Half of firms suffering from cloudphobia – survey

Snoopers (sic) Paradise (Photo credit: the justified sinner)

Fear of governments snooping deters companies from using the cloud

ECM Plus +++ Almost half of IT experts are deterred from keeping sensitive data in the cloud because of fear of government intervention and possible legal action, according to a new survey from Lieberman Software which was released today.

Massive 65% rise in data centre power consumption – survey

Power requirements surging across globalised data centres – survey

Exponential gigawatts more energy being siphoned into globalised corporate data centres

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus /London/ +++ In a sharp rise in expected power consumption by data centres used for cloud computing as a result of globalisation of the IT and corporatist sectors, research firm DCD Intelligence has just taken the wrsps off stark findings from its DatacenterDynamics 2012 Global Census report.

Rackspace to acquire Mailgun for cloud email integration

Rackspace to acquire Mailgun

Rackspace takes aim at Mailgun in ‘open cloud’ platform expansion

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus /London/ +++ Rackspace Hosting, the open cloud company, has just entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mailgun, Inc., a Y Combinator startup.

According to Rackspace, their Mailgun acquisition will further enhance its product portfolio, making it easy to integrate cloud-based email services into applications and websites within minutes.

System of a Double Down: First 10 hour DDoS attack crashes SoundCloud

DDoS attacks. Image: kryptyk

On-line cloud firm decked by double major outages in weekday Distributed Denial of Service meltdown

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ On Tuesday October 4 at approximately 8:40pm CET, SoundCloud’s Operations team were alerted to an unusually high amount of unidentified traffic leading to a complete network outage. Within minutes, the company’s Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Engineering and Head of Operations and all available operations engineering resources were deployed to investigate the issue and the company said it “worked around the clock” to locate and resolve it.

Amazon and Microsoft outages clatter cloud integrity

Cloud chaos in blitzkrieg strike

Catastrophic corporatist cloud outages destroying credibility of cloud as a serious business model?

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ In the wake of the dramatic outages at behemoths Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud services, industry heavyweights were quick to weigh in with their take on the ongoing data debacles.

Riccardo Degli Effetti, data centre manager at Rackspace said: “The recent lightning strike in Ireland that has taken down Amazon’s cloud hosting service in the region is a timely reminder that outages occur, no matter how well a technology or technology provider is prepared to prevent it.” 

Cloud threat as ‘zombie VMs’ sprawl

Virtual sprawl goes Zombie in cloud threat

Tens of millions of pounds tied up in petabytes of wasted storage as Zombie Virtual Machines continue to be a problem

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ Real-Status CTO, Stace Hipperson, has warned that Virtual Machine administrators still need to be extra-vigilant against VM sprawl as more and more users ‘self-provision’ to set up their own virtual machines.

VMs, software implementations of computers that execute programs like physical machines, are the enabling technology behind cloud computing.

WEEKEND PLUS: Germans go kloud kontent krazy

Donner und Blitzen! Germans going Kloud Kontent Krazy!

Germans go cloud-based content management for mobile applications in CMS blitz

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ Looks like the Germans are about to go kompletely knuts over kloud kontent management these days.

According to the Germanic corporation, dubbed ‘StorageRoom’ is a new cloud-based CMS that serves content which is, they claim, a mobile applications on multiple platforms.

Cloud strategy survey shows wide range of corporatist plans

Cloud computing infrastructure

68 percent of world’s companies claim to be planning to implement a cloud strategy

By ECM Plus

ECM Plus +++ Axios Systems has just revealed results of its latest worldwide research survey that shows over 50 percent of IT professionals do not think their ITSM processes are mature enough to effectively manage cloud-based services.

According to the research, twenty-six percent of the IT professionals did think their firms were ready, whilst the other 23% said that they felt ‘unsure’.

Pay Now Or I’ll Cut Off Your Cloud

Hi-Ho Silver Lining? EpiServer goes glam with platform reboot

Rise of the Cloud: Even Wilhelm Reich would be proud...

New ‘Platform-as-a-service’ PaaS model shortens time to ‘cicks;for online marketers, digital agencies and developers

By ECM Plus

ECM Plus +++ EPiServer has launched a cloud version of its CMS.

The company now claims tjat its content management software is packaged and hosted on EPiServer’s Everweb service, a web-based combination of EPiServer CMS and EPiServer Composer.

According to the company, this new method is an interactive version with a new focus for marketers and for web developers. 

Oracle database disasters a thing of the past with Kroll’s recovery drive

Fried disk drive with burnt chips

Ontrack data recovery spins to the rescue

by ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ Kroll Ontrack has taken the wraps off its latest Ontrack Data Recovery service for Oracle systems, which now includes popular virtual environments.

According to Kroll, recovery efforts can now be further complicated when databases are hosted inside virtual machines or in the cloud. 

