Grazed from MSPHub.  Author: Editorial Staff.

According to a recent article from CIO, “many companies contain workstations with software that is not approved by the Information Technology (IT) department; instead, it has been adopted and installed by individuals or even, in some cases, entire departments.” Simply put, not just employees but entire business units are now willing to circumvent IT policies they find too restrictive, and the open nature of public cloud services makes this a simple task.

Of course, such unsanctioned use comes with real risk. For example, DevOps work done with unapproved services puts sensitive data beyond the reach of corporate firewalls and other securitymeasures. E-discovery requests also become problematic, since IT professionals do not have knowledge of data use from start to finish. In addition, asset management is an issue, since productivity may spike without a definitive cause, making budgetary discussions more complicated. Ultimately, ignoring shadow cloud services is not an option, but controlling them can prove difficult…

Grazed from Reuters.  Author:  Editorial Staff.

The FASB agreed to amend U.S. GAAP to clarify how cloud computing clients report fees they pay to suppliers. Cloud computing customers are expected to use the amended guidance to determine whether they have a license to use the software or a service contract.

The FASB agreed on February 18, 2015, to finalize amendments to U.S. GAAP to clarify how cloud computing clients report fees they pay to suppliers.  A draft of the amendments was published in August in Proposed Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-230,Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement…

Grazed from NetworkWorld.  Author: Brandon Butler.

It’s a busy time for container technology in the cloud computing market: IBM this week at its InterConnect conference in Las Vegas announced broad support for containers in its hybrid cloud computing software, while Google partnered with OpenStack distributor Mirantis to enable container technology capabilities in the open source cloud platform.  Forrester storage analyst Henry Balatzar reported from IBM InterConnect that: “Everyone is going container crazy.”

Perhaps all the hype is for good reason. Containers are shaping up as breakthrough technology that some believe could rival the impact that virtual machines (VMs) have had in corporate data centers…

Grazed from V3.co.uk.  Author: Daniel Robinson.

IBM has added a series of technologies and services to its cloud computing offerings, including support for Docker containers and the extension of the Bluemix developer platform into a customer’s data centre, among others.

Announced at the IBM InterConnect 2015 conference, the additions are aimed at delivering the same level of control, visibility, security and governance in a hybrid cloud environment as an organisation has over its internal private cloud or traditional IT systems…

Grazed from TechRadar.  Author: Anthony Poh.

Making the switch to cloud systems can be a daunting task for CIOs, for whom the various different systems and processes on offer can be overwhelming. The range of definitions and standards applied to cloud computing complicates the task further, as does pressure from other C-level executives who may be keen to deploy a system they may not be familiar with.

It is vital to understand the different options on the market, and find the right solution for the right business…

Grazed from MidsizeInsider.  Author: Kelly Katsanos.

Recent research shows that SMBs’ usage of cloud computing for marketing and collaboration will significantly increase within the next three years. Cloud solutions in these areas can help SMBs realize the cost reductions, scalability and flexibility necessary to sustain their businesses.

SMB Cloud Usage on the Rise

SMBs are increasingly accepting and implementing cloud services, a recent article featured in Cloud Tech revealed. A BCSG survey of 600 European participants across all stages of small business, from micro businesses to pre-startups, found that "64 percent of SMBs are already using cloud-based software, while the average number of applications in use is three." Further, according to Cloud Tech, cloud usage should increase over the next two to three years, potentially driving the average number of applications in use by SMBs from three to seven…

Grazed from CIOToday.  Author: Dan Heilman.

As it gets under way at the MGM Grand & Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, IBM’s InterConnect 2015 corporate convention will touch on cloud, mobile, DevOps, security, asset management, Internet of Things, application integration, and smarter processes. But a main area of focus is expected to be hybrid cloud technology, which gives IBM’s individual businesses a chance to discuss and demonstrate how they can better leverage each other’s technologies and capabilities. The convention runs through Thursday.

Many of the new services and software that IBM is unveiling at the Interconnect conference are designed to ease the work involved with linking the public cloud to internal operations. For instance, the company will release software to run IBM’s BlueMix platform services from within an organization’s own data centers…

Grazed from TheStreet. Author: Chris Ciaccia.

As IBM pushes its clients toward cloud computing, the software and services provider announced new investments Monday in its hybrid cloud offerings to boost revenue in a fast-expanding part of its business. "Today, we are launching a new class of cloud innovations that extend open standards capabilities for the enterprise," said IBM SVP Robert LeBlanc in a statement. "Data location across an ever growing number of clouds is an increasing concern for customers and we are unveiling new portability and developer services to make this easier to manage."

By doing so, IBM’s customers will be able to move their software, platforms and information-technology systems to the hybrid cloud, which allows clients to manage some resources internally and others on IBM’s platform. The dual cloud platform is intended to make it easier to adopt and update a client’s IT needs…

Grazed from NetworkWorld. Author: Frederic Paul.

If you still harbored any doubts that the web is now driving the future of IT, last week’s announcement that HP will offer disaggregated products for web-scale data centers via deals with Cumulus and Accton should be enough to convince you. The deal itself is hardly monumental. HP inked a pair of "partnerships that will produce a branded white box switch capable of running multiple network operating systems."

And it comes on the heels of HP’s deal with Foxconn last year to build inexpensive cloud computing servers. But as HP joins Juniper, Dell, and many others supporting the concepts behind Facebook’s Open Compute project, it’s becoming clear that the era of high-priced, proprietary networking hardware—not to mention servers—is drawing to a close…

Read more from the source @ http://www.networkworld.com/article/2887461/data-center/hp-deal-marks-milestone-for-open-source-networking-hardware.html

Grazed from RSC.org. Author: Rebecca Trager.

The White House has appointed its first chief data scientist and chief technology officer for data policy. The new post will be filled by D J Patil, who most recently served as the vice president of product at RelateIQ, a software company acquired by the California-based global cloud computing company Salesforce last year.

In his new role, Patil will assist in shaping policies and practices to help the US remain a leader in technology and innovation, foster partnerships to maximise the nation’s return on its investment in data and work to recruit the best minds in data science to join public service…