BMC Community Podcasts
Mar 9 2010
Download Audio for Part 2 (12:27)
Download Audio for Part 1 (15:19 )
Are you in service support and managing change management? Do you want to connect operations to services? Are you dealing with compliance or asset management? Are you charged with analyzing and minimizing risk? Are you looking at a CMDB as a way to help you with these and other tasks? Do you understand the importance of federation, integration, and a flexible information model? For answers to these questions and more, join us for a comprehensive look at CMDB Implementation with Vick Vaishnavi, vice president of Worldwide Marketing for BMC Software.
Bio
Vick Vaishnavi, vice president of Worldwide Marketing for BMC Software, is responsible for driving BMC’s global marketing strategy, market development, campaigns, and field operations activities.
Questions What's the big deal about standards compliance? How can the CMDB support built in policies?How is autodiscovery usefulWhat role do security and access controls play?What else would you like listeners to know about a well-architected CMDB?Resources
Part One of this Podcast: A Comprehensive and Detailed Look at CMDB Implementation, with Vick Vaishnavi
White Paper: Six Criteria For An Effective CMDB Architecture (PDF)
Learn more about BMC Atrium CMDB
Mar 9 2010
Download Audio for Part 1 (15:19 )
Download Audio for Part 2 (12:27)
"Look at the CMDB as a decision support platform, something that allows IT organizations to make informed decisions," says Vick Vaishnavi.
Are you in service support and managing change management? Do you want to connect operations to services? Are you dealing with compliance or asset management? Are you charged with analyzing and minimizing risk? Are you looking at a CMDB as a way to help you with these and other tasks? Do you understand the importance of federation, integration, and a flexible information model? For answers to these questions and more, join us for a comprehensive look at CMDB Implementation with Vick Vaishnavi, vice president of Worldwide Marketing for BMC Software.
Bio
Vick Vaishnavi, vice president of Worldwide Marketing for BMC Software, is responsible for driving BMC’s global marketing strategy, market development, campaigns, and field operations activities.
QuestionsWhy do you say the CMDB is at the heart of a company's IT management strategy? Who are the people that can benefit from it?So, what exactly are the six criteria for effective CMDB architecture?Why is federation useful?What are the advantages of the integration offered by the CMDB?You say a well-architected CMDB supports both a top-down and a bottom-up approach. Can you give us some examples of how each approach might be useful?
Resources
Part Two: A Comprehensive and Detailed Look at CMDB Implementation, with Vick Vaishnavi
White Paper: Six Criteria For An Effective CMDB Architecture (PDF)
Learn more about BMC Atrium CMDB
Mar 4 2010
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Sometimes it's not enough to just back up the database itself; but we also need to back up the structure of the data, and having an up-to-date export and backup, says Daniel Hudsky
Does it seem to you that your Atrium installations may be taking too long? Do you understand the importance of hardware, not only in the production environment but also in your testing setup? Do you have a handle on how thorough your backup process really needs to be? Are you puzzled by some aspects of Atrium in a UNIX environment? Do you want some insights on navigating customer support? Join us for a lively conversation with Daniel Hudsky, Senior Technical Support Analyst at BMC Software, to get answers to these questions an more, as we explore the nitty gritty of Atrium Core CMDB Installation.
QuestionsTo get started, let's talk about what is in Atrium Core so we have a basic understanding for everyone that is listening at the moment.That's a good summary of the components of Atrium. I've always wondered, do I need all of them, can I just use part of them, what's the story with that?What are the important aspects of a successful Atrium Core CMDB Installation from the hardware point of view?Why is it important to optimize threading of the Action Request (AR) server? What's something you see in the field right now that's creating tickets for you?I understand you get the following kind of question, "I'm trying to to get this product catalog updated, but I'm using Unix, and your product does not seem to be working with Display Redirection. I've been reading the documentation for Atrium Core and it just doesn't cover everything. What are my options? How will my case be treated, and how can I impact customer support on the proper severity of my issues for a quick turnaround?
Resources
Get additional information on BMC's Atrium Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
Feb 26 2010
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"Great capacity planning is always built on collecting and using the data that lets you depict resource consumption... subdivided into business functions that are meaningful to your business," says Ron Kaminski.
