Category: News

Grazed from GigaOM.  Author: Editorial Staff.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is as old as virtualization technology. VMware announced VDI alliance way back in 2006. While IaaS, PaaS and SaaS became synonymous with cloud, it took a long time for desktops to show up there. VDI has always been confined to the data center or at most to an MSP-owned infrastructure. But that seems to be changing fast with Amazon, VMware, Citrix and Microsoft battling it out to win the Desktop as a Service or DaaS war.

It all started with AWS announcing Amazon WorkSpaces at its annual re:Invent conference last year. Although it has a long way to go in terms of feature set, Amazon should be credited for bringing desktops to the public cloud. Having strengthened the end-user computing group with the new leadership team, VMware was quick to announce Horizon DaaS on its vCHS platform a week before the general availability of Amazon WorkSpaces. Armed with Desktone and Airwatch acquisitions, VMware is aiming to make a mark in this segment…

Grazed from CloudComputingPath.  Author: Pravin

Only a year after the launch of its Global Certification Program, Amazon now ups the ante and offers exams at the professional level followed by appropriate certification for professionals to add extra qualifications.

As it stands the Global Certification Program covers topics related to deploying and managing applications on its AWS platform. Its AWS Certified Solutions Architect at the Associate Level includes design and development of applications. This is the first level to be introduced with the professional and master levels to follow. The program aims to be comprehensive covering all aspects of AWS operations. For instance, a solutions architect handles design of distributed applications…

Grazed from eWeek.  Author: Jeffrey Burt.

At Cisco Live, company executives unveil enhanced AMP offerings, new firewalls and the acquisition of ThreatGrid.  Amid Cisco Systems’ talk about collaboration and cloud computing, security emerged as a key subject at during the Cisco Live 2014 event this week.  The networking company at the show unveiled a range of new and enhanced security offerings—including enhancements to its Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) products—and announced it is buying malware analysis vendor ThreatGrid, the third security acquisition Cisco has made this year.

As Cisco continues its efforts to become an enterprise IT solutions provider, security will play a key role, according to CEO John Chambers. In an interview with Bloomberg, Chambers said that the network can provide security that no other part of the IT infrastructure can. That will only help Cisco in its security ambitions…

Grazed from GigaOM.  Author: Derrick Harris.

Large web companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon have been pushing the boundaries of IT for years, and now their problems — and solutions — are making their ways into the mainstream.  In less than a month, Gigaom will host its seventh annual Structure conference examining the future of computing. Looking back to the first event in 2008, it’s stark how much has changed.

The concepts of the day such as software as a service, cloud computing and big data have been validated and assimilated. The new discussions are around ever-evolving techniques and architectures for consuming them, and how to deliver them at ever-greater scales…

Grazed from TechNewsWorld.  Author: Jay Lyman.

Microsoft recently established a .Net foundation and open sourced substantial parts of the popular programming language, continuing to spread its newfound love for open source software. However, it’s another movement — devops — that may be more of a driving factor in Microsoft’s .Net move.  In establishing the independent .Net Foundation and making more key pieces of .Net open source, Microsoft was promoting collaboration and community, it said.

Many open source technologies exist for .Net, including the recently released .Net compiler platform codenamed "Roslyn."  Microsoft also highlighted the value and innovation that comes from broader community collaboration, even on its own developer tools and technologies, such as .Net…

Grazed from DataCenterKnowledge. Author: Yevgeniy Sverdlik.

As cloud computing permeates more and more of our lives, artists increasingly attempt to understand it and reflect it in their work. Earlier this month we highlighted a musical work by composer Matt Parker based on recordings of ambient noise he had collected inside a data center at Birmingham City University in Birmingham, England.

Another artist, Timo Arnal, has been fascinated with the visual aspects of data centers. He has produced a three-screen video installation, using material shot at Telefonica’s facility in Alcalá de Henares, Spain (just outside of Madrid). The installation is on display at Big Bang Data, an art exhibition that opened this month in Barcelona…

Grazed from InfoSecurity. Author: Editorial Staff.

In an oddly ironic endorsement of its “do it yourself” ethos, home improvement giant Lowe’s is notifying customers of a potential data compromise brought about via a third-party software vendor. Lowe’s had hired the vendor to provide a computer platform that stores compliance documentation and information about employees. Specifically, current and former drivers of Lowe’s vehicles could be affected, as well as current and former employees who access and administer the system.

The personal data in the system, which is called E-DriverFile, includes a raft of hot information, including names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers, sales IDs and other driving record information. In short, it’s essentially an identity fraud in-a-box kit…

Grazed from BizReport. Author: Kristina Knight.

The cloud is beckoning many more small and medium sized businesses to it. Plenty of space for files and data, easy access and security that still allows workers access when they are out of the office. But how do you know if the cloud – and cloud hosting partner – you’ve chosen is right?

Thinking about moving your business into the cloud? Plenty of small and medium sized businesses are pushing into the cloud, along with Fortune 500 brands; many are succeeding with the cloud but some are not. Here are ComputerSupport’s top 3 tips for SMBs moving into the cloud:..

Grazed from NYTimes. Author: Editorial Staff.

Hewlett-Packard, until recently the world’s largest technology company in terms of revenue, released tepid quarterly results on Thursday. They showed a once industry-leading computer maker continuing to limp along in a world increasingly defined by smartphones and cloud computing.

Over all, the company reported revenue of $27.3 billion, down slightly from a year earlier, though net earnings of $1.3 billion were up from $1.1 billion. The earnings met the expectations of analysts, who appeared to anticipate a spotty performance from the company, which also said it would be cutting thousands of jobs in the near term…

Grazed from ChannelPartnersOnline. Author: Matthew Toth.

In writing this, I understand that the general disdain with which the phrase “cloud computing" is treated with by IT professionals. It’s a word whose nebulous nature allows an unlimited number of definitions and henceforth, myriad solutions (infrastructure-as-a-service, disaster recovery-as-a-service and so on) carriers can claim the phrase as their own. Since this article will not define specific applications or solutions, the phrase suits the context of this article.

Technology continues to evolve at an exponential rate. Technology combines with more technology and it breeds … drumroll … more technology! So what does this mean for today’s organization that needs to stay on the cutting edge? It means that an organization needs to continually invest in the recruitment, training, retraining and retention of IT professionals…