Grazed from CloudTweaks. Author: Brad Hale.

The delivery of computing as a service, or cloud computing, over a network is becoming more and more mainstream and is allowing businesses of all sizes to get their applications up and running faster, with easier manageability and less maintenance. Cloud computing allows enterprises, and enables IT, to more rapidly adjust IT resources (apps, servers, storage, and networking) to meet fluctuating and unpredictable business demand.

Cloud computing forces us to change our traditional approach to application and network management. No longer do we have a fixed number of assets that must remain running 100% of the time, and performing to the best of their abilities. Instead, we have on-demand computing where resource needs, such as servers and applications, and capacity fluctuates based on demand…

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: David Linthicum.

In a recent survey of 2,000 CIOs, a Gartner report revealed that the execs’ top tech priorities for 2013 include cloud computing in general, as well as its specific types: software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS). No surprise there. Of course, every year since 2008 has been deemed the "year of the cloud." Yes, small cloud projects exist and Amazon Web Services did not get to be a billion-dollar company due to a lack of interest. However, the adoption has been slow if steady. It isn’t exploding, as everyone has predicted for each year.

At least CIOs finally get it: Either figure out a way to leverage cloud technology, or get into real estate. Although this technology is still emerging, the value of at least putting together a plan and a few projects has been there for years. The business cases have always existed…

Grazed from GigaOM.  Author: Allan Leinwand.

Without needing to snoop, your cloud provider has access to crucial data about your business. Allan Leinwand, of ServiceNow, says that’s why you may need a Chinese Wall between you and your cloud provider.

In today’s world of fierce co-opetition, your cloud provider may be both your partner and competitor – and building your business on top of your competitor’s cloud is a very dangerous way to live. When the ancient Chinese wanted to keep their population safe from dangerous invaders, they built a wall. So, does your business need a Chinese Wall to provide protection from a possible invasion by your cloud provider?…

Grazed from Courthouse News.  Author: Philip A Janquart.

The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has proposed that "inclusive Cloud and Web computing" be a priority for the federal Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) and Centers.  In the United States, people classified as "disabled" are accessing the World Wide Web 23 percent less than the rest of the population, according to the National Broadband Plan and a 2010 Federal Communications Commission report.

"One reason for the disparity is that the Web infrastructure is not set up to address disability access issues seamlessly across all of its functions," the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services explained. "Additionally, software and devices (e.g., computers, smartphones and tablets) used to access the Web are often inaccessible for people with disabilities, and individuals with disabilities have limited access to technical assistance with selecting, setting up and using appropriate technologies."…

Grazed from The Smart Data Collective.  Author: Editorial Staff.

The long-awaited final modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement and Breach Rules were introduced Thursday. The 563-word document outlines the changes that were initially slated for implementation last summer (remember the omnibus rule?). So how do these modifications affect HIPAA cloud providers?

While cloud providers have generally been considered and treated as business associates in the industry, the modifications make it even clearer that data center operators are officially considered business associates and are also directly liable for being compliant with the HIPAA standards that apply to business associates. The federal document states:…

Grazed from OutLaw.com.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Symantec said that nearly 1,000 of the 3,236 business and IT executives within global organisations of all sizes it had surveyed about the ‘hidden costs of cloud’ had simultaneously reported rogue cloud use within their firm and the loss of confidential information last year. Symantec defined ‘rogue clouds’ as "business groups implementing public cloud applications that are not managed by or integrated into the company’s IT infrastructure".  The primary reason why businesses allowed rogue use of cloud was to save money, according to Symantec.

"Perhaps the sales manager signs his department up for Salesforce without thinking to consult IT," Symantec said in a new report (11-page / 4.62MB PDF). "Or perhaps marketing shares important launch materials with outside vendors via an unauthorized Dropbox account. In either case the organization has put sensitive information into the cloud without organizational oversight. It’s a surprisingly common problem, found in three-quarters of all organizations. It also seems to be an issue experienced more by enterprises (83%) than SMBs (70%)."…

Grazed from Sys Con Media.  Author: Maureen O’Gara.

Avnet Embedded, an Avnet unit by way of Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas, has launched Open Compute Project (OCP) Innovation Labs as both technology showcases and development labs for users, developers and partners to design, deliver and integrate cost-effective, power-efficient compute, storage and networking solutions.

It says the lab will provide the OCP community with local and remote access to resources offering "hands-on" enablement of platform and configuration testing, hardware and software validation, performance tuning and community innovation. Avnet will bring together the hardware, connectivity and technical support resources to assist developers with application creation…

Grazed from Sys Con Media. Author: Maureen O’Gara.

Calxeda, the Texas start-up with the ARM-based servers, joined the Open Compute Project (OCP) this week, contributing Project Knockout to the cause’s Open Vault dumb storage scheme.
A spec enhancement to the SAS expander slot on the Open Vault spec, Project Knockout injects compute into the customer’s storage tier.

Calxeda’s chips will be built into the storage chassis, putting processing close to the data and eliminating the need for a separate Xeon server to control the disks in Open Vault. The Knockout board, which will offer independent management that will improve performance, cost and redundancy, is ready for evaluation…

Grazed from Sys Con Media. Author: Maureen O’Gara.

EMC said Tuesday that it means to offer its cloud-based online file-sharing service Syncplicity, acquired last May, with its Isilon and Atmos widgetry so customers can store files as in the cloud as well as on-premise. The stuff’s in beta. It’s supposed to increase productivity, flexibility and ease of management, and reduce compliance risks.

"The combination of Syncplicity and the Atmos cloud storage platform delivers a highly automated, enterprise-grade file-sharing capability, where policies and performance follow data wherever it’s accessed or shared without sacrificing security or control," VP of marketing for EMC’s Advanced Storage Division Chris Ratcliffe said in a statement. "As corporate users increasingly demand more mobility and access to files from multiple devices, EMC gives enterprises the tools they need to deliver new levels of productivity to their users."

Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Chris Talbot.

The Open Compute Project, backed by Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), is gaining momentum, as evidenced by the increasing attendance at the Open Compute Summit. This week, the summit attracted more than 1,900 attendees that were interested in checking out the latest and greatest in Open Compute Project technologies, innovations and products. There has been a bit of buzz about some of the innovations unveiled at the show, and this can only mean good things for the open source cloud computing market.

Some of the interesting launches at the conference included a new rack design from Quanta in partnership with Intel (NASDAQ: INTC). The rack design will use silicon photonics when it is completed to increase the speed of communication between rack components. Fusion-io also announced ioScale, which will provide 3.2TB of memory capacity at $3.89 per Gigabyte…