February 2nd, 2012
Retailers are now able to compete with other e-commerce giants.
The first ever all-channel commerce platform hosted through managed service was introduced at the 101st Annual Retail Convention and Expo. According to an article in Retail Solutions Online, this solution: Red Prairie Commerce Cloud, integrates several software modules on a single enterprise platform in the cloud. These applications include:
To further elaborate, Red Prairie Commerce Cloud connects global supply chain to the store network and online presence that will aid retailers in providing excellent customer experience, regardless of the touchpoint used such as web, mobile web, call center interface, interactive consumer products, etc.
Cloud technology has reached the retail industry as new quick, resourceful and adaptable commerce platforms are being offered to e-business professionals.
Find out what other new features that Red Prairie Commerce Cloud has in store for e-retailers, visit Retail Solutions Online.
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February 1st, 2012
Market confidence in SaaS-based Business Intelligence (BI) or analytics was validated in a Gartner Survey last quarter. An article in GigaOM shares how the results of this survey showed that there is a significant percentage of IT managers who have already switched to or planning to use SaaS-based BI the following year.
While some firms are still using on-premises options, increased presence of SaaS-based companies is undeniable. A supporting material on the continued rise in the valuations of this new technology was also made reference to in the article.
Some SaaS-Based BI firms cited were:
Simply put, the cloud-based BI offers a more cost-efficient, faster and easier to implement solution.
To read the rest of the article and see how the author compares on-premises and SaaS-based BI, visit GigaOM.
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January 31st, 2012
The first step to a successful Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) implementation is understanding the delivery model. Generally, this is the conflict that federal managers encounter, according to a new white paper by NJVC and Virtual Global as cited in an article in Government Computer News.
As Federal CIO Van Roekel identified that PaaS is the next major value set for federal cloud computing, it is but logical for private companies and organizations to follow.
“The first wave of cloud computing is about consolidating data centers, the PaaS wave is about consolidating applications,” as quoted from Cary Landis, co-author of the white paper and Virtual Global Senior platform architect and founder; and further adds that it may be more complex but savings will be greater.
Using a common security model, the PaaS will allow agencies to:
Read the full article at GCN.com and see how the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines PaaS and how this next wave will help in cost reduction of organization expenses.
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January 30th, 2012
Tech analyst, Jeff Kagan shares his thoughts through his article in Ecommerce Times on the wave of cloud presence industry after industry. He expressed that moving to the cloud is an inevitable transformation among companies in almost all industries, and as these companies are slowly “dipping their toes in the water”, the rule book is being written and the only options are either to lead or follow.
In extracting the wisdom out of this article, he itemizes some industries whose cloud-based technologies have started to take off:
The author further elaborates on how each industry will transform the business processes of each industry using the cloud. Read the full article and see the author’s broadened outlook on the cloud in Ecommerce Times.
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January 27th, 2012
Cloud Computing in a Much Wider Scale
Two years ago, the Energy Department had started a project to determine the feasibility of cloud computing for the kinds of CPU-intensive processing jobs done by national labs.
The project, named Magellan, is a collaboration of Argonne and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. They have recently released the results:
Inspite of these challenges, researchers still concluded that the cloud is well-suited for certain types of scientific applications. In a survey conducted to DOE users, it was discovered that majority stil preferred the cloud and were willing to accept performance tradeoffs. Their attraction to the cloud were attributed to:
At the moment, researchers are inclined to combining the flexibility of the cloud models with the performance of HPC systems.
Visit Information Week to view the full article and see a more comprehensive set of results on the project.
Virtual Desktops are Catching Up
The promotion of the cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and the pace of its adoption by SMBs is picking up. Speculators are then led to think that this might be the start of desktop’s obsolescence.
An article in IT Business Edge tackles the tremendous shift to the cloud and how much easier and cost-effective it has been especially delivery of data to notepads, smart phones and the like.
Read the well-cited opinion of the author in IT Business Edge and see how he came to the conclusions that in the future, there will be changes but it will not be abrupt.
Should Significant Budget be Appropriated to the Cloud?
An article in PC World takes notice of the creation of hybrid systems of companies due to its see-saw nature of internal-external service requirements.
Cited results from IDC indicated that the global revenue for cloud services will increase to $55B in 2014, or a compound annual growth rate of 27.4%. CFOs must now strategize on how to keep their systems stabilized.
