The Move from Machine to YOU

Business architectures naturally focus on getting the most leverage from the most expensive resources, which traditionally have been computing, storage, and bandwidth. For a specific example of system optimization, let’s consider email, which maximized a shared resource function. A person would compose mail offline, log in, use the minimum bandwidth, synchronize the client to the server, then log off, repeating the process numerous times per day. Although today most users are connected to systems full time, the process is essentially the same, continuing to optimize resources that are cheap, and even free. Such architectures are very slow to change.The computing environment has always been machine centric: a computer or network in the center, with many users contending for its time. The current move is clearly toward the user—YOU—being the center of your computing universe, with lots of machines, networks, and applications competing for your attention in a complete reversal of the past situation. Layer on ubiquitous, cheap, and constant connectivity, cheap computing and storage resources, and you have the perfect storm of change for the fundamental premises of computing. This calls for significant changes in thinking, architecture, and deployment.

New requirements for the user-centric “Youniverse” must be developed independent of traditional computing, storage, and communications designs and technologies. These new methods will take advantage of the lowering costs of formerly expensive resources, and serve to enhance the effectiveness of the new center of the computing universe—YOU.
Thanks for your thoughts
Steve Metzger

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