March 24, 2014
Volume XLVII, Issue 7
Must-Attend Cloud Conference in DC
CLOUD COMPUTING EAST 2014 (CCE:2014) is shaping up to be THE industry-insider conference of 2014.
The conference offers in-depth coverage of the latest and most up-to-date developments taking place in two of the most volatile and rapidly growing sectors of the cloud computing market — government (gCLOUD) and healthcare (hCLOUD).
CCE:2014 is not to be missed.
gCLOUD case studies will expose the truth about cloud computing and the public sector. What really happened when a local municipality tried to streamline operations by moving just a few basic functions to the cloud? Why was the FedRAMP experience of one major cloud provider with government bureaucracy such a total shocker?
hCLOUD sessions will range from revelations of the astonishing experience of a medical imaging company new to this arena to a generous sharing of the deep wisdom from a patient-records-storing firm that was doing cloud computing before the name cloud was even coined.
Click here to register.
CIO Role More Strategic in the Mobile Cloud Era
Excerpted from CruxialCIO Report by Antone Gonsalves
Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are moving beyond the data center and are gaining more influence in the boardroom when it comes to strategic business planning, according to a new study.
CIOs' influence is growing as more companies recognize that technology, particularly tools associated with data analytics, social media and cloud services, is key to reaching and serving customers, according to a new CIO Insights study by IBM.
"The transition that CIOs are making, and that they need to continue to make, is keeping the business challenges and business opportunities in mind," Linda Ban, Director of the Global C-suite Study at IBM, told CruxialCIO. "They need to focus on the business problem at hand and then how technology can help solve that — not technology for technology's sake."
In the past, organizations used IT primarily to make financial, human resources and sales operations more efficient. All that has changed. Nearly two-thirds of CIOs surveyed by IBM intend to focus more on improving customer interactions with the business.
In addition, CIOs are also applying more effort to sales and new business development and marketing and communications.
But the biggest shift in IT's role is in helping organizations get closer to the customer, a move that's being embraced by more than four-fifths of the CIOs surveyed. CIOs are moving out of the back office and into the front office, where marketing, sales and customer service managers work at finding, winning and retaining customers.
The majority of CIOs say they will buy new technologies and hire people with the right skills in mobile computing, collaboration via the cloud, social networking tools and business analytics, all of which is seen as important in delivering what the customer wants.
Organizations' recognition of the importance of mining their vast amounts of data for actionable intelligence has brought CIOs and chief marketing officers into partnerships that never existed in the past.
The job of CMO has changed from building ad campaigns for TV, radio and billboards to marketing on web sites and social media. The latter has generated reams of customer data that CMOs are expected to use in helping to develop business strategy. CMOs cannot contribute to that conversation without analytical tools provided by the CIO.
"Forming that relationship with the chief information officer can really bear some strong fruit," Ban said. "Many CIOs that we've spoken to have prioritized that relationship (with the CMO) or are focusing on how to make it better."
Besides customers, CIOs fully understand the growing importance of leveraging technology to bring better collaboration between employees, suppliers and partners, the study found. More than 80 percent of CIOs in outperforming enterprises plan to install social business tools to help employees and partners pool their brain power.
Just like customers, employees are becoming increasingly more dependent on mobile devices. More than half of the CIOs in successful organizations said employees are now equipped to do business anywhere on any device, the study found.
In summing up the changing role of the CIO, the study concluded that IT chiefs command more respect and possess more authority than ever before. In addition they are working more closely with C-suite colleagues.
The study is based on meetings with almost 4,200 top executives between February and June 2013. The subjects represented a wide range of public and private sector enterprises in more than 20 industries and 70 countries.
Report from CEO Marty Lafferty
 The DCIA salutes the newest wave of sponsors and exhibitors signing-up to support CLOUD COMPUTING EAST (CCE:2014),
CCE:2014 is the must-attend strategic summit for business leaders and software developers in our nation's capital.
Its newly announced backers include Acolyst, Amazon Web Services (AWS), FalconStor, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), NetApp, and Trend Micro.
Charter sponsors are Apptix, Aspiryon, Axios Systems, Clear Government Solutions, CSC Leasing Company, CyrusOne, IBM, Oracle, SoftServe, and VeriStor Systems.
Acolyst's strength and core capability is in offering performance management solutions to help C-Level clients achieve strategic initiatives such as cloud computing and business process improvement while resolving their governance, risk, compliance (GRC) and legal matters.
Governance is the base and foundation of Acolyst's service offerings, identifying replication and inconsistency of data across applications and systems. Executives need to have legitimate information they can trust before they can make sound business decisions.
Once governance is established, Acolyst's goal is to reduce corporate risk, meet compliance, audits, legislative requirements, and conduct legal analysis of liability and impacts to make modifications and improvements to the process as necessary.
