Volume XLXI, Issue 11

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In This Issue

House Oversight Committee Grills Wheeler

Excerpted from MultiChannel News Report by John Eggerton

If the first of this week’s three Hill hearings on the FCC’s Network Neutrality hearings is any indication, they will divide along political lines, with Republicans hammering the process and the result, and Democrats defending it.

In an almost-three-hour grilling, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, sporting a green tie for St. Patrick’s Day and a steely eye to meet the gaze of troubled Republicans, defended the decision, which he called an independent one, that the President “piled on” rather than directed, along with members for Congress and the public,.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) set the tone of the hearing by asking whether the Chairman had given the White House a copy of the draft order before the final vote. Wheeler said no.

Wheeler said that he had had about 10 meetings with the White House during the time the FCC was working on Net Neutrality rules (starting from when the May 15th comment period opened on his Sec. 706 proposal), but noted they touched on a variety of topics, including spectrum policy, auctions, and trade policy.

Several of those meetings were with Jeffrey Zients, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy … Read More

Feds Acknowledge Power to Act on Web Rates

Excerpted from The Hill Report by Julian Hattern

Federal regulators on Wednesday acknowledged that new Net Neutrality regulations could allow the government to interfere with how much companies charge for Internet service.

The admission from Democrats on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will come as a vindication to critics of the new Internet rules, who have long warned that the agency’s powers will give it unprecedented control over the web.

While the rules themselves don’t set any limits on what companies can and cannot charge, they do allow people to come to the FCC with any action they feel is not “just and reasonable.”

That could include overly high rates, commissioners said during questioning in a Senate Commerce Committee Hearing.

“We have an obligation, I believe, to look at any complaint, anything filed before us, and make that decision accordingly,” said Democratic Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.

“We don’t have such a case before us right now,” added Jessica Rosenworcel, a fellow Democratic Commissioner… Read More

Senators Propose Internet of Things Legislation

Excerpted from Business Solutions Report by Christine Kern

In February, the US Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing, The Connected World: Examining the Internet of Things (IoT), to examine the future of connected Internet technologies. Following that hearing, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced a piece of legislation designed to address the IoT. Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report on the IoT following their 2013 workshop on the same topic.

The February hearing was requested by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Cory Booker, (D-NJ), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Brian Schatz (D-HI), the same bipartisan group that has introduced the new legislation.

The resolution calls for a national vision to promote economic growth and greater consumer empowerment through the IoT. As a key part of that strategy, the resolution proposed the government “commit itself to using the Internet of Things to improve its efficiency and effectiveness and cut waste, fraud and abuse whenever possible.” The strategy should also responsibly protect against misuse of the Internet of Things, the resolution noted.

The burgeoning IoT network could “empower consumers, foster future economic growth and improve our collective social well-being” in spheres such as agriculture, education, energy, health care, public safety, security, and transportation, according to the resolution … Read More

Report from DCIA CEO Marty Lafferty

Click Here for Video

In 2003, the Distributed Computing Standards Coalition (DCSC), a narrowly focused technology standards-setting body, resolved to transform itself into a full-blown industry trade association.

The Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA) was born, and in the twelve years that have followed, the DCIA’s focus has expanded from Peer-to-Peer (P2P) File Sharing to Distributed Storage, Cloud Computing, Social Networking, Big Data, Mobile Cloud, DevOps, and the Internet of Things (IoT) — and the industry’s pace of advancement is still accelerating.

The scope of our activities has also increased, to include business development, market research, conferences and expos, industry communications, working groups, advocacy initiatives — and most recently marathon webcasts — as well as the standards setting and related endeavors that formed the foundation for our work.

The DCIA also publishes the online newsletter DCINFO, which faithfully updates industry participants on the latest distributed computing developments every week.

From the DCIA’s outset, our website has served the trade organization’s mission primarily by providing a searchable repository for industry information, chronicling participants’ advancement, and offering analysts and researchers convenient access to valuable data on a host of relevant topics.

Frankly, with our major emphasis on providing value for member companies through the above activities, we didn’t invest association resources in updating the look-and-feel or functionality of the website — it seemed “serviceable” and that was fine.

