Category: News

Grazed from ITWeb. Author: Fay Humphries.

Many organisations are paying an ‘opportunity cost’ by overestimating the risk inherent in certain forms of cloud computing, while an equal number are taking unrecognised and inappropriately high levels of risk by placing sensitive data in cloud services that are not designed for it.

This was among the key findings listed in Gartner’s ‘Predicts 2014: Cloud computing affects all aspects of IT’ report, and indicates a significant disparity in how the survey’s respondents are tackling the move to the cloud. "A look at the local market shows a similar disparity, although for a different reason. While some progressive CIOs have successfully moved in to the cloud, other senior decision-makers are being somewhat risk-adverse here. Which is a real pity because, if approached the right way, cloud computing can make a real difference to the bottom line – without exposing the business to any increased risk," says Jon Tullett, senior editor: news analysis at ITWeb. "For a lot of South African companies, cloud right now means hosting."…

Grazed from SecureKey. Author: Editorial Staff.

When looking at the modern IT market, many trends will likely appear to hold equal importance for organizations in a wide range of industries and regions, including big data and mobility. However, cloud computing is likely the most critical one because of its ability to facilitate the deployment of other advanced solutions and capabilities, and this is evidenced by the fact that a majority of technology spending is already beginning to center around these services.

Cloud computing’s single biggest obstacle standing in the way of more widespread adoption has been security, and this has been the case since the industry first took off a few years ago. Regardless of concerns, though, businesses that handle sensitive information have already begun to leverage these tools to bolster productivity and technological power, working to implement modern access management controls alongside cloud deployments for safe outcomes…

Grazed from Cordis. Author: Editorial Staff.

Cloud computing – where storage facilities are provided on demand over the internet from shared data centres – enables effective research collaboration to blossom. Rather than having to purchase a cluster of computers or struggle to find space at the lab, researchers can outsource their computing storage needs to remote facilities in the cloud and make this data accessible to colleagues.

In order to facilitate closer research collaboration, an EU-funded project entitled HELIX NEBULA (HNX) has created an online platform where customers can choose between various cloud service suppliers. The ultimate objective of the project, which was completed in May 2014, is to enable researchers and scientists to buy, use and manage cloud services as seamlessly as possible…

Grazed from CloudComputingAdmin. Author: Ricky M. & Monique L. Magalhaes.

In this two part article we will look at contractual terms in cloud services contracts and issues for consideration, to reduce risk. If you would like to be notified of when Ricky & Monique Magalhaes release the next part in this article series please sign up to our CloudComputingAdmin.com Real Time Article Update newsletter.

Due diligence procedures should not be overlooked when selecting a cloud provider. Cloud computing risks can be identified, managed and even reduced through thorough scrutiny of the services contracts to ensure the appropriate contract assurances and operations best practices are in place. Contracts for cloud services vary, from ‘one-fit-all’ solution contract or a multi-layered services agreement…

Grazed from Utilizer. Author: JP Morgenthal.

North Bridge in partnership with GigaOm Research released their 2014 Future of Cloud Computing – 4th Annual Survey Results. As you examine the 124 slides, one thing is obvious that the greatest growth in cloud computing is coming from Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Market research like this is very important because it provides tangible proof for our anecdotal hypotheses. That said, the report does not extrapolate what is the most interesting facet of SaaS hyper growth—59% in three years—the model for commoditization of business function is market validated.

Like all things that get commoditized, differentiation or uniqueness that keeps economic value high becomes less important than the common, undifferentiated features driving costs down. The interesting thing is that lower costs is a side-effect of commoditization as commoditization can only occur when businesses identify that they can achieve the same goals with the commodity item as they can with the unique one…

Grazed from Midsize Insider. Author: Doug Bonderud.

While many midsize companies see the value in moving away from local stacks and physical mainframes, overall efficiency is often crippled by existing static networks. Software-defined networks (SDNs) and network edge virtualization may not be as flashy as the cloud or as disruptive as bring-your-own-device (BYOD), but could have a significant impact on the utility of virtualized resources.

Better Network, Better Net Worth

A June 18 piece from MSPAlliance examines the Nemertes Report "Application Delivery for Virtualized Infrastructures." According to the report, "Virtualized infrastructures are highly dynamic and increasingly automated. By comparison, the network delivering applications to users tends to still be static, fragile and manually configured." In other words, while businesses have learned the value of virtualization in the "center," edge functions remain largely unchanged. As a result, efficient use of resources in virtualized containers is countermanded by transmission through legacy systems…

Grazed from WallStreet CheatSheet. Author: Jess Bolluyt.

What if there were a better way to save energy than all of the obvious ideas — solar power, wind energy, electric cars — one with even bigger effects on the environment? What if that solution were a better way to run the technology that the way we use the internet relies on? Wired reports that Zack Rosen, CEO and co-founder of professional website platform Pantheon, says that that there is. Rosen says that changing the way we use cloud computing, by switching from virtual machines to Linux containers, could have an even bigger impact on the environment than switching to electric cars.

What is a virtual machine?

In simple terms, Wired explains that virtual machines are “those things that let anyone run software on the massive cloud computing services offered up by the likes of Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.” A virtual machine is a software-based environment that emulates a computer…

Grazed from Midsize Insider. Author: Marissa Tejada.

Many firms are taking a closer look at hybrid cloud computing, having noticed that it has led to numerous benefits for all types of firms on many levels. Hybrid clouds are the new de facto standard data center architecture. According to a new survey, firms that do not utilize the technology and that fail to switch workloads from public to private clouds are falling behind.

The Choice

The InformationWeek Hybrid Cloud Survey found that IT professionals have become more comfortable with cloud computing, and, based on their knowledge, they tend to choose either public or private clouds. Specifically, the survey revealed that 30 percent are deploying hybrid clouds, while another 32 percent are considering them. The research also revealed that most workloads are located in private data centers and not the public cloud…

Grazed from INN. Author: Joe McKendrick.

While cloud computing has been in the public consciousness for a few years, the insurance industry, with characteristic caution, continues to steadily advance onto this latest platform. However, tentative steps taken a year or so ago are now accelerating into bolder moves, as insurers recognize the value and competitive advantage cloud services deliver. “In a few years’ time we believe that cloud will simply become the way things are done,” states a report from Accenture. “Those insurers that move more quickly to embrace it will gain a competitive lead that others may struggle to match.”

Insurance companies already immersed in the cloud agree with this assessment, citing a variety of benefits they are already seeing. “Cloud is a big advantage for us,” says Marianne Petillo, president and CEO at ROM Reinsurance. “When you move to the cloud, you don’t have to worry about upgrades or maintenance; that’s all done for you.”…

Grazed from ComputerWorld. Author: Sharon Gaudin.

Google made it clear today that it’s still going after enterprise users. After focusing much of its approximately two-and-a-half-hour-long Google I/O keynote on its Android platform and related devices, the company turned its attention to the enterprise with announcements about Google Docs and its cloud service. The changes represent something of a long play to pull in more business from large companies.

"It’s really a long-term thing," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research. "Microsoft Outlook is well-entrenched in almost all large businesses. Google is making a slow progression as an enterprise vendor, but there’s no doubt now about the company’s commitment to that business." Part of Google’s enterprise announcements today centered on Google Drive…