EMC Corporation and VMware have announced plans to combine their respective cloud capabilities into a new cloud services business.

The new business will incorporate existing Virtustream cloud offerings and will be marketed under the Virtustream brand, which will be jointly owned by VMware and EMC and led by Virtustream CEO Rodney Rogers.

Keeping devices secure means ensuring that they're up to date with the latest software patches. For IT managers this can present a major logistical problem, especially where different operating systems are in use.

IT management systems specialist Shavlik is launching a new version of its Shavlik Protect patch management solution, as well as Empower, a platform that aggregates data to give IT departments more insight into and control over their systems.

If you asked me two months ago about using a Huawei smartwatch or smartphone, I would have scoffed. Yet, here I am doing just that. Timing on the latter is ironic. On Oct. 15, 2015, I bought a 128GB silver (and white) iPhone 6s Plus using Apple's 24-month finance plan, rather than paying in full up front. Huawei-made, Google-branded 64GB Nexus 6P arrived the next day for review. The following morning (the 17th), I hauled down to Apple Store and returned the iPhone for full refund. That act sums up my reaction to the new Android flagship running "Marshmallow".

I didn't expect to be so wooed by Nexus 6P, but Google got me by delivering superior contextual experience. This device, and Android 6, is all about context, starting with what for me is the killer function I couldn't part with: the fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. Picking up the device and placing my forefinger on the circular indentation wakes and unlocks the 6P. Wow-way is right! The mechanism beats the Hell out of Apple's two-handed jimmy from the Home button.

Walmart is making its OneOps cloud platform open source in a bid to keep up with its main competitor Amazon. The US retailer has experienced financial disappointment in recent years as modern, predominantly digital, businesses eat away at its market share. Its chief financial officer Charles Holley recently warned that revenue is unlikely to grow until 2019.

Walmart clearly believes that it must modernize in order to stay afloat, hence the news that it will be releasing the source code for its OneOps cloud platform on GitHub before the end of the year. In doing so, the retailer is offering developers an alternative to Amazon Web Services (AWS) where they are not tied into long term contracts and compatible technologies.

Adobe and Dropbox have announced a partnership, bringing stronger integration between the two products which will surely be beneficial for users on both sides.

The new partnership means people using Adobe products will be able to save files directly to their Dropbox folders, while those going into their cloud locker first will be able to edit PFF files directly in the cloud.

Of 430 security and risk professionals surveyed, 55 percent were dissatisfied with the length of time it takes them to contain and recover from attacks.

This is according to information security training and analysis organization SANS, which has released the results of its latest report into data center and cloud security.

Moving systems to the cloud is a big step and a significant investment. So it's important that businesses do all they can to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Cloud management company BetterCloud has released the latest set of data from its Trends in Cloud IT survey which shows that -- as with so many things in life -- cloud adoption is better with a partner.

Protecting data in the cloud requires companies to secure the data itself but also to guard against cyber attacks, stolen credentials and more.

Security specialist StratoKey is announcing what it calls the 'second generation' of cloud protection using behavioral analytics tied to defensive countermeasures, as part of an update to its core StratoKey Cloud Access and Security Broker (CASB) platform.

VMware has long been a favorite with businesses. But there's evidence that with the advent of second generation cloud many companies are considering a move away from VMware to a more flexible option that gives them better control over configuration and costs.

IaaS specialist ProfitBricks is helping businesses migrate their systems from VMware to the cloud and has a lot of experience in the field.

That grinding against wood and dirt you hear is the sound of Steve Jobs rolling over in his grave. Microsoft is back! And badass! Today's Surface event in New York City outclasses Apple by every measure that matters: Aspiration, innovation, presentation, and promotional marketing. Microsoft proves that it can build end-to-end solutions—hardware, software, and services—as good as, and better than, the company cofounded by Jobs. Even more importantly: Present the new wares well. Today's event was exceptional.

But there is a shadow looming in the brightness that will matter to some Microsoft customers and not to others: Cost. Surface Book, for all its seeming greatness, is a budget-busting laptop for the majority of potential buyers. The low-cost config, at $1,499, comes with 6th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 128GB storage. To get the discreet graphics demoed today, with i7 chip, 8GB memory, and 256 SSD, you will spend $2,099. Doubling RAM and storage raises the price to $2,699.

The popularity of Docker to run software in containers has increased enormously, but it does raise issues surrounding keeping those applications secure.

To help Docker users stay on top of security issues Threat Stack, a specialist in security monitoring for AWS systems, has extended its product range to provide monitoring of Docker containers for security threats.

According to a new survey 79 percent of IT pros are pursuing a hybrid cloud strategy and one third will grow their cloud services by more than 50 percent in the coming year.

The figures come from cloud consumption management specilalist Cloud Cruiser which surveyed IT professionals who attended the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Global Summit held in San Francisco and New York City in April and July.

As more employees use their personal devices for business, corporate data is increasingly put at risk from sophisticated malware.

To foil these attacks, real-time protection company FireLayers and security specialist Check Point Software Technologies today announced their joint Extend Perimeter Security solution, which spreads security to cloud applications and provides enterprises with protection from zero-day threats and malware distribution.

Streaming set-top boxes are no longer about media consumption. The newest entrants—from Amazon, Apple, and Google—fit into a larger lexicon of connected digital lifestyles. Think intelligent television for the information-obsessed and for visual voyeurs demanding the highest-quality video that is commercially available.

On Oct. 1, 2015, I started testing the new Amazon Fire TV, which goes on sale October 5th. I will later review the newer Google Chromecast but unlikely Apple's device (because a review unit isn't available and I wouldn't buy one for personal use). There is nothing radically new about Fire TV. It's more of the same only much better. Key benefit for some: 4K Ultra HD video support. Benefit for all: Enhanced voice-interaction capabilities that include Amazon's Alexa digital assistant. Then there are iterative enhancements that improve overall benefits.

Cloud applications, mobile use and the changes they bring to working methods make managing data in the enterprise a more complicated process.

We reported a few months ago on IBM and Box beginning a collaboration on cloud projects and the two companies have now announced new solutions that can help enable advanced collaboration, data classification, enterprise search and enhanced analytics.