Cloudmania: Developers Need A Personal Cloud

Cloud, Private Cloud,     fill in the blank   . Personal Cloud. Don't be surprised if you hear about the Personal Cloud. It is the next natural progression in Cloudmania. Don't get me wrong. I am a fan of Cloud computing as an exciting new deployment option for applications as I said in a previous post. But, this is a classic case where many cloud vendors are trying to make a case for why cloud is the uber solution to everything - including a subject that is near and dear to me - application development.

Can The Cloud Improve Application Development Effectiveness? No.

The case I have heard very recently about how the cloud can improve application development goes something like this. Developers have a need to spin up complex environments for development and the cloud makes it easy to do that. In addition, the cloud makes it easy to provision test environments. First of all, most developers are working on their own computer. For example, Java developers will have an IDE like Eclipse that is integrated with a Web Server, possibly a local database, and perhaps a connection or two to some outside "development" databases. As developers write code, they are constantly testing. Write a few lines. test. Write a few more lines. Test. Debug. Write a few more lines. Check in the code. Come back tomorrow. Every developer knows this develop-test cycle. They do it constantly throughout the day.

Cloud Or No Cloud, Application Developers Still Have To Write And Test Code.  

Every few days or perhaps every couple of weeks, a couple or JAR files or perhaps and EAR file will be deployed to a test or UAT machine that is configured for testing by QA or end-users. I can see an advantage to the cloud for provisioning test environments, but there is no advantage for developers because they are working locally. 

Obligatory Moore's Law reminder: Computers including PC are getting faster and faster.

So why would we want to reverse the trend of using all the computing power available on the desktop for developers? We would not. Because developers who write code are also constantly testing that code as they work, the best case is to keep the dev environment local and use application lifecycle management(ALM) tools for collaboration. That is just more efficient.

Developers Need A Personal Cloud

What developers could use is a Personal Cloud that would allow them to configure their local environment in multiple way and take it with them wherever they go. I know this sounds like virtualization and it is to some extent, but extend PC virtualization with cloud concepts and you get the Personal Cloud.

The Personal Cloud is not just for developers either. Everyone should have a Personal Cloud that follows them around (the mobile cloud is still the Personal Cloud) while at the same time making the most of the increasing amount compute power available on personal computers.

WIM: With all of these clouds floating around cloud interop standards will start to emerge making it even more confusing for customers to decide which way to go.

Monday’s Musings: A Year of Extremes Brings Us Back Full Circle to the Beginning of the Dot.Com Bust

With a few days left in the year, it’s hard to believe that 2008 is almost over.  Just like our paltry .401K’s and lowered gas prices, it’s like we reverted to the Dot Com bust.  Extreme contrasts in positions and tremendous change made 2008 both exciting. suspenseful, and frankly sobering like 2002.  In fact, it wasn’t just the pace of change, it was an intensity of change like no other.  For example in the topical areas I cover:

Cloud Or No Cloud You Still Have To Write Code

I am experiencing Cloud fatigue already. If I hear anyone even come close to uttering the word "Cloud 2.0", I might be found hiding in the Forrester fitness room in a fetal position. I am a fan of Cloud computing and my colleague James Staten has a great report on cloud in the enterprise. I think that cloud computing such Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, IBM, Google AppEngine, and others are legitimate and have a great future in infrastructure. What I am not a fan of is the buzzword grab going on by many technology companies saying they work in the cloud, have a cloud strategy, or have a new cloud offering à la SOA, Web 2.0, and whatever is next. Vendor X can work in the cloud. Well, no kidding. You just spin up your platform in the cloud and run your app on it. Of course, that doesn't mean you can take advantage of some of the value-added services in the cloud right off the bat but there is still value in having an infrastructure on-demand. The buzzword grab vendors are the source of my fatigue.

What Do Application Developers Need To Know About Cloud?

On one level, the cloud is just another deployment option. One day when you are happily writing code in front of your NetBeans, Eclipse, or VisualStudio IDE there will be a button that says "Deploy". You will click the button and then see a list of deployment platforms such as: local, enterprise server, cloud provider. Just pick cloud. A wait dialog box will come up for a a few seconds. Then you are done. That should be the application developer's view of the cloud. The details are abstracted away. Easy breezy.

Now, many of the clouds also offer services such Amazon's SimpleDB. You'll be able to code to those using APIs just as always. If you are in Java you'll bring in the package to NetBeans and voilà you can start instantiating services and use them.

