Secure Cloud

Smashing the Barriers to Adoption of Enterprise Cloud Computing

The cloud is seen as a new delivery model for the IT organization to deliver its services to the entire enterprise in an agile manner. Agility is the single most important aspect that organizations within the current economic climate want to incorporate as part of their DNA. This encompasses three capabilities: extreme automation, self service capability and ready-to-go service.

“Cloudy” Standards - How Important are Industry Standards for your Data Center Transformation and Cloud Projects?

The topic of cloud standards has been discussed for the last year with little progress. It is becoming much more important as more enterprises are getting into the cloud. In this post, I will focus on why industry standards are so important for enterprises, especially when considering virtualization, automation, data center transformation, or cloud projects.

Three Key Cloud Trends in 2010

I predict that in 2010 those once-reluctant users will clearly see the reasons why cloud computing is the answer for challenges ranging from managing the enterprise IT infrastructure economically to improving their employees’ productivity – and act decisively to benefit from it.

Moving Virtual Infrastructure to an “Automated” Environment

Automation is a process which combines the use of specific control systems, along with various other IT systems, to manage enterprise processes and machinery, with little or no human intervention. Now, here is a question I have often heard CIOs ask – “Why should we automate our processes, when we are already virtualizing our datacenters?”

Cloud Computing Interest Continues to Grow

There was a definite buzz in the crowd about all of the potential for cloud computing. Common discussion topics included all types of cloud supporting or enabling technology (of course), security (can a public cloud be secure or not?), private clouds (should I start there?), and some discussion about the future of the hybrid cloud model.

Is a Private Cloud Right for You?

A private cloud is an enterprise data center which uses technologies similar to the public cloud infrastructure, but behind the protection of a firewall to deliver the agility and economic benefits of cloud computing inside your enterprise. A private cloud should deliver many of the same attributes of a public cloud from within your data center: shared resources, elastic, metered/rented resources, self-provisioned, and internet based delivery of service.

How Secure is Your Cloud?

The benefits of moving to the cloud are irrefutable, especially at a time when the cloud is infiltrating virtually every corner of technology. A recent survey conducted by Unisys, more than half of the respondents cited security as their topmost concern, when considering the adoption of a public cloud.

Desktop Virtualization: A Complex Landscape

Desktop virtualization encompasses a rapidly changing set of technologies, and according to Forrester, it’s an area that’s moving to the forefront of computing. Analysts also predict that desktop virtualization will grow a hundred-fold in a two- to three-year timeframe.

Virtualization: A Snapshot from North American IT Executives

The results from my discussions over the last few weeks in Australia as well as with North American IT executives supports the phenomenal rise in the use of virtualization in recent years. The benefits of virtualization are now well-known and widely accepted by IT executives.

Virtualization: A Reality Check from “Down Under”

Despite the widely-reported benefits of virtualization, many companies still struggle with the technical, process, and organizational changes that virtualization brings.