All posts by Erin M

News

New DISA Guidance

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has released three documents pertaining to cloud security. These documents hope to aid the Defense Department in securing the network against attacks. According to a report in C4ISR & Networks, the documents will include two new requirement guides and a new concept of operations. The goal of these documents is to prevent the disruption of cloud service provider-supported DoD missions. In addition, they will aid in creating a perimeter defense and monitoring architecture for applications hosted in commercial cloud environments.

The cloud access point (CAP) functional requirements document (FRD) calls for a line of defense between e Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN) and Internet-based public cloud service offers. According to the documents, the first DISA-established CAP is a modified NIPRNet federated gateway.
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Jack Wilmer, DISA infrastructure development executive, has told C4ISR & Networks, “A CAP being fully scalable and able to support the enterprise, to include the availability of the application protection enterprise-wide, is scheduled to be ready by early 2016.”

The documents also state, “As DoD strives to meet the objectives of the DoD CIO to maximize the use of cloud computing, the DoDIN perimeter must continue to be protected against cyber threats from external connections. The CAP will proactively and reactively prevent attacks against the DoDIN infrastructure, particularly traffic from mission applications that originates in the cloud service environment…there are many information assurance functions that may be implemented as detect and prevent measures to address the different types of external attacks”

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Cloud computing, Cloud Services, News

IBM Acquires Compose

IBM has recently announced that it has acquired Compose, a startup company that began in 2010, in order to continue expansion of its cloud services. Previously known as MongoHQ, it was the first database as a service which allows application developers to easily deploy and scale data store using with backups, monitoring, performance tuning as well as full suite of management tools.

As said in an announcement, “Today we are excited to announce that Compose is joining IBM. As founders, it was the biggest and most important decision we’ve ever had to make – much more difficult than we ever would have guessed back when we only dreamed of having a successful company. While we are profitable and growing fast, we think now is the right time to team up with a larger company.”

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An IBM spokesperson has relayed that users will not be affected under this deal as Compose will continue business as usual. IBM is always looking for cloud companies to acquire in order to expand its cloud services and compete with companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.

Derek Schoettle, general manager of IBM Cloud Data Services and former CEO of Cloudant, has commented, “Compose’s breadth of database offerings will expand IBM’s Bluemix platform for the many app developers seeking production-ready databases built on open source. Compose furthers IBM’s commitment to ensuring developers have access to the right tools for the job by offering the broadest set of DBaaS services and the flexibility of hybrid cloud deployment.”

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Cloud computing, cloud security, Microsoft, News

Microsoft Plans to Buy Security Firm Adallom

Microsoft is set to be paying 320 million dollars in cash for Adallom, a startup with software for monitoring the use of cloud-based services. A source has claimed all 90 employees, including the 30 in the US, will function an independent unit of Microsoft and will manage material related to cybersecurity for Microsoft.

While Microsoft has refused to comment on the supposed deal, the Wall Street Journal claims, “According to the people familiar with the matter, Adallom, which employs 90 people world-wide, will continue to operate from Israel, building up Microsoft’s cybersecurity-focused operations in the country.” The first to report the deal were Israeli media outlets Calcalist and Globes, with reports later coming from the Wall Street Journal.

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Microsoft has continued making the cloud a priority throughout the whole company, and building an intelligent cloud platform is one of three areas of investment for the company. Cloud security is vital to the company as they switch to more internet based occupations, hence the move to purchase Adallom. Usage and revenue from application Office 365 has increased during the first quarter of 2015, and Microsoft want to protect this trend.

This is just one of Microsoft’s myriad of partnerships and acquisitions this year. Microsoft has previously attained a provider of machine learning technologies for e-discovery and information governance. The company’s software uses advanced text analytics to perform multidimensional analyses of data collections, intelligently sorting documents into themes, grouping near-duplicates, and isolating unique data. In addition,  Microsoft has purchased N-trig and Aorato.

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Cloud computing, Cloud Services, Cloud Technology, News

Reliance Communications Launches CloudX

Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications launched a next-generation cloud services delivery network in five cities across the country of India. Reliance Communications has positioned Cloud Xchange, abbreviated Cloud X, nodes in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. They plan to launch 120 more nodes in areas across the world by the end of 2015.

Reliance Group Chairman Anil Dhirubhai Ambani has shared, “We will achieve full deployment of our Next-Generation content and Cloud Delivery Network by the end of this year, with–what is a first in India–five fully-operational Cloud Xchange points. Cloud Xchange nodes can help government departments access 240 times the amount of compute power currently available in government data centers, and over six times the high-speed storage currently available in India.”

This next generation service offers on-demand low-cost cloud services. Users will be able to organize cloud servers and applications and manage lifecycle of these resources online, according to Reliance Communications.

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Reliance Communications and Global Cloud X CEO Bill Barney has stated, “Cloud X is changing the paradigm of cloud computing. The network must now undergo a profound transformation, from a static entity to a dynamic, intelligent, application aware fabric that can support multiple traffic requirements, diverse geographies and flexible pricing models.”

Manoj Menon, Senior Partner & Managing Director of analyst firm Frost & Sullivan, has added, “Cloud computing has already made an impact on the everyday life of many Indians. It is driving business model innovation and helping businesses. Going forward, the impact will be even more pervasive—with innovative solutions around safe cities, smart homes, connected cars and better healthcare.”

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Cloud computing, Cloud Services, News

ComputeNext Launches CloudEd

ComputeNext, a Bellevue-based cloud company, has recently announced the launch of its new Channel Training & Education Program, “CloudED.” The new program will serve to aid cloud resellers migrate customers to cloud-based solutions. The program, created by ComputeNext’s director of channel development Dan Moore, provides marketplace-specific video tutorials necessary for channel professionals as well as general cloud certification provided by partner CompTIA, which will be free of charge. The certifications include certificates for data recovery, IT security and unified communications as well as executive certificates in both cloud computing in beginner and advanced levels.

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ComputeBext claims the program “covers basic and advanced rationales for the cloud computing thought process, as well as hands-on tutorial training on the ComputeNext Marketplace itself.” The program was designed to help meet the difficulties of keeping revenues up while transitioning customers from traditional, physical IT to newer cloud services.

Moore also said there is “a huge need for education and training resources that can better equip these organizations to lead cloud conversations, understand the larger market dynamics of cloud computing, and ultimately exude a sense of trustworthiness to their clients. Unfortunately, the plethora of platform & technology vendors respective to cloud services coupled with the barrage of marketing information about ‘going to the cloud’ can be very daunting and confusing as to what your first steps should be.”

The company’s Marketplace is a platform that allows users to edit and manage cloud services from a multitude cloud hosting providers around the world.

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Cloud Services, Google, News

Google Becomes Corporate Sponsor of OpenStack Foundation

Google has become the newest corporate sponsor of the OpenStack Foundation and will provide engineering resources to the project, with their main focus on Linux containers and integrating container management technologies like Kubernetes with projects such as OpenStack Magnum. OpenStack is a free and open-source cloud-computing software platform. Users primarily deploy it as an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS). It is used to build infrastructure supporting VMs, bare metal and containers under a single control plane. Users may utilize OpenStack for a multitude of tasks, including the acceleration of software development and the simplification of managing legacy workloads. Google has already collaborated with the OpenStack community on a myriad of projects.

OpenStack-logo

Craig McLuckie, Product Manager at Google, has said “We are excited about becoming active participants in the OpenStack community. We look forward to sharing what we’ve learned and hearing how OpenStack users are thinking about containers and other technologies to support cloud-native apps.” McLuckie will present on container management technologies at OpenStack Silicon Valley.

Mark Collier, COO of the OpenStack Foundation, has also stated, “OpenStack is a platform that frees users to run proven technologies like VMs as well as new technologies like containers. With Google committing unequaled container and container management engineering expertise to our community, the deployment of containers via proven orchestration engines like Kubernetes will accelerate rapidly. OpenStack continues to set itself apart as the single open source cloud platform for the widest diversity of workloads, all supported by one environment with one control plane, one API, one dashboard”

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cloud security, Cloud Services, News

Salesforce Adds Security Service

Salesforce has recently announced Shield, a set of services that expands the security and compliance tool sets of developers creating apps on the Salesforce1 platform for regulated industries. The service adds auditing, encryption, archiving and monitoring services to Salesforce1 to make it easier for developers to ensure that cloud apps meet the security, compliance and governance requirements of their organization and industry standards. Shield may be explored in a drag-and-drop interface instead of requiring app developers to search through code.

cloud security

Tod Nielsen, executive vice president of Salesforce1 Platform, said “[Companies] in regulated industries have struggled to take full advantage of the cloud due to regulatory and compliance constraints. With Salesforce Shield, we are liberating these IT leaders and developers, and empowering them to quickly build the cloud apps their businesses need, with the trust Salesforce is known for.”

Shield will have three main features: Field Audit Trail, Data Archive and Platform Encryption. Field Audit Trail allows developers to monitor data exchanged through their apps to ensure that it is kept up to date and compliant with industry regulations; it may track data changes for up to 10 years. Data may be deleted when no longer needed. Data Archive allows historical data that needs to be kept for a long time to be stored, which helps ensure data is available when needed. Platform Encryption allows developers working on the Salesforce1 platform to encrypt data without affecting the way it is used by other areas of the business so that they do not need specialist hardware or software.

