMSs. What people fail to realize about these things is that though they are customizable, they are only customizable within the limits of the program you choose to use. If all you want is a mom and pop website with an “email us” then CMS is the way to go. Most likely the client in that case barely knows how to use a computer let alone script HTML. So you would want to use something like that.

What about when you are building an interactive website for a major client? Is using a framework or CMS the way to go? Chances are the answer is NO even though management may disagree with you. “Why re-invent the wheel?” is an argument I have had many times regarding this topic.

There are three reasons I usually give to answer this question. The first reason is that I am not re-inventing the wheel but making it round. Depending on the size and complexity of a site, a CMS or framework may not be able to handle what it is the site should do. Yes, using one may get you 60% of the way there but you may be spending more time cramming the last 40% into the 60% (which is now your 100% since you have limited yourself to the limits of the framework or CMS you are using) then it would have creating your own. The second reason is that the framework or CMS may not be able to handle what it is you are doing.

The third reason is more controversial. The other reason is I may not choose a framework is the ability to maintain the site. I guess it comes down to this saying:

“There are three types of people in this world – those who can count, and those who can’t.”

There is only one type of programmer in this world and it is a programmer who has the ability to do it from scratch. Otherwise, you are more of a scripter than a programmer. I have dealt with many “Drupal Developers” (and I hesitate to use the word developer in this case) who cannot see beyond Drupal. They do not know how to code outside of Drupal. Yes, they use PHP to code it but they cannot code PHP from scratch. This is not the case always, but it is a growing trend in development to only learn how to code within the CMS or Framework you choose. It completely limits you. What will happen to you if the current trend goes out of style? If you learned how to program first, and then learned how to code the current trend, you will be fine. If you are the opposite then you may be in trouble. In any case, it is better to learn to program first and then learn how to use these fancy little tools. You are more versatile and more inclined to get a job when the current flavor de jour goes out of style if you know how to program.

In conclusion, it not always best to use a Framework or CMS. The CMS or Framework may not be able to support the functionality of the site depending on size and complexity. It also may be more time consuming in the long run to use one than to plan it out and do it the right way from scratch. You also will limit yourself to what the CMS and Framework has to offer in terms of security and upgrades. The long run if you want it changed may require a complete site rebuild. That will cost more money than to have done it from scratch in the beginning.

By James Corbett, Senior Consultant

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Cloud Computing Service Architecture
Submitted on 02/14/2011

What is Cloud Computing?

In simplest terms, cloud computing refers to computing “in-the-cloud” – where the processing of data can take place at any location in the cloud. Most people have both broad and narrow definitions for cloud computing – right from virtual servers on the internet to anything which is accessed for computing purposes outside the firewall.

That being said, cloud computing is a way to expand IT capacity or add capability on-the-fly. There are many cloud computing providers, providing a gamut of services such as applications, storage services, software, platforms etc. A cloud computing service architecture must take into account the requirements, along with the ability of the chosen solution, to integrate effectively with the existing on-premise architecture.

Service architecture for a cloud computing solution

Creating a service architecture for cloud computing involves:

· Understanding patterns or categories of cloud computing providers

· Deciding on patterns or categories of providers most suitable for your architecture

· Choosing a list of cloud computing platforms

· Analyzing and testing identified platforms

· Selecting platforms

· Deploying on platforms

We will now discuss the processes and steps that will serve as a guideline to create a service architecture for a cloud computing solution.

Patterns or categories of cloud computing providers

Services provided by cloud computing providers are classified as patterns, or categories. These categories let you choose a discrete or finite set of services for your enterprise architecture.

Patterns or categories can also be classified as

· Fine-grained services

· Coarse-grained services

The services that target specific solutions are fine-grained, and those that may be a complete platform on their own are coarse-grained. In other words, a coarse-grained solution would typically consist of many fine-grained services.

