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…

Grazed from IT Business Edge.  Author: Loraine Lawson.

CIOs, CEOs and other executives must have a lot of questions about cloud computing, and I’m not sure there are actually good answers right now when it comes to portability and integration.

For instance, I recently talked to a CEO who expressed deep distrust of storing anything personal in the cloud, including pictures and a rough draft of his dissertation for his third degree.

“What happens if that company goes out of business,” he asked. “What do they do with my stuff?”…

Grazed from TheServerSide.  Author: Jason Tee.

The on-demand nature of cloud computing has put scalable Web applications within easy reach for businesses of all sizes. There’s little to no barrier to entry for even the smallest companies to access the kind of computing power and data storage that was once only available to enterprise customers. It’s not just cheaper than ever to get all the server space you want – it’s also easier. The cloud has made ordering up more resources as simple as ordering a fast food meal at a drive through.

However, just because a business can now “supersize” its infrastructure in the cloud doesn’t mean IT should just keep hitting the button to order more resources. Low-cost isn’t no-cost. Many businesses find out the hard way that simply making the switch to a cloud-based infrastructure doesn’t save them nearly as much as they anticipated…

Grazed from TechTarget.  Author: Michelle Boisvert.

Cloud computing has had its share of misconceptions and misunderstandings. Even the definition of cloud computing at times comes under fire from industry experts and users alike. But when people believe a cloud provider, especially one of the largest in the business, is actually rebranding a successful cloud product midstream, what we have is failure to communicate.

“If it is true, it’s pants-on-head retarded.”
Talk about an identity crisis. This gem comes from Carl Brooks, analyst at Tier 1, in response to rumors that Microsoft was planning to phase out the name “Azure” from its well-known public cloud product line. Turns out, the speculation stems from an unclear email Microsoft sent customers informing them of a change in billing. But for Windows Azure customers throwing lots of money into the public cloud product, the thought of a new name midstream had some questioning Microsoft’s sanity…

Grazed from Midsize Insider.  Author: Doug Bonderud.

Read anything about cloud computing, and you’ll get hype–hype if you’re a consumer ("the cloud lets you store photos, talk to anyone, anywhere and there’s never a chance anything could be lost!") and certainly hype if you’re a manager or CEO ("instant ROI, easy to migrate, growing fast!)." But the nitty gritty is just as you’d expect: A cloud transition is difficult, made more so by the "silver bullet" promises many providers offer. That isn’t to say the cloud can’t drive change or significantly shift the way a company does business–it can. Instead, IT admins at midsize business need to articulate their concerns to management higher-ups and know exactly what they’re getting into before signing on with a provider…

Grazed from Sys Con Media.  Author: Maureen O’Gara.

Dell has turned up with the very first cloud-directed microservers using Xeon processors built on Intel’s teeny-weeny 22nm process with sexy TriGate transistors.

It will be amusing to see if AMD sends its recent SeaMicro microserver acquisition, which used to be tight with Intel, out to buy the same chips on the open market while it retools for some AMD dingus.  AMD did say SeaMicro would continue its Xeon line.

Intel is also warding off promised server competition from ARM. ARM server start-up Calxeda is supposed to be about a month away from beta testing its boxes…

Grazed from MarketWatch.  Author: PR Announcement.

Corent Technology, Inc., a disrupting innovator in the Cloud Computing space, announced that its key product – Corent multi-tenant Server(TM) – has been named a finalist in the Cloud Computing/Software as a Service (SaaS) category for the 2012 TechAmerica Foundation American Technology Awards. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner to be held on June 13, 2012 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.

"The caliber of this year’s nominees was incredible. Our judges had their work cut out for them," said Jennifer Kerber, President of the TechAmerica Foundation. "We congratulate Corent Technology for their outstanding work and thank them for their contribution to the growth and innovation in the tech industry."…