Registration is now open for “2ndInternational WebRTC Summit” being held June 10-12, 2014, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is an open source project supported by Google, Mozilla and Opera that aims to enable browser-to-browser applications for voice calling, video chat, and P2P file sharing without plugins. Its mission is “To enable rich, high quality, RTC applications to be developed in the browser via simple Javascript APIs and HTML5.”
ATTENTION: Important Information About Microsoft Ending Extended Support!
By Rob O’Shaughnessy,Software Licensing Specialist, Pre-Sales Technical Support
There are only a few months left before Microsoft ends its Extended Support for Windows XP, Office 2003 and Exchange 2003. On April 8, 2014 Extended Support will cease to exist. At this point you should be making arrangements to upgrade to the latest editions of Microsoft products so you can continue to receive the necessary support that Microsoft provides. If you’re looking to upgrade, here are some paths for you to take.
Windows XP Professional: Microsoft offers an upgrade price through volume licensing that allows Window XP Professional to upgrade to Windows 7/8 Professional. It’s worth noting that if you are running an older PC, you may want to test to see if it is compatible with the newer versions of Windows.
Exchange 2003: Microsoft doesn’t offer an upgrade price for Exchange; however, they do offer two options to get the latest edition of Exchange in your environment. The first is on-premise licensing of Exchange 2013. This would be loaded and managed locally and MSRP for Exchange Server is $708. In addition, each Device or User accessing Exchange would also require a Client Access License that starts at $68 for the Device Cal and $78 for the User Cal.
The other option to purchase Exchange is through Microsoft’s Cloud known as Office 365. Known as Exchange Online, this off-premise subscription license provides the same Exchange experience as on-prem but without having to have a lot of the local infrastructure in place. There are two options: Exchange Online Plan 1, which is $4 per User per Month and Exchange Online Plan 2, which adds enterprise features and is $8 per User per Month.
Office 2003: Similar to Exchange, Office doesn’t offer an upgrade price and also like Exchange, Office can be purchased as a volume license or through Office 365. The MSRP for Office Standard through volume licensing is $380 a license and for Professional Plus it’s $508. If you prefer the subscription-based model, Office Professional Plus can be purchased through Office 365 for $15 per User per Month. Office 365 requires a minimum of a year for the subscription. If you need to upgrade both Exchange and Office, Microsoft provides an Office 365 Plan that includes Office Professional Plus, Exchange Plan-2, SharePoint Plan-2 and Lync Plan-2 for $20 per User per Month. There are several volume licensing agreements and Office 365 Plans to choose from.
Last, although still a ways away, Windows Server 2003 R2 extended support will be ending on July 14, 2014.
If you are looking for assistance, here is how GreenPages can help:
Licensing: Our top notch licensing desk can assist you in understanding all the nuances of Microsoft volume licensing as well as Office 365. We can work with you to find what program fits best for your organization, help mitigate costs, and ensure your compliancy. We can run license history reports to make sure you’re appropriately licensed and review all the various licensing changes in products such as Windows, System Center and SQL.
Migrations & Professional Services: As a dual gold-competency Microsoft Service provider, GreenPages can assist you with the migration to a new client platform. This can include services to perform the following:
• Upgrading client computers from Windows XP to Windows 7/8
• Upgrading Office from 2003 to 2013
• Installing and configuring System Center technologies to incorporate upgrades to the latest technologies and implementing automated patching, remote control, software deployment, and Operating System Deployment (OSD)
Upgrading client operating systems and office packages can be the tip of the IT Iceberg. Let GreenPages help implement a lasting lifecycle management infrastructure for your environment.
When it comes to messaging, there are a number of scenarios to evaluate including
• Upgrade Exchange 2003/2007/2010 to Exchange 2013
• Migrate from Exchange to Office 365
Whether an on-premises upgrade is in your forecast, or you are ready to seize the opportunity to move toward a hybrid cloud environment and migrate to Office 365, GreenPages can help with these and other Microsoft projects.
Windows XP Countdown Foreshadows End of Support for Windows Server 2003
“Meanwhile, in Windows XP land, the countdown continues with the April deadline looming” said Jessica Davis in a recent article in MSPmentor. “Reports say that the XP installed base has dipped below 30 percent for the first time, while comments on this same story speculate that the numbers are much higher still. Meanwhile, if you have customers with XP machines still in place, you need to be worrying how you will secure those after the deadline. Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows XP is sharing the same dead date with the OS it supports, according to this report.”
IoT Service Revenues to Reach $20 Billion
A new report from Juniper Research has forecast that Machine to Machine (M2M)) service revenues will reach $20 billion globally in 2015, as players across the M2M industry focus on simplifying the process of rolling out M2M for the end-user. However, the report — M2M & Embedded Strategies: Telematics, POS, mHealth, Metering & Buildings 2013-2018 — observed that the monetisation opportunities offered by M2M services differ significantly according to the industry to which it is being applied. Thus, while telematics is particularly positive, smart metering, despite high forecast numbers and regulatory drivers, is still struggling to find an avenue for revenue generation. However, in all sectors, service revenues will substantially exceed revenues from managing connectivity throughout the forecast period.
