As Shriram Group is a large business conglomerate with diversified interests, it was quite a challenge for IT to manage separate servers for every company in the group. To consolidate and manage things better, we decided to implement private cloud in our data center six months back. The benefits include rapid deployment of applications and better resource utilization.  

This is a story about how we saved close to Rs. 1 Crore in three years - a lot of money that business can use at other places. Sometime ago, a cluttered, messy room with over 40 servers was how the the data center at K Raheja Corp looked. But thanks to infrastructure upgradation with consolidation and virtualization, we could now utilize some obvious benefits like load balancing, centralized backup, high availability, scalability, besides huge cost savings. 

To me, every industry brought new opportunities for learning as well as new paradigms on how existing or new technology can be used. Every slowdown or black swan provided a platform to introspect on successes and lack of some. The next decade-and-a-half will bring disruptions unimaginable today. So here is my list for 2012 and beyond; can't predict that all of these will be applicable to everyone, but statistically over the year you will find some connect.