Minimise the tentacles on the OctopOSS. Keep it simple
In yesterday’s post we discussed how Virtual Reality (VR) can be utilised in OSS. Today we look at how OSS and Augmented Reality (AR) to be further augmented with decision support systems to help OSS operators. As a starting point for this exercise, we have to think about what OSS situations have a spatial reality […]
One of the many features of OSS is that they’re great at monitoring network performance and alerting operators of any threshold breaches. Initially these thresholds were static. For example if the CPU utilisation on a router goes above x% then an alert gets raised. But this technique has flaws in that there might be recurring […]
Are you noticing a slow, but just perceptible shift being driven by the most progressive CSPs towards the slimming down of their OSS? And not just the yo-yo dieting where there’s a brief period of reduction followed by increased bloat, but sustained reductionist thinking. Making do without some of the features being offered by vendors […]
“TOSCA models are ‘declarative’ in that they describe WHAT it is you’re trying to provision (as opposed to ‘prescriptive’ models that describe HOW you’re going to get there). ONF uses the term ‘intent’ to describe the same concept, and yet others refer to these types of models as ‘desired-state’ models. While there are subtle nuances […]
Data integrity law #1 – Natural Decay – When being handled, the accuracy / integrity of a data set tends to degrade over time. Data integrity law #2 – The Need for Curation – To prevent rule #1 from making the data unusable, the data needs to be curated. Data integrity law #3 – The […]
Those seem to be the three highest priorities for sponsors of OSS projects at the moment. In other words, that means improved efficiencies. Many translate this to requiring CAPEX projects that deliver new things (that in turn drive new efficiencies). This mindset is particularly true for the vendors who are trying to oust their competitors’s […]
This blog regularly discusses the need to simplify everything in OSS. However this runs contrary to the perspective of many integrators. From their perspective, the more complex, the more effort required, therefore the greater the income for them (albeit greater cost [and sometimes bitterness] from their customers). After all, services usually have higher margins than […]
“In five years a new employee is going to walk in for her first day, sit down in front of a screen (or HUD) and say, “Alexa, show me the org, how it’s changed in the last 6 months, how it works, and where I can help.” And then the screen (and her eyes) are going to […]
The OSS market is segmented. That means its talent is too. The question I often ponder is how do we reach the critical mass of talent required to take OSS to its lofty potential? How do we get its virtuosos in a single place for months on end to solve its biggest problems (and there […]
“Steam engine time is a period of time when many inventors all over the world, despite isolation from each other, and with no contact with each other in any way, begin inventing a similar technology with a coincidental commonality of ideas.” Urban Dictionary. Another perspective on steam engine time is a period where there are […]
“You can check out any time you like, But you just can never leave!” Lyrics from The Eagles’ song, “Hotel California.” You’ve worked with a Hotel California OSS haven’t you? One where the vendor has upset the customer so much that they’ve asked the vendor to check out, but the vendor’s products never leave. Like […]
“I like to think that if I’d been at Kitty Hawk in 1903 when Orville Wright took off, I would have been farsighted enough, and public-spirited enough–I owed this to future capitalists–to shoot him down. I mean, Karl Marx couldn’t have done as much damage to capitalists as Orville did. I won’t dwell on other […]
“He [Barry Schwartz] suggests that because we are presented with so much information, the overload of options and data leads us to falsely believe that, even a fairly mundane task like shopping for toothpaste, has greater significance than it really does.” Howstuffworks.com. Why do 5-10yo kids know what profession they want to do but by […]
“Your financial planner, real estate agent, and accountant all call your house an asset. But in reality, an asset is only something that puts money in your pocket. If you have a house that you rent out to tenants, then it’s an asset. If you have a house, paid for or not, that you live […]
“Lethargy bordering on sloth remains the cornerstone of our investment style.” Warren Buffett in his 1990 Chairman’s Letter. It’s been said that 90% of Warren Buffett’s immense wealth has been derived from just 10 deals. That’s 10 deals in roughly 60 years of investing. Warren undoubtedly gets to see many opportunities but only invests in […]
In “Getting to genba” we discussed the Japanese concept of genba or defining where is the real place that work gets done. According to a learned colleague named Paul who also grew up in Japan, genba is part of popular culture there, being cited regularly in business discussions. We had an interesting discussion about the […]
Over the years of working with different OSS products I’ve noticed two distinct approaches to building the data models that underpin OSS functionality. The two options are: Network specific data model Generic data model The first approach sees the vendor implement a different data structure for each different network type (eg Ethernet, transmission, etc). The […]
Efficiency experts refer to getting to genba (or gemba), a Japanese term for “the real place” or the place where the “real” work gets done. lt’s the place where every movement is vital and any inefficiency or waste is a target for improvement. In OSS, genba resides in two places – the product development and […]
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” Vincent Van Gogh. I recently contributed on a vendor’s product design exercise and came away with some ideas that are worth sharing here. We started the process by trying to resolve a problem faced by many OSS customers. The problem related to re-designing […]
“To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” Lao Tzu. There’s an interesting phenomenon in OSS, but probably software development in general, keep adding new features without giving a thought to removing any. This is fine if you’re in a growth phase in terms of resources, budgets / revenues, customers, […]