Is your IT organization using your hardware capacity to its full potential? Do you know whether you're buying new equipment because you really need new capacity, or are you simply covering for a malfunctioning process? Are you reporting capacity data in terms that people can understand? Join us was we talk with Ron Kaminski, ITS Senior Consultant at Kimberly-Clark Corporation to find out answers to these questions and more.
Bio
Ron Kaminski is ITS Senior Consultant at Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Ron has lectured on capacity and performance management conferences around the world.
QuestionsYou've lectured at capacity and performance management conferences around the world on the practical value of capacity management in enterprise data centers. How long have you been in the capacity planning field?In addition to using capacity planning to effectively consolidate or virtualize servers and applications you promote capacity planning as an ongoing activity - Talk about some of the best practices that you follow around ongoing operational capacity planning.What are the some of the key-benefits of doing ongoing capacity planning?What are your keys to success?Where should people start? What are some of the pitfalls that people new to capacity planning fall into?What should companies look for when selecting a capacity planning tool?What metrics should they track? How do you measure success?Can you share some of the success/metrics you’ve achieved at Kimberly-Clark?
Feb 23 2010
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"One of the most important things around cloud computing in particular, is the discipline that's required going into that ... having consistency, having automation, having configuration control and change control," says Ben Newton
Like any technological innovation in Information Technology (IT), Cloud Computing offers enormous benefits to the Public Sector, but sometimes promises more than can be delivered. Risk for failure comes primarily from the “cloud” being reduced almost entirely to virtualization alone, while ignoring the process automation that is so essential to success. IT must also focus on the fundamentals of achieving real cost savings and increasing the agility of the organization to respond to new requirements, not just finding a convenient reason to try out the latest technologies. Join us as we talk with Herb VanHook, Vice President of Strategy out of BMC CTO Office and Ben Newton, Software Consulting Manager for Public Sector Sales at BMC Software, and explore cloud computing in the public sector. Listen in as they share many valuable tips around cloud computing, applicable in both the public and private sectors.
Bio
Herb VanHook, is Vice President of Business Planning, at BMC Software. Herb has held several key positions at META Group (most recently serving as Interim President and Chief Operating Officer), and has more than 30 years of experience in information technology, including senior positions at IBM, Computer Associates, and Legent Corporation.
Ben Newton is the Software Consulting Manager for Public Sector Sales at BMC Software. He manages the technical side of the sales cycle for all of BMC’s defense and intelligence community customers.
QuestionsWhy is cloud computing such a hot topic in the Public Sector right now?How have President Obama's initiatives around budgets and energy consumption affected the perception and pursuit of cloud computing in the Federal Government?How do the particular concerns of the Public Sector affect the choice between implementing public vs. private cloud computing architectures? In particular, how do security concerns and ongoing compliance affect how the Public Sector views the "cloud"?The concept of a "community cloud" has a particular resonance for government agencies. What is a community cloud, and why is it attractive? Software as a Service (or SaaS) is hot topic here at BMC and in the Public Sector as well. How can the Public Sector leverage SaaS to achieve their budgetary and functional objectives?What do think are the major challenges facing Public Sector organizations looking at pursuing cloud computing?What kind of capabilities do government organizations need to have in place to really implement and maintain cloud computing?Where is the best place to start?Resources
Check back in early March 2010 for access to the white paper "Leveraging Cloud Computing in the Public Sector"
Further Reading PRESS RELEASE:
BMC Software Brings the Power of Business Service Management to Enterprise CloudBMC Industry Insight:
Cloud Computing In PerspectiveAdditional Cloud Computing Podcasts
Cloud Computing Today —A Practical Perspective, with Herb Van HookHow Will Cloud Computing Impact your IT Group in 2010? with Meghan StableA Down-to-Earth look at Cloud Computing, with whurleyFor mobile users
Now mobile users can keep up with the latest BMC Software news, blogs, podcasts, videos and Thought Leadership white papers with the BMC Today iPhone app. It's Free Download it now.
Feb 18 2010
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"You can't just stick your head in the sand and say 'I give up, I punt on these devices,' because they are becoming business critical," says Doug Mueller.
Many people use a BlackBerry, iPhone, or other mobile devices. We rely on them for so many functions that we wonder how we ever got along without them. So, it’s really no surprise that a growing number of organizations are “mobilizing” their critical business applications. Join us as we talk with Doug Mueller, Chief Technology Officer at BMC Software, to discuss bringing your mobile devices into your Business Service Management processes.
