Archivo de la categoría: Microsoft

Azure, Datacentre, Enterprise IT, Microsoft, News & Analysis, Red Hat, Virtualisation

Red Hat launches Cloud Access on Microsoft Azure

noviembre 12, 2015 Business Cloud News

Red Hat has followed its recent declaration of a partnership with Microsoft by announcing the availability of Red Hat Cloud Access on Microsoft Azure.

The Access service will make it easier for subscribers to move any eligible, unused Red Hat subscriptions from their data centre to the Azure cloud. Red Hat Cloud Access will give them the support relationship they enjoy with Red Hat with the cloud computing powers of Azure, the software vendor said on its official blog. Cloud Access extends to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat JBoss Middleware, Red Hat Gluster Storage and OpenShift Enterprise. The blog hints that more collaborations with Microsoft are to come.

Meanwhile, in his company blog Azure CTO Mark Russinovich gave a public preview of the coming Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets offering. VM Scale Sets are an Azure Compute resource that allow users to create and manage a collection of virtual machines as a set. These scale sets are designed for building large-scale services targeting big computing, big data and containerized workloads, all of which are increasing in significance as cloud computing evolves, said Russinovich.

By integrating with Azure Insights Autoscale, they provide the capacity to expand and contract to fit requirements with no need to pre-provision virtual machines. This allows users to match their consumption of computing resources to their application needs more accurately.

VM Scale Sets can be controlled within Azure Resource Manager templates and they will support Windows and Linux platform images, as well as custom images and extensions. “When you define a VM Scale Set, you only define the resources you need, so besides making it easier to define your Azure infrastructure, this also allows Azure to optimize calls to the underlying fabric, providing greater efficiency,” said Russinovich. “To deploy a scale set, all you need is an Azure subscription.”

Example Virtual Machine Scale Set templates are available on the GitHub repository.

Bitcoin, blockchain, consensys, Database, Microsoft, News & Analysis

Microsoft launches cloud based Blockchain tech for would be bitcoin traders

noviembre 11, 2015 Business Cloud News

Microsoft has launched a cloud-based ledger system for would-be bitcoin traders. The Azure service provider aims to ease traditional bankers and financial service companies into a new increasingly legitimised market as it gains currency in the world’s finance centres.

The system uses blockchain technology provided by New York based financial technology start up ConsensYs. It will give financial institutions the means to create affordable testing and proof of concept models as they examine the feasibility of bitcoin trading.

Blockchain technology’s ability to secure and validate any exchange of data will help convince compliance constrained finance institutes that this form of trading is no more dangerous than any other high speed automated trading environment, according to Microsoft. In a bitcoin system the ConsenYs blockchain will be used as a large decentralized ledger which keeps track of every bitcoin transaction.

Cloud technology could aggregate sufficient processing power to cater for all fluctuations demand for capacity in online trading. In turn this means that the IT service provider, whether internal or external, can guarantee that every transaction is verified and shared across a global computer network. The omnipresence of the blockchain reporting system makes it impossible for outside interference to go unmonitored.

The Microsoft blockchain service, launched on November 10th, also uses Ethereum’s programmable blockchain technology which will be delivered to existing banks and insurance clients already using Microsoft’s Azure cloud service. According to Microsoft four global financial institutions have already subscribed to the service.

Until now blockchain has been the ‘major pain point’ in bitcoin trading, according to Marley Gray, Microsoft’s director of tech strategy for financial services. Gray told Reuters that the cloud technology had made the technology affordable and easy enough to adopt. According to Gray it now only takes 20 minutes and no previous experience to spin up a private blockchain. Microsoft said it has simplified the system with templates it created, used in combination with its cloud-based flexible computing model.

The new testing systems made possible by ConsensYs create a ‘fail fast, fail cheap’ model that allows finance companies to explore the full range of possibilities of this new type of trading, said Gray.

Datacentre, Enterprise IT, Microsoft, News & Analysis

Microsoft to invest $2bn in Euro cloud infrastructure

noviembre 10, 2015 Business Cloud News

Microsoft has announced plans to invest $2bn on building the infrastructure across Europe to support nationally-based data centres supporting national cloud services. It means that commercial cloud services can be run from the UK and other major European countries, allaying some data sovereignty and Safe Harbour fears.

