Open source has proven to be a good option for building, managing, and delivering scalable infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) clouds and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) clouds. Typically, most open source cloud platforms support multiple virtualization technologies, giving enterprises a range of choices from multiple vendors of closed as well as open source technologies. Some examples are Eucalyptus, OpenStack, Cloud Foundry, OpenNebula, Red Hat OpenShift, Xen Cloud Platform Project (XCP), and the newest kid on the block, Citrix Cloudstack 3. While some apprehension still exists around open source use, there is a shift in attitude as enterprises look to capitalize on efficiency and technologies like virtualization and cloud computing as these become highly essential components in IT architecture.
OpenStack is a massively scalable cloud operating system that helps in the delivery and management of infrastructure. OpenStack is initiated by Rackspace and NASA, and is supported by almost 180 organizations, including Intel, Dell, Canonical, AMD, Cisco, HP, SUSE Linux, Red Hat, and IBM. It is a collaborative effort by thousands of developers and technologists globally aimed at helping SMBs, service providers, data centers, corporations and researchers roll out and leverage industry-grade public and private clouds.
Todas las entradas hechas por Latest News from Cloud Computing Journal
1010data Named “Silver Sponsor” of Cloud Expo 2012 Silicon Valley
SYS-CON Events announced today that 1010data, Inc., a market leader in enabling the analysis, sharing and monetizing of Big Data, has been named “Silver Sponsor” of SYS-CON’s 11th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 5–8, 2012, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
1010data provides a unique, cloud-based platform that unifies Big Data and analytics. It is used by hundreds of the world’s largest retail, manufacturing, telecom, and financial services enterprises because of its proven ability to deliver actionable insight from very large amounts of data more quickly, easily and inexpensively than any other solution. The company combines ultra-fast database technology, a broad array of built-in functions for advanced analytics, and an intuitive spreadsheet user interface, and delivers them as a managed service. There is no hardware or software to buy, no technical skills are required, and setup is fast and easy.
Which Cloud Service Provider Should Host Your Oracle Databases?
The big shift towards Cloud environments has started. It is now clear that this change is similar in magnitude to the shift from mainframe to client-server computing two decades ago. Amazon Web Services is the pioneer and market leader in Cloud computing space.
Five Opportunities to Use Mobile Devices in Your SaaS Solution
In a previous posting I talked about some questions to ask yourself about your customers use of your SaaS application on mobile devices as a way to help understand how mobile fits into your SaaS business.
It is clear that extending your application with mobile devices is a trend not only in SMB applications but also in Enterprise applications. At this point all of the major SaaS CRM providers have mobile devices as part of their solution. Many vertical industry solutions also have mobile as a key part of their solution particularly when it involves mobile workers.
Are SLAs Like Wedding Vows?
It seems like every time a major cloud provider runs into an outage (like yesterday), the topic of cloud SLAs rises to the surface. But in many cases the benefit of an SLA may be limited to using it as a paper handkerchief to dry the tears of frustration of the user, while he waits for his provider to come back online?
Oracle Database Backups to the Amazon Cloud
The traditional way of performing backups includes using Oracle RMAN in combination with media management layer software ( typically Netbackup, Tivoli or similar ), which writes backup data to remote robotic tape unit. Tapes are then stored offsite to a secure location. It is well known fact that tape media poses certain challenges in reliability […]
How to Wield a Disruptive Sword Without Destruction
Last week was pretty busy. I went to a Lucent-Alcatel sponsored Clouderati party. Hung out with Reuven Cohen, George Reese, James Urquhart, Sinclair Schuller, Klint Finley, Alex Williams, Chris Gaun, Aneel Dash, Deborah Salons.
Also attended Forecast 2012, DeployCon, CloudExpo sessions.
Microsoft Surface: To What Shall I Compare Thee?
The Microsoft Surface sort-of debut shows that the company is neither “all in” when it comes to tablet computing nor when it comes to its hardware partners.
Ballmer’s windy warm-up remarks about the Gates-Allen vision of “great software and hardware working together” provided one of those “uh-oh” moments in which you knew he was getting ready to drop the hammer on somebody. After fulsomely praising the company’s hardware partners, the hammer blow came: Microsoft would be going it alone with the Surface.
I haven’t received comments from any of Microsoft’s PC partners, so I don’t know how this announcement is being received by them. I can’t imagine it is being received well.