Bio
Doug Mueller serves as Chief Technology Officer, Service Management Business Unit of BMC Software. Doug is responsible for helping drive the architecture and direction of the BSM, Service Support, and Atrium initiatives. He joined BMC in 2002 as part of the acquisition of Remedy where he was a co-founder.
QuestionsLast time we spoke, we talked about Mobilizing IT, where it works, and where it doesn't work. In that conversation you said "Mobility has been around for awhile, but it's just now coming to the foreground where IT groups are concerned. A lot has happened in the 5 months since we last spoke, more and more mobile devices coming into use, would you agree with that?What do see as some of the primary ways that mobile devices are being used in the Enterprise? Why do mobile devices need to be brought into the visibility and control of IT? What are some of the challenges around managing these devices? What are some examples of how enterprise mobility and Business Service Management (BSM) work together?
Resources
Now mobile users can keep up with the latest BMC Software news, blogs, podcasts, videos and Thought Leadership white papers with the BMC Today iPhone app. It's Free Download it now.
Feb 14 2010
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What BSM allows you to do—by doing enterprise level capacity management—is to really seek the most optimal disposition of funds allocated for assets, says Mark Settle.
Can you imagine saving more than five million dollars by reusing servers and dramatically reducing lead times for asset provisioning? What if you could also reduce power consumption and the requirements for floor space by about 20 percent? The IT organization at BMC Software has achieved these results and more with Business Service Management (BSM), a comprehensive and unified platform for running IT. Join us as we talk with Mark Settle, Chief Information Officer at BMC Software, about how BMC met its management challenges while achieving tremendous cost savings and improvements in IT effectiveness.
Bio
Mark Settle is the Chief Information Officer at BMC Software. Mark joined BMC in June 2008. He has served as the CIO of four Fortune 300 companies: Corporate Express, Arrow Electronics, Visa International, and Occidental Petroleum. He is a former Air Force officer and NASA Program Scientist.
QuestionsThe IT organization at BMC Software has achieved some pretty impressive results using Business Service Management (BSM). Would you start us off by talking a little about those results and the timeframe for that achievement? What are the key metrics CIOs can use to metrics to measure the effectiveness of their organization’s investments in technology?How does ITIL fit into all of this? How is BSM beneficial in the current economy?What about virtualization? Does it fit into the BSM equation? How has BSM changed the way that IT looks at its role in the business? Resources
BMC Industry Insights: CIO to CIO: Reaping the Benefits of Business Service Management (pdf)
Feb 4 2010
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"We set out to drive down the issues and incidents within our environment and improve our mean time to resolution," says Mahendra Durai
Every year, InfoWorld recognizes IT projects for their innovative use of information technology to drive concrete business benefits. BMC’s IT organization was selected as one of this year’s InfoWorld 100 Award Winners based on the pioneering use of data-center automation technologies to manage service availability and up-time.
Join us as we talk with Mahendra Durai, Vice President for Infrastructure and Operations at BMC Software to learn more about the InfoWorld 100 Award for BMC Software.
QuestionsWhat does it mean for BMC to receive this award? What BMC products did the award recognize? Would you talk a minute about the background behind these innovations? What do these innovations mean to BMC customers? Resources
Read about the InfoWorld 100 Award
Learn more about BMC's Data Center Automation
Learn more about BMC Atrium CMDB
Now mobile users can keep up with the latest BMC Software news, blogs, podcasts, videos and Thought Leadership white papers with the BMC Today iPhone app. It's Free Download it now.
Jan 28 2010
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Did you know you can be listening to BMC podcasts on your iPhone along with all the latest media and news from BMC? A dedicated iPhone app called BMC Today is available for you to download or you can find it on the from the iTunes app store. Just search for BMC or BMC Today and you'll find it. The app is free.
You get fingertip access to the top bloggers on our BMC Community, BMC news, BMC videos, every new BMC audio podcast, Thought Leadership white papers, as well as CIO interviews and articles from the BMC sponsored website, EnterpriseLeadership.org
Download the BMC Today iPhone app now.
Additional ResourcesQuestions? Review the
Frequently Asked Questions for BMC Today Mobile App.Check out
Steve Carl's blog article on the BMC Today iPhone app.If you want to meet more people using the app feel free to visit the
BMC Today iPhone app community page.
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