Grazed from SmartDataCollective. Author: Jared Jaureguy.

There’s little question that cloud computing can provide you with innovative and helpful new applications designed to increase your company’s capabilities and productivity. Many businesses end up using multiple services to reach the potential that the cloud promises. Problems crop up, however, when managing so many different services and applications becomes too complicated. In order to prepare for these multi-cloud challenges, it’s important to lay out a groundwork and vision for what you want the cloud to do for your business.

Easing into the cloud is also highly advised. This can be done by integrating the cloud services you want with those solutions already being used by your data center. Planning out these moves ahead of time will make the transition into a multi-cloud environment that much smoother…

Grazed from MakeUseOf. Author: Rick Delgado.

In the era of mobile technology, the cloud has almost become a necessity. But another option exists that is growing in its own popularity. Virtual private networks (VPNs) represent a different way in which you can access your data in a secure environment. Despite major differences between VPNs and cloud computing, the two are confused with each other far too often.

It’s important to mark the distinct differences between both choices so you can better understand which one is the right one for you. The idea behind a VPN is very simple: it’s a “proxy” network built to serve as a secure access point for a server or website. It connects to public networks (like the Internet) and essentially provides a secure two-way interface between the information being accessed and the user…

Grazed from FierceGovernmentIT. Author: Molly Bernhart Walker.

The Defense Department is pushing ahead with a plan that would permit commercial cloud computing providers operating in DoD facilities to serve non-federal government clients. So far, the department allows at least one commercial cloud provider to operate in Defense-owned and operated facility.

But the latest idea – described as a "commercial cloud distribution center" by DoD Chief Information Officer Terry Halvorsen – would take the operation a step further by allowing the data of clients like financial institutions on commercial clouds at DoD facilities. DoD has received several "very attractive" proposals, said Halvorsen during a March 18 press briefing, and the department will soon "walk through a war game of those proposals."…

Read more from the source @ http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/war-game-will-determine-if-dod-can-share-well-others-cloud/2015-03-19

Grazed from BusinessWire. Author: PR Announcement.

Chromebooks: cloud-centric, budget-friendly, fast-booting, secure computing devices that are more functional than tablets and less expensive than the average laptop PC are market changers. In 2014, Chromebooks gained traction in North America, and are set to continue growing as streaming devices become more popular among consumers and purchasing entities. According to ABI Research, Chromebooks experienced 235% growth between 2013 and 2014, with shipments reaching 4.87 million in 2014.

“The rollout of cloud services and the 2009 global economic collapse created the opportunity for developers to provide a budget-friendly solution for consumers,” says Research Analyst Stephanie Van Vactor. “Chromebooks were the result, and the ‘anytime anywhere’ access to content is a mobile-centric game changer.”…

Grazed from TechTarget. Author: Tom Nolle.

HFor most enterprises the real meaning of hybrid cloud is a computing architecture that combines both cloud computing and legacy IT, something much broader than the traditional vision of a hybrid as a public or private cloud. This alternative vision of hybridization is more relevant to users because they’re already committed to conventional application models, and they need different tools to integrate these current models with cloud computing in any form.

To pick tools and plan their usage, consider the general issues of hybrid cloud resources for applications, understand the range of hybridization tools and their applications, and be realistic about your own evolution to virtualization and the cloud. "Hybridization" in a cloud sense means combining resources from a variety of sources to host applications…

Grazed from ZDNet. Author: Zack Whittaker.

Amazon remains the only US internet giant in the Fortune 500 that has not yet released a report detailing how many demands for data it receives from the US government. Although people are starting to notice, the retail and cloud giant has no public plans to address these concerns. Word first spread last week when the ACLU’s Christopher Soghoian, who’s spent years publicly denouncing companies for poor privacy practices, told attendees at a Seattle town hall event that he’s "hit a wall with Amazon," adding that it’s "just really difficult to reach people there."

Almost every major internet company issues on a bi-annual basis a report of how many demands for data it receives from the US government (and others). In the wake of the PRISM surveillance scandal, where nine tech companies were accused of being complicit in NSA surveillance, the tech industry wanted more transparency…

Grazed from TopTechNews. Author: Jeremy C. Owens.

Oracle’s sales came in lighter than analysts expected in Tuesday’s earnings report, but the Redwood City software Relevant Products/Services giant showed off continuing gains in cloud Relevant Products/Services software, and founder Larry Ellison predicted stronger cloud sales than industry leader Salesforce this year.

Oracle earned $2.5 billion, or 56 cents a share, on sales of $9.3 billion; after adjusting for certain one-time expenses, Oracle claimed profits of 68 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected Oracle to report adjusted earnings of 68 cents a share on $9.46 billion in revenues…

Grazed from NetworkWorld. Author: Jon Oltsik.

I just read a good Wall Street Journal blog by Ben DiPietro titled, Speed of Tech Change a Threat to Cybersecurity. His main point is that while organizations are adopting new technologies like cloud computing, mobile computing, and applications based upon the Internet of Things (IoT), they continue to address cybersecurity risks, controls, and oversight with legacy tools and processes.

This creates a mismatch where cyber-adversaries have a distinct offensive advantage over a potpourri of assorted legacy enterprise security defenses. I couldn’t agree more Ben but it may be worse than you think as this discrepancy has been going on for years. In a 2012 research survey, ESG asked security professionals to describe the impact of numerous new IT initiatives on infosec operations and management at their organizations (note: I am an ESG employee). The research indicated that:…

Read more from the source @ http://www.networkworld.com/article/2899086/cisco-subnet/the-increasing-cybersecurity-attack-surface.html

Grazed from ChannelPro. Author: Mark Samuels.

The great benefit of the public cloud is the ability to scale resources up and down in response to business demand. The great downside is the perceived security risk – the financial and reputational costs of an information leak mean many organisations are reticent about a full move on-demand.

There is, however, another way. The hybrid cloud offers an alternative for executives who are looking to gain more flexibility than is offered through a private cloud initiative, but without the risk sometimes associated to a full public installation. In a hybrid cloud, an organisation provides and manages some resources in-house and has others provided externally…

Grazed from MidsizeInsider. Author: Kelley Katsanos.

Increased productivity and cost reductions are the most-valued cloud computing benefits, according to a recent global study of 1,000 senior IT decision-makers conducted by Tata Communications. "The cloud has lived up to industry hype," according to eWeek. Eighty-three percent of organizations have realized additional cloud computing benefits that they did not initially expect, such as increased productivity and cost reductions. Though these cloud benefits have been consistently touted, midsize firms should also consider the cloud for data storage and streamlining processes to reap additional rewards.

Cloud for Data Storage

"By 2024, off-premises storage will have overtaken on-premises alternatives," eWeek reports. Further, the study shows that in 10 years, 58 percent of organizations will have their data stored in the cloud, as compared to 28 percent today. Midsize firms with limited resources may find it difficult to ensure consistent, on-premises data security and processes…