Grazed from GCN. Author: Editorial Staff.

VMware announced that its VMware vCloud Government Service (vCGS), provided by Carpathia, has achieved provisional authority to operate (ATO) through the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) program. vCGS is a government community hybrid cloud service built on VMware’s vSphere data center platform.

It lets agencies run new and existing applications in the cloud and offers on-demand compute, network and storage resources via a self-service portal or application programming interface (API). With vCGS – an infrastructure-as-a-service offering – agencies using vSphere-based virtual infrastructure in the data center can move workloads easily between their internal data center resources and the vCGS, VMware said in its announcement…

Grazed from Midsize Insider. Author: Jason Hannula.

Public cloud providers are able to bring resources up within minutes for clients, setting high expectations for cloud computing in general. But due to a disconnect between legacy systems, current infrastructure, and the need for virtualization, the reality for private cloud computing — particularly for small and midsize businesses with limited IT resources — is not that simple.

Virtualization Bottleneck

As referenced in a recent Datamation article, an Enterprise Management Association study found that heterogeneous infrastructure, departmental silos and a need for repeatability in software and hardware configuration were the biggest impediments to software-defined data center deployment. As supporting technologies are required to extend virtualization across legacy systems, these factors can delay private cloud computing in any business that is dependent on legacy systems or infrastructure…

Grazed from CloudPro. Author: Joe Curtis.

VMware CIO Tony Scott is joining the White House to perform the same role for President Barack Obama. Scott is leaving the virtualisation firm to become the US government’s third CIO, charged with delivering the administration’s Smarter IT Delivery Agenda. According to a statement from the White House released yesterday, his responsibilities include providing world-class digital services, deriving value from existing IT investments and protecting IT assets.

Scott, who joined VMware in 2013, succeeds previous US government CIOs Vivek Kundra and Steve VanRoekel, who helped establish the US Digital Service (USDS), which took inspiration from the UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS). Jennifer Pahlka, who set up USDS, was at Whitehall’s Sprint 15 event this week to talk about the progress USDS has made in transforming public services…

Grazed from eWeek. Author: Darryl K. Taft.

As organizations evolve and grow, employees turn to hundreds of cloud computing services without expressed permission from the enterprise or the IT department. Various business units also deploy cloud technology separately from other departments. This has led to a confusing cloud environment, resulting in misallocated expenses, lost efficiency and poor policy enforcement.

Without visibility into the wide variety of cloud apps employees are using every day, organizations are struggling to monitor and control the associated expenses and face an array of problems such as potential liabilities and security issues. Other concerns surround ownership, responsibility and indemnification for loss or damage to customer data. Indeed, many enterprises are reluctant about cloud computing because of the threat of data breach or loss due to unauthorized access. Some are also concerned about their ability to comply with local and national regulations in a public cloud environment…

Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Ericka Chickowski.

FireHost this week teamed up with Dell Services to roll out a converged infrastructure solution that brings together Dell compute and server hardware with FireHost’s cloud architecture to create a secure, single-tenant managed cloud. Known best for its security-focused public cloud platform, FireHost steps out with this move into the managed private cloud market for the first time.

"Our secure managed private cloud offering provides the channel with a physical, converged readymade rack that can be deployed on site," says John Funk, director of global partnering for FireHost. "By us offloading some of the security and compliance burden from customers through our secure managed service approach, the channel has a unique talking point and can position themselves more strategically in accounts as a partner who enables customers to scale toward other key business priorities."…

Grazed from Diginomica. Author: Phil Wainewright.

As cloud computing becomes more mainstream and moves progressively further upmarket into ever-larger enterprise deals, will the pioneering cloud-only integrators such as Appirio, Astadia, Bluewolf and Cloud Sherpas get left behind? It’s increasingly the big-brand global systems integrators (GSIs) — Accenture, Deloitte and PwC, among others — that get brought into the high-value projects.

It may have been the smaller firms that helped build market presence for the likes of Salesforce and Google Apps at a time when the established SIs thought cloud applications were beneath them. But that history counts for little when big bucks are at stake. Now that the global SIs are taking cloud seriously, the vendors are not only happy to work with them but often eager to leverage their existing client relationships…

Grazed from Forbes. Author: Ben Kepes.

I’ve written in the past about Banking 2.0, a general term that is used to describe a new way of banking that takes all of the advances in connectivity, cloud computing, social networking and ease of use and applies them to the generally backwards world of banking. I’ve also done a bunch of consulting work within banks and have often been frustrated that many banks idea of innovation is to redesign the layout of their retail banking space, or build a new marketing website.

Real banking disruption totally changes the way customers interact with the banking service. To use a metaphor, Banking 2.0 wraps the entire banking lifecycle with connectors that can then be used to build new and interesting services and touch points. In technology speak, it wraps the entire banking experience with an API that allows third parties to use different parts of a bank’s services in new ways…

Grazed from FierceTelecom. Author: Sean Buckley.

Verizon Enterprise Solutions (NYSE: VZ) has expanded its agreement with group-purchasing organization MiCTA, enhancing the reach of its service portfolio to state and local government agencies, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, libraries and nonprofits. Through this new agreement, Verizon is expanding the suite of solutions it will offer MiCTA to include cloud computing, managed hosting, mobile device management and content delivery capabilities through Verizon Digital Media Services, as well as expanded network and desktop security and professional consulting services.

What’s more, schools and libraries that work with MiCTA could qualify for the FCC’s e-rate funding program, which helps schools and libraries obtain affordable broadband. Schools and libraries have until March 26 to apply. Running through 2016, the new agreement between MiCTA and Verizon replaces an existing one that was set to expire in August 2015. The original MiCTA-Verizon agreement was signed in October 2010…

Grazed from TechTarget. Author: Beth Pariseau.

IT pros considering IBM SoftLayer and Amazon Web Services will find solid security in both clouds, though true cloud security should ultimately be something the user controls, experts say. IBM SoftLayer and Amazon Web Services (AWS) both cater to enterprises with extensive cloud security features, as well as marketplaces full of third-party products to secure the customer’s side of the cloud.

Much of AWS cloud security revolves around encryption. It encrypts data at rest in the Simple Storage Service (S3) and Elastic Block Store (EBS). With the AWS Key Management Service, Amazon offers customers a choice of using master keys managed by AWS for encryption or controlling their own keys…

Grazed from eWeek. Author: Darryl K. Taft.

IBM announced a major cloud deal with Marriott along with three other hybrid cloud wins today. IBM said Marriott will use IBM’s cloud to power its IT operations for its more than 4,000 properties across the globe. Marriott will migrate a significant portion of its core IT systems and applications to IBM’s open cloud platform over the next few years. IBM did not disclose the value of the deal.

Big Blue will also provide managed DevOps services to enable the development of “born on the cloud” capabilities using the cloud solution. And Marriott will be deploying IBM’s Big Insights analytics software. “Marriott continually transforms its technology to ensure we provide a seamless and enjoyable experience for guests throughout their entire stay,” said Bruce Hoffmeister, global chief information officer at Marriott International, in a statement…