Organizations of all kinds are pursuing big data for one big reason: If they can extract the right data at the right time, they can use it for insights that open new ways to make money or ways to save money, like reducing their operating costs.

But organizations can’t just dive into the data. Data is everywhere today, just not in a format suitable for analytics tools. Big data in the wild doesn’t do anyone any good.

To make big data cough up its secrets, organizations must move it to their data environment and convert it into a usable format. The process of cleaning data into a format that enables “actionable insights” can be called “data optimization.”

Data optimization often has four steps: data virtualization, preparation, exploration, and prediction. These steps are how organizations start collecting the actionable intelligence and insights from big data that lead to more sales and lower expenses.

This first in a series of four blog posts explains how each of these steps relates to the next one. It also discusses why it’s crucial to learn the right sets of skills and competencies to enable data monetization.

So, let’s start by talking about data virtualization.

Using Data Without Knowing Where It Is

The first step toward making the most of big data is data virtualization. Data virtualization lets an application retrieve and use data even if that application doesn’t know the data’s format or physical location.

Here’s an example of how that might work. Think of a major global architectural engineering firm. The firm has three decades of onsite photos taken by project engineers. These photos show how work has progressed in the field. Think about syncing all of these photos on employees’ smart phones with their laptops, desktop computers, and digital cameras. The firm gathers all of these images in the cloud to make slideshows for potential customers.

In today’s world, it is not unusual for a large corporation to have its data reside in various locations—from on premises to the cloud. The corporation might have sales data on employee desktops, as well as on CRM cloud or partner networks. Anyone putting together a presentation that needs information from all of these different data sources will find it tough going.

Data virtualization can connect to all these data sources with adapters. It uses this approach to pull together all the data automatically in real time and on a constant basis.

Instead of dealing with multiple different sources of data, data virtualization automates all the data interfaces at all these different layers. Now all that data sits in a virtual data bin where you can work with it.

This is data virtualization. It enables you to retrieve data without having to know its new file path. You probably don’t know where all of the data is now stored because an abstraction layer hides those technical details. This abstraction layer is data virtualization.

Data Virtualization Offers Advantages

Data virtualization has a lot to offer. It cuts the costs of data replication. Not moving data lowers the expenses of storing and networking data. Organizations get more use out of existing servers and networks.

Data virtualization also makes organizations more agile. When they can get to their data instantly no matter where it is, they can respond much faster to constantly changing conditions.

Data virtualization makes data more visible. This speeds up decision making by a factor of 5 to 10 times. Better data visibility also leads to better decisions. Everyone in the organization who needs data to make those decisions can access it.

To improve IT’s effectiveness, it is critical to learn how to implement and use data virtualization technologies. As the first step in data management, data virtualization is the foundation for the entire process.

Without data virtualization, the simple act of finding all of an organization’s data is tough if not impossible. And if you can’t find your data, you cannot take the next step: data preparation. That will be the topic of the second post in this series about the first steps toward making the most of big data.

By Neeraj Chadha

Source by https://learningnetwork.cisco.com

 

 

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Cisco accelerates the transition to active data and delivers new consumption model for hybrid cloud software

SAN JOSE, Calif—November 1, 2016– Cisco today introduced the UCS S-Series: a new storage-optimized server category in the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) portfolio, designed specifically to address the needs of data intensive workloads such as Big Data, and for  deploying software-defined storage, object storage, and data protection solutions. The UCS S- Series can handle the rapid growth of unstructured data created by the Internet of Things, video, mobility, collaboration and analytics so that businesses can access and analyze data quickly to generate insights in real time.

 

Data. Unstored.

Data has become the lifeblood of every organization, and the way it’s used is changing rapidly. Traditionally, data was warehoused and accessed intermittently.  Industry analysts estimate that less than 40 percent of stored enterprise data is ever used to create insight. New applications such as video analytics, diagnostic imaging, streaming analytics, and machine learning demand and create data that is “un-stored” and actively processed in real time. Traditional static IT infrastructure no longer works in a world of continuous insight and innovation, while public cloud storage solutions can become expensive as data sets grow quickly and unpredictably.

“IDC sees a dramatic shift in how new technologies are being applied to solve business problems and drive strategic growth in this, the 3rd platform era,” said Matt Eastwood, SVP, Enterprise Infrastructure and Datacenter, IDC.  “Organizations are transforming themselves digitally and as they do so they are stressing the need to bring their compute and data resources closer together. Next gen applications including big data analytics remain top IT objectives and as data becomes increasingly strategic, core storage infrastructure is being redefined in software as a server workload.”

 

Introducing the UCS S3260 Storage Server

The UCS S3260 Storage Server, the first in the UCS S-series, delivers the versatility, rapid scalability and cloud connectivity customers need to transform their data into business intelligence and insights. With the first fully modular architecture in the industry and the automation of UCS Manager, the S3260 lowers total cost of ownership (TCO) by over 50 percent compared to public cloud, with the ability to right-size infrastructure to efficiently power every workload.

