Andy Bolton, Chief Executive Officer, Capacitas

Andy Caddy, Head of Enterprise Architecture, easyJet

ABSTRACT: Windows Server virtualisation continues to grow in popularity as many organisations attempt to slow the growth in small under-utilised Windows Servers through consolidation. This presentation will examine the potential impact of forthcoming Windows Server virtualisation technologies on capacity management; including such things as the removal of the service console from VMware ESX Server 3i, performance data collection from the VMware VirtualCenter SDK; along with an overview of Microsoft's forthcoming hypervisor-based server virtualisation product Hyper-V (previously code-named Viridian).

ABSTRACT: Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) has been described as an evolution in software architecture rather than a revolution. It provides a method to reuse services and legacy systems, to build new business-focussed cross-platform services, by using loosely-coupled encapsulated architecture components. The SOA approach does, however, introduce a level of complexity that may cause performance and capacity issues. This session is designed to assist staff faced with SOA projects or IT strategies mitigate for the issues they face.

ABSTRACT: The advent of packet-based networks (e.g. TCP/IP) has enabled considerable reductions in data transmission costs globally over the last twenty years. This cost reduction has encouraged users of traditional circuit-based services (e.g. voice and secure corporate networks) to migrate to packet-based networks to take advantage of the considerable cost savings available. The use of packet networks does however present challenges for real-time traffic, such as voice, which were not envisaged when TCP/IP was first designed. The convergence of voice and data networks has brought this challenge to the IT service users' desktop. This seminar explores these challenges and some of the options available to ensure performance service levels are met while managing costs effectively.

ABSTRACT: The paradigm of capacity planning for fixed computing resources is dying. Computing is facing many methods of delivering IT resources - most commonly known as On-Demand or Utility Computing. In addition Grid Computing has become a reality, offering the ability to share computing resources and utilise otherwise unused computing cycles. This seminar presents many of these approaches and supporting technologies, describing how they will change the way IT resources are procured, used and paid for.

ABSTRACT: Virtualisation is rapidly becoming the standard operating model for many aspects of information technology. Recently desktop applications have become the latest target of virtualisation with Microsoft's SoftGrid technology. This presentation covers the principles behind this new technology and the dramatic impact this will have on the processes, resources and infrastructure needed to manage a modern complex IT environment.