For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: WAN Optimization, Q4 2009

Blue Coat And Riverbed Lead, With Expand And Cisco Close Behind

by Chris Silva, November 10, 2009

In Forrester's 65-criteria evaluation of wide-area network (WAN) optimization vendors, we found that Blue Coat Systems and Riverbed Technology lead the pack, in part due to the changes these vendors made over the past year through acquisition of complementary . . .

For CIOs

Catalog Of Technical Services  (66 KB XLS)

by Alexander Peters, Ph.D., Wolfgang Benkel, November 6, 2009

The workbook defines 10 generic profiles of technical services and associates provisioning processes and activities with each of them. The activity-based descriptions enable IT executives to establish the link between technology assets, resources, and . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Market Overview: Network Access Control (NAC)

Evolving NAC Market Focuses On Features That Provide Operational Efficiency

by Usman Sindhu, November 3, 2009

Network access control (NAC) is high on the security professionals' wish list, but few are able to justify the business case for it. Complex deployments, too many architectural options, and a quickly changing vendor landscape have pushed most NAC deployments . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The State Of WAN Services Adoption In North America 2009: CIOs Lead On Cost Reduction

by Phil Sayer, October 30, 2009

The need to cut costs dominates North American enterprises' 2009 plans for wide-area networks (WANs). This is the top priority for almost three-quarters of enterprises as part of IT budget cuts mandated at board level. At the same time, network traffic . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Best Practices In User Experience (UX) Design

Design Compelling User Experiences To Wow Your Customers

by Mike Gualtieri, September 4, 2009

Users have great expectations when they visit your Web and mobile applications. They increasingly want an experience that's valuable, easy to use, aesthetically pleasing, and emotionally satisfying. To retain and gain customers, you have to continually . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The State Of WAN Services Adoption In Europe 2009: Cost-Cutting Dominates Enterprise Plans

by Phil Sayer, September 3, 2009

Cost-cutting dominates European enterprise plans for wide area networks (WANs) for 2009. This is the top priority for almost three-quarters of enterprises as part of IT budget cuts mandated at board level. At the same time, network traffic is growing . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

IT Compliance: From Painful To Pleasant

by Khalid Kark, July 31, 2009

With increasing workforce mobility and the extension of the business supply chain globally, organizations are struggling to keep up with increasing corporate and regulatory compliance requirements. Regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability . . .

For CIOs

Distributed Enterprise 2.0

CIOs In Consumer-Facing, Distributed Firms Can Capitalize On Cloud Computing

by George Lawrie, July 23, 2009

In a desperate effort to maintain the connection with fickle consumers, line-of-business executives and their allies in IT are conspiring to lower the IT drawbridge in order to deliver personalized customer experiences wherever and whenever consumers . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

TechRadar™ For Security & Risk Professionals: Network Threat Mitigation, Q3 2009

by John Kindervag, July 22, 2009

The news is filled with reports of networks attacks and stolen data. Consumers routinely undergo the stress of fraudulent charges or compromised credit cards. Terms such as "botnet" have become part of our vocabulary. As a result, security and risk professionals . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

PCI X-Ray: Network Segmentation

by John Kindervag, July 17, 2009

To effectively deal with the broad and complex requirements of Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security, you need to break the elements apart to provide enhanced clarity. We've designed the PCI X-Ray series to provide actionable information to help Forrester . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Perform Realistic Web Testing To Ensure Blazing Fast Web Site Performance  (5.9 MB PPT)

by Mike Gualtieri, James Staten, June 16, 2009

This workbook discusses the importance of realistic performance Web testing, what it is, and recommendations.

