Grazed from TechTarget.  Author: Jan Stafford.

In 2014, news about developing cloud applications using IBM Watson’s cognitive capabilities and mobile-first strategies were top traffic-getters on SearchCloudApplications. An article about developing Internet of Things (IoT) apps and a piece about enterprise architects’ cloud projects were runners up.

Looking at why these four stories attracted over 12,000 readers, I talked with our expert contributor, George Lawton, who wrote all of them. Together, we offered some footnotes to each story.  The year’s top story was “IBM’s Watson supercomputer gives developers access to cognitive cloud.” In it, Lawton describes how software developers are using IBM Watson to build customer-focused cloud-based applications…

Grazed from Investors.  Author: Patrick Seitz.

In tech, 2015 will be big for: wearables, cloud computing, the Internet of Things and, alas, cybersecurity problems.  The year kicks off with the giant International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas where wearable devices — from smartwatches and activity trackers to body-worn cameras and computer glasses — will be a major focus.

The four-day conference starts Tuesday. But one much-anticipated wearable will not be at the show, Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch, unveiled by Apple CEO Tim Cook at an October event, is slated for release in early 2015…

Grazed from NewsWorks.org.  Author: Todd Bookman.

The tech industry has a habit of getting ahead of itself.  An idea comes along, investors talk it up, the media catches wind…suddenly, the thing is plastered on every front page and home page, ink on the patent application still drying. Before you can mutter the word ‘disruptive,’ though, doubt slowly creeps in, backlashers begin their backlash, and the bubble is burst.

The people at Gartner, a Connecticut-based research and consulting firm, spend a lot of their time thinking about that cycle. They put out a chart each year, in fact, called the Hype Cycle, that tries to measure what stage different technologies are in, and how fast they’ll move through those stages…

Grazed from CMSWire.  Author: Tom Murphy.

Perhaps nothing in information technology offers a richer mix of expectation and disillusionment than the mobile enterprise. It’s become like the lover who keeps promising a long-term relationship but never commits.

Since workers became enamored with smartphones eight years ago, it has seemed obvious those devices will one day connect with the applications and data within the company’s fire-walled network. And that will happen. It just didn’t happen in 2014…

Grazed from FinancialPost.  Author: Lynn Greiner.

Every year around this time, we get inundated with predictions of what to look for in IT when the calendar turns. Sometimes those forecasts come true, sometimes they’re merely wishful thinking, but it’s usually interesting to see what the pundits believe is in store.

Let’s take a peek into their crystal balls.

International Data Corporation analysts made a series of predictions, some rather startling, about the cloud. For example, they said that three quarters of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings would be redesigned, rebranded, or discontinued in the next 12-to-24 months, despite the expectation of rapid growth as competitors rise up to challenge market leader Amazon…

Grazed from CloudWedge. Author: Editorial Staff.

KPMG’s 2014 Cloud Survey Report of enterprise cloud computing adoption had some significant findings, including the notable shift away from cloud adoption for purely cost reduction purposes and a move to other goals. The Report was compiled from survey answers from 539 C-level global business executives and IT leaders including CEOs’, CIOs’ and CFOs’.

The executives were from organizations spanning more than a dozen major industries, all of which had annual revenues between $100 Million to over $20 Billion. The methodology is explained in greater detail on page 15 of the study. There were a number of points of note including the following; According to Forrester Research, the public cloud market is estimated to reach $191 billion by 2020, a significant climb from 2013’s total of $58 billion…

Grazed from Baseline. Author: Samuel Greengard.

In recent years, the pace of digital change has been breathtaking. New tools, technologies and approaches have entered the enterprise, and the intersection of these factors has introduced new and more complex challenges—along with remarkable opportunities. As the calendar flips over to 2015, here are six trends that will shape business and IT in the coming year.

The Internet of things moves into the mainstream.

Hype notwithstanding, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Internet of things (IoT) and connected devices represent enormous potential for enterprises that learn to use these systems effectively. They represent a goldmine of data for business, along with new conveniences and efficiencies for both the enterprise and consumers…

Read more from the source @ http://www.baselinemag.com/innovation/six-tech-trends-that-will-define-2015.html#sthash.kKLfDEtY.dpuf

Grazed from TechnologyNews. Author: Editorial Staff.

Public cloud computing providers offer subscribers as much flexibility as they can, but their first commitment is always to the security and stability of the cloud infrastructure. This means limiting the degree to which subscribers can manage hosted applications.

Blocking application patches

One of the ways service providers limit the degree of application management is by blocking subscribers from installing application patches. Organizations often outsource applications to cloud service providers in order to free themselves from the burden of managing the application. Many administrators are all too happy to walk away from their patch management chores…

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: David Linthicum.

It’s that time of year again, as PR people reach out to tell me about their client’s 2015 cloud computing predictions. Are you sitting down? Most revolve around whatever technology they sell. Shocker, right? I figured I would take a different approach. Here are three cloud computing predictions for 2015 that have no chance of coming true, though they should.

1. Enterprises finally get a good grasp on cloud computing security

Everyone is interested in security, but they all figure it doesn’t really work in the cloud — yet no one in enterprise IT can tell me why. The fact of the matter is that most enterprise IT folks don’t have a good understanding of what it means to build a secure cloud, so they default to the “cloud computing is unsecure” reaction…

Grazed from SysCon Media. Author: David H. Deans.

How agile is your IT organization? Have you kept pace with the rapid evolution of cloud computing services? Have you applied that cloud investment to connect with your key stakeholders in the marketplace? Are you ready to seize the opportunities from the emerging mobile cloud trend?

If you answered NO to any of these questions, you’re at a competitive disadvantage with your more digital savvy business technology peer group. The leading organizations worldwide will rely on cloud infrastructure to achieve commercial benefits that extend far beyond IT cost reduction goals…