Cloud Vendors Will Seduce You With Services To Lock You In

Be careful when choosing value-added services offered in the cloud. Despite what the cloud vendors say about utility computing, they would love to make it harder for you to leave them. Remember how J2EE was designed to allow you to deploy to any server. Or, SQL was embraced as a database standard. What happened? Both app server and database vendors seduced you with features that made it difficult to leave them. Some of these features add value and are worth the lockin. Just know what you are getting into.

Cloud Security Is Still A Concern

The popular thing to say about Cloud security is to snicker and then to say that it is probably more secure than your data center or no different than outsourcing your infrastrcuture to a hosting firm. That kind of dismissiveness is unwise. Security is always a concern on any deployment platform - PC, Blackberry, corporate server, hosted server, mainframe, or Florida voting machine. Be concerned about the Cloud as you would any deployment platform, but don't be afraid.

Infrastructure professionals and perhaps CFO trying to save a few bucks should be concerned with the Cloud. But, cloud or no cloud, application developers still have to write code.

What do you think?

Are Great Application Developers Making A Comeback?

"I don't want 10 developers. I want 3 great ones", is what a client told me when I asked him how his company was responding to the economic crisis. Of course, I think this is good advice even in good times and I think we have gotten away from this is recent years. Why? I think there are couple of reasons:

1. Outsourcing changed the focus from finding great developers to hiring large numbers of developers.
2. Project managers and business analysts worked their darndest to separate developers from the business problems that develoeprs need to solve. Agile has mitigated this a bit, but treating developers like machines on an assembly has been in fashion for years now.
3. There are fewer great developers because back in the day people passionate about software development gravitated towards a career in application development. Now it is a career choice for many and percentage of great developers has been diluted and thus they are harder to find.

I am asking every application development professional I talk to, including you, the following questions:

1. Compared to 5 years ago, is application development less difficult, same level of difficulty, or more difficult?
2. What qualities make a great application developer?
3. What is an example of a great developer in action?

Please let me know your answers. Thanks. Mike.

Meet One-On-One With Forrester Analysts At Our Business & Technology Leadership Forum 2008

Consistently rated as one of the most popular features of Forrester Events, one-on-one meetings give you the opportunity to discuss the unique technology issues facing your organization with Forrester analysts. Business & Technology Leadership Forum attendees may schedule up to two 20-minute one-on-one meetings with the Forrester analysts of their choice, depending on availability. Registered attendees will be able to schedule one-on-one meetings starting on Monday September 15, 2008. Book early!

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B

William Band
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Customer relationship management applications, customer experience management, stakeholder alignment, enterprise CRM
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Matthew Brown
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Marketing and advertising, enterprise portals, intranets and extranets, information and knowledge management
See all »

Peter Burris
Research coverage for Technology Product Management & Marketing professionals
Enterprise marketing platforms, marketing automation, high-tech, application development
See all »

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C

Bobby Cameron
Research coverage for CIOs
IT governance, risk, and compliance; the marketing of IT; serving the business; security and risk
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Marc Cecere
Research coverage for CIOs
Designing IT organizations, changing the culture of an IT organization, IT strategic planning
See all »

Patrick M. Connaughton
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Supply chain management services, supply chain management applications, enterprise mobility, RFID
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Alex Cullen
Research coverage for CIOs
IT organization; IT strategy, planning, and governance; organizational design and change management, IT management
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E

Boris Evelson
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Information and knowledge management, business intelligence, OLAP, data warehousing
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G

Chip Gliedman
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Customer relationship management, help desk/service desk, customer service and support, packaged applications
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H

Paul D. Hamerman
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
ERP, human capital management, financial management, business performance solutions
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Brian W. Hill
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
eDiscovery, archiving, records and retention management, enterprise content management (ECM)
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Bradford J. Holmes
Research coverage for Vendor Strategy professionals
Tech marketing tools and best practices; government, high-tech, tech marketing strategies
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K

