Grazed from eWeek.  Author: Nathan Eddy.

Cloud computing, virtualization and mobile technology are increasingly prevalent among small to medium-size businesses (SMBs), according to a survey from IT security firm Symantec Corp. The findings of the company’s 2012 SMB Disaster Preparedness Survey indicated that disaster preparedness is closely connected to these three technologies. The survey found more than one-third of SMBs (35 percent) are now taking advantage of mobile devices for business use.

In addition, SMBs are embracing technologies like virtualization and cloud computing that were once solely in the domain of larger enterprises, with 34 percent of SMBs surveyed either currently deploying or already benefitting from server virtualization. These companies are even more active in the cloud computing space: 40 percent said they are deploying public clouds and a similar number (43 percent) are implementing private clouds to help run their business. The survey, by research firm ReRez, covered decision-makers at 2,053 organizations worldwide, each with between 5 and 250 employees. Of the survey respondents, two-thirds were C-level and senior management, while the others were IT representatives…

Grazed from PRNewsWire.  Author: PR Announcement.

Gemini Technologies today announced the integration of its industry-leading Cloudian Cloud Storage Platform with Citrix CloudPlatform, the market leading open source cloud platform based on the Apache CloudStack project, currently undergoing incubation at the Apache Software Foundation. Utilizing the Cloudian and Citrix CloudPlatform combination, cloud service providers and enterprises can seamlessly deploy S3 compatible cloud storage quickly and cost-effectively along with a state-of-the-art cloud computing platform.

The integration of Cloudian and Apache CloudStack unifies the S3 compatible cloud object storage service along with the file system requirements of the CloudStack cloud compute environment.  Users and their applications can directly utilize S3 cloud storage as they normally would with Cloudian, taking advantage of Cloudian’s S3 compatibility to deliver interoperability with the wide diversity of tools and applications found in the S3 ecosystem…

Grazed from PRWeb.  Author:  PR Announcement.

Today APEX Analytix is introducing a new cloud-based delivery platform for FirstStrike®, the company’s industry-leading family of procure-to-pay software for overpayment prevention, fraud detection and vendor management.

Grazed from IT Jungle.  Author: Jenny Thomas.

For once, growing clouds aren’t a sign of gloomy days ahead. At least not for Connectria Hosting, which currently provides cloud computing, managed hosting, and custom hosting solutions to more than 1,000 customers in more than 30 countries worldwide.

IT Jungle recently reported on Connectria’s plans to host public and private IBM i clouds. Now comes news of the addition of a fourth data center at Connectria to accommodate growing demand.

The new data center will be located in a CyrusOne facility in Lewisville, Texas. The data center is a Tier 4 designated facility, which is the highest level a data center can achieve, according to standards set forth by the Telecommunications Infrastructure Standards for Data Centers. The data center will be capable of hosting mission critical computer systems, telecommunications gear, and storage environments with fully redundant subsystems, and compartmentalized security zones, monitored by biometric access control methods…

Grazed from Bloomberg.  Author: Cornelius Rahn.

SAP AG (SAP) plans to show this week it has learnt from a flawed venture into Internet-based software five years ago with its new strategy for cloud-computing, months after the $3.4 billion purchase of SuccessFactors Inc.

Investors’ attention at SAP’s Sapphire conference in Orlando, Florida, will be on Lars Dalgaard, the SuccessFactors founder who joined SAP’s global management board last month. Dalgaard plans to explain how SAP can generate 2 billion euros ($2.6 billion) in sales from software delivered over the Web by 2015 to help the Walldorf, Germany-based company reach its 20 billion-euro revenue target by then…

Grazed from MoneyWeb.  Author: Sasha Malic.

In order to enable organisations to compete effectively in this demanding marketplace, chief information officers (CIOs) are looking for increasing levels of performance from their infrastructure. At the top of their lists are ways to make infrastructure more dynamic, resilient and to take advantage of virtualisation, which itself is changing the traditional computing model.

Cloud computing offers a way to achieve many of these goals and is increasingly becoming part of corporate strategies.

As a model for consuming and delivering infrastructure, the cloud enables self-service, different sourcing options and significant economies of scale. It’s also clear that organisations will use a combination of private and public clouds to achieve their goals…

Grazed from Forbes.  Author: Reuven Cohen.

It’s typical in an election year to see an administration spend money on new initiatives. A new cost cutting initiative unveiled back in March has generally gone un-noticed by the main stream technology media. Called the “Big Data Research and Development Initiative” the program is focused on improving the U.S. Federal governments ability to extract knowledge and insights from large and complex collections of digital data, the initiative promises to help solve some the Nation’s most  pressing challenges.

The program includes several federal agencies including NSF, HHS/NIH, DOE, DOD, DARPA and USGS who pledge more than $200 million in new commitments that they promise will greatly improve the tools and techniques needed to access, organize, and glean discoveries from huge  volumes of digital data…

Grazed from PRWeb.  Author: PR Announcement.

Digistore Solutions, an internationally known supplier of data and information management products and solutions, is excited to showcase its Private Cloud Computing and Offshore Data Storage concept that utilizes the company’s next-generation hybrid network attached storage (NAS), Centurion iServe Pro and automatic optical disc storage library, Centurion iHub, at the Cloud Asia 2012 from May 14 – 17, 2012.

The Centurion iServe Pro connects seamlessly with the Centurion iHub, enabling less critical and less frequently accessed data and aging content, such as documents, images and media files, to be automatically transferred to optical discs, ensuring data integrity and at the same time, remains accessible to users. This unique and innovative architecture brings new efficiency gains in performance, as frequently accessed data remains within the Centurion iServe Pro in the first tier of online storage and less frequently used data in the second tier, which is the Centurion iHub as nearline storage. Digistore Solutions has also partnered with JVC Advanced Media, a subsidiary owned by Victor Advanced Media from Japan for their long-term archival grade optical discs, which passed ISO/IEC 10995 Certification – the worldwide standard defining archival lifetime to ensure longevity or to satisfy compliance regulations…

Grazed from Sys Con Media.  Author: 

The Canada Cloud Network (CCN), a new industry consortium intent on establishing Canada as a world leader in the field of Cloud Computing, is pleased to announce their formal launch and the immediate availability of membership services including ‘Social Cloud PR’.

Founded by Neil McEvoy, a long-time Cloud Computing entrepreneur from Scotland, the CCN is based on a three year program of analysis of Canadian innovation best practice reports, utilizing them to build a ‘Canada Cloud Roadmap’ – A product innovation strategy for Cloud services that can be sold globally.

‘Social Cloud PR’ is an integrated mix of social media marketing with traditional PR. The CCN has a team of highly experienced senior executives from the worlds of high-tech PR, marketing and sales, that can be called upon for press release creation and publishing, blogs and more…