An executive can then have a solid view into the performance of his or her organization based on metrics and indicators defined in order to identify and assess root cause, make effective business decisions, improvements, and/or adjustments to meet strategic initiatives and execute a training plan where necessary.
In 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) began offering IT infrastructure services to businesses in the form of web services -- now commonly known as cloud computing. One of the key benefits of cloud computing is the opportunity to replace up-front capital infrastructure expenses with low variable costs that scale with your business.
With the cloud, businesses no longer need to plan for and procure servers and other IT infrastructure weeks or months in advance. Instead, they can instantly spin-up hundreds or thousands of servers in minutes and deliver results faster.
Today, AWS provides a highly reliable, scalable, low-cost infrastructure platform in the cloud that powers hundreds of thousands of businesses in 190 countries around the world. With data center locations in the US, Europe, Brazil, Singapore, Japan, and Australia, customers across all industries are taking advantage of AWS benefits.
AWS provides a massive global cloud infrastructure that allows you to quickly innovate, experiment and iterate. Instead of waiting weeks or months for hardware, you can instantly deploy new applications, instantly scale-up as your workload grows, and instantly scale-down based on demand. Whether you need one virtual server or thousands, whether you need them for a few hours or 24/7, you still only pay for what you use.
FalconStor Software leads the way in developing innovative, scalable, and open network storage solutions designed to optimize the storage, protection, efficiency, and availability of enterprise data and applications.
FalconStor-powered data protection solutions change the economic equation for companies that need to manage their IT bottom lines -- despite exponential data growth and ever-expanding retention periods. FalconStor solutions are available and supported by major OEMs, as well as leading system integrators and resellers worldwide.
FalconStor's award-winning solutions — Continuous Data Protector (CDP), Virtual Tape Library (VTL), Network Storage Server (NSS), and File-interface Deduplication System (FDS) are deployed by worldwide Fortune 1000 enterprises, including leaders in government and healthcare.
Built on the FalconStor IPStor storage virtualization platform, FalconStor delivers a complete line of highly scalable, energy conscious solutions that grow to meet the requirements of the smallest businesses through the largest global enterprises.
As a trusted systems integrator for more than 50 years, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) provides information technology (IT), systems engineering, professional services and simulation and training to customers in the defense, federal civilian government, health, homeland security, intelligence, state and local government and commercial sectors.
With approximately 28,000 professionals worldwide, the company delivers IT enterprise solutions, manages large-scale, mission-critical IT programs and provides mission support services.
GDIT is one of four business units of the General Dynamics Information Systems and Technology business segment. Headquartered in Fairfax, VA., GDIT has major offices worldwide.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, VA, employs approximately 96,000 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies.
NetApp creates innovative products — storage systems and software that help customers around the world store, manage, protect, and retain one of their most precious corporate assets: their data. The company is recognized throughout the industry for continually pushing the limits of today's technology so that its customers never have to choose between saving money and acquiring the capabilities they need to be successful.
NetApp always finds ways to enable its customers to do things they couldn't do before at a speed they never thought possible. NetApp partners with industry leaders to create the most efficient and cost-effective solutions optimized for their IT needs, and to deliver and support them worldwide.
With NetApp technologies, its customers are able to: reduce their data center footprint by 50%; boost storage utilization by 200% and storage system performance by up to 400%; and achieve up to 166% ROI as a result of data center transformation.
NetApp provides expert services and global support to maximize the value customers derive from its products and to keep its systems up and running. From its respected leaders to its global teams of employees and partners, NetApp is united in one goal: helping its customers succeed.
As a global leader in cloud security, Trend Micro develops Internet content security and threat management solutions that make the world safe for businesses and consumers to exchange digital information. With more than 25 years of experience, Trend Micro is recognized as the market leader in server security, virtual security, and small business content security.
Trend Micro enables the smart protection of information, with innovative security technology that is simple to deploy and manage, and fits an evolving ecosystem. Its solutions are powered by the cloud-based global threat intelligence of the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network infrastructure, and are supported by over 1,200 threat experts around the globe.
Trend Micro's commitment to being a socially responsible corporate citizen has shaped the way it's done business since its founding in 1988.
Whether you're a consumer, small business, or enterprise, Trend Micro is the smart security choice as you journey to the cloud.
Please contact Don Buford, CEO, or Hank Woji, VP Business Development, at the CCA to learn more about attractive conference exhibition and sponsorship opportunities.
CCE:2014 will focus on the gCLOUD (The Government Cloud) and the hCLOUD (The Healthcare Cloud).
This important gathering of thought leaders and first movers will thoroughly examine the current state of adoption and the outstanding challenges affecting two major and increasingly related sectors of the economy, whose principals are currently engaged in migrating to the cloud.
Jointly presented by the DCIA & CCA, CCE:2014 will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 15th-16th, at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC.
