While marketing automation by itself is extremely powerful and is mostly based in the cloud, the effectiveness of such strategies can be enhanced by leveraging the benefits that cloud computing offers.
Not too long ago, marketers had to inevitably choose between two options – keep marketing budgets low through marketing broadcasts, or spend more on highly targeted and personalized marketing strategies. Not surprisingly then, low margin products (like soaps or toothpastes, for examples) were marketed over TV while high margin enterprise software tools (like ERP software) had dedicated sales managers reaching out to prospective clients for business.
Monthly Archives: April 2017
Internet Privacy 2017 | What You Need to Know | @CloudExpo #IoT #M2M #Cloud
There has never been a reasonable expectation of online privacy, and there never will be. Regardless of what you may have recently heard about joint resolutions or nullifications, nothing has changed. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have always had the right to use your data as they see fit, within a few Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) parameters. This has not changed. And you have given FANG (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google) the right to use your data as they see fit (with a few privacy policy exceptions and within the few aforementioned FTC and FCC parameters). So regarding online privacy, for all practical purposes, absolutely nothing has changed.
VMware Sells vCloud Air
While many companies are looking to have a market share in the public cloud space, VMware wants to move away from it. This is why it sold its public cloud business called vCloud Air to OVH, a French cloud provider. Terms of the deal was not disclosed.
vCloud Air is a line of business through which VMware provided data center services to companies that run VMware’s server virtualization technology. Over time, it also extended this service to third party data centers, as a way of creating a new revenue stream.
Unfortunately, vCloud Air could not compete with AWs and Microsoft Azure, and this meant that vCloud Air was a big failure. With this product, VMware realized that running massive cloud infrastructure is best left to the experts, and it’s better off focusing on what it knows best, which is to focus on technology.
It changed its strategy last year to keep pace of the changing dynamics of the cloud business. It now wants to focus on software-defined infrastructure stack that is expected to deliver more value for its investment and at the same time, help the company to go deeper into the business of hybrid cloud. The line of products that’ll come for this idea is still not known and there is much skepticism around it. For now though, that’s the plan.
Keeping in tune with this strategy, VMware has sold vCloud Air for an undisclosed sum. This is, in fact, a good move as it can save the company a substantial chunk of money. Though this product gave the company a few million dollars a year, it’s nothing compared to the almost $7 billion the company earns every year. Also, the first set of servers for vCloud Air was setup in 2013, which means, this infrastructure is coming to its end-of-life. By selling it to OVH, VMware has passed on the responsibility and capital expenditure of upgrading these servers to the buyer. To top it, VMware has even got some in the financial deal.
An added advantage with this sale is VMware has eliminated the conflict that arises between its own cloud and that of the 4,000 and odd servers that are owned by vCloud Air network partners that run vSphere-powered clouds.
This sale was expected on many fronts. The growing clout of AWS, Azure and the fast-catching Google Cloud means that the public cloud space is heating up like nothing before. This also explains why companies like Dell and HPE couldn’t make a mark in public cloud and had to withdraw. The same is for VMware too. At least in this case, the timing is perfect as the company does not have to incur more capital costs.
So, what’s in this deal for OVH?
For starters, OVH is one of the leaders in European cloud market and this acquisition can helped it to consolidate its position. Another reason is OVH is looking to expand rapidly in the US and vCloud Air may give it a good entry point.
VMware will also continue to be a technology partner for OVH.
The post VMware Sells vCloud Air appeared first on Cloud News Daily.
Supermicro to Exhibit at @CloudExpo NY | @Supermicro_SMCI #SDN #AI #ML
SYS-CON Events announced today that Super Micro Computer, Inc., a global leader in compute, storage and networking technologies, will exhibit at SYS-CON’s 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI), the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology, is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions® for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/Big Data, HPC and Embedded Systems worldwide. Supermicro is committed to protecting the environment through its “We Keep IT Green®” initiative and provides customers with the most energy-efficient, environmentally friendly solutions available on the market.
Key trends in cloud infrastructure: Hybrid, smart storage, security, and more
(c)iStock.com/johnason
The past decade has brought much change to the IT infrastructure industry as enterprise IT companies scale up their data consumption to unprecedented levels. Today’s enterprise IT giants require far more speed, power and bandwidth to successfully run their businesses and this is only possible via enhancements to the underlying infrastructure.
