November 22nd, 2011
As cloud computing becomes more the norm for operational processes in many businesses, it has begun to replace IT in the same way that IT replaced mainframe computing. But many businesses don’t actually understand just what cloud computing is and how it is different from using IT in more ways than cost or simple structure.
In this article from the Cloudscaling blog by award-winning writer Randy Bias, he talks about not only what cloud computing is, but what it isn’t. Contrary to what you may have heard elsewhere, it is not simply virtualization, outsourcing or even a pay-as-you-go business model, although it can include all of these concepts.
Some of the points he makes in this presentation include:
While most businesses are aware of the changes in the IT landscape with the advent of cloud computing, few truly grasp the enormity of the change. Randy Bias’s presentation of the move from IT to Enterprise to Cloud gives a clear vision of where we are now, and where we want to be in the future. For a more detailed explanation of that progression, read The Evolution of IT Towards Cloud Computing.
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November 21st, 2011
It used to be that to start a business you needed serious capital for things like computers, servers and software. But virtual servers in the cloud can deliver to new start-ups software, customers and more. Learn how some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs and smart new companies have unleashed disruptive technologies, services and processes to grow their businesses using virtual servers and the cloud.
Next week will see the meeting of many of these free thinkers at Cloudbeat 2011, a business expo for smart business owners to see examples and case studies of real solutions to many of the cloud business concepts for today. Included at the show will be discussions by:
There will be plenty to see and hear so to learn more, be sure to check out more about the event.
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November 18th, 2011
Investors Recognize Cloud Trends and Opportunities
GigaOm takes a look at a recent Peachtree Capital Advisors survey about technology investing. While it is no real surprise to see that enterprise software is on the wane and cloud technology along with mobility lead the list, how the numbers add up and just who is looking at investing may surprise you.
Once you look past the top tier cloud solution providers, there are secondary cloud tools that can assist businesses when it comes to cloud application migration, monitoring and automation. Tech writer Bill Claybrook takes a look at several tool categories and the benefits that come with them.
Although the cloud is touted as a cost-saver, it isn’t without some sacrifices. One of those is often security, as many businesses try to shortcut the security costs of moving to the cloud. TechNewsWorld takes a look at ways to use what is already in place to ensure that security doesn’t get left out of the budget when that cloud migration does happen.
A recent survey of SMBs showed that small and midsize businesses of all kinds are moving to the cloud in unprecedented numbers. Nearly half of all companies surveyed said they were currently using cloud services to some extent and IT budgets continued to grow from last year’s survey numbers.
How Small Businesses Gain from Cloud Hosting
Cloud computing and cloud hosting sometimes seem to be all about making large businesses more proficient. But small businesses are actually the big winners when it comes to cloud hosting gains. Web Hosting Review gives a list of some of the software systems and architectural models that a small business can use profitably by utilizing a cloud hosting solution.
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November 17th, 2011
ConnectEdu is a web-based education business that empowers its students to manage their education. Because the education industry is seasonal, they wanted a solution that would be flexible and allow them to scale up or down resources as needed.
They decided on cloud computing because it was more cost effective and would allow upgrades and a move from development to test and Q&A with ease.
They implemented the change with a strategy that saved them upfront costs on applications and decreased their internal IT expenses by 80%. The basics of the plan were:
Rick Blaisdell outlines the basics of his plan, with a link to more specific information, in this blog that tells why he chose to use cloud computing and how it helped his business grow. For a closer look at the steps to implement a cloud computing system onto his education-based web business, read Blaisdell’s recent article.
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November 16th, 2011
For any companies that are looking at cloud hosting as one cloud-based solution to their business needs, the first big question always seems to be whether to go with a multi-tenancy public cloud solution. Many of the larger enterprise companies are taking the path of a private cloud solution, but it isn’t the solution for everyone.
One of the elements that many companies are questioning is the security aspects of a multi-tenancy cloud server. There has been plenty of talk on the web about whether the problems outweigh the answers. But do you even know what multi-tenancy is and what the questions are concerning security? This article takes a look at both a simple definition of how this particular type of cloud hosting works and the situations where going that route makes sense.
There are questions you can ask to get clarification from a host server on what security they offer such as:
For a full list of questions as well as a few links to some more detailed overviews of the security questions, please continue reading at Simon Withers’ blog.
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November 15th, 2011
As we move into the mobile age and the rise of cloud hosting, more businesses are discovering that in addition to a traditional website, they need to create a mobile site for all those tablet and smartphone customers. Mobile marketing is now an integral part of any business plan, but conceiving it and delivering it are two different skills. Creating a mobile website is much more complex than a traditional website, as many have discovered after the work has begun.
Linda Mentzer looks at the twelve basics when designing and marketing your mobile website. Even if you think you understand cloud hosting and mobile marketing, you may want to take a look at her article for a checklist before you begin.
A few of the basics tips include:
These and other tips are all great ways to look at how mobile websites can become a big part of your next marketing campaign. Learn how to implement these and other tips into your next strategy planning session by reading more at Web Host Industry Review.
