Grazed from NetworkWorld. Author: Brandon Butler.

Open source cloud computing platform OpenStack has a new semi-annual version of its code out this month and one symbolically important aspect is a deepened partnership with Google’s public cloud. In a blog post, Google announced that the Mitaka release of OpenStack includes a native option to backup OpenStack Cinder storage volumes to its public cloud.

OpenStack’s block storage service is named Cinder, which houses virtual machine data and data at rest; most organizations deem this important enough data to backup. OpenStack provides a native backup driver that allows Cinder to be backed up to various storage platforms. Google has now integrated its public cloud as a native backup option for Cinder…

Read more from the source @ http://www.networkworld.com/article/3055195/cloud-computing/google-cozies-up-with-openstack.html

Grazed from MISAsia. Author: Nurdianah Mur.

Alibaba Cloud — the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group — has launched its first global startup programme called Create@Alibaba Cloud. The programme — which is an expansion from Alibaba Cloud’s previous initiatives in Hong Kong and China — is aimed at enabling startups to maximise their potential through Alibaba’s support network and suite of cloud infrastructure services.

"Our focus has always been to empower our global customers with our cloud expertise to achieve greater global coverage and expansion into international markets. We hope that this programme will make our sophisticated networking solutions and big data intelligence also available to start-ups and small enterprises to accelerate their business growth," said Yu Sicheng, Vice President of Alibaba Cloud…

Grazed from FederalNewsRadio. Author: Jared Serbu.

The Defense Department is taking a serious look at overhauling its process for accrediting commercial cloud computing products as secure-enough for military use. Among the ideas DoD is considering: Changing its security approach in a way that would give much more weight to the security techniques a company uses instead of whether one of their particular cloud offerings checks all of the security boxes in a fairly static government document.

Within the next several weeks, the Pentagon will announce a working group of DoD and industry security experts charged with improving the existing security and accreditation process for commercial cloud, the latest version of which was published in an updated security requirements guide (SRG) last month. “I think we have reached the point where we can no longer accredit specific hardware or software, we’ve got to accredit the process,” said DoD Chief Information Officer Terry Halvorsen…

Grazed from CXOToday. Author: Sawaram Suthar.

In my current scenario, cloud computing is on the rise and is all set to dominate the market. A majority of organisations have adopted or are planning to adopt the cloud technology due to its multiple benefits, including the vital role it plays in reducing operating costs as well as expenditures. However, to get the maximum benefit, it is very important to ensure a smooth transition.

Cloud computing enables companies to store and access data and programs over the internet instead of on the hard drive of the computer. It allows the companies to use computing resources as a utility, eliminating the need to build and maintain an in-house infrastructure. The cloud is metaphorically compared to the internet because it serves as a white, inflated cloud, accepting connections and distributing the information while floating…

Cohesity, the pioneer of hyperconverged secondary storage, today announced its hybrid cloud strategy that empowers customers to leverage the cost efficiency and agility of cloud infrastructure. Cohesity’s unified, intelligent storage platform was designed from day one to integrate seamlessly with public and private cloud services, and enables organizations to take a comprehensive approach to cloud adoption with its CloudArchive, CloudTier, and CloudReplicate features.

Cloud computing services have become a top focus for today’s companies, both as a foundation for innovation and a way to realize cost savings. In fact, a new report from ESG showed that the number of organizations using the cloud as a means to control IT spending has more than doubled (going from 13 percent in 2009 to 32 percent this year). During that same time span, cloud computing went from the least to the most commonly selected cost mitigation strategy for IT decision-makers.

Cirba Inc., the leading provider of software-defined infrastructure control software has been listed as a representative vendor in Gartner’s February 2016 report titled “Innovation Insight on Dynamic Optimization Technology for Infrastructure Resources and Cloud Services.”

“Cirba determines the best hosting environment for applications in real time, and because our analytics are accessible through a web services API, this allows high degrees of automation in cloud and greenfield environments,” said Andrew Hillier, CTO & co-founder of Cirba. “Also, this placement analysis is predictive in nature, and Cirba is designed to work with, not against, standard load-balancers such as VMware DRS or OpenStack Watcher. This is ideal for preventing risk while at the same time driving significantly higher efficiencies, providing the best of both worlds.”

Array Networks Inc., a global leader in application delivery networking, announced today the immediate availability of subscription-based virtual application delivery controllers (ADCs) in Amazon Web Services Marketplace (AWS Marketplace), an online software store that streamlines the procurement process for customers looking to find, buy, and immediately start using third-party software and services that run on AWS.

As cloud and virtualization continues to expand its footprint within the business landscape, ensuring performance and availability for these new deployment models has become increasingly important. In addition, enterprises and service providers deploying on the cloud need to make applications securely available to a growing base of end users. Array’s vAPV virtual ADC for AWS provides optimized performance and availability for business-critical applications running on AWS.

Zadara Storage, the provider of enterprise-class storage-as-a-service (STaaS), today announced the addition of new storage services to their award-winning Zadara Storage Cloud. The powerful new services, targeted at both enterprises and service providers, deliver a common storage-as-a-service platform that can be deployed at any location, supporting any data type and connecting to any protocol.

With traditional on-premise IT infrastructure dropping from 61% in 2015 to just 47% of worldwide external storage spending by 2019, (IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Cloud Infrastructure Tracker 3Q15, January 2016), the dramatic transition from CapEx to OpEx storage is underway. “Enterprises need scalable, elastic, enterprise-class storage-as-a-service that is always aligned their changing worlds, and that’s exactly what we provide,” said Nelson Nahum, CEO and co-founder of Zadara Storage. “The new storage services being introduced today reinforce our commitment to providing enterprises and service providers the ability to focus on managing their business, rather than managing their storage.”