From late 2016 Microsoft Azure and Office 365 will be generally available from local UK-based data centres, CEO Satya Nadella said at an event in London. A locally supported service for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will follow in 2017. Microsoft will also offer Azure ExpressRoute to provide customers with the option of a private connection to the cloud.

The new local Microsoft cloud regions are designed to ally fears over data residency for customers in the UK. Once the infrastructure is in place Microsoft will be able to replicate data within the UK for backup and recovery.

Services delivered from these UK data centres will not only improve sovereignty and cut latency but create new opportunities for Microsoft UK’s 25,000 channel partners, said Michel Van der Bel, the general manager of Microsoft UK. The UK is a global leader in using cloud-based systems with an adoption rate of 84% claimed Van der Bel.

“Our commitment to run our cloud services from local data centres will help meet demand from those who want their cloud systems based in the UK,” said Van der Bel. Customers and partners who can innovate will grow with the power of the cloud, he said, and now they can meet the strict regulations of the banking, financial services and public sectors.

Microsoft also announced completion of the latest phase of data centre facility expansion in Ireland and the Netherlands, which serve as cloud computing hubs for European customers.

One channel partner said the local data centres for local people plan is an overdue step in the right direction.

“This is great news for the UK and the technology sector as a whole,” said Avanade UK’s General Manager Julian Tomison, “questions around data residency aren’t new, but at least now we have a new solution.”

It’s good for the channel and the cloud industry said Tomison. “The investment validates the sector and will have a positive impact on the cloud industry as collectively customers will feel they have more control. Having data centres in the UK helps us stay competitive when prices and services are becoming uniform. I predict more investments like this as legislation like last month’s Safe Harbour ruling shape the legal situation here.”

Channel, Linux, Microsoft, News & Analysis, Red Hat

Microsoft Azure to become a Red Hat Enterprise Linux channel partner

noviembre 4, 2015 Business Cloud News

A new Microsoft-Red Hat partnership could make hybrid cloud computing a lot easier and less binding, in a surprise move that sees Microsoft become a channel partner for an open source company.

The availability of Red Hat’s Enterprise Linux-based systems on Microsoft Azure was the key component of a joint announcement on Wednesday. Microsoft will offer Red Hat Enterprise Linux as the preferred choice for enterprise Linux workloads on Microsoft Azure.

The two vendors also announced plans to jointly tackle issues that commonly arise when enterprises, ISVs and developers try to build, install and manage applications on Red Hat software across private and public clouds.

Under the terms of the partnership Red Hat systems will be available natively to Microsoft Azure customers and Microsoft Azure will become a Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Provider. In return, Red Hat Cloud Access subscribers will also be able to bring their own virtual machine images to run in Microsoft Azure.

Microsoft Azure customers can now make full use of Red Hat applications such as JBoss Enterprise, JBoss Web Server, Red Hat Gluster Storage and OpenShift, Red Hat’s platform-as-a-service offering.

The two partners will jointly offer enterprise-grade support for hybrid computing set ups. The cross-platform, cross-company support will span both Microsoft and Red Hat offerings. In a new initiative, support teams from both vendors will be located on the same sites, in a bid to achieve the level of support cohesion the public cloud lacks, according to Red Hat.

The two partners will also work together to unify workload management across hybrid clouds. This will see Red Hat CloudForms interoperate with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager, As a result, customers should be able to manage Red Hat Enterprise Linux on both Hyper-V and Microsoft Azure. Extra support for managing Azure workloads from Red Hat CloudForms is expected ‘in the next few months’.

There will also be a level of collaboration on .NET for a new generation of application development options, Red Hat said. Developers will have access to .NET technologies across Red Hat offerings, including Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

“The data centre is heterogeneous, and the cloud is hybrid,” said Paul Cormier, president of Products and Technologies at Red Hat. “Together, we’re offering the most comprehensive support agreement for our mixed technologies to support customers.”

