The ITAM Roundup: 1/5/25

roundup Jan 5, 2025

📰 News

Microsoft to Spend $80B on AI Data Centers This Year

Microsoft plans to spend $80 billion on data centers in the fiscal year ending June 2025, with more than half of the investment focused in the US, according to President Brad Smith. This substantial expenditure underscores the growing demand for AI services and the need for large-scale infrastructure, following a $50 billion capital expenditure in the previous fiscal year. Smith emphasized the importance of pragmatic US policies to balance security and global expansion, while also highlighting Microsoft's use of nuclear energy to power its AI server farms.

WWT to acquire Softchoice in $1.25B technology services deal

World Wide Technology (WWT) has announced plans to acquire Softchoice Corp. for $1.25 billion, with the all-cash offer valuing Softchoice at a premium of over 10% from its recent market price. The acquisition will enhance WWT's presence in Canada and the U.S. mid-market segment, while bolstering its capabilities in cloud, cybersecurity, and AI. The deal is expected to close in early 2025, pending regulatory approval, with Softchoice investors holding 51.3% of shares backing the offer.

IBM and GlobalFoundries settle multibillion-dollar trade secret and contract lawsuits

IBM and GlobalFoundries have settled all litigation between them, including breach of contract, trade secret, and patent lawsuits, with details of the settlement kept confidential. The resolution will allow both companies to explore new collaboration opportunities in areas of mutual interest, particularly in semiconductor technology. The legal disputes stemmed from a 2014 deal for IBM to transfer its semiconductor business to GlobalFoundries, leading to claims of delays and intellectual property disputes, which have now been resolved.

Screwed by the cloud: Hardware vendors looking for that raison d'refresh

Approximately 40% of global servers are over six years old, consuming 66% of data center energy but only providing 7% of the world's compute. HPE suggests that refreshing this outdated infrastructure could reduce energy consumption, improve efficiency, and decrease carbon footprints. However, the rise of cloud computing and the shift towards AI are challenging traditional hardware vendors, with many enterprises opting for co-location and cloud solutions instead of maintaining on-prem data centers.

Data, compute spending to double by next year: survey

Enterprises are set to more than double their spending on AI-related data storage and processing by the end of 2026, with investments in data and compute expected to grow by 224% and AI spending by 226%. However, data governance issues are rising, with over a third of businesses lacking confidence in data quality, leading to poor AI results. While most organizations view AI as an R&D expense and anticipate ROI in two years, the unstructured nature of much of their data and the growing reliance on AI models raise significant challenges for data operations professionals.

📖 Tips

Agent vs. Agentless ITAM: What Are Their Differences

Agent-based and agentless IT Asset Management (ITAM) offer complementary methods for tracking and managing IT assets. Agent-based ITAM provides real-time, detailed insights by installing software agents on devices, while agentless ITAM uses network protocols and scanning techniques for broader coverage without requiring software installation. Combining both approaches ensures comprehensive visibility, flexibility, and accurate data for optimizing IT infrastructure and maintaining compliance.

CIOs must tackle the global tech debt crisis

Enterprises are struggling with growing tech debt after years of deferring critical upgrades, worsened by the rapid pace of digital transformation and AI adoption. Legacy systems and monolithic architectures have been patched over time, but the shift to microservices presents its own challenges, with companies often operating with a mix of old and new infrastructures. To address tech debt, businesses must prioritize observability, enabling tech teams to detect and address issues before they escalate into emergencies, ensuring smoother transitions and more reliable software performance.

🐛Bugs & Exploits

Windows 10 users urged to upgrade to avoid "security fiasco"

ESET is urging Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 or Linux before October 2025, when support for Windows 10 will end, exposing users to significant security risks. With millions of devices still running Windows 10, many users face barriers to upgrading, such as missing hardware requirements like TPM (Trusted Platform Module), and extended security updates are costly. The situation is seen as more dangerous than the Windows 7 transition, as cybercriminals are anticipated to exploit the lack of updates after the support cutoff.