Infrastructure develops so quickly that industry practices in 2020 will likely be unrecognisable from what they were 10 years ago. Infrastructure has become more powerful, faster and more secure – and we have still only just scratched the surface of what’s possible.
This article will examine some of the current trends within the industry as it stands, as well a look at what the future holds for IaaS in 2017.
The evolution of cloud technology
The thinking behind cloud technology can be traced back to the sixties but it has been somewhat of a late bloomer. Technology giants are now investing more in cloud technology and this has had a strong impact on Internet infrastructure providers and consumers. At the same time, the rate of adoption of cloud technology is growing among smaller-sized businesses and also in the consumer market, as the cloud continues to permeate our daily lives.
Thanks to the advancements in infrastructure, there are now multi-cloud solutions. That means, using cloud hosting technology across multiple data centres to harness their collective power. A multi-cloud solution can offer increased resilience in the network and can mitigate latency issues for IaaS providers. The best multi-cloud solutions are those with integrated management and security hosting environments, as they allow for a seamless transfer of information.
Nowadays, IaaS providers are using the cloud to implement big data solutions. Big data computations and storage can now all take place within the cloud environment which means data is more widely available and can be accessed instantly. However, as big data solutions become commonplace, the mainstream infrastructure must also scale up accordingly to meet the needs of modern businesses.
Smart storage and security
As big data continues to grow there is an increased need for storage (now known as smart storage). Autonomic storage is the next generation of hybrid storage solutions and is an example of real innovation in the IaaS industry. It places data on the appropriate storage tier, enabling tier-to-tier data migration meaning that storage is no longer passive but instead improves both the performance and flexibility of the network.
In addition to smart storage, advances in technology have also made data more secure. With so many high-profile cyber security attacks and breaches in 2016, the security of data within the Internet infrastructure has become paramount for all IaaS providers and businesses alike. IaaS providers implement managed security systems as part of their offering, adding an increased layer of security to the network whilst specialist infrastructure providers are best placed to implement security on the network. In fact, many companies are currently reaping the rewards of outsourcing their data security to high-quality cyber security specialists.
As 2017 goes on, it is clear that the cloud will be undergoing significant developments. Multi-cloud and hybrid cloud solutions will also require vigilant management as workloads increase, whilst cloud infrastructure providers will have to ensure that they are capable of managing modern cloud solutions and ensure as much of the process as possible is automated to eliminate the risk of human error.
Serverless Computing – The Latest “as a Service” Offering | @CloudExpo #Cloud #Serverless
We’d all like to fulfill that “find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” cliché. But in reality, every job (even if it’s our dream job) comes with its downsides.
For you, the constant fight against shadow IT might get on your last nerves. For your developer coworkers, infrastructure management is the roadblock that stands in the way of focusing on coding.
As you watch more and more applications and processes move to the cloud, technology is coming to developers’ rescue-most recently, in the form of serverless computing.
The Hotel California of #AI | @CloudExpo @ReneBuest #ArtificialIntelligence
In 1977, the Eagles released “Hotel California”, a song about drugs and the effects an addiction has on people. Putting “We are all just prisoners here, of our own device” in the context of our today’s digital lifestyle we find a lot of truth. There is a reason why Google provides most of its services for free or why Amazon wants us to have an Echo in every home or why Facebook has become our directory of “friends”. What looks pretty convenient is a threat. It is a threat to the end consumers but also a threat to the established economy. And even if we have the choice to check out any time – we will never leave.
Announcing @CollabNet Named “Bronze Sponsor” @CloudExpo New York | #Cloud #DevOps
SYS-CON Events announced today that CollabNet, a global leader in enterprise software development, release automation and DevOps solutions, will be a Bronze Sponsor of SYS-CON’s 20th International Cloud Expo®, taking place from June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
CollabNet offers a broad range of solutions with the mission of helping modern organizations deliver quality software at speed. The company’s latest innovation, the DevOps Lifecycle Manager (DLM), supports Value Stream Mapping for the development and operations tool chain by offering DevOps Tool Chain Integration and Traceability; DevOps Tool Chain Orchestration; and DevOps Insight and Intelligence. CollabNet also offers traditional application lifecycle management, ALM, for the enterprise through its TeamForge product.
