Grazed from TechRadar. Author: Gordon Haff.

With rare exceptions, there’s little question about whether you will adopt cloud computing in some form. You will. Rather, the questions you are probably asking revolve around how best to get started or, perhaps, how to start managing the cloud use that is already happening within your organisation. For many, one good answer is to start with a cloud for application development and test (dev/test) because it:

• Can deliver benefits even at relatively modest scale points, offering the opportunity to start small
• Provides an internal alternative to current public cloud use and thus can streamline and standardise development workflows
• Can be independent of production systems and processes – although they can be integrated over time whether through adopting DevOps methodologies or other approaches…

Grazed from SeattleTimes.  Author: Matt Day.

Amazon.com’s cloud-computing unit is still a world beater. Microsoft is doing its best to entrench itself in second place.  RightScale, a California company that helps information technology departments manage their use of cloud-computing services, on Wednesday released the results of its survey  of more than 900 of corporate technology experts.

Among companies that tap into the “public cloud,” or pooled servers and data storage units accessed via the Web, 57 percent reported using Amazon Web Services. Microsoft’s cloud-computing platform, Azure, was a distant second at 12 percent…

Grazed from C#SharpCorner.  Author: Ajay Yadav.

Before reading this article, I highly recommend reading the following previous parts:

• Introduction to Microsoft Azure: Part 1
• Introduction to Microsoft Azure: Part 2
• Introduction to Microsoft Azure: Part 3 (Data Service)
• Practicing Microsoft Azure: Part 4
• Practicing Microsoft Azure: Part 5 (App Service)

This piece of editorial unleashes the concept of cloud computing in the context of the Windows Azure platform and specifically clarifies the dissimilar services and types of solutions that this platform makes possible. This article is especially designed to recap various Windows Azure technologies and its various components including Compute Services, Data Services, App Services and Network Services…

Read more from the source @ http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/ajyadav123/practicing-microsoft-azu-part-6-cloud-computing/

Grazed from BackupTechnology.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Predictive process analytics assumes greater importance in cloud computing scenarios. This is especially so, as processes are executed over the Internet and they are accessed by users from multiple locations with varying levels of bandwidth and connectivity.  It is important to find answers to all of the following questions:

• How well do these processes execute?
• What are the problems being experienced by users?
• What glitches can we expect to face in the future with these same processes in place?
• What needs to be done to ensure that the processes execute as desired?…

Grazed from Cisco.  Author: Timothy Chou.

While cloud computing is based on a number of technology innovations, I’m going to write for the non-technical person who I think needs to understand this major shift.  In the end, cloud computing will affect every business, every industry.  I’ll start this blog by sharing a story.    A few years ago, I was in a meeting with six CIOs of one of the largest healthcare providers. I asked each a question as they introduced themselves: “What are you working on?”

    The first CIO, Bill, replied, “I’m working on a strategy to move to cloud.”

    Next, I asked Mary, “What do you do?” Mary also said she was working on a strategy to move the cloud.

    We got through every one of them and every one of them had the same answer.

    I asked, “So what does that mean, working on a strategy to move to the cloud?”

    They collectively said, “We’re really not sure, but we’re working on it.”

    I wasn’t actually there to talk to them about cloud computing, but I said, “Give me 10 to 15 minutes to help you think about what it might mean to move to the cloud.”…

Grazed from InformationAge. Author: Ben Rossi.

Cloud computing has completely transformed the way organisations operate, redefining traditional business functions in the process. In no department has this been more evident than marketing.  For CMOs, cloud is being positioned as a much-needed central platform to control and align the raft of new marketing opportunities that have surfaced from other emerging technologies in recent years.

Innovations driven by analytics, digital, search and social media have given brands new ways to connect with consumers, revolutionising conventional marketing techniques in the process…

Grazed from SeekingAlpha. Author: Daniel James.

Cisco, once regarded as a one-trick-pony capable of little else than manufacturing routers and switches, has with its most recent earnings report clearly proven it is becoming something much, much bigger. In fact, the report managed to silence or least give pause to most if not all of the company’s critics. Beating soundly on revenue as well as earnings, all of the company’s segments saw sales grow for the period. After three years of heavy investments in software and new technology, Cisco is starting to emerge as a major all-round tech powerhouse.

CEO Swagger

Although it’s not at all unusual for CEOs to strike a confident tone when presenting strong results, CEO John Chambers laid it on a bit thick for his company’s second quarter earnings call. With all the swagger of a pirate captain who freshly captured a Spanish treasure galleon, Chambers had the following to say about the company’s competitive position:…

Grazed from PRNewsWire. Author: PR Announcement.

IBM, CenturyLink and the State of Louisiana today announced an innovative public-private partnership that will create high-value, high-tech jobs in Louisiana and fuel the talent demands of the digital economy. As part of a 10-year business transformation agreement between IBM and CenturyLink, IBM will open and staff the new applications development innovation center in Monroe, creating at least 400 new roles for experienced professionals and drawing heavily on graduates from the state’s colleges and universities.

The rapid adoption of mobile and social technologies over recent years is driving fundamental transformations to business processes and applications. The center will provide IBM’s clients with services that address the increasing demand for flexible software services to create value from big data, cloud computing and mobile-led business transformation…

Grazed from Wired. Author: Cade Metz.

Pivotal—the rather ambitious business software outfit spun off from big-name tech companies EMC and VMware—is open sourcing three of its key products, sharing the underlying software code with the world at large. Today, the San Francisco-based company announced that in the coming year, it will open source GemFire, HAWQ, and GreenplumDB, three “big data” tools designed to help businesses analyze large amounts of digital information.

“Our customers are starting to look to open source, and they’re looking to projects that have communities around them,” says Pivotal’s Sunny Madra, who oversees the company’s data work. “Customers want a say in the direction of software.” The move is yet another sign that the world of business software is changing, moving away from proprietary software built and licensed by individual vendors like Oracle and Microsoft, towards open source tools that anyone can freely use and modify…

Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Alison Diana.

As open source becomes increasingly important to enterprises and consumers, a growing number of educational institutions are adding classes or programs that focus on this discipline. Yet some channel executives worry these initiatives are inadequate to meet business needs and are concerned their companies will continue to carry most of the technology’s training burden.

Nobody debates the need for more education on open source. Almost a year ago, more than half businesses surveyed used and contributed to open source, according to a Black Duck Software report. About one-third make it easy for employees to begin or join their own open source projects, the study said…