Simon Wardley is the Software Services Manager for Canonical, the main sponsor of Ubuntu. He is a proven executive with 14 years of solid experience in developing and delivering products. Simon has created and executed business and IT strategies within start-ups and multi-nationals ranging from FMCG to Web 2.0 and has a track record of building profitable software companies and consultancies. He is also an international speaker on the commodisation of IT, cloud computing, utility computing, fabrication technologies and the open source movement.
As a trained geneticist with a talent for mathematics and a background in economics, Simon has always found himself dealing with complex systems. Whilst the underlying principals behind such systems have remained constant, his experience has varied from the behavioral patterns of ladybirds to modeling environmental impacts of chemical pollution to developing novel computer systems to managing companies. Along the way he has developed a significant array of tools and experience for modeling and managing such non-linear environments. Simon believes that with the growth of utility computing and the inevitable realization that much of IT is becoming more of a commodity, there is an ever faster pursuit of innovation within the IT industry. Innovation is itself a highly complex system which is dependent upon uncertainty, and it is in the managing of innovation that Simon's expertise as both a consultant and public speaker is sought.
Simon has a MA in Natural Sciences (Genetics) from Cambridge University and an MSc in Energy & Environmental Management from Glasgow Caledonian University.
Contributions
Article:What is Cloud? - March 2010
The term "Cloud" has enough momentum that it's going to stay, but before discussing the term, a bit of history and background is needed. Here is an overview of how the concept developed and came to be known as cloud computing.
Podcast:Cloud Café - Canonical Cloud Talk with Simon Wardley - September 2009
Cloud Computing Expert from Canonical, Simon Wardley, and Cloud Café's John Willis discuss Cloud Computing. Part 1: They talk about what it is, the NIST definition, transition and change in attitude, how green the cloud really is, what's hot and more. Part 2: They discuss the benefits and risks of Cloud Computing, how standards have to be based on the open source refence model, and much more.
Paper: Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud Architecture - August 2009
Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) brings Amazon EC2-like infrastructure capabilities inside the firewall. The UEC is powered by Eucalyptus, an open source implementation for the emerging standard of the EC2 API. This solution is designed to simplify the process of building and managing an internal cloud for businesses of any size, thereby enabling companies to create their own self-service infrastructure. This white paper tries to provide an understanding of the UEC internal architecture and possibilities offered by it in terms of security, networking and scalability.
Video: Cloud Computing - Why IT Matters - OSCON, July 2009
Video: Simon Wardley on Cloud Computing - April 2009
Simon discusses the benefits of cloud computing.
Podcast:Talking to Ubuntu's Cloud Man - April 2009
Simon Wardley discusses the three risks to evaluate when adopting cloud computing. He also discusses Cloud Standards, Ubuntu's Choice of Amazon EC2 and Eucalyptus, Hybrid Models, standardization at the infrastructure layer, innovation, governance, open source, and much more.
Simon Wardley