Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Chris Talbot.

RightScale Cloud Management is getting an update to simplify and secure both public and private cloud networking. Additionally, the new Network Manager feature will give enterprises—or their channel partners—the ability to manage cloud networking across multiple clouds.

Simplification and ease-of-use—both are common discussion points when it comes to cloud these days, especially as they pertain to making it simpler to work across multiple clouds in both the public and private cloud realms. In the case of RightScale Network Manager, the goal is to help improve security and auditing, as well as making applications more easily portable across clouds…

Grazed from MarketWire. Author: PR Announcement.

Since its launch one year ago, ProfitBricks, the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) company that completely reengineered the delivery of cloud computing, has consistently received industry recognition for its cloud computing 2.0 solutions and price/performance leadership. Building further on this momentum, today ProfitBricks announced that it was named one of CRN Magazine’s Emerging Technology Vendors, as well as to CIO Review’s list of 20 Most Promising Cloud Companies.

The annual CRN Emerging Technology Vendors list highlights ProfitBricks and other hot tech startups making an impact on the channel and in the enterprise. Vendors on this list have recently introduced a new product or technology that is not only innovative, but generates the high margins solution providers require in today’s competitive marketplace…

Grazed from CloudTweaks. Author: Padmanabha Sivanandan.

Cloud computing is the techno-business strategy of web-based access of diverse set of applications from any device and less workload on the Customer Service Representative’s (CSR) device as the software and data gets stored elsewhere. Any kind of application can be accessed through cloud, right from trivial word processing software to complex analytical engine for an enterprise. The primary benefit of cloud platform is that it allows an organization to focus only on its core competency as the complexity and overhead of managing IT applications and infrastructure will be addressed by the cloud platform vendor. Cloud based CRM enables organizations to manage customer experience via cloud in a flexible and cost effective manner. Salesforce.com, Microsoft and Oracle are major cloud based CRM vendors.

Benefits of Cloud CRM

There are a number of benefits of a cloud based CRM than an on-premise model, especially in terms of mobility, flexibility and cost.

• The CSRs can access the application from any device like desktops, laptops, tablets, Smart phones and PDAs via internet. So the customers are more quickly served.
• Cloud based CRM provides more flexibility as the upgrades and scaling-up of software are managed by the vendors.
• Typically cloud deployments have shorter implementation cycle and adhere to pay-per-use/subscription model and hence manageable cost…

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: Serdar Yegulalp.

Google Translate is currently best known for being a quick and dirty way to render Web pages or short text snippets in another language. But according to Der Spiegel, the next step for the core technology behind that service is a device that amounts to the universal translator from "Star Trek."

Google isn’t alone, either. Apparently everyone from Facebook to Microsoft is ramping up similar ambitions: to create services that eradicate language barriers as we currently know them. A realistic goal or still science fiction? And at what cost?…

Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: CJ Arlotta.

Cloud services provider Appirio has acquired TopCoder, an organization that hosts a community of more than 500,000 developers, designers and data analytics experts. The deal combines the TopCoder community with CloudSpokes, Appirio’s own crowdsouring platform and community of more than 75,000 developers, designers and analytics experts. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company said the acquisition will promote a technology platform that enables crowdsourcing as a core part of next generation services.

As part of the deal, Narinder Singh, co-founder of Appirio, was appointed president of the combined communities; TopCoder founder Jack Hughes will join Appirio’s crowdsourcing advisory board; and David Messinger, vice president of community at CloudSpokes, has been promoted to chief community officer of the combined communities…

Grazed from Forbes. Author: Louis Columbus.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jennifer Bewley and Rachel Ceccarelli of Dice.com regarding the trends they are seeing in cloud computing recruiters’ searched-for terms on their sites. They’re seeing exponential growth in cloud computing-related job listings today and provided an analysis of the top ten cloud computing skills recruiters are searching for. From just 13 cloud computing-related jobs listed in May, 2008, their site has over 5,000 today. The following graphic shows the growth in cloud computing job listings on their site over time. The following are the top ten cloud computing skills searched for on Dice.com as of today:

• Linux operating system
• Chef – The open-source systems management and cloud infrastructure automation framework
• Puppet – IT automation software that helps system administrators manage infrastructure throughout its lifecycle, from provisioning and configuration to orchestration and reporting
• Cloud, Legacy System and IT Consulting…

Grazed from TMCNet.  Author: Event Announcement.

Cloud4SMB Expo, to be held on January 28-31, 2014, is the first event of its kind focused on the unique needs and challenges of small and medium businesses (SMBs) seeking to leverage the benefits of cloud computing solutions. 



This conference is dedicated to real-world business strategies and implications for growing businesses utilizing the cloud. Until now, the Cloud Phenomenon has focused almost exclusively on opportunities for the large enterprise. Sessions at Cloud4SMB Expo are designed specifically to provide attendees with the knowledge and information SMBs need to compete and succeed...

Grazed from NetworkComputing. Author: Sean Leach.

Given that Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are becoming more frequent, it is a good time to review the basics and how you can fight back. A DDoS is an attack method used to deny access for legitimate users of an online service. This service could be a bank or e-commerce website, a SaaS application, or any other type of network service. Some attacks even target VoIP infrastructure.

An attacker uses a non-trivial amount of computing resources, which they either built themselves or, more commonly, by compromising vulnerable PC’s around the world, to send bogus traffic to a site. If the attacker sends enough traffic, legitimate users of a site can’t be serviced…

Grazed from WSJ. Author: Elizabeth Dwoskin.

Cloud storage provider Nirvanix announced it was shutting down on Monday, giving customers just two weeks to move their data elsewhere, two customers said. The exit of Nirvanix, a San Diego-based company that has said it stores data for Fox Networks and National Geographic, among others, means more market share for giants like Amazon and Microsoft.

It also offers a warning about the downsides of shifting computing to the cloud. Two weeks is not a lot of time to move valuable business data. Steven Ampleford, chief executive of Aorta Cloud and Aorta Capital, a Nirvanix partner, said he received a phone call from Nirvanix officials with the news on Monday. “Armageddon is about to happen,” he said. Nirvanix officials didn’t tell him what would happen if customers don’t get their data out by the end of the month, he said…

Grazed from V3.co.uk. Author: Daniel Robinson.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is touting the benefits of leading with public cloud infrastructure when adopting a cloud computing strategy, claiming that "old guard" private cloud providers cannot offer key benefits such as pay-per-use and scale on demand. The firm was also keen to highlight its security credentials in light of recent revelations of NSA snooping and the like.

At Amazon’s AWS Enterprise Summit in London, senior vice president Andy Jassy told an audience of corporate technical leaders that cloud computing was the future of IT delivery, and that it made more sense to outsource this to a public cloud provider such as AWS than to build it themselves. "The reason customers typically get started with the cloud is cost…