October 02, 2014
News Summary

Ubiquitous across the technology landscape, Java is the world’s most popular programming language and serves as the backbone of countless innovative technologies. As the global standard in community-driven enterprise software, Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) is a vital platform for the development and delivery of enterprise-grade applications and services. To that end, Oracle and the Java community are constantly innovating to drive Java EE forward and deliver value to end-users. At JavaOne 2014, Oracle highlighted key updates to the Java EE platform, including upcoming groundbreaking features in Java EE 8, and also introduced the latest version of GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1.

News Facts
At JavaOne 2014, Oracle is showcasing the latest developments for Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) and future plans for Java EE 8.
In addition, the company is introducing GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1, which provides updated platform support, new features, and an improved developer experience.
Java EE 8, the next generation of Java EE, has been approved by the Java Community Process (JCP) Executive Committee as Java Specification Request (JSR) 366 and is slated to be released in 2016.
As the industry standard for Java enterprise computing, Java EE enables multiple implementations, which lowers risk by offering enterprises a choice of product implementation and vendors.
In addition, Java EE provides a reliable foundation that evolves to meet the needs of enterprise applications.
Java EE 8 will offer improved HTML5 support to deliver scalable services to mobile devices and browsers, ease of development for improved developer productivity and less boilerplate code, and cloud enablement for portable applications in cloud environments.
Java EE 8 is defined within the JCP, which ensures a transparent forum that encourages collaboration among individuals, vendors, and enterprises to create the Java EE 8 specification.
Also at JavaOne 2014, Oracle will showcase the strong momentum and continued innovation behind Java Platform, Standard Edition 8 (Java SE 8), which has seen record adoption.
Oracle is showcasing these and other Java enhancements throughout JavaOne 2014, running September 28 through October 2, 2014 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55 Wyndham.
New Capabilities for the Standard in Community-Driven Enterprise Software
Developed using the Java Community Process with contributions from industry experts and commercial and open source organizations, Java EE is the standard in community-driven enterprise software. Approved JSRs expected to be featured in Java EE 8 include:
Java API for JSON Binding 1.0 (JSR 367): Bidirectional mapping of Java objects and their JSON representations
Java Message Service 2.1 (JSR 368): CDI alignment and improved ease of use
Java Servlet 4.0 (JSR 369): HTTP 2.0 support
Java API for RESTful Web Services 2.1 (JSR 370): Server-sent events
Model-View-Controller 1.0 (JSR 371): Standardized action-oriented MVC framework
JavaServer Faces 2.3 (JSR 372): Enhanced AJAX API
Additional JSRs are being planned, including:
Java EE Security 1.0: Simplifies the development of secure applications
REST Management 1.0: RESTful management and monitoring of Java EE application servers
JSON Processing 1.1: Improved support for Java SE 8 and editing/transforming JSON object model
Enhancements to GlassFish Server Open Source Edition
GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1 offers a range of new features including updated platform support and an improved developer experience.
GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1 includes:
Updated platform support: The new release features platform support for Java 8, as well as support for WebSocket 1.1 and CDI 1.2 maintenance releases.
Improved quality and developer experience: The new release includes updated versions of more than 20 subprojects and delivers more than 1,000 bug fixes and feature enhancements.
WebSocket Reference Implementation (Tyrus): This implementation adds session limits, proxy support, client reconnect, optimized broadcast, and performance metrics exposed over Java Management Extension (JMX).
JAX-RS Reference Implementation (Jersey): This implementation adds a new diagnostics API and Server-Sent Event client reconnect.
JMS over WebSocket (OpenMQ): GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1 adds support for communicating over WebSocket, including the mqstmp and mqjsonstmp protocols for non-Java clients.
NetBeans 8.0.1 integration: GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1 is now bundled in NetBeans 8.0.1, for a productive out-of-the-box Java EE 7 development experience.
The Java EE 7 Software Development Kit (SDK) has been updated to include GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1, as well as an updated Java EE tutorial and a new zip installer.
Oracle is also offering an updated Java EE Reference Implementation based on GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1.
Supporting Quote
“Java Platform, Enterprise Edition, the industry standard for enterprise Java, continues to lead the industry with a tremendous amount of participation from user groups, organizations, industry experts, and individual developers,” said Anil Gaur, vice president of Software Development, Oracle. “This participation manifests itself through GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1 as an implementation of the latest Java EE 7 standard, and also with the active involvement of the forthcoming Java EE 8 platform through the Adopt-a-JSR program.”
Supporting Resources
Java at Oracle
JavaOne 2014
Java Platform, Enterprise Edition
Java Platform, Standard Edition
Java Community Process
OpenJDK Community
GlassFish Server Open Source Edition 4.1
The Aquarium blog
Java Source blog
Mark Reinhold's blog
Henrik on Java
Java Magazine
Follow the Java conversation on Twitter, I Love Java on Facebook or the JavaOne blog
Java Facts and Figures
9 million developers worldwide
More than 3 billion devices are powered by Java technology
More than 125 million Java-based media devices have been deployed
Over 10 billion Java Cards have been shipped since its introduction
About JavaOne
The JavaOne conference brings together Java experts and enthusiasts for an extraordinary week of learning and networking focused entirely on all things Java. With more than 550 sessions covering topics that span the breadth of the Java universe, keynotes from foremost Java visionaries, tutorials, and expert-led hands-on learning opportunities, JavaOne is the world's most important event for the Java community. Join the JavaOne discussion on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the JavaOne blog.

