Category: News

Grazed from TechRadar.  Author: Raj Narayanaswamy.

Cloud migration is in full swing and for companies to make the trek; step one is to determine whether or not the destination is indeed a true cloud vs. an on-premise solution in disguise. With global spending on SaaS rising by 17.9 percent to $14 billion, it’s time for companies to be able to spot a fake when they see one and ultimately become a more discerning buyer.

Many software vendors simply modify their applications so they can be accessed online—but application hosting is not the same as "real" SaaS. On-premise solutions cannot deliver on the real promises of cloud computing. "True" SaaS delivers seamless upgrades, lower operating costs,ubiquitous access and ease-of-use…

Grazed from eWeek.  Author: Pedro Hernandez.

In oddly fitting timing, Microsoft announced on Jan. 16 that its Windows Azure cloud platform has been validated to conform to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS 2.0), credit card industry policies and requirements that govern how merchant IT systems handle sensitive payment information.

"The PCI DSS is the global standard that any organization of any size must adhere to in order to accept payment cards, and to store, process, and/or transmit cardholder data," wrote Windows Azure General Manager Steven Martin in a company blog post. He added that his company’s cloud "delivers a compliant framework" that enables customers to run their "own secure and compliant applications."…

Grazed from CMSWire.  Author: David Roe.

In its first salvo in the information management space this year, OpenText has closed the deal to buy GXS for $1.065 billion. The acquisition will give OpenText cutting edge business-to-business cloud integration technology, which will compliment the investments OpenText has made in cloud computing in recent years.

Expanding EIM Base

According to the statement issued about the deal, GXS will remain intact and become a wholly owned subsidiary of OpenText. It also says OpenText’s information exchange portfolio will be integrated with GXS’s cloud-based B2B integration services…

Grazed from Cloud Computing Intelligence. Author: Editorial Staff.

With businesses of all sizes and across all sectors of the economy transitioning to cloud computing, IT vendors are racing to position themselves at the cutting-edge of what remains one of the industry’s hottest topics. Cloud billing has become a dynamic growth area. Yet, it is becoming ever harder for buyers to cut through the hype and understand the term. Is a cloud billing system one that bills for cloud services, or a billing system that resides in the cloud?

To some vendors, it does not seem to matter. Just put "cloud" in the product/solution name and voilà, they have a "cloud billing" system. Certainly, among some businesses there is a desire to jump on the cloud bandwagon – a sense that the cloud is now becoming so pervasive that they need to be involved. They must have a cloud story to tell or risk being left behind by the competition. This drive by businesses to be seen as "cloud-based", even when they are not, is creating market confusion and, in turn, that confusion risks damaging the sector immeasurably…

Grazed from ITWorld. Author: Joab Jackson.

Kicking off an initiative to better bridge cloud services with its own software, Oracle has released an adapter that allows organizations to copy data between their Salesforce.com accounts and Oracle software. "We’re encapsulating standard Web services calls into easier-to-use adapters," said Demed L’Her, Oracle vice president of product management.

The Oracle Cloud Adapter for Salesforce is an extension of the Oracle SOA Suite, Oracle’s software for integrating enterprise applications through the use of Web services standards. It will be the first in a number of connectors that the company plans to offer that connect cloud services with on-premises Oracle applications, L’Her said…

Grazed from SFGate. Author: Maghan McDowell.

A self-described "English geek," Gretchen Curtis worked as NASA’s unofficial "creative director," where she met Josh McKenty, before helping to launch Piston Cloud Computing with McKenty and Christopher MacGown in 2011. As chief marketing officer, Curtis oversees the company’s business operations and leads corporate communications.

She’s also the one to thank for the mad-scientist-meets-gentleman style for which the company has become known; this includes Fancy Friday, when most of its 28 employees dress up in suits, vests and the Goorin Bros. hats that they receive when they start at the company…

Grazed from Forbes. Author: Joe McKendrick.

Wither the information technology department? There’s been no end to speculation as of late, as employees bring their own devices to work, marketing chiefs grab more technology budget dollars, and everyone signs up and tends to their own cloud realms. Gartner, the analyst firm created by and for technology professionals, has been predicting that IT departments will be dissolved and dispersed into the business units they serve.

IT leaders recognize that the cloud parade has started without them, and that they have been sidelined to some degree. In a recent survey, a majority of those in enterprises adopting cloud, 61 percent, say business units are choosing, managing and funding their own cloud solutions. In the survey of 133 CIOs, conducted and released by 2nd Watch, only 37 percent of IT leaders estimate that they are delivering the bulk of cloud services sought by business users…

Grazed from DataCenterKnowledge. Author: Robert Miggins.

According to Gartner analysts, more than half of IT budgets will be spent on cloud computing in the next few years. There’s no need to speculate on whether cloud adoption will continue to rise in 2014 and beyond – it will. However, exactly how cloud infrastructure is deployed and managed is up for grabs.

While both public and private cloud deployments are on the rise, it’s hybrid cloud environments that currently provide organizations with cloud computing’s best benefits – a trend that will shift in 2014 as the next generation of dedicated servers, or "smart servers," evolve to offer all of hybrid cloud’s core qualities, but manageable as one environment. Today’s hybrid cloud models are complex environments that combine a single-tenant private architecture with a multi-tenant cloud, in order to achieve private cloud’s security and performance benefits along with public cloud’s high availability and security…

Grazed from The Washington Post. Author: Mohana Ravindranath.

IBM has announced plans to commit $1.2 billion to expanding its global Internet cloud computing business – some of this will go toward opening cloud centers in various cities. The Armonk, Ny.-based company plans to launch several new cloud data centers in 13 countries – physical locations from which IBM employees can demonstrate and set up cloud offerings.

This year IBM plans to open 15 new centers in Washington, Hong Kong, London, Toronto, Dallas, and a few cities in Japan, India, China and Mexico, among others. Since 2007, IBM has invested more than $7.5 billion in 15 cloud-related acquisitions, including SoftLayer, a Dallas-based cloud computing infrastructure company IBM acquired for $2 billion in July…

Grazed from SysCon Media. Author: PR NewsWire.

The International Association of Cloud and Managed Service Providers, (MSPAlliance), has announced that MSPWorld® Spring 2014 early registration is now open. MSPWorld®, which is the leading event focused on managed services and cloud computing, will take place in Orlando, FL, March 26-28, 2014 at the Marriott World Center.

Early registration is now available for $49 per delegate and will end on January 31, 2014. Normal registration fees are $99 per delegate. "MSPWorld® 2014 will continue its legacy of providing cutting edge content from the leading practitioners and pioneers of cloud and managed services," noted MSPAlliance CEO and founder, Charles Weaver. "We anticipate a great event and look forward to gathering with colleagues and executives from around the world at this must-attend conference."…