Microsoft, Office 365, SQL Server 2005, Virtualization

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 End-of-Life: What You Need to Know

noviembre 4, 2015 David Barter

On April 12th of 2016, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 will reach its end-of-life (similar to what happened recently with Windows XP). This means there will no longer be any more support or updates from Microsoft. Think of the critical data you may have that exists in your environment that runs on the platform. If you don’t move off of SQL Server 2005 and it breaks (i.e. maintenance program that isn’t operating properly, bad bit of data getting into the data base, etc.), you could be in some serious trouble. You need to look at the workloads you have in SQL and what the impact will be if you stay on the platform. Watch the video below as I dive deeper into the topic.

If you’re looking for more information around Microsoft technologies, I will be hosting an upcoming webinar around Office 365 that I encourage you to register for.

Click here to view the video on our YouTube page

*Also, please note in the video I said you have 8 or 9 months to get this fixed. We filmed this video a while back but waited to release it a little closer to the EOL date when it would be on people’s radars. Again, the EOL date is April 12, 2016.

By David Barter, Practice Manager, Microsoft Technologies

Azure, data protection, Druva, Microsoft, News & Analysis

Druva’s data protection service now available on Azure

noviembre 3, 2015 Business Cloud News

Converged data protection firm Druva has allied itself with Microsoft Azure in a bid to expand its cloud presence to a wider public cloud and infrastructure market.

The new relationship gives Druva customers more global options for their data storage, privacy and security needs and a more impressive infrastructure vendor for companies with sensitive compliance and legal issues. Partnering with Azure helps Druva settle any regional data privacy issues that might otherwise dissuade them from using Druva as more companies realise that on-premise storage is becoming unsustainable, according to Druva.

Druva’s new Azure relationship, it says, gives customers have a wider set of choices as they try to decide how to keep up with data growth, security and regionally specific regulation requirements.

Azure will help Druva meet international and industry-specific compliance standards, such as ISO 27001, HIPAA, FedRAMP, SOC 1 and SOC 2. Among the country standards it meets are the Australia IRAP, UK G-Cloud and Singapore MTCS. Microsoft was also the first to adopt the uniform international code of practice for cloud privacy, ISO/IEC 27018, which governs the processing of personal information by cloud service providers. Microsoft’s data centre locations will give Druva 21 storage regions around the globe, including Canada and China which will help Druva meet data residency needs increasingly specified by clients, it claims.

Customers need stronger data protection and security in the cloud now they’re running sensitive workloads, according to Druva CEO Jaspreet Singh. Microsoft will broaden Druva’s cloud-related options and give customers additional choice for deploying in the cloud securely and conveniently. “Druva has quickly grown to become the de facto standard for data protection workloads in the public cloud,” said Singh.

Azure will extend the data storage footprint of Druva inSync, the analyst endpoint and cloud service data protection system. Druva inSync plans will begin at $6/user per month. Azure support will be generally available in 45 days.

Azul, Content & Applications, Internet of Things, IoT, Java, Microsoft, News & Analysis

Microsoft and Azul Systems say Zulu Embedded will encourage IoT in Windows

octubre 26, 2015 Business Cloud News

Azul Systems and Microsoft are to give Java developers open source development tools, device I/O libraries and a Java runtime targeting Internet of Things (IoT) applications on Windows 10.

The two vendors have created Zulu Embedded for Windows 10 IoT, which is a Java Development Kit (JDK), Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and a set of device I/O libraries. The libraries are based on OpenJDK, which has been certified by Azul for use with Windows 10 IoT Core and is compliant with the Java 8 SE specification.

Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Core, is a modified version of Windows 10 that has been tailored to suit cheap, small-footprint embedded devices such as those based on Raspberry Pi 2 and Minnowboard Max.

The aim of the partnership is to ensure Zulu Embedded meets Java development and runtime requirements for Microsoft’s IoT initiatives. The success of the joint effort will be gauged by the number of Java compatibility updates, security patches and the levels of support for additional IoT device connectivity, control and communication, according to a joint statement.

There are Java developers around the world using Windows 10 IoT core, according to Steve Teixeira, Director of Program Management for the Windows Internet of Things team at Microsoft. These new initiative means they will be assured of a high-quality foundation for their Java projects if they use the latest advances in OpenJDK.