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Identifying Components Of The Network Skills Gap

Identify Roles And Skills That Are Significantly Important For Successful Network Management

by Chris Silva, Usman Sindhu, June 12, 2009

Organizations are upgrading their infrastructure with technologies that improve network efficiency, performance, security, and management. As a result, IT ops pros' roles must also evolve in network, system, service, and operation management skills. These . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

What Vendors Need To Know About IT Management Software In SMBs

Overview Of Market Sizing, Buying Trends, And Preferences

by Peter O'Neill, May 28, 2009

IT management needs vary according to company-size segment, and distribution of the IT management software market is 77% to enterprises and 23% to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in 2009. While the greatest difference in buying drivers is between . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

TechRadar™ For IT Infrastructure And Operations Professionals: Branch Office Technologies, Q2 2009

Core Technologies Ripe For Consolidation And Centralization

by Chris Silva, May 26, 2009

As businesses look to IT for the efficiencies, savings, and streamlining that will improve the bottom line, consolidation of branch office infrastructure represents a distributed but easy-to-optimize area of IT infrastructure. All the technologies included . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Open Source IT Management Tools

Cost Is Not The Only Differentiator

by Evelyn Hubbert, May 26, 2009

With shrinking IT budgets and a continued need to control IT environments, the use of open source solutions to manage infrastructure and operations is no longer just an interesting experience but a viable alternative for enterprises of all sizes. The . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

CDN Road Map: New Solutions Storm The Market

Bundled Services Expand The Business Value Of Content Delivery

by Henry Dewing, May 22, 2009

Content delivery network (CDN) leaders like Akamai Technologies, Limelight Networks, and CDNetworks face a perfect storm. Ever more demanding customers, a burgeoning Web, and new content delivery business models threaten to undermine the leading position . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Inquiry Insight: IT Management Software

Sustained Activity In Spite Of The Economic Downturn

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, May 13, 2009

Forrester analyzed the IT management software (ITMS) inquiries received from vendors and end users in 2007 and 2008. Inquiries are a good indicator of the tactical issues faced by Forrester's clients and of the activity surrounding a given subject matter. . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Knocking The NOC: Enter The New Operations Center

by Glenn O'Donnell, April 30, 2009

The operational hub of any well-run and complex organization is a strong operations center. In IT, this function is often fragmented into pockets that tend to be too isolated. Such isolation is a principal cause of much of the chaos that characterizes . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Inquiry Spotlight: Network Monitoring And Management, Q1 2009

by Glenn O'Donnell, April 28, 2009

Despite being one of the most mature domains of IT management, the landscape for network monitoring and management remains an area of constant discussion. Forrester answered the inquiries of numerous end users between February 2008 and December 2008 on . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

IT Infrastructure Market And Services Data  (222 KB PPT)

by Paul Roehrig, Ph.D., April 13, 2009

IT Infrastructure Market And Services Data.

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

How Are Recruiters Affected By This Year’s Trends In US IT Occupations?

by Zach Thomas, April 3, 2009

It's no surprise that with the current economic conditions we will see a decrease in total IT jobs and IT salaries will see almost no growth in 2009. What does this mean for human resources (HR) professionals? First, that it's critical to identify and . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Mobile Operations - Job Profile And Description  (38 KB XLS)

by Chris Silva, March 31, 2009

Position overview: Mobile operations professionals are tasked with managing mobile networks internal and external to the organization, managing device choice, and ensuring devices and applications reliant on these networks are properly secured and managed.

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Don't Panic! The IT Jobs Picture Isn't As Bad As You Think

Where The Jobs Are: 2009 US IT Occupation Trends

by Simon Yates, March 19, 2009

The economic slowdown is affecting everyone, including infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals. With all the news of layoffs and bailouts, you couldn't be blamed for worrying about how safe your job might be. A quick look at the current . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Tech Horizons: Keynote Systems' Test And Measurement Services

Managing The Online Experience

by Jean-Pierre Garbani, March 16, 2009

Since 1995, Keynote Systems has developed a set of management service solutions for the Web experience that help firms reduce downtime and monitor performance. Managing the online experience has grown in importance as the Net becomes a ubiquitous business/communication . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Inquiry Spotlight: Infrastructure & Operations Organizational Structures, Q1 2009

by Doug Washburn, Rachel A. Dines, March 11, 2009

Infrastructure and operations (I&O) departments are currently in a state of flux. Beyond increasing centralization, I&O departments are reorganizing to become service-oriented or are at least considering such a change. Why? When surveyed, IT executives . . .