Grazed from SAP. Author: Editorial Staff.

While the cloud has gained in popularity in recent years, 2014 will probably be known as the year cloud computing truly exploded onto the scene. If you’ve used a mobile device, you’ve more than likely used the cloud. If your company stores information on the internet, it’s using the cloud. Adoption of cloud computing has reached unprecedented levels.

In terms of the numbers of organizations adopting public cloud services, almost 90 percent have made the leap with more ready to follow. Couple that with trends promoting bring your own device (BYOD) and the Internet of Things, and it’s clear that the cloud will continue to expand rapidly. But as the rate of cloud adoption increases, so too have the number of security risks associated with cloud computing…

Grazed from MSPAlliance. Author: Editorial Staff.

Security7 Networks today announced that it has successfully completed the MSPAlliance’s MSP/Cloud Verify Program (MSPCV) certification process, the oldest certification program for cloud computing and managed services providers. The MSPCV is based on the 10 control objectives of the Unified Certification Standard for Cloud & MSPs.

The MSPCV was the first certification created specifically for the managed services and cloud industry. Every certification comes with a written report with the entire process documented, validated and signed by a 3rd party accounting firm. The MSPCV has been reviewed by governmental agencies and regulatory bodies across the globe and is used and accepted in 5 continents around the world…

Grazed from Business2Community. Author: Christina Heath.

Lately, it seems like everyone is “in the cloud”; big corporations, small businesses–you name it. But as we’ve learned time and time again, great technological advances don’t come without security risks. Though it’s quickly been adopted by organizations all over the spectrum, cloud computing is still a fairly new concept and, as with anything new in our technological age, it can take a while for security measures and legal policies to catch up. For now, that means it’s your job to make sure your information, and that of your customers, is protected.

Defining the Cloud and its Security Concerns

At its core, cloud computing involves using a network of remote Internet servers to store and manage data. Working in the cloud allows multiple users to access the same information and pool resources in real time. It eliminates the much greater security risks of thumb drives or email attachments and makes data and documents easily accessible from anywhere, unlike information stored on a PC or local server…

Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Dan Kobialka.

A new Dell survey showed that the majority of healthcare professionals want cloud solutions for their organizations. Dell’s "Global Technology Adoption Index," released this week, revealed 96 percent of mid-sized healthcare organizations are currently using or plan to use cloud solutions.

Survey researchers also found 64 percent of healthcare respondents said they are "very confident" that their cloud data is safe. "By providing the flexibility and scalability that enables small and [mid-sized] healthcare organizations to be more nimble in the face of constant change, the cloud can help speed and ease the transformation (to information-driven healthcare) as other newer technologies are adopted," Dr. Cliff Bleustein, Dell Healthcare and Life Sciences’ chief medical officer, said in a prepared statement. Other survey results included:…

Read more from the source @ http://talkincloud.com/cloud-computing-research/12172014/dell-most-healthcare-providers-want-cloud-solutions

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: Joab Jackson.

Google has adopted for use in its cloud a streamlined version of the Canonical Ubuntu Linux distribution tweaked to run Docker and other containers. Ubuntu Core was designed to provide only the essential components for running Linux workloads in the cloud. An early preview edition of it, which Canonical calls "Snappy," was released last week.

The new edition jettisoned many of the libraries and programs usually found in general use Linux distributions that were unnecessary for cloud use. The Google Compute Engine (GCE) joins Microsoft Azure in supporting the fresh distribution. According to Canonical, Ubuntu Core should provide users with an easy way to deploy Docker, an increasingly lightweight virtualization container that allows users to quickly spin up workloads and easily move them around, even across different cloud providers…

Read more from the source @ http://www.infoworld.com/article/2860401/cloud-computing/google-cloud-offers-streamlined-ubuntu-for-docker-use.html

Grazed from eWeek. Author: Nathan Eddy.

The adoption of cloud computing within the enterprise has grown steadily, but that security and compliance remain key considerations when evaluating in-house and service provider options, according to a report from NaviSite, a Time Warner Cable company.The survey revealed one-third of US respondents have already migrated a significant amount (50-70 percent) of their IT infrastructure to the cloud, driven by their desire to improve reliability, uptime, and offer improved service levels.

Nearly all U.S. respondents reflected some level of concern in securing enterprise data as part of their list of IT priorities, with nearly half (48 percent) citing it amongst their top three concerns. "Much of the of the survey data was not surprising, as it aligned with trends we are seeing with our customers and within the industry," Chris Patterson, senior director of product management at NaviSite, told eWeek…

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: Matt Weinbergber.

Salesforce, the not-so-little cloud CRM company that could, is furthering its play to bring everybody everywhere into the fold with the launch of Salesforce Files Connect, a new tool that brings files from on-premises Microsoft SharePoint into a company’s cloud workflow.

The general idea is that attaching files to things, in general, is way harder than it has to be: Salesforce Senior Vice President of Marketing for Community Cloud Michael Stone cited a recent IDC study that found 61 percent of employees have to find files from four different data sources in the course of their day to get the job done. Salesforce wants to pull all of those data sources into one place — specifically, Salesforce…

Grazed from Wired. Author: Megan Swanson.

In the innovation economy of the 21st century, developers are the prime movers. They are to today’s economy what railroad builders were to the 19th century and automotive engineers were to the 20th century. They are laying the digital tracks that consumers and business people will follow.

The world’s 18.5 million developers are using IT to change the world. One new e-book dubs them “The New Kingmakers.” In a sign of the growing recognition of the value of developers, President Obama recently became the first sitting president to write a line of computer code, as part of the Hour of Code Campaign during Computer Education Week…

Grazed from TechTarget. Author: Rob Wright.

Some of Microsoft’s fiercest rivals, including Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., have come to the defense of the software giant in a controversial cloud data privacy case that could have negative implications for cloud security. Microsoft Monday filed 10 amicus briefs, also known as friend of the court briefs, from a diverse group of technology firms, media companies, and trade associations that support Microsoft’s opposition to a U.S. search warrant for customer emails stored in a data center in Ireland. Microsoft refused to comply with the warrant, which was part of a drug-related investigation, arguing that the data center is outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice.

But U.S. Magistrate Judge James Francis ruled against Microsoft in April, and later a federal court ordered Microsoft to hand over the emails to prosecutors. Microsoft recently filed an appeal of the decision and says it’s committed to protecting customer’s data in the cloud…

Grazed from TheWhir. Author: Editorial Staff.

In 2015, two issues on the cutting edge of the cloud are going to converge: the wide scale adoption of wholesale cloud services, and the need for multi-cloud environments. Almost 60 percent of respondents in a February 2014 Market Pulse report by IDG are either using a hybrid cloud environment or are in the process of doing so.

In fact, if we look closely, I believe we would discover that a lot of organizations have blown through the hybrid model, and multi-cloud is already occurring – as shadow services that are being deployed outside the purview of IT. With this being the case, it has become clear that hybrid cloud is not enough. What’s needed is the ability to design and deploy application environments across a multitude of cloud endpoints…