Grazed from CloudComputingTopics. Author: Editorial Staff.

Did you know that more than half of American companies have converted to the cloud? No one can deny the benefits of cloud computing, but security issues are still a concern for many. Since the days of PRISM, surveillance controlled by the NSA, Americans have been acutely aware that their data is being tracked. Cyber-crime mimicking “Big Brother” has reached new levels when it comes to the security of your data and communications.

Are You Securing Your Cloud In The Right Manner?

Cloud Computing is not just about securing a good cloud service provider; it’s about ensuring that your data and communications are secure. Gaining confidence and trust in your cloud service provider (CSP) is just a mere aspect of cloud security. Here’s a look at eight commandments every company should follow to ensure the security of your cloud no matter what region…

Grazed from CloudTweaks. Author: Manoj Tiwari.

Cloud computing is everywhere and presents a compelling value proposition for its end users. However issues like privacy and security still are grey areas when it comes to public clouds. Here presented are five issues one must be aware of:

1. You own the data and hence the responsibility CSP

Many cloud users do not know the answer to this question – Who owns my personal information once I upload it on the Cloud Service Provider’s (CSP) server? Most public cloud service providers recognize that the user retains ownership of data once it is uploaded. (e.g. https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms) This also means that you have decided to trust the CSP with handling of your data. The CSP may have some responsibility for handling the information safely but not all. You may choose a different service provider or choose not to put particular data on cloud altogether. But the buck stops at you are responsible for the data you put up there…

Grazed from The Var Guy. Author: Charlene OHanlon.

Cloud backup provider Carbonite (CARB) is streamlining its lineup of services offerings to better meet the needs of its solution provider partners and their customers.? The company is doing away with its current five-plan menu of services and is now categorizing its plans into three core areas: Personal, Pro and Server, said David Hauser, senior director at Carbonite.

The move coincides with what the market needs and how the market is purchasing new cloud services, he noted. “What we found out with our current structure is people have different needs—some SOHOs have a personal need for backup, while some just want to do servers,” he said. “These better align with what the market is asking for.”…

Grazed from BizTech2. Author: Editorial Staff.

Scott Davis, CTO for VMware’s End User Computing B.U. shares his vision for technology in 2014. “I think we will see a growing realisation that mobile app to cloud services is the key distributed application construct to focus on. That means less focus on securing and managing physical devices, as well as less reliance on VPNs and the corporate LAN itself since it is becoming a less significant boundary. There will be a greater focus on app to cloud service security technologies. I think we will see more embracing of mobile/cloud applications in our day to day lives. The apps on your phone will become the brains for your car’s navigation and audio systems, and the car dashboard becomes just the display technology,” says Davis.

As part of this broader movement to the mobile/cloud, he predicts 2014 will be a big year for Desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) aka Windows-as-a-Service. With users demanding greater mobility and access while IT departments look for ways to reduce TCO of enterprise desktops, DaaS is an ideal approach for enabling/delivering access to business critical Windows applications for mobile users in a cost effective manner…

Grazed from CIOL. Author: Editorial Staff.

Microsoft recently announced a wave of new enterprise products and services to help companies seize the opportunities of cloud computing and overcome today’s top IT challenges. New Windows Server, System Center, Visual Studio, Windows Azure, Windows Intune, SQL Server, and Dynamics solutions will accelerate cloud benefits for customers. Complementing many services, these new offerings deliver on Microsoft’s enterprise cloud strategy.

Hybrid infrastructure and modern applications

To help customers build IT infrastructure that delivers continuous services and applications across clouds, Microsoft has released Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2. Together, these new products empower companies to create datacenters without boundaries using Hyper-V for high-scale virtualization; high-performance storage at dramatically lower costs; built-in, software-defined networking; and hybrid business continuity…

Grazed from PRWeb.  Author: PR Announcement.

Corelynx has announced that all its cloud services and software will be based on Open Stack powered open cloud architecture. Open cloud architecture will benefit both Corelynx, and its customers. Corelynx will gain from the unparalleled innovation found in open source communities along with the vibrant ecosystem of ISV partners that grow from these open standards initiatives. The customers will benefit from the ability to leverage the open source and open standards APIs and to extend them—either through third-party capability or through innovation and extension of their own.

Corelynx and OpenStack

OpenStack is the largest active open source, cloud project community in the world with 189+ organizations and 9,100+ individuals participating. This huge global collaboration of developers and technologists are working to produce a ubiquitous Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) open source cloud computing platform…

Grazed from GigaOM.  Author: David Linthicum.

According to Midsize Insider (an IBM publication), “The term ‘cloud’ has been an IT catchphrase for a short period although the types of services that define this technology have been in use for some time. This kind of computing may already be mainstream and no longer have the need for a catchphrase.”

This is something I’ve been saying for awhile, that the term ‘cloud’ will eventually bake out of cloud computing and it will be just another model for computing.  Much like other technologies that came along in the past, it just becomes a part of our architectural arsenal.  The term “cloud” always seemed buzz-wordy to me.  Indeed, we called it other things before the term “cloud” stuck, including on-demand, Web 2.0, Internet-hosted, etc., but I’m not sure those are any better…

Grazed from IDG News.  Author: Sharon Florentine.

Thanks to cloud computing along with other disruptive technologies such as mobility, M2M and big data analytics, workers will have more and better information at their fingertips, allowing them to make smarter decisions faster in 2014.

"We are experiencing the democratization of enterprise technology," says David Small, chief platform officer of Verizon Enterprise Solutions. "Mirroring what has happened in consumer technology, enterprise technology users look for services to be delivered on demand, to a time and place of their choosing and in the way that they want. In 2014, enterprise success will be measured by how well organizations are able to use technology to meet user expectations and harness individual innovation."…

Grazed from Business2Community.  Author: Jamie Wadell.

Whilst the benefits of today’s online technologies are vast and varied, it’s nearly impossible for a novice to grasp the full extent of the online threats we expose ourselves to on a daily basis. According to a security survey by Fortinet’s, the levels of ignorance to more complex hazards is dangerously high.

Whether caused by inadequate safety measures or human error, enough leaks and security breaches have been reported in the news to make us wonder just how vulnerable our data really is. The evolution of cloud computing and the boom in tablet and smartphone sales leaves little room for doubt: the remote access phenomenon is moving ahead full steam…

Grazed from ReadWrite.  Author: Sharon Wagner.

When we look at the future of cloud, we have to consider the current business trajectory. It’s clear to me that the three most consumed cloud resources are compute, database and storage—they account for about 80% of the average business customer’s monthly cloud bill.

Given the fact that these three components are the basic foundations for any cloud application, it should come as no surprise that most cloud vendors expect to continue to invest in these domains in 2014…