June 4, 2012
Volume XXXIX, Issue 9
Call for NETWORK
INFRASTRUCTURE Speakers at CCW:2012
The DCIA and CCA this week announced a call
for speakers at NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE, one of three co-located conferences
taking place at the CLOUD
COMPUTING WEST 2012 (CCW:2012) summit November 8th-9th in Santa Monica, CA.
Major topics will
range from how cloud migration is positively impacting broadband network
operations and businesses to the drawbacks of cloud deployments from broadband network
operators' perspectives, along with analyses of network resource usage by data
centers and new ISP cloud services, and problem areas for ISPs created by proliferation
of cloud computing.
In addition, special
sessions will explore in-depth the differing implications on network
infrastructure of third-party SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS deployments, effects of
various data centers, interconnection issues, and types of architectures.
And finally, NETWORK
INFRASTRUCTURE panels will examine cloud mobility, virtualization,
interoperability, and scalability.
Registration enables delegates to also participate in any session at the two additional
conferences being presented at CCW:2012 on ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT DELIVERY and
INVESTING IN THE CLOUD, as well as NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE.
CCW:2012 features
one common exhibit hall. and all networking functions (e.g., luncheon,
refreshment breaks, evening cocktail reception, etc.) are open to all attendees
at no additional cost.
Cisco: The Internet
Will Be Four Times as Large in Four Years
Cisco released its annual Visual
Networking Index (VNI) Forecast (2011-2016), the company's ongoing analysis
of Internet Protocol (IP) networking growth and trends worldwide.
The VNI Forecast quantitatively
projects the amount of IP traffic expected to travel public and private
networks, including Internet, managed IP, and mobile data traffic generated by
consumers and business users.
This year, Cisco has
also developed a new complementary study - the Cisco VNI Service Adoption
Forecast - which includes global and regional residential, consumer mobile, and
business services growth rates.
By 2016, annual
global IP traffic is forecast to be 1.3 zettabytes - (a zettabyte is equal to a
sextillion bytes, or a trillion gigabytes). The projected increase of global IP
traffic between 2015 and 2016 alone is more than 330 exabytes - which is almost
equal to the total amount of global IP traffic generated in 2011 (369
exabytes).
This significant
level of traffic growth and service penetration is driven by five key factors:
1. An increasing
number of devices - the proliferation of tablets, mobile phones, and other
smart devices as well as machine-to-machine (M2M) connections are driving up
the demand for connectivity. By 2016, the forecast projects there will be
nearly 18.9 billion network connections - almost 2.5 connections for each
person on earth - compared with 10.3 billion in 2011
2. More Internet
users - by 2016, there are expected to be 3.4 billion Internet users - about 45
percent of the world's projected population according to United Nations
estimates.
3. Faster broadband
speeds - the average fixed broadband speed is expected to increase nearly
fourfold, from 9 megabits per second (Mbps) in 2011 to 34 Mbps in 2016.
4. More video - by 2016,
1.2 million video minutes - the equivalent of 833 days (or over two years) -
would travel the Internet every second.
5. Wi-Fi growth - by
2016, over half of the world's Internet traffic is expected to come from Wi-Fi
connections.
Global IP traffic in
2016 will be the equivalent of 278 million people streaming an HD movie (at an
average streaming speed of 1.2 Mbps) simultaneously. The Asia Pacific region
will generate the most IP traffic (40.5 exabytes per month), maintaining the
top spot over North America (27.5 exabytes per month), which will generate the
second highest amount of traffic.
There are expected
to be 1.5 billion Internet video users by 2016, up from 792 million Internet
video users in 2011. By 2016, TVs are expected to account for over 6 percent of
global consumer Internet traffic (up from 4 percent in 2011), and 18 percent of
Internet video traffic (up from 7 percent in 2011) -- demonstrating the impact
of Web-enabled TVs as a viable online option for many consumers. Advanced video
traffic, including three-dimensional (3-D) and high-definition TV (HDTV), is
projected to increase five times between 2011 and 2016.
By 2016, global
peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic is projected to account for 54 percent of global
consumer Internet file sharing traffic, down from 77 percent in 2011. On a
quantity basis, however, the amount of P2P traffic is expected to increase from
a rate of 4.6 exabytes per month in 2011 to 10 exabytes per month by 2016.
Report from CEO Marty Lafferty
 The National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has just issued Special
Publication 800-146 reiterating previously published NIST classifications
of the various types of cloud computing implementations and their benefits,
while also identifying what NIST sees as "23 open issues" regarding cloud
computing technology overall.
In the DCIA's view, most of NIST's "issues" are
well-known aspects of distributed computing that have been "open" for years,
but have received much greater prominence as a result of the emergence of cloud
computing.
The document itself claims
that only some of the issues "appear to be unique to cloud computing."
The NIST "issues"
are organized under five general categories: computing performance, cloud
reliability, economic goals, compliance, and information security, with privacy
integrated into the last two of these.
