By now you’ve probably been barraged with messages about the value of cloud computing – so much so that you may be losing sight of the forest for the trees. The meaning of cloud computing seems to vary based on who’s describing it and where that person’s paycheck comes from. Hardware companies emphasize the hardware aspects of the cloud and software companies define it based around software. Here’s a definition of the cloud designed for […]
Cloud Computing
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Many small businesses are still uncertain about cloud computing and wonder if it can help boost profitability without being extremely risky. To figure it out, it’s best to start by defining cloud computing in small business terms. There are two commonly agreed upon types of cloud computing: 1) software-as-a-service and 2) infrastructure-as-a-service. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) refers to cloud computing where the software you would normally install on your office computers is instead delivered over the Internet. […]
There will always be a need for conventional desktops and notebooks for specific users, but desktop virtualization has matured today. In fact, it’s time to take a hard look, not just a passing glance, at what it can provide. The magic that virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can provide is in taking a fairly inexpensive thin-client device, giving it access to your data center from anywhere, and allowing that device to take on the image of […]
UT Dallas Computer Scientists Make Advances in Key Aspects of Growing Field. The decision three years ago by UT Dallas researchers to bolster their efforts in the field of cloud computing is paying dividends: Not only do they now have $5 million in cloud-related research, but their graduate students find they have their choice of internships and job offers. Indeed, two recent PhD graduates have been hired by leading corporate players in the field, Amazon.com […]
It’s early March at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is working the audience more like a football coach giving a halftime speech than the chief executive of the world’s largest software company. Ballmer, known for his animated speaking style, is pushing the possibilities of cloud computing. He refers to “the cloud” as “the most important technology shift of our generation.” Ballmer describes the technology as the power to connect […]
It’s been about two years since I wrote my first article on SearchVirtualDesktop.com about options for using VDI over a WAN connection. That article focused on options other than VDI, choosing the right display protocol, and using hardware WAN accelerators. While those techniques are certainly still valid today, if you want to use VDI over a WAN connection but don’t want to invest in a hardware appliance, we now have some great software-only remote display […]
The global cloud computing market is expected to grow from $40.7 billion to $240 billion by 2020, a new report has predicted. According to a report released by market research firm Forrester Research, the market for cloud computing is set to grow by leaps and bounds as companies rush to move their networks onto cloud platforms. The Forrester report, titled Sizing the Cloud, takes into consideration three basic forms of cloud computing: Infrastructure as a […]
The essence of cloud computing—what makes a cloud, well, cloudy—is the fact it’s an abstraction. The cloud hides underlying complexity while presenting a simplified interface to the consumer. Of course, abstractions are nothing new in the world of IT: compiled languages, graphical user interfaces, and SOA-based Business Services are all examples of abstractions. After all, everything we’re doing in IT boils down to zeroes and ones in the end. Layers of abstraction are how we […]
Cloud computing, defined as a subscription-based or pay-per-use service that in real time, and over the Internet, extends existing capabilities of Information Technology, remains at an early stage of conceptual development. Services do range from full scale applications such as accounting and storage to niche services such as spam filtering. Proponents of cloud computing contend that it erodes the requirements for major capital expenditures on IT infrastructure to customer applications. However, will cloud computing replace […]
Lately we’re talking to CIOs and IT managers who feel more like referees. It used to be, we just had to moderate between end users and security or the helpdesk. But now, as the data center evolves to include pervasive virtualization and a mix of in-house and cloud IT assets, the internal turf battles are threatening to KO agility advances. It’s unarguable that virtualization–on premises or in the cloud–has increased flexibility exponentially. Getting a new […]