To review conference topics and apply to join the speaking faculty for this event, please click here. If you'd like to speak at this major industry event, please contact me now. Share wisely, and take care.
Cloud Computing and the New Age of Marketing
Excerpted from Panuaji Report by Jennifer Birch
The technology of cloud computing has gone past its early days. Now, the cloud provides invaluable help in many industries, including but not limited to information and telecommunication, fashion, non-governmental organization, and even the top multinational corporations.
With this, cloud fits perfectly with the ever-important business concept of marketing, by enabling businesses to connect with the consumers and clients in a more convenient way. Plus, it has paved new ways and generated new ideas in terms of its use in marketing.
Recent analysis from big companies such as Cisco, Forrester, and Forbes, detailed the cloud computing has been adopted robustly, and on a global scale. According to them, all the material on the Internet for marketing — video, text, audio, and everything in between — will be encompassed within the cloud. The prediction dates a full integration by the year 2016, and as of 2013, the progress is at 7%.
Based on the estimates by the aforementioned companies, the need for virtual space will balloon to 3.3 terabytes in two years. Since the immensity of the need for storage capacity cannot be addressed by current devices, the cloud is the best and most economical option. Last 2011, the cloud computing industry reached a bustling $40.7 billion market, and projections saw an exponential growth of over $240 billion in 2020.
The future is clear: the physical memory devices will become obscure and obsolete, and web-based applications will totally replace locally-installed software. This has been the direction Microsoft is taking its services. The consumer will become wired totally, and marketing to this newly 'plugged' audience is definitely much easier and cheaper with the use of cloud systems.
There are quite a number of reasons why a migration to cloud computing is happening in the marketing industry today. For one, it is naturally adaptive; the cloud supports different types of platforms and is easily accessible on various devices.
With it, marketers eliminate the possibility of errors brought about by physical memory devices or local storages. Any device with Internet connectivity automatically becomes a tool for marketing. Although this has been a major concern against cloud computing, major strides in security allowed establishments to fully utilize the cloud in marketing campaigns. "The issue of data and the possession of it has been a discussion extending back to the first time anyone actually took the time to create a record of something outside their own memory," noted Wise Marketing regarding data and privacy for consumers.
"Since then, we have elected to use devices for storage that are far more complex than stone or clay tablets…a lot of it digital and a lot of it accessible through the Internet." More importantly, cloud computing is a cost-slashing mechanism. This budget-friendliness is the main selling point of the concept. Billions of dollars are being spent on building corporate infrastructure, and the cloud reduces that amount extensively.
Many have already explored the many possibilities of digital marketing using the cloud. Among the thousands of portals online is HubSpot, where SEPCO hinges on for their campaigns.
According to Liz Karschner, social media manager and marketing of SEPCO, HubSport provides web analytics and other marketing tools on the cloud, similar to new technologies developed by tech titans such as IBM. Pinterest, and other social media platforms, are being utilized fully by small startups and private businesses such as Whole Foods and Whistler BlackComb. Using third party applications such as HootSuite and Tweetdeck, they follow the recent activities of all their competitors and industry experts in one page. Management of these businesses becomes much easier with the wide coverage of the Internet. Soon, we wouldn't be surprised if the entire world is under one giant cloud.
Cloud Will Be $107 Billion Industry by 2017
Excerpted from Computer World Report by Brandon Butler
Cloud computing was an estimated $47.4 billion industry in 2013 and is expected to more than double to $107 billion by 2017, research firm IDC predicts.
The cloud's 23.5% compound annual growth rate is five times faster than that of the broader technology market, IDC Vice President of Data Center and Cloud Rick Villars said during the IDC Directions Conference on Wednesday in Boston, MA.
Cloud's adoption has been driven by three major factors: scale, complexity, and speed, Villars said. The cloud offers scale that regular businesses do not have, which allows them to deliver more complex services faster.
The explosion of mobile devices was one of the first megatrends that significantly ramped up the need for cloud computing services.
"For every mobile device that's launched, there has to be a large data center behind it to enable it," he said. This led to a wave of "mega data centers" being built by the likes of Google, Verizon, and others.
The next wave of the mobile revolution is creeping up on us, Villars said and it's exemplified by wearable technology, connected devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). Wearable devices will only increase the need for more data centers to serve content delivered to these devices. "The future of the cloud is about the IoT," Villars said. "The cloud is the foundation on which the IoT gets delivered. You have to have the data center and the cloud before you can deliver the services."
As more connected devices proliferate, there will also be a need to have those data centers closer to those end devices. This, Villars and IDC predicts, will lead to a new breed of "micro data centers." These will be highly modularized data centers built with like Lego-like components, giving their owners the ability to quickly add capacity as needed.
But what does this all mean for end users and CIOs of businesses? Villars said end users will have an opportunity to benefit from the continued maturity of the cloud industry as well. He recommends that users take an "asset management" approach evaluating cloud services. Businesses will have what he calls either liquid or fixed IT assets.
