Grazed from ComputerWeekly.  Author: Clive Longbottom.

As cloud computing becomes more pervasive, the cost seems to be tumbling. This is great news to organisation taking their first steps into using public cloud services – or is it?  In many ways, yes it is. Hardware costs are coming down, and modern tools are enabling more cloud functions to be automated, eliminating costs in physically managing the cloud with error-prone humans.

Software to layer on top of the infrastructure is either open source, where only support costs need to be covered, or commercial, where suppliers are finally figuring out that new, more flexible pricing models are required.   So, as the cost of the platform itself falls, it is only to be expected that a massively competitive market, such as the cloud, passes on some of those savings to its prospective customers…

Grazed from USA Today.  Author: Laura Baverman.

For consumers, Auth0’s technology ensures their identity will be protected when they log in. For developers, it’s a simple and fast way to authenticate users and ensure websites and mobile applications are secure.  And for venture capitalists, the Seattle start-up’s technology — along with a slew of other new tools for developers — represents dollar signs.

Auth0 CEO Jon Gelsey says his company is riding the "developers-are-the-new-CIOs" wave. Because cloud computing is replacing traditional software, and the complexity of application development has increased, developers now decide the infrastructure and tools used by even the largest corporations in the world. That’s opened up a market for entrepreneurs who want to make developers’ lives easier and software better…

Grazed from CloudTweaks.  Author: Jon Roskill.

Let’s cut right to the chase… Lots of companies have offered 24/7 availability of systems and data to their customers and employees for years. What else is new? What’s new is that a cloud computing environment can make 24/7 availability possible for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). (Infographic Source:Towergate)

Previously, only organizations with robust IT infrastructure (in terms of servers, communications networks, and the staff to maintain them) could offer global access to internally hosted software applications and databases. Now SMEs can offer customer ordering and account self-service applications hosted in a public cloud. The same public cloud can provide 24/7 availability of applications and data to employees, thereby improving productivity or supporting more flexible working arrangements…

Grazed from PRNewsWire.  Author: PR Announcement.

Softmart’s Microsoft Strategy Director, Gina Montgomery, will be presenting a webinar series on the Microsoft Cloud. This three-part series will inform and educate all levels, from thought-leaders to technical experts to users, on Office 365, Microsoft Azure, and the new Enterprise Mobility Suite. Gina is a seasoned speaker at SharePoint Saturdays and conferences throughout the U.S. She provides expertise in helping organizations maximize their IT investments by focusing on strategy, project planning, analysis, and implementing successful business solutions.

The first webinar is a thought-leadership series and will occur on Thursday, October 2^nd. The talk will focus on trends that are driving organizations to consider a shift to the cloud. This session will be beneficial for anyone who has been encouraged to have their business switch to the cloud, but may be unsure of how to navigate this change…

Grazed from ABC.NET.  NIGEL STITT.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that – for most organisations – taking a ‘hybrid’ approach to cloud adoption makes sound business sense. By augmenting existing on-premise or hosted systems with extra cloud-based resources, they’re better placed to meet constantly changing IT requirements.

In some cases, a hybrid infrastructure will include one or more Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers. These services can be rolled out quickly and remove the need to purchase and manage extra hardware and applications.

Many hybrid setups are also likely to involve Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) providers. By using compute and storage resources in an on-demand way, an organisation can scale capacity to meet changes in requirements. You no longer have to provision internal or hosted systems to cope with peaks in demand but can simply rent extra capacity as it’s required…

Grazed from TechTarget.   Author:  Rob Wright.

The Cloud Security Alliance says support for global data privacy standards and a consumer bill of rights is increasing.  The CSA’s Data Protection Heat Index survey report, which was sponsored by Cisco Systems Inc., looked at some of the top issues around data protection and privacy in the cloud, including data residency and sovereignty, and lawful interception. The survey respondents include 40 of what the CSA called, "the most influential cloud security leaders" in the world, from CISOs to privacy and legal experts.

The findings show strong support for more global standards guiding the use and protection of private data.  For example, the survey showed broad support for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’sPrivacy Principles to facilitate better data privacy standards and protection…

Grazed from CIO. Author: Kevin O’Conner.

Extending your IT Service Delivery to leverage cloud computing shouldn’t be a one-way street into unfamiliar territory. By adopting a common platform that spans both private and public cloud environments, clients can dynamically scale their IT infrastructure without changing the way they run it.

VMware vCloud Air® provides this type of fast path to the cloud enabling customers to migrate existing virtual machines from on-premises to the cloud. Deploying a new app and need more capacity? vCloud Air applications deployed directly in the hybrid cloud mode can access and leverage on premise resources. The hybrid cloud deployment model of VMware vCloud Air lets you leverage new or existing resources, so you can grow with ease and begin to deliver IT workloads faster and more efficiently…

Grazed from Forbes. Author: Roger Kay.

You might ask why an established company — with traditions going back to its founding by Lars Magnus Ericsson in 1876 and a solid business supplying telecommunications equipment to operators in nearly every country in the world — would want to enter the uncharted territory of cloud computing, where it must play the role of challenger against strong incumbents like Amazon, Microsoft MSFT -0.26%, and Google.

And you would be right in asking. Ericsson ’s pivot to cloud supplier isn’t entirely obvious. But events have conspired to push the company in that direction, and it’s taking a methodical approach to this new business direction, relying on its core values, engineering talent, and large store of intellectual property to see it through successfully…

Grazed from MSPMentor. Author: Michael Brown.

The Internet of Things (IoT) global market is still at its infancy and positioned for exponential growth over the next couple of years as people continue to connect to the internet through billions of devices and applications. As an MSP that provides cloud-based file sharing, IoT needs to be on your radar. Here’s a look at how MSPs will be able to leverage the cloud as the only platform and service flexible, scalable, and analytic enough to support the IoT as it grows.

Just how big is the IoT ecosystem?

The IoT ecosystem includes any form of technology that can connect to the internet. This means connected cars, wearables, TVs, smartphones, fitness equipment, robots, ATMs, vending machines, and all of the vertical applications, security and professional services, analytics and platforms that come with them…

Grazed from Reuters. Author: Editorial Staff.

Cisco Systems will invest $1 billion over two years to expand its cloud offerings, the company said on Monday, linking hundreds of data centers and cloud providers around the world in a network with more than 30 partners. The network, called Intercloud, will help businesses process and manage data generated from billions of devices and applications around the world, Cisco said.

Businesses in the network aim to bridge the gap between public and private cloud computing and will share cloud infrastructure the same way mobile telecommunications companies have roaming agreements. With partners including Deutsche Telekom, BT group and Equinix Inc, Cisco said it will add 250 data centers in 50 countries to its cloud network…