By Patrick Burke

The networking layer of the data center may be the next segment of IT to undergo some disruption, putting it on par with servers and storage, which have seen major changes with the help of cloud computing, virtualisation and other trends designed to improve efficiency and performance.

Software-defined networking, or SDN, has been around for several years now and is utilized by such big-name players as Rackspace.

But the technology is poised to gain more of a foothold in the data center. SDN offers clients more flexibility and less down time if they need to expand from their current server usage.

For the most part, networking has not evolved at the same pace as servers and storage, and networking has become somewhat of a costly bottleneck. SDN’s goal is to take tasks currently handled by hardware and perform these tasks in the software.

The intelligence of …

According to analyst house Gartner, the global app development market is going to hit £5.7 billion ($9bn) by the end of the year, a 1.7% upturn on 2011.

As their latest report, entitled ‘Market Trends: Application Development Software Worldwide’ notes, this will come as a result of the cloud significantly altering the landscape in terms of deploying, designing and testing apps.

Asheesh Raina, Gartner principal research analyst, said: “Application modernisation and increasing agility will continue to be a solid driver for AD spending, apart from other emerging dynamics of cloud, mobility and social computing”.

Specifically, Gartner cited the following as pivotal to app development growth:

• Evolving software delivery models
• New development methodologies
• Emerging mobile application development
• Open source software

The Gartner report notes that cost, agility, flexibility and speed are the key reasons why app developers would want to “cloud-enable” their software.

“Application development for cloud demands rapid …

A recent report from the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has questioned whether current copyright legislation in the country is stunting the growth of cloud computing.

The ALRC particularly mused whether any modifications to the current law should contain exemptions for cloud services or not.

Kim Weatherall, legal academic, was cited in the report stating a belief that technology-specific exemptions could impede cloud services further.

The report, entitled “Copyright and the Digital Economy”, noted a case in Australia involving the Optus TV Now service, which – if the appeal does not go Optus’ way – will have to be suspended following appeals from the AFL (Australian Football League), the NRL (National Rugby League) and Australian mobile device provider Telstra.

A Federal Court decision ruled that Optus’ online television service was not protected by an exemption in the Copyright Act, leaving the mobile comms providers seemingly open to legal action from all sides …

What are IT professionals valuing, using and potentially considering? This infographic from Insight Cloud Computing Solutions tries to shed some light on the issue, including the differences between private, hybrid and public clouds:

By Dr Steve Hodgkinson, Research Director, IT, Asia-Pacific, Ovum

Many executives regard technology evangelists as “drive-by shooters” – people who cruise by their offices firing so-called “silver bullet” solutions. Are cloud evangelists in this category? Perhaps. If they are selling cloud computing as a technology innovation, then the “drive-by shooter” label can fit quite well.

Most ICT executives know how to manage technology evangelists: they do not let them into the office. Cloud services evangelists, however, are a much bigger problem because they proffer pervasive organizational disruptors – pre-assembled bundles of people, processes and technology – not technology point solutions.

The challenge for the ICT department is fending off the army of cloud services evangelists that is out there selling piecemeal organizational disruption to executives throughout the enterprise. The ICT department must get ready. It is in danger of losing its monopoly over the provision of ICT services, and a big test of …

It is a common misconception that by moving to the cloud, businesses are relinquishing all control of their data. Generally speaking, many companies fail to take the time to fully understand cloud computing and in this vein, feel reluctant to outsource business-critical data to the cloud.

The question most organisations should be truthfully asking themselves however is whether they are actually in control of their data when it is held on-premise. For example, what accreditations do they hold to ensure their business-critical data is actually in safe hands?

While most wouldn’t be able to say exactly where their data is, even if it was held on-premise, in contrast with a cloud-based solution, this isn’t necessarily the case.

Where is my data?

It is safe to say that on-premise solutions provide comfort to companies who struggle with the concept of relinquishing control over their data.

For those who don …

From the best-known companies in enterprise software to start-ups, everyone is jumping on the big data bandwagon.

The potential of big data to bring insights and intelligence into enterprises is a strong motivator, where managers are constantly looking for the competitive edge to win in their chosen markets.

With so much potential to provide enterprises with enhanced analytics, insights and intelligence, it is understandable why this area has such high expectations – and hype – associated with it.

Given the potential big data has to reorder an enterprise and make it more competitive and profitable, it’s understandable why there are so many forecasts and market analyses being done today.  The following is a roundup of the latest big data forecasts and market estimates recently published:

• As of last month, Gartner had received 12,000 searches over the last twelve months for the term “big data” with the pace increasing.

• In Hype …

A new report from consultants KPMG has shown that software as a service (SaaS) is expanding rapidly, and the threat of a double dip recession is purportedly driving cloud adoption.

It’s a reasonable enough assumption – companies moving to the cloud often do so in the hope of reducing cost, after all – and it appears SaaS is the best model with which to achieve that aim, although there are still some worries for CIOs to consider.

The key factors that are driving growth in the global SaaS market according to the report were:

• Cost cutting – “post recession the opportunity to save costs is attracting companies”
• Ease of speed and deployment, resulting in more evident value from software purchases
• Increasing demand from SMEs, with the pay-as-you-use SaaS model hitting home

The figures of SaaS adoption were intriguing, particularly given a previous KPMG survey, 2011’s Embracing the Cloud, revealed that nearly …

According to analysis from research firm Frost and Sullivan, over half of Australian companies using cloud computing services are spending 10% of their budget on the cloud.

Further research revealed that 70% of Australian enterprises in the cloud are looking to boost their services “significantly” in the next 12 months.

The overall research into Australian business showed:

• 53% of companies using cloud computing services spend more than one tenth of their IT budget on cloud solutions
• 31% spend more than 20% of their budget on the cloud
• Perhaps unsurprisingly larger organisations spend much more on cloud than smaller companies

The study noted the similarities between companies pursuing software as a service (SaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).

While SaaS remained the most common delivery model, the use of IaaS has skyrocketed, in part due to increased local market adoption, the report noted.

The usual concerns over moving to the …

“What Cloud solution is right for us?”

“What functionality will be available in this solution?”

“When will I get my training?”

Each of these questions reflects a person grappling with uncertainty at different levels of the organization.  From the initial consideration of changing IT strategy, through the design, implementation, and go live, the project team is constantly working on uncertainty loops as uncertainty cascades down the organization. 

The senior decision maker starts with uncertainty and has zero commitment, until they commit to a strategy, then the IT manager deals with uncertainty of how to implement the strategy. The IT manager instinctively gathers information to fill in the blanks and then sets to work making commitments to specific design components.

As the final design gets closer to testing and rollout, end users have their own set of concerns and questions and eventually will be fully committed to the solution once they …