Grazed from Sys Con Media.  Author:  Jason Bloomberg.

First the good news: Cloud Computing is real, it’s here to stay, we’re doing a reasonably good job of defining it, and it’s already providing significant business value to countless organizations around the globe. Now the bad news: there’s still plenty of confusion over the what Cloud is and how to achieve value with it.

Much of this confusion, as you might expect, comes from software and hardware vendors. After all, they’ve all had to scramble for a new Cloud value proposition once they realized that Cloud Computing would eventually doom the old way of selling their gear. For most such vendors, their Cloud strategies are works in progress. Yes, they may have a bona fide Cloud offering, but if you look more closely, the Cloud benefits you’re expecting may not yet be available. Our advice? Caveat emptor…

Grazed from Web Host Industry Review.  Author: Justin Lee.

Cloud infrastructure giant Amazon announced on Thursday it has partnered with infrastructure as a service provider Eucalyptus to help customers move data between their private clouds and Amazon Web Services, according to a report by ReadWriteCloud.

Under the partnership, Amazon will provide full support to Eucalyptus to extend its compatibility with AWS APIs. The partnership should alleviate any concerns about Amazon going after Eucalyptus for software patents as many have speculated…

Grazed from Forbes.  Author: Joe McKendrick.

A new report out of Saugatuck Technology confirms a dramatic shift in cloud computing intentions over the past one or two years. “Buying and deployment patterns have shifted rapidly toward a near full embrace of the cloud, from the more tactical and point solution-focused initiatives not long ago,” writes Bill McNee, author of the report. The consultancy recently conducted in-depth interviews with a dozen large enterprise CIOs and CTOs with $1 billion-plus companies.

The CIOs see themselves as now entering a “crisis of opportunity” and innovation, McNee observes, brought about by the revolution in service delivery, shaped not only by cloud, but also fueled by the drive toward mobility, advanced analytics, and social business. What this calls for is “a new mission for IT, with a new set of roles, responsibilities and skills required for success.”…

Grazed from PR Web.  Author: PR Announcement.

Advanced Solutions International (ASI), the largest, privately-owned global provider of software for member and donor-based not-for-profits, today announced that its recent iMIS Business Excellence Forum (iBEF) Symposium drew more than 30 CEOs and high-level executives to learn more about how to use the web as a strategic operations tool to drive membership and fundraising success. Key issues on the docket included increasing constituent acquisition and retention, outsourcing, and cloud computing.

iBEF’s interactive symposium format allows attendees to collaborate with speakers and fellow participants in an intimate setting; this year’s event was designed to provide proven ideas that organizations could implement immediately. The agenda was packed with real-world case studies—presented by growth-directed association and non-profit customers—on how they are successfully using the web to drive performance and achieve their missions. Presenters included executives from the Guide Dog Foundation, FBI National Academy Associates, International Institute of Business Analysis, National Restaurant Association, and State Firemen’s & Fire Marshals’ Association…

Grazed from Sys Con Media.  Author: Pat Romanski.

Dome9 Security on Thursday announced that its cloud security firewall management service protects cloud servers from serious cloud server security threats, including the recently publicized Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) vulnerability. Dome9’s cloud security service that automates firewall management eliminates the tactical response to both known vulnerabilities, and vulnerabilities yet to be discovered, and delivers a strategic approach to securing cloud  servers.

Roy Feintuch, Dome9 CTO and Co-Founder, observed that "Hacker kits are already available for download that make it easy to identify and exploit this vulnerability on any Windows cloud server."…

Grazed from PR NewsWire.  Author: PR Announcement.

Savvis, a CenturyLink company (NYSE: CTL) and global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions for enterprises, today announced the availability of its private cloud solution and managed services offerings through Savvis’ existing data center in Hong Kong.

"The launch will help Savvis meet the rapidly rising demand for enterprise-class IT services in Asia," said Mark Smith, Savvis managing director in Asia. "An important market for enterprises, Hong Kong often serves as a gateway for global clients seeking to extend their presence into Asia. We are excited to provide organizations in this region with enterprise-ready cloud and managed services solutions."…

Grazed from Business News.  Author: Ned Smith.

Virtualization makes cloud computing possible, productive and profitable. Many businesses large and small think it can do the same thing for work by creating a human cloud based on virtual collaboration, according to a new survey. For some workers, that day is already here.

Two-thirds of workers expect their offices to go fully virtual within the next few years, according to a survey by Wrike, a social project management platform provider. The company queried more than 1,000 companies about virtual collaboration and future work practices. About 83 percent of the respondents said they were already spending at least a few hours each week working outside the office…

Grazed from Business Wire.  Author: PR Announcement.

Amplified efforts to cut spending and increase the efficiency of federal information technology (IT) has accelerated agencies’ adoption of cloud computing. With all federal agencies required to complete at least three cloud projects by June 2012, the pressure has increased to make fast but informed decisions. The Cloud & Virtualization Conference at FOSE 2012 will offer cloud adopters everything they need to know about acquiring and deploying cloud computing services, including privacy and security concerns. This program includes free workshops, education theaters and CloudCamp, an intensive session for attendees to exchange ideas, address challenges and share best practices. FOSE 2012 will take place April 3-5, 2012 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C…

Grazed from CloudTweaks.  Author: Florence G. de Borja.

Cloud computing offers a solution to universities, research laboratories, the military, and the government agencies which utilize supercomputers to do complex jobs like securing the nation, searching for solutions to medical dilemmas, and analyzing the effects of climate change. It is capable of making billions and trillions of computations per second.

Through cloud computing, users are able to perform tasks like analysis of sales data, storing medical information of patients, and estimating business venture risks. In general, cloud computing includes infrastructure-as-a-service, software-as-a-service, and platform-as-a-service. For a regular business, the computing costs are the same and the service provider often absorbs any upfront costs related to cloud computing…

Grazed from ITWire.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Nowadays, if we talk about CRMs (Customer Relationship Management) in the complex environment we live in, with the Internet, social networks and all the changes caused by globalization, we should talk about Business Intelligence.

The BI or analytic layer that we will call Customer Intelligence is able to extract valuable information from all the data about customers, and turn it into useful knowledge that enables the design of accurate strategies and generate competitive advantages…