cloud computing

222 posts

White question mark painted on pavement, illustrating cloud computing myths

Five Cloud Computing Myths

The cloud seems to be a prickly, double edged sword at the moment. Well, that’s if Steve Wozniak’s predictions of doom are to be believed. His belief that the cloud will bring “a lot of horrible problems in the next five years” seems to be at odds with the view of enterprises whose rapid adoption of cloud computing is reflected in Gartner’s predictions of a 48% increase in cloud services this year alone.  While this […]

A faucet running water into a sink, illustrating cloud computing as a utility

Is The Cloud A Utility?

The benefits of removing the capital investment and the day to day management of hardware and software to leverage an on-demand, metered computing service, charged on a consumption basis, are now widely accepted. The rise in cloud computing is indicative of our need to make the most efficient use of resources and minimise costs by accessing computing resources and infrastructure when, and as, it is needed. This business model has drawn many comparisons between the […]

Wrapped gift box with a bow, illustrating hidden benefits of cloud computing

Hidden Benefits Of Cloud Computing

There are many benefits of cloud computing that don’t necessarily make the headlines or the 30-point bold bullet in the PowerPoint slide, but they are still important when considering using a cloud service. It’s pretty apparent to anyone in the technology world that cloud computing is an established and accepted approach to the delivery of computer software and infrastructure as a service. From music and movie streaming services such as Netflix and Pandora, to personal […]

People riding a roller coaster, illustrating the Gartner hype cycle for cloud computing

Hype Cycle For Cloud Computing, 2012

Enterprises are beginning to change their buying behaviors based on the deployment speed, economics and customization that cloud-based technologies provide. Gartner cautions however that enterprises are far from abandoning their on-premise models and applications entirely for the cloud. Based on an analysis of the Gartner Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing, 2012, the best results are being attained by enterprises that focus on a very specific strategy and look to cloud-based technologies to accelerate their performance. […]

A network of interconnected cubes and blue lines, illustrating the intelligent network behind cloud computing

The Intelligent Network At The Heart Of Cloud Computing

The emergence of new media (such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube and even the virtual world of Second Life) is spelling new challenges for businesses. They have widened the scope for consumers to air their fury against any product imperfections or service inefficiencies they experience. They have in fact become a potent weapon like no other as the damage is instantaneous and global. Companies have to deal with them with a sense of urgency, […]

Letter blocks spelling change on a table, illustrating cloud computing disruption to IT practices

Cloud Computing Brings Change And Disruption To IT Practices

The increasingly integral role of cloud computing in IT operations is accompanied by significant change and disruption for cloud users, their IT staffs and their technology providers, new research released today by CompTIA, the leading non-profit association for the information technology (IT) industry, reveals. CompTIA’s Third Annual Trends in Cloud Computing study indicates that the market for cloud solutions is robust, with the number of organizations using cloud resources rising for the third straight year. […]

Network cables in a server rack, illustrating virtualization versus a private cloud

Virtualization Versus A Private Cloud

Since the mid 2000s one of the prevailing trends in the IT world has been to move networks, data, operating systems and servers into an environment where they are not tied to a specific piece of hardware. In the early days the emphasis was on virtualisation. Organisations concentrated on increasing the number of servers on one machine using a hypervisor program with the activities kept in-house. More recently there has been an emphasis on cloud […]

The United States Capitol building at golden hour, illustrating the public sector falling behind on cloud adoption

Public Sector Behind the Cloud Curve

Cloud computing has become mainstream in 2012 for providing IT facilities, but the public sector is slower to move into the cloud than private companies. Cisco commissioned independent research amongst IT decision makers, in enterprises with more than 1,000 employees across a broad range of vertical sectors including government. The results clearly show that cloud has moved from hype to reality, with cloud now seen as a mainstream element of IT strategy. Cloud computing, which […]

Close up of cracked glass, illustrating the flawed concept of private cloud

The Concept Of Private Cloud Is Fundamentally Flawed

Saleforce.com’s chief scientist has slammed the concept of private cloud, claiming that the whole point of cloud computing is that resources, costs and risk are shared between multiple parties. Speaking at the Cloud Computing World forum in London today, JP Rangaswami said that cloud provides the scalability and flexibility that organisations need to survive in the modern age. However, organisations that choose to adopt private rather than public cloud will miss out on the benefits. […]

A man wearing a headset in front of a computer, illustrating cloud and big data benefits for BPO

Cloud And Big Data Drive BPO Benefits

Cloud computing and business analytics are set to inject new life into the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector through reduced upfront costs and better use of the data. IT-enabled BPO is big business, but IT’s role is largely as an enabler of efficiencies. The IT infrastructures that support BPO can be fine-tuned to cut costs, but the best-performing BPO deals are using IT to innovate. Recent research from Accenture revealed that only 20% of BPO […]