Category Archives: Services

Lance Crosby’s StackPath

Lance Crosby has recently announced his new venture StackPath, a Security-as-a-Service company, at HostingCon Global. Initially, StackPath will include content delivery, DDoS protection, and Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. Eventually, the company will grow to include other services such as secure compute and storage. These services will be offered as both individual products and a suite of services, operating on private and public clouds. StackPath’s global threat intelligence engine will be available across 35 points-of-presence.

 

Crosby was inspired to found StackPath in 2013 after he left IBM. He witnessed a plethora of flaws within the cloud security industry and became cognizant of the need for better security, with more than 400 million identified malware attacks in the past year alone.

 

Though relatively young, the company shows much promise. StackPath has raised $150 million in Series A funding alone from private equity firm ARBY Partners, one of the largest single financing rounds for a private security firm. In addition, StackPath has also acquired many companies: Cloak, a VPN firm that provides secure WiFI connections for iOS devices; MaxCDN, a content delivery network company; and Fireblade, a firewall company.

 

About Lance Crosby:

crosby

A 20 year industry veteran, Crosby founded SoftLayer Technologies, which was acquired by IBM for $2 billion in 2013. He also spent a short while at IBM. He later left to found StackPath with his own money.

 

Comments:

Lance Crosby, Stackpath CEO and chairman: “That’s where the concept came from. I saw companies like Netflix, big banks, and firms that were spinning up literally tens of thousands of virtual machines a day and there were no real security products that would follow that level of automation and scale.

“The Internet is where the world does business. It may be the single most important utility supporting businesses today, yet we continue to overtax the aging infrastructure and struggle to make it secure.”

 

The post Lance Crosby’s StackPath appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Microsoft’s Cloud Drives Fourth Quarter Revenue

Microsoft’s fourth quarter has been a tale of growth and decline, with earnings much higher than expert predictions. Net income reached $5.5 billion while revenue came to $22.6 billion, which is significantly larger than the anticipated $22.1 billion. The driving force behind this massive growth: the cloud.

Microsoft’s intelligent cloud division reported a 7% increase in revenue, boosting it up to $6.7 billion. Microsoft Azure alone grew 102% with cloud services also seeing an increase of 5%. This significant increase in the cloud computing sector is largely due to CEO Satya Nadella, as he poured billions of dollars into growing the cloud and building new data centers around the world as well as partnering and acquiring many companies, including Tigo and GE. In addition, Office 365 saw a 54% increase while Office consumer products and cloud services grew 19%.

office 365

However, not all of Microsoft’s sectors experienced growth. The More Personal Computing sector experienced a 4% decline largely due to a 71% decrease in phone sales.

Windows 10 also grew 16%, while Microsoft announced that its plan to have Windows 10 on one billion devices by the year 2018 is unlikely to come to fruition in that short time span,

Microsoft closed its fiscal year with $92 billion in revenue and $22.3 billion in net income.

Previously an industry dominated by Amazon, Microsoft, as well as IBM and Google, are making significant advances with the cloud. This is likely to lead to increased competition within the industry, which will drive steep cloud service prices down.

Comments:

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: “The past year was pivotal in both our own transformation and in partnering with our customers who are navigating their own digital transformations. The Microsoft Cloud is seeing significant customer momentum and we’re well positioned to reach new opportunities in the year ahead.”

The post Microsoft’s Cloud Drives Fourth Quarter Revenue appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Tigo, Microsoft Partner to Bring Cloud Services to Latin America

Millicom has recently announced that its Tigo Business Brand and Microsoft will collaborate to bring cloud computing services to businesses in Latin America through Microsoft Cloud OS Network. This partnership will allow companies in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay to access data services and increased security provided by the two companies.  

 

Tigo Business and Microsoft’s Azure Cloud will provide a plethora of services and solutions while enabling customers to regulate their infrastructure needs efficiently. The combination of the two companies infrastructure will allow large businesses access to many services such as Disaster Recovery and added security. Virtual Desktop and Data Base are among many services listed under the as-a-service model that will also be provided.

tigo

The two companies has also established a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program that will allow Tigo Business to sell MIcrosoft CSP license aimed at targeting small and medium businesses. Tigo will also provide support for cloud-based Microsoft products including Office 365.

