As I mentioned before, SaaS is not just a software product, but also a service. In addition, due to the fact that the product is constantly enhanced and upgraded, it requires more active management than a traditional COTS product.
I have found that SaaS implementations are most successful when the business function and IT teams work together to select, deploy and operate SaaS products. In many organizations, SAAS products are identified and selected by the business and IT is engaged later in the process. It is important to involve the IT team early for proper technical due-diligence before the product is acquired. While it is best for the business function to assume overall functional responsibility for the solution, it is important for IT remain engaged on an ongoing basis to manage Cybersecurity, Integrations, and complex Reporting and Data Analytics.
Monthly Archives: December 2015
Microsoft launches hybrid physical and cloud storage service
Microsoft has announced new data storage products that it says will simplify management and cut costs in complex hybrid clouds.
The StorSimple Virtual Array and StorSimple 8000 Series Update 2 are designed to simplify the task of storing data across on-premise IT equipment and the cloud. The new additions to the StorSimple range are necessary because the range of enterprises using hybrid storage is widening, according to Microsoft.
In a beta testing exercise, aviation giant Textron claimed the new systems helped it save a million dollars a month, while car maker Mazda claimed the StorSimple additions helped it lower its overall costs by 95%.
The StorSimple Virtual Array creates a hybrid cloud storage system using a virtual machine running on Hyper-V or VMware hypervisors and can work with either a Network Attached Storage (NAS) or Storage Area Network (SAN). It integrates primary storage, data protection, archiving and disaster recovery duties into one easy system for small environments with minimal IT infrastructure and management. The addition of the StorSimple Virtual Array means users don’t need to centralize data protection and disaster recovery at the company’s main data centre but can have a simple and upgradeable system they can manage themselves with StorSimple Manager.
Meanwhile the StorSimple 8000 Series Update 2 introduces local volumes and a new high performance StorSimple Cloud Appliance. Local volumes allow the client to use primary storage without the data being tiered to Azure. This gets better performance from applications that cannot tolerate cloud latencies. A local volume is apt for on-premises workloads that have high Input-Output requirements, such as SQL Server. It’s also better for Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware virtual machines. These additions don’t stop customers from being able to use Azure for data protection and location independent disaster recovery, the vendor says.
Enterprises can now adopt a hybrid storage strategy based with StorSimple, said Mike Neil, Microsoft’s corporate VP for Cloud and Enterprise. “It will transform their businesses by cutting costs, simplifying IT and helping increase IT agility in support of business goals,” he said.
[video] Root of Trust with Johannes Lintzen | @CloudExpo #Cloud
“We announced CryptoScript, it’s a new way of programming a hardware security module, which technically requires standard APIs and very specific knowledge. With CryptoScript we hope to change that a bit,” explained Johannes Lintzen, Vice President of Sales at Utimaco, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 17th Cloud Expo, held November 3-5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
[slides] Benefits of IBM Power in the Cloud | @CloudExpo @SIASMSP #Cloud
In their session at 17th Cloud Expo, Hal Schwartz, CEO of Secure Infrastructure & Services (SIAS), and Chuck Paolillo, CTO of Secure Infrastructure & Services (SIAS), provided a study of cloud adoption trends and the power and flexibility of IBM Power and Pureflex cloud solutions.
In his role as CEO of Secure Infrastructure & Services (SIAS), Hal Schwartz provides leadership and direction for the company.
Intel teams up with NEC on Cloud RAN development
Base stations could get smaller, cheaper and more powerful if a new virtualization project reaches fruition in 2016, reports Telecoms.com.
Kit maker NEC and Intel Corporation are to jointly develop a Cloud-Radio Access Network (Cloud-RAN) that can virtualize the functions of mobile base stations. The first joint proof of concept trial of Cloud-RAN will run in early 2016.
The partners say they aim to virtualize two major components of the next mobile base station, the Digital Unit (DU) and the Radio Unit (RU), which respectively handle data processing and the sending and receiving of radio waves. The new Cloud-RAN system will separate the DU functions from mobile base stations so they can be run on general-purpose Intel servers with multi-core processors. This means DU functions can be centralised which in turn allows for multiple radio units to be centrally controlled from one general-purpose server.
This re-engineering of base stations boosts their communication performance as they have more precise control of radio interference between the radio units. By consolidating the servers it also cuts the power and space consumption. The upshot of Cloud-RAN should be more powerful base stations that are cheaper to run, according to NEC. Virtualization has been a work in progress for a long time at NEC, said Nozomu Watanabe, General Manager for NEC’s Mobile Radio Access Network Division.
“We have been working with Intel on the virtualization of mobile core networks and customer premises equipment and are pleased to extend our collaboration in Network Functions Virtualization to mobile base stations,” said Watanabe.
NEC is to strengthen its relationship with Intel for the advancement of NFV as the core technology supporting 5G said Watanabe. NEC contributes to SDN and NFV related standards bodies the Open Networking Foundation (ONF), OpenDaylight, ETSI NFV, and Open Platform for NEV (OPNFV). It also the NEC SDN Partner Space programme to promote the development and use of network virtualization technologies.
