Author: David

Grazed from Midsize Insider.  Author: Rick Robinson.

One major issue that raises midsize firms’ worries about cloud computing is how to secure and verify identities and access in a cloud environment. Okta, founded by former executives from Salesforce.com, is one of the firms stepping in to offer assistance in cloud identity management.

The real challenge in managing and securing identities in the cloud is that there isn’t just one cloud. What is emerging is a complex pattern of public, private, and hybrid clouds. And user access must be coordinated among them. Before IT departments at midsize firms can confidently launch into the cloud(s), managers will need a comfort level that they can provide secure and controlled access to cloud-based data…

Grazed from Network World.  Author: Sophie Curtis.

Amazon Web Services is attempting coax businesses into the cloud by touting the security credentials of its Virtual Private Cloud (VPC).

Despite the potential cost savings associated with cloud computing, many organisations are still put off by security concerns. In a survey of 300 end user organisations by the Cloud Industry Forum in 2011, 62 percent cited data security as one of their most significant concerns about cloud adoption.

While the public cloud is widely considered to be unsuitable for business-critical applications, some organisations are starting to make greater use of private clouds, which are often on-premise data centres that use cloud-style technology…

Grazed from Midsize Insider.  Author: Doug Bonderud.

Outsourcing is hardly a new idea in the technology industry, and the burgeoning tech market in India has seen the rise of everything from call centers to IT administration and now, cloud computing. Predictions show the emerging cloud market in India reaching significant financial milestones over the next decade, and while many North American companies think they will be at the forefront of this evolution, there’s some data to indicate cloud computing’s real gains may come in the East.

A Look at the Numbers 

A recent InformationWeek article talks about the numbers surrounding this growing cloud market, particularly when it comes to spending and employment. Nasscom and Deloitte predict that the cloud in India will be worth $16 billion by 2020, and Zinnov Management Consulting estimates that by 2015, it will have already reached $4.5 billion. Microsoft, in conjunction with IDC, sees over 2 million jobs created in India in that same three-year period…

Grazed from MSP News.  Author: Kerry Doyle.

Cloud computing is continuing its penetration into the global business realm. Companies recognize that it is far more than a better IT solution; rather, they see it as a better business solution. That said cloud sourcing, or choosing a services provider, is a complex undertaking fraught with risks and challenges. How do you get it right? What about sensitive data in the cloud? These kinds of questions have been addressed by CipherCloud which provides a unified cloud encryption gateway that encrypts sensitive data in real time before it’s sent to the cloud.

The recent announcement of a new partnership between Cloud Sherpas and CipherCloud will introduce CipherCloud’s encryption gateway technology to Cloud Sherpas’ customer base while expanding geographical and vertical markets for both companies. Founded in 2008, Cloud Sherpas, a leader in the Cloud Service Provider market (CSP (News – Alert)), was recently named the Google Enterprise 2011 Partner of the Year. This was based in part on their deep-rooted commitment to Google technologies and customer success, as evidenced by the number of Google (News – Alert) Apps Certified Deployment Specialists engaged throughout its organization…

Grazed from Bottom Line.  Author: Samuel Greengard.

Amid all the noise and chaos about cloud computing and how it is transforming the enterprise, it’s important to ponder how significantly the cloud is altering the way people work and interact on a personal level.

Over the last few years, iCloud, SkyDrive, Dropbox, Box and Sugarsync have created much easier ways to manage and sync data across different devices, including smartphones and tablets. Now Google has entered the fray with Google Drive…

Grazed from CIO.  Author: Bernard Golden.

A year ago, when discussing an organization’s cloud strategy, I heard a consistent theme that "our focus is on creating a private cloud." Sometimes stated, sometimes unstated or sometimes said under an executive’s breath was the objective of curtailing developer use of public cloud computing. The target of that objective most commonly was Amazon Web Services.