 

About Tigo:

Operating under international telecommunications company Millicom, Tigo provides a multitude of services to Latin America. Launched in 2004, Tigo now provides services to over 60 million customers and is one of the largest mobile operators in Latin America.

 

Comments:

Marcelo Benitez, VP Tigo Business: “The Tigo Business and Microsoft partnership offers a significant opportunity to bring cost, service and security benefits to businesses across the Latam region. Tigo Business is known for its fast delivery, and for supporting its business partners in executing cloud strategies efficiently and reliably. Now we can also offer truly innovative packages to our clients. Small and medium sized businesses are the engines of the economy in the region, and this partnership will help businesses to continue their digital transformations and capture the growth ahead.”

The post Tigo, Microsoft Partner to Bring Cloud Services to Latin America appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

GE and Microsoft Collaborate

GE and Microsoft have recently announced a partnership in which GE’s Predix platform-as-a-service (PaaS) will be offered through Microsoft’s Azure cloud. This collaboration brings GE’s Internet of Things (IoT) to the software giant’s cloud. The announcement was made during Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto, Canada.

 

Existing Predix customers who are already with GE will gain access to Azure’s Data as well as Cortsns snd global infrastructure centers. There are plans to strengthen this partnership between the two companies by further integrating Predix into Microsoft’s products such as Azure’s IoT Suite, Cortana Analytics Suite, and Office 365.

predix

 

This partnership joins Microsoft’s other cloud software space collaborations with companies including SAP and Red Hat.

 

About Predix: Introduced in 2015, Predix is a cloud based Platform-as-a-Service. GE utilizes the software platform to collect data from industrial machines. Predix was designed to develop, deploy, operate, and monetize Industrial Internet applications.

 

About Azure: Released in 2010, Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform intended  to manage applications and services through Microsoft data centers. Azure provides Platform as a Service (PaaS) as well as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

 

Comments:

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: “Working with companies like GE, we can reach a new set of customers to help them accelerate their transformation across every line of business – from the factory floor to smart buildings.”

The post GE and Microsoft Collaborate appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Oracle and Fujitsu Team Up

Oracle and Fujitsu have recently entered a partnership to push cloud computing solutions to Japanese businesses as well as their global subsidiaries. Oracle Cloud Application and Platform services, such as Database Cloud, will now be hosted on Fujitsu’s Japanese data centers. Fujitsu has also agreed to push Oracle’s cloud solutions to clients in Japan.

fujitsu

The first Oracle cloud solution that will be supported by Fujitsu’s data centers is Oracle HCM (Human Capital Management) cloud.

Comments:

Shingo Kagawa, head of digital services business and CTO: “We at Fujitsu support the digital transformation of our customers, and aim to contribute to optimized customer systems and business growth with the roll out of our Digital Business Platform MetaArc. In particular, we offer the core cloud service on MetaArc, K5, which addresses systems of engagement (SoE) and systems of record (SoR) [..] Now, as we look to strengthen MetaArc and K5, taking part in this strategic alliance with Oracle will work to meet the cloud needs of our customers.”

Hiroshige Sugihara, president and CEO of Oracle’s Japanese sector, “We strongly believe this cloud alliance will support Japanese companies to drive digital transformation. This will be a gateway for customers to achieve standardization, modernization, and globalization.”

The post Oracle and Fujitsu Team Up appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Novosco Acquires NetDef

Cloud service provider Novosco has recently acquired NetDef, a security solution enterprise. This deal is expected to close for a few million dollars and will increase the workforce at Novosco to about 140 employees.This acquisition is intended to aid Novosco’s expansion into the English market.

NetDef will continue trade under its own name.

netdef

About Novosco:

Founded in 1994,  UK based Novosco provides cloud solutions, managed services, and consulting to cutomers by leveraging public, private, and hybrid clouds. With offices in Belfast, Cork, Dublin, and Manchester, Novosco provides services to a number of organizations including universities, health trusts, and housing organizations within the UK as well as many large organizations within the Republic of Ireland.

About NetDef:

Founded in 1996, Cheshire based NetDef currently employs 20 people. NetDef aims to provide technology awareness to the public as well as testing, developing, and supporting Open Source Software (OSS). It also provides open and testing of hardware and software.

Comments:

Dave Beesley, NetDef  Managing Director: ”The complementary expertise that we have will allow us to further enhance and deepen the services that we offer to existing and new clients.”

Patrick McAliskey, Novosco Managing Director: “NetDef is a well-established provider of network and security solutions to some of the UK’s most high-profile organisations, and its expertise and competence have seen it entrusted with data and projects of the utmost public sensitivity. Working with Dave Beesley and his expert team will provide Novosco with added scale, and an important new dimension to our service offering as we seek to further grow our business across the UK.”

The post Novosco Acquires NetDef appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Telstra Acquires Readify

Telstra has recently announced the acquisition of Australian based Readify, a developer of Microsoft software applications. This acquisition adds to Telstra’s cloud portfolio, adding to earlier acquisitions of Kloud in January as well as O2 Networks, Bridgepoint Communications, and NSC.

About Readify:

Based in Melbourne, Readify has won several awards from Microsoft. Readify has approximately 200 staff members and 80% of staff members are software developers.

readify

Previous Acquisitions:

In January, Telstra aimed to expand its managed network application services by acquiring Australian based Kloud.  Kloud provides solutions for application development, cloud infrastructure, identity, productivity, and security. It also provides services to more than 80 government and corporate customers throughout the Asia Pacific region.

North Shore Connections (NSC) was acquired by Telstra in August of 2013. O2 joined Telstra in January 2014 for AU$60 million and data management provider Bridgeport was acquired in October 2014.

In March of 2016, Telstra announced a three software defined network (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) products in order to improve cloud security and global data center interconnection. The products introduced were Cloud Gateway Protection, Internet Virtual Private Network (VPN), and Data Center Interconnect.  

Cloud Gateway Protection is a virtual security application that aims to secure cloud services and internet access against cyber attacks.

Internet VPN aims to provide an encrypted office network over public internet for enterprises to utlize across a multitude of sites.

Data Center Interconnect, extends Telstra’s SDN PEN1 global data center interconnection by adding points of presence throughout the Australian region.  

 

Comments:

Michelle Bendschneider, Telstra’s executive director of Global Enterprise and Services: “As we know, apps and software in general are playing an increasingly important role in businesses. Readify is recognised globally for its innovative software solutions and will further help us create software-led digital transformations with our customers. Readify will provide application development and data analytics services, nicely complementing Kloud’s existing services. It will enable Telstra to add incremental value to customers in enterprise cloud applications, API-based customisation, and extensions, as well as business technology advisory services.”

The post Telstra Acquires Readify appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Amazon Launches New Cloud Region

Public cloud provider Amazon Web Services has recently announced the launch of a new cloud region in Mumbai, India. This marks AWS ’s 35th availability zone across 13 technology infrastructure regions.

This new region will provide services for over 75,000 active customers that have already begun to take advantage of the power of the platform. Launch of the region allows Indian enterprises, startups, etc. to harness the full power and scalability of the platform.

There are three edge locations in India currently: Mumbai, Chennai, and New Delhi and AWS has opened six offices in India to support it growing customer base within the country.

The region is set to consist of two separate availability zones that refer to two different distinct data centers. Most Indian tech startups create their businesses utilizing AWS and new cloud regions allows Indian companies to fully take advantage of the services Amazon has to offer. AWS is also offering training and certification programs to Indian developers that wish to take advantage of these technologies.

Comments:

Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services: “These same 75,000 Indian customers, along with others anxious to start using AWS, have asked for an AWS India Region so they can move their applications that require low latency and data sovereignty. We’re excited to make this available today, with the same pay-as-you-go pricing, ability to get started immediately without having to negotiate enterprise agreements or wait days for access, and unmatched functionality that customers enjoy in AWS Regions worldwide – all of which allows customers to go from idea to launch faster than ever before was possible”

Jagdish Belwal, CIO of Tata Motors Limited; AWS customer:”We have been working with AWS since 2012, steadily moving workloads to the cloud, such as test and development environments for our core enterprise systems, we run one of the largest CRM based Dealer Management implementations in the world, more than 90 Tata digital properties in production on AWS, and many other applications.”

The post Amazon Launches New Cloud Region appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Google Brings Cloud Technology to Students for Free

Many companies, such as Samsung, are doing their best to get more involved in the cloud services space.

Google, however, is out in front of the pack. While some see this company as nothing more than a search engine, those with advanced knowledge realize that it goes well beyond that.

According to a recent blog post by Alison Wagonfeld, Vice President of Marketing, Google Cloud & Google for Education, the company is happy to announce the Google Cloud Platform Education Grants program for computer science faculty and students.

As of June 21, 2016, faculty in the United States who teach computer science courses can apply for free credits, which can then be passed along to students. These credits provide access to a variety of Google Platform tools, many of which have come to be known as the best in the industry.

Google has high hopes for the program, believing that it can help students reach their full potential, both while in school and when they enter the job market.

Some of the many tools students will be able to access include:

  • Cloud Machine Learning
  • Cloud Vision API
  • Google BigQuery
  • Google App Engine

All of these tools offer something special, with Google noting that they “are unique among cloud providers.”

For example, the use of Cloud Vision API gives computer science students the opportunity to implement state-of-the-art image recognition capabilities into the development of a mobile apple website.

With grants available for use anytime during the 2016-17 academic year, computer science faculty are beginning to apply in great numbers. While the program is only available in the United States for the upcoming academic year, Google hopes to expand it to other parts of the world in the near future.

The post Google Brings Cloud Technology to Students for Free appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Samsung Acquires Joyent

Samsung Electronics has recently announced that it will acquire Joyent, a company that is important to the cloud hosting market, for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition marks Samsung effort to transition from just a device manufacturer; the company has begun to expand into software and services with things such as Samsung Pay. The acquisition of Joyent marks Samsung’s third major procurement of a US startup in two years. Acquiring Joyent allows Samsung to have another outlet of processing power, as it currently relies on Amazon and Microsoft for cloud services. As Samsung continues to delve into the realm of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, the extra computational service is much needed. Samsung also aims to use cloud services to collect and analyze data generated by its devices to create a more personalized experience for users.

samsung

Joyent will be integrated into Samsung’s mobile division. Joyent will keep both its name and top level management through this transition. Joyent will operate with a certain amount of independence from parent company Samsung. This acquisition allows Joyent to compete within the large, rapidly developing cloud market and will help Joyent’s worldwide expansion. As Scott Hammond, CEO, wrote on Joyent’s website, “ By bringing these two companies together we are creating the opportunity to develop and bring to market vertically integrated mobile and IoT services and solutions that deliver extraordinary simplicity and value to our customers. This will accelerate the speed of innovation for both companies in high growth market segments.”

About Joyent:

Founded in 2004, the Joyent team was among the first to experiment with public and hybrid cloud as well as to industrialize containers. San Francisco based Joyent has many industry leading but lesser known products and services such as Triton, containers as a service, and Manta, object storage solution. Similarly to Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, Joyent allows customers to run their software on the cloud but Joyent also aids customers in constructing their own cloud like systems within their own data centers. Joyent has raised about $126 million in venture capital over the past eleven years.

Comments:

Senior vice president at Samsung’s Global Innovation Center Jacopo Lenzi: “As Samsung is increasingly focusing on software and services as part of its offering to users, it’s very important to build out our internal capabilities in cloud, not only in infrastructure but also in great talent. In Joyent we saw a combination of a proven platform that has been a leader in the forward-thinking elements of this space as well as a team that is world class.”

Joyent CEO Scott Hammond: “The partnership with Samsung gives us the global reach, the economic scale, the financial resources to not only innovate but to also extend our footprint globally. We’ll be building data centers around the globe.”

Chief technology officer of Samsung’s mobile division, “Big data is going to be a huge initiative for Samsung. Samsung devices will be increasingly intelligent, and big data is really a key component of intelligence and personalization.”

The post Samsung Acquires Joyent appeared first on Cloud News Daily.