That is until, Michael Elliott joined the DCIA as our Cloud Evangelist and remarked that the DCIA’s website looked like it was “seriously outdated.”

I asked him pointedly if he thought that the website was hurting our mission; he answered yes; and with that, we embarked on a new endeavor to create a new online home for the DCIA.

For this effort, we were very fortunate to have the services of Emily Lafferty, whose most recent business development work included leading the dramatic redesign and total transformation of a technology sector website; working closely with our Technology Advisor, Adam Marcus, who has been with the DCIA since our inception and was very pleased, finally, to update www.dcia.info.

You are cordially invited to visit our new website — and here’s a quick tour of the new home-page:

Our search box is prominently featured to continue to facilitate research and analysis, or you can explore our social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

There’s info about how to Join DCIA, Member Benefits, and Membership Levels.

Next are tabs to take you to the current edition of our Newsletter, or additional News, as well as links to our Members, Events, and Working Groups, plus Archives and more About DCIA. Pull-downs provide even more navigation to specific sections of the website.

The left-hand column features DCIA Presents “DCIA’s IoT Marathon,” followed by links to this week’s DCINFO articles and current Partners & Sponsors.

And finally, the major section of our home-page summarizes what we’re all about, displays a slider featuring Members in the News, publishes my weekly report, highlights our next three coming events, and presents a slide-show of photos from our most recent past three events.

Please visit www.dcia.info and let us know what you think. We greatly value your feedback. Share wisely, and take care.

The 5 Best Innovations at SXSW 2015

Excerpted from TakeMeToYourLeader Blog by Freddie Laker

After attending South by Southwest (SXSW) nine times I’ve seen all manner of innovations, from the meaningless to the profound, there. I launched a startup at SXSW in 2013 and even had my work recognized at the Interactive Awards. I want to claim SXSW has lost relevance, and that the marketers have ruined it, but have to admit there are still some wonderful innovations on display.

BioBots was, deservedly, recognized as one of the most innovative startups at SXSW.

BioBots offers plug and play desktop 3D bioprinting that enables users to easily make functional three dimensional living tissue from human cells. This has huge potential for medical testing purposes, and possibly eventually for transplants.

Bioprinting involves recreating the 3D structure of a tissue with a fabrication technique using a computer program to slice up the biological structure into discrete layers and rebuild them using some sort of biomaterial extruded from a printhead that can move up, down, and side-to-side.

The 3D printer was invented by Danny Cabrera and Ricardo Solorzano, initially students in Miami Dade College, before they moved on to the University of Pennsylvania. It was in Pennsylvania that they were able to attract funding … Read More

Join Us Next in Johor

Click Here to Learn about Datacloud South East Asia

Plan now to attend Datacloud South East Asia in Johor, Malaysia on April 8th and 9th. This year we have introduced a new dimension to the event with the launch of the Finance & Investment Symposium.

Tailored specifically for data center, hosting and cloud influencers, you will have the opportunity to network with 400+ individuals from operating companies, private equity firms, hedge funds, investors, bankers and analysts at the symposium within the overall conference.

Visitors to this year’s Datacloud South East Asia are traveling to the event from more than 13 countries.

The DCIA has limited opportunities for DCIA Members and DCINFO readers to join us in attending as special delegates with reserved seating in the auditorium throughout the event, complimentary lunches, invitations to the VIP networking reception, and other special benefits.

To register for Datacloud South East Asia Event in Johor please click here to learn about limited DCIA VIP complimentary registrations and for information about travel and accommodations. The event takes place at the very attractive Traders Hotel situated scenically on water’s edge in Puteri Harbour, Johor, Malaysia … Read More

Citic Telecom Taps VMware for Desktop-as-a-Service

Excerpted from Business Cloud News Report

Hong Kong based telco Citic Telecom has launched a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) offering based on VMware Horizon, which the company claims is the first of its kind in the region.

The company said the virtual desktop solution will be aimed at enterprises in the Asia Pacific region that operate in multiple locations but don’t necessarily have the resources to stand-up their own infrastructure.

