May 11, 2012 Off

Attorneys try to keep up with the cloud

By David
Grazed from Thomson Reuters.  Author: Leigh Jones.

Attorney ethics authorities are scrambling to keep pace with the technology of cloud computing, a method for storing volumes of client documents that can be cost-effective to use but vulnerable to hacking.

Bar associations in New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Iowa recently issued guidelines for lawyers who use the cloud, and the American Bar Association is considering a proposal to modify its model ethics rules to address cloud computing. Dozens of bar groups across the country are training attorneys on how to use the cloud without tripping over their ethical duty to maintain client confidentiality…

May 11, 2012 Off

Why cloud services are the secret weapon of PC makers

By David
Grazed from The Calgary Herald.  Author: Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla.

Today’s PC makers like Asus, Acer, Apple, Lenovo, Samsung and others understand the value of an ecosystem held together by cloud computing.  Many of these PC makers sell desktops, notebooks and mobile devices but they need their cloud component to hold it all together and build brand loyalty.

Cloud components consist of online storage and synching applications that are accessed and shared across devices.  Well-implemented cloud strategies ensure that users have access to their important documents, photos and music a at any time. These services also serve as backup systems and even add to the security of the devices connected on the network…

May 11, 2012 Off

Citrix Project Avalon Puts XenDesktop, XenApp Services in the Cloud

By David
Grazed from eWeek.  Author: Robert J. Mullins.

Citrix is launching what it calls Project Avalon to take its virtualization and cloud computing platforms to the next level by delivering a Microsoft Windows desktop and all its related applications as a cloud service.

Citrix provided details about Project Avalon along with other new product introductions and upgrades at the Citrix Synergy 2012 conference here this week. The company also touted product enhancements that are the fruits of recent acquisitions.

Project Avalon is the latest in Citrix’s strategy—as also espoused by multiple technology companies of late—of delivering technology to workers wirelessly, on a wide range of devices, often the employee’s personal devices, across multiple form factors and operating systems…

May 11, 2012 Off

VMware Survey: Majority of enterprises in EMEA region consider cloud computing a priority

By David
Grazed from CBR.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Majority of enterprises or 84% across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) consider cloud computing to be a priority and 56% consider it a critical priority over the next 18 months, according to a latest study by VMware.

Nearly 31% of IT budgets in EMEA region are spent on cloud computing, up from 26% in 2010, as organisations look to empower a more agile, productive and connected enterprise.

The findings from its Global Cloud Adoption Study of IT leaders revealed respondents plan to spend almost one-third of their annual enterprise IT budget on cloud computing over the next 18 months…

May 11, 2012 Off

New Book ‘Together in the Cloud’ Offers Insight into Online Business Management

By David
Grazed from CPA Practice Advisor.  Author: Isaac M. O’Bannon.

Professionals and business managers interested in learning more about the benefits of cloud computing should check out the new book by Robert J. Chandler, "Together in the Cloud," which was releasedin late April. Chandler is the CEO of technology company Cloud9 Real Time and a long-time proponent of web-based business management technologies.

In "Together in the Cloud," Chandler offers dynamic insight into how businesses can implement and utilize Cloud technologies, and bridge the gap between users and Information Technology. Essentially a “How To” guide for transition and guidance, the book is designed to help readers work more efficiently and profitably, by collaborating in the Cloud.

“’Together in the Cloud’ was a real labor of love for me," says Chandler. "I see the disconnects that business owners and Accounting Professionals have on understanding how the Cloud will work for them. The advancements that this industry has made in the last several years are astounding, and I really believe educating is the first step to success in the Cloud.”…

May 11, 2012 Off

Cloud Computing: New IBM Delivery Center Opens in Costa Rica

By David
Grazed from MarketWatch.  Author: PR Announcement.

IBM IBM -0.17% officially opened today its new Costa Rica Delivery Center, in America Free Zone, Heredia. IBM will invest US$300 million over 10 years, and intends to employ up to 1,000 people by 2014. The new center will provide high-value services for clients around the world, reaffirming Costa Rica’s position as a strategic services hub for IBM. The facility will support clients in the areas of IT security, data storage, business analytics, cloud computing, and other services in demand by IBM clients.