“Developers have many development and deployment choices for their IoT applications,” said Teixeira. By giving them more support, they are more likely to stay in the Microsoft cloud camp, he said. “Microsoft and Azul have made it easy for those who prefer Java to build premier IoT devices running Windows.”

Azul Systems is committed to updating and evolving Zulu Embedded to meet the specific requirements of Microsoft’s IoT platforms, said Scott Sellers, CEO of Azul Systems.

Zulu Embedded for Windows 10 IoT is free to download and use and may be distributed without restriction.

Microsoft, News, Services

Microsoft and Dell Pair Up

octubre 25, 2015 Erin M

Less than two weeks after it announced a $67 billion bid to buy and privatize EMC, Dell has announced plans to develop a new hybrid cloud solution with Microsoft. The hybrid cloud aims to help customers with the difficulties that accompany the cloud. In addition, Dell announced a payment solution to help dissolve risks associated with cloud adoption. Dells extensive research into the hybrid cloud sector has convinced the company that this route will be successful.

Jim Ganthier, vice president and general manager of engineered solutions and cloud at Dell, has stated, “The challenges most customers face on their cloud journey are clear. They tell us it’s too complex, the cost-risk is too high, and control isn’t transparent.”

Dell has announced Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft, The new system is built around the new Microsoft Cloud Platform System Standard that was discussed by Dell and Microsoft CEO’s Michael Dell and Satya Nadella, respectively. According to the two companies, the Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft is an industry first; the new system delivers automated deployment and maintenance capabilities; a payment solution to reduce customer investment risk; and hybrid cloud governance, control, and policy-based automation for Microsoft Azure along with other cloud environments. Scott Guthrie, executive vice president for cloud and enterprise at Microsoft, stated,” “Customers want to simplify and accelerate their journey to the cloud.”

microsoft azure

The solution is set to contain an on premise private cloud as well as the ability to build and provision workload templates. It will also organize business services of a multitude of cloud environments through integration with the Dell Cloud Manager. The solution also offers unified private-with-public cloud management and consumption control across Windows Azure Pack, Azure and other cloud services.

In addition to Dell Hybrid Cloud System, Dell Cloud Flex Pay is also being offered. This new program allows users to utilize the Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft with payment flexibility that entails cost savings without requirement of long term commitment.

The post Microsoft and Dell Pair Up appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Azure, Dell, Enterprise IT, hybrid cloud, Microsoft, News & Analysis

Dell and Microsoft unveil joint hybrid cloud offering

octubre 22, 2015 Business Cloud News

Dell has expanded its cloud portfolio with a new hybrid cloud offering with technology jointly developed with Microsoft. The new system is designed to break down the barriers to cloud adoption and offer a simpler but more secure payment system.

According to Dell’s own research, nine out of ten IT decision makers say a hybrid cloud strategy is important to achieve a Future-Ready Enterprise. The recently unveiled Dell Global Technology Adoption Index revealed that 55% of organisations around the world will use more than one type of cloud. The study also identified cost and security as the biggest barriers to adopting the cloud, with complexity being the biggest blockage associated with hybrid cloud.

The new Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft promises customers an on-premise private cloud with consistent Azure public cloud access in less than three hours. Clients are promised minimised downtime with non-disruptive, fully automated system updates that don’t impose themselves on users when not needed. It also offers workload templates to simplify service provision and governance models. The management of multiple clouds will be simplified by an out-of-the-box integration with Dell Cloud Manager (DCM) and Windows Azure Pack (WAP), Dell says.

The Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft is built around the CPS Standard, which combines optimised Dell modular infrastructure with pre-configured Microsoft CPS software. This will include Microsoft’s software stack and Azure Services for back-up, site recovery and operational insights.

Meanwhile the Dell Cloud Flex Pay programme gives customers a new flexible option to buy Dell’s Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft without making a long-term commitment. Cloud Flex Pay will eliminate the risks of being locked into paying for services that aren’t used fully says Dell.

“Customers tell us their cloud journey is too complex, the cost-risk is too high and control isn’t transparent,” said Jim Ganthier, vice president and general manager of engineered solutions and cloud at Dell. “With our new Cloud Flex Pay program, cost-risk is all but eliminated.”

ICLOUD PE