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Cloud computing, Cloud Services, Microsoft, News

Microsoft Will Offer Azure In India

BqRtWXEIMAAQYhFMicrosoft will begin to offer its cloud computing service, Azure, for free to startups speeding up the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India.

Microsoft’s Indian subsidiary has said, “Our Azure cloud services, valued at $120,000, will be given free to qualified startups under the ‘BizSpark plus program’ for building the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country.”

Microsoft Ventures India director Rajinish Menon, has stated, “Startups need all the help they can to get access to the right tools, technology and guidance. At Microsoft, we are committed to supporting these startups and through the BizSpark Plus program we want to support India’s upcoming entrepreneurs.”

 

Microsoft also added qualifying startups must be privately held, below five years old with sub one million revenue annually and be a member of select accelerator or venture capital firm.

To begin, Microsoft is partnering thirteen startup accelerators, including 91Springboard, Reliance GenNext, Zone Startups, and Pitney Bowes. 91Springboard partner Pranay Gupta has said, “The BizSpark Plus program is a unique opportunity for startups who want to leverage the power of the Cloud and give a boost to their product development lifecycle.”

Microsoft BizSpark is a worldwide program that aids startups by offering free Microsoft software development tools, connecting startups with key industry players, investors and giving marketing visibility. Microsoft also added that startups will also receive the full suite of development and test software and Visual Studio, Windows and Office tools in this latest offering.

Microsoft currently has one hundred and fifty startup programs in forty seven countries.

 

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Cloud computing, Cloud Services, hybrid cloud, IaaS, Microsoft, News

Cloud News Daily 2015-07-14 05:38:21

Rackspace Hosting and has paired up with Microsoft to manage and offer technical support to Microsoft’s public cloud computing platform known as Azure. Azure support and managed services are currently available and expansion to overseas customers will begin in 2016.

Rackspace has struggled to compete with larger companies and their cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services, and this agreement with Microsoft marks its first major deal to support public cloud services other than its own.

Rackspace Chief Technology Officer, John Engates, has said, “Stay tuned. As part of our managed cloud strategy, a tenet of that is we want to support industry-leading technologies. Our strategy really gives us the opportunity to apply fanatical support to any leading industry platform in the future. So stay tuned in terms of announcements.”

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Rackspace hopes to improve profit margins and reduce capital spending by offering managed services and technical support for public clouds, and it is starting with Microsoft’s Azure. Rackspace’s main strength has been providing fanatical service, training and technical support to smaller businesses.

Rackspace technical support will be available directly to clients through Microsoft. Rackspace may also resell Microsoft’s IaaS services to its cutomers. In the fourth quarter of 2014, IaaS Services accounted for thirty one percent of Rackspace’s total revenue.

Engates also added Rackspace will help customers build apps that run in hybrid, private-public cloud environments. Many companies are becoming interested in the public-private cloud model, with important business apps ran on private servers with accessing public IaaS providers on a as needed basis.

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Cloud computing, Microsoft, News

Changing Cloud Prices

After years of competitive price cuts within the cloud computing industry, Microsoft is beginning to increase prices on their cloud computing infrastructure, and IBM may be following Microsoft’s lead. This change has been cited due to the current economic disaster in Greece. Regions that are likely to be affected by the price increase are Australia and Europe, excluding the United Kingdom.

Microsoft said in a statement, “We always evaluate current market conditions, the increased product value for a customer, customer deployment scenarios and other factors when determining pricing for our products and services. Microsoft is committed to sharing pricing and licensing updates with our partners to ensure they and our customers are prepared and able to evaluate their options. Customers should speak with a Microsoft partner to learn more.”

A spokesman for Microsoft also commented, “In light of the rapid evolution of the market for cloud services and evolving local dynamics, we can confirm that as of August 1 2015, we will adjust prices for most enterprise cloud products within the EU/European Free Trade Association region. The changes will not affect existing annuity volume licensing agreements but will apply to most enterprise cloud products under new or renewing contracts.”

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IBM has also confirmed that it is changing its SoftLayer cloud pricing, claiming it is a price cut. However, a customer using entry-level Virtual Server Instance in SoftLayer paid $35 per 5TB of outbound bandwidth, that rate has increased to $615 per 5TB of bandwidth.

While competitive price cuts in the cloud market used to be the norm, a trend of increasing cloud costs may be on the rise.

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