Monthly Archives: January 2013

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What are the roadblocks to a worldwide cloud security standard?

The cloud storage phenomenon has resulted in a widely used platform used by both companies and individuals as an easy means to store their data.

However, as is typical with new technology, the security has fallen behind and left many users vulnerable to intrusions on their privacy that could result in data loss and theft. This problem is due in large part to the factors that make cloud security difficult. (At Virtual Internet an intense effort has been made to use the latest technology and standards (including ISO 9001 and 27001 certification) to safeguard and protect user data. However, challenges will always remain as we move towards zero defect.)

Internal network vulnerability

Security measures can only be installed on networks that do not have preexisting security issues. Many enterprise level networks have issues that pre-date the implementation of cloud storage platforms. Because many companies are simply not willing to undergo …

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SYS-CON.tv Interview: Social Business Portals

“We’re a social business portal company. We created a set of software with which you can create new portals based on information in your business systems and combined with social media,” explained Robert Browne, CEO of Silver Solutions, in this SYS-CON.tv interview with Cloud Expo Conference Chair Jeremy Geelan at the 11th International Cloud Expo, held November 5-8, 2012, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Cloud Expo 2013 New York, June 10–13, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading Cloud industry players in the world.

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Amazon AWS, Amazon Web Services, Backup, Google, Guest Post

To Cloud, or Not: Getting Started

Guest Post by Gina Smith

Many small business owners are still apprehensive about utilizing cloud options. While it can be a big step, there are significant long-term benefits to utilizing this expanding innovation, including:

  • Enhanced Security – Cloud providers go to great lengths to protect client data, often implementing security protocols which are much more advanced than those on most “hard” networks.
  • Emergency Backup – No need to worry in the event of a fire, earthquake, flood, storm or other natural disaster. Your data and files are safe and being backed up in the “cloud”.
  • Remote Access – You and your employees can gain access to company data at anytime from anywhere in the world.
  • Easily Upgrade or Replace Computers – Quickly and painlessly replace obsolete or faulty computers by connecting the new machine(s) and remotely accessing and/or transferring any data needed directly from the cloud!

Once a business decides to take that step into the “cloud”, many get “stuck” trying to figure out which options will work best for their needs. Amazon is considered by many to be a pioneer in the world of so-called “remote computing” services. And now, Internet giant Google has thrown its hat into the game, launching their “Google Cloud” platform earlier this year.

Amazon AWS (Advanced Web Services)

Amazon was one of the first companies to develop a remote access/cloud computing product catered to the general public. They still offer the most extensive options for both users and developers. The Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is attractive to many companies because they offer “pay-as-you-go” programs with no upfront expenses or long-term commitments required. Amazon Simple Storage (S3) is also very flexible, offering storage options in different regions around the world. Some companies choose to store their data in a lower priced region to reduce storage costs or in a region different from where their company is located for disaster recovery purposes. Amazon still offers the most versatile services and options. Some claim their system can be difficult to learn initially, but fairly easy to get around once you get the hang of it.

Google Cloud Services

There is no doubt that Google has made a permanent mark in history. The Internet giant has revolutionized our lives and made a significant impact on modern society. The company’s launch of their Google Cloud Platform got people who had previously discounted the cloud to seriously begin considering it again. Why? Well, it’s simple. Google has already developed applications which people are comfortable with and familiar. This, of course, makes the entire thought of cloud conversion and eventual emersion much less intimidating. Google’s cloud platform is still in its early stages and does not offer quite the flexibility and options as Amazon AWS – yet. Their data centers are secure and well managed, and their interface and applications are fairly easy to learn and navigate.

GoogleAppsAndroid
GoogleAppsiOS
GoogleMobile

While this article offers a good general overview of each system, it is always advisable to conduct your own research to determine which provider will best suit your needs. Both Amazon AWS and Google Cloud provide reliable, secure, dependable, cost-saving options for businesses. Also consider utilizing companies specializing in cloud management and backup, such as www.spanning.com. And, as your business grows and your cloud use increases, don’t forget that Cloudyn can use their Cloud Intelligence and other advanced tools to analyze your usage. They can be a tremendous asset in helping manage and optimizing your data costs.

Gina Smith writes freelance articles for magazines, online outlets and publications.Smith covers the latest topics in the business, golf, tourism, technology and entertainment industries.

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AWS Out to Dethrone Apple, Google

Andy Jassy, the head of Amazon’s cloud business and the Harvard MBA who wrote its business plan, told the Sunday Telegraph in London over the weekend that AWS could some day displace Apple as the world’s most valuable tech company.
“We don’t say to ourselves, ‘What we’re really doing is trying to build the largest technology company in the world,’” he told the paper. “We just happen to think, with how much computing is going to move to the cloud, and with the breadth and global footprint that we have, and our continuing [commitment] to iterate at a very fast pace, it just has the chance to be the largest technology company.”

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Thirty-One Days of Servers (VMs) in the Cloud

Happy New Year!!!! For the New Year all of my IT Pro teammates across the country wanted to get together and talk about 31 things we love and want to teach about having Servers (VMs) in the Cloud. Throughout this month we are going to be talking about Windows Azure IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). Windows Azure now offers a new feature currently in customer preview called Virtual Machines & Virtual Networks. This new functionality provides Windows Azure with an IaaS (Cloud) platform for you to deploy your own virtual machines. In Windows Azure IaaS you can easily deploy and run Windows Server and Linux virtual machines in Windows Azure. In this 31 part series we will teach you most of what you need to know about cloud computing and Windows Azure Infrastructure as a Service.

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Imation, M&A Activity, Nexsan, Storage

Imation Acquires Nexsan

Imation today announced that it has acquired privately held Nexsan Corporation, a Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based provider of disk-based storage systems. The combination cash-and-stock transaction included approximately $105 million in cash and 3,319,324 Imation common shares, the equivalent of approximately $15 million.

“Imation’s acquisition of Nexsan is an exciting next step in our strategic transformation, which includes investing in growth platforms in data storage and security solutions, where we are targeting markets with strong growth rates,” said Mark Lucas, president and CEO of Imation. “Our strategy includes focusing on the underserved SMB market with purpose-built storage systems and appliances. This is a market that Nexsan knows well. Nexsan’s management team has grown this business from start-up to more than $80 million, with strong gross margins. Nexsan is a successful company that is addressing some of today’s fastest growing trends in storage, and we are pleased that its management team, including CEO Philip Black, will join Imation. The combination of Nexsan’s products, technologies, and talented teams with Imation’s global reach and infrastructure will be an excellent accelerator for our growth strategy in storage solutions,” concluded Lucas.

“We are excited to have Nexsan become part of Imation,” said Philip Black, CEO of Nexsan. “Imation provides us the scale and global footprint to expand our business, while still keeping intact our award winning partner program, our strong management team and employees, and our innovative products and roadmap. We look forward to working as part of Imation to deliver compelling solutions that meet the growing storage, archive and compliance requirements of businesses worldwide. This is good news for Nexsan channel partners, employees and customers.”

Nexsan’s 2011 revenues were $82 million and are continuing to grow, with gross margins in the 40 percent range. This acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to Imation’s EBITDA.

Approximately 200 employees, based in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, have joined Imation with this acquisition. The Nexsan business will continue to operate within Imation from Nexsan’s current headquarters in Thousand Oaks, Calif., under existing management. Integration and global expansion activities between Imation’s Tiered Storage and Security Solutions business and Nexsan will be determined in first quarter 2013.

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SYS-CON.tv Interview: Architecture for the Cloud

“Ramco is a cloud ERP company – we have end-to-end ERP solutions available on the cloud and architecture for the cloud,” explained Venky Viswanathan, VP at Ramco Systems, in this SYS-CON.tv interview with Cloud Expo Conference Chair Jeremy Geelan at the 11th International Cloud Expo, held November 5-8, 2012, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Cloud Expo 2013 New York, June 10–13, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading Cloud industry players in the world.

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Business Processes, Health Care, M&A Activity, TriZetto, Workflow

TriZetto Acquires Cloud-based Claims Workflow Automation Company

TriZetto Corporation today announced its acquisition of Franklin, Tenn.-based Healthcare Productivity Automation (HPA). HPA’s healthcare workflow automation solutions will be integrated with TriZetto’s business management services unit over the coming months. Terms of the transaction, which closed on Dec. 17, were not disclosed.

HPA solutions employ a highly advanced, cloud-based claims workflow tool, Health Mason®. The Health Mason solution automates certain manual processes in claims administration, which can greatly improve the efficiency and quality of the provider reimbursement process. The tool replicates human decision-making to review large volumes of claims, enter data and determine the best way to process claims. Processing can be up to 30 times faster than typical manual processes, with high reliability – more than 95 percent first-pass accuracy on a rolling 12-month average across HPA’s book of business.

“The acquisition of HPA underscores TriZetto’s continuing investment strategy to provide innovative, integrated technology and service solutions that simplify healthcare and improve both its efficiency and effectiveness for payers, providers and members,” said Harish Mysore, senior vice president of corporate development and strategic alliances at TriZetto. “This acquisition builds on our commitment to enhance payer-provider collaboration by increasing the quality, accuracy and efficiency of claims processing and payment.”

“We’re excited to join TriZetto because its large payer and provider client base allows us to make a bigger impact on healthcare,” said Sal Novin, HPA’s CEO. “In managing the claims administration function of dozens of health plans, TriZetto will leverage HPA’s technology to bend the cost curve of processing claims and increase administrative efficiencies for both healthcare payers and providers.”

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Lightning in the Clouds, Big Data

Cloud has been marketed as one of the key advances in technology and every day we hear about new areas where cloud services are being utilized. Cloud is the bright shining star that is being leveraged for it’s elastic, on-demand, resource pooling capabilities. However there have been Cloud outages recently that have adversely impacted businesses. These outages highlight the risks of the Cloud and bring into focus that such risks need to be effectively managed. Cloud outages are like lightning in the Clouds, lightning can cause problems where it strikes and preparation is important to avoid damage.
This year Amazon, Salesforce, Google, Gmail, Google App Engine, Microsoft Office 365, Azure had outages that impacted businesses. During this holiday season, some Netflix subscribers were hit with an outage on Christmas Eve that was caused by Amazon cloud servers. Amazon tracked the issue to Elastic Load Balancing, that enables spreading traffic across many servers.The wasn’t good timing for the outage as subscribers were looking forward to watching movies during this period. Microsoft Azure storage had an outage during the holidays that impacted the management portal. Big Data services and providers have also reported access issues.

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SYS-CON.tv Interview: The Cloud Service Broker

“Our company has been around for a long time – we started in 1978 with microcomputer operating systems and we found ourselves in the cloud,” explained Jamie Marshall, CTO of Prologue, in this SYS-CON.tv interview with Cloud Expo Conference Chair Jeremy Geelan at the 11th International Cloud Expo, held November 5-8, 2012, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Cloud Expo 2013 New York, June 10–13, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading Cloud industry players in the world.

read more