Grazed from ComputerWeekly. Author: Chris Saran.

Businesses are being deterred from taking up cloud services due to a lack of security skills. A Quocirca study for CA Technologies found IT security spending was higher among companies that said they were enthusiastic about cloud computing services.

Bob Tarzey, analyst and director, Quocirca, said: “Cloud services [focus] the need for IT security.” The survey highlighted security and IT readiness among companies that had a negative attitude towards cloud computing. Almost two-thirds of these companies believed they lacked the skills and 72% said they lacked the resources required to secure their cloud services…

Grazed from ProfitBricks. Author: PR Announcement.

ProfitBricks, the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) company that completely reengineered the delivery of cloud computing, ranks among the world’s Top 100 Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), according to Nine Lives Media’s third-annual Talkin’ Cloud 100 report. ProfitBricks ranked 75th on the overall Talkin’ Cloud 100 list and first on the list of 25 Fastest Growing CSPs.

ProfitBricks recently shook up the cloud computing world when it slashed its cloud computing pricing by 50 percent, even as it showed performance levels twice that of the major competitors. In all, Talkin’ Cloud’s Top 100 CSPs generated more than $15.7 billion in combined cloud services revenues in 2012, up nearly 37 percent, according to the report, which is available now by visiting http://www.talkincloud.com/tc100…

Grazed from PatentlyApple. Author: Editorial Staff.

On August 8, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that revealed their original iCloud service for Documents in the Cloud. Our report provides a basic overview of the patent related to Documents in the Cloud along with a video of Steve Jobs introducing the new service at WWDC 2011.

Apple’s Patent Background

Conventionally, a user’s computing experiences were typically focused upon a particular device within a given environment. For instance, the user might interact with a desktop computer in the work environment, to store and access work-related documents, and might also have a home computer for storing and accessing personal documents. Alternatively, the user might employ a portable computer, e.g., a laptop computer, for use in both the work and home environments. In either case, the documents that the user created, edited, or otherwise interacted with, were typically stored on the user’s computing device, or accessed via a network to which the computing device was connected…

Grazed from Talkin Cloud. Author: Chris Talbot.

When it comes to the popularity and usage of cloud platforms in enterprise software development, Amazon (AMZN) Web Services is out ahead of the rest, but the lead isn’t as far as AWS would probably like. In fact, hot on its heels is Microsoft (MSFT) Windows Azure, according to data recently released from Forrester Research.

A Forrester indicated that enterprise software developers are choosing AWS more often than other platforms, but the percentages between first and second place appear to be fairly narrow. And just behind second place is Google (GOOG) Cloud. So if ever you thought a particular cloud platform provider had the edge over its competitors was running off with the majority of business, get that thought out of your head right now. The leading position in the industry isn’t a given, and there are a handful of cloud providers that could steal that top position…

Grazed from USA Today. Author: Eric Chiu.

Judging by the numbers, we know we’re all in the cloud now (public cloud services alone will grow to $131 billion this year). We know why this is happening—cloud computing is affordable, scalable and really agile. We know there’s no going back. What we don’t know is how safe it all is.

Besides the long list of system crashes and data breaches, analysts tell us the virtualized model presents entirely new security challenges. Sure, that’s always a problem with new technology paradigms. But now, with so many assets migrating, it’s time tackle the issue head-on…

Grazed from VirtusStream. Author: PR Announcement.

Virtustream, Inc., the leading enterprise class cloud software and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider, today announced that it has been named a 2013 Vendor to Watch by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). In order to be recognized as a Vendor to Watch, companies must demonstrate customer value by delivering solutions for problems that have previously gone unaddressed.

“Virtustream continues to drive innovation in the cloud market by effectively addressing the diverse needs of enterprises,” said Torsten Volk, research director at EMA. “Companies that are moving mission-critical applications to the cloud must meet stringent business demands, and vendors such as Virtustream are making this possible with solutions that deliver a secure, compliant and flexible cloud environment.”…

Grazed from Forbes. Author: Patrick Moorhead.

It’s literally time to step right up and place your bets. While Software Defined Networking (SDN) is one of the hottest trends in enterprise networking today, it is easy to place the wrong bet. Looking at the previous large strategic bets that businesses have had to make – the Internet, virtualization, or cloud computing – it was a sucker’s bet. The answer was always “yes” and the only variables were how much and when.

It was like looking at a blizzard bearing down on the Midwest – you know it is going to hit, but when and how many inches were up for negotiation. While we have written an extensive analysis here, I want to provide you a snapshot of my thoughts here. With all of the talk about SDN in the market don’t assume that the answer is a slam-dunk as well…

Grazed from LinuxInsider. Author: Jay Lyman.

The discussion and debate over open source cloud software’s compatibility with cloud leader Amazon’s proprietary APIs was just beginning when the 451 Group released "The OpenStack Tipping Point" in April. With the advancement of the OpenStack software and community — along with lingering questions about the desired level of compatibility with Amazon’s cloud — the matter is heating up. However, the issue of Amazon cloud compatibility is largely a non-issue.

Enterprise customers are focused on solving their computing and business challenges. They typically center on promptly providing their customers and internal users and divisions with adequate resources and infrastructure; speeding application development and deployment; and avoiding so-called "Shadow IT," which normally involves use of Amazon’s cloud…

Grazed from WHIR. Author: Nicole Henderson.

IT solutions provider CSC acquired big data analytics provider Infochimps on Tuesday for an undisclosed amount. Based in Austin, TX, and Silicon Valley, CA, respectively, Infochimps is a developer of cloud-based big data analysis software for enterprises.

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSC, the Infochimps team will report to CSC’s big data and analytics business unit led by Sashi Reddi, VP and GM, CSC. Infochimps will remain under its existing leadership. “At the core of Infochimps’ DNA is our unique, open source-based Big Data and cloud expertise,” Jim Kaskade, CEO, Infochimps said in a blog post. “Infochimps was founded by data scientists, cloud computing, and open source experts, who have built three critical analytic services required by virtually all next-generation enterprise applications: real-time data processing and analytics, batch analytics and ad hoc analytics – all for actionable insights, and all powered by open standards.”…

Grazed from American Banker. Author: Penny Crosman.

AT&T and CSC have agreed to partner to provide cloud computing services to enterprises such as financial services companies. The announcement comes the same week a PricewaterhouseCoopers study of financial services executives found 71% plan to invest more in cloud computing this year and 50% plan to invest in private cloud technology. Also this week, IBM rolled out new Power- and x86-based servers to the company’s Flex System intended to be used in private clouds.

Systems integrator CSC already offers a cloud computing service called BizCloud. It provides virtualized server, storage and networking technology, often installing the popular VBlock configuration of EMCstorage, Cisco servers and switches and VMWare virtualization software…