It’s clear that cloud computing has transformed the enterprise IT landscape, from the computing infrastructure layer up through enterprise software, as companies move to leverage more efficient and cost-effective service-delivery models and bring new cloud-based products and services to the market. Perhaps less known is the innovation taking place at the network level and how leading companies are transforming their Wide Area Networks (WAN) to more quickly and efficiently fuel their move to the cloud.
Moving to the cloud requires network managers and IT shops to implement scalable solutions that ensure the reliability and performance of cloud-based applications across their extended enterprise. Cloud computing drives the need for more reliability across the WAN and ever-increasing amounts of highly available, secure and reliable bandwidth across all users, locations and geographies. However, many enterprises are constrained by their existing network infrastructure, both from a cost and performance perspective. They can’t cost-effectively scale their networks; and latency, jitter and packet loss impact performance and reliability in the cloud.
Employees Accessing the Cloud
For many organizations, cloud computing has become an integral part of their everyday business. Many companies are relying on cloud applications for fundamental operations such as CRM and email and are looking to increase utilization of the cloud for other functions. For others, adoption of the cloud along with internal communication about proper protocols for usage has perhaps been slower to evolve or implement.
As recently highlighted in this article in Forbes, it’s been widely observed that employees are experiencing the benefits of cloud computing at home and are often times transferring this personal use into the workplace. Popular applications employees are using both places include Gmail, Skype and Dropbox.
ITprenuers to Exhibit at Cloud Expo New York
SYS-CON Events announced today that ITprenuers, the leading content and instructor provider for IT best practices training and workshops, will exhibit at SYS-CON’s 12th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 10–13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
ITpreneurs offers innovative competence development programs for IT best practices to support the educational needs of IT professionals. With expertise in key domains including Cloud Computing, ITSM, IT Governance, Information Security, Process Improvement, and Project Management, ITpreneurs provides guidance on disparate frameworks and integrated solutions.
Open Data Centers to Exhibit at Cloud Expo New York
SYS-CON Events announced today that Open Data Centers, LLC, a carrier-neutral data center operator in New Jersey and New York City, will exhibit at SYS-CON’s 12th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 10–13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
Open Data Centers is located in Piscataway, New Jersey in a very high power density area. Located 16 miles south of New York City, the facility offers enterprises, service providers and carriers 8,500 feet of high-quality, cost-effective services in an ideal location for carrier Points of Presence (PoPs), low latency alternatives for colocation of financial services applications, and location for cloud services.
Guest Blog: Sequestration and the Cloud
Sequestration burst out of obscurity and entered our household vocabulary in 2013. It got our attention because the impact of it is $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts from the Federal budget over the next ten years. About $85B of these cuts will occur by September of 2013 – and these cuts are being disproportionately applied: Once you exempt the sacred programs, what’s less sacred (like Federal I.T. spending) is going to get hit hard. Forrester Research analyst Andrew Bartels expects that the Federal budget cuts will shave at least $12B out of 2013 U.S. tech spending (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9237240/The_sequester_will_hurt_t…).
Guest Blog: Sequestration and the Cloud
Sequestration burst out of obscurity and entered our household vocabulary in 2013. It got our attention because the impact of it is $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts from the Federal budget over the next ten years. About $85B of these cuts will occur by September of 2013 – and these cuts are being disproportionately applied: Once you exempt the sacred programs, what’s less sacred (like Federal I.T. spending) is going to get hit hard. Forrester Research analyst Andrew Bartels expects that the Federal budget cuts will shave at least $12B out of 2013 U.S. tech spending (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9237240/The_sequester_will_hurt_t…).
Standards for Integrating and Managing the Cloud
“Both cost and trust are much further along than before, but there are still many components that can and need to be optimized for SMBs to truly adopt the cloud,” said Vikas Aggarwal, founder & CEO of Zyrion Inc., in this exclusive Q&A with Cloud Expo Conference Chair Jeremy Geelan. “There needs to be integration and manageability at the service level and not just the infrastructure level,” Aggarwal explained.
Cloud Computing Journal: The move to cloud isn’t about saving money, it is about saving time. – Agree or disagree?
Vikas Aggarwal: Agree. Though saving time is all about money anyway – saving money in optimizing compute resources as well as faster time-to-market, faster delivery, and better revenues.
Governance Strategies for Successful Cloud Initiatives
At the top of many IT group’s list of concerns lie security, compliance and internal process governance – both in static data centers and in dynamic clouds. Indeed, governance should not be overlooked. And, as they say in many security circles, the best measure of successful security is silence. Although the discussion around governance in the cloud has evolved, many organizations still struggle with questions such as:
Which apps should we deploy to public clouds?
When and where should cloud environments be encrypted?
Who has access to cloud-based applications and infrastructure?
Which firewall rules should apply?
How do security rules differ from app to app based on the application’s lifecycle phase?
Cloud Computing Can Slash IT Expenses by Half: Report
An IT services provider based in Asia is throwing up some big numbers when it comes to savings and cloud computing.
DataOne Asia, an independent provider of IT services in the Philippines, said businesses can significantly reduce expenses by putting in place cloud computing solutions, according to an article on PCAdvisor.co,uk.
“Businesses that migrate their IT systems to the cloud could save at least 50 percent of their expenses. This is because the cloud minimizes the cost of infrastructure, management and support,” said DataOne Asia President and CEO Cyril Rocke.
Rocke says that the cloud could help companies minimize expenses on procuring and maintaining their IT infrastructure.
“Most IT users tend to underestimate the cost of procuring infrastructure. Whenever a company wants to buy IT equipment like servers, they cannot do it in a snap. They need to follow a long procurement process where they have to justify the project, write cost-benefit analyses, and submit the necessary papers to different departments. Sometimes, there’s even a need to hire IT experts that will decide which equipment is best for a company.”
“In reality, companies can spend more than a year and thousands of [dollars] on the procurement process alone. This entire traditional procurement process severely damages businesses, and reduces their ability to react and roll out new ideas and solutions.”
Cloud Expo New York: Filling the Cloud Information Security Gap
Organizations of all sizes are challenged because of an industry-wide deficit of information security professionals. Compounding this problem is the steady adoption of cloud-based services, including software and infrastructure as a service, where information security is not always a core competency of the cloud provider.
In his session at the 12th International Cloud Expo, Rob Aragao, VP, Services, at EiQ Networks, will discuss how other organizations have solved these challenges through hosted SecureVue security information and event management (SIEM) – a service-based offering that delivers advanced security expertise and managed security services to organizations that utilize cloud-based services. Attendees will walk away with an understanding how customers have greatly improved the security posture of their cloud-based deployments through hosted SIEM.