The key is to adopt an approach that will be able to adopt to a requirement as needed. The article mentions several points that will help them with decision-making:
See what else C-level executives should think of to be able to come up with the necessary steps to properly allocate funds to cloud services.
Cloud in a Different Light
As continuation to the previous entry, an article in CFO World helps readers understand how CFOs should look at cloud implementation in terms of maximizing IT productivity.
Sadagopan Singam, Global Vice President, Cloud Computing of HCL Technologies, stressed key points on how to look at the cloud and the value it brings to an organization. According to him, it might pose some challenges on the onset, but what should be really considered are the long-term benefits 2-3 years after the initial implementation. He said that organizations view cloud computing technology as the mean’s to provide immediate and sustainable cost benefits to drive bottom line improvements.
This is the first of a 2-part blog and is a good read to clear out some cloud myths. Read the full material and be updated on the second installment at CFO World.
Cloud Security Alliance
In an entry in Technet by Tim Rains, director of Trustworthy Computing, the security segment of cloud computing was focused on.
Aided by a short interview clip with the founder and Executive Director of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), Jim Reavis, he inquired what the bigest challenge that cloud is facing these days.
According to Reavis, the compliance issue and how meeting the regulatory requirements greatly afects the decision of companies’ adoption of the cloud might be the main concern. This is in great part related to security, and these are the kinds of concerns that they work on in order to alleviate problems that hinder cloud adoption.
Partnered with CSA in this initiative is Microsoft. Similar to CSA, there are also other groups that promote cloud computing and they work together to create guidance, educations and the best practices in security-relation areas of cloud computing:
Visit Technet to watch the video and read the full article on Cloud Computing Security.
The Cloud Spells High Stocks
A short but meaningful entry in Wall Street Pit has revealed the increase of leading cloud computing stocks in the market. These include:
This means that the cloud computing market is becoming a good investment since a large portion of the market has started to have confidence in the technology.
Check the results in Wall Street Pit and see the dramatic increase of cloud computing stocks.
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January 26th, 2012
The cloud is definitely opening up endless possibilities for innovations in the automotive industry. An article in Cloud Business Review looks at the current and future technological advancements that car manufacturers have done with the use of the cloud, to enhance driving experience:
Additions such as remote-controlled heating and cooling prior to boarding, enhanced GPS and a heart rate monitor, are only some of the exciting features that the industry has in store for motorists. This is only the beginning, and in 4-5 years time, car applications beyond infotainment will begin to be introduced to the market.
Which of the car manufacturers have already started on cloud-based applications? Visit Cloud Business Review to read the full article and find out the next car innovation these manufacturers will launch.
Be Part of Our Cloud Conversation
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January 25th, 2012
This year, the Australian Open, one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, is taken to the private cloud.
IBM, the tournament’s official technology partner, has developed a global cloud computing system that will enable uninterrupted access to content by millions of viewers around the globe.
The private cloud allows continuous flow of real-time data and with its flexible characteristic, it can easily scale the unpredictable and erratic data demand of fans. One of the highlighted features is the enhanced IBM Slamtracker, a tool that provides analytics to examine more than 39 million data points from seven years of Grand Slam tournaments – all of which may also be accessed though iPhone and android smartphone applications.
The aim of the event organizer, Tennis Australia, is to give a connected experience for the tournament. According to Samir Mahil, CIO of Tennis Australia, the private cloud solution will be able to instantly provide quality data even during the peak times of the competition. In addition to that, Sarah Cole, the IBM project lead, said that the Australian Open is known to be one of the most sophisticated spectator sports in the world, and is greatly attributed to its successful adoption of technology innovation.
To read the full news and get updates about Australian Open’s cloud adoption, visit Delimeter.
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January 24th, 2012
As wave after wave of organizations have started to fully embrace the cloud, they are also starting to realize that, like all things, it comes with unavoidable complexities; more particularly, in the aspect of management
More often than not, the cause for the unsatisfactory or even failed result of cloud adoption is the impulsive dive without carefully considering the technical implications within and after the process. Two separate articles raise very crucial points that need to be considered in an organization’s migration process to the cloud.
