Category: News

Hybrid-cloud infrastructures are designed to accommodate multiple applications, a shared or converged physical layer and a software-defined layer, all of which expose the dynamic data centre to higher risk of unpredictable performance problems and resource inefficiency. But conventional infrastructure monitoring solutions are silo-specific and application unaware, while application performance management (APM) solutions alone are inadequate as they are largely infrastructure unaware.

The introduction of cloud computing has brought about huge changes for businesses of all sizes. In recent times, the benefits and advantages of migrating to the cloud have been recognised by companies all over the world, from Silicon Valley tech giants to small-town local businesses. Today, at least 37% of businesses in the U.S.A have made the switch to cloud computing, with more and more expected to follow. If you’re considering jumping on the bandwagon and also taking your business over to the cloud, here are just some of the main reasons why it’s a good idea.

Cloud computing has changed the way many organisations do business. Today’s business owners understand that cloud computing saves a lot of money and has the potential to make any organisation much more efficient. However, every technology has a downside and security is sometimes the Achilles heel of cloud computing. Below are some of the security threats you should be aware of and should address.

Hijacking User Accounts

A range of hijacking activities such as phishing have existed for many years. This practice is now being attempted on cloud based systems too, where hackers attempt to gain access to a business or individual’s account. Once these hackers access an account, they can do serious damage, which has serious repercussions for the business or individual involved.

Grazed from CSO. Author: Rolf Haas.

Cloud use continues to grow rapidly in the enterprise and has unquestionably become a part of mainstream IT – so much so that many organizations now claim to have a “cloud-first” strategy. That’s backed up by a survey* we commissioned here at Intel Security that questioned 1,200 cloud security decision makers across eight countries. One of the most startling findings: that 80% of respondents’ IT spend will go to cloud services within just 16 months.

Even if that outlook overestimates cloud spend it still shows a dramatic shift in mindset, and it’s often the business, rather than the IT department, that is driving that shift. In today’s digital world the pull of the cloud and its benefits of flexibility, speed, innovation, cost, and scalability are now too great to be dismissed by the usual fears…

Grazed from FedScoop. Author: Billy Mitchell.

Businesses, governments and other organizations are more trusting of cloud computing than ever before, but still have doubts about providers’ ability to secure sensitive information in the public cloud, according to a new report Thursday. A 77-percent majority of respondents told Intel Security they trust cloud computing more than they did a year ago.

That said, only 13 percent of the participating 1,200 cloud security "decision makers" from around the world said they "completely trust public cloud providers to secure sensitive data," according to the new report, "Blue Skies Ahead? The State of Cloud Adoption," released at Intel Security’s Security through Innovation Summit, produced by FedScoop…

Grazed from MSPMentor. Author: Editorial Staff.

While the cloud market has advanced rapidly in recent years, it is still a relatively young segment in IT–particularly compared to legacy hardware solutions. Cloud providers continue to integrate with existing IT; however, one area that has received consistent investment is the channel. This growth of the marketplace and the inevitable evolution of offers still-to-come creates a unique market opportunity for both technology providers and channel partners to be a true value-added guide to their clients. Through strong technology partnerships, IT leaders can leverage their strengths, differentiate their business and uncover new sources of value.

For long-time players in the cloud industry, channel partners have been an important part of business growth and development. Channel partners can help cloud providers extend market reach within a rapidly changing and competitive cloud marketplace, enabling companies to expand their footprint globally…

Blue Coat, Inc., a leading provider of advanced web security solutions for global enterprises and governments, today announced its Cloud Ready Partner Program, forming a broad Cloud Security Partner Ecosystem. The Cloud Ready Partner Program creates an open framework to allow a select set of security vendors and SaaS (Security as a Service) companies to deeply integrate and certify their services and cloud applications directly into the Blue Coat Security Platform. This level of integration allows customers ease of transition to the cloud while maintaining critical visibility and control between users and applications. 

Charter members of the Blue Coat Cloud Ready Partner Program are: AirWatch, AlienVault, Box, Centrify, Dropbox, E8 Security, Exabeam, Fortscale, Gemalto, HP, Oracle, Seculert, Splunk and Symantec.

Expanding its Ecosystem of Cloud, Ingram Micro today announced three new cloud services delivery platforms for channel partners, as well as several key enhancements to its global Cloud Marketplace.

Unveiled at the seventh annual Ingram Micro Cloud Summit, the new cloud delivery platforms are making it easier for channel partners to establish and grow their cloud services business by removing barriers such as web development costs, sales and marketing resources, and in-depth expertise of cloud computing solutions and services. Offered in conjunction with the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace and as part of the Ingram Micro Ecosystem of Cloud, the new cloud delivery platforms are available now and include:

CloudEndure, a provider of live-migration and disaster recovery solutions, announced that it has raised an additional $6 million investment by unnamed global strategic investors, bringing the total raised in its recent Series B round to $13 million and a total funding for the company of $18.2 million. Announced earlier, CloudEndure’s Series B round was co-led by Infosys, a leading information technology services provider working with the world’s leading enterprises, and previous investor, Magma Venture Partners.

Grazed from MotleyFool. Author: Sean O’Reilly.

Despite boasting famed billionaire investor Warren Buffett as a major shareholder, IBM (NYSE:IBM) has been unable to pick itself up out of the doldrums. Case in point: Despite dozens of acquisitions over the past six years, as well as laudable cost-cutting initiatives, both revenues and profits have continued to slide downward, particularly in the past two years.

While the picture isn’t all bad — IBM’s shares continue to benefit from healthy dividend payouts and share repurchases — something clearly needs to be done. This is not the same company that created Deep Blue and engendered mass adoption of the personal computer. To compete in the 21st century, IBM will need to get ahead of the curve and innovate…