Developing an effective pilot program can be complicated, with numerous variables and factors to consider. As a result, the first step for each organization must be documenting their definition of “pilot”:

Oracle is planning to discuss how its Exalogic application server machine is "the logical choice" for running applications, during a special webcast event on Wednesday.

Exalogic was introduced by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison as "one big, honkin’ cloud" during 2010’s OpenWorld conference. It’s also been referred to as a "cloud in a box."

The system combines Oracle’s Sun servers with networking equipment and storage along with a stack of software, including WebLogic Server and Elastic Cloud Software 2.0, a recently released update…

In a recent case reported in Ahmedabad, a company that developed applications was struck by data thieves – who were, in fact, the company’s former employees. A group of four employees had suddenly quit one day, citing different reasons. A month later, the owner of the company discovered the theft when he noticed that an application developed by his firm was on sale with a different name and logo. Investigations revealed that the employees had stolen the data while leaving the company and had manipulated it.

According to experts, the theft exemplifies the future of cyber crime, in which mobile phone applications and new additions to technology – such as cloud computing – will be targeted by hackers. However, impersonation, data theft, espionage and phishing will remain prevalent in ever-changing forms. These were some of the insights presented by experts who gathered at a workshop organised by DSCI and GFSU in Gandhinagar on Friday….

For most agencies, server virtualization is a first step toward cloud computing. If you do virtualization right, a move to the cloud is that much easier. However, if you make a mess of it, your journey to the cloud could be tougher.

Some executives rightly view virtualization as a way to cut hardware and power costs by reducing the number of servers they need, but that means thinking about it only in tactical terms. Virtualization can also be an opportunity to modernize and expand the IT department’s role as a service provider to the rest of the organization.

Remember when there were just two or three cloud computing platforms to choose from, and just about as many cloud databases? Well, as clouds have proliferated, so have the database services built on top of them. In fact, it’s getting hard to keep up with what’s actually available.

Here’s a primer highlighting the available services (note, we’re talking managed database services, not database instances that users still need to manage and administer) and where they’re running. It’s intended to be thorough, but that can be easier said than done, so please note any omissions in the comments…

Dell has set up a $60 million Fluid Data Storage Fund to back early-stage storage start-ups, a combination of build and buy. Jim Lussier, managing director of Dell’s venture capital business, says it is looking for mid-level widgetry hoping to find the "next big thing." Apparently that means cloud storage, memory-based storage and next-generation-storage architectures.

It figures to put a modest $3 million-$5 million per round in five to 10 promising start-ups in exchange for equity and access to the IP.

Of course they’d have to play to Dell architecture…

The Defense Department has released a cloud computing  strategy all its own, aimed at moving current network applications from a duplicative, cumbersome and costly set of application silos to an end state designed to create a more agile, secure, and cost-effective service environment that can rapidly respond to changing needs.

Teri Takai, CIO at the Defense Department, said the government agency is moving to an enterprise cloud environment that provides tangible benefits across the department by supporting the delivery of the joint information environment, from the continental United States to the warfighter at the tactical edge…

Microsoft’s announcement of Office 2013 is another linchpin in the company’s effort to assume a leadership role as a cloud-computing services provider.

The new version of Office will be tightly coupled to the company’s SkyDrive cloud-storage service. SkyDrive, in turn, is one of the key built-in features of Windows 8.

Microsoft has yet to announce pricing for the new Office. But with Windows 8 Pro upgrades costing just $40 if you upgrade online directly from Microsoft, the software giant has already signaled a willingness to change its upgrade models.

That’s the most aggressive pricing yet for the company’s flagship operating system, and it could be a harbinger of Microsoft’s approach to Office upgrades. One clear message that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivered at the Office 2013 announcement is the shift from packaged goods to services. Ballmer noted that the new Office was “the first round of Office designed from the get-go as a service.”…

The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) today announced the establishment of the new CSA corporate headquarters in Singapore, under an effort led by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), and founding APAC sponsor Trend Micro (tyo:4704) . The CSA will undertake a three-year strategic private-public partnership with support from the Singapore government to further the security of cloud computing. As part of the agreement, the CSA will establish a Global Research Centre, Global Standards Secretariat, and Global Centre of Excellence for CCSK training and education in Singapore.

"After a highly competitive process, with interest from many candidates in the region, we are pleased to have selected Singapore as the key hub for CSA activities in the APAC region," said Aloysius Cheang, Managing Director Asia Pacific for the CSA. "EDB and IDA have demonstrated a great commitment to the CSA presence in APAC, which will be highly beneficial to our members in the region, and elevate Singapore as a global hub for cloud computing security."…