I always felt that the characterization that attributed the "public cloud problem" to rogue developers was misplaced. It is true that many developers embraced Amazon Web Services for its easy resource availability and low cost — a.k.a. its "agility." However, to presume that the issue is caused by individuals offered (or coerced into using) a private cloud is to fundamentally misunderstand the phenomenon of "shadow IT," as it is sometimes pejoratively called…

Grazed from CNN.  Author: Juliet Mann.

Europe’s struggling economies could find themselves thrown a lifeline from the "cloud," according to Microsoft International’s president Jean-Philippe Courtois.

Cloud computing — where businesses access computing services from a centralized provider, rather than owning their own infrastructure — could be the key to kick-starting Europe’s struggling economies, Courtois told CNN.

The shift in technology is the biggest in the past decade, and can transform the way businesses can operate, he added…

Grazed from Sys Con Media.  Author: Paul Sangster.

Today, security is undoubtedly the biggest risk and negative side effect to cloud computing. Fortunately, the status quo is about to change. The Trusted Computing Group (TCG), a not-for-profit organization that has developed open standards for computers, networks, storage and mobile devices to improve enterprise and personal security, is now focusing its attention on cloud computing security. The hardware basis of trust for many aspects of TCG’s standards is the Trusted Platform Module, or TPM.

For a virtualized trusted platform, a virtual TPM (vTPM) and all the associated architecture have been defined to provide protection for virtual machines paralleling the hardware-rooted security offered on non-virtualized platforms. While the standard was only recently released, it represents the culmination of a decade-long effort by TCG members to increase financial, medical, government and other organizations’ trust in electronic information processing, communication and control…

Grazed from MarketWatch.  Author: PR Announcement.

NetSuite Inc, the industry’s leading provider of cloud-based financials / ERP software suites, today announced the latest partners to join the NetSuite Solution Provider Program. The high-profile Value Added Resellers (VARs) with long, established histories with on-premise ERP such as Microsoft Dynamics GP and Sage, that decided to embrace the tidal wave of demand generated by NetSuite’s enterprise cloud computing solutions include BCG Systems, NEO3, LLC., MIG & Co. and TAG. Each of these new partners recognizes that the disruptive innovation of cloud computing has reached critical mass and that opportunities for sustainable growth are within the cloud, as the number of global enterprises moving away from on-premise solutions continues to grow.

Partnering with NetSuite enables these firms to capitalize on the growing market demand for cloud offerings, by providing them access to a world-class development platform, as well as a superior line-up of cloud business management solutions, including NetSuite’s core integrated suite that combines ERP / financials, customer relationship management (CRM), Ecommerce, Services Resource Planning (SRP), and NetSuite OneWorld–a cloud computing solution which enables multinational and multi-subsidiary companies to manage their global financial consolidation and business operations. Many of the new partners from the on-premise world have closed their first major cloud deals on NetSuite within weeks of joining the program, as customers are looking for the efficiencies, flexibility and cost benefits of the cloud…

Grazed from CloudTweaks.  Author: Florence de Borja.

With the continuous monitoring of trends and updates for cloud computing, service providers will be able to avoid expensive mistakes. These providers won’t be able to miss any opportunity the market is offering for the succeeding years. Gartner Inc., a world-renowned advisory and research company in the field of information technology, has outlined five trends which can affect cloud strategy up to 2015.

According to David Cearly, Gartner fellow and vice president, cloud computing has changed the ways businesses and individuals choose to deliver or acquire IT services with less emphasis on traditional hardware and software licensing constraints. It has made an important effect on every facet of IT and the way users use business, information, and applications services. According to another Gartner fellow and vice president, David Mitchell Smith, due to the rapid change and evolution of cloud computing technologies and trends, cloud computing service providers have continuously misunderstood the cloud as they use it as a marketing term.  Because of the level of change, uncertainty, confusion, and impact, Gartner has released 5 trends which will enable cloud computing to accelerate, shift, or reach a tipping point until 2015…