Category: News

March 23, 2012 Off

VMware vCloud Director Essentials Training Released by TrainSignal

By David
Grazed from TrainSignal.  Author: PR Announcement.
 

TrainSignal, the global leader in professional computer training, announced the release of their VMware vCloud Director Essentials Training course.

The vCloud Director Essentials Training course teaches administrators of vSphere environments how to use VMware vCD to leverage enterprise virtualization to provide IT resources on-demand. Using vCloud Director, admins can deploy custom-built services "as a service" in order to provide a consistent user experience between private & public clouds. Managing and monitoring resources under this IaaS model opens up the opportunity for cost-efficiency and business agility to expand on top of existing investments.

This essentials training teaches the concepts behind cloud infrastructures and vCD basics for creating a vCloud Director lab. This environment can be used for testing and/or training, utilizing vApps and the vCloud API, and as proof of concept for implementing vCD with a vSphere Enterprise Plus environment. The lesson outline includes:

March 23, 2012 Off

ICT Board’s Paul Kukubo to speak at Cloud Computing Forum Africa 2012

By David
Grazed from Cloud Computing World Forum.  Author: PR Announcement.
 

The Kenya ICT Board chief executive Paul Kukubo is among industry leaders set to make keynote speeches at the forthcoming Cloud Computing World Forum to be held in South Africa on May 8 at the Sandton Sun Hotel in Johannesburg.

The Cloud Computing World Forum Africa offers delegates an opportunity to discuss the latest topics in cloud services, including security, mobile, applications, communications, virtualization and CRM among others.

Kukubo will speak on the topic: ‘Cloud Computing in the Public Sector’ covering issues including whether cloud computing is too much of a risk for the public sector, the benefits of public sector clouds for both vendors and end-users and cloud pressure – matching IT security with cost-effectiveness.

March 22, 2012 Off

Why NIST’s cloud definition is fatally flawed

By David
Grazed from Government Computer News.  Author:  Michael Daconta.

I recently sat through a briefing on cloud security in which the presenter defined platform as a service and then asserted that “PaaS is going away.”   Given that PaaS incarnations such as Hadoop are the mainstay of big data, that would imply that big data is going away — and that is patently wrong. 

Furthermore, the laypeople in the audience failed to grasp the slide on NIST’s “3-4-5” definition framework of cloud computing, which uses three service models, four deployment models and five characteristics. The framework was too complex and failed to provide the simple, unified concept of cloud computing that this audience desperately needed…

March 22, 2012 Off

Datalink Achieves Cisco Cloud Infrastructure Designation

By David
Grazed from BusinessWire.  Author: PR Announcement.

Datalink (NASDAQ: DTLK), a leading provider of data center infrastructure and services, announced today that it has achieved the Cisco Cloud Infrastructure designation within the Cisco Cloud Partner Program. The designation indicates that Datalink has met the required competencies to sell and implement “cloud-ready” infrastructure across security, networking, compute, storage and virtualization solutions from Cisco and approved third-party technology partners.

The recognition from Cisco reflects Datalink’s focus on helping organizations deploy and support next-generation data centers to drive greater business agility, efficiency, and performance. “Our experience in building private and hybrid clouds is rapidly establishing our status as go-to cloud computing partner for mid- and large-size enterprises,” said Paul Lidsky, president and CEO, Datalink. “The investments we have made in cloud computing-related training, certifications, and field-tested best practices across the unified data center translate into tangible benefits for the organizations we serve.”…

March 22, 2012 Off

Beware of Fake Clouds

By David
Grazed from Sys Con Media.  Author:  Jason Bloomberg.

First the good news: Cloud Computing is real, it’s here to stay, we’re doing a reasonably good job of defining it, and it’s already providing significant business value to countless organizations around the globe. Now the bad news: there’s still plenty of confusion over the what Cloud is and how to achieve value with it.

