Month: November 2015

Grazed from InfoWorld. Author: David Linthicum.

It’s that time of year again when we give thanks. We can be thankful for at least three aspects of cloud computing — and think about a few others.

1. Be thankful there have been no major cloud data breaches

Knock on wood, right? All the major hacks — including Sony Pictures, Home Depot, and Target — didn’t involve cloud computing. The ability to secure the cloud depends on how much effort goes into designing the right security and using the right technology. Fortunately, we can maintain high security levels in the cloud. By contrast, traditional systems — especially as they age — are easier targets…

Grazed from CMSWire. Author: David Roe.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the launch of a new security strategy for the entire Microsoft portfolio on Nov. 17. Except Nadella didn’t call it a strategy — he called it a "posture." In practical terms we’ll assume there isn’t much difference between the two. Nadella said that security will no longer be an afterthought in product design, but rather a core consideration.

Same As It Ever Was?

Security is top of mind for Microsoft as it develops business around cloud products like Azure and Office 365. But does this announcement herald a new era for Microsoft’s approach to security? According to Garrett A. Bekker III, senior analyst for Information Security with 451 Research, the objectives may be different, but the way Microsoft is going about it is not…

Read more from the source @ http://www.cmswire.com/information-management/whats-behind-microsofts-security-moves/

Grazed from MarketWire. Author: PR Announcement.

Platform9, the company making private clouds easy, today announced that it has been named one of 15 cool cloud companies by CRN: http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/cloud/300078842/15-cool-cloud-companies-and-their-even-cooler-products.htm. This is the eighth major accolade Platform9 has received since launching in 2014.

"There’s a wave of innovative companies launching products that are reshaping the way business customers interact with and take advantage of their public and private cloud environments," said Joseph Tsidulko, a senior editor at CRN. "They’re making clouds more manageable, agile, visible, affordable, insightful and secure — and easier to adopt."…

Grazed from FedTech. Author: David Stegon.

The growth of cloud computing continues to create new opportunities for technology companies to offer better access to information. This summer, Intel, in a collaborative effort with Oregon Health & Science University, launched the Collaborative Cancer Cloud, which, as it grows out, will provide medical researchers and practitioners with a wealth of data on all aspects of cancer that can be used to better serve patients.

At its core, the Collaborative Cancer Cloud allows doctors and researchers to share patient data, the goal being to further critical discoveries about the disease. However, instead of placing that data in a consolidated single cloud architecture — as some organizations already do — Intel’s project allows each organization to continue to host its own data but lets others use it behind a firewall. Intel’s Eric Dishman described it earlier this year:…

Read more from the source @ http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article/2015/11/intels-cancer-cloud-shows-promise-agencies

Grazed from TechTarget. Author: Kristen Lee.

Creative Solutions in Healthcare may be the only health organization at present that completely operates in the cloud. "We are the first healthcare company, to my knowledge, that is 100% in the cloud," said Shawn Wiora, CIO at Creative Solutions, based in Fort Worth, Texas. The company was founded in 2000 and currently owns and operates dozens of skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities.

Wiora explained that Creative Solutions currently has 43 different applications in the cloud, including its EHR, accounting applications and maintenance software. He said Creative Solutions’ HR office system is currently being hosted with Ceridian Dayforce, and its EHR is being hosted with PointClickCare. The company has been 100% in the cloud since the beginning of 2015…

FusionStorm customers will be able to buy the Mirantis Unlocked Appliance for Cloud Native Applications, a pre-validated turnkey environment designed for developing and deploying cloud native applications and container-based environments at scale, and pre-integrated, delivered and supported by FusionStorm.

On Tuesday, December 1^st, Senior Director of Product Marketing Sushant Rao will present “Using SDS to Combine Hyperconverged and Cloud Storage with a SAN” from 3:00-4:00 p.m. in Session SDS-4: Applications. During this presentation, Rao will discuss how Software-Defined Storage can combine an existing SAN with hyperconverged and cloud storage to accelerate applications, making them highly available at reduced costs, combating the introduction of more storage silos which create “islands of data.”

Unlike existing cloud brokerage solutions that manually recommend workload placement to public cloud service providers (CSPs), Intelligent Cloud Control enables Verizon customers to take advantage of software to drive real-time, automatable, price, performance and compliance-based placements. It also allows sizing and configuration decisions to deploy and migrate workloads to and among CSPs.

"There’s a wave of innovative companies launching products that are reshaping the way business customers interact with and take advantage of their public and private cloud environments," said Joseph Tsidulko, a senior editor at CRN. "They’re making clouds more manageable, agile, visible, affordable, insightful and secure — and easier to adopt."