
Joseph Gulla
Contributor
Joseph Gulla got his start in IT as a COBOL programmer in the late 1970s. He has worked with IBM products as a developer, system operator and instructor. Gulla has a Ph.D. in CIS from Nova Southeastern University and an MBA in MIS from La Salle University. Since 2000, Joe has helped StreamFoundry, an IBM Business Partner, with competitive software migrations and has continued his long association with Alazar Press as its general manager.
The Special Attributes of Computer Security Hardware
March 12, 2018
Many of us think about security with primarily a software focus. You might be surprised to know about the special security hardware and its role in safeguarding data.
ArticlesIT Consolidation Is Both an Art and a Science
January 29, 2018
You might find the phrase “IT consolidation” to be cold or even unimaginative, so how can it be both an art and a science?
ArticlesManaging Emerging Technologies
December 18, 2017
In this post, I finish up my focus on the management theme from the previous four weeks of posts, with a concentration on the management of emerging technologies like robots and artificial intelligence (AI). There’s been much written about jobs being lost to new technologies like computerized algorithms (at this time) and autonomous vehicles (in […]
ArticlesA Focus on Cloud Management
December 11, 2017
In this post, I keep my focus on the management theme from the previous three weeks of posts with concentration on cloud. What is different with cloud as compared to system, network and application management? Don’t cloud services require system and network management? Don’t cloud services run an application so isn’t application management useful? Time […]
ArticlesREXX Language Helps Ensure Consistency of Applications Across Platforms
December 4, 2017
The fact that the REXX programming language has a long history is an asset. It speaks to its stability, growth and expansion to different platforms and multiple versions. REXX has earned its reputation as a small, easy-to-learn language, just 23 instruction statements, that can be used to write programs for a wide variety of needs. […]
ArticlesA Comprehensive Approach to Application Management
December 4, 2017
In this post, I explore the discipline of application management, which is an IT management process with tools focused on the availability, performance and manageability of applications. Applications that have files, databases and other resources distributed over multiple OS images can be a challenge to manage. When suddenly some part of the application isn’t working, […]
ArticlesAge of Networks and Network Management
November 27, 2017
In this post, I explore the current state of network management, a powerfully mature discipline that emerged after going through many changes as networking evolved to its present state. Network management is still growing and evolving. That’s because network environments are still developing in sophistication, built-in support and changing device implementations like virtualized firewalls, switches […]
ArticlesComprehensive Systems Management
November 20, 2017
In this post, I explore systems management as a comprehensive discipline: What is it, how has it changed and what are the latest innovations to emerge. Systems management has developed into a mature and vibrant network of activities that are key to keeping systems available and useful. Let’s consider it as a model with categories […]
ArticlesIT Management Activities and Their Context
November 13, 2017
This is the first in a series about IT management. You might think of this as system, network, application and cloud management, but definitions and practices are changing and expanding. Or, you might think of this as IT Service management. That’s certainly part of it as well. IT service management creates context so it is […]
ArticlesDesign and Develop Large-Scale System Software
November 6, 2017
This is the sixth and final post in a series about things they never taught me in school. Over the years, I have taken many different computer classes in schools, through IT companies and by self-study, but nothing prepared me for the rigor of leading a team in the design and development of a large-scale […]