By Nick Phelps, Consulting Architect, LogicsOne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we5PRDAH_p0
Here’s the recap of the final day of Cisco Live. All in all, a great event with a ton of useful information. I got to sit in on some great sessions and get a lot of hands-on experience with a lot of cutting edge technologies. You can watch the recaps of days 1-4 here if you missed them:
Barry Rabkin, Principal Analyst, Insurance Technology
Unified communications and collaboration (UCC) capabilities are becoming increasingly important for insurers and companies in other industries in the rapidly emerging digital marketplace. To determine how enterprises around the globe are using or planning to use UCC, Ovum interviewed over 1,320 enterprise ICT decision-makers in 18 countries in 4Q12 and 1Q13.
Ovum’s recently published report The Future of Unified Communications and Collaboration: Insurance presents an indicative view of current and planned use of voice and UCC tools in the insurance marketplace, based on interviews with 24 insurance respondents. Specifically, we discuss insurers’ ongoing use of telephony (IP-PBX), the gap between insurers’ views of employee demands and the reality of what employees want or are familiar with, and the fact that insurers realize that smartphones and tablets will have the largest impact on their operations in the next three years.
For Cirrus Tech, bundling services together from different platforms was a complex task. In some cases, customers were asked to use three different platforms for different service types. The company required a way to bring a wide service range together, making management more efficient.
Cirrus Tech discovered Parallels Plesk Automation, a solution that could bring automation of web hosting, emails, domains and more to a single management node. Even as services continue to expand and the number of servers in use continues to grow, administration remains convenient. Parallels Plesk Automation was integrated with Cirrus Tech’s existing Parallels Business Automation Standard implementation, creating a highly automated system that was more flexible for administrators and customers alike.
Some businesses today are nervous about moving to cloud-delivered technology because it means allowing their system data to reside somewhere other than their own data center. For some, this can be a tough concept to grasp, especially for those who have spent 25 years or more hosting their company’s systems and data. But cloud computing providers could not exist without implementing strong security controls for their customers’ information. The reality is that leading cloud solutions include security features well beyond what most manufacturing companies can afford to implement on their own.
In this article readers will learn about some realities of the security practices at leading cloud providers and the questions that should be asked by those considering use of a cloud solution.
In this demo at 12th International Cloud Expo, held June 10–13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, Sam Bisbee, Director of Technical Business Development at Cloudant, walks through how Cloudant deploys their clusters.
Cloud Expo 2013 Silicon Valley, November 4–7, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading Cloud industry players in the world.
The growth and success of Cloud Computing will be on display at the upcoming Cloud Expo conference and exhibition in Santa Clara, California, November 4–7, 2013.
With recent revelations about NSA surveillance programs including PRISM and now XKeyscore, many organizations are concerned about the privacy of customer data and other sensitive business information being put on the cloud. Some are predicting that the public uncovering of these programs will lead to a decrease in use of U.S. cloud providers. It’s been reported though, that other countries are obtaining information from the NSA’s surveillance, including the UK, and there are regularly stories about China and Russia maintaining similar surveillance programs, making the avoidance of just U.S. vendors not a viable strategy for protecting data.
A 2013 McKinsey survey reported that 75% of CEOs find value for their company in Cloud Computing. Given the well-documented perception of risk, are these established brands now coming to cloud to leverage «brand momentum» and create a «fresh start»? What are the pitfalls as these established companies enter the cloud environment, as CEOs start to discover the power of cloud computing beyond efficiency and cost savings?
In this panel, moderated by Mary Beth Borgwing, Managing Director, Standish Risk Management, the panelists – Manjula Talreja, VP, Global Cloud Business Development at Cisco; Sharon L. Kane, Partner at PwC; Vivian Maese, Partner, FinTech Practice at Dechert LLC; Jill Tummler Singer, CEO of Tummler Singer Associates; and Jennifer Mulveny, Director of Government Affairs at Intel Corp – discuss the risks involved with doing business in the cloud, the competitive landscape, the impact of regulation, compliance and what our experts see as the opportunity for reward.
Earlier this month, we discussed the effect of NSA Leaker, Edward Snowden and the Prism Scandal on the future of cloud security. We asked (and answered) the question: What level of paranoia is justified in the wake of PRISM? But it seems the scandal just grows and grows. We now hear that the Feds put heat on Web firms for master cloud encryption keys. It is unclear whether US authorities have the legal clout to obtain the master encryption keys that Cloud Providers use to shield customer data. However, it is crystal clear that the government wants this right. As the ripple effect of the scandal continues, we find ourselves being asked by customers: how do we make sure our keys are protected so that we can make sure our data is protected?
Cloud Security is special because Cloud Economics are special: if anyone (whether a commercial interest or the government) can get mast
Riverbed Technology has appointed Ginna Raahauge Senior Vice President and CIO. Raahauge will report to Ernie Maddock, chief financial officer at Riverbed, and her responsibilities will include the company’s Information Technology (IT) strategy, applications, infrastructure, security, and support.
«Ginna joins Riverbed with over twenty years of experience both optimizing and transforming IT for an industry giant as well as building IT from the ground up,» said Jerry M. Kennelly, chairman and chief executive officer at Riverbed. «She will be a key driver of new technologies and process at Riverbed, and we look forward to the many contributions Ginna will bring to our team.»
Prior to Riverbed, Raahauge was Vice President, IT at Cisco, where she was responsible for directing the Customer Value Chain Management Information Technology organization including order/booking, demand planning, global supply chain, quality, and revenue recognition. In this role, she was responsible for the entire technology platform for Cisco’s global order through invoice process and revenue recognition. She led a team of 200 plus full-time employees and 800 contractor/staff-augmented personnel.