The new center will provide cloud infrastructure support and management, to help clients simplify and enhance operational efficiency. Cloud computing provides clients with the ability to reduce their IT infrastructure costs, have a standardized, virtualized platform, and enhance their process automation. Additionally, the center will provide technology capabilities that can anticipate and help prevent fraud and IT hacker attempts.

IBM IT experts will support global clients with service management, data storage services, automating data backup and providing support for a variety of storage platforms and tools. Business analytics capabilities will help clients analyze complex data and enable smarter decision-making…

May 11, 2012 Off

‘Security as a service’ may be federal future

By David
Grazed from Computer World.  Author: Patrick Thibodeau.

In the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, a forum for congressional staffers on cloud computing brought together representatives of rival firms, including Google, Microsoft, IBM, Dell, Salesforce, SAP, and Savvis.

The vendors avoided one-upmanship and obvious sales pitches, and generally stayed true to the forum’s purpose, which was to provide an overview of cloud computing. It was organized by the TechAmerica Foundation, the research arm of the IT industry group.

But one of the speakers, Nick Combs, the CTO of EMC’s federal division was tough on some cloud-activities in government as well as the security offered by some vendors. He offered frank observations and recommendations…

May 11, 2012 Off

6 Signs of a Maturing Cloud-Computing Industry

By David

Grazed from Wired.  Author: Todd Neilson.

I am continually surprised at how fast the cloud-computing industry is maturing and growing. There is news every day of radical advances in IT delivery through the cloud. Every industry goes through phases and growth pains until they reach maturation. Here are six phases currently in progress in the maturity of the cloud-computing industry.

The Appearance of Niches — One of the signs that an industry is maturing is when you start seeing the development of niche products and services for that industry. About a month ago I was at a conference for technology solution providers put on by an industry association. One of the reasons I like going to these shows is to see what new providers appear. At this conference, what intrigued me the most was not the full-service cloud providers, but instead niche cloud vendors offering various products. The biggest niche seems to be in the security segment. There were a couple of vendors of cloud-based authentication technology, cloud-based wireless routing management and technology, cloud-based VPN management and dumbed-down firewalls managed in the cloud and many more…

May 11, 2012 Off

Google CIO Ben Fried Says Cloud Tipping Point Is At Hand

By David
Grazed from WSJ.  Author: Steve Rosenbush.

The economics of cloud computing are driving down the cost structure of business so far and so fast that it’s scary, Google CIO Ben Fried says.

“It deeply disturbed me … in 2006, 2007 consumer companies were forcing efficiencies on a scale never seen before,” Fried said Thursday during remarks at the Bloomberg Link Enterprise Technology Summit in New York.

At the time, Fried was working in the technology group at investment bank Morgan Stanley, where he was a managing director of application infrastructure, in charge of software development, electronic commerce and knowledge worker productivity. In 2008, he left the bank and headed to Google, which was at the heart of the disruption that was emanating from the consumer market and beginning to spread through the business world…

May 10, 2012 Off

KineticD’s KineticCloud Receives Information Technology Industry’s 2012 World’s Best Award for Cloud Computing/SaaS

By David
Grazed from PR NewsWire.  Author: PR Announcement.

KineticD™, known for its cloud backup and data recovery services for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), today announced that Network Products Guide, industry’s leading technology research and advisory guide, has named KineticCloud™ Backup a winner of the 7th Annual 2012 Hot Companies and Best Products Awards for Cloud Computing/SaaS. These industry and peer recognitions from Network Products Guide are the world’s premier information technology awards honoring achievements and recognitions in every facet of the IT industry. Winners from all over the world were honored in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 during the 7th annual dinner and presentations.

KineticCloud Backup provides SMBs with the latest data backup and recovery technology. Specifically designed to ensure optimized data protection for PCs, Macs, servers and databases, KineticCloud completely automates tedious administrative tasks by simplifying management of backup software and schedules across all systems and business locations…