Compared with traditional servers, the UCS S3260:

• Reduces CapEx by up to 34 percent
• Lowers ongoing management by up to 80 percent
• Reduces cabling by up to 70 percent
• Takes up to 60 percent less space
• Consumes up to 59 percent less power

 

The UCS S3260 provides a wide range of capacity and performance options with up to 600 Terabytes of storage capacity per system, frictionless scaling up to Petabytes with UCS Manager, cache acceleration, and unified I/O connectivity for any type of data storage. With these capabilities, organizations can move from inactive data in warehouses and clouds to dynamic applications on a cloud-scale platform with high-speed processing to activate, analyze and act on data in real time.

“We store millions of voice records for our end users every month,” said Brian Humphreys, Vice President of Infrastructure Delivery at Xerox. “The UCS S-Series provides us a more cost-effective means of offering them this service with second-tier storage. UCS management provides us with even greater efficiencies for running our operations worldwide.”

“Just as Cisco utilized its networking expertise to build a server that is tightly integrated with the network and virtualization layers, Cisco is now applying its expertise to storage,” said Eric Hester, co-founder and CTO, GreenCloud. “We know UCS is reliable, we can use the same Cisco® management tools we already use, and with the Cisco storage-optimized server we improved density by 25 percent over a white-box solution.”

“Fast storage is essential for instant recovery, which makes Cisco UCS® S-Series the key to making it work,” said Dan Timko, President & CTO, Cirrity. “We couldn’t have developed our vStream Vault without Cisco.”

“Enterprise storage is moving from traditional, dedicated platforms to commodity hardware; but not all commodity hardware is created equal,” said Steven Hill, senior storage analyst with 451 Research. “Cisco’s new UCS S-Series offers substantial drive density and scalable x86 hardware options, making it easily customizable for any number of optimized SDS applications. Added to this is the S-Series’ deep integration with Cisco’s UCS management and datacenter automation platforms, not to mention Cisco’s world-wide support and service capabilities.”

 

Next Generation Cisco ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite

Cisco also announced the next generation of its ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite, a hybrid cloud software solution that offers freedom of choice for application teams and delivers a self-service portal that can be tailored for end users, application developers and IT professionals. Cisco ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite now delivers hybrid cloud for automation across the entire IT organization and user base. With this solution teams can deploy to over 20 different data center, private and public cloud environments. In addition, new annual subscription licenses in one, three, and five-year options enable customers to choose the right automation plan at the most cost-effective price point.

The ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite has four offers, which can be used singly or in any combination.

• Infrastructure Automation: Speeds time to market through consistent and faster delivery of error-free infrastructure environments to business and application teams.  Service Management: Empowers customers with self-service order and service management through a simple, intuitive user interface
• Cloud Management: Enables faster time to market while reducing development costs by modeling application profiles once and deploying to multiple hybrid environments
• Big Data Automation: Drives consistency with one-click installation, provisioning and deployment of Hadoop and Splunk clusters.  Reduces risk with near real-time diagnostics and historical analysis.

 

Cisco ASAP Data Center

These additions are part of Cisco’s evolving next generation data center architecture which enables enterprise organizations to incorporate the best aspects of cloud and on-premise data centers. The result is a complete, secure, and agile hybrid cloud platform. Organizations are increasingly under pressure to rapidly deliver new services and applications, and many are transitioning to a Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CICD) model.At the same time, digital transformation is resulting in the creation of thousands of new enterprise applications that are becoming the primary interface between the customer and the enterprise, especially for digital transactions. To meet these challenges, Cisco’s strategy is to provide a data center architecture that enables customers to Analyze, Simplify,Automate, and Protect their data and applications:  the ASAP data center. Cisco’s architecture provides unique advantages through the integration of analytics, networking, compute, and security with consistent policies within the data center and across data centers and clouds.

 

New UCS Developer Center on Cisco DevNet

To support Cisco customers and partners in their automation journey with UCS Director, Cisco DevNet has revamped the UCS Developer Center to make it easier for developers to leverage the UCS Manager and UCS Director APIs for DevOps automation.  Enhancements include new self-paced learning labs with personalized learning tracks for Infrastructure and Application Developers.

 

Cisco Open Pay

Open Pay from Cisco Capital provides a flexible way to acquire Cisco Unified Computing System solutions and select converged infrastructure storage solutions to meet both demand spikes. By paying for variable capacity as it is needed, customers can better align future payments to actual usage.

 

Source by https://newsroom.cisco.com

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The spirit of innovation with drones reaches grassroots levels. See how the disruption of the drone industry is pervasively happening within Cisco.

Biren Gandhi sees Cisco as the torchbearer of drone digital disruption.

The flying machines have become mainstream tools for everything from delivery services to video usage. So how can the networking giant—normally known for Internet services, solutions, software and hardware—compete in the unmanned aviation realm?