An example of the computing
performance issue is off-line data synchronization. When users are disconnected
from the network, obviously their documents and data don't stay in synch with versions
hosted in the cloud - making version-control an important consideration, especially
within group collaboration activities.
Cloud reliability
was one of two concerns the DCIA addressed at our CLOUD COMPUTING CONFERENCE at
the 2012 NAB Show (CCC at NAB).
The conclusion of
our keynote speakers and panelists was that cloud-based solutions can be
configured to deliver the level of reliability that a customer desires. As in many
other computing approaches and technological processes generally, it's a question
of how much redundancy and what level of fail-prevention features are built
into the given deployment.
NIST notes that "for
the cloud, reliability is broadly a function of the reliability of four
individual components: (1) the hardware and software facilities offered by
providers, (2) the provider's personnel, (3) connectivity to the subscribed
services, and (4) the consumer's personnel."
We wouldn't disagree
that a serious deficiency in any of these areas could impact the overall
performance of a cloud-based system, and therefore each needs to be properly
and carefully configured to match the desired level of quality of service
(QoS).
NIST's commentary on
economic goals - or the cost savings that can be achieved by using cloud
computing - also suggests that several factors need consideration.
In addition, and
probably because a key constituency for NIST is the large and growing group of
government agencies that are end-users of cloud computing services, it believes
that standardization of cloud service agreements could serve the "achievement
of economic goals."
An agreement template,
for example "in a machine-readable format using common ontologies"
could facilitate automated review, and potentially foster a greater
understanding of the functionality and benefits of cloud computing, rather than
distracting the focus of agreement participants onto ancillary
terms-and-conditions and what are for all practical purposes boiler-plate
provisions.
The second area of
concern that we explored during CCC at NAB was security in the cloud, or what
NIST includes along with privacy considerations and "compliance."
Regarding this
subject, there was a consensus among our conference speakers that in many
respects cloud computing is actually more secure than the older technologies it
supplants, but that key to delivering the desired levels of security and
compliance are the proper application of appropriate tools, such as
closed-versus-open networks and encrypted-versus-unencrypted data.
Obviously, the definitional
cloud attribute of multi-tenancy - which often translates to a sharing of
resources - is a concern especially among new cloud users.
Depending on the
type of implementation, as NIST explains, security concerns will vary.
For
software-as-a-service (SaaS), different end-user consumers may share the same
application or database. For platform-as-a-service (PaaS), different processes
may share an operating system (OS) and supporting data and networking services
creating another level of security concern. And for infrastructure-as-a-service
(IaaS) clouds, different virtual machines (VMs) may share hardware via a hypervisor creating yet
another.
NIST sees the potential
for flaws in logical separation with this sharing, but as the DCIA has pointed
out, with the scale that is possible through cloud computing, greater resources
can be dedicated to ensuring that vital components maintain their separate
integrity.
NIST's view of
safeguards is that "for clouds that perform computations, mitigation can
occur by limiting the kinds of data that are processed in the cloud or by
contracting with providers for specialized isolation mechanisms such as the
rental of entire computer systems rather than VMs (mono-tenancy), Virtual
Private Networks (VPNs), segmented networks, or advanced access controls."
And of course,
because it's increasingly common for cloud applications to be accessed through
their end-users' browsers, this becomes another vulnerability point. Separate
and apart from cloud computing, browser security represents its own concerns.
The bottom line here
is that NIST has published another valuable reference, which can serve as a
resource for industry to review and in some ways as a voluntary guide to follow
as progress continues in this space. NIST's document is particularly useful for
those involved in contracting with and servicing public sector entities.
Having said that, we
do not agree with the assertion that reliability and security issues per se are
greater with cloud computing than traditional computing. A growing body of
evidence demonstrates that the cloud actual provides more trustworthy solutions.
Share wisely, and take care.
Cloud Computing
Market Worth $37.9 Billion in 2012 Says Visiongain
Analysis from Visiongain indicates that the cloud computing market will reach a value of $37.9 billion
in 2012. With ever increasing proliferation of cloud services and adoption by enterprises
and end-users in recent years, the demand for cloud computing is at an all time
high and is set to continue in demand and popularity over the next five years.
The cloud services
market is thriving with numerous offerings from a range of diverse vendors.
This dynamic market is quickly maturing and presenting a number of market
opportunities for vendors and businesses alike.
The broad variety of
innovative solutions in software, platforms, and infrastructure means that
there is a cloud service available for many different business demands, ranging
from simple off-site data storage to more complex software development on cloud
platforms.
The cloud computing market is forecast by Visiongain's
Cloud Computing Market 2012-2017 Report to record strong and continuous
growth over the next five years, especially in the developed world. The
research shows that more than 30% of enterprises worldwide are deploying at
least one cloud solution.
The report looks at
the state of enterprise cloud market and how businesses can leverage cloud
services to cut-costs, improve efficiency and drive innovation within their
organization.
The Visiongain report states, "The majority of the cloud computing uptake
will come from SMBs from around the world, which are lacking in solid IT
infrastructure and are looking to find new and innovative ways of conducting
everyday business with the help of cloud technology offerings. Demand will also
come from end-users who are looking to incorporate the cloud for everyday needs
such as entertainment, storage, etc."