OBITER DICTA: Cloud data center chaos set for earthquake catastrophes?

With a cloud security standards void to bring enterprise disasters closer?

The ostensible absence of universally-agreed cloud security standards and SLAs for enterprises who venture forth into the sexy and hip cloud outsourcing trend, without implementing an adequate risk assesment profile, is a recipe for digital data centre disaster.

FEATURE: Cloud Computing Standards: The Great Debate

Cloud confusion debate continues

Justin Pine takes a look at the ongoing debate around cloud standards.

Recent research conducted by Mimecast has found that a large proportion of businesses are now using some form of cloud service, with a further 30 percent planning on adopting more cloud services in the future.

Fashionable new architectures within the technology industry are not unusual. However, even allowing for a certain amount of bandwagon jumping, this rate of cloud adoption has been considerable.

OBITER DICTA: Cloud – A Substantive Choice Or Vapid Vaporware?

Game-changing cloud computing hype confuses more than illuminates

Reading through the lamestream media Sunday papers of IT and business news it strikes one how little the sheeple really understand about the cloud.

The total and utter confusion of content, telecommunications, middleware, hosting, outsourcing, ROI, media and IT highlight that the whole shooting-match is a mess of terms that everyone is molding to their own terms of reference and that there is, clearly, no standard, no best-practice for cloud decisions.

Kroll Ontrack avows varied virtualisation systems

Kroll Ontrack now supports range of virtualised systems for data recovery

Media that has suffered a catastrophic electronic malfunction

ECM Plus – Kroll Ontrack has just confirmed it can now support virtualisation products from a range of other vendors, including Hyper-V, Oracle VM VirtualBox and Citrix XenServer, as well as VMware vSphere virtual systems.

The support will be via its in-lab and remote Ontrack Data Recovery services, the comany said.

GXS touts GridConnect for cloud SaaS collaborators

GXS on the grid in cloud collaborator for SaaS and ISVs

Embedded integration partner programme for ISVs and SaaS providers for B2B cloud

ECM Plus +++ GXS has just taken the wraps off a new programme for collaborators in the independent software vendor community and SaaS players to embed GXS’s Trading Grid integration cloud platform into cloud services and software apps.

GXS said that their collaborators can now connect banking, manufacturing and retailer customers to make the most of their six million trading partner relationships already in GXS Trading Grid.

FEATURE: Got a copy in the Cloud?

Copy protection in the cloud

BY CLAIRE GALBOIS-ALCAIX

Ten years ago, if you’d asked a small businesses owner what they did to back up their data, the majority would have pulled a tape from their bag and told you how they swapped out a cassette each night and took them home for safe keeping.

But times have changed and, today, everyone is talking about ‘the Cloud’. So what does that mean? Are all Cloud services the same? And is all Cloud data protected?

Wunderbar! Free ‘Cloud-In-A-Box’ offer from Onapp at German fest

US$25 million “Cloud-In-A-Box” giveaway to dispel cloud hosting cost and complexity myths

BY PAUL QUIGLEY

ECM Plus – OnApp is offering hosting providers at the WorldHostingDays 2011 exhibition today, in a campaign they hope will dispel the myth that the cost and complexity of setting up a cloud hosting operation is a big deal. 

In a moment of marketing madness, OnApp will give away 500 “Cloud-In-A-Box” packages that give recipients the opportunity to get cloud hosting software and services, worth well over US$50,000 – free of charge.

FEATURE: The Challenges and Business Benefits of Cloud Computing

A row of racks in a server farm

BY JULIAN BOX
The current economic climate has seen the need for organisations across all sectors to identify cost savings strategies. The term ‘virtualisation’ and the concept of ‘cloud computing’ have been long discussed as cost-saving and business continuity solutions. However, before an organisation considers deploying a virtual environment and eventually utilising the cloud, it is important for companies to understand how this will fit into their overall business objectives.

Improving operational efficiency will yield cost savings as many organisations are still stuck with the inefficient model of utilising both physical only or a hybrid of physical and virtual infrastructure. These types of environments are expensive to purchase and maintain, especially when adding on power and cooling costs in server rooms or data centres. While virtual infrastructure brings about significant cost and resource savings, it also brings challenges and a shift in operations to deliver the ultimate benefits.    

FEATURE: Cloud – Your Servers Are Virtualised – Is Your Security?

All Your Servers Are Belong To Us

BY ADAM POWERS

From IT consumerisation to user mobility, corporate network and security teams have had their fair share of challenges to deal with over the past few years. These trends have created what is often referred to as the ‘vanishing perimeter’. reducing the efficiency of traditional defences, such as proxy servers, firewalls and IDS/IPS.

FEATURE: Embrace the cloud for your ECM strategy

BY BALA SUBRAMANIAN

ECM solution providers are keen to jump into the bandwagon and take advantage of what the cloud technologies can offer.

