Articles about Cloud

Just because your data is stored in the cloud is no reason to stop backing it up. While cloud service providers are responsible for making your data available, they’re not responsible for managing and protecting customers' data from accidental or malicious behavior.

As a recent survey showed accidental deletion by users is a major source of data loss from the cloud. Now the company behind that survey, Spanning, is launching a solution for Microsoft Office 365 OneDrive for Business users.

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The idea of the cloud is finally starting to take off amongst the masses. No longer are consumers afraid of the security risks that could possibly lie within the cloud, for there are countless measures that can be taken, which actually make the cloud more secure than traditional systems. That being said, we can expect that a widespread adoption of cloud computing is just around the corner -- as it should be.

Backing up sensitive information to the cloud, data storage, cloud computing -- regardless of the use, the basic premise of the cloud remains the same: a system of virtualized network servers that combined create a centralized ecosystem which enables access to various resources and services, as well as data storage. At the heart of the cloud -- the ability to store, organize access and manage data in an effortless fashion.

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At the top end of the smartphone market the likes of Apple and Samsung are competing to offer the latest technology. But down at the lower priced end of things, for people who want a smartphone on a budget, there are a swathe of Chinese makers competing for your cash.

Set aside your techno-snobbery and many of these phones turn out to be surprisingly good for the price. The latest to come our way is the Oukitel K4000 Pro. It's a 64-bit, quad-core, 4G phone with a five-inch screen, running last-but-one Android 5.1 Lollipop and costing less that $150. Its key selling point though is that it's designed to be tough. On paper the spec looks impressive but how does it stack up in the real world?

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Enterprises of all sizes have become increasingly reliant on file syncing and sharing services. But for smaller companies business focused services can be expensive, leaving them reliant on free consumer services that offer limited space and functions.

Backup and storage specialist Datto is launching a new inexpensive yet powerful file sync and share (FSS) service leveraging the low cost basis of the company's 200 petabyte (PB) private cloud, coupled with a global license agreement with ownCloud, an established open-source leader in the FSS industry.

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Big changes are afoot at Intel. A spokeswoman has confirmed that the company is scrapping its Sofia and Broxton mobile Atom chips, and will instead shift focus to more profitable ventures. Having invested billions of dollars in Atom for smartphones and tablets Intel is now switching its attention to the world of connected devices.

Giving Atom chips the chop comes just after the company announced 12,000 job cuts and effectively walked away from the PC market. In moving away from mobile devices as well, Intel is undergoing a rebirth. It is looking to focus on key areas of growth, particularly the cloud and IoT as well as 5G, memory, and data center products.

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Last year, Microsoft announced plans to drop the free OneDrive storage amount from 15GB down to 5GB, and also discontinue the 15GB camera roll bonus.

Earlier this week we learned that the software giant will be putting this plan into action from July, which means if you’re currently using more than 5GB of storage you will either have to remove some files to get under the new limit, or upgrade to a paid plan. But hold on a minute. Before you do either, there is a third option which you can use to keep your free storage at 15GB.

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Companies are often criticized for the length of time it takes them to patch security problems found in software. But this week Microsoft exceled itself, taking just 7 hours to patch a serious security hole in Office 365 that made it possible to gain unrestricted access to businesses' cloud accounts.

A problem with the SAML authentication system meant that it was possible to gain access to just about any Office 365 account, including accessing connected services like Outlook, OneDrive and Skype for Business. More than this, the exploit allowed an attacker to infiltrate companies and organizations such as Verizon, Georgia State University and British Airways who use Office 365. The researchers who unearthed the issue have praised Microsoft for dealing with it so quickly.

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In order to hasten the transition from its traditional retail products to its cloud based products, Microsoft has just announced that it will be offering one year of free technical support to Azure users.

From May 1, 2016 through to June 30, 2017 users who purchase Azure Services under an Enterprise Agreement (EA) will receive a year of free support from the company.

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As more businesses turn to the use of public cloud services, they're keen to find ways to gain more visibility into their deployments and make them more secure.

Cloud native networking pioneer Aviatrix Systems is addressing this with the launch of its Cloud Native Networking 2.0. The solution combines a software-defined network controller and software gateways to enable businesses using a combination of public, private and hybrid clouds to quickly and easily roll out virtual private clouds.

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At its Dropbox Open in London, Dropbox unveiled a preview of its new Project Infinite technology. At its heart, it's a simple idea. Regardless of whether files have been synced to a device or not, they will show up in Dropbox on the desktop.

The aim is to reduce the reliance on browser-based tools which can slow down workflow. It allows for collaborators to gain instant access to files their co-workers have shared with them and allows files stored in the cloud to be treated in the same way as those stored locally.

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When businesses have specific compliance requirements -- because of the industry they're in for example -- managing them across cloud and hybrid infrastructures can be a tough challenge.

Managed services specialist Rackspace is addressing this by adding CloudPassage Halo as the underlying security and compliance platform behind its Rackspace Compliance Assistance service, targeting companies that prefer to outsource the management of their compliance initiatives.

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With increased cloud usage and more demand for remote working, the ability to move large files around efficiently has become more and more important.

Delays or latency in moving data can create serious challenges for a business and the size of files being moved is increasing, causing additional strain on bandwidth.

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It is hard to take Windows 10 Mobile seriously when Microsoft announces sales of just 2.3 million Lumias in a whole quarter. If you ever thought that the platform can actually be competitive in today's market, now is the time to wake up. This year, smartphones sales are expected to reach 1.5 billion units. If Microsoft manages to move 10 million Lumias in 2016, Windows 10 Mobile's market share would likely be around the one percent mark.

Microsoft is not the only Windows Phone/Windows 10 Mobile vendor, but it is the largest by far. It sells about 90 percent of the smartphones running the tiled operating system, so its performance has a major impact on the platform's popularity.

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Asset management is often seen as something as a chore and something that's relegated to a few hours work with an Excel spreadsheet.

But that makes it hard to keep up to date and may not deliver all of the information needed to effectively keep track of equipment and software.

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It seems that Mega -- the enfant terrible of the cloud storage world -- could be on the brink of closure. Founder of Mega (formerly known as Mega Upload), Kim Dotcom took to Twitter to warn people to back up their files ASAP.

Not for the first time, Mega is out of the control of Dotcom, and is currently in the hands of what he refers to as "the fifth most wanted criminal in China". For many people the idea of their cloud storage being in criminal hands would be concerning enough, but Dotcom says that Bill Liu wants to float the company in Hong Kong.

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