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Photo credit: Dru Bloomfield via Flickr
November 14th, 2011
With cloud computing and virtualization leading the pack of technologies, it is no surprise that the top ten list from Quest Software shows they are predicting cloud computing solutions to make enormous changes in how we do business over the upcoming year. The emergence of cloud-based solutions for a wide variety of business applications has threatened to change not just the IT side of business, but also the whole way we look at doing business today.
Among the technologies for communications, security, operations and systems management that Quest sees being affected by the wider scale adaption of cloud computing, the following are included:
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how cloud computing will be affecting all businesses, but especially SMBs in the coming year. For a look at the complete top ten list, be sure to read Michelle Hammond’s full list at StartupSmart.
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November 11th, 2011
Considering a Move to Private Cloud?
When the talk comes up of private clouds, do you know what really constitutes a private cloud and how to make a good decision about them? There are many companies that think they can throw a few data servers into a center and call it a private cloud. Not so fast, say Chris Greendale and Bruce Coughlin of Cloud Technology Partners. Here is a chance to sit in on a discussion they have with Information Week on what to avoid when making the move to a private cloud.
Can You Recover from a Virtual Disaster Quickly?
Everyone talks about security in the cloud, but if the unthinkable were to happen to your cloud servers, are you ready? Virtual private-cloud disaster recovery is becoming big business these days, and for a good reason. If you are considering moving into the cloud, this is one aspect of it that needs to be part of the plan. Velocity just announced that it is expanding its managed application services to include a higher-level disaster recovery and business continuity solution. For a look at this latest offering and if it might be a good fit as part of your cloud plans, check out the latest release on their new security package.
There have been rumors for months now, but Adobe finally made it official this week when it announced that it will not be continuing to develop the flash player plug-in for mobile devices. Flash has been used for movies, video games and other media on a variety of devices but the emergence of HTML5, along with Apple’s decision to bar it from iPhones and iPads may have been the death knell for the plug-in. Developers will continue to be able to get support, but no new development work will be done.
Could 2012 Be the Big Year for Cloud Computing?
With the year drawing to a close, we are already seeing some predictions for where the cloud is going in 2012. ZDNet’s Larry Dignan shares some information on recent trends that point towards enterprise size businesses being the next big migration to the cloud. Is cloud computing recession proof and is Oracle’s purchase of RightNow a sign of things to come?
Open Virtualization Alliance Welcomes eG Innovations
Created as a non-profit consortium of businesses to foster the adaptation of open virtualization technology, OVA recently announced it’s expansion with the addition of service performance management solutions company eG Innovations to its fold. OVA’s stated goal of providing education, best practices and technical advice to businesses for evaluating virtualization options fits well with eG’s role as a provider of intelligent solutions for physical, virtualized and cloud environments.
Vidyo Announces Video Conferencing for the Cloud
Vidyo this week announced a move away from routers and into the cloud with the rollout of an all-software version of its popular video conferencing appliance. This move away from a hardware-centric to a software-centric application is just one more illustration of business moving to the cloud. The company is hoping to continue its trend of offering less expensive solutions to video conferencing by including collaboration as part of the video conferencing tool.
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November 11th, 2011
It’s been an amazing week in Silicon Valley at Cloud Expo 2011! This 9th annual event hosted four days of highly informative cloud computing keynotes and sessions at the conference. While many focused on overall Enterprise IT needs, including private and hybrid cloud, attendees seemed just as enthusiastic about deeper topics in the areas of migration, virtualization, security, storage and mobile cloud strategy. Businesses and attendees have come in from all over the world.
The cloud expo show floor had over 100 booths from cloud hosting, cloud computing and every form of cloud platform (PaaS) and infrastructure (IaaS) software and solutions that you can imagine. Technical representatives pitched their products and services with slick presentations and demos.
We experienced a great deal of energy moving through the conference sessions and the exhibition floor. People were highly engaged talking all things cloud. Everyone that we met expressed extreme value in the event — gaining the latest expert information and advice from industry leaders while making business contacts from a broad spectrum of IT professionals from network engineers and enterprise architects up to CIOs, CTOs and CEOs.
Our own GMO Cloud teams, from both US and Japan, thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with partners and other vendors. GMO Cloud K.K. President and CEO Aoyama Mitsuri and GMO Cloud America President and CEO Ryo Tamura especially appreciated the opportunity to meet with OnApp CEO Ditlev Bredahl. OnApp is GMO Cloud America’s latest technical partner. “We’ve been quite impressed with the growth of OnApp and their cloud deployment products. We’re really looking forward to the partnership.” shared GMO Cloud America CTO Taro Akiyama.
We hope you had an opportunity to attend the conference or tune in to some of the live streamed sessions. We’re already looking forward to next year!
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November 10th, 2011
Real estate is a cut-throat business that turns on a dime and needs every penny it can keep. That is why so many real estate brokerage firms are now looking at cloud hosting as the latest tool to help the bottom line and improve reach out to potential clients. With the precarious state of the industry today, many firms are turning to cloud hosting solutions to improve their flexibility and cut costs, but how to start? It helps to know the best approach for this industry in specific.
The kinds of elements that this article looks at when moving a real estate brokerage firm to the clouds include:
There are many more advantages besides these, which this article lays out in detail, along with stepped phases to implement the move, listing of resources and links for anyone considering presenting the argument of moving to cloud hosting to the decision makers in their firm. Get all the facts you need here.
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