Cloud simplicity

Last time I talked about the reduction of complexity within an organisation and how this leads to more reliable and cheaper systems.  Keeping on premise systems simple is essential to achieving this but the cloud plays very well into this environment as well.

Late last year a significant number (over 20000) of our email users were moved from an out hosted email system to a cloud hosted system.  This left around 6000 people relying on the out hosted system for their email services.  Since that occurred we have experienced a number of issues with the out hosted environment, some relating to the systems themselves and some relating to the interaction of those systems with the enterprise as a whole.  In just one of those incidents I had to live with out email for more than a day.

In all that time there has been no issue with the cloud service, users feel their mail is more available and quicker. Not only that the administration of the Cloud email system has been almost zero.  Users are set up using the same ILM process that configures them within Active directory, and after that they just work.

The cloud vendor is absorbing the complexity that would normally be built into our own systems.  This removes another interaction from the chain and frees people to work on systems that are more important to the business.  It is very important though that focus is maintained upon the business need as it is fully possible to add further complexity through a complex interaction between a number of cloud services.

Occam's Razor

Occam's Razor is often used in the scientific process yet I would argue that the principle it represents has a strong place in enterprise architecture.  Complexity is without doubt the biggest issue in enterprise computing yet much of the complexity we see is built in deliberately with little consideration for the long term effects.

Some of this complexity is actually driven into being by the manufacturers of software and the demands on them from the user base.  Every interacting piece of software becomes yet another complication in the underlying machine, a fact most clearly shown in the Microsoft software stack.  Attempting to get everything to work on a myriad of differing computers whilst also offering a significant amount of user choice leads to an astonishing level of complexity.  Far from criticising Microsoft for the failures of devices using it's software we should congratulate them on the fact that it works at all, let alone as well as it generally does.

IT departments though must take the responsibility for some of this complexity.  We have a tendency to try to fix all the problems and to over integrate systems, usually at the instigation of the user.  This often requires custom scripting or esoteric leading edge configurations, a challenge that we techies love.  If the user is not injecting this kind of requirement we often suggest it ourselves to indulge our love for a technical challenge.  We are also pretty good at completely underestimating the amount of time it will take to deliver these complexities, often because we forget one complexities interaction with another.  This underestimation of complexity is what inevitably leads to protracted projects and non delivery, a situation for which our industry is famous.  Not only that when these over complex projects are injected into an enterprise that is also filled with other over complex systems failures often ensue.  Getting to the bottom of why is often difficult and often time consuming as the symptoms rarely directly mirror the problem.

Occams Razor states "simpler explanations are, other things being equal, generally better than more complex ones.". This is as appropriate for solution choice as it is for explanations, choosing the least complex solution will generally be better than choosing the complex ones.  Not only that encouraging users and technical designers to focus on simple solutions will lead to a more reliable and manageable enterprise.  This means avoiding functionality customisation and using established systems in preference to implementing other similar systems simply because one or two functions do not 100% match the user requirement.  Doing this will require your organisation to support the IT department and give it the strength to drive the reduction of complexity.  A simpler architecture though will lead to a more reliable, faster and crucially cheaper to run environment.

Still waiting for slate computing

Having recently begun a new Job I was asked what type of computer I would like. I asked for a windows tablet, as this has been my way of working since 2004. Obtains one however proved to be more of a challenge than I first anticipated. It seems that the arrival of Apples iPad has caused a change in the perception of What a tablet is.  Though I could find windows tablets they were either expensive or low power in an attempt to compete on price With the more limited finger only devices.

Apples device and the many devices that copy it is are media consumption devices and in this role they are excellent. None of these devices through work well for the creation of information.  I have seen students who type amazingly fast on these things, but even they use a "proper" computer for writing their essays.This would suggest we need two devices one for consumption and one for creation, but I suspect that many people have realised they don't actually Create that much.  Perhaps this is why iPads are so popular with upper management.

I believe that pen computing could make the iPad style tablet the best of both worlds.  I agree with Steve Jobs comments about styluses on mobile phones but I believe they are not valid for tablets, as long as styluses are for used for input and not application control. Judging by the number of awful rubber ended styluses you can buy many iPad users feel this way too. I think Apple may come to recognise this too, after all Apple were also the company that brought the Newton, a PDA that recognised handwriting, to the world. They may also recognise the potential of creating a licensable pen system that could be sold to create a vibrant aftermarket. Mont blanc stylus for your iPad anyone?

I also hope that Microsoft will ensure that Pen support continues in windows 8 rather than simply copying Apples decisions. After all it may well be the only thing that windows 8 has to offer over and above the devices currently in the market.

Tablets of stone were used to hand down commands and information that we needed to consume.  Reusable Slates for writing on though helped us learn and create new ways of working. I am holding my breath waiting for the tablet computing world to turn in to the slate computing world. For me it cannot come too soon and combined with ubiquitous connectivity and the cloud will change our view of computing forever.