Despite years of marketing pressure and products that are simpler to use and more widely available, desktop virtualization hasn’t taken off to the extent that vendors and analysts expected even a few years ago. The bring-your-own-device movement among end users, on the other hand, has lit a fire under the market for mobile device virtualization. A survey released last month by telecommunications giant Mitel showed 90 percent of respondents expected virtualization to become more important […]
Tablet computing use has been proliferating faster than rabbits in springtime. Tablets bring with them increased mobility and ease of use coupled with a more interactive and immersive experience. Whether you fancy the Apple iPad or one of its rivals, there’s likely a tablet in your future. Executives and other persuasive users are demanding that tablets be allowed access to their work resources. And these users don’t understand why IT departments see the trend as […]
Cloud computing,” the hot new engine of the global IT industry, is revving up the Dallas technology community. Market research firm Gartner anticipates that globally, cloud services will generate $148.7 billion in revenue by 2014, with U.S. companies grabbing a 50 percent share of that success. That’s more than double the $68.3 billion that’s projected for 2010. Enterprises hungry for flexible computing options and lower upfront information-technology costs are expected to flock to three growing […]
IP-based phone systems offer better convenience and expandability versus traditional PBX Small businesses have so many more options now when it comes to business technologies, many of which have evolved to meet the specific needs of smaller companies. Even Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems are now well within reach for companies that are looking for enterprise features on a small business budget. An IP-based voice system provides a business-class phone solution that is more […]
Microsoft has some cool products hiding behind ridiculously confusing names. Users of the very nifty Live Mesh file and desktop syncing beta, for example, were told their service shuts down in March 2011. Where should they migrate? Windows Live Mesh, of course. Microsoft is emailing Live Mesh beta users and explaining how they can transition their files to Windows Live Mesh. It involves not a small bit of re-configuring the folders you want to sync, […]
VMware, a provider of virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions, announced the launch of its mobile virtualization solution that is expected to offer a personal as well as separate secure profile for work applications on a single Android phone. The virtualization software was demonstrated on LG Optimus Black at the Mobile World Congress. VMware is currently working with LG to pre-load the software. The company will start the trials of the software by the middle of […]
Here’s the scenario: Your IT team writes a web service, and part of its WSDL interface includes a hash algorithm the team came up with on their own. You publish the API and your business partners use your clever little hash in integrating with across cloud services. Years later, you get a letter from a lawyer from a town in Texas you’ve never heard of, claiming you’ve infringed on a patent you never heard of. […]
Store tactical military data on distributed servers, accessible through networked computers or mobile devices? Ask most officers about cloud computing and they’ll look at you patronizingly and say: Yes, Google Docs is nice, but it’s not secure enough for our secrets. (I write from experience.) But Darpa’s new budget shows that it wants the military all the way up into the cloud, and plans to set up mobile wireless hotspots so troops can reach the […]
Given all the hype about the software-as-a-service model, you’d think that it could be applied to every category of software. Not so, says a new report from Forrester Research Inc. In fact, SaaS will be “a disruptive force” in software categories that account for about a quarter of global software spending but will have “little or no effect” on many of 123 market segments studied, Forrester analysts Liz Herbert and Andrew Bartels wrote. Forrester said […]
Selecting a cloud computing provider is becoming increasingly complex. As cloud environments mature, many cloud providers attempt to differentiate themselves by focusing on specific aspects of their offerings, such as technology stacks or service-level agreements (SLAs). In short, not all cloud providers are created equal. At the same time, enterprises are beginning to rely on cloud providers for hosting mission-critical applications, which raises the stakes for selecting the right cloud service. So how do organizations […]
Traditional telephony may be replaced by newer technology due to an increase in the use of voice over IP (VoIP) in businesses. Sales of VoIP phones are mainly to businesses, according to In-Stat. Norm Bogen, vice-president of digital entertainment research at the firm, says the technology allows telephone systems to be used for “more advanced communications.” However consumers IP phones have yet to reach the consumer market. Apart from technology roll-outs from service providers and […]
Like many disruptive, evolving technologies, cloud computing is going through a phase characterized by opposites: hype and exaggeration on one side, and fear and skepticism on the other. How do you determine what’s really going to work for your organization? Separating the myths from the facts of cloud computing is a good place to start. Let’s take a look at the top 10 cloud computing myths as we see them, and the realities behind those […]
Cloud computing (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) has already proved its value to some businesses and specific applications. It provides a way to deploy and access massive amounts of IT resources, on demand, in real time. It drives better utilization of data center resources, reducing capital expenditures and operating expenses. Most important, it provides the scalability and agility to adapt to changing business needs. However, challenges remain with the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud computing deployment model. For enterprises that have […]
The big industry event about virtualization is VMworld, usually held in late Summer / early Fall. You don’t have to wait for VMware’s conference, however, to find yourself in VM World. We now live in it, every day. It’s really quite amazing how quickly virtualization has swept through, and become ensconced in, IT. Data centers have–for decades–been famously conservative when it comes to introducing changes that might threaten to disrupt production applications. For years, whenever […]
Search engine giant Google has gone into overdrive in promoting its Google Apps cloud based enterprise suite with adverts in various prominent magazines including The Economist. Google’s recent Google Apps ad in The Economist reflects the company’s determination to push its productivity suite ahead of Microsoft Office, The Register reports. The four page ad claims that every day 3000 businesses are shifting to Google’s platform with over 3 million businesses adopting Google Apps since its […]
