Our Angles
Straight from the minds of our talented consultants.
Beyond Cloud First: The Rise of Sovereign and Hybrid Data Centres
For years public cloud has been hailed as the future, with almost infinite resources at your command, able to be turned on and off like a tap. In a major twist, organisations are now re-evaluating cloud strategies and exploring sovereign cloud and hybrid DC architectures. This appears to be in response to the reality of a new landscape where cost, control and resilience is overtaking the “cloud first” agenda.
Matt Shumer says the sky is on fire. What should you do about it?
Matt Shumer’s X post on the near-term implications of AI has more than 80M views and has attracted wide-spread press coverage. In this response Refractis’s own James Todd seeks to sift the hype from the reality.
Stop the trAIn, I want to get off!
The artificial intelligence revolution has arrived with the subtlety of a freight train at full throttle. Across boardrooms and IT departments worldwide, there's a palpable sense of urgency to "do something with AI.” The fear of being left behind is real, the competitive pressures are mounting, and the promise of efficiency gains is tantalising. But in this headlong rush toward an AI-enabled future, are we moving too fast for our own good?
How low can you go? A retrospective
Over four years ago now, in mid-2021, I wrote a series of Refractis “Angles” about the increasing adoption of Low Code tools.
I thought it would be interesting to revisit the articles, review my original list, see which of the tools had thrived, and how they had adapted to the changes that AI has brought to the space.
SaaS project management tooling: boosting productivity or adding digital noise?
As more and more companies adopt these platforms, very often adding multiple tools to the mix, the question becomes: are we actually working smarter, or just adding another layer of digital noise?
Variable Recurring Payments (VRPs)– the one to watch in 2025.
VRPs offer incremental improvements for businesses and consumers across the payment journey find out how we think VRPs will be applied in 2025.
A case for independent technical delivery management
In an era where digital transformation can make or break businesses, ensuring proper governance and delivery management isn't just good practice – it's essential for survival.
Are your IT suppliers holding you back?
In this Angle we will discuss what makes a strong IT partner, how they can support you through a transformation, all while getting a good deal.
IT transformation done right?
Why do tales from IT Transformations often sound like survivor accounts from disaster zones? How do you balance the risk of fixing security vulnerabilities against the requirement for an AI tool...
How to defend against Broadcom's VMware license price hikes
Now may be the time to review estate-exposure to key technology vendors. In this article we discuss the importance of analysis of vendors to assess their track record or strategy and the impact to your business if changes are made.
Mergers and acquisitions in IT operations management: a strategic approach
What are the key considerations for building a efficient and effective IT operation whilst M&A activity is progressing?
The value of contingency planning
If you are in the middle of an IT change programme or are about to initiate one, why not spend some time reviewing your risk management approach and contingency plans. Don’t be left without a river to swim in!
Delivering business value from regulatory change
The 3rd iteration of the Payment Services Directive (PSD2) will soon replace the 2nd (PSD2), and while the UK is no longer obliged to pick up the regulation as law from the EU, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will likely move in line with the rest of Europe.
Transformational procurement: Digital transformation’s enabling cousin
When seeking new, complex, business-critical or challenging technology/services … more than just buying something or saving costs, its about delivering what the business needs today and into the future.
This is where Transformational Procurement comes in ….
2024 A year in review - Matt
We hear from Matt Buley on his experience in 2024 and first full year as a consultant at Refractis.
Multi-cloud: A complex strategy with new challenges
Many cloud service providers and strategy-boutiques give the impression that a multi-cloud approach is a simple way for an enterprise to spread risk. As is often the case, we find that in reality, it’s more complicated.
Good foundations - the CMDB challenge
A good configuration management database is a foundational building block for high-quality service management. With many organisations struggling to implement them successfully we ask if there is a different way to crack the CMDB challenge.
Ransomware
Sounding like a poorly-conceived 1980s movie, ransomware is the latest scourge to hit businesses and their IT. It can have a devastating effect on companies and, in some cases, shutter them completely, so what steps can you take to protect yourself?
How low can you go? Part 4
In the final part of his series, Richard draws conclusions on how to get the best value from low code-platforms, how to avoid some common pitfalls, and introduces the Refractis low-code directory.
How low can you go? Part 3
In the third part of this series we look at developing applications using low code and no code solutions and ask whether they can accelerate the work of traditional development teams.