A successful vertically-integrated Microsoft product has now existed for several years with the Xbox. But, ironically, this is a specifically focused machine, in sharp contrast to the general purpose computing that Ballmer extolled as the basis of Microsoft’s success over the decades.
Having it Both Ways
Ballmer tried to have it both ways with this machine’s purpose. He consciously refrained from calling it a tablet, insisting that it’s simply the latest and greatest personal-computer iteration. It’s doubtful, however, that anyone will compare it to laptops, netbooks, or the latest portable Macs.
Perhaps we should compare it to the latter, though. It’s price point may force us to if a price point is ever announced. (Word is that will come when Windows 8 becomes official). Because as an iPad competitor, it seems to be, well, so Microsoft-ish.
The kickstand is such a kludge that even Ballmer drew attention to it in a semi-mocking fashion during the announcement. Contrast it to the iPad cover, which performs a kickstand’s function, among other things. Contrast the Surface’s attached keyboard with the iPad’s wireless keyboard, and a further aesthetic difference is apparent – and we know that Steve Jobs’ main criticism of Microsoft was its alleged lack of aesthetic sense and taste.
The inclusion of the standard keyboard and a stylus indicate that this is a PC as well. To me these are not negatives, because I write for a living. But weren’t they deemed unessential by the iPad’s Great Designer? Isn’t the point of a tablet that much of what most people do today doesn’t involve typing or using a Jeffersonian ink pen?
The Surface’s light weight – less than that of an iPad, I think – was a big selling point during Ballmer’s presentation. I’m not sure precisely how much the final products will weigh versus the iPad and portable Macs. I do hope it’s expressed in something other than grams, so that I can feel like a real American, and feel that the Surface has nothing to do with drugs.
My Decision?
I have no idea if I will buy a Microsoft Surface when it becomes available. But this I know: I will be so very happy to see a very lightweight portable computer such as this on the market, because for decades now I have been using and lugging around the same basic computing device.
One of the little-known facts of history is my presence on the editorial staff of Portable Computer, first published in 1982 and the world’s first credible source of information on the topic. Our launch issue had an interview with Adam Osborne. Over the decades, I have tried out hundreds and hundreds of systems.
It’s the Same Old Song
Today, netbooks are, in the final analysis, simply too small to be practical for my work. So my primary system weighs about nine pounds. It is fundamentally the same machine as the Data General One that I was using in 1985.
My latest machine is a lot faster, has a lot brighter screen than the un-backlit One, and can communicate a heck of a lot better than anything from 1985 – but when I travel, I am lugging the same bowling ball around the great and less great cities of the world. I am 27 years older, but my laptop weighs the same. These nine-pound hammers are a little too heavy for my size.
I will welcome a truly competitive market of 1- and 2-pound devices that don’t cost more than the per capita income of the Philippines, the country in which I was just based for a few years. I hope that the Surface succeeds, even as Ballmer’s presentation gave so many indications – breaking from partnerships, unfocused design, kludgey details, crashing during the demo, no price point – that it will not.
New Solutions for Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure
Virtustream’s private cloud solution is designed to provide secure, high-performance, enterprise-class cloud infrastructure services across private, virtual private, public, and hybrid implementations.
Virtustream this week announced xStream 2.0, a private cloud solution designed to provide secure, high-performance, enterprise-class cloud infrastructure services across private, virtual private, public, and hybrid implementations.
Available as software, stand-alone appliance, and as a managed service, xStream helps foster better management of mission-critical applications on clouds, the venture-backed, three-year-old company said. Those deploying may select a tailored mix of on-site private cloud, combined with off-site public and virtual private clouds.
FortressITX Named “Bronze Sponsor” of Cloud Expo 2012 Silicon Valley
SYS-CON Events announced today that Fortress ITX, a leading provider of network infrastructure services, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON’s 11th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 5–8, 2012, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
FortressITX is a Cloud Integrator serving the NY Metro area providing complete IT integration and unparalleled Hosted Exchange, Hosted PBX, Connectivity and Virtual Desktop Integration (VDI) services. FortressITX also provides industry leading broadband services to support your complex hosted infrastructure. In total, FortressITX provides comprehensive business IT services with an emphasis on Cloud technology designed to support the future of OaaS (Office as a Service).