Grazed from Vanguard.  Author: Prince Osuagwu.

Frontline computer and back end company, International Business Machines, IBM, believes that organizations that embrace the concept of smarter computing and are approaching computing in a different way, are likely to build and enhance easily, the infrastructure they already have.

This is because they would  have harnessed data and integrated information to unlock insights and make better decisions, quicker.

Smarter computing helps companies optimized their systems for specific tasks to deliver the efficiency and performance required in an ever more competitive and challenging world as is seen today. Moreover, cloud computing aids rapid delivery of new services that can benefit local communities and businesses alike, just like it helps position IT leaders and their teams to drive innovation for their businesses, rather than just being the implementers…

Grazed from BusinessWeek.  Author:   Chris Strohm.

Congress ordered the Defense Department to develop a plan to use more cloud-computing services, a move that may lead to U.S. contracts for suppliers including Microsoft Corp., Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.

The fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill, approved by Congress on Dec. 15, requires the Pentagon to develop a strategy by April 1 to migrate its data to cloud-computing services to consolidate resources, according to the legislation. The cloud is a Web-based pool of shared computing resources such as software and data storage.

The White House is trying to get agencies across the government, including the Pentagon, to embrace cloud computing to reduce $80 billion in annual U.S. spending. Moving Pentagon data to cloud services raises security concerns that call for service contract requirements, said James Lewis, director of the technology and public policy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington…

Grazed from InformationWeek.  Author:  J. Nicholas Hoover.

The White House plans to require agencies to future-proof information technology decisions through the use of some mix of agile development, machine readable data, Web services and modular procurement techniques, federal CIO Steven VanRoekel said in an interview with InformationWeek.

The details do not appear to be set in stone, but the requirements, which VanRoekel calls "Future First" (short for "future-ready first," he says), will come in guidance to be issued some time next year. "When we solve a problem to meet some mission need, it should be ready for the future, it should be expandable" he said. "This is about taking big mission solutions and breaking them down into small components."

In government today, procurements often take too long, project requirements are over-prescribed, and development takes place in a long waterfall process, which VanRoekel admits too often leaves federal IT projects "outdated or too inflexible in the end."…

Grazed from AllThingsD.  Author: Nick Mehta.

If I say “cloud computing,” what companies come to mind? Amazon’s innovative Amazon Web Services Cloud? Google’s cloud-based collaboration tools, Google Apps? Salesforce.com, the pioneer in moving business applications to the Web? Facebook because, well, it’s Facebook? How about Microsoft? Before you laugh and close your Chrome browser, hear me out. While perhaps lacking the sex appeal (and stock price appreciation) of the other companies I mentioned, Microsoft is the dark horse that will bring the benefits of the cloud to mainstream businesses. How can I make that claim? Well, if it pleases this jury, Microsoft has the motive, means and opportunity to win the enterprise cloud.

Motive

As the saying goes, people are motivated by either greed or fear. I think for many big companies, it’s more the latter. And Microsoft has a lot to be scared about…

Grazed from Forbes.  Author: Ana Cantu.

Grazed from Fox Business News.  Author: Renee Schmidt.

Everyone is talking about “the cloud” these days, but most small business owners think virtualization is a one-size-fits-all service that’s more aptly suited to Fortune 500s with big IT budgets than smaller shops with limited means. The reality is far different – the growth of the cloud computing service market has created a smorgasbord of cloud options for businesses of any size and budget who want to capitalize on virtualized services in their own way.

It’s important for business owners, particularly in small or medium sized companies, to realize that the cloud doesn’t refer to one large umbrella service, but instead can be sliced up into smaller pieces that fit the unique needs of the individual business. The decision to go cloud is not all or nothing; a business can choose components of their infrastructure to put in the cloud, keeping other components in-house. By breaking it up this way, it also makes it easier for a company to transition its operations and employees and test the benefits of virtualization…

Grazed from TechTarget.  Author:   Stuart Johnston.

This past year saw a lot of frenetic activity in the cloud computing market, a good chunk of which was caused by major players such as IBM and HP that finally started to “get it.”

IBM, which has never articulated a clear, strategic direction for its dizzying array of products, got it this past April when it released its comprehensive Smart Business Cloud initiative. The company woke from its slumber to deliver a family of integrated cloud-based products.

Meanwhile, one of the earliest and most trusted cloud services purveyors — can you spell “Amazon”? — demonstrated that not only can a simple human screw up things for a whole bunch of users, but also that a lack of attention to customer service at a crucial time can affect user perceptions about the entire cloud industry…

Grazed from Digital Journal.  Author: PR Announcement.

RobotShop.com, the world’s most visited e-commerce site specializing in service robotics, announces today the launch of a new cloud computing service specifically designed for robots as well as all “smart objects.”

MyRobots is a portal where robot owners and builders can connect their robots, monitor their status, and control them. All Internet-enabled robots can be readily connected to MyRobots, thanks to the open API in place. Robots which cannot access the Internet directly can use the “MyRobots Connect,” a physical device which allows any robot capable of serial communication to be easily connected to MyRobots. The new portal will soon offer downloadable and cloud-based robotic applications and the roboticist community will have the opportunity to participate in developing their own. Developers can then sell their applications in the "Robot App Store" soon to be launched. Furthermore, all information about compatible hardware and the communication API are available on the site to allow robot owners and builders to develop applications freely. In addition, manufacturers and OEMs can use the MyRobots platform to improve the capabilities of their robotic products and provide better service to their customers. It is important to note that for an undetermined period of time, all data plans on MyRobots will be offered free of charge…

Grazed from MarketWatch.  Author: PR Announcement.

LiveOps announced today that it has been named a finalist in the inaugural 2012 Cloud Awards program in the "Best Platform as a Service" category.

The Cloud Awards is a premier international cloud computing awards program that recognizes and celebrates industry leaders and pioneers in the field of cloud computing. The awards program is open internationally across the US, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Entries are accepted from organizations of any size, whether they are start-ups or established vendors.

"The organizations which have taken part in the 2012 Cloud Awards program demonstrate exactly what cloud computing has to give," said Larry Johnson, Cloud Awards organizer. "We’ve seen world-leading organizations spring up literally overnight to offer faster, more capable and cost-effective solutions than previously imagined. We’ve seen markets become so disrupted they’re unrecognizable. And we’ve seen all of this while cloud computing is still in its infancy."…

Grazed from Forbes.  Author:  Editorial Staff.