Everyone is talking about the Cloud, whether on the news or in advertisements from top-tier tech companies, such as Microsoft, Google, and Apple. More important, the small and medium business (SMB) community has embraced the Cloud. Specifically, more than half of SMBs in the US currently use cloud storage, according to a new survey from Clutch.
Cloud storage’s increased popularity in the SMB market arises from the numerous benefits the service offers, such as the reduced cost of data storage, backup and recovery, improved workforce productivity from file sharing and collaboration, and additional disaster protection. These factors make cloud storage appealing to SMBs and will increase the rate of cloud storage service adoption in 2016.
Monthly Archives: January 2016
[slides] Security and Privacy “Due Diligence” in the Cloud By @MariaHorton | @CloudExpo #Cloud
The traditional, on-premise computing model has established processes, accreditations, certifications, governance and compliance rules – FISMA, NERC CIP, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, IRS 1075. While the security industry is aggressively addressing the technical security gaps in cloud-driven services, many organizations using cloud services are struggling to implement and adapt strategic processes, procedures, and controls for cloud governance and due diligence.
New Research Shows Surprising Stats on Cloud Adoption By @Gidrontxt | @CloudExpo #Cloud #DevOps
An interesting observation on enterprise IT from RightScale’s State of the Cloud report (2015) is that while 88% of enterprises are using the Cloud, a staggering 68% of enterprises run less than 20% of their application portfolios on the Cloud.
This seemingly contrasting data can be easily explained when looking at these digital transformation projects closely. The key to understanding it lies not in the Cloud technology itself nor in the application architectures for the most part, but rather in the processes for developing, updating and operating mission critical applications.
Apple to build new cloud infrastructure as Verizon sells off data centres – reports
Two US tech giants are heading in opposite directions regarding datacenters, according to a couple of recent reports
Local US news sources report that Apple has filed a permit with Washoe County in Nevada, to build a new cluster of data centre facilities near its original Reno site. The planning application for Apple’s new ‘Project Huckleberry’ involves the construction of the full shell of a new data centre, several data centre clusters and a support building. The new Huckleberry project will have essentially the same design as an earlier installation in Reno, dubbed Project Mills, according to Trevor Lloyd, senior planner for Washoe County Planning and Development’s Community Services.
Apple was first attracted to invest in the area in 2012 when it received an $89 million tax abatement incentive to locate in Reno Technology Park. Apple recently applied for permission to build a new substation to support further development as the existing site is reaching its capacity, according to Lloyd.
Permission for the site, based on past trends, should be granted by the end of January, according to Lloyd. Tax incentives for cloud infrastructure projects could make economic sense for regional development authorities given their long term impact, according to Mike Kazmierski, president of western Nevada’s Economic Development Authority. “When you put tens of hundreds of millions of dollars on a huge data centre project, you’re in it for the long haul,” said Kazmierksi.
Cloud service provider Rackspace is also planning to build a data centre at Reno Technology Park.
The demands that data centres make on the local community are minor in comparison to benefits that a cloud computing infrastructure brings to the community though economic investments – and owners of data centres should use this in negotiations, according to Kazmierski.
Meanwhile, a large stock of cloud infrastructure could come on the market as telco Verizon Communications reportedly began a process to sell its global estate of 48 data centres. According to insiders quoted by Reuters Verizon is aiming to raise over $2.5 billion and streamline its business. Currently the colocation portfolio generates $275 million in EBITDA.
Telcos such as AT&T, CenturyLink and Windstream have also divested themselves of their data centres businesses in recent years.
Smoothly Gliding from Public to On-Premise Cloud Services By @RajuChellaton | @CloudExpo #Cloud
A brilliant business often starts with an entrepreneur dreaming up a fantastic business idea. Most entrepreneurs at the beginning of their journeys are often strapped for cash, and according to a recent study, 95% of seed-stage founders thought it would either remain the same or get harder to raise money. Even access to Angel funds at the very start (idea stage) is generally uncommon.
Startups want to sprout their ideas fast, and the last thing they want is to spend their time and energy is to find the ground, dig the soil, remove the weeds before sowing the seed, and water it till the idea breathes life.
Software defined storage and security drive cloud growth, say studies
Data centre builders and cloud service developers are at loggerheads over their priorities, according to two new reports.
The explosive growth of modern data centres is being catalysed by new hyperconverged infrastructures and software defined storage, says one study. Meanwhile another claims that enthusiasm for cloud projects to run over this infrastructure is being suffocated by security fears.
A global study by ActualTech Media for Atlantis Computing suggests that a large majority of data centres are now using hyperconverged infrastructure (HCIS) and software defined storage (SDS) techniques in the race to built computing arenas. Of the 1,267 leaders quizzed in 53 countries, 71 per cent said they are using or considering HCIS and SDS to beef up their infrastructure. However, another study, conducted on behalf of hosting company Rackspace, found that security was the over riding concern among the parties who will use these facilities.
The Hyperconverged Infrastructure and Software-Defined Storage 2016 Survey proves there is much confusion and hype in these markets, according to Scott D. Lowe, a partner at ActualTech Media, who said there is not enough data about real-world usage available.
While 75 per cent of data centres surveyed use disk-based storage, only 44 per cent have long term plans for it in their infrastructure plans and 19 per cent will ditch it for HCIS or SDS. These decisions are motivated by the need for speed, convenience and money, according to the survey, with performance (72 per cent), high availability (68 per cent) and cost (68 per cent) as top requirements.