Fixed ones are regulated data, or legacy mission critical applications that will likely never be outsourced to a cloud environment. Liquid assets are ones that can be outsourced to a cloud provider to take advantage of a service provider's scale and infrastructure. "For CIOs, it's time to evaluate what parts of my system are fixed and which parts you are able to get on demand," he said.
The fewer IT resources a business has to run itself, the more efficient it will become and the larger the cloud computing industry will grow.
Navy Eyes Cloud Storage
Excerpted from Information Week Report
In its ongoing efforts to reduce network and IT infrastructure costs, the US Navy wants to move most of its non-classified, publicly available data to a commercially provided cloud, cut the number of Navy data centers from 150 to 25, and eliminate redundant costs including duplicative software applications.
The move reflects the Navy's desire to cut $1.3 billion from its IT budget, and cloud-based data storage is a cost-effective option, Navy CIO Terry Halvorsen told executives at a government IT event in Washington, DC on March 13th. A substantial part of those savings would come from consolidating the Navy's data centers and adopting cloud computing and virtualization for most of the service's non-classified data, Halvorsen said, adding that the Navy would continue to keep mission-sensitive and critical information in its classified databases.
But as the Navy closes data facilities, the data itself will require analysis for security and efficiency purposes. Besides defending against potential data breaches, the Navy wants to trim redundant and obsolete applications from its databases.
Halvorsen said the Navy would also make a concerted effort to close aging buildings that are inefficient to heat and cool and expensive to operate. "We own a lot of old buildings," Halvorsen observed. By trimming back on the number of facilities and adopting virtualization, the service expects it can also trim the number of people required to run its data facilities and save on labor costs.
While the Navy plans to eliminate older software, equipment, and facilities, Halverson said that the Navy will retain some useful and effective technologies that meet mission needs but that may not be applicable in a cloud environment. "Just because things are older doesn't mean their value is less," he pointed out.
According to Halvorsen, the Navy needs to move about 50% of its non-classified data into some kind of commercial storage system as part of its cloud migration plans. Public-facing information will be moved to an Amazon cloud managed system.
The Navy also plans to rethink its continuity of operations (COOP) sites and plans. "Most data doesn't need the level of backup that the Navy currently maintains," Halvorsen said. Besides time-sensitive, mission-critical information, much of the service's data does not require immediate restoration in the case of power loss or disaster. For this non-sensitive data, he said, recovery times of between 72 hours and five days are acceptable. Adjusting backup requirements would mean the Navy could use more remote and less costly data storage facilities.
Halverson believes moving a portion of the Navy's data to the cloud would also lower the cost of securing the data. While it may become challenging to pinpoint exactly where data resides at any given time, Halvorsen said, knowing exactly how the security layer works has greater importance.
Halvorsen also contends that even on mission-critical classified networks, the Navy must understand that data is perishable and must be handled accordingly. The Navy and its commercial partners need to do a better job assigning different risk factors and determining the required security to associate with different types of information, he said, noting that the useful lifespan of some types of tactical information lasts only minutes.
Amazon Web Services Celebrates 8 Years in the Cloud
Excerpted from InfoWorld Report by David Linthicum
Believe it or not, it was eight years ago that Amazon Web Services' S3 (Simple Storage Service) went into production. At the time, the promise was revolutionary:
Amazon S3 is storage for the Internet. It's designed to make web-scale computing easier for developers. Amazon S3 provides a simple Web services interface that can be used to store and retrieve any amount of data, at any time, from anywhere on the Web. It gives any developer access to the same highly scalable, reliable, fast, inexpensive data storage infrastructure that Amazon uses to run its own global network of websites. The service aims to maximize benefits of scale and to pass those benefits on to developers.
Where were you when AWS started production eight years ago? I was the CEO of a cloud computing company and had just left another cloud computing company where I was CTO. The cloud existed well before AWS, but somehow AWS was able to ignite the market, then dominate it.
The unique aspect of AWS is that Amazon.com pushed ahead with its own way of doing cloud, rather than try to replicate the work of others. Storage as a service was around then, but AWS's use of well-defined APIs made the difference. Moreover, AWS presented the value case to developers, helping embed the notion of storage services into actual software. Finally, the Amazon name mattered greatly, thanks to the company's reputation for having excellent internal technology that supported an amazing scale of operations.
Today, AWS holds the majority of the IaaS market. The runners-up -- Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Microsoft, in no particular order -- are way behind. I suspect, to that crew, AWS's eight-year anniversary is no cause for celebration. The truth is that Amazon saw the cloud opportunity first, delivered on that opportunity, and now has a substantial lead.
However, if there is a downside to being No. 1: You have to keep it up. You always have to be innovating to keep your services fresh and interesting to the marketplace -- and that's very tough to do. Indeed, the toughest years for AWS lie ahead, as more competition enters the market.
