Grazed from ProgrammableWeb.  Author: Michael Vizard.

Microsoft has moved to make database services running on the Microsoft Azure cloud more accessible by enhancing the level of support it provides Java and PHP developers, while also making available a data management gateway based on an implementation of OData that they created using RESTful APIs.

In addition to providing support for Node.js, Python, .NET and JavaScript for the Azure DocumentDB, Microsoft is rolling out a new Java SDK. The company has also updated its Microsoft SQL Server Driver for PHP and Microsoft JDBC Driver for SQL Server to make it easier to write applications that span SQL Server databases running on premises and the Azure SQL Database running in the cloud…

Grazed from WSJ.  Author: Josh Bekerman.

Red Hat Inc. said Thursday its results for the November quarter improved thanks to cloud computing and big data trends that have increased demand for its open-source technology.  Red Hat shares rose 9% to $67 in recent after-hours trading.

The open-source software provider, which has reported robust revenue increases lately, is known for its enterprise Linux OpenStack platform, but has also posted solid growth for its so-called middleware offerings and has expanded its storage technology business…

Grazed from MidsizeInsider.  Author: Jason Hannula.

For the majority of developers working in DevOps and continuous delivery, the cloud is proving to be a natural fit. Cloud service providers that create compatible technology ecosystems will capitalize on DevOps embracing cloud computing.

Cloud Services Deliver DevOps

Evans Data recently polled programmers and found that DevOps teams and businesses that utilize continuous code delivery models are being drawn to cloud computing, a recent InformationWeek article reports. Seventy-seven percent of respondents reported working primarily or entirely in the cloud. The reliance on incremental development, automated testing and rapid production integration found in these code development strategies works well in cloud environments, given their flexibility to spin up resources as needed…

Grazed from TMC.  Author: PR Announcement.

A growing number of high-profile regional organisations will present their strategies and highlight the potential benefits of business analytics at Dubai’s forthcoming GCC BIG DATA & ANALYTICS SUMMIT in March 2015.

 This top-management GCC forum has been designed for CEO and COO level participants – just as much as for CTOs and CIOs. It will take place at Dubai’s Address Marina Hotel from March  8-10 next year, with the support of leading GCC corporates and official organisations…

Grazed from PRNewsWire.  Author: PR Announcement.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it radically simplified and made it easier for customers to enter into cloud computing services agreements by creating a standard, two-page agreement to replace longer, more complex contracts that typically required long negotiations and reviews before a deal was signed. In comparison, IBM’s cloud competitors require customers to review and commit to more complex contracts that commonly are at least five times longer and also incorporate terms and conditions from other websites.

In recognition of this achievement, IBM received the 2014 Innovation Award for Operational Improvement from the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) for boldly and rapidly transforming its cloud computing contract process – an achievement that significantly improved the company’s ability to quickly serve cloud computing clients around the world…

Grazed from TalkinCloud.  Author: Michael Vizard.

The use of OpenPOWER systems in cloud computing environments got a major boost today via an announcement from Rackspace is joining the OpenPOWER Foundation.  Aaron Sullivan, senior director and distinguished engineer, infrastructure strategy at Rackspace, said that after an extensive period of evaluation, Rackspace has determined that servers based on the Power processors originally developed by IBM will be deployed alongside x86 servers in its data centers.

Because of the ability to run more application workloads and virtual machines more efficiently by accessing more processing cores, Sullivan says that Rackspace will be deploying Power servers in support of variety of distributions of Linux…

Grazed from PRWeb.  Author: PR Announcement.

AURO Enterprise Cloud announced today the official launch of their Powered by AURO Cloud initiative that empowers their clients to use and benefit from flexible Cloud Computing Services, including the company’spublic cloud computing and cloud services framework, to expand their cloud practices and generate new revenue opportunities.  With this launch, AURO has introduced three partner programs that provide partners with faster time to value and simplified cloud support for their business.

In line with AURO’s Canadian Cloud Computingstrategy to bring cloud computing across Canada, these new options to the Powered by AURO Partner programs enable value-added resellers (VARs) and global system integrators (GSIs) to offer their customers a delivery model that crosses private, managed and public cloud computing environments in Canada…
 

Grazed from ZDNet.  Author: Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen.

As 2014 comes to a close and IT departments reflect on their initiatives heading into the new year, we asked a group of 115 Red Hat customers — ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses — about their priorities for 2015. What we heard from the respondents is promising going into the new year: Budgets are increasing (or at least staying the same); Linux adoption is increasing; cloud deployments will be dominantly private or hybrid; OpenStack is hot; and interest in containers is emerging.

Budgets — always a popular topic at the new year — look strong going into 2015: 84 percent of survey respondents are optimistic about their 2015 budgets, with 40 percent of respondents planning for a budget increase, and 44 percent expecting their budgets to stay the same. According to the survey results, respondents are planning for several key IT initiatives in 2015, including:…

Grazed from SC Magazine.  Author: Danielle Walker.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has drafted a new guide aimed at helping organizations find the right cloud service.  Announced Monday, the publication, called “Cloud Computing Service Metrics Description,”(PDF) is currently in a public comment phase. According to NIST, the 25-page guide “discusses the basic nature of the problem of measuring cloud services and offers a model and method for developing appropriate cloud metrics,” a release said.

An example of a “customer response metric,” for instance, might be characterized as “the time it takes from someone hitting ‘send’ on an email until it’s delivered to a recipient on the same cloud service,” NIST explained…

Grazed from CNN.  Author: PR Announcement.

Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection and data center company, together with IBM today announced an agreement to provide enterprises direct access to the full portfolio of cloud services from SoftLayer, an IBM Company, via the Equinix Cloud Exchange™ in nine markets worldwide spanning the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Equinix also announced Cloud Exchange enhancements, including API functionality that makes it easier for service providers to use a single interface to the Cloud Exchange, resulting in scalable, private and secure connections to their cloud services with near real-time provisioning…