August, 2009
by Denise P. Kalm, Managing Editor
Denise Kalm has 30 years experience in IT including application programming, enterprise systems management and performance management/capacity planning at Pacific Telephone and Bank of America. She moved to vendor land in 2000, spending 5 ½ years with BMC on the EPA product line, then recently became the senior product marketing manager for enterprise job scheduling products at CA, Inc., formerly Cybermation. She is a regional officer of CMG, has held many volunteer positions within that organization and is a frequent contributing author. Prior to entering the IT profession, she was a biochemical geneticist. Her hobbies include flying, Jazzercise, writing and scuba diving. Her book, Lifestorm, on the Oakland Hills fire, is available on Amazon. She is an executive and personal coach as well, offering phone and in-person coaching.
About the Author
Denise P. Kalm, CA, Inc. formerly Cybermation
MeasureIT is published as a free service to both members and non-members alike, so be sure to share this link with friends and colleagues.
Michael Kok presents part 2 of a two-part series on "Securing System Performance with Transaction Aware Performance Modeling." Most modeling exercises look at systems more holistically, but there is a lot of value in being able to model individual transactions and really understand how they function. Michael helps you get there.
After reading last month's article on "Does the Knee in a Queuing Curve Exist, or is it just a Myth?", Neil Gunther felt he needed to respond. Read his article, "Mind Your Knees and Queues - Responding to Hyperbole with Hyperbole." As an author, speaker and teacher, Neil's analysis is extremely helpful especially when getting into the details. This lively discussion is always a great way to learn.
George Smirnov and Kenneth Hu, Akorri, Inc., Littleton, MA and David Kaeli, Northeastern University, Boston, MA have co-created, "The Use of Spectral Analysis in Identifying Applications Running On Enterprise Data Center Systems." This article is an extension of their CMG 2008 Poster Session, going deeper into what spectral analysis is, how it can benefit you and how to use it in complex data center planning.
Shailesh Paliwal, Infosys Technologies, Ltd., introduces us to a colleague in "Getting to Know Rajinder Gandotra, Head of Performance Engineering and Enhancement (PE2) Practice at Infosys." Learn how he built a state-of-the-art performance team which was able to contribute greatly to the business success of their company.
Dr. Thomas Bell is back this month with another installment of "Preparing for Your Final Career: Retirement." This month, he shows you his "checklist of actions." No matter what your age (and especially if you are younger), this is a must-read article. The earlier you start, the better off you will be. This article is organized by activities at each age. As he noted, even if you did not accomplish all of this at the recommended age, you can still take action. Let his experience guide you to success.
Joe Delano, Wells Fargo Advisors, is back with "Five Investing Mistakes You Don't Need to Make." You will need to hyperlink to his site to read the piece, but don't worry - no login or personal information needed. Too many of us lose track of the basics of investing - this is a great reminder to all of us.
Margaret Greenberg was inspired to research the history of CMG and why Michelson, after her wonderful article on Michelson winner, Neil Gunther. This month, enjoy "The Genesis of CMG and why there is an A.A. Michelson award. "
John Van Wagenen, CMG Mullen Award winner in 2008, wants you to know what a year in the life of a Mullen winner is like. His entertaining and informative piece, "Mullen Year Diary," lets you jump on planes and into cars with him on his world tour.
Michael Hines is back with another interesting book review. This time, his selection is "The Data Access Handbook: Achieving Optimal Database Application Performance and Scalability" by John Goodson and Robert A. Steward. Read this before you buy.
Denise Kalm presents another edition of "Your Career Coach" with "Guarding Your Brand." Following on "Building Your Brand," this article talks about mistakes you can make in this Web 2.0 world that can bite you. Be even more cautious, because employers are watching for these problems.
Join us on the CMG Forum. Become a part of our new social network. www.cmg.org/forum. It is open to everyone.
Michael Salsburg would like you to join him in an online discussion, "Monitoring Quality and Achieving Success with Cloud Computing." Check it out and participate - the more, the merrier.
It's not too early to start thinking about CMG 2009. Sign up now - get your money and request in early, making sure you actually get to go this year. CMG 2009 is in Dallas, TX from 12/6-12/11. And if you had a great paper idea and didn't make the deadline, send it to measureit@cmg.org. And read this great piece by our President, Cathy Nolan. She offers a whirlwind tour of the conference with "Welcome to CMG '09."
Inside the CMG Bulletin we have the following CMG News items:
Tom Kelman gives you the calendar for your local CMG in Upcoming CMG Regional Meetings. Mark your calendar with the regional meeting in your neighborhood and plan on attending and bringing a colleague. Both North American and International meetings are highlighted.
We have reviews of the following recent Regional and International meetings:
Please consider writing up a meeting you attend and sending it to us. And if you aren't attending a regional CMG meeting, consider reading some of these reports to see what you are missing. It's not only a great education; it's also a great way to get started building your network.
We are always interested in receiving your comments, suggestions, and submitted articles. Help us make Measure IT even better in 2009.
This issue was made possible through the hard work and dedication of the Measure IT volunteer staff, and the contributions of willing authors. We're always looking for new editors and new writers. We have an international following so are particularly hoping for more participation from the rest of the world.
If you have not yet logged onto the Measure IT site, go to the Measure IT home page, http://www.cmg.org/measureit/ and fill out the subscription request form.