The 2020 Effect: Transformation and Enhanced Work Capabilities
Jul 02, 2020

 As the work from home (WFH) revolution continues to solidify in business culture, leaders are seeing benefits of productivity and efficiency, as well as the acceleration of digital transformation to power workforce technology. According to a FORTUNE 500 survey of CEOs, 75 percent say that economic crisis will accelerate digital transformation. In addition, 26.2 percent say 90 percent of employees will continue in a remote capacity and may never return to their usual workplace. As one CEO on the survey said, “working from home works.”

 

The plumbing of our internet infrastructure -- from service providers and innovation to the physical structures around the world that keep us connected -- has enjoyed great progress in recent years. In a previous blog (How Netflix Binges Saved 2020), we shared a point of view on how the ability to stream bandwidth-heavy data for entertainment essentially laid the technology foundation for tens of millions to work to work remotely. 


Now companies face their own transformational infrastructure challenges. Edward Wustenhoff, infrastructure expert and partner at StrataFusion Group, explains the WFH scramble came when enterprises discovered the lack of sufficient capability at offices or remote datacenters, as well as the difficulty adding network capacity in a private location rather than in a well-connected, co-location (colo) facility. Cloud service providers are already connected at the front door to the Internet with high-end security monitoring, tested redundancy failover strategies, and the ability to leverage vast network capacity instead of building your own. It’s time to get senior leadership comfortable with the cloud because running and securing a data center is harder and riskier than you think, with many more unseen costs. 


Trying to decide whether a system should be in the cloud or on infrastructure managed more by an internal team? Here’s what you should do first:


  1. Determine the amount of control you need over certain functions.  If your infrastructure requires a lot of performance tuning or if you cannot share components for security and/or privacy reasons, keep it close. If not, a cloud solution is probably best.
  2. Spend some time to understand how long the system will exist. If it’s a short-term project, cloud could be your best bet. If you know the system is going to exist for a longer time, and you are OPEX sensitive, buying the gear and running it in a co-located data center, might be better for you.

 

Working from home is working. This evolution is not just a passing trend, it’s a strategic approach that is taking root and enhancing productivity (and life) for millions. Now companies must ensure their IT approach can securely support this new structure.


Author:

