Virtualization Technology News and Information
Article
RSS
AppSense: IT Has Lost Control – But Hey It's OK, The Kids are Alright

 

What do Virtualization and Cloud executives think about 2012? Find out in this VMblog.com series exclusive.

IT Has Lost Control – But Hey It's OK, The Kids are Alright

Contributed Article by Harry Labana, CTO, AppSense

I don't mind other guys dancing with my girl
That's fine, I know them all pretty well
But I know sometimes I must get out in the light
Better leave her behind with the kids, they're alright
The kids are alright

--Townshend, Pete (1965) The Kids are Alright

The year 2011 will be remembered as the year IT started to lose control of its users, but 2012 will be the year it was OK to lose control, and yes the kids (well, users and IT) are alright with this notion.

IT is on the edge of a revolution in the enterprise - the workforce has changed and the new generation of workers prize flexibility and they want to "dance with everyone," by bringing their own devices (Macs, tablets, mobile phones, etc.) into the enterprise. This dance is happening now and will continue as user needs take priority over corporate mandates. In 2012, IT will bend to the will of the people.

Yet, we can't let the "kids" be completely unsupervised. As we embrace new experiences, we must also develop more sophisticated capabilities, as corporations need policies and procedures in place to protect themselves. Desktop virtualization will help deal with this new paradigm and in 2012 user virtualization will move its focus from one of user control to user governance.

Governance is a broad concept that covers legal and regulatory procedures, transparency, service levels, indemnification, notification and portability. Corporations still need to have a handle on all these concepts from a user perspective. For example, if an employee leaves the company there must be a way to insure that important corporate data doesn't leave with them.

In 2012, these changing dynamics will give rise to a data-centric world where the data and the applications are held in a central place, not on tablets or mobile devices, thus making it much easier to govern.

Data has already started to escape more significantly from the confines of the corporation or alternatively is actually created outside the company, and this isn't going to change. But, what will happen in 2012, is that the tools will be available to ensure all pieces of corporate data have an elasticated thread back to the company, which can be snapped back at any time. For example when an employee gives notice, IT issues a simple command and the employee no longer has access to the important data from any device. This will enable more transfer of trust to the user and evolve security from a perimeter security only approach.

As we move to a world where users require more freedom and access, the role of data will change as it becomes the common link across all platforms and the layer to which we apply governance. In 2012, we'll come to realize a vision where users are free to "dance" with whomever they prefer, because data is immediately accessible via any device, in any location and can be pulled back in an instant. This paves the way for power to be transferred from the machines to the people, and we'll unlock technology to free human possibility - and all will be right.

###

About the Author

Harry Labana, CTO

As AppSense CTO, Harry works with senior members of the technical team to lead the company's strategic technical direction; working with customers, partners, analysts and eco-system partners to drive the AppSense vision and to evangelize user virtualization to the global technical community. Harry is also chairman of the Office of the CTO at AppSense, where he leads a team of senior technical managers in forming the product strategy.

A recognized expert in desktop virtualization, Harry joined AppSense from Citrix, where he was vice president and chief technology officer for the Citrix Desktop Division; responsible for driving and communicating the company's overall technology direction and product strategy to both internal and external audiences.

Prior to Citrix, he led the global engineering and architecture division for desktop and application virtualization at Goldman Sachs, where he advised clients, research analysts and internal bankers on trends and investment opportunities. He holds a bachelor's degree in electronic systems engineering with honors from the University of Manchester in the UK.

Published Thursday, December 08, 2011 6:30 AM by David Marshall
Comments
VMblog.com - Virtualization Technology News and Information for Everyone - (Author's Link) - January 4, 2012 7:07 AM

I'd like to personally welcome each and every one of you to the start of 2012! As we begin what will certainly prove to be a fantastic new year, I wanted to make sure to thank all of the loyal member's and readers of VMblog.com. Once again, with the help

To post a comment, you must be a registered user. Registration is free and easy! Sign up now!
Calendar
<December 2011>
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
27282930123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
1234567