Many European companies may be moving to cloud now but they’re two years behind America in terms of cloud adoption, according to research house Gartner.

The analysts have put the difference down to a wide range of problems, including the diversity of Europe’s 44 different nations, the recession and Euro crisis, as well as European privacy rules relating to data protection.

Gartner elaborated upon these “inhibitors” and commented on each one. The report stressed that there were ways of using cloud safely, despite worries about privacy.

Similarly, Gartner noted complex business-to-business (B2B) issues related to Europe’s diversity, stating that because cloud computing was a fast growing business it will subsequently slow down the productivity of those who want to offer cloud services across Europe.

Regarding the EU in general, Gartner commented that while the EU legislative process was extremely secure, it was time-inefficient because of it and …

Surveys say…and many companies believe…that moving architecture, resources or other IT infrastructure pieces to the cloud will save them money.  That’s been one of the biggest selling points of cloud computing – pay as you go, metered service, pay what you use – the internet as a utility offering.  And while simple deployments can […]

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GovLoop, the social knowledge network for public sector professionals, is one of the most virtuous members of the Gov2.0 ecosystem. Their support of the community demonstrates, on a daily basis, their dedication to a simple mission: They want to connect government to improve government. If you share the GovLoop goals and can contribute to this […]

This post by BobGourley was first published at CTOvision.com.

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Security is one of (if not THE) top concern companies and users have with cloud computing. The issue of cloud security, however, is much more complex than simply “is the cloud secure or not”. A cloud-based application can be hosted in a secure environment, with properly encrypted data and everything, and an attacker can still get access to your information through social engineering. On the other hand, you can have the most secure password policies in the world, but if the hosting environment gets hacked, you are still going to lose your data.Any proper solution that tries to address the cloud security issues that exist today must take into account the three sides of the security issue: technology, processes, and responsibility. Another important factor to take into account is that the details and the importance of each one of these, relative to the others, change according to where in the cloud stack we are. Building secure cloud software is very different from security at the cloud platform level, and from secure infrastructure as well.

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How can organizations use enterprise/private cloud capabilities and Big Data analytics to improve information-sharing?
In his session at the 10th International Cloud Expo, Ira A. (Gus) Hunt, Chief Technology Officer for the Chief Information Officer in the CIA, will discuss how the Intelligence Community has been using enterprise/private cloud capabilities and Big Data analytics to improve information-sharing across the entire community.

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As a Bronze Sponsor of Cloud Expo New York, RightScale is offering special passes to SYS-CON’s 10th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 11–14, 2012, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
RightScale Inc. is the leader in cloud computing management. Founded in 2006, the company offers fully automated cloud management that enables organizations to easily deploy and manage business-critical applications across multiple clouds with complete control and portability. To date, thousands of deployments and more than three million servers have been launched with RightScale cloud management for leading organizations such as PBS, Harvard University, Zynga and Sling Media.

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Windstream Corp. announced on Wednesday the expansion of its full suite of advanced network communications and technology solutions to Las Vegas.
Las Vegas businesses have a new choice for essential voice and data services including VoIP, SIP trunking, MPLS, and dedicated high-speed Internet. Windstream also offers managed services, cloud computing, disaster recovery, and networking services designed to help businesses increase productivity and improve operational costs.
“Customers like to have choices when it comes to customized network solutions,” said Norm Kirch, regional director for Windstream in Las Vegas. “With more than 450,000 business customers nationwide, we have extensive experience working with companies of all sizes to provide them with the customized solutions they need to run their businesses as smoothly and efficiently as possible.”

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As a Gold Sponsor of Cloud Expo New York, Akamai is offering special passes to SYS-CON’s 10th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 11–14, 2012, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
Akamai is the leading cloud platform for helping enterprises provide secure, high-performing user experiences on any device, anywhere. At the core of the Company’s solutions is the Akamai Intelligent Platform providing extensive reach, coupled with unmatched reliability, security, visibility and expertise. Akamai removes the complexities of connecting the increasingly mobile world, supporting 24/7 consumer demand, and enabling enterprises to securely leverage the cloud.

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Cloud computing has gained momentum and is increasingly being embraced by enterprises of all sizes. But the cloud itself is often its own worst enemy as performance, reliability, and the lack of enterprise-level capabilities have led to obstacles in growth and adoption of this still promising infrastructure methodology. This is only exacerbated by an increasingly mobile and global world, one that is plagued with security concerns.
In his Lunchtime Focus Keynote at the 10th International Cloud Expo, Neil Cohen, Akamai’s VP of Enterprise Application Products, will discuss the challenges you face in the cloud, and how you can leverage both public and hybrid cloud infrastructures without sacrificing security or control.

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