Is Nicira a Game-changer? Maybe. Harbinger? Definitely While Nicira’s Network Virtualization Platform (NVP) has been out since February 9th, little more has been said about it’s game-changing properties, especially where it involves Cloud Computing. Networking has always been the hardware bottleneck that no one has actually overcome in Cloud Computing, but according to Nicira this is no longer an issue. However, rather than be the giant-killing game-changer, I can’t help but feel that it is more of a harbinger of things to come than the next up-and-coming giant. At little more than 10 or so days from its last announcement,
Performance
Security Questions To Ask Your Cloud Service Provider Moving software, websites, hardware needs and important services to the cloud is not without its risks. While cloud service subscribers can save a lot of IT budget funds in areas like software licensing, hardware costs, power charges and staff salaries, close attention must be paid to risk management. From general risks like not knowing who you’re really dealing with to very specific dangers like security and encryption, cloud customers must comprehend exactly what they’re dealing with and how to ask the right questions. This will allow them to choose the cloud service
Cloudyn Ends Need for Rampant Over-Provisioning in the Cloud Goes Beyond ‘Monitoring Only’ Solutions to Provide Intelligent Rightsizing and Pricing Plan Selection; Saves 40%+ of Every Dollar Spent in the Public Cloud Tel Aviv, Israel – February 6, 2012– Cloudyn today announced the general availability of the next generation in cloud cost management solutions, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution for dynamically optimizing the costs of cloud computing resources. Cloudyn’s technology provides cost visibility, control and optimization for cloud customers. Cloudyn doesn’t just provide customers with insight into cloud usage and spending, it provides personalized next steps. Cloudyn’s recommendations engine provides maximum savings without impacting operational

How Cloud Computing is Like Transforming a ’68 Dodge Dart I’ve spent a lot of time lately in front of customers trying to help them understand what cloud technology means and, more important, how it can help their businesses be more efficient, effective and better able to meet or exceed their goals and objectives. In most cases, prior to speaking, the reactions I see are vacant stares and furrowed brows (sometimes on the same person…which is just a little disconcerting) as there is just way too much conflicting information that these businesses have to deal with. In today’s technology landscape,

HP ‘Master The Cloud’ Event (Toronto) – Part 2 Here’s an interesting parallel, one somewhat removed from the busy world of cloud computing. In the world of “people,” social psychologists who specialize in generational issues are starting to refer to the most recent generation of kids coming-of-age as the Purell generation, since they are likely to be aware of every hand sanitizer bottle or station in their homes, schools, and favourite stores. This thought came to me as I observed a breakout session on cloud security at the HP Master The Cloud conference, in which the presenter discussed the principle of practicing good IT hygiene. Good IT

HP ‘Master The Cloud’ Event (Toronto) – Part 1 Today, HP brought its cloud solutions roadshow to Toronto, bringing some heavy hitters up from the US to explain cloud computing to an interested but very reserved crowd of 700 IT managers, CIOs, and software gurus. The event, held at the Direct Energy Centre, can be described as a tasteful hybrid of trade show and conference, with an army of HP staffers outfitted in black with orange lanyards, primed and prepared to explain the intricacies of cloud management with nicely-produced videos, sample slices of hardware, and coolest of all, a full-sized mock-up of their HP Performance Optimized
Overcoming Complexity and Dynamics to Move Data Centers to the Cloud IT will never be the same. Analysts expect that IT budgets will not be growing in 2012. Since the last financial crisis an ongoing volatile economy has been pushing IT professionals to do more with less, increasing the amount of delivered business projects with the same or reduced resources and decreasing operational costs. Consolidation through server virtualization has been a key initiative in many data centers focusing on lowering costs of operations and infrastructure. This was really the initial move for taking the data center from the physical level

Pixar’s Cloud Computing Reignites the Debate: Art Versus Commerce Pioneer Pixar continues to push the envelope. The legendary animation studio recently announced their most serious entry to date into the cloud, with Renderman On Demand. The cloud-rooted rendering application was launched in collaboration with GreenButton, a respected cloud services company. Currently available on Microsoft Azure, and soon to be accessible via Linux later this year, Renderman On Demand is a seminal step forward in the integration of the cloud into both arts and entertainment. Producing animation in 3D is a potentially highly lucrative enterprise for film studios; just last year,






