The need for storage to work with existing enterprise applications in public and private clouds, along with hybrid cloud environments, has been a gating factor for adoption.
In his session at the 13th International Cloud Expo®, Anand Babu Periasamy, Co-Founder and CTO at Gluster, will discuss best practices for developing scale-out storage that works in all cloud environments, touching on subjects such as how to determine the right cloud deployment mode, as well as how to pick a service provider that meets each organization’s specific needs. He will also discuss how leveraging an open source approach can allow enterprises to deploy exactly what they need to roll out new services and increase company margins.
Monthly Archives: October 2013
Gartner’s Trends for 2014 – The Hybrid Cloud & the Role of IT
A few weeks ago, Gartner shared its list of top 10 technology trends for 2014, including among its expectations one entitled: “Hybrid cloud and IT as Service Broker.” This prediction speaks to what Gartner views as the necessity of the hybrid cloud – a mix of private cloud combined with external public cloud services – along with the role of IT evolving to include that of Cloud Service Broker.
The notion of IT serving as Cloud Service Broker means IT going beyond its traditional services to making strategic decisions on cloud adoption, particularly as cloud-bursting (outgrowing private cloud) becomes necessary for more enterprises. IT departments will be leading the customization and integration of their enterprise’s cloud expansion, regardless of where a cloud application resides.
Anne Altman: Open Standards Key to Cloud Collaboration
IBM Federal General Manager Anne Altman pens an op-ed on how governments looking to adopt new communication technologies for public service should make sure they are buying products that are modular.
Governments looking to adopt new communication technologies for public service should make sure they are buying products that are modular, scalable and widely compatible, IBM Federal General Manager Anne Altman writes for Federal Times.
Altman cautioned agencies against purchasing “dead end” software that could potentially end collaboration between federal agencies instead of encouraging it.
She noted that early adoption into cloud environments may be forcing some enterprises into using “proprietary, closed and often more expensive methods of computing.”
Having open standards is one way forward, according to Altman.
Anne Altman: Open Standards Key to Cloud Collaboration
IBM Federal General Manager Anne Altman pens an op-ed on how governments looking to adopt new communication technologies for public service should make sure they are buying products that are modular.
Governments looking to adopt new communication technologies for public service should make sure they are buying products that are modular, scalable and widely compatible, IBM Federal General Manager Anne Altman writes for Federal Times.
Altman cautioned agencies against purchasing “dead end” software that could potentially end collaboration between federal agencies instead of encouraging it.
She noted that early adoption into cloud environments may be forcing some enterprises into using “proprietary, closed and often more expensive methods of computing.”
Having open standards is one way forward, according to Altman.
Embracing the New Enterprise IT: Cloud Databases
As infrastructure has grown and mainstream database vendors have tweaked the cloud service model to apply to their own niche, cloud database technology has become an increasingly possible alternative to on-premises databases. Cloud database services offer many of the same benefits of other cloud services: Reduced in-house maintenance and patching, increased free time for IT staff and database administrators, and outsourced 24/7 data management and recovery.
Cloud databases operate similarly to other cloud offerings. The host owns the servers and databases, and rents databases to enterprises, which can purchase as much or as little space as they need. The underlying maintenance, upgrading and security monitoring are performed by the host, freeing up in-house personnel from time-intensive maintenance.
IBM Launches Federal Cloud Innovation Center in D.C.
Cloud computing’s profile just took a leap in the polls.
IBM announced the opening of a new Federal Cloud Innovation Center dedicated to helping federal agencies and other public-sector organizations advance the adoption of cloud computing across the government.
The new IBM Federal Cloud Innovation Center in Washington, D.C., will bring IBM’s cloud computing research efforts closer to federal agencies to develop specialized technologies and methods for building mission-ready clouds, Big Blue officials said. Moreover, the IBM center will draw on the cloud computing expertise of more than 500 IBM professionals aligned to the center along with IBM’s global network of more than 37,000 cloud industry experts, according to an article on eWEEK.com.
Cloud Expo Silicon Valley: Getting Started with OpenStack
This getting-started session is for any developer (beginner or intermediate) who wants to build and run a web app on OpenStack.
In his session at the 13th International Cloud Expo®, Dave Nielsen, Co-Founder of CloudCamp & Founder & Principal Consultant at Platform D LLC, will demonstrate how to use Compute, Block Storage and Object Storage (also known as Nova, Swift & Cinder). He will briefly review the basic OpenStack architecture and walk through the steps to deploy a LAMP Stack-based web application on HP’s OpenStack-based Public Cloud.
Lessons of the Healthcare.gov Fiasco
Fundamentally, Agile requires a rethink of the organizational aspects of planning, delivering, testing, and managing any IT project. The entire effort must be tackled iteratively. Stakeholders should be involved at every step. Testing must take place in every iteration, in order to lessen the testing burden as the initiative approaches delivery.
First, we allow a fanatical right wing minority to shut down our entire government because they didn’t want American citizens to get affordable healthcare – even though most other developed countries consider healthcare a right rather than a privilege. We finally resolve the shutdown (at least temporarily) only to find that the centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) rollout – the Healthcare.gov Web site – suffered from severe flaws. Seriously, can’t we get anything right?
Cloud Expo Silicon Valley: Paving the Way to Hybrid Cloud Services
Customers are getting more receptive to offloading the secondary IT process to the cloud – hybrid and public.
In his session at the 13th International Cloud Expo®, Murali Nambiar, Sr. Product Manager for Backup and DR Products at InMage, will cover the services that are most sought after and ways of delivering these to customers and partners.
Murali Nambiar is Sr. Product Manager for Backup and DR Products at InMage. Prior to joining InMage he was an Architect at Soapstone Networks, and a Distinguished Technologist at Quark Media and Defense Research Labs, DLRL. Murali is pursuing a masters at WGU and has Bachelor’s in Electronics and Telecommunications from IETE, New Delhi.
SaaS Growth Strategy | A Customer Lifecycle Approach
Driving sustainable growth is a challenge for every SaaS business from startups to public companies. In the beginning, the SaaS recurring revenue model seems like a dream compared to the revenue fits and starts of licensed enterprise software. But within one short customer lifetime, every SaaS CEO startles awake to the fact that the churn monster is always looking over your shoulder.
In the short run, SaaS growth scales with customer acquisition, but in the long run churn kicks in and dominates even the most aggressive SaaS growth strategy, creating a SaaS growth ceiling that can be incredibly difficult to break through. SaaS churn naturally scales with the size of your customer base making it negatively viral. Overcoming churn and breaking through the SaaS growth ceiling requires a relentless focus on growth that pushes every available SaaS growth lever.