Grazed from MSPMentor.  Author: Dan Berthiaume.

Popular opinion holds that cloud computing is a technology area dominated by large enterprises, with a few brave SMBs dipping their toes in and the rest hanging back to see how things develop this year. However, at least one set of data contradicts this belief. Recent research from hosting and cloud services software provider Parallels indicates that SMBs are actually leading the way when it comes to cloud adoption.

According to Parallels data, the US SMB cloud market grew 25% during 2011, increasing to $15.1 billion USD. In addition, SMBs on the “small” end with fewer than 20 employees are at least three times more likely to choose cloud services than on-premise services, and SMBs plan to double the amount of paid cloud applications they purchase in the next three years, with size of SMB determining which applications are critical…

Grazed from Data Center Dynamics.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Grazed from Data Center Knowledge.  Author: Rich Miller.

In the battle for enterprise cloud computing customers, the field includes newer companies that have pioneered cloud technology, as well as established players with deep roots in enterprise IT. And then there are companies that seek to bridge both worlds.

These include SunGard Availability Services, which has been stepping up its push into cloud services. As the leading name in enterprise disaster recovery, SunGard has a lengthy track record in handling valuable mission-critical data for America’s largest companies…

Grazed from PR Newswire.  Author: PR Announcement.

Leading companies in cloud computing are slated to deliver keynotes, user case studies and hands-on tutorials at Seattle’s newest and largest cloud computing conference.

CloudFair 2012 Cloud Computing Conference and Expo will feature more than 40 sessions and 10 workshops as part of its three-day event at the Sheraton Seattle from April 17 through 19. Selected keynotes and sessions include: …

Grazed from InfoWorld.  Author: David Linthicum.

Technology vendors like to sell "guaranteed" success for building your own cloud computing service, whether public, private, or hybrid. Don’t believe them. In my consulting work, I find the path to success is not that straightforward.

But there is a path to success, and based on my experience, here’s my set of guidelines for the definition, design, and implementation of cloud computing solutions. It should at least push you in the right direction…

Grazed from CloudTweaks.  Author: Rick Blaisdell.

A report issued in June 2011 by the Carbon Disclosure Project and supported by AT&T discovered that companies which embrace cloud computing technologies can reduce energy consumption, lower their carbon emissions, and decrease their capital expenditure on IT resources while improving operational efficiency. By 2020, the same group estimates that large US companies using cloud can achieve annual energy savings of $12.3 billion and annual carbon reductions equivalent to 200 million barrels of oil.

In addition to environmental benefits, the energy industry is fostered to adopt the technology in order to reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and help address growing oil and power needs, such as increasing amounts of data, real time access to data, or integration and standardization of IT operations…

Grazed from IT Business Edge.  Author: Michael Vizard.

Just about everybody would agree that cloud computing is an IT journey, it’s just no one is quite sure where that journey will take them. The lack of visibility has a lot of IT organizations opting to take a few baby steps towards cloud computing in 2012 versus rushing to implement a complete end-to-end strategy.

Keao Caindec, chief marketing officer for Dimension Data’s Cloud Solutions Business Unit, says that’s not a bad thing because about the smartest thing an IT organization can do is take a few small steps in the direction of cloud computing while still remembering to plan big. The simple fact of that matter is that no one can be absolutely certain what application workloads should be running where next year or the year after that…

Grazed from PR Newswire.  Author: PR Announcement.

As Cloud Computing will face record growth over the next decade, BizCloud Technology Services is ready to meet the staffing challenges of this fast growing tech sector. BizCloud Recruiting, Talent placement and Career job board focused on Cloud Computing, Infrastructure as a Service, Software as a Service, Big Data and Application Integration opportunities.

Biz Cloud Recruiting services offers a range of just in time professional services placement that meet a wide spectrum of cloud business and industry requirements from offshore development, to onsite placement for contract, contract to hire or a high touch retained search placement service. BizCloud offers a unique approach to recruiting & talent management services…

Grazed from CenterBeam.  Author: Editorial Staff.

With cloud computing, mobile payments can be more secure, says Prashanth Ranganathan, director of mobile security and risk for PayPal. In a guest post on Forbes, Ranganathan writes that mobile payments managed correctly can actually increase the security of information from plastic credit and debit cards.

"The ‘digital wallet’ approach relies on the inherent security of the cloud," Ranganathan writes. "This is where a consumer’s financial information lives, not on their phone. They can access their ‘wallet’ anytime, anywhere, no matter what device they’re using, and they never have to worry when they switch devices or upgrade phones. Even if the phone is lost or stolen there’s no need to worry. Of course, we always recommend that our customers protect their phones with a PIN as a first line of defense."…

Grazed from eSecurityPlanet.com.   Author: Pedro Hernandez.

Panda Security and Microsoft have joined forces to provide antivirus as a service on Windows Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform.

To kick off the collaboration, the pair is hosting a new version of the Panda Cloud Office Protection (PCOP) service on Azure. Panda’s service combines malware protection for PCs, servers, and notebooks with cloud-based management and signature updates.

In addition to malware protection for endpoints, Cloud Office Protection offers centralized device access policy enforcement. This helps close one of the most stubbornly persistent avenues of attack for malware: the USB port…