Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Chris Talbot.

Quickly and easily taking existing software into the cloud and modernizing it as SaaS applications is a hot topic for businesses of all sizes. Heirloom Computing is hoping to make it simpler for enterprises to take their mission-critical applications and both SaaS-enable and modernize them, giving customers the ability to run their legacy software while still receiving the benefits of cloud computing.

GOPaaS is a new service from Heirloom that offers companies a way to host existing legacy applications in the cloud. According to the vendor, customers can move mission-critical apps to the cloud by using the service without having to rewrite code or build a new app from scratch. That’s pretty much what every business wants, as it takes time, effort and resources to write new applications to replace existing apps that are already doing the job…

Grazed from DigitalTrends. Author: AJ Dellinger.

AcerCloud, the cloud storage option from computer maker Acer that allows users to treat their home PC like a cloud-based hard drive, will be available for iOS later this month. Updates for Android and Windows Phones will follow, with improvements to existing features.

Don’t have enough cloud storage options to choose from yet? Well Acer’s got you covered. The Taiwan-based computer company is giving Apple mobile users a chance to access their files by offering a new iOS app and rolling out remote access over wireless connections…

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: David Linthicum.

I’m consistently taken aback by many businesses’ disregard for customer service. As long as customers push back on companies that treat them shabbily, enterprises willing to cut service will find themselves out of business or forced to merge with establishments that treat their customers better.

Giving short shrift to customer service remains an issue in the cloud, which is based on the notion of automation and self-provisioning at scale. Dealing with people individually seems contrary to the idea of the cloud. Many public cloud providers assumed they could just put a layer of Web pages between them and their customers, and all would be right — no phones to answer, no planes to board…

Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Joe Panettieri.

OpenStack remains the largest and most active open source cloud computing project, Network World notes. But research from Chinese blogger Qingye "John" Jiang suggests that momentum is building for CloudStack, and interest in Eucalyptus and OpenNebula remains strong. For cloud services providers (CSPs) and consultants, it’s critically important to track each of the four open source cloud platforms. Here’s why. During Q4 2012, interest in CloudStack grew faster than rival open source cloud platforms. But Jiang’s data shows that:

• OpenStack has the largest total population, followed by Eucalyptus, CloudStack, and OpenNebula;
• OpenStack has the largest active population during the past quarter, followed by CloudStack, Eucalyptus, and OpenNebula;
• OpenStack has the largest active population during the past month, followed by CloudStack, Eucalyptus, and OpenNebula…

Grazed from WindowsIT Pro. Author: B. K. Winstead.

As we begin a new year, with all the self-reflection that often entails, I’m not afraid to admit my many addictions. Nothing illegal or immoral, of course: smartphone addiction, computer gaming addiction. But I’d say there are few things more important to me than music; I listen to music whenever I can, and I’ve always had an insatiable need for new music at every available opportunity. So I was a little disturbed when I saw a recent press pitch about cloud computing technologies heralding the death of the CD.

First of all, I’m all in favor of cloud music players. In the past year, I’ve become a devotee of Spotify in particular because it lets me choose the music I get to listen to, as opposed to Pandora and other services which provide only radio stations based on your tastes. With Spotify, I can choose a new album or artist and listen repeatedly, which lets me decide whether I want to spend money on that particular music. If I do choose to buy something, my first choice is still to get the CD…

Grazed from NetworkWorld. Author: Ellen Messmer.

The Security for Business Innovation Council, comprised of IT security professionals from 19 companies worldwide, called cloud computing the main disruptive force for 2013. In its report, "Information Security Shake-Up," the group said it was evident many organizations are preparing to move more business processes to the cloud. This year, it will even be "mission-critical apps and regulated data" consigned to the cloud.

The Council, established several years ago to advise RSA, includes security professionals from Coca-Cola, eBay, FedEx, EMC, Fidelity Investments, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, and Walmart, among several others. "Although supplier lock-in and system availability are some of the big concerns with the cloud, security remains the number one obstacle to adoption," the Council’s report says. "But trust in the cloud is growing."…

Grazed from Devry University.  Author: Editorial Staff.

What is the predominant perception that people have toward cloud computing?  This infographic, related to Cloud Computing is a must view…

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: Chris Kanaracus.

As 2013 begins, the SaaS (software as a service) market is set to heat up even more, as well as potentially undergo a number of key shifts. Here’s a look at a series of key SaaS vendors and trends to watch as the year unfolds.

Salesforce.com: No discussion of the SaaS market is complete without covering Salesforce.com, the largest independent player. While the company should generate plenty of news for its social collaboration, CRM (customer relationship management), customer service and application development software, it’s also possible that Salesforce.com will come up with a brand-new application that touches on an area it hasn’t directly been involved with until now…

Grazed from CloudTech. Author: James Bourne.

A recent whitepaper from IDC sponsored by Microsoft has suggested a widening skills gap for cloud computing, and the trend will continue further through 2013. In particular the research, of over 600 organisations, showed that as the cloud evolves, cloud-specific skills will grow at six times the rate of overall IT skills, noting that cloud-related skills “represent virtually all of the growth opportunities in IT worldwide”.

According to the paper, worldwide IT jobs will hit just under 30m by the end of 2015; however the 22.3m non-cloud jobs represent a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 0% from 2011, as opposed to the 7m cloud-related jobs having a 26% CAGR, going up from 2.7m in 2011…