There are three options available for ECM solution providers in the cloud namely Software-as-a-Service (Saas), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) models. Each of these models has distinct advantages and disadvantages that ECM solution providers should be aware.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model has lower investment costs and typically based on usage based payment. The challenges for ECM solution providers can vary from doing heavy customisation, data security, integration issues, data portability and vendor lock-in.

ScienceLogic engages with cloud clan

Cloud provider commits to industry forum for high-quality cloud computing services

ECM Plus – ScienceLogic has just joined up with the Cloud Industry Forum established to promote trust, security and transparency within the sector. cienceLogic COO Richard Chart has joined CIF’s Member Board.

Andy Burton, Chairman of CIF, added: “CIF members are directly responsible for the shape, format and governance of the CIF Code of Practice and as such are instrumental in influencing public confidence and industry best practice.”

VPS.NET drives cloud profit from new affiliate and reseller initiatives

Happy days as virtual clouds open. Picture: akakumo

New mulitple programmes for rapid cloud infrastructure build-out for business

BY PAUL QUIGLEY

ECM Plus – VPS.NET has just set up its new multiple set of programmes that enable businesses to take advantage of its cloud infrastructure to launch business into the cloud.

In a new affiliate programme, VPS.NET said that it pays out a generous USD85 per referral which can be implemented in any way needed, whether through the utilisation of a text link through a review of VPS.NET or banners advertised on the business website.

FEATURE: Key considerations for ‘cloudsourcing’ contracts – CAMM

Cloud computing sample architecture

BY JOHN WALKER

Economics dictates that the CEO, and CFO have a balancing act delivering security, and quality operational services, whilst at the same time, attempting to reduce the organisational and operational costs of delivering the business’ mission.

One opportunity in focus is that of ‘CloudSourcing’, where, depending on the size and type of business, they may be considering engaging in a contract in which part, or all, of their operations are placed into the hands of a Cloud Provider, be this SaaS, PaaS, IaaS or any other such ‘Anything-as-a-Service’ that may accommodate the operational model.

FEATURE: Cloud – how a code of practice can benefit your business

The cloud is at once touted by the industry as the greatest revolution in the delivery of IT services for a generation and an obscure concept by many prospective adopters.

BY ANDY BURTON

Whilst the former is not surprising, the latter is due to the lack of understanding about how to scope cloud services and how to integrate them within the wider IT strategy.

This uncertainty can be compounded by a lack of knowledge of who to trust in balancing an on-premise capability with an online one and has, therefore, made some IT managers and business leaders reluctant towards investing in cloud services.

A credible and certifiable Code of Practice that can provide transparency of cloud service providers and their capabilities with clear guidelines of what is important, and why, is one sure step to advance adoption.

Cloud service providers need to provide information that relates to their business and operations in a standardised format to cut through pure marketing messages to the core of what and how they offer services. By providing answers to essential questions in a common form will enable end-users to make rational and informed decisions on how to progress with specific vendors. As such, a Code can encourage consumers to have clarity and confidence in their choice of provider.

Due to businesses’ uncertainty of how to embark upon a strategy that includes cloud computing, it is important to understand specifically what it is by definition, and, how it can benefit both businesses and end-users at a practical level. Cloud computing at its most basic level enables someone to access computing power and applications ‘online’ via the internet on demand.

To help cut costs for businesses, it is typically offered on a pay-as-you-use or subscription model and there are no capital costs to participate. Operating independently from hardware, it also provides resource and services to store data and run application, in any devices, anytime, anywhere, as a service.

A Code can help end-users to select the best practices and the service providers that are most suitable to their business. It takes into account three key points: transparency, capability and accountability to accurately define the services offered, standards of operation and security.

As it stands, cloud computing is so new and driven by specific vendor messaging that it lacks transparency, and for some that leads to a lack of credibility. A Code can highlight information that’s vital to making an informed business decision, such as stating the vendor’s real legal entity (behind the web presence), where their data centre operations are based, if they are owned by another company, what their operational practices are etc.

In terms of capability, organisations complying with a Code of Practice should have documented management systems, processes and resources in order to deliver services consistently for their customers 24/7 and enable service level information to be accessed by them.

Accountability involves educating the customer on the legitimacy of organisations. Service providers should be accountable for their operational practices and public website declarations, and in particular, they should actualise any public claims that they make about their service on their websites or promotional materials.

A Code of Practice is necessary to engender the trust required between businesses and cloud service providers to collaborate on the delivery of an IT strategy. If cloud service providers follow the requirements within a Code of Practice and make the information needed to make an informed decision available they are able to place a certification mark on their websites that end users will be able to recognise as a public statement of their operational and ethical intent. What is not in doubt is that what we call cloud services will continue to grow in capability and adoption, what is not so clear is the pace at which that transformation will arrive.

Andy Burton is Chairman of the Cloud Industry Forum