Rackspace Adds a New Cloud Consultancy Service to its Offerings
Rackspace, one of the pioneers of cloud computing, has launched a new cloud consultancy service aimed at delivering professional consulting services to its clients. With this launch, Rackspace has officially started moving away from its cloud platform business.
According to an official statement released by the company, Rackspace has said that it’s new division is called Global Solutions and Services (GSS), and this division will specialize in providing customers with the knowledge and expertise to move their operations to public and private clouds.
This Texas-based company believes that consultancy is an integral part of the future because many companies are looking to move their data and operations from datacenters to the cloud, so they need the right suggestions to make appropriate decisions. According to Rachel Cassidy, the Vice-President of GSS, these services are not only targeted towards its existing customer base of small and medium businesses (SMB), but is also aimed to meet the needs of large enterprises.
It has announced that these services will be offered regardless of the cloud platform a client chooses. In a blog post, it claims that it has earned the highest level of partner certification from AWS and Azure. In addition, it has also entered into a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to become the first Managed Services Partner of Google Cloud Platform. With all these in place, Rackspace is all set to enter the world of cloud computing.
This move represents a radical change for the company considering that it’s been in operations for the last two decades and has specialized in providing technological and cloud-based services to the SMB and mid-market companies.
Rackspace’s addition of GSS was on the cards for some time. When Jeff Cotten took over as the new President, he promised to add more professional services to support public clouds, and this is probably the first big step in this regard.
This news comes on the heels of a decision to cut the workforce in U.S by six percent. Also, smaller reductions are being planned in its other global offices, subject to the local laws and regulations in this regard. The company had earlier announced that much of these cuts will come from administration and management sections, and this is being done to make the company more competitive in the global market.
The emergence of this service doesn’t means that the existing offerings of Rackspace including its management of OpenStack will be stopped. This GSS is simply a new addition to its existing line of businesses. Though cloud consulting is a lucrative business, it’s also very crowded. Many established companies are already gaining a fair market share here, so Rackspace may have quite some catching up work to do.
It is worthy to remember that Rackspace was acquired by Apollo Global Management for a whopping $4.3 billion. Considering the size of this deal, the management would not want to tamper much with its existing customers. At the same time, it’ll be interesting to see how GSS plays out for the company.
The post Rackspace Adds a New Cloud Consultancy Service to its Offerings appeared first on Cloud News Daily.
Worldwide data creation set to top 163 ZB by 2025, argues Seagate
The global data landscape will total an eye-watering 163 zettabytes by 2025, up from 16 ZB last year and the equivalent of watching the entire Netflix catalogue 489 million times, according to a new missive from Seagate.
The study, Data Age 2025, was put together in conjunction with research firm IDC, and finds that within the next decade enterprises will become the primary creator of the world’s data, at 60% by 2025. “Business leaders will have the opportunity to embrace new and unique business opportunities powered by this wealth of data and the insight it provides but will also need to make strategic choices on data collection, utilisation and location,” the company notes.
Almost every enterprise is set to be affected by these trends, the research adds, from embedded systems and the Internet of Things (IoT), to machine learning – IDC estimates the amount of the global datasphere subject to data analysis will reach 5.2 ZB in 2025 – and real-time data.
Naturally, cloud also plays a vital part; consumers and businesses creating, sharing and accessing data between any device and the cloud – an IoT play of course – will ‘continue to grow well beyond previous expectations’, according to the report. Cisco’s most recent cloud index figures argued that global cloud traffic was set to rise to more than 14 ZB per year by 2020, assisted by greater data centre virtualisation and increased migration to cloud technologies.
“While we can see from this new research that the era of big data is upon us, the value of data is really not in the ‘known’ but in the ‘unknown’ where we are vastly underestimating the potentials today,” said Steve Luczo, Seagate CEO. “What is really exciting are the analytics, the new businesses, the new thinking and new ecosystems from industries like robotics and machine to machine learning, and their profound social and economic impact on our society.
“The opportunity for today’s enterprises and tomorrow’s entrepreneurs to capture the value of data is tremendous, and our global business leaders will be exploring these opportunities for decades to come,” Luczo added.
One zettabyte is defined as 10 bytes to the power of 21. To put this in perspective, IDC argued back in 2006 that the combined space of all computer hard drives in the world was at an estimated 160 exabytes – 10 bytes to the power of 18.