About Oracle
Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), visit oracle.com.

Trademarks
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Cloud Governance - The issues

Once an emerging technology, cloud computing services have arrived, and they are here to stay.

Cloud allows for increased business agility, faster speed to market, lower information technology costs and happier customers.

Cloud adoption increased nearly 100% from 2013 to 2015. Yet, within many organizations, IT has been reluctant to embrace cloud as a viable solution.

Undeterred, business units are often going it alone, procuring cloud services without IT’s involvement. The result is a shadow IT environment that is tough to manage, difficult to operate and nearly impossible to secure.

Organizations seeking to take advantage of cloud computing to create a more nimble, digitally integrated business environment are quickly learning that cloud services need to be adopted as an integral part of the organization’s existing operating model. However, this can create unforeseen risks if businesses do not simultaneously develop a cloud governance model to establish standards for the business to follow and create clear direction and consistency in managing cloud services.

1. What’s the issue?

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Business units within organizations — from sales and marketing to HR and supply chain — see the advantages of cloud computing services. And they are using them, with or without IT’s help.

When business functions adopt the cloud without IT’s involvement, the organization often ends up with multiple business units contracting with multiple vendors without understanding the risks or requirements. At the same time, IT lacks the visibility to efficiently and effectively manage these disparate cloud environments, creating unnecessary complexity and cost for the organization.

So what does an organization need to do to develop a cloud strategy that delivers the benefits it seeks?

Business units and IT need to be able to have an open, honest conversation about needs, capabilities and resources necessary to meet the business’s objectives and expectations.

Next, the organization will want to consider the way in which cloud is used in the context of the overall IT operating structure.

Without alignment, or a clear cloud governance model to guide the integration, organizations may not realize many of the benefits they seek. In fact, they may be creating complexity and confusion rather than interoperability and simplicity.

2. Why now?

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Every organization uses services delivered from the cloud, whether it knows it or not. If CIOs want to have a seat at the boardroom table, they need to develop a strong point of view that embraces cloud services as a way of supporting the business.

IT needs to be a partner in every aspect of cloud services, from contract negotiation to establishing key performance indicators to vendor management. This shift in responsibilities contributes to IT’s changing role from operators of technology to governors of systems and processes.

And it requires establishing a cloud governance model that everyone must follow. Otherwise, the business will move forward on its own and IT will lose sight of this changing environment and become irrelevant to the business.

3. How does this affect you?
In large organizations, the proliferation of cloud services without IT oversight creates growing security, privacy and financial risks to the organization. Worse yet, it introduces complexity, cost and confusion.

Implementing a cloud governance model will enable IT and the business to collaborate in defining the right strategy for and configuration, migration, management and disposition of cloud services. Governing these areas will help IT successfully manage the cloud entities in use and turn it into an organizational advantage rather than a liability.

However, many IT functions will need to acquire new skills as they transition from operators and tacticians to vendor managers and governors. These skills include understanding not only contractual obligations and service management, but also new and emerging technologies and processes that may help to better manage cloud services.

4. What’s the fix?

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A cloud governance model will need to span the three pillars of people, process and technology and encompass the entire cloud life cycle, from identification and configuration to migration, management and decommission.




A robust cloud governance model should also address six domains that span the entire cloud lifecycle:

• Finance management. Integrating cloud services will shorten financial and business planning cycles. Organizations should consider appointing a cloud finance subject matter professional who understands the total cost of ownership of cloud services, can track service consumption and can provide cost transparency.
• Cloud service provider management. It’s imperative for organizations to have a properly integrated business ecosystem that enables providers and consumers to work within well-defined boundaries. Organizations should understand who is accountable for managing cloud services within the organization and establish a framework by which IT and the business have a clear understanding of the performance metrics and contract requirements with cloud vendors.
• Portfolio management. Governing a cloud portfolio necessitates understanding the organization’s cloud landscape and implementing a repeatable and standardized process for cloud investments. Organizations should consider aligning their organizational portfolio more broadly to determine additional opportunities and risks associated with adding a cloud portfolio.
• Integration/interoperability. Organizations will want to implement a comprehensive set of governance procedures to provide integration and interoperability from resource and technology perspectives.
• Architecture. Organizations need to clearly articulate the vision and goals of stakeholders through the cloud enterprise architecture.
• Operations. To sustain cloud service operations, organizations should establish service desk training to address and direct cloud-specific support issues to the appropriate resources to deliver a seamless user experience. Clear organization and assignment of authority will set the scope for the appropriate control, escalation and exception management systems.

Using the cloud governance model as a foundation, organizations can create a governance framework to:

• Assess and monitor to understand the organization’s current cloud landscape
• Design and enhance by focusing on how an organization should govern its cloud solutions to minimize risk and maximize the true potential of cloud services
• Build and operationalize by creating the processes, metrics and reporting to manage a cloud model and enable IT and the business to make informed decisions

5. What’s the bottom line?

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Organizational roles and responsibilities are shifting to meet the demand of a highly complex, competitive market environment.

To keep pace with the digital evolution, IT has to shift from its traditional role as a system operator to strategic advisor and solution manager.

Cloud’s ubiquity, combined with its ease of procurement and deployment by anyone in the business, makes the role of IT as a partner to the business rather than a barrier absolutely imperative.


One clear step organizations can make to solidify this partnership is to create a cloud governance model by which everyone must abide. The result is a “cloud-first” culture that fits within the organization’s existing architecture, generates cost efficiencies and significantly lowers risk.