Rob Karel
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Information and knowledge management, integration technologies, metadata management, extract
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Rob Koplowitz
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Information Workplace, collaboration strategy, collaborative platforms, SharePoint
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George Lawrie
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Retail information technology; consumer goods supply chain; pricing, promotions, and revenue optimization; collaborative processes such as trade promotions management and sales; and operations planning
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Sharyn Leaver
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Packaged applications, business process management, ERP, application strategy and selection
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Craig Le Clair
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
ECM, BPM, output management, document processing services
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Pete Marston
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Customer relationship management, sales force management, software-as-a-service, outsourcing
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Kyle McNabb
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Information and knowledge management, document imaging, eForms and information capture, enterprise content management
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Thomas Mendel, Ph.D.
Research coverage for Vendor Strategy professionals
Product portfolio strategies, mobile services, business service management, data center management
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Connie Moore
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Information and knowledge management, business process optimization, IT organization, enterprise content management
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Leslie Owens
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Information and knowledge management, taxonomy and classification, enterprise search platforms, text mining and analytics
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P

Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D.
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Customer service and support, customer experience, customer experience management, business strategy for customer experience
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Lisa Pierce
Research coverage for IT Infrastructure & Operations professionals
Voice services, telecommunications services by region, remote access infrastructure, networking
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Tom Pohlmann
Research coverage for CIOs
Business models, high-tech, corporate strategy, tech sector economics, product and solutions strategies
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Stephen Powers
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Information and knowledge management, digital asset management, enterprise content management, Web content management
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R

Stefan Ried, Ph.D.
Research coverage for Vendor Strategy professionals
Enterprise architecture, Service-oriented architecture, application platforms and programming strategy; application development
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Ted Schadler
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Real-time collaboration tools (instant messaging, presence, document sharing, etc.), cloud-based collaboration and email, mobile collaboration tools and applications, virtual worlds for the enterprise
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Claire Schooley
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
eLearning, information and knowledge management, videoconferencing, Web conferencing, enterprise collaboration, new workforce, retiring workforce
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Scott Tiazkun
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Financial management; governance, risk, and compliance; financial management applications; security and risk
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Zach Thomas
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Human resources management applications, compensation, recruitment strategies, packaged applications
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Tim Walters, Ph.D.
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Web content management, enterprise content management, digital asset management, information and knowledge management
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R "Ray" Wang
Research coverage for Business Process & Applications professionals
Enterprise apps and ERP, software contract negotiations, software partnerships and ecosystems, customer data integration
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Doug Washburn
Research coverage for IT Infrastructure & Operations professionals
Green IT, IT organization, IT infrastructure and operations, IT management
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Y

Gil Yehuda
Research coverage for Information & Knowledge Management professionals
Enterprise Web 2.0 and Social Computing; collaboration strategy, tools, and culture; virtual communities of practice; virtual team collaboration
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How do you think Technology Populism affects companies?

One week ago, I reached out to Max J. Pucher, founder of ISIS Payprus Software, to find out how he thought Technology Populism affected companies. Not only did he respond quickly, but he took the time to write an extensive blog post about his thoughts on the topic. Here are some of the highlights of his post.

First, let me tell you what Forrester defines as Technology Populism:

Forrester uses the term Technology Populism to convey that, essentially, today's software implementation inside an organization is driven by employees' individual preferences rather than that of IT departments. While this may not please IT managers, Forrester believes that instead of trying to block users, they should embrace both the rewards and the risks of Web 2.0 in the enterprise.

Although Max agrees that it is time for a change, he does not agree that this change should be called Technology Populism. He suggests that we use the term “IT User Rebellion,” which he explains to be the “dynamic, user oriented, freely customizable interfaces and functions that people find today on the Internet and in Web 2.0 applications.”

Another point he makes is that “Process must be about empowering people.” He goes onto explain that IT should give all business users the tools that they need and allow them to change and adapt the tools, resulting in a product that can be distributed successfully. He says that this is easy to do and that these systems are real — therefore, we need to open our eyes to see them.

In conclusion, Max agrees with Forrester, saying that “you will need guts to do something different and new. True innovation is being asked for.” But don’t just jump on the bandwagon — try something different.

Read Max’s full blog post defining Technology Populism.

What Is More Important: Resources or Talent?

Picture this. You, the application developer, are in a big conference room. On your left is your boss. On your right are enterprise architects. Across from you are the business analysts and project managers. In the hallway is the businessperson on his "crackberry".  Why is everyone gathered here?  To discuss the next important application development initiative that the business needs to drive revenue, stay competitive, and be more efficient.

The meeting starts.

Project Manager: How many resources do we need?

Application Development Manager (turns to you and asks): How many developers do think we need?

