May 29, 2014 Off

Data sovereignty: Up in the clouds

By David

Grazed from TheInterpreter. Author: Philippa Nicole Barr.

The surprise recent decision of the European Court of Justice to make Google responsible for removing search result information demonstrates the ambiguous sovereignty of online data. In recent years there has been a trend toward de-territorialisation of business and government operations, storing data and operations in an online cloud so it can be accessed by partners at multiple locations in one country or internationally.

Yet the easy technical passage across international borders is met by regulatory complexities. A company with data in the cloud is subject both to the laws of the nation hosting the server and to their own local laws regarding how that data should be protected, leading to a potential conflict of laws over data sovereignty…

May 29, 2014 Off

Microsoft, Salesforce Said to Discuss Cloud Partnership

By David

Grazed from Bloomberg.  Author: Dina Bass.

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Salesforce.com Inc. (CRM) are close to an agreement that will enable customers of Microsoft’s cloud computing service to use Salesforce’s customer management programs, said people familiar with the talks, signaling a thaw between two longtime rivals.

The partnership will make Salesforce’s program available on Microsoft’s Azure service, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are confidential. The companies are also talking about integrating data from Salesforce products into Microsoft’s Office programs, the people said…

May 29, 2014 Off

New Gartner Magic Quadrant Out – It May Not Be A Zero-Sum Game, But AWS Is As Close As It Gets

By David

Grazed from Forbes.  Author: Ben Kepes.

The cloud computing industry awaits each new version of Gartner ’s Magic Quadrant. Gartner’s reports are a detailed look at the marketplace, and go a long way to driving buyer behavior.

No enterprise wants to be betting on a cloud provider that is deemed to be behind the eight ball. Unfortunately the tool is so valuable that Gartner protects it carefully – the report is available for $1995 and it’d be a brave publication that ignored Gartner’s copyright and published a copy of the diagram itself…

May 29, 2014 Off

Hybrid Cloud Computing: Why the Middle Ground Means Business

By David

Grazed from Midsize Insider.  Author: Doug Bonderud.

By 2017, over half of large enterprises will use some form of hybrid cloud computing, according to research firm Gartner. This cloud "middle ground" has become a major factor in IT discussions over the last few years as a viable alternative to purely public or entirely private options; but does walking the line really offer benefits to midsize businesses?

The Debate Is Over

A May 27 article from VentureBeat predicts a speedy end to the public vs. private debate thanks to the development of robust hybrid alternatives. Writer Sharon Wagner makes the case for security and workload: By keeping sensitive data behind firewalled private servers, companies do not risk accidental exposure, and by utilizing public resources for peak loads, businesses maximize workload capacity without breaking the bank…

May 28, 2014 Off

The Basic Service And Deployment Models Of Cloud Computing

By David

Grazed from CloudTweaks. Author: Mojgan Afshari.

Nowadays, access to reliable high-performance hardware and software resources without large capital outlays, easier access to applications and services, capability of handling large amounts of information have encouraged managers of companies to migrate to cloud computing.

Cloud computing is a service-oriented technology that use both hardware and software to provide services through a network regardless of time and location. Cloud computing consists of three different service models and a company should cover all three distinctive service models in order to adopt cloud computing. These three cloud service models are: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), software as a service ( SaaS). (Infographic Source: Horn Group)…

Read more from the source @ http://cloudtweaks.com/2014/05/basic-service-deployment-models-cloud-computing/

May 28, 2014 Off

How To Have A Productive Conversation With Cloud Computing Providers

By David

Grazed from Forbes. Author: Ben Gallo.

Just as you wouldn’t walk into a car dealership and say, “I just want a car,” you also wouldn’t walk into a cloud computing service provider and say, “I just need a cloud.” In the car scenario, your car salesman (or saleswoman) needs to know what you plan to do with the car. You could need a four-door sedan, a VW bug, a minivan, a Lotus, or a Lada.

Similarly, you’ll need to provide more information to cloud computing providers in order to get what you need. You can’t just wade in with, “I want to move my applications to the cloud!” (as many people do). What many people don’t realize is that clouds can be as different as a VW bug vs. a minivan…

May 28, 2014 Off

Cloud Computing: IBM’s Power Play Aims to Disrupt Server Industry

By David

Grazed from eWeek. Author: Darryl K. Taft.

Last month IBM formally launched new POWER8-based Power Systems servers—the first generation of Power servers built on an open server platform. IBM’s open strategy for its Power Systems lineup does not come as a surprise to those who have followed this space closely over the last year. From the launch of the first Power Systems Linux Center in Beijing in May 2013 to the formal launch of the OpenPOWER Foundation, IBM has been active on a number of fronts preparing to introduce its POWER8 systems as the world’s first open server platform.

IBM’s first Power Systems Linux center was followed in short order by others in New York City; Austin, Texas; Montpellier, France; and Tokyo. The centers make it simpler for software developers to build and deploy new applications for big data, cloud, mobile and social business computing on open technology building blocks using Linux and the latest IBM POWER processor technology…

May 28, 2014 Off

Vendors are Expanding Hyperscale Server Portfolios Beyond Cloud to Unlock a Nearly $2 Billion U.S. Market

By David

Grazed from PRWeb. Author: PR Announcement.

Technology Business Research’s new Hyperscale Server Customer Landscape Report estimates that the market for hyperscale servers at U.S. organizations with at least 500 employees represents a $1.7 billion opportunity over the next 12 months. As cloud computing continues to shape the market for IT infrastructure, data center customers increasingly require simplicity, flexibility and high levels of scalability in their on-premises hardware ecosystems.

“Cloud services are driving a massive market for hyperscale server technology, but we’re now starting to see the trickle-down effect into the enterprise space,” said Christian Perry, senior analyst and content manager in TBR’s data center practice. “We see data centers moving toward server infrastructure that’s easy to purchase, easy to deploy and relatively simple to manage. These are customers that are not afraid to consider change to obtain the business outcomes they seek.”…

May 28, 2014 Off

Cloud Computing: Digital Strategy Must be Understood if Firms Expect to Keep Up

By David

Grazed from Midsize Insider. Author: Marissa Tejada.

A well-planned digital strategy is important for any firm looking to get ahead. There is ample opportunity for companies, especially midsize firms, to apply technologies such as cloud computing, social media, mobile and numerous other business analytics into their data infrastructures for long-term success. But are enough businesses thinking this way?

Understanding Convergence

An executive at Ovum recently suggested that firms do not sufficiently understand the importance of converged IT. This deficiency, reports TechDay, causes business leaders to make shortsighted decisions when planning their IT strategies, and ignore opportunities to improve the efficiency with which they manage and interpret information…

May 28, 2014 Off

4 Reasons You Must Automate Your Cloud

By David

Grazed from InformationWeek. Author: Joe Masters Emison.

Systems administrators and software engineers have spent the past five years facing down the problem of whether and how to use software to automate application life cycles. As an industry, we’ve agreed to call this process of defining an application life cycle in software "orchestration."

Brian Adler, an architect at cloud management platform provider RightScale, defines orchestration as automating "short- or long-running, event-driven, or schedule-based tasks across a deployment of servers." Luke Kanies, CEO at IT configuration management developer Puppet Labs, defines it as "making ordered changes to multipart services across a wide range of hosts, in an even or progressive manner."…