Grazed from InfoSecurity.com. Author: Editorial Staff.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has warned about US government claims that a Megaupload user lost his property rights by using cloud storage has implications for all data stored by any user or company with any cloud provider, including Amazon’s S3, Google Apps or Apple iCloud.

When the FBI took down Megaupload at the end of last year, it also seized the servers and all of the files they contained. But Megaupload had many legitimate users who used the service to store their own proprietary files. Kyle Goodwin is one such user, and with the help of EFF he has been seeking the return of his property…

Grazed from InsiderMonkey. Author: David Woodburn.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been getting some momentum for its Office 365 platform and its cloud computing services, including Azure. a couple of recent announcements have just solidified that growing momentum, as Microsoft (MSFT) has moved itself into a branch of the federal government and into China in separate deals that will feature Office 365.

These two deals my bode well for the firm as the cloud-computing universe continues to expand, and certainly investors in Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) stock like billionaire fund manager Seth Klarman of Baupost Group, may be optimistic…

Grazed from TechTarget. Author: Ben Cole.

Cloud computing and mobile-device use are changing the way companies produce information — and in doing so, they’re creating new challenges for organizations looking to develop data governance best practices. But could this trend toward data governance actually help organizations struggling with information management?

Certainly, cloud and mobile are radically changing the way businesses think about data and access: Recent statistics released by Forrester Research Inc. show that by 2016, the number of smartphones in the U.S. alone is expected to grow to 257 million. Forrester also predicts that by 2016, iPads and other tablets will be users’ primary computing devices…

Grazed from PRWeb. Author: PR Announcement.

Seeking new revenue streams and operational efficiencies, many businesses are re-tooling their infrastructure, development and operations to deploy applications into private clouds. However, the challenges of legacy architecture, up-front investment requirements, and team skills have been obstacles to wider acceptance of cloud initiatives. WSO2 Vice President of Technology Evangelism Chris Haddad will explore how early private cloud adopters are realizing a multitude of benefits at Cloud Computing West 2012. The conference runs November 8-9, 2012 at the DoubleTree Suites in Santa Monica, CA.

In his presentation, “Investing in Cloud Initiatives,” Chris will examine how early private cloud adopters are successfully adapting their IT business models, vendor-provided infrastructure, and practices to gain cloud benefits. Additionally, Chris will outline:…

Grazed from CloudTweaks. Author: Rick Blaisdell.

Cloud computing has been a hot topic during the last few years for technology specialists all over the world. Cloud computing has been adopted by many enterprises, but still challenges continue to rise. With all the articles and documentation on this subject, there are many myths that have developed over time. So here are the most common myths regarding cloud computing: security, data loss and performance.

Security is compromised in the cloud

Without a doubt, this is the most talked about point. In order to be a successful service provider, cloud providers have to assure the customers or prospects that their data is secure. The security risks that exist in the cloud are no different than the ones that exist in-house. The greatest advantage when outsourcing to cloud is that providers are permanently focused on improving controls and procedures so that the data is always secure, while enterprises might neglect this focus from time to time. So one could argue that a risk could be to remain in a physical environment. Most cloud computing providers also offer the customer different levels of security protection, which allows for more enhanced security…

Grazed from MidSize Insider. Author: Sharon Hurley Hall.

Could cloud computing help midsize businesses avert the worst effects of disaster? Hurricane Sandy is only the latest in a long list of storms destined to wreak havoc on the U.S., and it raises an issue that businesses should be aware of: the need for a disaster recovery plan. Perhaps that plan should include moving some functions to the cloud.

Disasters: A Big Business Problem

Hurricanes and other big storms are not just an inconvenience; they are a major problem for businesses affected by the loss of power and other utilities. What’s even worse, as an article in Talkin’ Cloud points out, is that businesses may lose access to their business data. That includes businesses who are outside the direct path of the storm. We are used to a world where business is going on 24 hours a day, but that only works if the networks and computers that support that business stay online. Many businesses’ buildings are not designed to withstand the high winds of hurricanes and the delicate electronic equipment they contain can easily be damaged by sudden power outages and floods. That could mean data loss, which is bad news for any business. One potential answer suggested by the Talkin’ Cloud article is wider use of the cloud…

Grazed from CloudTimes. Author: Saroj Kar.

IBM announced a wide range of security software solutions to help organizations protect their information and identities within and outside the company in massive data environments such as Big Data, mobile and cloud computing.

Specifically, IBM presented ten products and improvements for organizations to deal with new security threats and challenges arising as a result of the increased use of these emerging technologies. In fact, according to the IBM 2012 Global Reputational Risk and IT study, a major cause of concern of executives worldwide is how to ensure the security of their data in real time outside the traditional security perimeter of the company. The new capabilities of IBM software to help customers better manage the security of mobile devices, mitigate threats and reduce internal and external security risks in cloud environments, enhance security of the databases in real-time such as data security solutions for Hadoop and other big data environments, and automate compliance and security management information…

Grazed from VentureBeat. Author: Jay Simons.

In the wild kingdom of cloud computing, there are still a few mountains to summit. Development in the cloud is a big one. Software is truly eating the world, and today code and the teams writing it are the crown jewel of almost any business. Software is increasingly the way most businesses will differentiate from one another, leapfrogging each other’s product or service, accelerating how quickly they onboard new employees or improve logistics.

All that code — the characters on a keyboard strung together harmonically and the teams that weave it together — means a lot to the bottom line. So creating ways for teams to churn it out even faster is a huge opportunity. That’s where the cloud comes in…

Grazed from Adobe. Author: PR Announcement.

A patent by the inventors Peercy, Mark S. (Cupertino, CA); Loh, Danny D. (Menlo Park, CA), filed on May 29, 2009, was cleared and issued on October 23, 2012, according to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by VerticalNews correspondents. Patent number 8296763 is assigned to Adobe Systems Incorporated (San Jose, CA). The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: "Description of the Related Art":

"The computing, information, and communication industries are undergoing a massive transition with the rise of low-cost, high-performance devices, high-bandwidth communication infrastructure, and the Internet. The personal computer (PC), once a stalwart of information technology, is in rapid retreat, its value being drained away by innumerable large and small players offering solutions to problems that overlap the offerings of the PC and often extend well beyond them. Unfortunately, although users have been offered a dramatically wider array of options than before, it has come at a very real cost: data and applications are fragmented across heterogeneous and often incompatible devices and the Internet, device management has become extraordinarily complicated, and devices and Internet services come and go at an astonishing rate. Chores that were complicated for some users, even when they had just one PC to manage, have become significantly more difficult…

Grazed from FCW.com. Author: Matthew Weigelt.

A blustery lady named Sandy may be the motivation some agencies need to finally jump aboard the cloud. The full effect of Sandy — the “frankenstorm” that started as a tropical system, grew into a hurricane, then collided with two other systems to become a different kind of devastating event — is yet unknown. But as one former federal CIO said Oct. 31 agencies often have the newer systems and data centers because of their recent transition to the cloud. And those newer data centers, which are designed to handle natural disasters, likely rode out the storm without significant disruption.

“If they have sort of a weaker infrastructure, I would think [Sandy] would be a motivating factor. If they have a very solid infrastructure already established, I’m not sure it would make any difference,” said Gregg “Skip” Bailey, director at Deloitte Consulting LLP and the federal cloud computing lead at the firm. He was formerly CIO at the Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives…