Social media streaming and satellite imagery stored as Big Data in the cloud is changing the way we understand our world. By being able to tap into these new Big Data collections of real-time social media and up-to-date world-wide imagery we can now see patterns and activity not possible before. By utilizing common platforms for global location information exchange and self-service computing applications that are deployed through the cloud, we are able to integrate and apply our knowledge of geospatial science to location-aware geographic analysis and reporting on a scale not possible until now. Direct spatial query of Big Data repositories and on-the-fly location analysis are capable of showing relevant, real-time activity that can easily be visualized on a map display. Configurable applications deliver a solution framework that is easy to maintain for integration, collaboration, and efficiency.
In his session at the 12th International Cloud Expo, Ty Fabling, a Sr. Enterprise GIS Systems Architect at Esri, will explore how cloud-based applications integrate and synthesize information from many sources, facilitating communication and collaboration, and are breaking down barriers between institutions, disciplines, and cultures. Online GIS platforms deployed in the Cloud enable real-time location analytics and spatial visualization for everyone.
Monthly Archives: April 2013
Space Monkey Beta Launches
Space Monkey’s beta started Wednesday.
It’s taking pre-orders for its P2P device on Kickstarter, where it’s looking to raise money for the project.
A pledge of $99 will fetch the widget, 1TB of space and a year’s subscription. A pledge of $199 buys 2TB for a year.
The number of devices is limited and delivery appears set for July.
A pledge of $1,000 – and it appears to have one – buys a so-called special edition device and 2TB for five years. The company says the user would work with a designer “to come up with something not even the ‘Jones’s’ can get their hands on.”
Measuring the Business Value of Cloud Computing
My favorite and least favorite question I get is the same – “Can you help me build a business case and ROI for cloud computing?”
Well, yes… and no. The issue is that cloud computing has such a massive impact on how IT is delivered that many of the metrics and KPIs that are typically used at many enterprises don’t capture it. I mean, how do you capture Agility – really?
In the past I have broken this down into 3 buckets. Yes, some people have more but these are the big three…
Microsoft fronts up for cloud battle with Infrastructure Services release
Microsoft has stepped up its cloud push by releasing Windows Azure Infrastructure Services this week, and pricing it in direct competition with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Infrastructure Services is designed to help Windows Azure customers migrate their applications into the cloud, and, as the title suggests, it is primarily an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) solution – although it encompasses both platform as a service (PaaS) and hybrid scenarios.
“Our announcement today is a significant step in our cloud computing strategy, which has been influenced directly by our discussions with customers and partners around the world,” Bill Hilf, general manager of Windows Azure, wrote in an Azure blog.
Microsoft’s cloud agenda has been evident for some time, with CloudTech previously reporting on the tech giant’s set at Convergence 2013, whereby hotly anticipated releases such as Exchange Server, Lync and Dynamics CRM continue to emphasise the roadmap for a cloud …
Azure Goes Dollar-to-Dollar with AWS
Windows Azure got into the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) business Tuesday when a hungry Microsoft took on Amazon Web Services, vowing to match its pricing on “commodity services” such as compute, storage and bandwidth despite Amazon’s habitual price cutting.
To start, Microsoft will cut prices on its IaaS and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) virtual machines by 21%-33%.
Microsoft also said that, “Regardless of how you choose to buy Windows Azure, you’ll get the benefit of this price reduction.”
For a six- or 12-month spending commitment Microsoft will discount the standard pay-as-you-go rates. The discount applies to any Azure resource the user buys so he can tinker with deployment sizes.
How Common are Private Clouds? How About Enterprise Use of Public Cloud Services?
Joe McKendrick, who covers technology at Forbes, has good good coverage and analysis of a new survey (pdf) just published by Unisphere Research on adoption of cloud technology by corporations:
Close to two-fifths of organizations now run private clouds in one form or another, and one-fourth are using public cloud services in an enterprise capacity. Private clouds are being extended deeper into the organizations that have them — a majority expect to be running most of their workloads in the cloud within the next 12 months, especially Platform as a Service middleware. In addition, close to one-third of public cloud users report they are employing hosted services to run their private clouds for them.
Read the full article.
Riverbed CEO Joins Nimble Board
Riverbed CEO and co-founder Jerry Kennelly has joined the board of the up-and-coming Nimble Storage, which has designed a hybrid storage architecture that integrates Flash and high-capacity drives and promises as much as 10x faster application performance at a reduced TCO.
Nimble CEO Suresh Vasudevan said that “as we continue to gain market share from established players in the market, we need to bring in additional strategic advisors to capitalize on our opportunities in the industry. Kennelly has an amazing success rate leading technology companies through record growth and in establishing winning cultures. His experience will provide valuable insight as we take Nimble to the next level.”
Cloud Expo New York: Cloud Without the Management Headaches
Is your organization interested in public cloud but needs the added security and compliance of a cloud dedicated to your data? Managed private cloud, located in a secure Dell data center, on-site at your location, or in a co-location facility, could be the answer.
In his session at the 12th International Cloud Expo, Ed Conzel, Director of Product Management, Open Source Cloud at Dell, will discuss a managed single-tenant cloud based on OpenStack and how it provides public cloud attributes: usage metering, quotas/limits, API access, and self-service, but with a cloud that is solely dedicated to your organization. Learn how to simplify the provision of cloud services to your workforce while focusing on driving company strategy.
Cloud Expo New York: Big Data on OpenStack
The massive computing and storage resources that are needed to support Big Data applications make cloud environments an ideal fit.
In his session at the 12th International Cloud Expo, Nati Shalom, CTO and Founder of GigaSpaces, will show how to build your Big Data “database on-demand” using MongoDB, Cassandra, Solr, MySQL, or any other Big Data solution, as well as manage your Big Data application using a new open source framework called “Cloudify.” All this, on top of the OpenStack cloud.
The Cloud Delivers a New American Workforce
A new American workforce is emerging. A recent report from Accenture says the number of U.S. workers who are independent (such as freelancers, contractors or temps) is up 6 percent from 1989. Work as we know it is changing. Because of constant connectivity, companies across the globe no longer need their employees in the same building – or the same state – in order to do their jobs well.
The rise in smartphones and cloud-based platforms has made it easier for businesses to tap into contractor networks to expand their workforces. For many companies, using a contractor or temporary employee helps them manage busy seasons and scale when demand rises unexpectedly. For instance, an air conditioning company may need extra employees in the spring and early summer to do seasonal cleaning and updates. Or during hurricane season in Florida, a home improvement store may need extra technicians to install storm shutters.