As the world narrows in on artificial intelligence, machines and virtual reality, Cisco too pushes to participate in innovative technology— and Gandhi is at the helm of this innovation, along with his Cisco “co-conspirators” Nico Darrow and Angelo Fienga. Known as “Cisco’s Drone Specialist” but more formally titled Distinguished Strategist, Gandhi speaks at conferences like InterDrone, XPONENTIAL, The Commercial UAV Show, etc. about how the company is moving forward with drone security, collaboration, and infrastructure.

Can you tell the difference between what is written by a human and by algorithmic artificial intelligence?

 

In other words, after a computer has been shown who the experts are and what the rules are for making decisions and prioritizing importance such as “severe” weather or noticeable quarterly losses or gains, writing the story with descriptive language that was pre-programmed by a human is rather easy.

Which explains how automated writing software can turn blocks of numbers and computer gobbledygook into intelligent, legible, and informative writing in less than a minute. In fact, most of the 3,700 quarterly financial summaries written by the AP now publish within minutes of a company disclosing its numbers. Previously, this could take 12 times as much work to produce.

In addition to faster news, natural language generation reduces the numbers of reported errors and subsequent story corrections. But it also increases the amount of news and niche reporting that previously wasn’t available.

“Much of the content we automate simply wouldn’t exist otherwise,” says James Kotecki, head of communications atAutomated Insights. “For instance, we create millions of Yahoo fantasy football recaps each week, which are interesting to perhaps two people (the competing participants). It would never make logistical or economic sense to hire writers for a project like that—it only makes sense with automation.”

So the software excels with data-heavy writing such as sports scores, financial reports, and healthcare updates. How soon, then, might someone like me be out of a job?

“Job loss might be possible, but not yours,” Ninan says with a smile. “High quality creative content continues to be produced by humans. Those related to writing repetitive texts, including those generated from the explosion of big data, will be automated.”

For his part, Kotecki says he isn’t aware of any job loss and that computers are mostly doing grunt or otherwise grinding work that humans prefer not to do. “Staff at the Associated Press didn’t much enjoy writing quarterly earnings recaps. Since we’ve automated that task, they can focus on more refined work.”

But it’s not just sports and business journalism that have jumped on the robot bandwagon. “While our work in media gets a lot of attention, we’ve had strong interest from upwards of 50 industries,” concludes Kotecki. “People are realizing that they can create new types of content and communications that weren’t possible until now.”

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The contents or opinions in this feature are independent and may not necessarily represent the views of ICT Hardware. 

Used with the permission of http://thenetwork.cisco.com/.

  Artical by Blake Snow

How long until we collectively find a breakthrough in energy storage?

 

But it will take more than just falling prices of existing technology to finally flip the switch on renewable energy. “New energy storage technology will be a critical part of any renewable energy supply, which typically are sporadic relative to demand,” says Brian Ingram, an energy storage researcher for the U.S. Department of Energy. To fill the “troughs” of unreliable renewables, he says, smarter batteries must first be developed.

The bad news is we still have a long ways to go. The good news is there are lots of smart people working on solving the problem, including the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, where Ingram and several of his award-winning peers are hard at work.

For example, the center has achieved significant improvements to lithium-ion batteries over the last 15 years, the most reliable batteries we’ve created to date.

“Just as lithium-ion batteries 15 years ago enabled portable electronics, we have seen a dramatic cost reduction per storage kWh to power short-range electric vehicles and many are predicting the price could drop below this threshold in the next several years,” Ingram says, echoing McKinsey’s findings.

“Additionally, there have been many scientific discoveries in the last 15 years beyond lithium-ion.” Some of those discoveries include non-aqueous flow and multivalent (i.e., magnesium ion) batteries with extended range, as well as a resurgence of lithium-sulfur batteries.

 

On top of that, Tesla’s battery expert Dr. Jeff Dahn and his team have recently reduced the moving parts in lithium-ion batteries to extend both the range and storage of its car batteries, and long duration flow batteries are increasingly encroaching on lithium-ion’s dominance.

Assuming our greatest minds can someday improve our battery technology then, might there ever be a time when people aren’t plagued by low energy warnings on their portable devices and vehicles?

Probably not, Ingram says. After all, humans have been limited in their exploration of the world and beyond, by the amount of energy we can bring with us. “Whether it’s sustenance for nomads, gasoline for road trips, or nuclear generated energy for space exploration, the demand for more energy consumption constantly drives the scientific and technology development for batteries.”

But that doesn’t mean it won’t get better or that we’ll soon be able to ditch those pesky battery expansion packs you’ve increasingly encountered while traveling. “Today’s batteries are significantly better than those only 5 years ago and we anticipate a similar level of improvement in the coming years,” Ingram concludes. “Despite limits to the amount of energy that can be stored in a certain volume – we all hope to be untethered from our power outlets.”

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The contents or opinions in this feature are independent and may not necessarily represent the views of ICT-Hardware. 

Used with the permission of http://thenetwork.cisco.com/.

  Artical by Blake Snow

Companies are now using people analytics to uncover what makes a team productive.

An often-misunderstood, yet crucial, element in programmer productivity is the opportunity to collaborate.

The potential for countries to prosper in the coming decade is staggering —see how this will change absolutely everything.