Cloud computing drives data centre expansion
Equinix has 6 million square feet of data centre space globally and all of its Tier one data centres are in the main financial centres in the world. It has plans to build data centres in Seoul, Beijing, Mumbai and possibly Chennai. It is also considering Osaka in Japan and maybe Melbourne. A lot of Sydney customers are asking for a data centre in Melbourne, especially as the cost of doing business in Melbourne is lower…
Cloud computing and governance in the digital age
During the Saleforce.com Dreamforce event in San Francisco, CEO Marc Benioff sat down with some of the leaders in the industry to talk about Cloud computing and governance in the digital age. The panel was made up the former US federal government chief information officer, Vivek Kundra, the vice-president of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, and Burberry chief executive officer, Angela Ahrendts…
Legacy vendors blamed for cloud ‘disinformation’
A panel of policy makers and advisors has blamed legacy software vendors and integrators for “disinformation” that has kept governments from adopting cloud technology.
Former US Government chief information officer Vivek Kundra told cloud vendor Salesforce.com’s Dreamforce conference of “cartels” of contractors that aimed to “put in as many people as possible and charge exorbitant rates”.
In February, Kundra introduced the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy (pdf) and Cloud First Policy (pdf), which required agencies to move three services to the cloud within 18 months…
Cloud computing security concerns ‘ridiculous’ says expert
Government agencies worldwide should not be put off adopting cloud computing because of ‘unfounded’ security and privacy issues, according to the US first chief information officer.
Vivek Kundra said that such excuses are a "ridiculous" reason to not embrace the technology…
China Telecom Publishes Cloud Computing Strategy For 2012
Chinese telecom operator China Telecom has announced its eSurfing cloud computing strategy, brand, and solution, and it plans to launch eSurfing cloud devices and cloud storage products in 2012….
Five reasons cloud is a ‘no-brainer’ for SMBs
Cloud computing is getting a lot of attention at the big end of town, but there are many reasons it also makes sense for smaller businesses.
Five top reasons are that the cloud:
* Removes hassle: Very few firms have the expertise in-house to keep their IT hardware and software humming all the time. Making use of cloud services overcomes this ongoing headache…
What to Watch: Cloud first focus of federal IT conference
The federal government this year has made implementing its “cloud first” policy a top priority, requiring agencies to shift their data from hundreds of storage centers to Web-based systems. But in the impending era of austerity, with Congress members seeking significant cuts in spending, will the policy be elevated, maintained or diminished?…
Cloud Expected to Keep Rising
The cloud just got hotter. According to a forecast by Gartner, worldwide software as a service (SaaS) revenue will reach $12.1 billion by the end of the year—a 20.7 percent increase from 2010 revenue of $10 billion—and $21.3 billion by 2015.
“After more than a decade of use, adoption of SaaS continues to grow and evolve within the enterprise application markets,” explained Tom Eid, research vice president at Gartner, in a report. “This is occurring as tighter capital budgets demand leaner alternatives, popularity and familiarity with the model increases, and interest in platform as a service and cloud computing grows.”…
Cloud Security Alliance crosses the Pond
“The cloud agenda has to move beyond the security field and into business,” says Jacqui Taylor, freshly minted director of communications for the UK and Ireland wing of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA).
“There is an education process that has to be done, and it needs an independent voice. That is where we come in.”
A not-for-profit organisation, the CSA was set up in the US to establish and promote best practice for IT security in cloud computing…
Salesforce Continues Its Push to the Cloud
Salesforce.com and its leader, chairman and CEO Marc Benioff, have both staked their reputations on cloud computing, so it comes as no surprise that Benioff is a big proponent of software-as-a-service.
"The idea of applications and platforms as separate entities is antiquated," he said during a press conference on the final day of this year’s Salesforce.com user conference. "We can’t think of applications and platforms as separate any more. We need one integrated offering."…