“Many enterprises in Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific region are employing a bigger mobile workforce, and more-and-more are running on a multi-office model. However, the technical infrastructure of these enterprises is not able to support the dynamic requirements in everyday operations,” said Mr. Daniel Kwong, Senior Vice President of Information Technology and Security Services at Citic Telecom.

The move is part of a broader effort to strengthen the telco’s reach in the regional IT services, particularly in Singapore, Taiwan and mainland China. To strengthen its cloud offerings the company launched its first cloud data center in Shanghai last year, and it also plans to open two more cloud data centers in Beijing and Guangzhou in late 2015.

It will also give the virtualization incumbent a boost in the region. Last year VMware expanded its cloud services in Asia … Read More

Avaya & Google Team on Cloud-Based Contact Center

Excerpted from TopTechNews Report by Jennifer LeClaire

Brands are taking their contact center operations to the cloud at a rapid clip for good reasons, namely flexibility and simple service subscription models. Avaya is working to help midmarket companies make the cloud transition with a new product.

At the Enterprise Connect 2015 conference in Orlando, FL this week, Avaya announced a cloud-based contact center solution that delivers its IP Office customer engagement technology as a subscription service. It’s called Customer Engagement OnAvaya Powered by Google Cloud Platform and it comes with a subscription-based license and the Customer Engagement OnAvaya Software. Users can provision Chrome devices and headsets to get up and running quickly.

“Avaya is bringing its customer engagement technology leadership to midmarket companies with an easy-to-use subscription service,” said Joe Manuele, senior vice president and general manager of Global Cloud Services at Avaya. “Through the power of Google Cloud Platform, Avaya is providing a simple and scalable foundation that allows customers and partners to deploy contact centers faster, and agents to work from anywhere.”

As it rolls out its new product, Avaya is pointing to data from market research firm Frost and Sullivan … Read More

Three Steps to Resilient AWS Deployments

Excerpted from CloudTech Report

Hardware fails. Versions expire. Storms happen. An ideal infrastructure is fault-tolerant, so even the failure of an entire data center — or Availability Zone in Amazon Web Services (AWS) — does not affect the availability of the application.

In traditional IT environments, engineers might duplicate mission-critical tiers to achieve resiliency. This can cost thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain and is not even the most effective way to achieve resiliency. On an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform like AWS, it is possible to design fail-over systems with lower fixed costs and zero single points of failure with a custom mix of AWS and third-party tools.

Hundreds of small activities contribute to the overall resiliency of the system, but below are the most important foundational principles and strategies.

This basic system design principle bears repeating: decouple components such that each has little or no knowledge of other components. The more loosely coupled the system is, the better it will scale.

Loose coupling isolates the components of your system and eliminates internal dependencies … Read More

Cloud Computing Benefits Productivity

Excerpted from Midsize Insider Report by Kelley Katsanos

Increased productivity and cost reductions are the most-valued cloud computing benefits, according to a recent global study of 1,000 senior IT decision-makers conducted by Tata Communications. “The cloud has lived up to industry hype,” according to eWeek. Eighty-three percent of organizations have realized additional cloud computing benefits that they did not initially expect, such as increased productivity and cost reductions.

Though these cloud benefits have been consistently touted, midsize firms should also consider the cloud for data storage and streamlining processes to reap additional rewards.

“By 2024, off-premises storage will have overtaken on-premises alternatives,” eWeek reports. Further, the study shows that in 10 years, 58 percent of organizations will have their data stored in the cloud, as compared to 28 percent today.

Midsize firms with limited resources may find it difficult to ensure consistent, on-premises data security and processes. The built-in features of cloud storage services, such as automated backups, may offer additional security. Decision-makers should conduct a thorough analysis of their organization’s state of security to determine if a cloud service can further mitigate risks. For example, midsize businesses without solid on-premises business continuity or disaster recovery plans may stand to benefit from cloud computing solutions … Read More

Answering Cloud Computing Sales Objections

Excerpted from MSPmentor Report by Michael Brown

As managed service providers (MSPs) have no doubt realized, there are still organizations out there that are completely resistant to adopting the cloud. With the benefits already well-documented, what is holding these organizations back?

