storage

25 posts

A weathered wooden gate with a PRIVATE sign in a dense garden, illustrating challenges in building private clouds

The Bumpy Road to Private Clouds

When we first heard about cloud computing, public clouds got most of the attention. But as IT managers looked at the security risks of having data outside the corporate firewall, they turned their attention to private clouds, which analysts and various surveys suggest will get more enterprise investment in the next few years. But private clouds have their share of challenges too. There are management issues and operational processes to figure out. And, of course, […]

File cabinet, illustrating data governance for cloud computing

Data Governance in Cloud Computing

There seems to be a steady stream of news stories extolling the benefits of cloud computing and the positive impact it can have on an organisation. However, just as many organisations are in the process of implementing effective internal data governance processes, and are now faced with the question of whether their businesses’ sensitive data can be effectively managed in the cloud. The data governance and compliance issues faced by organisations are the same whether […]

A hard drive sitting on top of a wooden table, illustrating cloud backup adoption

Cloud Backup Solutions Poised for Increased Adoption

Perhaps the most prominent trend this year in outsourced backup was the explosion in the number of managed service providers (MSPs) promoting cloud backup solutions or online backup services. Lauren Whitehouse, a senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, recalled tracking approximately 250 MSPs two years ago. Today, cloud backup MSPs number in the thousands, from major vendors to regional providers, she noted. “There’s a lot more evangelism going on,” Whitehouse said. “People are demonstrating cost […]

A cloud with lightning and rain coming out of it, illustrating Microsoft's cloud computing predictions

Microsoft Cloud Computing Predictions

Many companies may have e-mail, virus scanning or CRM running as a service over the internet, but most organizations are only just starting out when it comes to cloud computing, according to Microsoft. The software giant’s lists ways the nascent cloud market will change in the next few years. Cloud-centric hardware Servers, microprocessors and client devices will evolve as purpose-built systems to address the new paradigm of cloud computing. For example, diskless laptops that store […]

Tiny model construction workers working on a mobile phone screen, illustrating IT managers predicting cloud adoption

Information Technology Managers Predict Widespread Private and Public Cloud Adoption

Cisco announced today the final installment of the Cisco® Connected World Report, an international study about the behavioral trends of workers in accessing information anywhere, with any device, and the ability of information technology (IT) professionals to address their needs. The latest results focus on data center, virtualization, and cloud computing trends, and evolving IT roles, in the context of increasingly mobile and distributed workforces. The study found that global IT professionals are creating new […]