The first was based on an article about the five key tips to cloud migration. In summary, the organizations need to asses their needs and determine which type of cloud service should be obtained. As a guide, businesses need to ask leading questions like:
Another important factor is discussed in an article in IT Business Edge, that while cloud has its complexities, organizations already need to consider as many policy issues as possible. The objective of this article is to communicate that IT personnel also need to be motivated to efficiently implement cloud adoption in their respective organizations.
The bottom line is, businesses need to have the mindset that the cloud is just a means to an end, and not the end in itself – meaning, it is but another tool that can be used to make systems more efficient. Organizations, especially their IT people, still need to keep their business objectives in mind.
Read more about the identification of issues in cloud migration and the recommendations on how to address these issues in Appreciating the Complexities of Cloud Computing. Also, take a more comprehensive look at the important drivers to adoption in Cloud Migration: Five Key Tips.
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January 23rd, 2012
While cloud adoption by SMB’s is rampantly increasing, the market has responded rather quickly. This year, there have already been several companies that offer Platform as a Service and those that were set-up to manage big data.
A series of entries in Cloudtweaks reported these promising start-ups that will strengthen the value of cloud services this year and in the years to come.
Some PaaS start-ups mentioned were:
For further data on these companies, you may visit the entry here.
Start-up companies that offer organization and management services related to big data have also been identified:
Read more about these big data management firms and how they can help you analyze data that you can use to your firm’s development, visit Cloudtweaks now.
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January 20th, 2012
Cloud Expansion is Good, But People Still Need to Ask and Tell “Why”
Technology allows innovation and improvement, and now that companies have been largely subjected to “cloudwashing”, C-level executives might have overlooked the true purpose of the cloud.
An article in sys-con media talks about the deployment of cloud-for-cloud’s-sake instead of truly using the solution to plan for the future.
This is a point of concern, the author views the high level mindset to be looking at new technology as beautiful new carts with exceptional quality of its components. The IT mindset, according to the author, instead sees new technology as the horse that powers whatever cart the company wants to pull.
Basically, this article encourages corporations to entertain the “why” before deploying any new system. Read the full version of this article at sys-con media.
Legal Concerns on the Cloud
The Oregon State Bar has responded to the going legal concern on the extremely fast growing of cloud computing. Last December 2011, the state ethics committee released the Oregon Rules of Professional Responsibility of Competence and Confidentiality, which lawyers need to strictly comply to.
The objective of the directives is to ensure confidentiality and security of materials being expressed through:
It was explained that though third party vendors have their own security measures, the organization’s regulations will allow for flexibility to protect data and withstand the test of time should the vendor’s security become obsolete.
Visit the Daily Record to read the comprehensive article about the policies. This will also provide information on which ethics committees have made the necessary move to further protect data.
FedRAMP Watch
In the continued enforcing of the agency-wide standardization of cloud computing security requirements, the Federal CIO Council has released more that 150 new controls in new categories.
Aside from the on-going risk assessments and continuous monitoring, the council believes that these regulations will help in the implementation of FedRAMP. These standards were curated from a joint feedback from those in the industry and government. Some categories covered by the policy are:
Read the full article in the Information Week and see the rest of the categories that are included in the list of requirements.
Better Opportunities With the Cloud
A video posted in Huffington Post entitled Portraits of a Smarter Planet shows Lauren States, VP for Cloud Computing at IBM, as she discusses how much cloud computing has helped businesses.
She mainly stressed on the cost savings from maintenance that allows a business to use those funds to increase profitability. Some instances given were:
This short video shows that technology truly allows new ideas to flourish. To watch the full video, click here.
Useful Cloud Applications
A basic but very helpful article in Host Review revisits the various applications that can be used in the cloud. As we all know, cloud computing can be applied to almost all spheres of business activities that delivers great value.
Here are some applications and uses of the cloud:
Any industry whether IT, finance or even service can surely have at least one application that wil get much benefit from the cloud.
To read the full article, visit the site.
Encryption As A Service
An article in savidtech.com was written in reference to Gartner’s prediction that 1,000 companies will store customer data in the public cloud this year, which attributes a 50% increase. It discussed how cloud encryption or Encryption as a Service (EaaS) is being used by more global firms to enable them to leverage on the public cloud.
The author gave an overview of the EaaS:
Learn more on cloud encryption and how it helps companies secure sensitive data. Visit Savidtech now.
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