Innovate! What is old is new again
Over several decades, we have seen computing environments cycle between centralized and de-centralized. With hundreds of millions of mobile devices and the predictions of billions of IoT devices, we are in the midst of realizing the ultimate in a de-centralized computing world.
Someone created a similar image a few months ago and I apologize for not keeping track of the original author. I feel it aptly depicts where we have been and where we are going.
Why is it important to understand these cycles? As IT professionals, there is a tactical perspective where we figure out how to manage these environments. Mainframes seemed simpler because of the "dumb terminal". All computing logic was centralized in the mainframe itself. When PCs rolled into town IT feared about loss of control and had numerous security questions. It might be hard for some to grasp that IT managers were reluctant to allow a desktop PC to be installed but that is fact what happened when we went from centralized mainframe systems to de-centralized client-server computing. While that is laughable today those same fears have been resurrected with the BYOD and IoT movements. With a measured approach, the concepts that allowed us to conquer the first de-centralized cycle will work again. We might have to wait while the latest innovations catch up but the concepts will be similar. Remote device management, directory services, authentication, network security, private networks, etc. will find new innovations in the mobile and IoT world.
The other perspective of this latest de-centralized cycle is just pure product innovation.
I heard a presentation a while ago that described three ways to innovate.
- Find inefficiencies and fix them
- Find unmet needs and fill them
- Find complexities and eliminate them
We are already seeing IoT innovation with intelligent refrigerators and smart home devices, smart clothing and wearables.
New improved tools make our lives better. Embrace them. An ax and chainsaw both cut down a tree but the chainsaw is much more efficient.
But as an IT professional, I immediately think about the challenge of integrating billions of devices into a coherent solution. For me, the crossroads of the latest de-centralized computing cycle and innovation comes in the form of serverless computing which fits neatly into all three categories listed above.
More on serverless computing next week when we discuss how it can help tackle our ultimate de-centralized computing challenge.