The Internet of Things Have Transformed How We Think
I spent last week working with four brilliant technology analysts in Chicago. It was -40 degrees Fahrenheit with the windchill. Who would schedule a meeting in Chicago mid-winter? Even in the conference room it was cold, and we were all wearing coats and scarves! It made for a great adventure and after a brief 36 hour delay in my flight, I am back in the home office. What did I learn last week? For starters, more words to add to my vocabulary. I learned how to use words like gravitas and nascent. Two words rarely used in Boise, Idaho. “That potato farmer has both expertise and gravitas, and he is always looking for nascent varieties of spuds.” Sorry, can’t say I have ever heard that said. I did, however, learn a great deal about how real analysts work and organize their research projects. They taught me much about where technology is today, and where it is rapidly going over the next two years.
In-memory stepping up to big and fast data analytic crunch
Madan Sheina, Lead Analyst, Software – Information Management
Interest in in-memory computing platforms is rising. Until now, the primary driver has been the “need for speed,” helping companies to process relatively modest data sets more quickly.
Both traditional and newer in-memory vendors are looking to scale-up these capabilities with innovative platforms that promise to meet the increasing demand for more accelerated, operationally driven analytics against Big Data residing in Hadoop environments.
Their efforts promise to overcome the limitations of traditional analytic architectures and, if successful, to bolster Hadoop’s credentials as a mainstream option for operational enterprise computing needs.
Two magnitudes of in-memory play into Hadoop
Two “magnitudes” of in-memory stand out – processing speed and data scale. In-memory has more or less proved itself as a viable platform for processing data more quickly – at speeds that traditional technologies simply cannot handle. For companies that require realtime analytics, in-memory computing is certainly …
Zynstra launches O365Connect, aims to take on hybrid SMB market
UK-based hybrid cloud startup Zynstra has announced the launch of O365Connect, aimed at helping SMBs with a managed IT solution which brings the best of both on-premise and cloud worlds.
The product was developed in association with Microsoft – the name gives that one away – and HP, who is an OEM partner of Zynstra, and is aimed at businesses between five and 250 employees.
Zynstra O365Connect handles various tasks, from networking to file management, to Office 365, as well as maintaining a full backup of cloud-managed email and file data, plus providing a disaster recovery option in Windows Azure.
The partnership with HP doesn’t end there either, with all of Zynstra’s cloudy server appliances built on HP ProLiant servers, alongside Zynstra’s software to create the mix for IT workloads to be run in a virtualised Windows or Linux environment.
Nick East, Zynstra CEO, explained to CloudTech that many …
Value in local government digital services should be driven by G-Cloud, PSN and suppliers
When head of Rotherham Council ICT Richard Copley recently called for a Local Government Digital Service, I immediately thought “that’s an ambitious idea and welcome thinking”.
We should always be open to bold new approaches that challenge the status quo and are driven by a genuine desire to deliver a better and more cost effective service for the public. After all, the central Government Digital Service (GDS) was such an idea and look how award-winningly successful that has been.
However, I’m also mindful of Mike Bracken’s comment at a 2013 SOCITM conference that “it was the devil’s own job to get 24 departments to agree to adopt Gov.uk”. As Richard Copley himself admits, it would be a serious challenge to scale that task up to 326 councils/local authorities and their digital departments spread right across the country.
So could there be a more pragmatic …
Investing in Cloud: Getting the Most Bang for Your IT Buck
Worldwide IT spending is projected to rise US$3.8 trillion in 2014 according to recent Gartner research, a 3.1 percent increase from spending in 2013, which was $3.7 trillion. While not a huge jump in dollars, it does indicate that companies have been conserving cash over the past few years and are ready and willing to invest – albeit conservatively – with the recovery in place.
The promise of the Cloud has been validated and tested now over several years and organizations are increasing budgets and plans accordingly, more liberal spending is being seen by Cloud service providers who are witnessing an uptick in demand from businesses that are planning to address outdated infrastructure in 2014. Even organizations that are wary of significant cash outlays are recognizing the long-term IT savings it represents and are willing to take the steps to integrate solutions that eliminate CAPEX, and future-proof their infrastructure while providing predictable cash flow.
A Modular Approach to Cloud Computing with Coraid
Coraid’s modular, scale-out approach has helped service providers as well as enterprises have a better methodology to deploy storage for cloud architectures. The company’s Ethernet storage technology has a well-documented track record in large-scale cloud architectures, providing a lower TCO.
Coraid has spent the last year focused on expanding the experience level of its leadership team to include Dave Kresse as CEO, Stewart Grierson as CFO, Keith Carpenter as vice president of worldwide sales, and Gail Boddy as vice president of human resources. The company also secured access to $29.3 million in additional financing in December of 2013.