Grazed from ExtremeTech. Author: Todd Ogasawara.

IBM has announced two mainframe computers under the LinuxONE branding that will eventually be able to run Canonical’s popular Ubuntu Linux operating system. This latest move is part of a near-30-year history of IBM running UNIX and, later, Linux-based operating systems on its hardware products. IBM’s first UNIX-like product for its mainframes AIX/370 appeared way back in 1988. While the ability to run Ubuntu on a mainframe may have been the news that attracted attention, the announcement really has several parts.

First, there are two LinuxOne mainframe models. The LinuxONE Emperor is designed for large enterprises. IBM claims it can run up to 8,000 virtual servers, tens of thousands of containers. and 30 billion RESTful web interactions per day supporting millions of active users. The Emperor can have up to 141 processors, 10 terabytes of shared memory, and 640 dedicated I/O (input/output) processors. And IBM claims it can provide all this with a cost that’s half that of a public cloud infrastructure solution…

Grazed from BusinessCloudNews. Author: Editorial Staff.

Fujitsu and Red Hat have jointly developed a dedicated solution to simplify the creation of OpenStack private clouds. The Primeflex is a converged compute and storage combines Fujitsu’s server technology with Red Hat OpenStack and Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform software, and backed by Fujitsu’s professional services outfit.

The companies said the OpenStack-based converged offering will speed up cloud deployment. Harald Bernreuther, director global infrastructure solutions at Fujitsu said: “Primeflex for Red Hat OpenStack can underpin any organisation’s plan to transform their business model by leveraging cloud computing. By opting for an OpenStack-based solution, organisations can run new cloud-scale workloads while also optimising costs…

Grazed from ComputerWeekly. Author: David Bollero.

Schools are increasingly adopting cloud computing to take advantage of the associated flexibility and cost savings. From a budgetary standpoint, schools can achieve better value for money and improved functionality through the cloud. New pedagogical models such as the flipped classroom, which have been largely associated with massive open online courses (Moocs), are improving both teaching and learning processes.

However, this new scenario also implies substantial risks to privacy, which should be addressed to ease the transition to a digital environment. For this reason, the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has introduced Europe’s first inspection of cloud computing services in education…

Read more from the source @ http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Cloud-computing-in-schools-privacy-under-threat

Grazed from CloudTech. Author: James Bourne.

Gartner has released its latest hype cycle for emerging technologies, and while the likes of autonomous vehicles and the Internet of Things sits atop the peak of inflated expectations, hybrid cloud computing is a bit further down the line heading straight for the trough of disillusionment.

The analyst house groups a bunch of technologies in three different stages and heavily influenced by its nexus of forces – mobile, social, cloud and information. Hybrid cloud comes under the digital marketing banner, whereby enterprises focus on new ways to reach consumers. Other technologies in this bucket include IoT, machine learning and gesture control…

Grazed from DigiTimes. Author: Aaron Lee.

Quanta Computer has partnered with Cisco to provide hardware- and software-integrated services to hospitals and clinics. Quanta will combine its QOCA medical platform, which it developed jointly with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with Cisco’s cloud computing solutions and the services have already been adopted by several hospitals in Taiwan and are also targeting the China market.

Quanta chairman Barry Lam pointed out that the IT industry will have a tough time in the third quarter, but Quanta is expected to see stable development in the long term thanks to its cloud computing, Internet of things (IoT) and wearable device businesses. In addition to Quanta, Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry), Wistron and Qisda have all been operating in the medical electronics device sector for over 10 years…

Grazed from Datamation. Author: Jeffrey Kaplan.

The ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) may be the most confusing idea conjured up by the tech industry since the advent of the ‘cloud.’ But a recent survey clearly shows that the first round of IoT deployments are already generating meaningful business results, which will encourage others to get onboard the IoT train.

I’ve been talking about IoT in this publication since the beginning of 2014, warning IT executives and other professionals to get ready for their responsibilities to dramatically change. Rather than ‘just’ being responsible for managing hardware systems and business applications, IoT puts IT in the middle of the product/service development process. It also makes IT responsible for ensuring the timely delivery and maintenance of products and services. And, as a result, IT is now directly impacted by the success or failure of new products and services in the marketplace…

Grazed from CloudTweaks. Author: Tunio Zafer.

As with many new technologies, attitudes toward cloud storage vary. Telephones were immobile; wearables perhaps unwarranted. And now, a global survey of over 26,000 people finds that just 27 percent of US Internet users consider cloud storage essential. While this number nears a third (31 percent) for respondents internationally, a majority of consumers disregard one of today’s most promising software developments.

Why is this? One reason is that, consumers do not always know the right questions to ask when searching for a cloud storage provider. Considering how foreign cloud computing can be, it’s not surprising that those without a background in technology find cloud storage unnecessary. It hardly makes sense to purchase something that you do not understand, and this distance between online storage platform and consumer can dissuade usage…

Grazed from BusinessWire. Author: PR Announcement.

A Technologies CA, today announced it is a founding Platinum member of The Linux Foundation’s new Open Mainframe Project. The project is designed to create a collaborative environment among top industry leaders and academic institutions to drive both improvements and enterprise innovation on the mainframe. The project will initially focus on reinforcing four key areas: scalability, availability, performance and security.

The Linux Foundation is a non-profit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux and collaborative software development. As a founding Platinum-level member of the Open Mainframe Project, CA Technologies participation will help fuel innovation by participating in a neutral forum to drive support for Linux tools, associated hypervisors and open source components…

Grazed from InformationAge. Author: Chloe Green.

Cloud adoption is accelerating amongst businesses as they look to move their IT to a more efficient and streamlined process. This is often the business case for newer, more agile IT with complex distributed applications. However, security, flexibility and trust, which depends on the operating system as much as the network the cloud is built on, is becoming increasingly important.

In combination with this, enterprise demands are not limited to a particular geography; they demand a global networked cloud infrastructure. Connecting traditional in-house IT (more often than not, systems of record) with cloud based agile IT (a.k.a systems of engagement) is the optimal solution today for most companies’ IT requirements…

Grazed from CloudTech. Author: James Bourne.

A new report from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services argues that as cloud usage in the enterprise continues to rise, collaboration is now the key benefit ahead of business agility. The research, which had more than 450 participants and was sponsored by Verizon Enterprise Solutions, found 84% of respondents agreeing their organisation’s use of cloud computing had increased in the past year.

72% said their use of cloud increased collaboration options, while 71% argued business agility had been increased. Essentially, the value of the cloud comes from speed as opposed to cost savings, enabling more fluid working relationships between traditionally separate entities. One sign of a growing maturity in the space is that companies are not as quick to espouse the competitive advantage cloud normally brings…