Author: David

Grazed from NetworkWorld. Author: Brandon Butler.

Today, cloud computing resources are bought and sold in a fairly straightforward process: A company needs extra compute capacity, for example, so they contract with a provider who spins up virtual machines for a certain amount of time.

But what will that process look like in, say, 2020? If efforts by a handful of companies come to fruition, there could be a lot more wheeling and dealing that goes on behind the scenes. An idea is being floated by several companies to package cloud computing resources into blocks that can be bought and sold on a commodity futures trading market. It would be similar to how financial instruments like stocks, bonds and agricultural products like corn and wheat are traded on exchanges by investors…

Grazed from ITWorld. Author: Nancy Gohring.

In case you missed it, there’s been a bit of a hubbub about whether Google is serious about its Compute Engine offering or likely to shut it down on a whim, like it did with Google Reader and countless other services. The question popped up when analyst Rene Buest raised the alarm after reading a GigaOm story that said Google Cloud Platform manager Greg DeMichillie “wouldn’t guarantee services like Compute Engine will be around for the long haul.”

DeMichellie went on to say that given Google’s compute services also run internal offerings, the company is unlikely to shut them down. ”There’s no scenario in which Google suddenly decides, ‘Gee, I don’t think we need to think about storage anymore or computing anymore,’” he said, according to GigaOm…

Grazed from ZDNet. Author: Larry Dignan.

IBM was awarded a patent for dynamically managing network bandwidth in a cloud computing environment. IBM’s bet is that its invention can optimize cloud computing performance. The patent, U.S. Patent #8,352,953, is for a method that automatically decides the best way for users to access a cloud system based on available network bandwidth.

IBM said that the approach should allow clouds to better handle surges in traffic because systems can reassign work to system nodes with bandwidth. Usually, a cloud user has access to a virtual machine and the more people tap the system the more networking bandwidth matters…

Grazed from BusinessNewsDaily. Author: Sarah Angeles.

For many businesses considering cloud computing, a public cloud where servers are shared by multiple companies fits the bill. For those that need tighter security and more control, however, a private cloud is just what the chief information officer ordered.

Whether an organization needs to limit access to their cloud, is looking to meet compliance standards or requires an extra layer of protection to prevent cyberattacks, private clouds can give that peace of mind. With the myriad of cloud providers available and the rapid pace at which the industry is changing, it can be a challenge finding the best private cloud provider for your organization…

Grazed from NetworkWorld. Author: Alan Shimel.

By now, you have likely heard about the latest massive breach over at Adobe. Besides the source code for Acrobat and Cold Fusion, something like 3 million accounts were breached as well. The good news is that credit card numbers for many of the account holders was encrypted. The bad news is that the credit card numbers for many of the accounts was encrypted. It is probably just a matter of time on that front.

But forget credit card numbers for a second. The fact is that Adobe has suffered yet another breach. Millions of accounts were compromised. If you use the same password on other sites that you use for Adobe, they are now in danger. Once again, the source code to their products is available. The Flash and Acrobat products are already two of the leading causes of breaches and sources of vulnerabilities…

Grazed from Terremark. Author: Jeff Medaugh.

Application programming interfaces (APIs) are a hot topic in cloud computing and will likely affect the decisions we will have to make as we deploy applications in the cloud. First a refresher—standard APIs are simple commands that are understood by both the sender and receiver to mean the same thing. For example, if I were to say in English, “sit,” “stay,” or “fetch,” to a well-trained dog we both understand what needs to happen next if the dog is going to earn a treat. It doesn’t matter if I say this to a French bulldog, a German shepherd, or an English mastiff—the command is always understood and executed.

In cloud systems, API standards are necessary so that we can use the same commands over and over again to talk to different systems. We write once (an automation tool, a data request, etc.) and we know that it will work with the many applications and web services we need to connect together for our application infrastructure. There are several API standards in use, but the Representational State Transfer (REST) standard is the most current API standard used in cloud computing…

Grazed from ITProPortal. Author: Editorial Staff.

Companies should be aware that the networking impact of cloud computing can be severe, with staff accessing databases, applications and other material over the internet from a corporate network, or from any alternative remote location where they can get a good connection.

This report explains the effects that cloud computing can have on corporate networks and the external networks between those companies and their cloud providers, and how to avoid bottlenecks. Whilst the cloud can be used to store company data and deliver applications without the overheads of dedicated in-house servers and other hardware, the third party hosting the data or applications is often not responsible for the network links from the customer to its facilities…

Grazed from ZDNet. Author: Toby Wolpe.

SAP is hoping HANA in-memory technology and software as a service will make up for declining licensing revenue but its customers seem to have only a hazy idea of SAP’s SaaS strategy and one in two has no plans to move to HANA, according to a study from research firm Forrester.

Persuading customers to run core ERP applications on HANA is a key strategy for SAP, yet 52 percent of survey respondents say they’re not planning to use it, with 54 percent of them citing high costs and 37 percent saying they can’t see the benefit…

Grazed from Peak10. Author: PR Announcement.

Cloud Computing is here to stay. Sixty nine percent of companies with cloud computing budgets will increase spending in 2013 and 2014. While businesses focus on efficient and agile IT infrastructure, there has been a shift away from Internal Private Clouds to Cloud Strategy/Planning, IaaS, and SaaS. This shift in attention is expected to result in a worldwide cloud computing market of $19.5 billion by 2016. Peak 10’s third data center in the Greater Atlanta region will be a valuable asset for companies looking to solidify their Cloud Computing future!

The new 75,000-square foot facility will provide customers worldwide with 24/7/365 guarded security and SSAE 16, PCI, and HIPPA compliances. Peak 10’s standard of redundant power and redundant network infrastructure will ensure the maximum uptime businesses require…

Grazed from Midsize Insider. Author: Marissa Tejada.

Cloud computing integration is easier than ever, according to new research that found more businesses are confident about the adoption and use of cloud services within their information infrastructures.

Less Concern

Both business and IT professionals don’t have as many concerns as they had in the past about integrating the cloud with their operations, according to Saugatuck Technology’s "2013 Global Cloud IT Adoption, Use and Benefits Survey," featured in Information Management. Half of respondents reported being concerned about security and privacy issues…