2013 was a banner year for cloud backup adoption. It was also a year of wake-up calls: simple cloud backup doesn’t constitute DR, transfer speeds are vital, and beware cloud as a commodity. Let’s look to 2014 for more trends in cloud backup and DR in the cloud.
This trend showed up in the news as well-known cloud backup vendors ceased production. Symantec Backup Exec Cloud was the biggest casualty of slow performance, and more cloud hosting products struggled or went down because they were not optimized for speed of backup or recovery.
Just offering a backup to cloud option isn’t enough anymore. Users appreciate the scalability and cost-effectiveness of the cloud but they also want the same level of performance in backup and restore that they had on-premise. Native cloud optimization for the Internet and high data transfer speeds are the only way to achieve this performance level.
In a previous blog on Cloud Services Brokerage (CSB), I promised to return briefly to the topic of CSB monetization.
The term CSB can refer to both to the activity of brokering cloud services, or to the software application (or suite of applications) used to manage that activity. The activity of brokering cloud services can be carried out within an enterprise, as an internal support function, or performed as a paid-for service by a third party. So just to be clear, the discussion in today’s blog is all about the monetization of CSB as a service when provided by a CSB service provider.
The scope of CSB need not be limited to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). To provide a complete cloud service, a broker might also offer IaaS and/or PaaS. The CSB service might also include desktop tools to help the customer, and also some good old-fashioned consulting.
With the “API economy” dominating the headlines in 2013, it’s no surprise that Parasoft saw a surge of interest in how to ensure API reliability, security, and performance. Here’s a recap of the 13 most-accessed API Integrity resources from 2013…
API Integrity: How Buggy Are Today’s APIs? [Infographic] This infographic highlights some interesting findings from Parasoft’s research on API Integrity…
Another 2014 prediction is the evolution and emergence of the ‘Cloud Name System’, a directory system for Cloud applications in the same way DNS (Domain Name System) works for the web and email.
Lori Vittie wrote a while back about the need for an ‘SNS’ – a Service Name System, a DNS type directory approach but for Cloud Services so that they can be entirely loosely coupled from their IT infrastructure.
Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the web, himself described a scenario of ‘Socially Aware Cloud Storage‘ that applies this same ideal of abstraction to our personal data across all the social networks we use. This refers to a distributed (Cloud) storage service that is used to store personal user data for social networks, rather than the social sites holding it themselves.
The major strides achieved in IT in 2013 are possibly a hint of what to expect in 2014. The leading players are expected to introduce new and advanced cloud-based solutions, and at the same time keep testing, improving the efficiency of the existing services. Here are some of our top predictions for cloud services in 2014:
The raging debate over which cloud service – private vs. public – is superior and/or suitable for enterprise IT architecture might finally be settled. The rapid growth in hybrid cloud solutions, which are essentially a combination of the two main architectures, is expected to provide an answer for businesses that have hitherto been reluctant to adopt cloud computing. On the one hand, hybrid cloud services offer the same cost-effective, scalable and powerful benefits as public cloud services. On the other, the hybrid architecture offers the high level of security similar to that of private clouds. As such, we foresee a significant growth in the use of hybrid clouds in enterprise IT since they enable businesses to implement a wide range of customizable solutions without sacrificing the security of their data and/or networks.
Enterprise IT organizations today often are bypassed as employees and LoBs use cloud services; in fact cloud computing is considered the revenge of the business unit. 2014 will be year that the Enterprise IT organizations move from role of helpless bystander to role of strategic partner to the business unit. It will be the year that the CIO carves out a new role of strategic importance, namely the enabler of cloud apps that drive agility, productivity and competitive advantage for their business units. In 2014, CIOs and IT departments will use rapidly emerging cloud security solutions to accelerate the adoption of SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) within the enterprise and will embark on security transformation.
Savvy organizations, HP among them, are turning to preventing attacks, rather than just detecting them and remediating them.
The high cost of unwanted intrusion and malware across corporate networks is well known. Less talked-about are the successful ways that organizations are thwarting ongoing, adaptive and often-insider-driven security breaches.
Companies are understandably reluctant to readily discuss either their defenses or mishaps. Yet HP, one of the world’s largest companies, is both a provider and a practitioner of enterprise intrusion detection systems (IDS). And so we asked HP to explain how it is both building and using such technologies, along with seeking some insider tips on best practices.
Big-data processing helps to make the best use of dynamic storage resources by taking in all the relevant storage activities data, analyzing it and then making the best choices for dynamic hybrid storage optimization.
If, as the adage goes, you should fight fire with fire then perhaps its equally justified to fight big data optimization requirements with — big data.
It turns out that high-performing, cost-effective big-data processing helps to make the best use of dynamic storage resources by taking in all the relevant storage activities data, analyzing it and then making the best real-time choices for dynamic hybrid storage optimization.
In other words, big data can be exploited to better manage complex data and storage. The concept, while tricky at first, is powerful and, I believe, a harbinger of what we’re going to see more of, which is to bring high intelligence to bear on many more services, products and machines.
Tech giants Verizon and Oracle have announced a partnership whereby customers can use Oracle Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware on Verizon’s cloud.
“This deal represents two market leaders coming together to create a compelling cloud offering that will help enterprises succeed in a highly competitive market environment,” Oracle president Mark Hurd trumpeted in a statement.
He added: “Combining Verizon’s unique enterprise experience and capabilities with Oracle’s best in class cloud products will provide customers another easy and cost-effective choice for embracing the cloud.”
Big words, yes, but what are the facts behind it? It’s worth noting that Verizon Cloud is currently in beta, with the service announced only in October. There’s also no information on when Verizon’s solution will hit full release, but with the latest announcement covering software as a service via Oracle, it’s certainly an interesting proposition.
Cloud Expo, Inc. has announced today that Larry Carvalho has been named Tech Chair of Cloud Expo® 2014.
14th International Cloud Expo will take place on June 10–12, 2014, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, and 15th International Cloud Expo® will take place on November 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
“We are excited that Larry Carvalho is joining us as Cloud Expo Tech Chair. Our upcoming event in June will offer the best sessions and faculty to date,” said Carmen Gonzalez, co-founder and CEO of Cloud Expo, Inc. “Since the 13th international conference in November we have received the highest number of sponsorship and exhibit inquiries for Cloud Expo 2014.”