In this blog I look beyond the obvious and try to find out why people and companies do what they do - and what it means for the rest of us. 
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is to an eating, drinking, napping, and football fan what Christmas is to kids – magical and eventually messy and uncomfortable.
The same is true in the wild, wacky world of IT.
IT can be the most boring industry in the world for months on end and then out of nowhere, it gives us things that are stunningly shocking, interesting, and intellectually stimulating. It gives moments of joy, confusion, and staggering stupidity.
I’m thankful for the HP vs. Cisco war that will keep us interested from every perspective for at least the next two years. This is as big as it gets in terms of ramifications. I don’t know how it will all end up two years from now, but I can guarantee it will leave carnage, blood money, and business violence. It will be way cool.
I’m thankful for VCE, speaking of Cisco, for putting together the super band – and waking up all others to the power of giants coming together for the common good – their own common good, of course.
I’m thankful for HP hiring Dave Donatelli and causing a little excitement and a whole bunch of “wait and see” what’s next.
I’m thankful for really great companies that continue to evolve and remain really great companies. You can hate EMC the way most non-New Englanders hate Tom Brady (or the way New Englanders hate Derek Jeter) – but you are an idiot if you don’t respect their abilities, results, and the way they play their games. Same for NetApp and Oracle and HP.
I’m thankful that Alan Atkinson is shaking things up at Xiotech. They were starting to get boring (again).
I’m disappointed in IBM and Pillar. IBM, because they could be the ones kicking butt and dictating the game, but they are sitting on the sidelines and that bums me out. Pillar because they have Larry, Larry’s outrageous dough, and they still seem stuck in neutral. They should be much further along. I’m not that smart, but if I had Larry’s dough, I’d own a market by now (or maybe a country). I’m disappointed in Egenera too. I think they had something but have waited too long.
I’m thankful and truly awe inspired by Data Domain – not just for what they were able to pull off, but the way that they have kept it going (accelerated, truth be told) inside of EMC. I’m also tremendously impressed at how EMC has made it work. I would not have put money on it, but I was wrong. I’m thankful that this deal was able to shine a spotlight on the fact that we are morons – that we really shouldn’t keep 11 billion copies of the same video of Brittany Spears getting out of a limo. I’m hopeful that 2010 will show us how to continue that thought – into primary capacity. I’m thankful Ed Walsh is now running Storewize as he always ends up doing something interesting. I’d be lying if I didn’t mention that I’m disappointed with Ocarina thus far. It seems they have something, but are forcing me to figure out what it is – and I’m too lazy for that.
I’m thankful that Dell has decided to move out of the small company, big volume business and step up their game. I like when there are more giants making things interesting globally.
I’m thankful that it now appears that our industry will continue on, and not die in the face of the global economic meltdown. I’m also thankful that the meltdown has forced us to become better at what we do. Sometimes you need a slap in the face or you keep on doing bad things – like wearing a mullet or keeping that ponytail that makes you look like the comic store guy in the Simpsons.
People should be uncomfortable sometimes. Complacency sucks. That’s why I overeat to such a reckless degree on Thanksgiving. I don’t want to be complacent. Plus, it gives me an excuse to nap. My kids will shove forks in their eyes to avoid napping, but I’d pay money. Kids are nuts.
I’m thankful for the truly wonderful people I’ve come to know in this business. I’m also disappointed that there are still too many jackasses in the world.
I’m thankful that there still good, decent human beings around. Specifically, I’m calling out my little sister, Kristen, who with two boys already (8, 6) is adopting my new niece, Samantha (14-20 months – no one really knows), from Ethiopia. We hope she’s here by Christmas.
Have a nice weekend.
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Amen brother. I’m thankful for people in the industry with straight perceptions on reality like you, keeping grunts in the trenches up to speed on what the corporations are going to push us into complacent or not lol.