May 29, 2012 Off

Cloud Computing Code of Practice Released at Cloud Summit

By David
Grazed from GeekZone.  Author: Editorial Staff.

The New Zealand Computer Society (NZCS) has released the New Zealand Cloud Computing Code of Practice (or “CloudCode”) at the Cloud Computing Summit in Auckland.

The CloudCode was developed following calls from a number of significant Cloud providers for a framework of voluntary self-regulated disclosures and minimum standards for those offering cloud-based services in New Zealand. The CloudCode has been developed over the last six months.

NZCS CloudCode Coordinator Joy Cottle today said “As New Zealand’s main annual Cloud Computing event, it was great to be able to release the final version of the CloudCode at the NZ Cloud Computing Summit.”…

May 29, 2012 Off

Cloud lifts the ceiling on high-end computing

By David
Grazed from ComputerWorld.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Pharmaceutical modelling company Schrödinger underscored the massive potential of cloud computing in April by commissioning a 50,000-core utility supercomputer in the Amazon Web Services cloud.

Although few business applications could take advantage of computing on such a massive scale, the message is clear. What processing do you have on tap? With cloud computing the sky is the limit, and it is not just cloud computing that opens new horizons.

Whether Moore’s Law, which says computing power will double roughly every two years, is a universal truth or not, next generation processors and servers are raising the prospect of what is effectively high performance computing in your own data centre…

May 29, 2012 Off

Cloud Computing for IT Professionals – 2012 Contains Real-Life Examples of Real-Life Cloud Computing Implementations

By David
Grazed from Business Wire.  Author: PR Announcement.

(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2njbf4/cloud_computing_fo) has announced the addition of the "Cloud Computing for IT Professionals" audio conference to their offering.

Many business executives are excited over cloud computing’s potential to increase efficiencies while lowering costs. But as an IT pro, you can’t afford to have your head in the clouds. It’s up to you to understand the cloud’s risks as well as its rewards – to help your organization make the best possible business choice.

To help you do just that, the author of Business Management Daily’s At Your Server blog has teamed up with the TechWatch for IT Pros e-letter to create an audio recording on this cutting-edge topic: Cloud Computing for IT Professionals…

May 28, 2012 Off

Open source boosts cloud computing

By David
Grazed from ITWeb.  Author: Alex Kayle.

Open source software is driving innovation in cloud computing, mobile apps and big data, CloudPro reports.

This is according to the Future of Open Source Survey, which found that 40% of significant technology innovations from new projects in open source are cloud-based. Another 19% were in mobile apps with 15% devoted to mobile enterprise.  There were 10 000 new mobile open source projects started in 2011, up from 4 000 in 2010, according to the survey, compiled by Black Duck Software, CIO Insight states…

May 28, 2012 Off

Has cloud computing come of age?

By David
Grazed from LiveMint WSJ.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Cloud computing is a much bandied about term and yet a much misunderstood word.

But every company, large or small, wants to be part of the cloud that has been defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.

Part of the confusion around the term arises from such technical jargon while the rest stems from the complexity of the technology. Cloud computing essentially allows a user with just a screen, keyboard and Internet connection to work from anywhere without needing to worry about software upgrades and the like…

May 28, 2012 Off

Rackspace ranked 12th in the UK’s Great Place to Work list

By David
Grazed from MarketWatch.  Author: PR Announcement.

Rackspace Hosting, the service leader in cloud computing, today announced it has been ranked 12th at this year’s Great Place to Work awards during a ceremony in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

In recognition of the company’s investments in creating a winning workplace, Rackspace’s 12th position ranking on the ‘Large Company list’ is the firm’s eighth successive appearance at these prestigious annual awards.

"Cloud computing is sometimes perceived to be an invisible service that happens somewhere between a company’s server room and its internet pipe connection. As such, I am resolutely proud to say that we continue to put the human side of our service first and foremost, both in terms of what our customers see and in terms of how we work to serve our own employees in a culture that champions people, skills and job satisfaction from the start," said Taylor Rhodes, Rackspace Managing Director, International…

May 28, 2012 Off

How the cloud will change IT and finance from foes into friends

By David
Grazed from TechRepublic.  Author: Nick Heath.

The CIO and the CFO are often cast as in opposition – the finance brain versus the techie.

But cloud computing is about to bridge that gulf according to David Goulden, CFO at storage and cloud infrastructure provider EMC, by providing them with a common language to discuss business issues.

As organisations shift to accessing the majority of services from the hybrid cloud, a mixture of private and public cloud, CFOs are gaining insight into IT spending they never had before, argues Goulden…

May 28, 2012 Off

Tax Issues In Cloud Computing

By David
Grazed from CloudTweaks.  Author:  Florence de Borja.

Today, taking advantage of computing power has moved toward the subscription model away from the self-management and acquisition model. Through the subscription model, a business enterprise needs to tap into the skills of third-party managers in order to take advantage of the latest tools. The continuous evolution of cloud computing has provided many benefits to business, but it has also affected some of the present tax rules. Through cloud computing, accountants can access information and software anywhere, but location is an important consideration as regards taxation. Thus, there are challenges faced by cloud computing when it comes to tax regulations.

Cloud computing allows a user to access software and information through the Internet. Servers are no longer maintained and operated by a single company but are outsourced to third-party vendors who have a pool of more experienced and qualified IT personnel to deal with server problems. Because of this setup, a business can concentrate on growing the business rather than being tied down by server maintenance. Any device that can connect to the Internet can be used by a user to access software and information. This kind of setup can also bring down internal expenditure and IT costs…

May 28, 2012 Off

SAP takes HR solutions to the cloud

By David
Grazed from ITWeb Business.  Author: Phahamang Thakudi.

SAP has announced a series of initiatives to become a major supplier of cloud computing, a move that incorporates a large set of cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solutions into SAP products, Cloud Times reports.

The company announced four lines of cloud-based business solutions to manage personnel, money, customers and suppliers, together seamlessly integrated into enterprise resource planning (ERP) business software…

May 28, 2012 Off

IBM`s New Cloud Offering Bolsters Smarter Commerce Strategy

By David
Grazed from TechWeek Europe.  Author:  Darryl K. Taft.

IBM has announced new software designed to improve data sharing and automate marketing and supply chain processes in the cloud, part of an ongoing effort to build on its cloud computing strategy.

At its Smarter Commerce Global Summit in Madrid, IBM announced new cloud software to help marketers improve customer service, increase marketing effectiveness and reduce operational costs. The new offerings leverage IBM’s cloud expertise and cloud collaboration networks to accelerate the flow of business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions by automating and synchronising supply and demand engines…