Grazed from InformationWeek. Author: Michael Biddick.

Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies. When White House officials announced the Cloud First mandate in 2010, it created big expectations. Cloud would help rein in the $80 billion (and growing) federal IT budget while delivering efficiency and reuse and off-loading repetitive tasks from federal staff. Cloud vendors leaped into action, spending millions developing new offerings.

Only a few agencies grabbed the ball and ran. The General Services Administration is a prime example, having moved email and other apps to the cloud, and it has reaped rewards. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Agriculture, and most recently the Interior Department also have forged ahead to the cloud, especially for public-facing websites and data…

Grazed from Peak. Author: Editorial Staff.

The problem with business is that it is impossible to account for every possibility. No matter how extensive any sort of overarching disaster recovery or continuity strategy might be, there will always be that one consideration that failed to be made. From not being prepared in the event of a tornado to the cup of coffee that was spilled on a vital server rack, even the combined experiences of many managers cannot fully realize an entire threat landscape right off of the bat.

This is why organizations need to invest in DR/BC assets that cast a broad net of protection. There have to be tools in place that can account for both physical system failures and data loss of varying degrees. Modern technology has provided enterprises with a solution in the form of cloud computing…

Grazed from BCSG. Author: Phil Bircumshaw.

It wasn’t too long ago that businesses looking to grow had to invest in expensive hardware and software. The initial outlay put a lot of options out of smaller companies’ reach, while the kit’s upkeep and depreciation were a real headache for the bigger businesses that did invest. But now everything’s changed. Virtual, shared resources are set to revolutionise the business world as we know it.

The end of 9 to 5

Part of this change is thanks to mobile networking. Smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly sophisticated, running apps that were once restricted to desktop computing only. And soon we’ll see 4G rolled out across the country, which means faster download speeds and greater capacity to deal with more demanding services…

Grazed from Gravitas. Author: PR Announcement.

Gravitas, a Co-sourcing platform providing cloud technology, collaborative outsourcing, risk analytics and research support to the alternative investment industry, announced today that it will expand its relationship with EMC by joining the EMC Business Partner Program for Cloud Service Providers.

Gravitas will offer EMC Powered cloud solutions that strengthen Gravitas’ Co-sourcing offering by optimizing efficiencies and reducing costs. “Our service offering is stronger and more robust with EMC,” said Patrick Mullevey, Executive Director of Systems Integration at Gravitas. “Gravitas’ end-users will greatly benefit because the service provides one seamless solution from both companies. Our clients can focus on their mission-critical activities and result-driven goals with the confidence that their infrastructure is being supported by best-in-breed technology.” …

Grazed from CoinDesk. Author: Nermin Hajdarbegovic.

E-commerce giant Amazon has been awarded a bitcoin-related cloud computing patent that envisions the use of digital currencies as payment for cloud computing services on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Amazon’s cloud is by far the biggest remote computing service on the market. Market research firm Gartner estimates AWS annual revenue at upwards of $3bn, and it believes Amazon’s cloud has five times the capacity of its next 14 rivals.

The news follow’s Amazon’s public statements that suggest is not presently interested in accepting digital currencies, despite such suggestions from rivals like eBay. Earlier this April, Amazon’s payments head Tom Taylor revealed that the company has no immediate plans to “engage bitcoin”…

Grazed from Pivotal. Author: PR Announcement.

Pivotal, the software company at the intersection of big data, PaaS, and agile development, today announced that 16 Silver level members have committed to join the Cloud Foundry® Foundation, completing the latest round of sponsors who will make up the Foundation’s first members when it is formed this Fall. The quick and rapid formation of the Foundation members demonstrates the appetite for a multi-cloud platform-as-a-service as key to a new computing architecture that will help businesses succeed in the era of the cloud. The Foundation now has companies across technology, retail, telecom, and finance industries.

"Support of Cloud Foundry from its exciting technology and industry users will ensure that the open PaaS movement supports the growth and evolution of a new cloud architecture built for today’s enterprises," said Leo Spiegel, senior vice president, corporate development, Pivotal. "The great user experience created through Cloud Foundry, supported by a broad ecosystem, is giving rise to applications and services that will have a wide-reaching impact on people and the world at large."…

Grazed from TheVarGuy. Author: DH KaaS.

IT solutions and services provider Dimension Data has opened a new cloud-based Enterprise Mobility as a Service (EMaaS) as the first step in a wider initiative to provide a suite of user-centric services to help enterprises manage their end user computing needs. Dimension’s EMaaS platform is an integrated enterprise mobility management service through which enterprises can deliver policy-based and device agnostic mobile device management (MDM) and mobile expense management frameworks.

The consumption-based cloud service allows businesses to scale deployments and manage mobile devices, data access and expense management. The EMaaS platform will be available in the second half of 2014 through a self-service client portal, officials said. The company said it is accenting the EMaaS offering with its Systems Integration and Professional Services competencies aimed at addressing an organization’s full gamut of enterprise mobility needs…

Grazed from PRNewsWire. Author: PR Announcement.

As part of an ongoing commitment to cloud computing, IBM (NYSE: IBM ) today announced plans to deliver 20 new cloud-based business solutions that can be easily personalized to support a client’s unique business requirements. The offerings combine the scale, speed and ease of cloud with the industry insight of IBM consulting services to address specific industry verticals and business functions such as mobile, asset management and analytics.

Today’s announcement builds on IBM’s significant investments in cloud computing. Called IBM Cloud Business Solutions, the portfolio includes multiple components packaged into a single client agreement and delivered "as a service" for speed and simplicity. This includes consulting services, pre-built assets from IBM Research, software, advanced analytics, ongoing support and cloud infrastructure delivered via Softlayer, an IBM company. Pricing is based on a subscription model. Clients pay a set-up fee up front, and then ongoing subscription or usage-based fees…

Grazed from MarketWire. Author: PR Announcement.

Accellion, Inc., the pioneer in providing secure mobile solutions to enterprise organizations that enable increased business productivity, today announced that it has joined the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), a not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within cloud computing, and to provide education on the uses of cloud computing to help secure all other forms of computing.

"Enabling enterprise organizations to benefit from the scalability and flexibility that cloud computing provides, while ensuring information security, is an essential part of Accellion’s vision," said Paula Skokowski, CMO of Accellion. "By joining the CSA, we will support the creation of best practices and technology standards in the cloud industry, so that enterprises can securely utilize cloud technology to increase business productivity."…

Grazed from Reuters. Author: Michael Gold.

Taiwan’s Acer Inc detailed its long-touted push into cloud computing on Thursday, as the struggling computer maker responds to a shrinking PC market by pitting itself against cloud leaders Amazon.com Inc and Google Inc. The world’s fourth-biggest producer of personal computers (PC) aims to start making software and offering online computing services under the heading Build Your Own Cloud (BYOC).

Acer announced BYOC with few details at the end of 2013 when the company booked a third straight loss after the global PC market shrank 10 percent. PCs have been losing out to tablet computers and sidestepped by the cloud, where users store files remotely and run applications over the internet…