Edward Wustenhoff 2020

Search Post

Category

Recent Posts

By Fearless IT Support I 28 Nov, 2023
StrataFusion Announces Benjamin Dai to Rejoin Firm as Partner StrataFusion is pleased to announce that Benjamin Dai has rejoined the partnership. A technology strategist and transformation leader who brings exceptional executive guidance to StrataFusion, Benjamin brings a robust foundation in Fortune 100 global expertise to SFG, specializing in engineering and information technology across diverse industries, including healthcare, pharma, consumer products, and biomedical research. His extensive background encompasses health technology delivery, data engineering & analytics, biomedical informatics, enterprise architecture, end-to-end software delivery, infrastructure, portfolio management, and comprehensive information technology (IT) leadership. “I’m so pleased to be back among the thought leaders of StrataFusion,” Benjamin said. “This partnership compiles decades of CIO know-how and incredible strategic insight, leadership skills that are crucial to effectively navigate industry challenges and times of fast-moving change.” StrataFusion delivers a full portfolio of CIO-oriented advisory services for today’s most difficult business and technology challenges. StrataFusion leverages refined methodologies with proven experience, empirical data, industry best practices, and analytical models to build programs that reduce project complexities and accelerate investment returns. With executive-level technology and operational experts, clients access deep industry experience spanning fast-growth enterprises to FORTUNE 500 corporations. Read BIO >>
15 Aug, 2023
StrataFusion Announces Greg Higham Rejoins Firm as Partner StrataFusion is pleased to announce that Greg Higham has rejoined the partnership. A customer-focused Silicon Valley technology executive, Greg has enabled growth for business of all sizes across many industries, from public companies to start-ups. “We are thrilled to have Greg return to StrataFusion and bring his strategic mindset of revenue growth, optimization and an incredibly deep understanding of customer service with a strategic lens on the changing business landscape,” said Ken Crafford, StrataFusion founding partner. “Completing a successful interim CIO role with Malwarebytes, a StrataFusion client, Greg is a great example of how our fractional and interim executive services can work for clients.” Navigating the technology challenges of fast, transformational growth and acquisitions, Greg brings a leadership perspective of business needs, technology solutions and customer experience. He co-founded Periscope Group, where he put into action a powerful combination of technology expertise and business acumen to evolve this historically analog business toward a technology-first mindset, laying the foundation for a bright future. As CIO of Marketo, he helped navigate a successful IPO and subsequent sale to Vista Equity Partners for $1.7 billion. Greg has honed his leadership skills and deep industry knowledge through senior leadership roles across many fast-growing global organizations, including Witness Systems, FrontRange Solutions, Epiphany, Inovis, Peregrine Systems, Harbinger, Premenos and Tandem Computers. Greg earned a degree in Computer Technology from CDI, San Francisco and is also a graduate of Stanford University's Professional Education program. StrataFusion delivers a full portfolio of CIO-oriented advisory services for today’s most difficult business and technology challenges. StrataFusion leverages refined methodologies with proven experience, empirical data, industry best practices, and analytical models to build programs that reduce project complexities and accelerate investment returns. With executive-level technology and operational experts, clients access deep industry experience spanning fast-growth enterprises to FORTUNE 500 corporations.
2023 CIO Marathon
18 Apr, 2023
Expanding the Cybersecurity Talent Pipeline: 2023 CIO Marathon Each year, the CISE Education Fund hosts its most important fundraising event of the year: the CIO Marathon. The 2023 CIO Marathon is slated for Oct. 5 and 19 – and presentation slots are already filling early. Employers across the Bay Area continue to struggle with shifting cybersecurity workforce readiness, availability, and geographic concerns. As consistently reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roles like information security analyst will have a growth rate of 31 percent over the next decade compared to the 4 percent average growth rate for most other occupations. While the data is daunting, there is a resource dedicated to preparing the next generation of great talent right in the heart of Oakland, California – the Merritt College Cybersecurity Program. The Consortium of Information Systems Executives (CISE), a non-profit and professional community of current and former Chief Information Officers, works closely with Merritt College to raise funds to improve and develop the capabilities of the next generation of technology professionals in the Bay Area – preparing great talent ready for internships and entry-level positions. The CIO Marathon Each year, the CISE Education Fund hosts its most important fundraising event of the year: the CIO Marathon. The 2023 CIO Marathon is slated for Oct. 5 and 19, hosted at Merritt College – and presentation slots are already filling early. This event helps raise funds to support top cybersecurity talent by bringing together top technology leaders from Bay Area companies to provide feedback to presenters who have reserved pitching slots. Perspective presenters can reserve their spot for $9,500. All proceeds go to fund scholarships. To date, CISE has had more than 10 CIO Marathons, has heard 100+ company pitches, sponsored more than 110 students and raised more than $1 million to fund student scholarships. StrataFusion Partner Mark Egan has been involved from the start as a member of CISE and the Merritt College Cybersecurity Program, helping students prepare for the workforce. “With the collective cost of data breaches expected to reach $5 trillion by next year, Cybersecurity is more crucial to business resiliency, and we must ensure we have the talent ready to meet the challenges ahead,” Egan says. “The Merritt College Cybersecurity program provides the talent pipeline and CISE ensures students have a viable path to success.” As your cybersecurity needs grow, be sure to connect with Merritt College to hire some of the best (and most prepared) young professionals entering the cybersecurity workforce. Take action! Reserve now! CISE is now accepting corporate presenters for the 2023 CIO Marathon ! Prospective presenters can email Mark.Egan@stratafusion.com . The CIO Marathon also includes “Selling to CIO training” and two presentation dry runs. Networking dinner Oct. 19 for all participants. Each company can have up to two guests at the CIO Marathon dinner. Learn how you can strengthen your cybersecurity bench by hiring Merritt College graduates and interns https://community.stratafusion.com/merritt-job-seekers
See More »

Share Post

Share by: