Enterprises are quickly realizing that their future success is dependent on their ability to adapt their business to the Cloud. That realization however comes with more questions and concerns about executing an effective cloud-based strategy. The explosion of the OpenStack community has made it possible for hosting providers and businesses to create or utilize Amazon-like public and private clouds, but it’s clear that the Cloud is not a one-size-fits-all solution. One prime factor that dictates the success of a cloud strategy is the particular workload an enterprise is tackling. From DevOps, to rapidly deploying dynamic and scalable websites, enterprises’ workload needs should dictate their cloud architecture.
The specific workloads have an impact on many elements of the cloud, particularly the architecture of the infrastructure. It becomes clear how integral infrastructure architecture is to meeting workload requirements as we examine specific workload use cases.
The first element to consider in the architecture of cloud infrastructure is computing power. The number and speed of compute nodes within a cloud configuration will dictate how quickly processes can be executed. This comes into play prominently when assessing a workload, as the computing power required to develop a web app pales in comparison to the compute power required to execute Big Data analysis. Large-scale data analysis projects require powerful compute capabilities. While this kind of project is completely within the purview of well-constructed cloud architectures, that architecture must be designed as such.
Monthly Archives: December 2012
SYSPRO Launches ERP Mobile Solution for Mid-Market Manufacturers
SYSPRO announced today the availability of SYSPRO Espresso mobile ERP platform for mid-sized manufacturing and distribution companies. The new mobile solution is purpose built and leverages leading edge HTML 5, Microsoft technology and tools. The announcement was made here today at the company’s Winter 2012 analyst roadshow before 32 leading technology analysts. SYSPRO Espresso applications are available from the SYSPRO App Store.
SYSPRO Espresso is targeted at executives who require immediate access to c-level information as well as all users who are not office bound and who require secure access to real time data. The SYSPRO Espresso architecture is one of the first platforms of its kind to use a single source codebase (for the business logic) to create native applications for any mobile device, with built-in powerful customization capabilities both for the end-user and for developers to engage.
SYSPRO supports multiple mobile and desktop devices, provides easy user customization and an easy growth and change strategy via its component-based Quantum Architecture. The company has a strong mid-market presence with 14,500 customers and value-add industry expertise in the food, medical devices, machinery and equipment, electronics and pharmaceuticals/chemical sectors.
“We have been very careful with our new mobile solution to preserve what is one of our most acclaimed advantages, which is easy customization,” said Phil Duff, CEO SYSPRO worldwide. “The Power Tailoring tools that SYSPRO users have come to expect have not been compromised. SYSPRO Espresso users will be able to access and tailor SYSPRO applications that will work on-line and off-line on any popular device, while retaining the native look and feel of these devices, as well as for the look and feel of their personalized interface to SYSPRO. SYSPRO solutions feel like ‘home grown’ software solutions – as if they were built by their own technology development team.”
IceWEB Launches the IceWEB 6500
IceWEB, Inc. today announced the launch of the IceWEB 6500 Unified Data Storage appliances for cloud and virtual environments.
The IceWEB 6500 unified data system simplifies the management and efficiency of data center environments by providing all-inclusive storage for both block and file data across multiple protocols including Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server and Oracle databases, virtualized environments as well as unstructured data such as scanned images, files, videos, pictures, graphics, and voice – on IceWEB’s single enterprise-class platform.
Rob Howe, IceWEB CEO said, “The IceWEB 6500 is far more than just an addition to our product lineup. It’s full-tilt clustered storage at eye-popping low prices. The IceWEB 6500 offers simplicity, scalability, flexibility and advanced Integration. While that may just sound like a list of features, and it is; it’s a list of highly advanced features found only in unified storage systems that cost orders of magnitude more than the IceWEB 6500. That translates into massive savings for our customers who desperately need professional-level solutions to solve their storage requirements while they deal with frozen or fast-shrinking budgets. So this is not just another new product from IceWEB; this is an astounding amount of value for our customers at a time when they really need it that makes good business sense.”
2013 Will Be Dominated by Mobile, Cloud Developments: IDC
one of the main movers of the IT world.
The IT industry’s transition to “The Third Platform,” built on mobile computing, cloud services, social networking and Big Data analytics technologies, has dominated annual predictions from IDC over the course of the last several years.
For 2013, IDC predicts the transition to The Third Platform will gain momentum as the industry accelerates past the exploration phase and into full-blown, high-stakes competition, according to an article on BizTech2.com.
“The IT industry as a whole is moving toward the mobile / social / cloud / Big Data world of the Third Platform much more quickly than many realize: from 2013 through 2020, these technologies will drive around 90 percent of all the growth in the IT market,” said Frank Gens, senior vice president and chief analyst at IDC, according to the article. “Companies that are not putting 80 percent or more of their competitive energy into this new market will be trapped in the legacy portion of the market, growing even slower than global GDP.”
Cisco Buys Cariden
is used in capacity planning, designing and engineering networks. It’s paying about $141 million in cash and retention incentives.
Cariden, whose clients include Verizon, Deutsche Telecom, SingTel and Swisscom, specializes in optimizing traffic management and visibility on service provider networks.
The acquisition is seen as part of Cisco’s very necessary move into software-defined networking (SDN). This summer Cariden announced a blueprint for infrastructure SDN – the visibility and control of network resources.
Rackspace Enhances Service Offerings for Open Cloud Platform
Rackspace Hosting on Monday announced new features and enhanced service offerings for open cloud platform customers.
For more than ten years, Rackspace has served customers who are looking for a partner to help them reduce the complexities of building, deploying, optimizing, maintaining and troubleshooting complex web applications to serve their business needs. Rackspace is now offering that same Fanatical Support® to customers across its entire portfolio, including the company’s new open cloud platform, through Managed and Critical Application Services.
“Providing the highest level of service in the industry is central to our values as a company,” said Rackspace President Lew Moorman. “Cloud computing customers tell us they want good pricing and exceptional service, and offering one without the other simply won’t cut it in today’s environment.”
Exploiting the mobile cloud via mobile browsers
Recent research has shown that mobile browsers can take advantage of cloud hosting, permitting the use of multiple servers in order to complete complex tasks which would be impossible using mobile technology alone.
Due to their limited computational capabilities, smartphones and tablets are not able to carry out complex tasks, however such mobile browser cloud servers could alleviate this problem. Complex tasks can be carried out via the cloud thus sending the user information on a web page.
This could however have repercussions. For instance, a cybercriminal could anonymously hack and crack computer networks via a mobile based system, according to William Enck a professor of North Carolina State University. Enck said that “Because the person getting the bill for that computation is really the cloud browser provider, it gives those using the resources anonymously for other purposes an added advantage.”
Enck and his researchers were able to exploit a …
Cloud 2.0: The SaaS Opportunities
One of the most powerful as well as practical ways to demonstrate the trend of Cloud 2.0 and how it will re-invent IT areas like CRM, is to consider the SaaS opportunities this presents. Greenfield Applications First In summary this is best captured from the Canadian E-Health Cloud strategy.
How Amazon benefits from applying lean principles to the cloud
Those of you who followed my blog for a while know that the idea of applying manufacturing best practices to cloud computing is a favorite topic of mine*. This week the topic popped up in a fireside chat (the popular term for keynotes delivered from a set of armchairs, often with no fire in sight) between Amazon’s CTO Werner Vogel and CEO Jeff Bezos at re:Invent, the first Amazon Web Services customer conference.
I won’t cover the conference here – many blogs and media sites already did – but in the chat Bezos made a number of interesting points on how principles of lean manufacturing are guiding Amazon’s overall endeavors and how cloud computing both supports and benefits from this approach.
He discussed how – for developers- this approach turns the cost of infrastructure operations from an abstract overhead-like concept into a very visible direct cost they can directly …
Take Two Apps and Call Me in the Morning
I have been especially excited about the recent Canada Health Infoway Cloud strategy document, because I understand their importance in the overall “supply chain” of Canadian e-Health technologies like EHR – Electronic Healthcare Records, and what large scale challenges this particular sector faces.
This scale and these challenges has been very effectively discussed in this feature article from the Globe’s latest Report on Business supplement – Take Two Apps and Call Me in the Morning.
The article pulls no punches in any of the questions it asks about the issue as a whole, especially noting just how expensive it could be for Canada if they get e-Health wrong