Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Chris Talbot.

Cisco Systems’ (CSCO) network of cloud-certified partners is growing again. IT and communications provider EarthLink has achieved the Cloud and Managed Services (CMSP) Advanced Partner designation, putting it in a position to further build and solidify its Cisco-based cloud offerings. According to the announcement from EarthLink, the IT solutions firm will be focusing on providing cloud disaster recovery, private cloud hosting and FlexCloud hosting services as a CMSP-certified partner.

"EarthLink is very proud of our IT services team that worked through months of detailed certification and process requirements to earn Cisco’s CMSP Advanced Partner certification," said Thomas Hobika, EarthLink’s senior vice president of Cloud IT services, in a prepared statement. "We will utilize our CMSP certification as a tremendous opportunity to expand revenue, build customer loyalty and differentiate EarthLink’s sales force as we team with Cisco to sell our unique cloud services."…

Grazed from InformationWeek. Author: Jonathan Feldman.

When I first read about Western Digital’s "personal cloud" for consumer storage, I didn’t think much of it. It was just a NAS with some clever apps that provided remote access features. But I’m now predicting that a more pervasive distribution of personally owned compute and storage assets will change the face of IT as we know it. Here’s why:

The Snowden effect

The revelations by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden about the extent of NSA spying on, well, everyone have led to public distrust of the government, the major providers of public cloud services, and even the basic security protocols of the Internet. If privacy-minded folks have an easy alternative to "protocols invented with the help of government agencies" or "software created by those we now distrust" — in the form of private clouds — they’ll take them…

Grazed from TheStreet. Author: Dana Blankenhorn.

The big cloud computing headline is that we may soon stop using the term. Cloud has become the mainstream of computing, just as e-commerce has become the mainstream of commerce. Cloud is not an option. Virtual operating systems and infinite scaling, a "barbell" in which the high-end hosts and hand-held device makers crush the computing middle class — that’s the reality for businesses and investors.

The question for 2014 is how many public clouds will survive the coming shakeout. Amazon.com’s (AMZN_) vicious price war has given it most of the market, so Google (GOOG_) and Microsoft (MSFT_) have matched prices and features. IBM (IBM_) is promising "big things" for early next year, but it’s unclear whether any new features it offers can make a difference…

Grazed from TechImpact.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Cloud computing use grew exponentially in 2013, and is expected to grow at a rapid pace for the next 5-10 years. This is because many businesses are still using cloud computing for niche applications, and have not fully adopted the system.

The technology has moved from its infancy stage, and instead of thinking how much the technology ‘could’ benefit their business, many CEOs are instead thinking how the technology IS benefiting their business.  But when implementing any new technology, there are speed bumps and road blocks that must be overcome. Here are a few strategies to help you deal with them according to Paul Cooper of ITProPortal…

Grazed from Alibaba.  Author: PR Announcement.

China’s e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba is planning extending its cloud-computing services to overseas markets in March.   According to China Daily, Aliyun, Alibaba’s spinoff cloud-computing division, is scheduled to set up data centers outside China to provide cloud-computing services to local enterprises and Chinese companies’ overseas operations.

By building platforms for companies to manage and store data in the cloud, Aliyun will become the first Chinese company to reach out to the foreign public cloud segment.  The move from Aliyun comes days after its US counterpart Amazon announced the launch of a similar services in China…

Grazed from Fool.  Author: Tim Brugger.

We all knew cloud computing was a fast-growing market. But based on new data from IDC, cloud revenues in 2014 will exceed already sky-high expectations, jumping to more than $100 billion in spending next year. That’s a 25% increase from this year and opens a huge door of opportunity for investors.  Of course, not all IT companies are ready to take advantage of the shift to cloud computing. But for a couple of late adopters and one underdog, 2014 could prove to be a pleasant year in the cloud.

The favorites

Cloud infrastructure, services — particularly platform-as-a-service (PaaS) — and related software, will lead the jump in cloud revenues next year, according to IDC. And both IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) and German-based SAP (NYSE: SAP  ) are positioned to take full advantage of all things cloud…

Grazed from Midsize Insider.  Author: Marissa Tejada.

Cloud computing is gaining acceptance among firms today, and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) is one segment that is gaining significant traction in the market. According to a new study featured in Gigaom Research, IaaS is pushing growth in the worldwide cloud market, beating out software-as-a-service (SaaS).

Ahead of the Pack

According to Gigaom’s research report, cloud services are on the upswing and are expected to grow throughout the world at a rate of 126 percent. The findings revealed a 119 percent growth in SaaS and a 122 percent growth in IaaS. Also referred to as "hardware-as-a-service," IaaS is a main cloud service through which a firm can outsource storage and hardware to support IT operations. Service providers house, run and maintain everything, charging the firm on a per-use basis…

Grazed from TomsITPro.  Author: Scott M. Fulton.

"Database management involves the sharing of large quantities of data by many users — who, for the most part, conceive their actions on the data independently from one another," wrote Dr. E. F. Codd, the creator of the relational model for data. "The opportunities for users to damage data shared in this way are enormous, unless all users, whether knowledgeable about programming or not, abide by a discipline."

In Dr. Codd’s world, data was a fluid substance that needed to be kindled and cultivated in the storehouses of his time, the "data banks." His argument was that the only way to ensure the accuracy of data in its ability to reflect some sort of truth, and its efficiency in being able to point the way toward a possible course of action by a business, was through the universal enactment of a set of standards and practices, and the implementation of a common language — his discipline, which led to SQL. In a modern context, one could say Codd advised a networking of the people who administer data, coupled with a centralization of data around an economy of principles…

Grazed from VentureBeat.  Author: Kent Christensen.

The race to cloud computing is exposing private customer information and sensitive corporate data on an unprecedented scale. The demand for quicker and cheaper application development is driving this trend.  Companies are moving at breakneck speed to produce applications that offer a competitive edge and business results.

As CMOs crack the whip behind developers, app teams choose to buy cloud services without the knowledge or input of IT, the traditional guardians of data security.  As a result, the public cloud has become the sandbox for development. And as customer information and sensitive corporate data is poured into this sandbox, IT is beginning to lose control of its company’s data assets…

Grazed from Sungard.  Author: Janel Ryan.

The cloud is like the shiny “new” toy of IT – everyone’s talking about it. But there are still a lot of unknowns regarding cloud-based computing, making it a veritable minefield for those looking to get involved. Fortunately, it’s completely possible to march onward through the minefield without blowing up your infrastructure. Knowledge is power, after all.

Studies have shown that more and more companies are embracing cloud computing. In fact, according to a study by TheInfoPro published in September, the worldwide cloud computing market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 36% through 2016. Organizations are recognizing the many benefits of cloud-based computing, as evidenced by a study that showed IT executives are embracing it for its decreased costs (45%), scalability (57%), and business agility (54%)…