Why businesses should embrace the hybrid cloud
When cloud technology started to gain traction with businesses the main concerns expressed were over data security and control. Customers questioned what compromises they would have to make with their on-premise infrastructure to reap the benefits of cloud computing.
However, the cloud has developed significantly over the past few years, and the emergence of hybrid cloud has allowed businesses to reap the benefits of lower cost public cloud offerings whilst keeping control of their most prized and sensitive data on-premise. Hybrid cloud is any combination of public and private computing combined with existing on-premise infrastructure which is tailored to fit each individual business’ needs. With hybrid cloud, organizations are able to invest in both public and private cloud offerings from different vendors, giving them more flexibility and control.
The big problem with unlimited cloud storage
By 2017, iHS iSuppli predicts there will be more than one billion personal cloud storage users around the world. Considering the purchasing power of these digital consumers, it’s no surprise that cloud storage’s biggest players are improving their systems to gain a competitive edge. The most recent upgrade -- unlimited cloud storage space.
In March, Amazon announced its own unlimited cloud storage system, situating itself as one of the market’s most affordable solutions. However, like most shiny things, the megalith’s offer is not quite as spectacular as it first appears. Why is that? Because it, like its competitors, is not truly unlimited.
Dropbox for Windows, Windows Phone becomes universal app, gains new features in the process
Cloud storage service Dropbox has turned its Windows and Windows Phone apps into a single universal app, giving users a consistent experience across smartphones, PCs and tablets that are running Microsoft's tiled operating systems.
The latest version of Dropbox bridges the gap between the Windows and Windows Phone versions of the app, sharing most of the code, also gaining a number of new features in the transition to universal app status. The most important changes are aimed at the Windows Phone-toting crowd. Some are long-overdue, being mentioned in my initial coverage of the Windows Phone client in mid-January.
New enterprise file management suite takes mobile first approach
According to research by IDC the number of enterprise applications optimized for mobile is set to quadruple by next year as businesses seek to improve workflow across the organization.
Adaptive enterprise file services specialist Egnyte is unveiling its new enterprise mobile suite that's optimized for business users. It allows them to seamlessly access, manage and share online and offline data from both cloud and on-premises storage.
DataStax launches database platform designed for mixed workloads
Enterprises currently have a greater volume and variety of data available to them than ever before, but this leads to increased pressure to exploit that data effectively to make timely business decisions.
Apache Cassandra database specialist DataStax is today launching DataStax Enterprise 4.7 which offers integrated enterprise search, analytics, security, in-memory computing, and database management and monitoring, making it ideal for mixed workload environments.
Microsoft's VC3 security is encryption for the cloud
The inexorable move towards the cloud continues apace, and something that remains a key concern is security. Microsoft thinks it may have come up with a solution in the form of Verifiable Confidential Cloud Computing, or VC3, which has been designed to keep cloud data encrypted and secure even when the data is being used to perform calculations.
Described as a "lockbox in the cloud", VC3 keeps data protected by using secure, managed hardware to perform any necessary decryption. Encrypted data is transferred to VC3-managed cloud hardware where it is then decrypted, used in calculations, and then re-encrypted.
Google slashes prices to attract the enterprise to its Cloud Platform
They say the key to a man's heart is his stomach, and for me, that is probably true -- feel free to put fat jokes in the comments. But what is the key to a company's heart? Money. Yes, cost savings is an easy way to make a company take notice in your solution.
Today, Google is aiming to attract the enterprise to its Cloud Platform using this practice. You see, the search giant is dramatically slashing prices, and quite frankly, businesses should take notice.
Tidal: When better isn't good enough
On May 1st, Tidal billed my credit card for the first month of music streaming. Yesterday, my subscription to Google Music ended. I should be satisfied with the switch, given how much more I enjoy 1411kbps lossless listening over the more typical 320kbps compressed streaming music. But recent, recurring service problems put my customer continuation into question.
Quality of content, or available selection of it, isn't the problem. I find plenty of music to enjoy, and the default playlists are smartly curated. The high-fidelity is just that. But slow starts, drop-offs, and song skips disrupt the listening experience -- and for a service costing twice as much as major competitors, like Beats, Rdio, or Spotify, I expect more but get less. There is no customer support option that I can find, either.
Alibaba has to expand globally, or it 'won't be able to last'
Even though it reigns supreme in one of the world’s largest markets, China, Alibaba wants to expand globally. If it fails to do so, it might not survive, the company’s new CEO said recently.
In a speech given to employees on Wednesday, the new Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said Alibaba will heavily invest in "new and existing overseas operations".
How the cloud marketplace is shifting to target specific niches [Q&A]
Spending on Platform-as-a-Service (Paas), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is forecast to reach $118 billion this year, and it's clear the cloud is now big business. Companies are fighting to enter the space with new industry- and marketing-specific offerings. But what effect will this have and will it worry the big players like Amazon Web Services?
We spoke to Scott Swartz, VP, CTO Enterprise and Cloud Billing at Ericsson and founder of MetraTech, an enterprise billing specialist recently acquired by Ericsson, to find out more about the state of the IaaS space.
Microsoft brings searchable handwriting and Apple Watch support to OneNote
The latest update to OneNote sees the addition of support for Apple Watch as well as the ability to search through handwritten notes. Thanks to handwriting recognition, it is possible to perform a search that looks through not only typed notes, but also those that have been written with a stylus.
The feature is available in the mobile and desktop versions of the app, and Microsoft says that any new handwritten notes that are saved to OneDrive will be automatically rendered searchable in a few moments. Over the coming weeks older handwritten notes will be indexed in the same way so they can also be searched.
I cut bandwidth by two-thirds to get faster Internet
File this in the "When More is Less" folder.
My college-age daughter is moving home, at least for the summer, and my wife and I are scrambling preparations. One unexpected: Changing Internet Service Providers. Our Cox connection comes into the bedroom where my daughter will go. Access from the main living area would require new wiring that the landlord won't allow. I can understand why he wouldn't want the fancy molding drilled up. We already know that AT&T U-verse Internet is live in the living room.
Commvault launches new solutions to speed up cloud adoption
As the pace of cloud adoption accelerates, businesses often come across unforeseen issues that add to costs and may derail projects completely.
Enterprise data protection and information management specialist Commvault is aiming to streamline moving to the cloud with additions to its product suite to enable organizations to get the most from existing investments and accelerate enterprise wide cloud adoption.
The challenges of protecting the hybrid cloud [Q&A]
With more and more companies storing apps in the cloud and others remaining in-house, security can become something of a headache. On-site security tools are ineffective against web attacks leaving organizations with multiple protection solutions in place.
The launch of hybrid cloud solutions such as Radware's WAF (Web Application Firewall) means it’s possible to protect all systems with just one application but what implications does this have for the enterprise? We spoke to Carl Herberger, VP of Security Solutions at application delivery and security specialist Radware to find out more about the benefits of hybrid WAF solutions and how they can be implemented.
Verizon pays $4.4B for Arianna Huffington
The headline may seem a bit outrageous but is a fair assessment of what Big Red gets from its proposed purchase of AOL. The all-cash, $4.4 billion deal would strengthen Verizon's media portfolio, and I wonder: Is this what happens when there is Net Neutrality? ISPs become content carriers?
Verizon's venture cannot be understated for what it means. Like a game of Risk, where players jockey for early-play position and forge alliances with eventual combatants, mobile is a battleground in the making. Territory captured now will mean everything in the future. AOL's content portfolio, which includes Huffington Post, is among the major assets.
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