IBM targets telcos with cloud service platform
The IBM Cloud Service Provider Platform bundles IBM hardware, software and services to allow telecommunications firms to use their networks to deliver cloud-based services, the company said on Thursday. A core piece of software in the package is IBM’s Service Delivery Manager platform, which automates the deployment, monitoring and management of cloud IT resources, according to IBM.
"[Companies] can use [IBM Cloud Service Provider Platform] to deliver ‘as-a-service’ — offerings such as collaboration applications, customer relationship management services, data storage, backup and recovery, and industry-specific applications," IBM said in a statement.
Cloud computing ‘can help tackle data management concerns’
Cloud computing offerings may help IT departments tackle the various data management challenges they are facing.
According to a recent survey conducted at the Storage Networking World conference, IT professionals list issues such as constrained budgets, data preservation fears and integration worries as among their top data management challenges.
When it comes to fixing these problems, 36 per cent said hybrid cloud solutions could help to make their data centres more efficient, reports Computerworld.
File servers: Windows, Linux, SAN, or cloud?
Way back in the day, my file sever of choice was Novell NetWare. It was a good network operating system (OS) that had a robust file system with commands that Microsoft Windows still can’t match.
However, NetWare has moved on from mainstream roles and Windows Servers are the most popular file server platform today. A lot of administrators go the Linux route for file servers, and some even use storage processors or the cloud for housing general purpose data. With all of these options, there are positives and negatives to each. Here are some thoughts for each platform–both for and against as a file server:
Looking for a Defining Cloud Computing Moment
There’s obviously a lot debate over the potential impact of cloud computing in the enterprise. And while everybody might not be working from the same definition of cloud computing, it’s interesting how many people are convinced that cloud computing is a major strategic direction for their company.
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Three questions: Stuart Bladen, HP Enterprise Services
What’s your biggest technology problem right now?
The ballooning costs of standing still.
I go home and I’m a consumer like everyone else. My kids have iPhones and iPads and Android phones. I feel old when I look at Facebook and Twitter. I have to understand it, but I’m an immigrant to that world.
They use technology that is individually driven. In the business world, it is still very much a top-down approach to IT and technology.
Mindjet targets cloud, universal user experience
According to Greg Brown, Mindjet’s vice president of worldwide sales and services, the software vendor is also expanding its reach in Asia and sees Singapore as a gateway hub for growth. Mindjet provides productivity and collaboration software and applications, such as MindManager, which aim to help businesses visually organize ideas, information and resources in order to increase team productivity and cost savings.
Software-as-a-service solutions ‘can have business continuity benefits’
Using software-as-a-service offerings provided by a third party can help organisations make improvements in the area of business continuity.
This is according to Robert Rutherford, managing director of QuoStar Solutions, who told Fresh Business Thinking one key benefit of using an external service is that if a company’s premises become inaccessible for any reason, business operations will be able to continue.
He added that the best software-as-a-service providers will be keen to provide secure and reliable products to their clients, as their business depends on doing so.