Grazed from TechVibes.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Canadian business executives have heard plenty of talk about the cloud, but most have a low awareness of the potential benefits of cloud-based solutions to their businesses.  That’s the finding of a survey of Canadian C-suite executives released by Microsoft Canada, which found that 90 per cent of senior Canadian executives are not familiar with what cloud computing means and that two-thirds are "only just beginning to familiarize themselves" with the cloud.

Of the 10 per cent who feel they are familiar with cloud computing, fewer than half (45 per cent) were able to select the correct definition from a list of choices.  "I think the findings reveal a disconnect between what the cloud really is, what it offers, and how it is perceived by Canada’s C-suite decision-makers," said Microsoft Canada president Janet Kennedy…

Grazed from SmartDataCollective.  Author: Robert Delgato.

For many business owners, growing their companies remains a key focus that drives many of their business decisions. One tool that is being adopted more often, especially in recent years, to facilitate this is that of cloud computing. The cloud offers companies more agility, lower operating costs, and more efficient and productive work, but even with those advantages, some businesses may struggle finding a cloud provider that’s right for them. In many cases, the question isn’t if the business should do it, but rather how well the cloud will fit into the existing organization’s processes. When the time comes to make an important decision over who you will choose to handle your cloud storage needs, here are five things you should consider…

1. Security Capabilities

One of the major factors holding business owners back from embracing the cloud is the concern over security. When you use a cloud storage provider, you’re essentially giving your valuable data to a third party with the expectation they’ll keep it safe. Even so, with numerous news stories involving security breaches at big companies, business leaders may not be enthusiastic about giving their data to someone else. Most cloud storage companies have responded to these concerns by improving their own security, adding in new measures aimed at protecting clients’ data. When you pick a cloud storage provider, make sure they have sufficient security measures. These can include anti-virus software, data encryption, firewalls, and routine security audits…

Grazed from TalkinCloud. Author: Chris Talbo.

Hitachi Data Systems(HDS) is looking to build out its network of cloud services provider partners that offer cloud servicesthat carry the "Powered by Hitachi Data Systems" mark. To do so, the company has launched the Hitachi Cloud Service Provider Program.

According to HDS, the new partner program is intended to deliver enterprise-grade cloud technology to partners in addition to joint business planning, cloud service design and a go-to-market approach that helps partners deliver high-quality services to their customers…

Grazed from CloudTech.  Author: Antonio Manzalini.

Ultra-broadband network proliferation, advances in information technology and the evolution of endpoint devices have created the conditions for re-inventing telecommunications networks and services architectures.  Software defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) are just two facets of the so-called “IT-zation or softwarization” of telecom infrastructures.

SDN decouples the software, control plane, from the forwarding hardware of nodes such as routers and switches and executes the control software in the cloud or in any standard or hybrid processing resources made available, such as blades or servers. SDN doesn’t just affect the evolution of Layer 2 and Layer 3 services such as switching and networking, but also impacts Layer 4 to Layer 7 network functions…

Grazed from MarketWatch.  Author: PR Announcement.

ReportsnReports.com adds Telco Cloud 2014-2018 market research report of 54 pages that addresses a major question on whether telcos can compete with the heavyweights or not. This report provides an in-depth exploration of telecom carriers’ positioning and strategies in the enterprise cloud computing market. It identifies the impediments and assets that telcos have in establishing a solid and lasting foothold in the different cloud segments: IaaS, PaaS and SaaS.

The Telco Cloud market report also delivers an analysis of how telcos and the market’s dominant players are positioned in each cloud segment and supplies estimates of telcos’ share of the cloud computing market, along with revenue projections for the next five years…

Grazed from TalkinCloud.  Author: Todd Thibodeaux.

Businesses today are drowning in data, and many don’t have the resources to get their heads above water. As with countless other enterprise technologies, big data adoption and application hinges on having the right people.



Time alone is unlikely to address the gulf between the big data skills employers demand and their staffs’ technical competence. According to CompTIA’s"Second Annual Big Data Insights and Opportunities" report, even half of all businesses that consider themselves ahead of the big data adoption curve struggle with skill shortages. As these gaps widen, firms will struggle with data silos, diminished productivity and stiffer industry competition…

Grazed from Computing.  Author: John Leonard.

Among respondents to Computing’s recent data centre research programme, the hybrid cloud model is generating a lot of interest. Indeed, moving towards a hybrid model was the aim of 41 per cent of them (see figure 1).

Hybrid cloud implies a close interconnectivity between a private cloud (i.e. a collection of physical and virtual systems used exclusively by one company) and the multi-tenant public cloud services exemplified by Google, Amazon and Microsoft Azure. This seamlessly integrated whole allows data, services and workloads to be moved between public and private clouds at will, with the administrator able to monitor and manage the whole system via a single dashboard…

Grazed from CIO.  Author: Richi Jennings.

Smart CIOs are evolving their existing in-house IT—to include “the cloud.” But beware of hidden pitfalls in moving to cloud computing.  So here are a few top, actionable tips. They’ll help you successfully transition to a modern computing model, stay sane in the face of fast-growing data, and avoid IT management chaos…

The Challenges We All Face 
Whatever your industry, CIOs are continually being asked to do more with less—and faster. Cynthia Stoddard, NetApp’s CIO, concludes that this type of innovation requires a business-focused approach:…

Grazed from GCN.  Author: Editorial Staff.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology released the final version of its Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap Volumes I and II, the culmination of a three-year old effort to assess and set objectives for the accelerated adoption of cloud computing in government.

“Cloud computing is still in an early deployment stage, and standards are crucial to increased adoption,” the report adds. “The urgency is driven by rapid deployment of cloud computing in response to financial incentives.”…

Grazed from ComputerWorld.  Author: Juan Carlos Perez.

Google has struck a partnership with PwC in which the global provider of consulting services will recommend to its customers the Apps suite, Android devices and the Google cloud computing platform.

The deal comes at a time when Google is embroiled in tough fights in the enterprise markets for cloud email and collaboration suites, cloud computing services and mobile against rivals like Microsoft, IBM, Amazon and Apple…