Much of this confusion, as you might expect, comes from software and hardware vendors. After all, they’ve all had to scramble for a new Cloud value proposition once they realized that Cloud Computing would eventually doom the old way of selling their gear. For most such vendors, their Cloud strategies are works in progress. Yes, they may have a bona fide Cloud offering, but if you look more closely, the Cloud benefits you’re expecting may not yet be available. Our advice? Caveat emptor

March 22, 2012 Off

Amazon Signs Cloud Computing Firm Eucalyptus as Private Cloud Partner

By David
Grazed from Web Host Industry Review.  Author: Justin Lee.

Cloud infrastructure giant Amazon announced on Thursday it has partnered with infrastructure as a service provider Eucalyptus to help customers move data between their private clouds and Amazon Web Services, according to a report by ReadWriteCloud.

Under the partnership, Amazon will provide full support to Eucalyptus to extend its compatibility with AWS APIs. The partnership should alleviate any concerns about Amazon going after Eucalyptus for software patents as many have speculated…

March 22, 2012 Off

CIOs’ Love-Hate Relationship with the Cloud Revealed

By David
Grazed from Forbes.  Author: Joe McKendrick.

A new report out of Saugatuck Technology confirms a dramatic shift in cloud computing intentions over the past one or two years. “Buying and deployment patterns have shifted rapidly toward a near full embrace of the cloud, from the more tactical and point solution-focused initiatives not long ago,” writes Bill McNee, author of the report. The consultancy recently conducted in-depth interviews with a dozen large enterprise CIOs and CTOs with $1 billion-plus companies.

The CIOs see themselves as now entering a “crisis of opportunity” and innovation, McNee observes, brought about by the revolution in service delivery, shaped not only by cloud, but also fueled by the drive toward mobility, advanced analytics, and social business. What this calls for is “a new mission for IT, with a new set of roles, responsibilities and skills required for success.”…

March 22, 2012 Off

CEOs Tackle Cloud Computing & Other Association/Not-for-Profit Issues at ASI’s 2nd Annual iBEF Symposium

By David
Grazed from PR Web.  Author: PR Announcement.

Advanced Solutions International (ASI), the largest, privately-owned global provider of software for member and donor-based not-for-profits, today announced that its recent iMIS Business Excellence Forum (iBEF) Symposium drew more than 30 CEOs and high-level executives to learn more about how to use the web as a strategic operations tool to drive membership and fundraising success. Key issues on the docket included increasing constituent acquisition and retention, outsourcing, and cloud computing.

iBEF’s interactive symposium format allows attendees to collaborate with speakers and fellow participants in an intimate setting; this year’s event was designed to provide proven ideas that organizations could implement immediately. The agenda was packed with real-world case studies—presented by growth-directed association and non-profit customers—on how they are successfully using the web to drive performance and achieve their missions. Presenters included executives from the Guide Dog Foundation, FBI National Academy Associates, International Institute of Business Analysis, National Restaurant Association, and State Firemen’s & Fire Marshals’ Association…

March 22, 2012 Off

Cloud Computing: Dome9 Security Addresses RDP Cloud Server Vulnerability

By David
Grazed from Sys Con Media.  Author: Pat Romanski.

Dome9 Security on Thursday announced that its cloud security firewall management service protects cloud servers from serious cloud server security threats, including the recently publicized Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) vulnerability. Dome9’s cloud security service that automates firewall management eliminates the tactical response to both known vulnerabilities, and vulnerabilities yet to be discovered, and delivers a strategic approach to securing cloud  servers.

Roy Feintuch, Dome9 CTO and Co-Founder, observed that "Hacker kits are already available for download that make it easy to identify and exploit this vulnerability on any Windows cloud server."…

March 22, 2012 Off

Savvis Launches Private Cloud, Managed Services in Hong Kong

By David
Grazed from PR NewsWire.  Author: PR Announcement.

Savvis, a CenturyLink company (NYSE: CTL) and global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions for enterprises, today announced the availability of its private cloud solution and managed services offerings through Savvis’ existing data center in Hong Kong.

"The launch will help Savvis meet the rapidly rising demand for enterprise-class IT services in Asia," said Mark Smith, Savvis managing director in Asia. "An important market for enterprises, Hong Kong often serves as a gateway for global clients seeking to extend their presence into Asia. We are excited to provide organizations in this region with enterprise-ready cloud and managed services solutions."…