THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY May 30, 2003 on-demand computing ______________ SPONSORED BY: Microsoft
The Quick Guide to Windows Server 2003. Get the latest information on installation, new features and training. Click here! http://WhatIs.com/r/0,,14146,00.htm?microsoft ________________ TODAY'S WORD: on-demand computing See our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid19_gci903730,00.html On-demand (OD) computing is an increasingly popular enterprise model in which computing resources are made available to the user as needed. The resources may be maintained within the user's enterprise, or made available by a service provider. The on-demand model was developed to overcome the common challenge to an enterprise of being able to meet fluctuating demands efficiently. Because an enterprise's demand on computing resources can vary drastically from one time to another, maintaining sufficient resources to meet peak requirements can be costly. Conversely, if the enterprise cuts costs by only maintaining minimal computing resources, there will not be sufficient resources to meet peak requirements. On-demand computing products are rapidly becoming prevalent in the marketplace. Computer Associates, HP, IBM, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems are among the more prominent on-demand vendors. These companies refer to their on-demand products and services by a variety of names. IBM calls theirs "On Demand Computing" (without the hypen). Concepts such as grid computing, utility computing, autonomic computing, and adaptive management seem very similar to the concept of on-demand computing. Jason Bloomberg, Senior Analyst with ZapThink, says that on-demand computing is a broad category that includes all the other terms, each of which means something slightly different. Utility computing, for example, is an on-demand approach that combines outsourced computing resources and infrastructure management with a usage-based payment structure (this approach is sometimes known as metered services). Many industry insiders expect on-demand computing to become the most pervasive enterprise computing model within the next few years. According to Irving Wladawsky-Berger, IBM's vice-president of technology and strategy (quoted in a ZDNet Tech Update article), "The technology is at a point where we can start to move into an era of on-demand computing. I give it between two and four years to reach a level of maturity." RELATED TERMS: grid computing http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid19_gci773157,00.html __________________ SELECTED LINKS: SearchWebServices provides a guest commentary, "Just what is 'on demand' anyway?" http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid26_gci900710,00.html Baseline Computing has an article about "Utility Computing." http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,3959,817941,00.asp ZDNet offers a Tech Update article, "On-demand computing: What are the odds?" http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2896789,00.html ______________________ TODAY'S TECH NEWS: GARTNER: WIRELESS ROLLOUTS NEED EXECUTIVE BACKING To help guide companies through their wireless deployments, William Clark, a research director with Stamford, Conn.-based research firm Gartner Inc. recently released a series of reports on managing the mobile work force. http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/qna/0,289202,sid40_gci903475,00.html OLD ATTITUDES DIE HARD WHEN IT COMES TO MICROSOFT Microsoft is still fighting an old enemy -- its own reputation. Customers still grouse about Redmond's monopolistic ways and pressure tactics, and they're glad Linux has at least brought some competition into the mix. http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid1_gci901363,00.html GAUGING THE ENTERPRISE-READINESS OF OPEN-SOURCE FINANCIAL APPS Linux is the de facto platform on Wall Street, but for businesses outside the financial services space, it's hard to find open-source financial applications. http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci903204,00.html >> Catch up on all the latest IT news at http://searchtechtarget.techtarget.com/ ______________________ INFORMATION KIT | PDAs in the workplace We've got some reader questions and expert answers about PDAs in the workplace - and a quiz about PDA lingo! http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/1,,sid40_gci902813,00.html ______________________ KNOW-IT-ALL QUESTION | Do you speak geek? This is Apple Computer's version of the high-performance serial bus used to connect devices to your personal computer. a. FireWire b. AppleTalk c. CORE d. iLINK >> Click for correct answer http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci212126,00.html ______________________ QUIZ #39 | iSeries (AS/400) History 2003 marks the 15th anniversary of the AS/400 (now called the iSeries), so we thought we'd take a look back and see how it's changed over the years. How much do you know about the iSeries and its early beginnings? Take our quiz and find out. >> Click to take the quiz http://search400.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid3_gci901105,00.html ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES [1] MICR http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci901407,00.html [2] SeniorNet http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci901152,00.html [3] most significant bit or byte http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci901151,00.html [4] Multics http://search390.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid10_gci213556,00.html [5] Scalable Vector Graphics http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci342078,00.html ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: LOWELL THING, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ____________________________________________________________________ MARGARET ROUSE, Associate Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ___________________________________________________________________ :::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER ::::::::::::::::::::: Published by TechTarget (http://www.techtarget.com) TechTarget - The Most Targeted IT Media Copyright 2003, All Rights Reserved. Unsubscribe from 'Word of the Day' - Simply Reply to this Email with REMOVE within the Body or Subject > or - Go to: http://WhatIs.techtarget.com/register - Log in to edit your profile. - Click on the link to Edit email subscriptions. - Uncheck the box next to the newsletter you wish to unsubscribe from. - When finished, click "Save Changes to My Profile."
