infrastructure

32 posts

Window overlooking green trees, illustrating end-users unclear on cloud benefits

End-Users Still Hazy On Benefits Of Cloud Computing

According to a survey carried out by hosted IT service provider Rise, 91 per cent of businesses strongly feel more needs to be done to educate end-users about the business benefits of adopting a Cloud infrastructure. The survey, conducted at a recent IT industry event, also identified that when it came to Cloud uptake the biggest concern for firms is where their data is being stored, with 64 per cent of surveyed participants identifying this […]

Bronze warrior statue with spear and shield under blue sky, illustrating defending the cloud after outages

In Defense of the Cloud

I can’t help but take notice of the recent string of cloud failures we’ve been hearing about this year. Blogger went down for about 20 hours last month and Microsoft’s BPOS hosted bundle also reported a significant amount of downtime. Perhaps the most notable was when Amazon’s cloud was overloaded with Lady Gaga fans clamoring to get her album for 99 cents. All of this talk of cloud failure has once again called into question […]

A blue question mark on a pink background, illustrating small business cloud knowledge

Small Businesses Lack Knowledge About Cloud Computing

“You don’t know what you don’t know” might be the expression most appropriate for small to medium-size businesses (SMB) when it comes to the benefits of technology and their business, according to an independent survey of more than 500 SMB decision makers released at National Small Business Week. The study, commissioned by Verio Inc., a provider of online business solutions to SMBs worldwide, showed that more than two-thirds of respondents are uncertain if they will […]

Cars on road during daytime, illustrating virtualization stall

‘Virtualization Stall’ And The Importance Of Planning Ahead

In organizations’ mad rush to virtualize their IT infrastructure, some are running into unforeseen obstacles that cause them to put the brakes on virtualization deployments, sometimes indefinitely. This phenomenon, known as “virtualization stall,” has more to do with psychology than technology, but it could potentially erode confidence in virtualization and slow growth of cloud computing. According to solution providers, virtualization stall has several root causes: Some companies are unwilling or afraid to virtualize their tier […]

Person using laptop, illustrating what cloud computing can do for business

Cloud Computing: What It Can Do For You And Your Business

The tech world has no shortage of jargon. But one term in particular has businesses small and large scratching their heads: What is cloud computing? Businesses know they’re headed there, but where are they going? Many of them are already there, even if they don’t realize it. Some of the most basic Web tasks are based in the cloud — a generic term that basically means tapping into online-based services. Common tasks like e-mail, social […]

Barber shop in New Orleans damaged by Hurricane Katrina, illustrating cloud as a disaster recovery strategy

Cloud Becoming A Major Disaster Recovery Strategy

Some businesses are looking at the global reach of the Internet and cloud computing as a way to extend a new form of disaster assistance — one business offering service to a company in an affected area as a way to help it keep its processes running. In cloud operations, it is expected that multiple copies of a data set will be created and kept in synch. Three is the magic number for Cassandra, MongoDB, […]

Black magnifying glass on white paper, illustrating cloud computing myths

Top Ten Cloud Computing Myths

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 […]

Modern concrete building with large windows and a chain fence, illustrating public sector cloud revenue growth

Public Cloud Revenue to Rise 21.6% by 2014

Cloud computing revenue in the US public sector is expected to grow by 21.6 percent over the next few years, according to the latest survey by International Data Corporation (IDC). The report, entitled U.S. Public IT Cloud Services by Industry Sector: More Details on the Opportunity, shows that from 2009 to 2014 public cloud revenue in the US will grow significantly from $11.1 billion to $29.5 billion. The main areas that will employ cloud computing […]

Low-angle photography of a bridge during daytime, illustrating private cloud as a stepping stone

Building a Halfway House to the Cloud

Several private clouds are now coming to market based on the Vblock technology developed by VCE, a joint venture forged by Cisco, EMC and VMWare. Last week I groaned inwardly as I saw not one, but two announcements plop into my inbox. First came Sungard’s “fully managed cloud offering”, and then a couple of days later CSC got in touch to brief me about the launch of CSC BizCloud, “the industry’s first on-premise private cloud […]

A red street sign that reads wait here, illustrating CFOs delaying cloud adoption

CFOs Look to Move to Cloud … But Not Yet

Security takes precedence over financial return Companies are still wary about the security aspect of cloud computing and want more reassurance before investing in the technology. That’s according to new research from SunGard which found that only 15 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) would be happy to entrust their company’s data to cloud providers. To no great surprise, financial accounting systems were the applications that CFOs were most reluctant to see despatched to the […]