DevOps Fundamentals Summit Call for Papers Now Open

The 2nd DevOps Fundamentals Summit, to be held June 10-12, 2014, at the Javits Center in New York, NY announces that its Call for Papers is now open. Topics include all aspects of providing or using massively scalable IT-related capabilities as a service using Internet technologies (see suggested topics below).
DevOps is a software development method that stresses communication, collaboration and integration between software developers and information technology (IT) professionals. DevOps Fundamentals will bring valuable information to DevOps professionals who are transforming the way enterprise IT is done.
Help plant your flag in the fast-expanding business opportunity that is DevOps: submit your speaking proposal today!

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DevOps Fundamentals Summit Call for Papers Now Open

The 2nd DevOps Fundamentals Summit, to be held June 10-12, 2014, at the Javits Center in New York, NY announces that its Call for Papers is now open. Topics include all aspects of providing or using massively scalable IT-related capabilities as a service using Internet technologies (see suggested topics below).
DevOps is a software development method that stresses communication, collaboration and integration between software developers and information technology (IT) professionals. DevOps Fundamentals will bring valuable information to DevOps professionals who are transforming the way enterprise IT is done.
Help plant your flag in the fast-expanding business opportunity that is DevOps: submit your speaking proposal today!

read more

A New Perspective on Enterprise Mobility and 2014 Requirements | Part 1

Many of us have spent years (some of us decades) working on enterprise mobility designs, development and implementations. These projects, for the most part, started as tactical implementations for specific LOBs (lines of business). They involved usually one app, connected to a specific back end system and database. Over the years these projects evolved to include multiple data sources and business processes. Today, CIOs and IT departments are being tasked with mobilizing the entire enterprise IT environment. This task, I propose, requires a new way of looking at enterprise mobility.
Earlier this month (December 2013) I spoke on a panel with Forrester Research’s John McCarthy in London. We were discussing the current and future state of enterprise mobility. McCarthy stated that 2014 would be the year of “complex mobility” and would cause “Y2K-like” events in the enterprise. He predicted it was time for a “mobile-first” approach where complex and mission critical processes were mobilized. He added that ERP like investments may be required in many enterprises. Herein lies the challenge.

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Harness APIs to Deliver Competitive Applications in the ‘Cloud of Clouds’

IT organizations face a growing demand for faster innovation and new applications to support emerging opportunities in social, mobile, growth markets, Big Data analytics, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and more. This is great news because it shows that IT continues to be a key stakeholder in delivering business service innovation. However, it also means that IT must deliver new innovation despite flat budgets, while maintaining existing services that grow more complex every day.
This is where cloud computing can help to deliver business outcomes, especially if you look beyond just one or two cloud providers, to the almost limitless variety of interconnected and intermediated cloud services – what I call the ‘cloud of clouds’. This is true especially for foundational capabilities – like compute infrastructure, data storage, content delivery, or financial management; and cloud-native services like social media, mobile interfaces, or Big Data analytics. Indeed, it makes little sense today to waste time and resources to rewrite existing code every time you need one of these foundational or cloud-native services. By leveraging the cloud of clouds, developers can instead focus on writing new and unique application code that delivers the competitive advantage the business needs.

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How to Secure Your Data in the Cloud in 2014

If you are worried about securing your sensitive data in commercial storage services here is a guide to how you can encrypt your sensitive data.
The recent PRISM Data snooping controversies have heightened almost every companies awareness of the potential vulnerabilities of data stored off-premise in the Cloud. Many Cloud Storage companies talk about encrypting data ‘at rest’ but the real issue is that the storage companies control the encryption rather than the company whose data is stored controlling the private key.

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SYS-CON.tv Interview: Network Security

“AccelOps provides analytics driven IT operations management for cloud, virtualize infrastructure, and client-server environments,” explained Flint Brenton, president and CEO of AccelOps, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at the 13th International Cloud Expo®, held Nov 4–7, 2013, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Cloud Expo® 2014 New York, June 10-12, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading Cloud industry players in the world.

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SYS-CON.tv Interview: Onboarding Software in the Cloud

“In a nutshell we provide a cloud software delivery and management platform. When you look at Infrastructure as a Service you can boil it down to two things: self-service and automation,” explained James Weir, CTO and co-founder of UShareSoft, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at the 13th International Cloud Expo®, held Nov 4–7, 2013, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Cloud Expo® 2014 New York, June 10-12, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading Cloud industry players in the world.

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A roundup of cloud computing and enterprise software predictions for 2014

Alan Kay’s saying that the best way to predict the future is to create it resonates through the best cloud computing and enterprise software predictions for 2014. 

Constraints that held start-ups back from delivering sophisticated new apps and services are disappearing fast.  The dynamics of one of my favorite books, The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen, are in full force across the cloud and enterprise landscape.

There are many predictions being generated right now and instead of writing yet another set,  I’m providing a listing of those that are the most interesting and thought-provoking. They are listed below:

  • 10 Cloud Computing Predictions for 2014 – In-depth analysis of ten predictions including how more companies will realize they are really in the software business, private cloud computing having a moment of truth and continued adoption of cloud brokerages.  This set of predictions is an interesting read and provides useful …

China Unicom enters cloud race with Wo-Cloud service

The past couple of weeks have seen a variety of updates from players looking to up their cloudy stake in China, including Amazon and IBM.

Now China Unicom has joined the race, offering a service called Wo-Cloud, according to a report from Web Hosting Daily.

According to the firm’s president, Lu Yimin, China Unicom will focus on the IaaS and PaaS area.

“China Unicom will rely on its advantages in network resources, infrastructure, mobile internet technology, scope of customers, and dedicated service,” he said in a statement.

The firm also announced the launch of two data centres, in Hohhot and Langfang, and introduced the www.wocloud.cn gateway.

The service is based on OpenStack, which has also been in the news in recent times following the announcement of Oracle’s sponsorship of the OpenStack Foundation. The technology, developed by Rackspace and NASA, has a dazzling array of sponsors, from …

Forrester: Cloud Joins Formal IT Portfolio in 2014

Forrester Research is looking forward, and what it sees is cloud as commonplace in 2014.
In 2013, enterprises got real about cloud computing. In 2014, businesses will integrate it into existing IT portfolios, whether IT gives its blessing or not.
As the Age of the Customer arrives, all the focus shifts to the Systems of Engagement and the agility in refining these critical customer tools, according to an article on ZDNet. Cloud technologies and services represent the fastest way for the business to reach new buyers and breathe new life into aging applications.
In 2014 cloud leverage will be both traditional and disruptive as the business and IT put cloud to work. Here are the top 10 cloud actions Forrester predicts will happen in enterprise IT environments in 2014.

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