Tech News Recap for the Week of 12/14/2015
Were you busy this week? Here’s a quick Tech News Recap of articles you may have missed!
Tech News Recap
Cloud adoption is increasing in regulated industries, the DoD is eyeing commercial cloud options to house sensitive data, and Twitter has issued a warning against state-sponsored hacking attacks. Several large banks are spending $1.5 billion to battle cyber crime, Morgan Stanley analyst predicts that iPhone sales with tumble in 2016, and more top news from this week!
- DoD eyeing commercial cloud options for secret data
- Cloud adoption soars in regulated industries
- Twitter warns users targeted by state-sponsored hackers
- J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, Citibank And Wells Fargo Spending $1.5 Billion To Battle Cyber Crime
- Congress Set to Enact Cyberthreat Information-sharing law
- iPhone sales will tumble in 2016, claims Morgan Stanley analyst
- Singapore students create wearable devices to tackle Parkinson’s disease
- Why Elon Musk and Reid Hoffman are Funding Smart Machines
- Treasury looks to Nutanix’s VDI environment for workplace mobility
- 14 Tech Gift Recommendations from GreenPages’ Architects
- How Notre Dame is going all in with Amazon’s cloud
- Should You Try Calculating ROI on Digital Transformation
- Managing your workloads in the cloud the right way
- Apple CEO defends privacy, encryption amidst terrorist concerns
- The year in fraud: 2015 by the numbers
- Prediction: Apple Will Soon Become the World’s First $800 Billion Company
- It’s time for IT teams to digitize like the startups do
- The 5 trends that rocked business tech in 2015
- Google’s top trending topics of 2015 include the hottest gadgets in tech
- Cybercriminals will target Apple in 2016, say experts
- Banks told to get get tough on cybersecurity in 2016
The NSX vs. ACI debate is going strong. Listen to our on-demand webinar to learn when it makes sense to use each
By Ben Stephenson, Emerging Media Specialist
Busting the myths: Three misconceptions deterring cloud adoption amongst UK SMEs
(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/StockFinland)
Cloud technology has fundamentally altered the way people do business. For small and medium-sized firms in particular, it delivers sustainable, competitive edge. By presenting firms with the means to work smarter and quickly capitalise on opportunities, cloud and mobile technologies help to eliminate inefficiencies, facilitate flexibility, and ensures SMEs are as agile and productive as possible.
Data protection and security – fundamental elements of any business model – are key drivers for businesses turning to the cloud, along with vital cost considerations. Cloud tools grant smaller companies access to enterprise-level technology that would be otherwise inaccessible without substantial investment. What’s more, by using a cloud solutions provider, maintenance costs are reduced and cloud use can be scaled up or down as the business needs dictate.
Despite these advantages, some firms remain hesitant to integrate cloud technology into their organisation. But why? Here are some of the most common concerns hindering cloud adoption amongst UK businesses:
The cloud is not secure
The mistaken belief the cloud is insecure remains the major obstacle preventing UK organisations from adopting cloud-based services. A Cloud Industry Forum survey highlighted that 61 per cent of small and medium-sized business in the UK cite data privacy concerns as the key reason preventing certain applications from being migrated. A further 70 per cent cite security as the primary contributing factor – despite the fact that over 99 per cent of those using cloud services have never experienced a security breach. Indeed, the most common causes of a cyber-attack are inadequate firewalls, data leakage and unsecured Wi-Fi connections – all issues that are more prevalent amongst businesses not using the cloud.
To keep fear at bay and safeguard confidential information, cloud technology should be embraced. Business data is now accessible off any device and from any location with an internet or Wi-Fi connection. If devices are lost or stolen, access to the server can be removed and passwords changed so vital information does not fall into the wrong hands. Moreover, as this data is saved in the cloud, it remains with the company, instead of being lost as a result of being saved only locally on a given device.
SMEs should consider using a cloud solution provider to help them understand the options. With state-of-the-art, dedicated facilities, cloud providers offer security levels which far exceed those that could ever be achieved by many small businesses within their existing IT budgets. As well as offering a variety of security software and services, cloud service providers are increasingly obtaining advanced security certifications to help alleviate customers’ safety woes. In fact, demonstrating security credentials and sharing information about third-party audits is now as important to businesses as the channel company’s ability to provide the tools needed to manage their data in the cloud.
The best option for SMEs is to look for a provider that offers the best services and security to meet their needs and price point. As providers increasingly demonstrate their expertise in the security field, this will dispel the concerns and boost cloud adoption in the process.
Migrating to the cloud is complex
Many businesses refrain from migrating their IT infrastructure to the cloud due to the worry that it is time-consuming and will lead to downtime or data loss. Cloud migration is not complex. According to CIF’s latest research, less than 40 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses using cloud solutions found the process difficult. In fact, the vast majority (99%) were satisfied with their chosen method of migration. When it comes to downtime, this should be zero, as the migration will take place behind the curtain whilst existing systems and services continue to run. Once everything is synchronised, the switch is done.
Nevertheless, if concerns over complexity are hindering cloud adoption, a managed IT services provider can help to ease the migration process by delivering against a plan. In this respect, more work can still be done to encourage cloud adoption and qualm any fears associated with a complex migration process. Channel partners must act as a trusted advisor for small businesses. Firms should use a provider who is sensitive to their individual requirements, provides quality of assistance and tailors their service to the level of support needed for successful cloud adoption.
The cloud is costly
The up-front expense of migrating to the cloud is often prohibitive, particularly for start-ups or small businesses with limited budget at their disposal. Yet, many firms overestimate the real costs incurred by a migration and fail to consider the long term advantages.
As it stands, only 56 per cent of UK businesses cite operational savings as the key driver in the decision to turn to the cloud (CIF). This approach must become mainstream. By adopting a forward thinking strategy, business owners will recognise the operational savings that will emerge once the migration is complete – savings which will ultimately offset the initial investment and boost the business’s bottom line.
Ultimately, costs will vary according to the individual needs of each business. By consulting a trusted cloud or third party provider, firms can assess their needs from the word go. This will also help to ensure that further down the line they don’t fall victim to any unexpected costs from failing to quantify all the necessary services in the initial calculations. Moreover, most cloud providers will have solutions in place to keep the migration costs minimal.
With a better understanding of the cloud, SMEs can adapt their current strategy and allow the benefits it offers to liberate their business. For those who don’t know the way forward it’s important to take the next step hand in hand with an advisor who can make the process clear.
Can you think of other misconceptions deterring cloud adoption? Let us know in the comments.
IBM Cloud to run AT&T’s managed app and hosting
AT&T and IBM are to extend the scope of their 20 year working relationship partnership as IBM takes over the telco’s cloud based networking, application and hosting services.
In a new development AT&T will transfer its managed application and hosting service unit into IBM’s Cloud portfolio. IBM will acquire equipment and access to the AT&T data centres that currently host the services.
The new arrangement is about integrating networks and cloud workloads more easily with each vendor’s IT environments, according to a statement from IBM, which pledged to continue running the managed app and hosting services AT&T provides today. AT&T will continue to provide the security, cloud networking and mobility it currently contributes to the partnership. The two companies will collaborate on creating new services, IBM said.
“Today’s announcement is an expansion of our relationship with AT&T and continuing collaboration,” said Philip Guido, IBM General Manager of Global Technology Services for North America. “With AT&T we’ll deliver IBM Cloud and managed services that evolve to meet clients’ business objectives.”
On Thursday IBM announced details of another collaboration, Project Hyperledger, as part of its involvement in the Linux Foundation. The project brings a number of vendors together to develop blockchain security technology. The objective is to create an enterprise grade, open source distributed ledger framework for the cloud. It also aims to encourage developers to create applications that can use blockchain technology to make cloud based financial transactions verifiable and secure enough to meet strict compliance regulations.
Partners in the Linux Foundation blockchain project include Accenture, ANZ Bank, Cisco, J.P. Morgan, the London Stock Exchange Group, VMware and Wells Fargo.
IBM will contribute tens of thousands of lines of its existing codebase and its corresponding intellectual property to this open source community. Another partner, Digital Asset, is contributing the Hyperledger mark, as well as code and developer resources. R3 is contributing a new financial transaction architectural framework designed to meet the requirements of its global bank members and other financial institutions.
All technical contributions will be reviewed by the foundation’s technical steering committees.
“Blockchain’s distributed ledgers will transform industries from banking and shipping to the Internet of Things,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation, “it needs a cross-industry, open source collaboration to advance the technology for all.”
IoT and Hyper-Contextual Marketing | @ThingsExpo #IoT #InternetOfThings
Consumer IoT applications provide data about the user that just doesn’t exist in traditional PC or mobile web applications. This rich data, or “context,” enables the highly personalized consumer experiences that characterize many consumer IoT apps. This same data is also providing brands with unprecedented insight into how their connected products are being used, while, at the same time, powering highly targeted engagement and marketing opportunities.
In his session at @ThingsExpo, Nathan Treloar, President and COO of Bebaio, explored examples of brands transforming their businesses by tapping into this powerful aspect of the IoT. He also reviewed some emerging techniques being used for hyper-contextual engagement in consumer IoT apps.
AgilData Sneak Peek By @DanKLynn | @CloudExpo #BigData #Microservices
The web app is agile. The REST API is agile. The testing and planning are agile. But alas, data infrastructures certainly are not. Once an application matures, changing the shape or indexing scheme of data often forces at best a top down planning exercise and at worst includes schema changes that force downtime. The time has come for a new approach that fundamentally advances the agility of distributed data infrastructures.
Learn about a new solution to the problems faced by software organizations as their products become successful and the data grows beyond the initial scope of the database, whether it starts out as relational SQL, NoSQL, or somewhere in between.