Friday Cloud News Roundup
ZDNet Looks to the Year Ahead for Cloud Technology
While it is almost impossible to scan the net without tripping over a top ten list of what to expect in the coming year, ZDNet has often proven to be accurate in their predictions for technology. In this column, cloud technologist Joe McKendrick says that the next year will see big developments with more of everything including Big Data, larger and more data center power, even more when it comes to user power and lots of opportunities to use this expansion to create more cloud computing across business.
Cloud Convergence Council Expands its Mission and Name
In 2010 the Cloud Convergence Council was formed by the 2112 Group and Channel Partners Magazine to study cloud convergence of IT and telephony in the market. They recently made the decision to change the name of the organization to Cloud & Technology Transformation Alliance to reflect an expansion of its mission. For more information on what the new alliance will embrace, as well as where the organization sees this new mission leading them, read more here.
Independent Cloud Certification – Is It In the Works?
This week eWeek took a look at the development of independent cloud certification, something that has been discussed at length in the cloud computing industry for some time now. Because the business of cloud services is still relatively new, there is no real litmus test to give businesses an ability to find one that suits their needs. The best way to determine this is to bring in an independent company to test them.
But how secure is your company’s data in the cloud and how can you find out? Gartner is predicting that more businesses will use independent security testing to decide if a cloud service provider does a good enough job to be trusted with their data. But how that testing looks and even how to find a reliable security testing company continues to make the problem of certification a troublesome one for many businesses. For a closer look at how many business will make the leap to find the best possible cloud service provider, read more here.
Gartner sees Cloud Computing Top Story for 2012 in Technology
When it comes to keeping a pulse on the world of technology, Gartner is one research group that everyone pays attention to for information and trends. Looking at the technology trends for next year, the highly-respected research company looked at cloud computing and security as the two biggest trends to play a starring role in the economic climate for 2012.
They see channels in cloud computing as being avenues for opportunity for the forthcoming year and predicted that the security market, in particular when it comes to the cloud, will continue to be a focus for the next year. Bring your own device consumerism is a new trend that they see continuing to grow, along with the need for bigger and better data storage.
Cloud Based Call Centers Return to the US
Changes in the technology of cloud based call centers are now making it possible for many businesses to have call centers manned by operators working out of their home. 3CLogic, a leading cloud-based call center provider sees this leap in the cloud technology as a way to bring those jobs back from overseas.
They point to a reversal in the trend of outsourcing call centers to foreign countries and see this new technological ability as having a positive effect on the unemployment rate for the U.S. For a closer look at how this new approach to cloud based call centers may be impacting many SMBs, read more here.
Six Ways that Cloud Can Help SMBs
Although cloud computing is no longer a new concept, many smaller businesses still think that only larger enterprise companies can benefit from how cloud computing works. In the latest Fox Business report, Renee Schmidt from Madison Technology illustrates how SMBs in particular can benefit from the latest innovations that cloud computing has to offer. From a short lesson on cloud servers to checking out business tools in the cloud Schmidt shows many SMBs that one of the best things to come out of the cloud computing revolution is that it gives many smaller businesses a level playing field against their larger enterprise competitors.
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