Table 1: Service categories of cloud computing providers

Service Granularity	Pattern/Category	Description
Coarse-grained services	Application-as-a-service	Any application delivered over the web, for example, SalesForce SFA, Gmail, GoogleDocs etc.
	Infrastructure-as-a-service	More like a datacenter service; provides the ability to access computing resources remotely
	Platform-as-a-service	A complete platform that includes interface , database and application development, besides storage and testing; Delivered to subscribers via a remote-hosted platform
Fine-grained services	Storage-as-a –service	This involves providing disk space on demand; the space exists on a remote server, but functions a logical storage for any application that requires it
	Database-as-a-service	Though the database functions as if it were local, it is hosted at a remote site and may be shared with other users
	Information-as-a-service	A well-defined interface, for example an API, lets the subscriber consume any information, for example, stock price information, or credit reporting
	Process-as-a-service	A remote resource integrates services, data and applications to form processes, which are available on-demand
	Security-as-a-service	Core security services are delivered remotely over the Internet
	Testing-as-a-service	Test in-the-cloud or on-premise applications via remotely hosted testing services
	Management/Governance-as-a-service	Manage one or more cloud services, for example, resource utilization, uptime management ; Enforce policies for services and data

The relationships between various categories are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Relationship between categories

Sometimes, fine-grained services may integrate better with existing architectural components. Consequently, a cloud computing solution may also be chosen on the basis of architectural components.

Table 2: Architectural Components and Service Categories

Architectural Component	Cloud Computing Services
Processes	Application-as-a-service
	Platform-as-a-service
	Infrastructure-as-a-service
	Process-as-a-service
	Integration-as-a-service
Data	Application-as-a-service
	Platform-as-a-service
	Infrastructure-as-a-service
	Storage-as-a-service
	Information-as-a-service
Services	Application-as-a-service
	Platform-as-a-service
	Infrastructure-as-a-service
	Information-as-a-service

Thus, you may choose a coarse-grained provider which can provide many fine-grained services or many fine-grained providers. The architecture may call for services from different cloud computing providers, and the final architecture may be an integration of various services provided by the same or different providers.

For example, you may use Process service via Amazon EC2, Infrastructure services via 3Tera Cloudware and Database service via Amazon Simple DB.

You also need to think about other core components, for example, Security, Testing, and Management/Governance, which could be deployed on-premises or in-the-cloud, depending on the requirement.

How do you move to the cloud?

To move to the cloud, consider following these steps:

· List possible cloud computing platforms

· Analyze and test platforms

· Select platforms

· Deploy processes, services and data to selected platforms

List possible cloud computing platforms

First, determine the following:

· What categories or patterns does your architecture require?

· In the required categories, which cloud computing providers should you choose?

Also, while categories depend on the requirements and final architecture, there are certain basic layers required by all architectures. These include:

Architectural Layer	Usage	Where it can exist	Selection factors
Storage	Storage, sharing and management of file systems	· Storage provider · Infrastructure provider	· Performance: With respect to movement of files to and from the chosen service · Capacity: Scaling of storage needs for the architecture
Database	Storage and retrieval of data	· Platform provider · Database provider · Infrastructure provider	· Functions and features support · Performance: May be impacted to due to I/O overheads and data transfer delays · The database being used: While Infrastructure-as-a-service providers allow usage of databases such as MySQL or Oracle, database-as-a-service providers may use a proprietary database.
Process	Deployment of processes	· Process provider · Application provider · Platform provider · Infrastructure provider	· Reliable integration of processes, services and data (within the same provider, across providers or with on-premise components)
Services	For creation and hosting of services, or using existing services	Creation and hosting services: · Platform provider · Process provider · Infrastructure provider Using existing services: · Application provider · Information provider	· Performance considerations: Based on availability of computing resources on provider and number of services that you are using
Security	Secure the architecture	Security should be a characteristic of the architecture at all levels, and across components	· Identity management capability: Becomes crucial when services and components are shared between various providers and consumers
Governance	Implementation and management of policies	Use either a cloud computing provider, or consider using an on-premise system	· Performance: Enforcement of policies may lead to delays in processing · Monitoring: Ability to monitor both runtime services and remote services
Management	Manage both on-premise systems and in-the-cloud deployments; Closely linked to governance	A cloud computing provider that can manage both on-premise and in-the-cloud deployments, and provides system-wise status or an on-premise management system	· Cloud providers: Must provide interface to let management systems talk to them · Status update features: System-wise status updates at working/non-working levels, and at granular levels across on-premise and in-the-cloud deployments

As an architect, you must have a clear understanding of the various vendors, and the functionality offered by various products, to be able to choose a possible list of platforms for the architecture.