The growing adoption of cloud computing, social media and mobile devices is putting security professionals under intense pressure. This is according to a study by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan. Based on the responses of 2,400 security professionals working in Europe, the study warns that skilled workers are being stretched too thinly across organisations. A significant number of respondents also reported that cloud, social and mobile technologies are being deployed without security in mind. “In […]
For years we’ve heard cloud computing vendors pushing the message that cloud computing will reduce IT expenditure. It’s not a surprising tactic, as vendors often aim their pitches at the area most important to organizations: expenditure. But, as Knowledge Center analyst Ben Kepes discusses here, by focusing only on the cost side of the equation, we miss so much of what cloud computing can truly offer. I recently wrote a paper looking at the economics […]
Mobile phone applications need to become open to several devices in order to take advantage of mobile broadband and cloud computing, it has been revealed. Randall Stephenson, chief executive of AT&T, says customers will expect more and more from their mobile devices in future, especially the use of apps via mobile broadband. Speaking at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, he said: “Mobile broadband was talked about for three or four years, and now it’s […]
With Congress in the mood to cut spending, the federal budget proposed by President Barack Obama relies heavily on cloud computing and data center consolidation to keep IT costs under control. The Obama administration’s 2012 federal budget proposal sets aside $79.5 billion for IT spending for fiscal 2012, which begins Oct. 1. This proposal would increase IT spending by 1.9% compared to fiscal 2010. The current fiscal year’s IT spending remains a work in progress […]
The year 2011 is expected to be the year of the cloud. What does that mean for you? In essence, it means that it is time to start watching for those solutions and applications that can run effectively in the cloud. One feature SMBs and SMEs are finding delivers considerable benefit is that of the virtual PBX. According to a Washington Post report, companies in the SMB and SME sector of the marketplace have already […]
The year 2010 will probably be remembered at the year that cloud computing “shaped” itself into a tangible concept, at least amongst those of us who care. 2011, on the other hand, will likely be the year in which IT figures out how to actually use cloud concepts. Of course there are success stories dating back two or more years, but what is happening so far in 2011 is a growing body of businesses, data, […]
When it comes to enterprise computing environments, the skies are getting increasingly cloudy–and dealing with that will mean covering up with flexible, dynamic security. This was the message of Art Coviello, executive chairman of EMC’s RSA security division, during his keynote at the RSA Conference today, in San Francisco. Last year, he told the audience, his speech was about the promise of the cloud–the assertion that it’s possible to achieve security and do it better. […]
VMWare is showing off a mobile virtualization platform that will let people run a personal profile and a separate, secure profile for work applications on the same Android phone. VMWare CTO Stephen Herrod demonstrated the software on an LG Optimus Black at Mobile World Congress. The company is now testing the software internally and with partners. The idea is that enterprises can let their employees buy an Android phone but isolate the personal applications from […]
Key factors that organisations must consider before moving across to a cloud computing model. The hype surrounding cloud computing is expected to reach unprecedented levels over the next few years. According to recent research by analyst Gartner, CIOs view the cloud as their top technology priority for 2011 and it expects the number of organisations using on-demand computing to rise to 43% within four years. Despite being lured by the prospect of achieving significant cost […]
The mobile communications industry is likely be the chief beneficiary of cloud technology Information is being democratized like never before thanks to cloud computing, and the advantages for businesses and consumers alike of accessing it through their phones are seemingly endless. Journal Report Today’s smartphone users can perform a bewildering array of tasks using applications downloaded to their handset from an online store. Whether they want to manage their personal finances, count calories or view […]
Top Tips For Decision-Making & Deployment If your small business is considering adopting cloud computing, you’re not alone. A recent survey of 1,000 small to midsized businesses by researchers at MarketBridge found that 44% of respondents had already deployed at least one cloud-based application. In addition, more than 70% of those surveyed planned to move at least one new application to the cloud within six months. Why are smaller companies so attracted to cloud computing? […]
The VDI skeptics firmly believe that business comes first, not technology. While they feel that VDI technologies are undeniably cool, they don’t necessarily believe that they offer true value to a lot of the businesses that pursue them. In this series of articles, the skeptics outline their arguments for and against various VDI technologies, helping you focus on what your business actually needs — not on what vendors want to sell. One of the hardest […]
The benefits of cloud services are often cited. They’re low-cost. They’re scalable. They’re permanently state-of-the-art. However, at least with traditional IT outsourcing, the customer can negotiate a balanced, even a customer-friendly contract. Cloud customers usually have little option but to accept standard T&Cs. It is a utility model, where multiple users each buy a slice of the same pre-existing service. Providers tend to have the “take it or leave it” mentality of a gas or […]
The three dominant cloud computing models — Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) — are changing fast, as cloud providers reach up and down the stack to offer as close to a one-stop shop as possible. To understand how these cloud computing models are evolving and converging, it helps to know the history, said Jeffrey Kaplan, managing director of ThinkStrategies Inc., a consultancy in Wellesley, […]
The migration of computing into a cloud of massive data centres spread all over the world is giving regulators a headache as they find themselves on the back foot of an industry-driven trend. Policy Summary The term ‘cloud computing’ describes a whole range of infrastructure, software, data or applications residing in the ‘cloud’ – that is to say, off your own premises and accessed via the Internet. A study carried out by the University of […]