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If you want to discuss, just e-mail me at mike.radice46@gmail.com

I would enjoy the conversation.

Mike

The Return To In-house Computing. Welcome Home.

It is becoming clearer each day why more discussions are turning to only using IT systems and software in the future that are managed and run in-house. Not only are advances in technology pushing the re-consideration but the economics are trending heavily to support that thinking. The major stimulations, however, are security and control. How long before the expanding breaches of third party offerings are hacked and resident personal data, rent fees and payment information is spewed out into the public domain? Now, just going in house is in itself no panacea against a hack or breach but for starters a ‘company of one’ represents a smaller target than broad based services. Increased dependency is another. I have maintained for years that ‘rogue- freemium’ file stores and social media are huge soft spots. What is clear is that re-thinking of cyber security is now a priority. There are additional supportive business issues in play.

As I survey the landscape more and more SaaS companies are adding a ‘server option’ to their suites. This is happening because there is an argument and a demand. More and more hardware companies are crafting ‘data center in a box’ platforms. Solid state storage technology devices are making enormous advances. Readily available network switch ‘boxes’ can control even the most sophisticated network requirements manageable from a tablet. The use of firewalls and spam filters have become common place. Access authentication technologies are becoming a mandatory necessity. Sure, there are a number of additional nuances that have to be factored in to going in-house but the core of the central argument is becoming ever more pressing and valid. Fact is, most everything about computing, except salaries and skills availability is getting less expensive and scalability constraints are almost a concern of the past.

Why then the discussion? Well, we return to the basics of the argument - security and control. If business executives understand anything it is risk and its minimization or avoidance. Having the guts of their companies spread out over a constellation of third party services just doesn't feel right. As a business owner I want it where I can see it, touch it and know who controls it.

I suppose that ‘private clouds’ will be the stepping stone in this inevitable cycle. But even in the computing as a ‘utility’ sector there doesn't appear to be the momentum that makes ‘private cloud services’ destined for market wide adoption as the for everyone solution. The very idea of having to orchestrate such a move to a public/private cloud is daunting. Sure, it will get easier and more fluid but never non-daunting. We do know this, IT moves in waves and even assuming that SaaS and hosted services will expand and grow, forward thinking and planning needs to be given to what and how happens next. And, perhaps why it must happen. Where is this headed? Unless your outsourced service providers have an ‘in-house path’ defined for you as an option, you are on risky future ground.

My forecast -- we are heading back in house. Welcome home.