Analyze and test platforms

Once you have made a list of possible platforms, the next logical step is to test and validate the platforms to check which would be the most suitable for your architecture.

· Test generic functions of the cloud computing platform

· Validate to make sure that the platform supports architectural requirements

· Model the system for various loads

· Test performance to make sure that architecture will perform under stress, and identify potential bottlenecks: database, hardware or network issues

Select platforms

Having tested various platforms, you will now be in a position to select the most appropriate platforms for your architecture.

Selection guidelines include:

· Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for establishing expected levels of service

· Recovery from failure and Downtime limits

· Understanding Provider Policies

· Ease of switching between providers - If provider goes out of business, or a merger/acquisition requires removal a platform

Deploy to platforms

Last, but certainly not the least, create new services, processes, databases and validate that they are all working fine together

· Consider an evolutionary approach, rather than a revolutionary, “big-bang” approach

· Prioritize the architectural components that you need to create in-the-cloud, and test them to make sure that they work well when you integrate them with other on-premise or in-the-cloud components

Does it end here?

Not really. The cloud computing space is dynamic and constantly evolving, so creating service architecture does not mean just planning and implementation – besides regular maintenance activities, it will involve keeping track of new providers and products, changes in existing providers, and making sure that the systems work better for your business.

By, Brian Murrow, Partner

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Resolvit Resources 401k Retirement Plan
Submitted on 01/03/2011

As a Resolvit employee, you are eligible to participate in the Resolvit Resources 401k Retirement Plan. Resolvit has teamed with Fidelity Investments to offer you a retirement plan with exceptional benefits. Resolvit employees become eligible to participate after the first day of the month following ninety days of continuous employment. At this point, employees can set aside up to 6% of their salary each pay check, which is non-taxed, towards their retirement portfolio. After a year of being employed with Resolvit, we will match 50% of that money from that point on.

Once you have started to put money aside, Fidelity offers a variety of investment options. Some of these include the money market, bonds, specialty, domestic equities, and international/global equity. You will have the opportunity to discuss which option may work best for you by contacting a Fidelity specialist.

A couple of important things to remember when considering the Resolvit 401k Retirement Plan:

· Start with what you can afford. At any point in time, you can adjust the amount you are contributing. For example, in the first year you may choose to contribute less money towards the plan. However, as you grow with Resolvit and we begin to match 50% of the money you put aside, you may choose to increase the amount you put aside.

· The more you invest, the less you pay in taxes. For instance, if an employee with a salary of $40,000 puts 6% into their retirement plan--that is around $70 per pay check-- this person will save almost $42 per paycheck in taxes.

· The earlier you start the better. There is a significant difference in starting to contribute to your 401k when you are 25 years old versus 35 years old. ABC’s Good Morning America did a segment on personal finance that focuses on the advantages of starting early. Included in this article is a break down the how much an employee would accrue by the time they retire depending on if they started earlier or later in their career. The difference is astonishing.

The Resolvit 401k Retirement Plan is fantastic opportunity that we provide all of our client service employees. So take a couple minutes to think about the advantages of putting aside money now and working towards a more secure retirement. Please contact me with any questions about our plan or how to enroll today.

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Austerity – or Opportunity
Submitted on 12/31/2010

The folks at Merriam-Webster ranked the word “Austerity” the word of the year because so many people had looked up its meaning in 2010. But as you know from my last blog, instead of getting me down – the more negativity I hear about in the economy the more optimistic I become.

Contrary to popular belief, my optimism is not because I am a contrarian (although I am). My optimism comes from the fact that I love to get my hands dirty with financial and economic data. And the data tells me that 2011 will be a stellar year for the US economy.

