Category: News

Grazed from FedScoop. Author: Wyatt Kash.

Three out of four government IT professionals in a new poll say their agencies are now using cloud computing services. The new survey also found that a significant portion of the respondents have favorable perceptions about the cost, security and ease of deploying the popular open source software platform, OpenStack, for their on-premises cloud computing initiatives.

The findings indicate that open source technology, like OpenStack, is coming into wider use within government agencies, with about one-fourth of government respondents reporting that their agencies currently use open source technology for their on-premises cloud services. The technology manages large clusters of compute, storage, and networking resources throughout a datacenter as an alternative to using proprietary cloud software…

Grazed from Forbes. Author: Alex Konrad.

As Salesforce continues to branch out into new types of cloud computing customers, it’s willing to pay steep prices to buy what it can’t build. The latest proof is Salesforce’s announcement on Wednesday that it’s agreed to acquire Demandware, a digital commerce company that had gone public in 2012, for $2.8 billion.

Shares in Demandware had closed trading on Tuesday at $48, meaning Salesforce agreed to pay a 56% premium, or about $1 billion, to snag the company that includes Design WIthin Reach, L’Oreal and Marks & Spencer as customers. The acquisition will create a new product line for Salesforce’s cloud software called the Commerce Cloud…

Grazed from BusinessWorld. Author: Editorial Staff.

Although the idea of storing information in the cloud is far from new, many people still wonder about the wisdom of storing corporate data on something so ethereal. Ironically, many business people have a strong opinion about the dangers of using the cloud that is not based on fact or personal experience. In truth, using the cloud can free up your business from many of the limitations associated with on-premise infrastructures. Here are five things you should know about storing information on the cloud to give you a balanced perspective on cloud computing.

1. Cloud security

While a provider might provide cloud security measures like anti-malware, intrusion prevention, a host firewall, integrity monitoring, and log inspection, you still have to do your part to ensure that your data is secure. Unfortunately, many Don’t know what to make of technology and are often unaware that security measures require user participation. It’s up to you to define the level of privacy you consider important and you do have to follow through on security measures like using the two-step verification method that involves sending an SMS code to your mobile phone…

Grazed from eWeek. Author: Pedro Hernandez.

Microsoft is on the lookout for early-stage startups whose technologies complement its own cloud-first ambitions. The Redmond, Wash., technology giant on May 30 announced the formation of Microsoft Ventures, a formalized venture fund that will enable the company to finally address a gap in its corporate investment strategy.

"In Microsoft’s history of engaging with and supporting start-ups, we’ve done a lot of investing, but not a lot of early stage. Because we would often invest alongside commercial deals, we were not a part of the early industry conversations on disruptive technology trends," admitted Nagraj Kashyap, corporate vice president of Microsoft Ventures, in a May 30 announcement. The new group will provide Microsoft with "a seat at the table," he added…

Grazed from PipeLinePub. Author: Dr. Andy Tiller.

Today’s operators have spent decades building their networks and upgrading their IT systems to support more and more users looking for an increasing number of data-driven applications. At the heart of these systems is the BSS, the IT infrastructure managing the business processes that support the customer-facing applications. These include billing, CRM and customer analytics – all the touchpoints that can drive differentiation and have a direct impact on an operator’s brand value. So it’s understandable that operators perceive a high risk in transforming their BSS systems. And yet, that’s exactly what is needed as operators seek to respond to the threats and opportunities of the new digital economy.

Behind the scenes, a potential solution to reduce the risk and increase the speed of BSS transformation is starting to emerge. Most IT-literate consumers are already familiar with cloud-based services, from Office 365 and Salesforce to iCloud and Dropbox. Now many operators are taking note of the benefits of cloud computing as a potential way to transform their BSS systems faster and with less risk…

Grazed from Nicole Henderson.

Next time you are in an Apple store, you may see an unfamiliar device. Starting on June 7, Apple will be the exclusive retailer for the Apollo personal cloud storage device, a consumer play from Promise Technology, a storage firm based in California. Apollo offers 4 TB of storage, and allows up to nine members to use it. With the Apollo Cloud App users can quickly access personal content from anywhere. Of course the big sell is the fact that the user owns the physical device where their cloud lives unlike other cloud services where you may not be sure who has access to your data.

According to Promise Technology, unlike other cloud services, there are no recurring fees with Apollo. According to a review by Mac Rumors, the Apollo is priced at $299. While the device certainly won’t replace cloud storage as we know it (Apollo is not even recommended as a sole backup device), it is part of a larger trend of personal cloud storage for users who want to take “control” of their privacy…

Grazed from Forbes. Author: Jon Markman.

At a conference called the Internet of Things World, held in Santa Clara, Calif. this month, many of the world’s leading tech firms will explain how sensors, analytics and cloud computing will change everything. Recently it has become convention to dismiss the Internet of Things. Pundits point to the troubles at Google’s Nest, the lack of open standards among the competing connected-home platforms and the absurd notion the masses are clamoring for connected toasters and wine bottles as proof the IOT is all sizzle and no steak. The pundits are wrong. They’re missing the paradigm shift the IOT represents because they’re too focused on the machines.

Behind the devices of the IOT is a whirlwind of new ideas and possibilities as ubiquitous sensors, real time analytics and powerful cloud computing intersect. It’s about collecting and leveraging vast amounts of data in real time, and it will touch every sector, every industry. That’s why leading analysts and technology firms have converged at the Santa Clara Convention Center…

Read more from the source @ http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmarkman/2016/05/30/the-internet-gains-a-sixth-sense/#3ed455b24cb0

Grazed from ITProPortal. Author: John Newton.

We know that big data is a big issue. Day by day, the data that businesses create is getting increasingly cumbersome and the value it contains is being outweighed by the complexity its management creates. This problem is one that John Newton has tackled over the last 25 years, first by designing and developing Documentum in the early Nineties and then with Alfresco, the world’s second largest open source enterprise content management company. John has had one of the longest and most influential careers in content management and he has invented many of the concepts widely used in the industry today.

How has the content and document management market changed since you started in the field?

Content and document management started really when the client/server revolution started to take off back in the late Eighties/early Nineties. Windows and Macs provided an environment to create more and more content and displacing mainframe applications. Storage at the time was limited to organising all those files using an eight letter name followed by a three letter extension…

Grazed from ClusterMapping. Author: Editorial Staff.

A new study on: Cloud Stack Layers – IaaS, PaaS, SaaS: Market Shares and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2010-2016. IBM is the market leader in SOA Platform as a Service (PaaS) with 73% market share. Oracle / BEA /Sun participate in the market with 6% share, Microsoft with 5% share in 2009. Salesforce.com is the leader in virtualized software systems with 50% share in the CRM SaaS software as a service market. Different companies are leaders in different segments.

Applications and infrastructure markets come together to make information technology delivery a utility. On demand systems scale to meet the needs of users and users only pay for the capacity they use. Strategies relate to different ways to position software, hardware and services for the most effective product set. The 2010 study has 737 pages, 206 tables and figures…