Sify and IBM Depict Technological Trends Impacting Enterprises

- By Lionel Alva

We live in exciting times, an age of innovation and technological adoption where the only constant thing is change. Since technology has become omni-present, it has re-defined possibilities for business, medicine and life in general. What was once considered as being the staple of science fiction is now considered reality. Augmented reality, virtual reality, cloud computing and virtualization has brought a sea change in the approach towards business.

At the enterprise level, there has been an increasing emphasis on data and coupled with technologies such as virtualization as well as cloud analytics, the rule of the game have seen a paradigm shift. For today, enterprises are born digital and the focal point of a contemporary enterprise has been ‘digitalization’. Thus Sify and IBM held various sessions for its partners providing insight about key technological trends that would allow them to be ahead of the curve.

Vishal Mehta, Founder, Infibeam, focused on technological change during the Sify and IBM event in Ahmedabad. He highlighted that every time the industry as a whole hit a wall there would be new innovations that would open up new vistas of opportunity. For SMEs especially, technology has been a boon since it has led them to newer markets while the cloud has ensured that capital expenditure is reduced considerably while being on the cutting edge hardware. Big data analytics has brought about tremendous insights into markets allowing companies to tap into newer verticals.

Certain technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) shall drive the semi-conductor industry to new levels. Simultaneously, the manufacturing and logistics industry will become more efficient. A panel session was also held on data centers and the role of the hybrid cloud in modern enterprises. Steps and strategies were highlighted to optimize resources and ensure the utmost benefits to organizational goals.

The challenge for organizations across verticals is to find the right balance between technology and cost in an era where technological disruption is fast becoming the norm.

Sify’s collaboration with IBM provided a panoramic view of its emphasis on cloud, storage and the data center. A spokesperson from Sify highlighted that the focus now was on an era of SDMs. Sooner or later Sify shall launch SDMs that will be software ready. It was further highlighted that the perceptions toward what is possible with technology was constantly changing and was only limited to the peerless human imagination.

To avoid boredom, interactive sessions were held where audience members participated with great zeal and enthusiasm. The message to the industry was that IT is an enabler and it is imperative to embrace change amidst globalization. Especial emphasis was also placed upon the role of CIOs in a dynamic, ever changing industry as market conditions became increasingly competitive and challenging.

Existing technologies such as storage are also seeing rapid advancements. Various cutting edge storage solutions were highlighted where the lines between memory and story are increasingly blurring. With innovations in 3D NAND and the advent of newer technologies like 3D XPoint memory are leading to storage solutions that are seamless, secure and state of the art. No longer are flash storage solutions constricted towards applications that require cutting edge performance but can also be used for archiving purposes over to a drastic decrease in cost. Consequentially, the high performance features are still available at entry flash solutions and it is expected that it would soon become the de facto standard for storage solutions across verticals.

The final session of the day focused on the nature of cloud transformation. Organizations are increasingly taking to the hybrid cloud. The seven habits of creating effective data centers were also touched upon. Overall, the sessions were thoroughly informative and enriched the audience with its informative providing a glimpse into the technological utopia of the future.