Information Technology Reference
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of global processes in an integrated and follow-the-sun principle (e.g., global
supply chains) by relying on and integrating globally scattered IT resources.
Virtualization and virtual centralization of available resources in cloud com-
puting could provide the necessary integration of resources by keeping at
the same time their physical distribution.
The third trend in companies that has impact on requirements upon their
IT infrastructure is increasing mobility of employees and resources. Due to
globalization, an increasing number of employees are mobile and require
mobile support. At the same time, with the maturity of ubiquitous comput-
ing and the Internet of Things, an increasing number of external devices
are expected to be involved as sensors in the IT infrastructure of companies
(see Section 2.6 “Internet of Things”). Mobile computing resources and data
as well as data sources as sensors need to be supported remotely in an effi-
cient manner and at the same time need to be integrated into the existing
infrastructure in a flexible way.
In order to support agility, flexible infrastructure is required that can be
fast adapted to new processes. Virtualization and abstraction of the physical
location of resources, support for services and their flexible bundling, as well
as higher scalability and flexibility through inclusion of external resources
based on Cloud Computing have the potential to provide an IT infrastruc-
ture that addresses the demands of business while utilizing the IT resources
most efficiently and cost-effectively.
1.1.1.2 Technological Drivers
IT in companies has been constantly changing its shape in the last decades.
This is driven by the changes in the way how companies conduct business
described in the earlier section and by technological developments and inno-
vation. At the beginning, there were centralized data centers with main-
frames. More than a decade ago, a shift from large centralized mainframe
computers toward more distributed systems started to transform corporate
IT. First, PCs were added to support each single user in addition to main-
frames that increasingly became distributed. Recently, mobile end devices
have been added to support and enable greater mobility of employees.
Initially, computing power and storage of mobile devices were limited, and
mobile devices were mainly used for voice communication. Today, they have
caught up and increasingly compete with PCs. A new trend is ubiquitous
computing and the enhancement of the environment as well as products
with sensors.
Overall, there is a trend toward distribution and decentralization of IT
resources that at the same time is confronted with the need for consolidated
and efficient use of IT resources. This results in several problems:
• Ever-increasing demand for storage and computing power at each
data center
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