Grazed from InformationWeek.  Author: Charles Babcock.

Equinix, which supplies data center facilities around the world, has started offering enterprises the option of establishing private cloud operations in two of its facilities.

The large Equinix facilities in Secaucus, N.J., outside New York City, and Chicago will give customers the option of installing their server racks, then managing them as private infrastructure-as-a-service operations under Tier3 enabling software, Enterprise Cloud Platform. Tier3 supplies data center operational software that claims 99.999% enterprise application availability in a clustered server setting.

The Secaucus and Chicago centers were the first to get the Enterprise Cloud Platform option because they are close to major financial services centers. Customers typically choose an Equinix facility to be close to both networking and metropolitan business hubs…

Grazed from ComputerWorld.  Author: Jean-Marc Seguin.

In our last installment on the benefits of private cloud computing, we asked "Where is your team on the road to the private cloud?" and discussed the importance of understanding your private cloud initiatives today and determining how you got there. Once your IT team has determined where it is on the road to the private cloud, you can begin examining areas specific to your virtual infrastructure to ensure that you architect it for success.

These include:

Configuration: When examining the configuration of your virtual infrastructure, it’s important to look at some basic components to make the journey to the private cloud simpler…

Grazed from CloudTweaks.  Author: Jeff Norman.

Thanks to cloud computing, entrepreneurship has never seemed so inviting. The cloud instinctively sizes itself to the needs of a business, eradicating overspending. In addition, its ease of access and zero expenditure on capital significantly simplify launch time. Even Forbes is proclaiming cloud computing’s advantages for a new wave of “lightweight” upstarts.

Here’s an outline of three top tactics entrepreneurs should heed to best profit from cloud:…

Grazed from MarketWatch.  Author: PR Announcement.

Dell announced today a Cloud Services & Solutions Certification for PartnerDirect channel partners that will enable them to provide cloud services & solutions to customers based on both Dell technology and their own technology services.

Today, many organizations are living with complex, overgrown computing platforms that are underutilized, take up valuable data center floor space, consume large amounts of power and cooling resources, and are not easy to manage.

“Organizations, of all sizes, are looking to implement cloud computing solutions to align efficiency and deliver business results. We have created a certification practice area with choice and flexibility that will solidify partners’ value to the end customer. We invested the time and resources to fully understand the cloud solutions our partners need to provide in the market,” said Bob Skelley, executive director, Dell Global Certified Partner Program & Channel…

Grazed from PRWeb.  Author: PR Announcement.

Today SolveDirect announced it has joined the Cloud Computing Consortium (C3), connecting with 130 other industry and academic cloud leaders including some of the world’s largest technology companies. "Cloud services offer huge advantage for organizations, but often come with unexpected maintenance and operational challenges." said Jim McDonnell, President, Americas & Chief Product Officer at SolveDirect. "The Cloud Computing Consortium’s focus is beyond technology and into how business and IT leaders can work together to plan, transition and operate successfully with cloud services, and SolveDirect is thrilled to contribute its decade of cloud-based, multi-sourced IT services software and implementation experience to help accelerate industry success."…

Grazed from MarketWatch.  Author: PR Announcement.

UBM TechWeb and UBM DeusM announced the launch of TheITPro.com, an online community for C-level executives, IT professionals, and all stakeholders in the private cloud computing category.

Cloud computing deployments are increasing each year, thanks to the cost savings and agility they deliver to IT and business processes; cloud is forecast to generate 14 million new jobs globally, with $1.1 trillion annual revenue by 2015, according to industry estimates. The IT Pro (TheITPro.com) is an online community for IT decision makers who are considering and embracing cloud computing, particularly private clouds…

Grazed from Gov Info Security.  Author: Jeffrey Roman.

Cloud computing continues to be a hot topic for organizations, says Entrust’s David Rockvam. What issues should be top-of-mind when using the cloud, and how can organizations ensure security?

"How you get there is going to be really important," says Rockvam, Entrust’s CMO and GM of its Certificate Services business. Whether organizations are outsourcing and using cloud-based applications like Salesforce.com, or putting their own internal applications into the cloud, "You have to make sure you’re securing the cloud," Rockvam says in an interview with Information Security Media Group’s Tom Field [transcript below].

Organizations need to ensure that authentication and encryption are in place, Rockvam says. "You’re going to have to be making sure that those channels to and from the cloud are protected," he says, especially mobile devices which are often used to access cloud-based applications…

Grazed from IT Pro Portal.  Author: Alex Serban.

Telecom operator CTM and famous networking firm Cisco have partnered with the purpose of launching new cloud technologies, which will take advantage of the different aspects of cloud computing, a domain currently on the rise. These upcoming technologies include Cisco CloudVerse, Cloud Infrastructure Service and "Business Talk" Unified Communication Service.

The two companies describe Cisco CloudVerse as a service meant to help organisations to build, manage and connect clouds of all kinds: public, private or hybrid. This programme brings together several technologies like the Cloud Intelligent Network, Unified Data Center plus Cloud Applications and Services…

Grazed from Techworld.  Author: Brandon Butler.

Grazed from MarketWatch.  Author: PR Announcement.

CipherCloud, a leading provider of cloud encryption gateways for public and private clouds, today announced that it has joined the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) as a Corporate Member. The CSA is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within cloud computing, and to provide education on the use of cloud computing to help secure all other forms of computing.

CipherCloud is currently working with the CSA on CloudAudit, a project designed to enable automation and integration of CSA research into technology solutions. Additionally, CipherCloud will be involved with the CSA’s two new initiatives, Cloud Data Governance and Innovation, designed to deliver upon the alliance’s mission while accelerating delivery of a trusted cloud ecosystem…