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» Print Google Versus Microsoft: The Fight for the Future of Cloud Computing | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] While the cloud is still a somewhat undefined area, the types of technology that Google and Microsoft are developing could shift the way businesses, and even consumers, use the cloud for their needs. Part of this clash for the future of the cloud comes from the different business models that Google and Microsoft developed. [...] At the same time, Tom Austin, also a Gartner Fellow, sees Google developing its own platforms for the cloud, such as Google App Engine, which allows for the building and hosting of applications on Google Web servers. In addition, Google has turned to IBM to help it develop technology, especially within the cloud, that will give those applications more of an enterprise edge. [...] In the case of Microsoft, David Smith, a Gartner Fellow, believes that Microsoft is looking to become a force in both the internal cloud, which businesses will build to support their own applications and computing resources, and the external cloud, which are developed by third-party service providers such as AT&T. [...]
HP Floats New Cloud Consulting Service | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] Like other technology and services vendors, HP is looking to profit from helping businesses take advantage of this growing trend. Sun Microsystems, which also is developing a public cloud environment, 1 June rolled out a cloud services portfolio that also attempts to guide businesses in their migration to cloud computing. [...] The HP Cloud Discovery Workshop, which will be available in July, will aim to help businesses learn about the various service delivery strategies, outline benefits and risks, and give recommendations regarding processes and technologies needed to get started in cloud computing. [...] The HP Cloud Roadmap Service will offer more recommendations about how cloud computing can fit in with overall service delivery models and the right strategy and program model, and set up a road map for adopting cloud computing, including what businesses can expect to achieve and what steps they should take. [...]
EC Calls On Europe To Board Cloud Computing Train | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] But according to Reding, it is not only up to business to grasp the potential of cloud computing. This is not only an area where businesses should act, this is in particular an area where I call upon Europe's public administrations to take the lead to deliver what citizens need today the Gov 2. [...] I see, therefore, great potential for cloud computing applications to help Europe's businesses into the true ICT age, at lower costs compared to traditional IT company solutions, said Reding. Accessing computing power over the web instead of investing in technologies and applications would not only be cheaper, but also easier for businesses that then don't have to buy and maintain technologies and IT applications and services. . [...] Just consider the following. If businesses in Europe were to replace only 20 percent of all business trips by video conferencing, we could save more than 22 million tons of CO2 per year. And cloud computing could lead to electricity savings in computing activity of up to 80 percent, she said. [...]
Private Clouds Present Investment Opportunity, Says Gartner | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] Businesses need to get people and technologies in place to make the cloud environments work. For larger enterprises that have skilled IT help, sourcing teams will make day-to-day decisions around cloud services that will meet business needs. Smaller companies with fewer in-house IT resources will more likely use service brokers, which will take responsibility for these services in the cloud. [...] Gartner has outlined a three-step action plan for CIOs and IT professionals to follow to get their businesses ready for cloud computing. Enterprises should immediately gain experience with cloud computing and pull together a cloud initiative that encompasses the entire business. [...] Private clouds ultimately will be the first step for businesses as they move into cloud computing. Eventually they will use public clouds to some degree, and then combine the two to create hybrid cloud environments. [...]
Cisco Pushes Beyond Traditional Roots To Challenge HP, IBM | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] Other Cisco officials have recently talked about areas into which the company will grow. In a briefing on Monday, Cisco chief technology officer Padmasree Warrior outlined how it will expand its reach in the burgeoning cloud computing realm. Warrior pointed to Cisco's UCS and virtualisation as the key drivers for the new virtualised data centre, and said Cisco will sell the various infrastructure pieces that businesses will need for cloud computing. [...] The company will continue to build on its core networking business, Chambers said, but the global recession is helping to fuel a transition in business into such areas as virtualisation, online collaboration and video, all of which can be made use of to help businesses work better and more efficiently. [...] The company also will offer software as a service (SaaS), as it does already with its WebEx collaboration technology, she said. [...]
Vendors Want Open Standards For Cloud Computing | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] Cloud computing is a popular buzzword in the industry, and analysts say the technology is more than just hype. In a recent statement, research firm IDC said that global spending on cloud services will grow to $42 billion (£29bn) by 2012, with a key driver being the need to cut IT costs. [...] IT customers consistently tell us that, while they like to take advantage of new technologies to benefit their companies, they also need to contain data center management complexity and IT costs, Patla said in a statement. By supporting industry standards for systems management and interoperability, we can better deliver on this goal of making critical IT technologies like cloud computing simpler and more cost-effective to deploy and maintain. [...] Pat Patla, general manager and vice president of Advanced Micro Devices' Server and Workstation business and a member of the DMTF board, said open standards that help businesses manage heterogeneous cloud resources and create interoperability between cloud environments will help drive the adoption of cloud computing technology. [...]
Open Cloud Manifesto: Blighted From Birth? | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] Rather, this document speaks to CIOs, governments, IT users and business leaders who intend to use cloud computing and to establish a set of core principles for cloud providers. Cloud computing is still in its early stages, with much to learn and more experimentation to come. [...] Spokesman Jon Murchinson emailed me to say, While we are not a party to the manifesto, Google is a strong advocate of cloud computing, given the substantial benefits for consumers and businesses. We value industry dialog that results in more and better delivery of software and services via the Internet, and appreciate IBM's leadership and commitment in this area. [...] We believe that these core principles are rooted in the belief that cloud computing should be as open as all other IT technologies. This document does not intend to define a final taxonomy of cloud computing or to charter a new standards effort. Nor does it try to be an exhaustive thesis on cloud architecture and design. [...]
Analysts: Cloud Computing Will Defy Recession | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] Cloud computing is a hosted information technology format in which software is provided as a service over the air and data is stored on remote servers. enterprise users need little more than a device and an Internet connection, which enables workers and even businesses to be entirely mobile. [...] And a 2009 Cloud Computing Trends Report commissioned by Hosting.com similarly found that 64 percent of all respondents and 75 percent of larger companies named security as their top concern. Large and small businesses, however, turned to cloud computing for the same reasons. [...] Cloud computing is still young and developing, however, and businesses and individuals are still figuring out how to cope when these systems, out of their hands, go down. On 24 Feb Google's Gmail went down for three hours at the beginning of London's workday, disrupting Goople Apps and barring millions from their e-mail. [...]
AMD Wants Into The Cloud, Not Smartphones | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] The cloud, along with virtualization technology, offers the best return on investment for cash-strapped businesses, Meyer said in an interview with eWEEK just before AMD spins off its manufacturing facilities into a new business. [...] While AMD is working to make its processors respond to the needs of cloud computing, Intel is also eager to see its chips used in these types of data centres. Specifically, Intel is touting some of the new features found in its Nehalem -based processors as key innovations in realising the dream of a cloud computing infrastructure. [...] Cloud computing is an idea that is starting to become more than an idea, Meyer said. We are starting to see fairly big firms devote real money toward data centres that are purpose-built to deliver applications over the Web, he added. I view that as a good opportunity for us to partner with some of these customers and optimise what we do toward their needs alongside our OEMs. . [...]
» Print CIOs Optimistic But Fret Over Cloud and Governance | eWEEK Europe UK
[...] But the research also backed up [2] documented concerns that businesses have over [3] adopting the cloud model for their business applications. There seems to be a clear split in opinion on whether the cloud is having a major impact on the way IT was delivered. [...] This veiwpoint was backed up by Gartner, which predicted that by 2012, [4] 20 percent of businesses will own no IT assets, as more companies take advantage of virtualisation and [5] cloud-enabled businesses. [...] [3] adopting the cloud model for their business applications. [...]
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