Grazed from TechTarget. Author: Tom Nolle.

Given that everything these days seems to be about the cloud, it’s not surprising that you hear a lot about cloud UC. Cloud UC refers to the union of unified communications (UC) and cloud computing and focuses on hosting UC applications on the cloud. If we believe the cloud is the future, moving UC applications to the cloud is hardly a technical challenge. And, this move has brought about new cloud UC strategies and architectures that may not address real telecom issues.

Cloud computing is the new architecture that binds IT and networking into a single system, and its primary value isn’t cost management or opening IT to public hosting. The value is the flexibility that cloud will bring to the way we empower workers, particularly via a spectrum of mobile devices. In this cloud era, workers will work differently, consume information differently and collaborate differently. It follows then that they will communicate differently, and it’s that basic change that will drive the cloud UC vision…

Grazed from CloudTweaks. Author: John Omwamba.

The line between cloud computing and information technology is hazy, but it is always safe to say that they complement each other, with cloud computing representing the latest paradigm for remodeling IT services. There are very clear roles of IT in cloud computing technology, which can yield greater business benefits if well harnessed.

On one hand, IT is playing a big role in proactive management of new acquisitions, financial trade-offs, and security challenges of cloud-based services. This means that the role of IT has changed from the traditional owner and operator of IT infrastructure to a more managerial one—managing the IT supply chain. IT systems now manage more complex, multi-platform internal and external services, with CIOs being tasked with redefining the value of IT to the business. This shift presents exciting new opportunities for IT professionals to expand their skill sets and become strategic advisers to businesses…

Grazed from PRNewsWire. Author: PR Announcement.

ManageIQ (www.manageiq.com), a leader in enterprise cloud management, today announced it has been named as a finalist in the "Best of VMworld 2012" for private cloud computing. The Best of VMworld 2012 awards winners were selected by an independent team of experts and editors from TechTarget’s SearchServerVirtualization.com, based on innovation, value, performance, reliability and ease of use. The awards cover nine categories of the virtualization market, including private cloud computing technologies. TechTarget received over 250 nominees for the contest.

"We are excited that our EVM Version 4 Suite, which delivers significant value to our Global 1000 customers, has been selected for recognition at the show this year," said Joseph Fitzgerald, ManageIQ Chief Product Officer. "We just announced our new EVM Version 5 Suite at VMworld this week with support for hybrid and public clouds, including Amazon. We’re looking forward to future hybrid and public cloud computing evaluations that include our new EVM V5 release with its comprehensive IT Cloud Management capabilities."

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: Joab Jackson.

Enterprise software rivals Red Hat and Oracle, along with a number of other software and online services providers, have collaborated on a standard that they hope will ease the use of PaaS (platform as a service) among customers.

"Starting and stopping an application really ought to be standardized to make it easier for customers to manage their applications across different platforms," said Jeff Mischkinsky, Oracle senior director for Oracle’s Fusion middleware, who was involved in the development of the standard…

Grazed from Business Excellence Online. Author: By Dr. Mike Gault.

We are witnessing the large-scale industrialization of the data center, owned and operated by the ICT operators, with security technologies in the hands of the end user to remove any need to trust their human operators.

The traditional “protect the perimeter” model of enterprise data security, one where layers of security are added around enterprise data, access to which is limited to trusted insiders, clearly has challenges in a cloud model when outsiders (the folks running the cloud) have access to all your data and can monitor everything that you do in their environment.

The solution is not, as some would tell you in the security profession, better certification of cloud providers and external vetting of the human operators. Certification has a role but the ultimate answer will be the invention of technologies that completely remove the need for trusting the human operators…

Grazed from TechTarget. Author: Gina Narcisi.

Cloud computing has always been a tough sell with both federal and local government agencies. Plagued by regulatory compliance requirements and high-stakes security concerns, these customers loathe moving sensitive data into a cloud provider’s data center, where compute and storage resources are typically shared among customers.

Until recently, government agencies that sought cloud services had to shop around for a cloud provider that could live up to their strict, sometimes unique requirements — with few guarantees from a provider, other than its word, that a particular cloud offering would best meet their needs.

Smaller, local government agencies have been the most skittish about adopting cloud due to ongoing security fears, lack of experience and cost concerns, according to recent research from Alexandria, Va.-based IDC Research. This sector is the least enthusiastic about the cloud, despite gains that a cloud environment could offer, noted Shawn McCarthy, research director of IDC Government Insights…

Grazed from eWeek. Author: Darryl K. Taft.

IBM continues its tradition of providing technology to drive the US Open tennis tournament, this year bringing its big data analytics and cloud computing prowess to the fore as well as adding a new iPad app.

IBM and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) have teamed up to deliver new technologies for tennis fans watching the 2012 US Open tennis tournament.

During the two-week event, IBM will apply its predictive analytics, cloud computing and mobile technology expertise to connect tennis fans to what is happening on the courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, NY. IBM also has enhanced the digital capabilities of the USOpen.org web site to give users front-row access to the action on the court…

Grazed from TechTarget. Author: Karen Goulart.

As the old saying goes, "The customer is king." But does that hold true when the customer is dealing with a cloud provider? In the relatively new realm of enterprise cloud computing, the answer is both yes and no. Executives from four top cloud providers — Microsoft, Amazon.com, Rackspace and Salesforce.com — sat down at the recent Gartner Catalyst conference in San Diego to answer questions about what they want customers to know about cloud computing and about what customers should — and shouldn’t — expect from cloud providers.
Do cloud providers offer better security?

Even as more enterprises experience increased levels of comfort with cloud computing, security remains a top concern. After all, the customer’s business is at stake — and so is the cloud provider’s reputation. It’s expected that questions will be raised about security at the start of any cloud adoption conversation, but Peter Coffee, vice president and head of platform research at Salesforce.com Inc., said he’d like the conversation to begin on a level playing field…

Grazed from GigaOM. Author: Stacey Higginbotham.

Zscaler is done saying no to venture capitalists and has managed to raise $38 million in its first round of outside investment from Lightspeed Ventures. The company is offering a new form of security software designed to accommodate today’s mobile workforce and delivered as a service.

Zscaler a four-year-old startup that has bootstrapped its business by providing a new form of security designed for a mobile and cloud-dependent workforce, has raised $38 million in first-time financing. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and an unnamed strategic investor…

Grazed from V3.co.uk. Author: Shaun Nichols.

Ubuntu developer Canonical is making a push to establish itself as a force in the Linux server and cloud computing markets.

The company, which has long been known as a champion for the expansion of Linux into the consumer and developer markets, said that Ubuntu will also play a part in the next generation of cloud computing platforms.

Speaking in a keynote address at the 2012 LinuxCon North America convention in San Diego, Canonical vice president of cloud Kyle MacDonald told attendees that the company sees itself performing particularly well in the scale-out server market…