Even as more organizations adopt cloud solutions, other organizations are resistant to the idea. With the benefits of using cloud tools and cloud-based file sharing already well-documented, what is holding these organizations back? And how can managed service providers (MSPs) alleviate concerns?

A recent report from CloudTweaks.com suggests that there isn’t so much a single reason why organizations are hesitant to adopt cloud solutions, but, rather, an over-arching fear. Many companies still don’t really understand cloud computing, and instead focus on outdated perceptions of how the cloud can negatively impact a company.

Education can help. MSPs can start educating potential clients by first understanding their fears. Let’s take a look at some of the popular questions about cloud solutions from concerned organizations–and how MSPs can answer those objections:

Above all else, security is the biggest concern surrounding the cloud. Security is also the popular answer … Read More

Connected Home Key to Quintuple-Play Business

Excerpted from PCC Mobile Broadband Report by Tara Neal

Often dubbed as the “Fifth Play,” Internet-of-Things (IoT) / Machine-to-Machine (M2M) services are taking shape as a key business vertical, with the segment expected to continue increasing in terms of its share of broadband networks and mobile operators’ revenue, across both retail and enterprise market segments.

Much of the growth within the IoT/M2M is coming from the deployment of connected machines/appliances which fulfill two major functionalities – one, to collect and deliver information in real-time as in the case of connected surveillance cameras, temperature sensors, smart trackers in vehicles and security alarms and second – to enable users to control and manage their machines/appliances remotely, in the case of controlling the temperature in a room, turning on a machine in a plant, adjusting the settings on an equipment control panel, or changing the directions provided in a self-driving car, from virtually anywhere in the world.

By combining wireless connectivity and M2M modules that can transmit and receive information remotely over wireless technologies such as Zigbee, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, and merging these with cloud-based digital platforms that can collect, process, and share the data onto end-user devices, namely smartphones, tablets and other digital screens, almost any machine or appliance … Read More

Adobe Introduces Document Cloud

Excerpted from SMBWorld Report

Adobe has announced Adobe Document Cloud, a modern way to manage critical documents at home, in the office and across devices.

At the heart of Document Cloud is the all-new Adobe Acrobat DC, which will take e-signatures mainstream by delivering free e-signing as part of the integrated solution.

Adobe Document Cloud consists of a set of integrated services that use a consistent online profile and personal document hub. People will be able to create, review, approve, sign and track documents whether on a desktop or mobile device. Acrobat DC, with a touch-enabled user interface, will be available both via subscription and one-time purchase.

With two new mobile apps, Acrobat Mobile and Fill & Sign, people can create, edit, comment and sign documents directly on their mobile devices. Plus, use the camera on your device as a portable scanner to easily convert any paper documents to digital, editable files that can be sent for signature.

“People and businesses are stuck in document-based processes that are slow, wasteful, and fragmented. While most forms of content have successfully made the move to digital (books, movies, music), documents have not … Read More

GSMA Sets-Up Online Marketplace

Excerpted from TelecomTV Report by Ian Scales

The Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) is looking to extend its role in the mobile industry beyond Mobile World Congress by getting itself properly involved in the commercial to’ing and fro’ing in the global mobile industry. It’s announced the launch of Marketplace, which it’s calling the world’s first online commercial platform dedicated to the global mobile industry.

“The GSMA Marketplace is a new online commerce platform that enables buyers and sellers in the telecommunications industry to connect with each other. These connections enable the buying and selling of all types of products and services.

Brought to you by the organizers of Mobile World Congress, the GSMA Marketplace allows sellers to create customized storefronts and post product catalogs. Buyers can search for new suppliers or products and can initiate RFPs and RFXs.

Both buyers and sellers can benefit from the Research Center, which allows detailed analysis of markets, potential partners and even competitors.”

It’s certainly in the right position to act as a sort of third party in infrastructure and product commerce … Read More

Retailers Marching Toward Big Data Analytics Cloud

Excerpted from Multichannel Merchant Report by Prat Moghe

Did you know that two-in-three retailers are already leveraging or plan to leverage the cloud for big data analytics?