Most importantly for the IT sector, the big news that the US economy will be growing is not the real headline. The real headline here is the how and why the next decade will be second only to the economic prosperity of the nineties. Before I get to my thoughts on the how and why, let’s have some fun with the data.

Our US economic models that we use in our finance and economics practice are based on:

Paul Samuelson’s Multiplier Accelerator Interaction theory of the business cycle
Quarterly economic data, using 15 years of data from the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA), updated each quarter

The Nobel-Prize winning economist Paul Samuelson posited that there are certain predictable factors in the US economy that trigger a business cycle’s top and bottom. One of the earliest signals that trigger economic growth is corporate investment in new equipment and technology. As I discussed in my Washington Watch blog on December 1, 2008, as businesses’ plant and equipment wears out and technology becomes obsolete, businesses increase their spending on equipment and technology.

As illustrated in the following graph, since I wrote that blog, Real Investment in Business Equipment and Software is up over 20%, just under pre-recession levels. This type of dramatic movement in Business Investment is always the first step in an economic recovery. And since businesses use consulting services in the implementation and reengineering of technology and equipment, the consulting sector is always a leading economic indicator.

Following increases in Business Investment comes increases in:

Employment: Businesses hire consultants and employees to help implement their equipment and IT investments.
Consumer Spending: These new hires increase consumer spending.
Corporate Profits: This increase in consumer spending increases corporate profits.
Personal Disposable Income: These profits go to increase disposable income.
Repeat: This entire mini virtuous cycle continues to repeat until there are appreciable increases in overall economic output.

Then on the downside, comes increases in:

Inflation: Increased overall economic demand means that there are increases in inflation. But these increases are negligible until aggregate demand nears the “potential aggregate demand”. Meaning until the economy nears full employment.
Interest Rates: As inflation worries are near, the US and foreign governments begin to increase interest rates, either directly or indirectly. Although this isn’t completely a negative signal. The increasing of long-term interest rates are a stabilizer of potential inflation and can be seen as a sign of confidence in the recovery.

All of this linked together is illustrated below in terms of our forecast of the overall US economy.

There are two things in particular to note in the graph above. First, notice that the dramatic swings in Business Investment in Equipment and Software (from the first chart) leads to modest, but accelerating increases in GDP in the second chart. Second, notice that the red dashed line in the second chart above is the model’s historical simulation AND the forecast for the next five years. The model indicates that over the next two years, the economy will continue to pull out of the recession. It would be misleading to get caught up in the exact magnitude of the GDP increase. The important part is that business investment accelerates the recovery until it settles on a sustainable, long-term growth rate.

In addition to the overall economic structure characteristics of the model discussed above, there are three primary assumptions behind this forecast:

1. The continuation of the Federal Reserve’s Quantitative Easing policy, known as QE2

2. The recently passed continuation of the income tax cuts, combined with the other stimulus measures of the bill

3. And thirdly, the continued innovative resiliency of the American Spirit.

The first two assumptions above have been prolifically discussed in the press and I’ll leave the links for exploration of additional details. But the third assumption probably needs some explanation. Put simply – who could have predicted the specifics of the record, economic peacetime expansion of the nineties, including the dramatic rise in the use of the internet that dramatically change our lives? Coming out of the early nineties it was unclear exactly what was going to fuel the US out of the Savings and Loan Crisis, the record Federal deficits that financed the cold war, and how long it was going to take to lower unemployment to pre-recession levels. Each of these questions resonate in today’s recovery, don’t they?

So this leaves me with the final questions:

What is in store for the next decade?
What is your role in innovation going to be?
What areas is Resolvit investing in to help further our recovery?

To answer these questions, I am working with our senior practitioners to focus on a number of practice areas that we anticipate to be drivers of growth over the next decade. As a result, we are organizing much of our service delivery and research and development efforts around the following areas.

Smart modal technology
Business Intelligence and Analytics
Telecommunications Delivery
IT Security
Insurance and Healthcare Technology

If future blogs, our Resolvit team’s senior practitioners will be joining me and stepping in as bloggers to share our ongoing experiences, lessons, and projections on a weekly basis and I am looking forward to sharing these lessons with you.

- Brian Murrow, Partner

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