However, the developers of software seem to have a different set of priorities, according to the Anatomy of a Cloud Migration study conducted for Rackspace by market researcher Vanson Bourne. The verdict from this survey group – 500 business decision markers rather than technology builders – was that security will be the most important catalyst and can either speed or slow down cloud adoption.
Company security was the key consideration in the top three motives named by the survey group. The biggest identified threat the survey group wanted to eliminate was escalating IT costs, which 61 per cent of the group named. The next biggest threat they want to avert is downtime, with 50 per cent identifying a need for better resilience and disaster recovery from the cloud. Around a third (38 per cent) identified IT itself as a source of threats (such as viruses and denial of service) that they would want a cloud project to address.
“Cloud has long been associated with a loss of control over information,” said Rackspace’s Chief Security Officer Brian Kelly, “but businesses are now realising this is a misconception.”
Andy Monshaw Appointed Chairman of the Board at @OpenLegacy | @CloudExpo #Cloud
OpenLegacy announced that Andy Monshaw has been appointed as chairman of the board, effective immediately.
“We are thrilled that Andy has agreed to take on this leadership role,” said Romi Stein, OpenLegacy’s co-founder and CEO. “It is a great validation that he sees the vast business potential for our solution and believes in our capabilities to fulfill it. I am confident that with his guidance our brand and global presence will strengthen further.”
AWS launches Workmail with eye on Exchange defectors
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has put its Workmail email and calendaring service on general release. Priced at $4 a month it includes an Exchange migration tool to encourage defections by Microsoft customers. However, those with data sovereignty issues should be aware that the services are mostly being hosted in the US, with a solitary non US data centre in Eire.
After a year in preview, the service was announced on the blog of AWS chief evangelist Jeff Barr. The service, designed to work with existing desktops and mobile clients, has been strengthened since it emerged in preview form, with the new service offering greater security, ease of use and migration, Barr said. The system has an emphasis on mobility features, with location control and policies and actions for controlling mobile devices, along with regular security features such as encryption of stored data, message scanning for spam and virus protection.
The migration tool will make it easier for users to move away from Microsoft Exchange, according to Barr, which suggests that dissatisfied Exchange users could be the primary target market.
The $4 per user per month service comes with an allocation of 50GB of storage and will be run from AWS’ US data centres in Northern Virginia and Oregon (in the US), with a single data centre in Eire to service European customers. “You can choose the region where you want to store your mailboxes and be confident that the stored data will not leave the region,” wrote Barr.
Other features include a Key Management Service (KMS) for creating and managing the keys that are used to encrypt data at rest and Self Certifications, so that WorkMail users can show they have achieved various ISO certifications.
WorkMail will support clients running on OS X, including Apple Mail and Outlook. It will also support clients using the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol including iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Fire Phone, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry 10. AWS is also working on interoperability support to give users a single Global Address Book and to access calendar information across both environments. A 30-day free trial is available for up to 25 users.
How security will accelerate, not inhibit, cloud adoption in 2016
(c)iStock.com/alphaspirit
A study released by Rackspace and conducted by Vanson Bourne argues improving resilience and security remain in the top three motivations for businesses moving to the cloud in 2016.
The survey, which polled 500 UK IT and business decision makers, found reducing IT costs (61% of respondents) as the most popular reason for migration, ahead of resilience and disaster recovery (50%) and security (38%). While these reasons have long since been considered when companies move data to the cloud, according to Rackspace chief security officer Brian Kelly 2016 may represent a tipping point.
“Cloud has long been associated with a loss of control over information, but more and more businesses are now realising this is a misconception,” he said. “Organisations are increasingly seeing the cloud as a means to keeping their systems and information safe and in the year ahead security will be an accelerator, not an inhibitor, of cloud adoption.”
Part of this change is that security hurdles are becoming easier to clear. Only one in five (20%) respondents said they encountered problems meeting security and privacy requirements, while consulting expert advice reduced the chances of issues (17% compared to 26%). Yet overall security concerns pervade; in particular, businesses are worried about meeting security requirements (48%), losing control of data to a third party provider (39%), and cost of migration (39%) above others.
Interestingly, more than half of those polled (58%) said they moved business critical data over to the cloud first, either alone or at the same time as non-critical data. Meanwhile, companies using a third party supplier had fewer security concerns than those who went it alone.
“Many businesses do not have the expertise or budgets to combat a growing number of sophisticated cyber-attacks in house, but using the cloud – with the support of a team which is able to dedicate a large number of resources to security – will help to keep data safe at the fraction of the cost,” added Kelly.
The Seven Ps of High Performance Cloud Apps | @CloudExpo #Cloud
Say it with me… “Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor PaaS Performance.” I’m sure you have heard the original 7 Ps before. My version is a little different as I have decided to focus on the performance of platform as a service (PaaS). Hopefully this saying will help you remember some of my tips for building higher performance web apps.
The only way to measure the performance of your app is to plan ahead and identify key metrics that can help you gauge how your app is performing. CPU and memory usage are not enough. Identify potential bottlenecks and KPIs within your app and track their every movement. You can track them via statsd, mbeans, Windows performance counters, or other solutions. You can monitor key web requests and database queries via an application performance monitoring (APM) solution. Also don’t forget to have good logging and error tracking in place.