Relational databases are notoriously ornery and resistant to being distributed across the cloud and the global cloud’s multiple data centers, multiple regions in multiple countries stocked by multiple service providers – and that includes that popular favorite MySQL, used by some of the largest web-facing organizations for their mission-critical apps.
Well, a start-up by the name of GenieDB says it’s been working on a commercial solution for MySQL for the last five years supported by $3.5 million in seed money and has just put out its GenieDB Enterprise 2.0 widgetry. It’s a private preview with general availability due by the end of June.

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The most essential element in optimizing performance is detecting issues before they impact your systems. However, you need to implement constant monitoring on your operating environment to gain this early insight. There are tools to help, but finding one that provides all the right information is often a challenge.
Complex interactions between applications, networks, servers and other infrastructure components bury the issues, which make it difficult to find a universally compatible monitoring tool that doesn’t add more complexity to the environment. The issue with the tools available today is that they don’t dig deep into the data, and/or they tend to focus too narrowly on the type of infrastructure they can monitor. The best monitoring tool provides broad insight into multiple systems and correlates data in a single interface – viewing only part of the system doesn’t provide a complete picture of what’s going on. To optimize performance, you need different points of view and you need to know how all of them tie together.

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In a discrete low-key press release API house Apigee said Thursday that it’s getting backing from the CIA’s strategic venture arm In-Q-Tel (IQT) to enhance its widgetry to support the US intelligence community.
No number was mentioned.
Apigee has already raised $72.1 million in five rounds that included SAP, the German company, four times.
The CIA and other spook agencies want to improve their data sharing and figure out what to do with information once they get it, especially since there’s more information than ever before and Apigee is focused on mobile apps, which spew out information like an open fire hydrant during a hot summer in the projects.

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Our more interconnected planet is accelerating the adoption and convergence of next-generation architectures, in the form of cloud, mobile and instrumented physical assets. Organizations that can effectively balance optimization and innovation, will be in a position to leverage new systems of engagement, out maneuver their peers and achieve desired outcomes. In the Opening Keynote at 12th Cloud Expo | Cloud Expo New York, IBM GM & Next Generation Platform CTO Dr Danny Sabbah will detail the critical architectural considerations and success factors organizations must internalize to successfully implement, optimize and innovate using next generation architectures.

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Guest blog by Nick John
Managing Director, FCP Internet Limited

There is a lot of hype surrounding the cloud and its delivery of software, storage and infrastructure over the Internet, but many businesses still view the technology as being too disruptive to implement.

And yet, by taking the time to understand this advanced technology, we can begin to learn that the benefits usually outweigh the negatives, and that the myths are most often grounded in fiction. For that reason, we are going to debunk 10 of those myths.

Myth #1: It’s not secure. The cloud allows for your data to be remotely accessible, and so not in one specific location (such as a PC) where it can be stolen. The standard service-level agreement that should be in place is integral to finding the right security level for your business.

Myth #2: You have no idea what it is. Have …

The massive computing and storage resources that are needed to support big data applications make cloud environments an ideal fit. In Nati Shalom’s upcoming session at 12th Cloud Expo | Cloud Expo New York [June 10-13, 2013], you’ll learn how to build your big data “database on-demand” using MongoDB, Cassandra, Solr, MySQL, or any other big data solution, as well as manage your big data application using a new open source framework called “Cloudify.” All this, on top of the OpenStack cloud.

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Recent research by Nucleus put the focus on contact centres. Their claim was twofold – firstly that there was significant ROI to be had, but equally that choosing the cloud route allows for more cost-effective customer service – if not better customer service. 

Looking purely at cost, the case for the cloud-based contact centre is clear – the initial and ongoing costs are a fraction of on-premise options, for all the reasons that we’re already well aware of (software, hardware, staffing & resourcing). However, the claim that businesses who move from on-premise to the cloud are likely to recoup their investment solely through the savings on licences is a startling one.

More interesting, though, is the intangible aspect of moving your contact centre to the cloud – the aspect that says “your customer service will improve”. Isn’t this what we’re all looking for? Essentially, the means of delivering excellent customer service is …

Albert Einstein once said that the only source of knowledge is experience. And in terms of cloud computing, the latest report from RightScale, subtitled “How cloud maturity unlocks cloud value” emphasises that to a tee.

The second annual RightScale State of the Cloud Report, surveying 625 respondents from execs to cloud practitioners, found a wide array of interesting takeaways, but the key theme running through the research was that the more time you spend on cloud, the more revenue you’ll get out of it in the long run.

This graph shows in particular how companies with more stake in cloud computing were reaping the rewards:

“These findings show that cloud benefits are not only a future expectation, but also a reality today for many organisations,” the report stresses.

As shown in the graph, the report put companies into four levels of cloud maturity:

• Cloud watchers – organisations that are strategising …

The cloud has proven to be an attractive cost-efficient and flexible model for many organizations. However, some skepticism remains when it comes to the return on investment for cloud computing and the real costs related to building a hybrid cloud.
In his session at the 12th International Cloud Expo, Pavan Pant, Director of Product Management for Verizon Terremark, will discuss the challenges enterprises face when migrating their business-critical applications to a cloud environment and how organizations can drive efficiency and value through hybrid cloud models.

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