Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/76159
FROM THE TRENCHES monitor developments in the tablet market. r 4."351)0/&4 — An- droid phones are dominat- ing the world and U.S. mar- ket even with the iPhone popularity. Te key thing to watch here is the addition of four core processors for more speed, and the virtu- alization on mobile trend. Mobile phones are no lon- ger stand-alone devices - in- creasingly, they play the role of enterprise application endpoints. Today's mobile phones boast computing capabilities once found in main- frame computers and workstations. Mobile CPU clocks run hun- dreds of MHz, and mobile 32 bit pro- cessors access giga- bytes of memory. Software is changing, too As we have covered in a previous column, the soſtware platforms con- tinue to evolve, but we also see con- vergence from computer to tablet to phone in all of the major players. PLATFORMS TO WATCH INCLUDE: r *04 — Tis Apple iPhone and iPad operating system is due in the fall. We can expect Apple's new desktop OS, Mountain Lion, to have features that em- phasize convergence with iOS 6. r "/%30*% (Ice Cream Sand- wich), the current Android op- erating system is roughly com- parable to iOS 3 in functionality. Android developers got into a habit of codenaming new ver- sions for desserts. With such a "sweet" habit, they are expected to stay with it. Tey started with 1.5 Cupcake, 1.6 Donut, 2.0 éclair, 2.2 Froyo, 2.3 Ginger- bread, 3.0 Honeycomb (active today), 4.0 Ice Cream Sand- wich (current version), and rumor of good things to come, 5.0 Jelly Bean (expected to be released late 2012), and 6.0 Key Lime Pie (aſter Jelly Bean is fully deployed). r 8*/%084 — Microsoſt will be supporting and in its next version of the Windows operat- ing system. So in the history of Windows, what's next? Tere are still lots of speculation and rumors, and there is a lot of pres- sure from manufacturers to "get it out." Te Office 15 Release could be holding up Windows 8. We expect two versions of Windows plus the new tablet Surface version or RT. First, we'll have the traditional Intel/AMD OS that supports the three tra- ditional form factors related to "lap PCs" and tablets, workhorse PCs, and family hub PCs. Te lap PC will have tablet features, the workhorse PC is the traditional desktop or laptop system, and the Second, we'll have the ARM version for tablets and smart de- vices that will not run traditional code. Windows 8 Metro features include: r 4VQQPSU GPS CPUI Y 1$T BOE ARM devices r (FTUVSFT 5PVDI DFOUSJD 5JMFT based User Interface (UI) r $IBSNT r 4OBQ .VMUJ UBTLJOH r 8JOEPXT $POUSPM 1BOFM r 8FC /BWJHBUJPO CZ 5PVDI r 5XP 5PVDI ,FZCPBSET r &OIBODFE; $PQZ &YQFSJFODF; r /BUJWF 64# 4VQQPSU r #FĨFS 4VQQPSU GPS .VMUJQMF Monitors Tese platforms will be supported by HTML 5 soſtware and virtualiza- tion. Developers will innovate broadly as soon as these platforms are stable. Things to Come Over the coming months, hardware built on the technologies above will arrive. Soſtware vendors will begin to take advantage of the new capabilities. Soſtware to watch in the near term: r 0''*$& — We'll write much about this over the next few months as more facts become known. r )"%001 — Tis is soſtware to process "Big Data". Big Data consists of data sets that grow so large that they become awkward to work with using on-hand da- tabase management tools. Data demands today include non- traditional data types beyond words, such as images, audio, and other non-structured data types. Difficulties include cap- ture, storage, search, sharing, analytics, and visualizing. Tis trend continues because of the benefits of working with larger and larger data sets allowing analysts to "spot business trends, prevent diseases, combat crime. " Big Data is the next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity. McKinsey Global Institute studied big data in five domains—healthcare in the United States, the public sector JO &VSPQF; SFUBJM JO UIF 6OJUFE States, and manufacturing and personal-location data globally. Big Data can generate value in each of these five domains. For example, a retailer using big data to the fullest could increase its operating margin by more than 60%. Google or Bing on Big Data to learn more. So, what is Hadoop? Hadoop is an open- source project administered by the Apache Soſtware Founda- tion. Hadoop's contributors work for some of the world's biggest technology companies. Tat diverse, motivated commu- nity has produced a genuinely innovative platform for consoli- dating, combining, and under- standing large-scale data in order UP CFĨFS DPNQSFIFOE UIF EBUB deluge. Hadoop is set to be the next big database type, Hadoop File System or HDFS. And yes, companies like CCH are already looking at Big Data. This short look at our evolving technology future will set the stage for our on-going recommendations of practical selections of the right computer technology to deploy. We'll continue to evaluate Cloud, on- premise and Hybrid strategies to serve DMJFOU T OFFET CFTU /P IBSEXBSF PS soſtware stone will be leſt unturned IF we believe it can help you serve clients better and give you a com- petitive advantage. August 2012 t www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 17