VMware President Diane Greene has recently published a paper titled “Virtualization: Transforming the IT Landscape”. This is a very interesting discussion of how things have changed over the past decade as new technologies are becoming excepted.

My peers and I refer to this as the shifting paradigm. As new technologies emerge, the accepted strategy on how to design your datacenter and resolve problem change. It also changes how we work and communicate. Take for example email. In 1996, I was working for a small company in Northerrn California as the IT manager. I took it upon myself to setup an email server for internal use amonst the managers of the company. When I introduced it to the President of the company he looked at me like I had grown a 3rd eye. “What do we need that for?” and “No” are the only real words I remember him saying.

10 years later he now sees the value in it, and wonders how he ever managed with out it.

Virtualization is having that same effect on the industry right now. Diane’s paper discusses exactly this. It’s worth looking at.

You can download it here.

Also, if you’re looking for a good article regarding how the paradigm has and is changing, read this article.