Grazed from VentureBeat. Author: Sandeep Chad and Holly DeMuro.

There is a growing awareness among decision makers of what big data is, what it can do, and why it’s important. Put briefly, big data is what it sounds like: the collection of data that can ultimately be used to create reports that tell a richer, multifaceted story not easily discernible with existing reporting capabilities. Like any other disruptive technology, big data comes with its share of skeptics, who argue that any report, metric, or KPI tells a story and therefore big data isn’t a significant business change. However, the skeptics can be proven wrong. Big data is so big that it has the potential to disrupt everything we think we know about consumer behavior, employment, healthcare, and any other sector of our lives.

How big is big data really? According to IBM, we create 2.5 exabytes (quintillion bytes) of data every day. Put it all together, and you have seriously BIG data and a seriously BIG story. Where does the data come from? Hint: If you’re reading this on a screen, you are looking at it right now. In today’s world, it is very difficult — almost impossible — not to leave a digital footprint across everything that you do…

Grazed from Sys Con Media. Author: Tom Decoe.

Some businesses today are nervous about moving to cloud-delivered technology because it means allowing their system data to reside somewhere other than their own data center. For some, this can be a tough concept to grasp, especially for those who have spent 25 years or more hosting their company’s systems and data. But cloud computing providers could not exist without implementing strong security controls for their customers’ information. The reality is that leading cloud solutions include security features well beyond what most manufacturing companies can afford to implement on their own. In this article readers will learn about some realities of the security practices at leading cloud providers and the questions that should be asked by those considering use of a cloud solution.

Does the cloud solution have a risk assessment process that addresses risks to information assets?
The starting point of an effective security process is the identification of the information security risks for the cloud provider. Risk assessments are performed to identify the various sources of information and how the information might be breached. There are a number of different risk assessment models that exist and cloud service providers should have a process to identify information risks. After identifying risks, the company can then develop controls to mitigate those risks…

Grazed from MarketWire. Author: PR Announcement.

Corent Technology, the first IBM Technology Provider Partner certified as "Ready for IBM SmartCloud," today announced that its SurPaaS(TM) Software Delivery Platform as a Service has been recognized as a finalist for Most Innovative Cloud Solution by the Orange County Technology Alliance Annual High-Tech Innovation Awards.

Now in its 20th year, this premier awards program event celebrates achievement among the regional tech industry by honoring companies, individuals and products that drive technology innovation. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner event on Oct. 15, 2013, at the Hilton Costa Mesa…

Grazed from SailPoint. Author: PR Announcement.

The rapid adoption of SaaS applications is shifting the mindset of how enterprises procure and deploy software, even for typically heavily customized technologies like identity and access management (IAM) that manage complex mission-critical infrastructure. But until now, organizations interested in deploying an IAM solution from the cloud were underserved by the existing IAM-as-a-service (IDaaS) offerings, which only provided single sign-on (SSO) capabilities and could not address the full scope of IAM challenges large-scale global enterprises face every day.

SailPoint is hosting a webinar to outline its recently released IDaaS solution, SailPoint IdentityNow, that delivers enterprise-grade identity governance, provisioning and access management in a single, unified solution, to meet the diverse needs of global enterprises…

Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Chris Talbot.

Progress Software is hoping to make it even easier for application developers and ISVs to develop business applications on demand using its application platform as a service (aPaaS). The company has added new features and capabilities around data connectivity and application development to its recently launched Progress Pacific aPaaS offering.

According to Progress, the new features make it possible for anyone to rapidly create, evolve and customize connected business applications on demand. By "anyone," let’s assume the company is referring to skilled and trained software developers, not just anybody off the street (but if cloud app development is becoming that easy, maybe a career change is in order). The new features include:…

Grazed from PRWeb. Author: PR Announcement.

The United States is the international leader in cloud computing, dominating every segment of the nearly $130 billion industry. However, recent revelations about the extent to which the National Security Administration obtains data from third-parties through the PRISM program, may lead to significant changes in the global cloud market which will negatively impact U.S. cloud providers. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) estimates the U.S. cloud computing industry stands to lose between $22 and $35 billion in total revenue by 2016.

“Many foreign customers are now deciding whether the risks of storing data with a U.S. company are worth the benefits, and foreign cloud service providers will ruthlessly exploit this perceived weakness to gain market share,” says Daniel Castro, author of the new report “How Much Will PRISM Cost the U.S. Cloud Computing Industry?” and a Senior Analyst with ITIF. “In addition, some countries may use PRISM as an excuse to enact a series of protectionist policies to restrict access to their markets and promote their domestic cloud providers.”…

Grazed from PRNewsWire. Author: PR Announcement.

Dimension Data, the $5.8 billion global ICT solutions and services provider, today announced it has launched Cloud Backup, an optional backup and recovery service available as an add-on to its enterprise-class Public, Private and Hosted Private Compute-as-a-Service (CaaS) offerings. With Cloud Backup, organizations are able to back up their files, folders, systems, applications and data to Dimension Data’s cloud data centers to ensure business continuity and protection for enterprise workloads. Dimension Data offers three classes of Cloud Backup that address the need for simple file and folder backup, as well as full application, system, and file backup and restore:

• Cloud Backup Essentials – file and folder backup and restore
• Cloud Backup Advanced – file, folder, and system state backup and restore
• Cloud Backup Enterprise – file, folder, system state, and application backup and restore…

Grazed from PRWeb. Author: PR Announcement.

Backupify, the leading provider of cloud-to-cloud backup and recovery solutions for Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, today announced plans to expand their support for multiple data storage providers to give customers more ownership over their data. Universal support for data storage providers helps companies control and manage their data – completely on their terms.

According to research firm IDC, it is estimated that public cloud services will account for almost $100 billion in spending by 2016. Not surprisingly, as more organizations embrace cloud computing solutions, there has been a significant increase in the amount of critical organizational data stored in the cloud. With vast amounts of data stored in SaaS apps and in the cloud, enterprise companies are seeking enhanced security, privacy, control, and access…

Grazed from BriefingWire. Author: PR Announcement.

Verticomm Technologies, an experienced technology management service provider now manages Googles cloud computing services. Cloud computing is an expression used for describing the computing concept where instead of keeping resources on users local computer or laptop or tablet, data is moved to a server which is controlled by a company. User just need a username and password to log in and can avail all the information.

Users can access all files and applications completely through the web. These files can be documents, emails, music files and collections of photos, etc. In addition to individual files, one can also access complex pieces of software over the internet through the Linux cloud computing and open source community, referred as SaaS-software as a service…

Grazed from VentureBeat. Author: Jolie O’Dell.

ClearDATA, a startup working in healthcare and cloud computing, has pulled together a tidy $7 million in its second round of institutional funding. The funding came from Excel Venture Management and Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) and will be used mostly for marketing and sales.

ClearDATA focuses on making secure, HIPPA-, HITECH Act-, and ePHI-compliant cloud software for healthcare professionals and organizations. Its platform is designed to cut costs while improving productivity and regulatory compliance. Products include a HIPAA-compliant cloud, medical imaging storage, automation, disaster recovery, offsite backup, virtual desktop infrastructure, and security services…