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BUSINESS FOCUS
CHALLENGES
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To enable autonomic computing businesses must be prepared to evolve almost every aspect of how they conduct business.
Current approaches to managing internal operations, including defining computer and communications systems between employees and customers will need to become more fluid, while still maintaining rigorous standards of privacy and security. These systems will also need to adapt in order to integrate with external systems outside of an individual business, and perhaps even with other systems around the world.
Additionally, the broad design and definition of technology systems will expand, changing interface design, standards, and the translation of business policies into I/T policy. New business models will evolve to account for the changing economics of computer systems and I/T services, making it easier for businesses to pay only for what they use.
Consider some major challenges faced by organizations embracing new e-business technologies.
As a proliferating range of access devices become part of the corporate infrastructure, enterprises must transform both their I/T systems and the business processes to connect with employees, customers and suppliers. No longer must they only manage desktops, workstations and PCs, but also PDAs, cell phones, pagers, and other network devices. Annual compound growth of these devices is expected to exceed 38% over the next three years.
Companies must also manage the very products they produce, such as network-enabled cars, washing machines, and entertainment systems, as part of this integrated "system," extending the system concept well beyond traditional corporate boundaries. This demands a reliable infrastructure that can accommodate rapid growth and the ability to hide system complexity from its users -- the company's customers, employees and suppliers.
Emerging "Web services" standards promise to make delivery of valuable services over the Internet possible -- in one recent Infoworld survey, close to 70% of respondents said they would be developing Web services strategies within the year, and roughly the same percentage felt Web Services likely to emerge as the next business model of the Internet. I/T services, in particular, are a likely candidate for delivery in a utility-like fashion, a trend we call e-sourcing. But such services cannot become widespread unless the I/T systems become more automated and allow true economies of scale for e-sourcing providers.
Customers also must gain enough confidence in this model to turn over critical business data and processes, confidence it's unlikely they'll develop if system reliability remains dependent on an inadequate supply of I/T workers.
The underlying technologies to enable greater automation of complex systems management are ripe for the innovation. The emergence of XML and a host of new standards give us a glimpse of the glue we'll need to bind such self-governing systems, and advances in workload management and software agents promises possible incremental paths to autonomic computing.
BENEFITS 
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