I suspect AWS will make some mistakes -- it's made some in the past, after all. However, it's been my experience that if you keep up the work ethic and focus on out-innovating rather than outspending your competitors, good things happen.
How to Get into Cloud Computing at a Reasonable Price
Excerpted from The Motley Fool Report by Mike Thiessen
Today, businesses are looking for ways to gather information quickly while keeping expenses low, and cloud computing offers just what companies need. Within the past year, investors have been snapping up shares of cloud computing companies, and the problem has become finding them at reasonable valuations.
To put it in perspective, the cloud index rose by 107%, while the NASDAQ only went up by 58% in the last year. This trend is evidence that the general public sees potential in this type of technology.
Given the potential of the technology, valuations are through the roof. Ultimate Software Group, a provider of SaaS payroll solutions, has a forward P/E of 62.8 and an EV/EBITDA of 75. This isn't an EBITDA problem -- the EV is just huge. Applications stored on Ultimate Software's server are delivered to clients over the Internet on-demand. The remote storage enables cost cutting, application updates, international accessibility, and security.
Costs are reduced because clients no longer need to buy and maintain physical servers in the office. Another important feature this company provides is the UltiPro Mobile. This mobile app enables teams to stay connected with each other globally, managers to view subordinates' profiles, and employees to update retirement contributions. Users can see each other's profiles, similar to Facebook.
Ultimate Software has been recognized as leader of cloud-based payroll software because the services it provides continue to enhance the daily operations of clients. As a result, its financial performance has been excellent over the last few years. Cash flow from operations was $42 million in 2012 and $74 million in 2013. Investors quickly recognized the value of this company, leading to a 217.13% share price increase in just a few years.
Another great cloud computing company with an astronomical valuation is Athenahealth, which provides cloud computing services for electronic health records, practice management, and care coordination. One product, AthenaClinicals, manages health records electronically, allowing family doctors to conveniently access a patient's results.
AthenaCollector helps doctors manage their practices through integrating operations such as scheduling, reminder calls, and accounting. AthenaCommunicator connects patients to doctors outside of the office, so both patients and doctors can view medical information, appointments, and payments.
AthenaCoordinator assists caregivers, facilities, and patients by managing the flow of orders, such as tests and surgeries, between all parties. The company has operational cash flow of $70 million and $93 million in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Just like Ultimate Software, its valuation multiples are huge. It has a forward P/E of 135 and an EV/EBITDA of 129. This company also has no problem making money, and the valuation is massive due to the hype.
Larger companies such as Salesforce, Workday, and NetSuite have not been profitable, but have large valuations due to their potential.
To move away from lofty valuations, look at companies that don't appear to be cloud computing companies on the surface. Recall, an information management company that recently spun off a division of Brambles, makes most of its sales from physical storage, but is quickly growing its cloud-computing business to capture opportunities in upcoming market trends. It helps customers convert information to digital format and allows clients to access documents on various devices, including mobile phones. The cloud-based management system stores converted images and allows quick access for members of all departments.
Since its spin off, based on EV/EBITDA and forward P/E, it is currently undervalued compared to Iron Mountain and similar companies. Iron Mountain has significantly more debt than Recall, which boosts its EV. Recall has an advantage in the international markets, which will be a large source of growth for data storage. The company already has infrastructure set up and is ahead of the game. Transitioning from traditional physical storage to digital services could yield tremendous value for investors. Valuation multiples of cloud computing companies are, on average, two times more than those of Recall.
In conclusion, cloud computing is only getting bigger but investors need to avoid cloud computing companies with these massive valuations. Look for the companies moving in the cloud computing direction. Recall has upside potential based on its current business in physical storage and on its future growth opportunities when it diverts more resources to cloud-computing. Now may be a good opportunity to buy this stock while it still priced at low multiples.
Oracle Has Sunny Forecast for Cloud Computing
Excerpted from Smart Data Collective Report by Mark Smith
At Oracle's recent cloud computing analyst summit in sunny Palm Springs, CA the company's executive team insisted that it sees clear skies for its efforts in cloud computing. The summit was led by senior executive Thomas Kurian, who runs the entire product organization and reports directly to CEO Larry Ellison.
He affirmed that Oracle intends to offer the full range of cloud computing — public, private and hybrid models — to its customers and partners. As one of the world's largest software suppliers Oracle has much at stake to make its database and all tools and applications available in these cloud environments, including managed cloud services. Our business technology innovation research shows this is a smart bet.
Cloud computing is important or very important to 57 percent of organizations, and more than half (55%) of cloud users have been using it for more than a year. I noted in 2013 that simplifying IT and innovating in business are key to its software strategy, and Oracle's efforts since then have executed on this outline.
