If cloud computing benefits are so clear, why have so few enterprises migrated their mission-critical apps? The answer is often inertia and FUD. No one ever got fired for not moving to the cloud – not yet.
In his session at 15th Cloud Expo, Michael Hoch, SVP, Cloud Advisory Service at Virtustream, will discuss the six key steps to justify and execute your MCA cloud migration.
@VASCODataNews on Transparent #Cloud Security at @CloudExpo New York
The promise of easy, rapid, and low-cost deployment is luring increasing numbers to the cloud. Is security the only remaining obstacle to total domination by the cloud? In his session at 14th Cloud Expo, John Gunn, VP of Corporate Communications for VASCO Data Security, will examine how the evolving threat landscape will present new security challenges for the cloud. You will also learn how to use transparent authentication to find the right balance between keeping the promise of user convenience while still maintaining essential security practices.
@CloudExpo White Paper: VM Backup & Recovery with @Symantec
This Lab Validation report from Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) provides you with best practices to create an environment that offers you simple unified data protection across physical and virtual landscapes, maximum protection and data availability, and reduced storage needs and operational costs. Find out how Symantec Backup Exec 2014 measures up against best practices in virtual data protection.
@CloudExpo | Five Trends That Will Shape the Future of #Cloud Hosting
With $13 billion expected to be spent by American businesses alone in 2014, the cloud should no longer be considered an alternative IT model. The demand for hardware to run traditional infrastructures is in a nosedive. IBM is spending $1 billion this year, matching the amount it spent in 2013, on “workforce rebalancing” (the company’s lingo for widespread layoffs). Cisco is experiencing a similarly negative impact, with a 4% decline in revenue for its equipment expected this year.
Despite those pieces of bad news for major technology brands, the cloud ultimately represents not closure, but change. It’s been a gradual transition from the established to the innovative, in large part due to concerns over security. Cloud security experts scored a major victory in 2011 when Gen. Keith Alexander announced that the Pentagon would be deploying the new technological approach.
@CloudExpo 2015 ‘Call For Papers’ Now Open (#Cloud & #BigData)
The 16th International Cloud Expo announces that its Call for Papers is now open. 16th International Cloud Expo, to be held June 9–11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City brings together Cloud Computing, APM, APIs, Security, Big Data, Internet of Things, DevOps and WebRTC to one location.
With cloud computing driving a higher percentage of enterprise IT budgets every year, it becomes increasingly important to plant your flag in this fast-expanding business opportunity. Submit your speaking proposal today!
@CloudExpo | Does Performance in the #Cloud Matter?
One of the most appealing benefits of cloud deployment is the ease of use and the flexibility of adding or removing compute capacity. You can dynamically allocate resources based on the changing workloads, which give you the flexibility in managing your compute cost.
AWS Auto Scaling enables you to closely follow the demand curve for your applications, reducing the need to provision Amazon EC2 capacity in advance. For example, if your CPU Utilization goes over 70% you can add additional EC2 instances. Similarly, if your CPU Utilization goes down above a threshold, you can remove EC2 instances.
@StackIQ To Exhibit At @CloudExpo Silicon Valley
StackIQ offers a comprehensive software suite that automates the deployment, provisioning, and management of Big Infrastructure. With StackIQ’s software, you can spin up fully configured big data clusters, quickly and consistently — from bare-metal up to the applications layer — and manage them efficiently. Our software’s modular architecture allows customers to integrate nearly any application with the StackIQ software stack.
Top Five Technology Trends That Will Change the Legal Industry [#Cloud]
From the way legal teams prepare for trial to how they communicate with clients and other professionals, technology is quickly becoming an influential member of the practice. However, even in today’s technology-driven world, not all firms can label themselves tech savvy. To help those firms integrate technology into their businesses, this article explores the top five technology trends presented by the American Bar Association’s 2013 Tech Report to keep an eye on for the future of successful law firms and professionals.
Disaster Recovery as a Service: Can small businesses now benefit?
Small businesses are increasingly seeing the advantage of software as a service. It’s a model that opens up new possibilities to them. There is little or no capital investment and a convenient pay-as-you-go subscription model. It’s no wonder that many SMBs are now using cloud business software they would never have thought of installing on servers on their own site.
Cloud storage is even simpler. The data for entire small business can be uploaded without having to worry about investing in extra hardware or complex technology. But what about ‘Disaster Recovery as a Service’ or DRaaS for short – is that just for the bigger organizations, or does it have something to offer smaller enterprises too?
Beyond data storage
Sending data back-ups to the cloud is already a step forward. It’s typically mush safer than using local disk drives or burning CDs or DVDs to store data. However, in the event of an IT disaster, it may take more than a simple data download to restart operations. Floods, fires, lighting and even traffic snarl-ups can damage servers or make them inaccessible. And that banal but fatal disk crash can have the same effect too.
Effective disaster recovery solutions must therefore handle a range of different potential problems and let organizations rapidly get their IT working again in all cases.
What should DRaaS providers offer?
Your business may be small, but that doesn’t stop it from having the same requirements as bigger corporations. Computer downtime may be just as catastrophic for you as for them. So if DRaaS looks like a good idea, make sure you’re getting all you need.
- Recovery time. Making your IT available online may take a few hours, or as little as 5 minutes. Compare this with what your business needs and what it costs – and also with the other solution of trying to do it all by yourself.
- Special server platforms. Your enterprise may also be using particular applications or platforms in order to do business. Or you may require your data and applications to comply with specific regulations (health, financial or other). If you want to use DRaaS, make sure your provider gives you not only the right technical resources, but also any necessary regulatory compliance.
- Data back-up or online computing environments? Not every DRaaS solution includes both back-ups and replication of your computing facilities. If you want both items covered, check the service agreement before you sign up.
- Getting back to normal afterwards. Using a replicated cloud-based data center may be a godsend if your own IT facilities are out of action. However, when they’re back, you’ll want to transfer your operations back out of the cloud and into your normal IT environment again. So check to see if your DRaaS provider will really be there to help you complete the entire recovery process.
So do small businesses want DRaaS?
The possibilities above motivate small companies to look for smarter online solutions for safeguarding their data and their computing ability. There’s evidence to suggest that they’re taking action too, according to recent (2012) data from Gartner, the market research company.
As many as 90% of DRaaS set-ups are for organizations running just 3 to 6 enterprise applications, with between 2 and 5 terabytes of associated data storage. While it’s better to think out your own solution rather than just copying what other SMBs are doing, statistics like these suggest it’s worth taking a look at DRaaS.
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@CloudExpo | Managing a Private #Cloud Environment
When we are deciding between public or private cloud implementation there are some capabilities we need to take into consideration and security is one of the top ones. Other characteristics like integration with existing systems, costs and management are also important.
Looking at the management side of a cloud environment, there may be some delivery models that can be used in this arena that can bring new ways into the decision process.