Only technology companies have a higher ratio, and retailers’ willingness to adopt the cloud outpaces other industries such as finance, manufacturing and healthcare, according to a study by GigaOM Research recently commissioned by our team at Cazena. This should come as no surprise; of any industry, retail arguably has the most to gain from the data-driven decision-making that can emerge from big data analytics.

Take Ozon, Russia’s equivalent of Amazon, as an example. The retailer recently analyzed more than 15 years of shopping data to discover that books were seeing a massive sales jump each winter. Now, as Russians prepare to cozy up with a novel to wait out the bitter winter, Ozon bolsters its book recommendations and, as a result, its revenue.

These and myriad other opportunities await retailers that can put their massive amounts of data to work. But why are so many looking to the cloud to conduct this analysis, and why is the retail industry in general more comfortable with this approach than other industries?

Retail’s biggest drivers of big data analytics in public cloud adoption are cost reduction and agility … Read More

Reimagining the Network for a Hyper-Converged Infrastructure

Excerpted from TechCrunch Report by Kittu Kolluri

You’re only as strong as your weakest link, and that’s the Internet’s biggest problem today. For more than two decades, the very backbone of the Internet — the network — has subsisted in the shadows, pinned beneath the weight of a fast-growing Internet economy and a powerful cohort of incumbents with much to lose.

Since the early days of SaaS, the tech world has set an astonishing pace for innovation. If the cloud breaks everything (and it does), we are nothing if not resilient — toppling each obstacle in a race to deliver anything-as-a-service, big data and mobility.

We have evolved into device-addicted, app-devouring gluttons for bandwidth — all the while coaxing and cajoling the underlying architecture to manage a far greater load than it was ever designed to bear.

The impact of this top-down innovation is often illustrated from a wide area network (WAN) perspective — but if the sprawling WAN is a rising tide, the data center is scrambling to shore up against the floodwaters.

We weren’t turning a blind eye; quite the opposite, in fact. But from a technological perspective, the architecture couldn’t simply be fixed, it had to be reimagined. This is no small feat in a complex ecosystem of industry giants … Read More

Coming Events of Interest

Datacloud South East Asia — April 8th-9th in Johor, Malaysia. Datacloud South East Asia will assess the energy, scalability, security, architecture, and software challenges confronting operators of data centers and enterprises engaged in or considering transitions to the cloud.

NAB Show — April 11th-16th in Las Vegas, NV. Popular and fresh attractions for 2015 include the Cloud Pavilion (CP) for asset management; Connected Media Live (CML), focusing on the consumer experience; the Drone Pavilion (DP), featuring a fully enclosed “flying cage” for demonstrations; and the New Media Expo (NMX).

Internet of Things Conference — April 15th-17th in San Diego, CA. The IoT Con will focus on how companies are using a variety of technologies, including ZigBee radios, Wi-Fi, and machine-to-machine (M2M)software, to connect things to the Internet, and how they are achieving real business benefits from doing so.

All That Matters — May 20th-23rd in Singapore. Packed with influencers, content creators, platforms and marketers, ATM drives business and global collaboration for decision makers in the entertainment, media, and marketing industries.

CES Asia — May 25th-27th in Shanghai, China. The success of the 2015 International CES builds strong momentum for CES Asia. With strong exhibitor demand for CEA’s inaugural event, the show will be curated with select qualifying companies permitted to exhibit.

Data Center and Cloud Awards — June 2nd in Monaco. Europe’s most prestigious awards for data center and cloud achievements will be announced at an evening ceremony prior to the opening of Europe’s ‘must-attend’ Datacloud Europe conference and exhibition.

Freescale Technology Forum — June 22nd-25th in Austin, TX. FTF, this year focusing on the Internet of Things (IoT), is the heart of discovery, imagination and innovation. Together we will strategize and design the next market-shifting products.

Internet of Things World Forum (IoTWF) — October (2015 Dates TBD) in Dubai, UAE. IoTWF is an exclusive event that brings together the best and brightest thinkers, practitioners, and innovators from business, government, and academia to accelerate the market adoption of the Internet of Things.

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