Oracle has been developing a public cloud for some time, but in the last couple of years it sharpened its expertise and gained customers through acquisitions while refining its focus and investing in technology. Oracle now offers software as a service through its applications team covering HR, customer service, sales, marketing, ERP, finance, the supply chain and other areas.
I recently assessed the Oracle HCM Cloud service, which provides a good example of what the company is doing and one that we awarded for 2013 Ventana Research Technology Innovation Award.
Oracle is determined to provide infrastructure as a service and elastic computing services for storage, identity verification, messaging and networking. Here it is competing directly against Amazon, IBM, Microsoft and others. Oracle also offers its platform-as-a-service (PaaS) for using its database and tools in a variety of ways including the web and mobile to collaborative methods. This strategy also includes analytics and big data.
Our big data analytics research found 27 percent of organizations using cloud-based systems for this purpose, and it is gaining momentum as the preferred method of access: 22 percent prefer software as a service for big data analytics, 7 percent prefer a managed service, and 18 percent have no preference.
Oracle is confident it can compete on price with other public cloud players. In addition its newest focus in the public cloud is information as a service, which brings corporate and public data together for business needs. Oracle is also strengthening its cloud computing marketplace so its software will be easy not only to access and purchase but also to onboard and use.
The private cloud computing area is somewhat different. CIOs need options to expand their compute power rapidly according to business needs; such a plan once had to be executed in the company's data center, but now the cloud offers alternatives.
In a more controlled manner than for the public cloud, Oracle provides the full life cycle of management through Oracle Enterprise Manager across its applications, platform, database and infrastructure, which can help most IT organizations simplify and reduce their focus on managing their infrastructure and enable them to focus on the value of the information and technology they provide for the business.
Oracle offers multiple methods of deploying a private cloud: virtual machines for server consolidation, clustered databases for platform consolidation, and multitenant occupancy for database consolidation. Its private cloud platforms can provide a range of computing services to support applications and even enterprise deployments for use of mobile technology.
Oracle also offers a managed cloud service in which it builds and manages a private cloud environment similar to IT outsourcing except that Oracle owns the software being hosted. In this arrangement Oracle can provide in the cloud any of its applications, platform and infrastructure and can also connect to customers' on-premises systems.
Oracle says that more than 550 customers around the globe are using this service, processing 1.25 trillion business transactions per day; it stores more than 41 petabytes of data as well. In this offering Oracle competes directly with companies that have been offering this type of service in managed and outsourced approaches, including HP, Accenture and TCS. Oracle has been steadily building a strong position for its own outsourcing and managed approach to cloud computing.
These three cloud approaches have in common the Oracle database, running as a database as a service. Supporting it is the Oracle Fusion Middleware as a service that operates its business applications and is the basis to build custom applications by providing user, process, documents, information and identity services. Middleware is also where Oracle is advancing its support of mobile computing and big data as well as batch-to-real-time integration to applications and data across the enterprise and cloud along with web services support through the REST and SOAP interfaces.
Our research shows that integrating data from cloud applications is important to 80 percent of organizations. Oracle is releasing in the first part of 2014 more technology like Java, document and business intelligence as part of its Oracle Fusion Middleware as a service. Oracle has enlisted its Java technology to support the "as a service" concept to help move on-premises applications to the cloud but also to support application deployments.
Oracle has worked to ensure its middleware can operate in the Microsoft Azure and Verizon Cloud services. Also part of middleware is the database as a service that is part of the Oracle cloud and of the compute service for elastic computing; it can be provisioned and used on a subscription or a usage basis; customers also can subscribe to backup as a service. Beneath the middleware and the database is the infrastructure as a service, which provides direct support for computing, storage, messaging, identity and notification services. Oracle supports integration of other cloud computing environments such as Salesforce with its on-premises applications.
Oracle also is expanding its presence in application-centric cloud deployments. For instance, its Oracle Business Intelligence Cloud service will be available in 2014; here it plans to provide a range of real-time and self-service analytics and integration of data from the cloud and on-premises systems. Oracle already has been supporting its own BI applications in the cloud, but this step will help it compete in a market where many options have been available for several years.
Our next-generation BI research found a need for this in 2013, when 25 percent preferred software as a service for enterprise BI and nearly as many (22%) a hosted private cloud. It is even more important for mobile BI: 26 prefer cloud deployment, 30 percent chose hosted by supplier, and 36 percent had no preference; only 9 percent prefer on-premises for mobile BI.
For another example, the Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud Service is now available, based on its Hyperion Planning software. In BI and planning in the cloud Oracle definitely is not first to market and indeed will have to catch up to build a brand and trust with customers in these areas.
Given its size, Oracle is uniquely positioned with server, database, platform, tools and applications all operating in the cloud in public and private approaches and as a managed service. Only IBM is close to providing such an extensive software and technology stack. The competitive edge of pre-integrating the entire stack in the cloud is a great position from which to grow its business. Our business technology innovation research finds that cloud computing has improved the availability of applications and information for business; one-third (34%) of organizations said it has improved availability significantly.
