Next Generation Enterprise IT Systems

Abstract

The next several years will see an unprecedented change in the architecture of enterprise IT systems. There have been many such changes in the past, for example client-server, user workstations, the rise of Linux-UNIX-Windows transaction and query processing and data mining. The coming wave of change will be at least as great as prior sea changes, and perhaps larger than all combined.

The keynote discussed the changes, and their technical implications for the design of systems, middleware and applications. First, the talk set background and context that enables the massive change. Some elements included:

– The increased adoption of highly parallel systems built using multi-core chips, multiple HW thread cores and blade systems.

– General purpose server HW forming the basis for storage and communication subsystems.

– The increasing rise of standards, especially general Web service standards and domain specific standards.

– The “everyone can program phenomenon”, or all entrants to the work force have basic programming skills.