GMO Cloud

SMB: Are You Part of the 40% That Have Adopted Cloud Technology?

Small businesses are adopting new technologies such as virtualization, cloud computing and mobility with objectives of disaster preparedness in mind. This was derived from a VMBlog article on the results of Symantec’s 2012 Disaster Preparedness Survey; having 2,053 organizations with majority of respondents belonging to the C-level and senior management bracket.

Based on three major highlights of the survey, here are some findings:

• 34% currently deploying or already benefiting from server virtualization
• 40%/43% deploying public/private clouds
• 71% say their disaster preparedness improved with virtualization

Steve Cullen, SVP of worldwide marketing for SMB and cloud at Symantec says that SMBs are very much open to new technologies because it gives them an opportunity to have a competitive edge and allows them to recover from a disaster without compromising information.

The article also pointed out some recommended action plans on disaster preparedness, visit VMBlog to read them now.

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Friday Cloud News Roundup

Cloud Slam 2012

The largest cloud computing event, Cloud Slam, will be held on May 30 – June 1, 2012 in San Francisco.

The event, having become the de facto global aggregation point for thought cloud leadership, will be backed by the world’s largest cloud computing community on LinkedIn.

Cloud Slam will feature the latest trends and innovations in the cloud computing industry. For more details and to register, visit TheWHIR.

Important Insights From Interop

An article in PCWorld talks about how large trade shows can confuse attendees and how the participation of numerous vendors can be overwhelming. In turn, the article lists down five key insights that company CIOs should be aware of. Here are some extracted points from these insights:

• Key standards on interoperability have been ironed out
• Security must be baked into cloud infrastructures
• Cloud computing is slowly becoming the norm
• There is a growing need for network visibility

The bottom line is that interoperability is again becoming an obstacle and CIOs need to take steps in addressing this issue. Visit PC World to read the full article and find out what these key takeaways are.

Cloud Applications Deep Dive Report

An entry in Infoworld shares a link where service providers can download a report giving a set of criteria in launching a cloud service.

Here are some questions the report aims to answer:

• Are you ready for cloud business?
• How do you establish a compelling business case?
• How do you create successful cloud services?

Visit Infoworld to read the whole article and download the report.

Cloud-based “Imp” to Automate Homes

Company Electric Imp, has announced its product, “The Imp”, a chip with a processor and wifi capability that can be installed into home appliances and controlled remotely from any internet-enabled device.

This release was published in the website, Red Orbit and also announced that the product will become available in late June.

Aside from the obvious breakthrough technology, there are other benefits that this product offers. Visit Red Orbit to read further and find out what these benefits are.

Android Apps for Cloud Administration

Tech writer, Eric Geier writes in an article in IT World his list of five recommended android applications for cloud administration. Here are some of them:

• AWS Console
• Decaf Amazon EC2 Client
• Connectbot

These tools provide a simple, administrative interface that allows basic control functions such as create, start, stop, etc. – at the very least.

Visit IT World to look at the other applications and see how having these apps is advantageous for cloud administrators.

Facebook IPO Opens

It is not official yet, but Facebook IPO is said to open at $38 per share. According to an article in Sys-Con, this price will value Facebook at a record of $104B for an IPO.

The IPO price will be set once the stock market close and it files papers with the SEC.

Visit Sys-Con to read the full news article.

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Cloud Adoption by the Legal Community

The legal field is a very sensitive industry because of the large amounts of highly confidential data that it holds; it is also for this reason that makes this industry gain benefit from cloud-based storage services.

A news article in Thomson Reuters shares the progress of the legal community in adopting cloud technology. Citing some results from a 2011 survey conducted by The American Lawyer, an integrated media company, it showed that:

• About 65% of major law firms use the cloud-based
• 47% of firms are using cloud more in 2011 vs 2010
• 61% still have security concerns

The question is, “How do you make data accessible to lawyers without making it too accessible?”

As a response, bar associations in some states have issued guidelines for lawyers on how to use the cloud. The American Bar Association (ABA) has also proposed to change the Model Rules of Professional Conduct to impose responsibility to lawyers in understanding how information stored in the cloud is kept safe.

Read the full news article in Thomson Reuters and see what steps lawyers are taking in ensuring that data are secure, see also what present challenges they face in the cloud age.

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Automated Access Management Systems in Cloud Environment

The rapid increase of cloud adoption by companies consequently paved the way for the BYOD phenomenon (Bring Your Own Device).

An article in CIO observes the need for automated identity access management (IAM) as access to data becomes more complex and moves beyond the traditional security perimeter that companies have grown accustomed to.

Here are some takeaways from the article:

• Organizations need a more secure access to sensitive information
• There is a need for greater control over access to applications
• IAM’s need to focus on identity life cycles and access controls

Challenges on access management has caused vendors to evolve and deliver IAM systems on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) basis. Read the complete article on CIO and see why there is a growing need for automating these systems as cloud adoption proliferates.

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IT in the Cloud Era: Empowering Innovation

Author and independent analyst, Joe McKendrick shares in his blog in ZDNet his thoughts on IT’s role in the cloud era.

This blog was heavily influenced by a couple of references; one is an article written by Dr. Irving Wladawsky Berger – who helped transform IBM to an internet systems giant – about how he sees cloud as the third great shift in computing within 50+ years of IT existence following:

• First: Centralized computing
• Second: Client/server computing

Furthermore, he sees the cloud as an unavoidable occurrence as it is needed to integrate and manage the huge numbers of end users and devices that are globally becoming widespread.

Another source is from a survey conducted by CA Technologies, which showed that most IT executives agree that cloud computing allowed them to focus on business strategy and innovation.

It is with these references that the author has concluded how IT needs to be the enabler of innovation and at the same time offer the most value to businesses without compromising quality and costs.

Read the full article on ZDNet and find out more insights about how IT can greatly contribute to the planning and creation of strategy that will aid businesses in moving forward.

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