In addition the research found that cloud computing has lowered costs, improved the efficiency of business processes, boosted communications and knowledge sharing, and increased productivity for more than one-third of organizations. The skies look clear and not cloudy for Oracle, which will be delivering more cloud computing on a very aggressive schedule throughout 2014 and 2015. If you are transitioning to or evaluating cloud computing in any manner, from infrastructure and platform to tools and business applications, Oracle is a provider you can't ignore.
BitTorrent Android V2
Excerpted from Droid Report by Jennifer Lynn
BitTorrent's Android V2 just launched last month. The company announced the new BitTorrent Android V2, and Bundle-Integrated BitTorrent Software available for Android users. The company had reached 50 million installs. BitTorrent desktop apps, including uTorrent 3.4, add Bundle integration and set the stage for more faster updates.
"We've refreshed the UI, and we've improved performance, for us, this is about building the best possible utility for our users" stated Pramod Sokke, Senior Product Manager, Mobile.
We've also updated the apps with top-requested features, including the ability to select and download individual files within a torrent." The platform was first introduced in 2013, and the company has seen more than 60 million Bundles downloaded. More than 8,000 publishers have signed up. And, 448 new downloads have been added to the library of over 2 million licensed titles.
Last year, the company introduced BitTorrent mobile apps. The new Android V2 unveils a whole new experience to BitTorrent and uTorrent mobile users. The team recently posted on its blog, BitTorrent Android V2 is to solve not just for user needs, but deliver an experience; a real connection. "The V2 Android updates let you get your downloads, wherever you are, more than that, it's a better way to manage files" wrote Rebecca Chu, Senior Visual Designer, Mobile. The new BitTorrent and uTorrent Android apps feature a re-imagined UI.
BitTorrent is an IT company based in San Francisco,CA. We design distributed technologies that scale efficiently, keep intelligence at the edge, and keep creators and consumers in control of their content and data. More than 170 million people use our products every month. Our protocols move as much as 40% of the world's Internet traffic on a daily basis. Our mission is to build a better Internet. To work with people, industries and nations to create better ways to move information. Better ways for creators to make money. New ways for fans to engage, on their terms. Ways to sustain the stuff we share. The Internet promised us this much. And we promise to make good on it.
Let It Flow: Cloud Computing Deployments and the "Water Model"
Excerpted from Midsize Insider Report by Doug Bonderud
Contrary to the hype, cloud computing is not unique; in fact, this "as-a-service" concept closely resembles the provision of such common utilities as electricity, natural gas and water. As cloud computing deployments become more popular and the service terms of providers align, how do midsize IT professionals ensure that they are getting the right price combined with the best access? In other words, what is the best way to keep cloud resources flowing?
That is the take-away from a March 19th Government Executive article titled "Why Cloud Computing Is Like Water." Author Kimberly McCabe says that "successfully acquiring cloud services requires suppressing the notion that your agency's computing resources needs are truly unique and require a customized product or service." She boils it down to a simple concept: Water is water and computing is computing, no matter the purpose or the buyer.
For midsize IT professionals, this may not be a welcome message — every company has unique cloud challenges and resource needs — but it can save money and time in the long term. Just like commercial water supplies, cloud computing deployments need only a few characteristics to make them usable: Ease of access and quality. So long as compute instances can be consumed on demand and in whatever amount required, and so long as the resources provided are reliable and "clean," no special additions are required. Purchasing unique cloud services is like paying for premium bottled water to flow from sink taps and water fountains: It is possible, but it is also unnecessarily costly.
In addition to paying more than they should, midsize IT professionals can also run afoul of "shadow IT" if they spend too much time searching for the perfect cloud computing deployment. A recent Forbes article discusses the results of a survey conducted by 451 Research. It is noteworthy that only 6 percent of those surveyed said they considered the cloud to be their "default platform," but 44 percent of executives say off-budget cloud purchases and implementation are a regular occurrence. Furthermore, 20 percent saw a "significant" amount of shadow IT spending on the cloud.
What does it all mean? That users will not suffer a workplace with no easy access to water. If companies refuse to invest in basic cloud services, employees and admins alike may sneak out back and drink directly from the hose. The problem? There is no guarantee of cleanliness in this scenario, which means that a company could find itself virtually under the weather with no idea of how infection began or with critical bits of data left behind outside their network.
Ideally, midsize IT professionals need to evaluate several cloud computing deployment options before letting the water flow, but they should not get bogged down with the idea of finding basic services that cater to specific needs. The cloud's strength is its ubiquity; what matters most is how cloud resources are used, not how they are supplied.
