Grazed from InfoSecurity. Author: Steve Durbin.

The benefits of cloud computing services are now well established; however, uncertainty still surrounds several of the inherent risks. The ISF’s Steve Durbin examines what organizations can do to realize the benefits of the cloud, while avoiding the information security bear-traps that exist

According to a recent report from the Cloud Security Alliance and ISACA, which examined enterprises’ attitudes toward cloud computing, the market has reached a new level of maturity at which enterprises can benefit greatly from adopting cloud infrastructure, platform or software service offerings. Nevertheless, issues around regulations, international data privacy and exit strategies top the list of concerns that undermine confidence in cloud computing…

Grazed from FierceGovernnment IT. Author: Greg Slabodkin.

The intersection of cloud computing and big data gives government agencies opportunities in areas such as DNA sequencing and national security, said speakers at a National Institute of Standards and Technology workshop.

Federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel said that the federal government in only at the "tip of the iceberg" in its use of cloud and big data. The government is sitting on a "treasure trove" of data that could open up opportunities for scientific discovery and entrepreneurship, he said…

Grazed from SCMP. Author: Bien Perez.

Microsoft has teamed up with Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) to bring the "cloud computing" version of its Office productivity software to millions of households across the city. The two companies yesterday jointly introduced Office 365 Home Premium software as a service, which allows consumers to subscribe for as low as HK$2 a day, less than the cost of a tram ride. Horace Chow Chok-kee, the general manager at Microsoft Hong Kong, said the partnership with HKBN will soon be expanded to include support for small and medium-sized companies in the city.

Cloud computing enables consumers and companies to buy, lease, sell and distribute a range of software, business systems, data and other digital resources, including storage, as an on-demand service, just like buying electricity from a power grid. "Cloud" refers to the internet. Office 365 Home Premium, which had its global launch last month, is available in 162 markets in 21 languages. It includes the latest set of Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access…

Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Chris Talbot.

Riverbed Technology (NASDAQ: RVBD) is rolling out the next incremental version of its virtual Whitewater appliance. Whitewater Operating System (WWOS) 2.1 introduces larger virtual appliances than were previously available, but the biggest news is that Whitewater now supports Amazon Glacier archival storage.

Jerome Noll, director of products and marketing for the Whitewater product family at Riverbed Technology, told Talkin’ Cloud that the company has been gaining a lot of interest from customers, who now number in "the triple digits." And what’s happening, he said, is customers are going to Riverbed and its VARs to buy one appliance, and then later beefing up their systems with additional appliances…

Grazed from Windows IT Pro. Author: Tony Redmond.

John Rhoton, someone who has held senior positions for cloud computing at HP and Symantec, has released the “Cloud Computing Protected: Security Assessment Handbook”. Jan De Clercq (who writes frequently about security for WindowsITPro.com) and David Graves, an HP Distinguished Engineer who specializes in cloud services, also contribute to the book. John’s previous books in the series are Cloud Computing Explained and Cloud Computing Architected, both of which are good reads for anyone who needs to understand the basic concepts that underpin this mode of computing. Given the rush to embrace the cloud as the preferred platform for a range of applications, it’s a good time to release a book to remind those considering the transition to the cloud that some work is necessary to ensure that data and access remains secure.

One aspect of migrating to a multi-tenant cloud platform is that you cede operational control over your data. Consumers have been doing this for a very long time. It’s always interested me that people are quite happy to upload some of their most precious memories to online photo sites like Snapfish.com without any knowledge of who now has access to their photos, where the photos are actually stored, and what the long-term future of the site might be. In effect, consumers transfer control over their data without batting an eyelid…

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: Juan Carlos Perez.

Yammer plans to roll out an integration with the SkyDrive Pro cloud storage product and the Office Web Apps Web-hosted productivity application suite this summer. The initiative is part of Yammer’s ongoing push to deepen and extend the integration of its cloud-hosted enterprise social-networking software with products from Microsoft, which acquired Yammer last July for $1.2 billion.

SkyDrive Pro, an enterprise version of the consumer SkyDrive cloud storage service, will become Yammer’s underlying file-storage platform for Yammer, Microsoft said on Wednesday. The link with Office Web Apps, a browser-based version of the Office suite, will let Yammer users preview and edit documents from applications like Word and Excel right from within the Yammer activity stream interface…

Grazed from Forbes. Author: Joe McKendrick.

Cloud computing isn’t just potentially delivering savings and flexibility for existing organizations. It is also laying the groundwork for a new generation of business startups, a new survey finds. The study of 1,300 executives, conducted by Rackspace Hosting with support from Manchester Business School in the UK, finds cloud engagements are delivering positive impacts, from cost savings to more innovation. Interestingly, the survey also reveals that most of these executives see cloud as laying the groundwork for the next entrepreneurial boom.

Sixty-two percent of respondents either agreed totally or somewhat with the statement that “cloud computing is a key factor in the recent boom of entrepreneurs and start-ups,” the survey finds. Twenty-five percent agreed strongly with this idea…

Anuta Networks, the industry-first provider of network services virtualization solutions, today announced three new product enhancements for its nCloudX platform to enable cloud service providers and enterprises to achieve the promise of the software defined data center. Specifically, Anuta nCloudX now includes integration with VMware vCloud Director, support for virtual appliances from multiple vendors and integration with OpenStack.

"We are confident about the evolution of Software Defined Data Center, and the role of Virtual Appliances in the L2-L7 services. Anuta brings a unique technology of Network Service Orchestration for the Software Defined Data Center," said Tomohiro Iwamoto, General Manager, Net One Systems, Japan. "We believe that there is a strong requirement for this type of technology and solutions in Japanese market."

WiredTree (http://www.wiredtree.com), a leading managed virtual private servers (VPS hosting), dedicated servers, and hybrid servers provider, has been announced as the recipient of the 2013 Excellence in Information-as-a-Service award at Parallels Summit. The award, given to an organization that demonstrates year-on-year growth and customer satisfaction, recognizes WiredTree as a major figure in the field of managed VPS hosting.

“We are very pleased to have been recognized by Parallels in this way,” says Zac Cogswell, President of WiredTree. “We attended Parallels Summit 2013 to meet colleagues from the web hosting and IT industries and build relationships with new and existing customers. To receive this significant award is a real honor, particularly given the strength of the other finalists in our category.”

Organizers have announced two new keynote speakers joining the highly qualified line-up at the 5th Annual Cloud World Forum at Olympia National Hall, London on 26-27 June 2013; Oskar Stål, CTO at Spotify, and Adrian Gardner, CIO at NASA.

Authorities on building large-scale global cloud infrastructures, Stål and Gardner join a comprehensive conference agenda that will feature keynote presentations from Jeff Jaffe, CEO, World Wide Web Consortium, Dana Deasy, CIO, BP and Jeff Barr, Chief Evangelist, Amazon Web Services among others.