Future technology Arif Mohamed discusses developments users
should be looking at.
SQL Server 2005 "Yukon"
Microsoft released an early version of its database SQL Server
2005, Beta 2, to 500,000 developers earlier this month. The product
is due to go on sale next year.
SQL Server 2005, previously known as Yukon, will succeed SQL Server
2000. New features include support for 32-bit and 64-bit
applications and AMD's Opteron processors. Data management,
developer productivity and business intelligence are the functional
additions.
SQL Server 2005 Beta 2 introduces a management tool called SQL
Server Management Studio. This combines existing management tools
with added support for SQL Server reporting services, notification
services, XML and SQL Server 2005 Mobile Edition. There is a new
encryption feature and integration with Visual Studio 2005.
Mike Thompson, principal analyst at Butler Group, said the new
features of SQL Server 2005 offer companies an alternative to
databases from IBM and Oracle.
He said the product will be easier to manage, will work better with
other Microsoft applications and will make it easier for end-users
to retrieve information.
One important change, which will have benefits for companies, is
the way the database is embedded. "It is embedded deeper into the
operating system, so performance overheads will be reduced," said
Thompson.
"If you are a Microsoft shop, the performance gains from having SQL
Server 2005 will roll over into easier management. From a security
aspect, there will be tighter ties with database security and
Active Directory, so there will be two levels of security."
3G mobile services
Business use of third generation mobile services will finally take
off next year, according to Jawad Shaikh, senior analyst at
professional services firm Capgemini. Shaikh predicted business use
of 3G will take off before consumer use. Companies will use 3G
technology to get a faster connection to the internet and help
workers in different locations share data and move data, he
said.
"Some of the established players are correctly placing their
initial 3G bets on the corporate market. With an increasingly
mobile workforce that is desperate for simple, convenient and
secure high-speed data connectivity, 3G can more than plug the
significant gap left between Wi-Fi and traditional dial-up
connectivity," said Shaikh.
"Among the established players, the first focus for 3G services has
been the corporate world: Vodafone, for example, introduced a
laptop data card aimed at providing high-speed connectivity
on-the-move."
He added that service provider 3, on the other hand, has
concentrated on the consumer market, which Capgemini does not
expect to take off until 2006.
3G mobile services will help the IT department detect who is on its
network and how they are connected. Mark Blowers, senior research
analyst at Butler Group, said, "There will be services to do with
presence - so you will be able to detect who is on your network and
by what method they are connected, so you can instant message them
or set up a voice conference, regardless of where they are."
Videoconferencing - a technology that has not become as widely used
as expected - will receive a boost from 3G, said Blowers.
"With 3G you will be able to do videoconferencing, probably next
year, and the mobile environment will keep pace with the office
environment. The cost premium is obviously a factor, but if the
applications increase efficiency, people will pay," he said.
Processor security
Companies will have a further security option later this year with
Windows XP-based notebooks that house AMD's new mobile chips. The
feature is designed to work with Microsoft's XP Service Pack 2, due
out this month, and is expected to reduce the threat of many
viruses and worms.
The chips include hardware that prevents malicious code from
running on the user's computer. The security feature is already a
part of AMD's 64-bit desktop chips.
Anti-virus experts have said the feature will not make notebooks
virus-proof, but the XP upgrade will stop many of the thousands of
viruses that are discovered each year.
Router security
Cisco networking products will have added security built-in from
the second half of 2005.
The supplier plans to release a range of routing products and
software that supports its Network Admission Control technology.
The software allows Cisco routers to evaluate whether a computer's
anti-virus definitions are up to date and its operating system is
adequately patched before allowing it to connect to a
network.
Network Admission Control has been developed jointly by Cisco and
anti-virus companies Network Associates, Symantec and Trend
Micro.
Service-oriented architecture
IDC's European software research director Rob Hailstone said
companies should consider some of the newer suppliers for servers
using Java and service-oriented architecture (SOA).
SOA software can help companies link existing enterprise
applications, which will lengthen their lifecycle and can allow
them to communicate with each other more efficiently.
"SOA brings a whole load of opportunities and we are seeing some
relatively new companies fitting into the scene. It is worth
checking out Cape Clear, Progress with its Enterprise System Bus,
and companies such as Fiorano and Cordys," said Hailstone.
Cordys, which has developed its own SOA platform, is due to launch
its product in September, said Hailstone. He added that Cordys is
interesting because it is headed by Jan Baan, who owned German ERP
supplier Baan.
Cordys' SOA software is one of the first to connect applications
that use either J2EE or .net.
Hailstone advised companies to also look at Dublin-based SOA
specialist Exaltec. The firm's software helps to migrate Oracle
Forms, Informix 4GL and Microsoft Visual Basic/SQL Server to J2EE
SOA suitable for large companies, he said. It was originally
developed as a plug-in to IBM's Websphere Studio, BEA Weblogic
Workshop and the Eclipse platform.
Gartner's sees lack of focus in SQL Server
2005
In its report on SQL Server 2005, analyst firm Gartner said,
"Yukon is a montage release, lacking a clear focus or vision.
Although Microsoft claims that it is delaying the release to ensure
greater quality, Gartner believes that the protracted release of
Yukon is largely due to the lack of clear focus and direction for
SQL Server within Microsoft."
Microsoft has admitted that SQL Server 2005 will not emerge
until the first half of 2005. But Gartner said users should plan
for additional delays to SQL Server 2005, which could extend into
early 2006.
The report said SQL Server customers will find diverse and
valuable features in SQL Server 2005, but the release lacks several
promised features such as clustering and hash partitioning (a way
of sorting data on a hard disc).
Gartner also pointed out that customers paying for Software
Assurance maintenance agreements that provide them with the latest
Microsoft products may find that their agreements have lapsed
before SQL Server 2005 is released. This is likely to make them
reluctant to adopt SQL Server 2005, said Gartner.