You: 8.

Enterprise Architect: That sounds about right.

Project Manager: Ok. Great.  Now, how many business analysts do we need?

You Have Become a Victim Of Resourcification

And, so has everyone else: the project managers, business analysts, and architects. Resourcification is when all professionals are valued equally regardless of their talent or lack thereof.  We have become commoditized. We let it happen.

The Patriots Win With Talent, Not Resources

Can you ever imagine Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots, talking about player "resources" like they were interchangable?  "I need two tightend resources.".  "I need a quarterback resource." No. Talent and teamwork makes winning teams. It is amazing to see how many managers are die-hard fans of high-performance sports teams but don't see the parallels in their own work.  I have been coaching my daughters' soccer team for 8 years now and it is real clear how talent and teamwork make a big difference in getting results.

Application Development Projects Need Talent, Not Resources

Smart application development professionals recognize talent. And, even though they are forced to answer the resource question, they do so keeping in mind who will be on the team. But many application development managers and project managers don't know how to even recognize talent.  This is partially due to the talent management initiatives that try to identify talent in terms of a narrow list of skills.  For example, a skill might be the ability to program in Java.  But, what does that mean?  Understanding the syntax?  Being able to describe the "static" keyword?  Or, reading Donald Knuth's 3 volume "The Art of Computer Programming" and programming the examples in Java?

Some 20+ years ago when I was a summer intern at Wang Laboratories, what was important was the ability to think, break down a problem and find creative solutions to hard problems.  When you are limited to 64K memory and have to program in Z80 assembler or PL/M these are critical abilities. We need to redefine what it means to have talent as application developers today and in the future.

What To Do At The Next Project Meeting

• If you are a project manager, ask "How much talent do we need for this project?"
• If you are an application developer and get asked about resources, stand up and then say "It depends upon what talent is available?"

Your Success In The Future Depends Upon You Not Being Commoditized

To maximize your value in the future:

• Don't let yourself become resourcified.  Make sure everyone recognizes the talents you bring to a project.  You are not a resource.
• Understand your value in the future of application development.  Some aspects of application development today will be commoditized tomorrow because of new tools and technologies that make the assembly of applications easier.  Your value lies in your ability to help create these tools and have a deep understanding of one or more business domains.

Your thoughts?

What Is Your Future?

Everyday, you are in the trenches building apps that the business needs to be successful.  Our number one job at Forrester is to help make you better, faster and stronger.  That means helping you understand best practices, tools, technologies, architectures, platforms and methodologies that are aligned with your success imperatives.  But, it also means hypothesizing about the future of application development and especially what the future means to you.

Two future scenarios seem plausible - the incremental and the radical.  The incremental future is more of an evolutionary future where change creeps upon us slowly to meet the changing environment.  The radical future happens when the giant comet hits the earth.  There are many shades of grey in between.  Let's start with two future scenarios:

Future 1: Dynamic Application Developer Better development tools, architectures, patterns and development processes will allow app devs to design and deliver dynamic business apps.  The application development professional role remains largely unchanged, but they become more effective.  Successful application development professionals are those who are able keep up with the pace of business change and the dynamic business applications they require.

Future 2: Dynamic Business Developer A new kind of collaboration between application developers, business analysts and businesspeople will shift much of the responsibility of development to businesspeople. Businesspeople will be able to construct applications by dragging and dropping widgets, writing business rules in natural language or using other intuitive tools. Applications are developed collaboratively by businesspeople and application developers.  The role and success imperatives of application development professionals change dramatically.  Successful application development professionals are those who are best at enabling businesspeople to participate more in developing dynamic applications.

Future 1 is the incremental future - more and better of what we already have.  While Future 2, presumes a fundamental change that has been wrongly predicted many times before.  Coghead, an internet startup, is betting on Future 2 by providing businesspeople with DIY applications that use widgets and Amazon's elastic compute cloud.

Is there anything different now that makes Future 2 more likely?  Which Future is more desirable? What can you do to influence and/or prepare for the future?

Some questions for you:

1. Do you think Future 1 and Future 2 are plausible?  Do you have another potential future scenario?
2. What are the drivers that will influence the future of app dev?  Is there a comet?  If so, what does it look like?
3. What are the pre-requisites in terms of tools, technologies, architecture and methodologies needed to enable these future scenarios?

What are your thoughts?