Why Cloud Computing Is Like Water
Excerpted from Government Executive Report by Kimberly McCabe
Federal acquisition professionals feel they lack expertise in cloud computing services and they are having trouble structuring contracts to buy them, according to two recent polls of subscribers to ASI Government's Virtual Acquisition Office—an online center of research, tools and on-call support.
Because cloud computing offers agencies opportunities to reduce costs, enhance efficiency and empower innovation, it's important for program and procurement professionals to become better cloud consumers.
It helps to think about buying cloud computing as similar to purchasing water for a building.
Building managers pursue a contract with a local water company that provides water service to the area. In the cloud, agencies buy computing resources as a service. Buying as a service eliminates the need for the building to tap, purify, regulate and distribute its own water. The as-a-service approach to buying cloud computing reduces the need for agencies to own and maintain information technology hardware and software.
The as-a-service model spreads the operational and capital costs of water infrastructure across many users in the building and beyond, just as it distributes the expense of providing computing resources among many cloud customers. As-a-service purchasing enables water and computing to be consumed in real time, with customers paying "by the drink," in other words only for what they use, in addition to any recurring fee for the service.
A building resident can turn on the tap and consume as much water as he likes whenever he wants. Similarly, the cloud provides on-demand, self-service access to information technology equipment and services.
Just as the water company can increase and decrease supply without prior notice or altering its infrastructure, so too can cloud providers supply varying amounts of configurable computing resources. Water providers meter consumption, allowing condo owners and building managers to measure usage. In the same way, cloud providers measure service to assign cost and enable users to regulate consumption.
Cloud computing, like water, almost always should be procured as a commercial service. Part 12 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation governs commercial services and cautions agencies against including "any additional terms or conditions in a solicitation or contract for commercial items in a manner that is inconsistent with customary commercial practice."
Successfully acquiring cloud services requires suppressing the notion that your agency's computing resources needs are truly unique and require a customized product or service. For the most part, water is water and computing is computing no matter who buys it, how and for what purpose.
To project the scope of cloud purchases, acquisition professionals and program managers should review the contractual history of the IT services targeted to move. Early adopters often have begun by relocating email, data storage and analytics services to the cloud. Using acquisition streamlining techniques, such as inviting cloud providers to provide feedback and expertise, helps agencies develop more effective cloud service requirements.
And if your agency anticipates broad and recurring need for computing resources, or isn't confident in its ability to project how much it will require, an indefinite delivery contract is worth considering.
IDVs, as such contracts are known, are useful when the exact times and quantities of future deliveries are unknown at the time of award. They are well-suited to the dynamic and fluctuating nature of cloud computing and its as-a-service consumption. Not all IDVs are created equal, however, so you'll need to understand their unique characteristics to choose the type best suited to your agency's needs.
Choosing among cloud providers is easier today thanks to the General Services Administration's Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, known as FedRAMP. The program vets and pre-approves providers against standards in accordance with the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act and controls established by the National Institute for Science and Technology for safeguarding information stored, hosted or processed in a cloud environment.
Without standards and controls, every building would have to independently ensure the purity of its water and the safety of its provider, and each agency would have to vet and qualify each cloud vendor. FedRAMP prevents this time-consuming, duplicative and resource-intensive effort, enabling agencies to choose among cloud providers that already have been granted authority to operate.
Viewing the cloud through a watery lens helps drain some of the mystery from it. And using commercial practices, indefinite delivery contracts and FedRAMP lets the purchasing process flow like, well, water.
Coming Events of Interest
Interop Las Vegas — March 31st to April 4th in Las Vegas, NV. The leading independent technology conference and expo series designed to inspire and inform the world's IT community. New in 2014: Cloud Connect Summit and the InformationWeek Conference.
CLOSER 2014 — April 3rd-5th in Barcelona, Spain. The Fourth International Conference on Cloud Computing and Services Science (CLOSER 2014) sets out to explore the emerging area of cloud computing, inspired by recent advances in network technologies.
NAB Show — April 5th-10th in Las Vegas, NV. From broadcasting to broader-casting, NAB Show has evolved over the last eight decades to continually lead this ever-changing industry. From creation to consumption, NAB Show has proudly served as the incubator for excellence — helping to breathe life into content everywhere.
Media Management in the Cloud — April 8th-9th in Las Vegas, NV. This two-day conference provides a senior management overview of how cloud-based solutions positively impact each stage of the content distribution chain, including production, delivery, and storage.
CLOUD COMPUTING EAST 2014 — May 13th-14th in Washington, DC. Three major conference tracks will zero in on the latest advances in the application of cloud-based solutions in three key economic sectors: government, healthcare, and financial services.
International Conference on Internet and Distributed Computing Systems — September 22nd in Calabria, Italy. IDCS 2014 conference is the sixth in its series to promote research in diverse fields related to Internet and distributed computing systems. The emergence of web as a ubiquitous platform for innovations has laid the foundation for the rapid growth of the Internet.
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