Visiongain provides forecasts for the period 2012-2017 in terms of value for
the global cloud computing market, as well as for 8 submarkets of the cloud
computing market: Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS),
Platform as a Service (PaaS), Cloud Security, Corporate SaaS Cloud Market,
Mobile Corporate SaaS Cloud Market, SMB SaaS Cloud Market, and Mobile SMB SaaS
Cloud Market.
In addition, 5
regional cloud computing markets are forecast and analyzed by Visiongain over
the period 2012-2017. The report also provides profiles of 26 leading companies
operating within the market, and includes an exclusive interview with an
experienced cloud storage architect, currently working with IBM, providing
expert insight alongside Visiongain analysis.
The report provides a holistic view of cloud computing and its relevance to the
business segment, with a critical analysis of how companies can effectively
leverage the cloud to best suit their needs. The report looks at established,
emerging and innovating vendors, their different offerings and the current and
future value of the cloud market on a global and regional level.
The Cloud Computing
Market 2012-2017 report will be of value to current and future potential investors
into the cloud computing industry, as well as companies and research centers
who wish to broaden their knowledge of the cloud computing market.
For sample pages and further information concerning Visiongain's The Cloud
Computing Market 2012-2017 please click here.
Flexibility and Costs
the Main Attractions
Excerpted
from The Australian Report by Ian Grayson
The survey of more
than 650 IT professionals, conducted by The Australian IT, reveals awareness
and usage of cloud computing is already high: 82.7 per cent of respondents are
familiar with the concept and 69.1 per cent are using it in some form.
Yet despite this
healthy penetration, the Australian cloud computing marketplace was described
as immature by 64.8 per cent of those surveyed. Only 50.1 per cent felt
maturity was improving quickly.
The perception of
immaturity in the cloud market is surprising, given the widespread marketing
and education campaigns run by key vendors in the past 12 months.
Targeted advertising
and widespread media reports have raised awareness, but additional work is
needed.
Indeed, of those
surveyed, 60.2 per cent felt cloud computing services were being
"over-hyped" with 17.5 per cent saying that was definitely the case.
Such views were
strongly evident even among those already using cloud services, where 53.9 said
over-hype was real.
Asked about the key
drivers of cloud adoption, operational cost was nominated by 45.9 per cent of
respondents.
Scalability ranked
second, nominated by 32.8 per cent. That result tallies with the messages espoused
by cloud vendors who use these high-level benefits as key reasons for customer
investment.
On costs, the
research found about half (44.6 per cent) of cloud users reported a noticeable
decrease in their power consumption, with 16.7 per cent saying that was a
"definite decrease".
Other short-term
drivers of adoption nominated by respondents included accessibility and
flexibility, reliability, security and speed.
Asked about
longer-term drivers, respondents pointed to mobility (31.8 per cent) and application
flexibility (31.2 per cent) as being key.
These reasons were
nominated as long-term drivers by both cloud users and non-users.
The survey uncovered
some interesting differences in opinion between IT professionals of differing
experience.
While 61.3 per cent
believed cloud computing services automatically represented a lower total cost
of ownership for IT projects, this number dropped for those with more than five
years experience.
The number dropped
again among those with 11 to 15 years experience. Such results clearly show
enthusiasm for cloud computing is much stronger among younger IT professionals
and those with fewer years of experience in the industry.
Cloud vendors have
spent considerable time promoting the concept as a way to reduce complexity in
large corporate infrastructures. Rather than investing in big data centers that
require resources to establish and maintain, organizations are advised to use
an on-demand model to purchase computing and storage resources.
However, the
research found less than half of all respondents (46 per cent) felt making use
of cloud services reduced management complexity.
Interestingly, 29.3
per cent of those surveyed said cloud computing makes the task of IT management
more difficult.
This shows vendors have
to focus more on explaining how their offerings can help to reduce or
streamline management tasks.
When asked to
nominate when they first started using cloud computing in their organizations,
40.1 per cent indicated this had happened last year, while a further 8.8 per
cent nominated this year.
Indeed, the results
show a total of 71.1 per cent of those respondents using cloud computing had
started doing so only in the past three years.
Of those now using
cloud, a definitive 87.4 per cent said they intended to increase their usage in
the near term, with 48.2 per cent saying they would definitely do so.
Of the group not yet
using cloud computing in any form, the results found 60.6 per cent seemed
interested, with 15.3 per cent confirming they definitely intended to start.
That demonstrates there is still strong demand in the market, which offers
plenty of opportunities for vendors.
Much industry
attention has focused on the dramatic growth of public cloud providers, but
respondents indicated private cloud was of more interest to them at this stage.
Of those surveyed,
44.4 per cent said they were most interested in private cloud, with only 17.5
per cent saying the same about public cloud. Respondents interested in a hybrid
approach to the cloud numbered 31.3 per cent.
Asked to nominate
the vendor companies they most associated with private cloud offerings, a
number named respondents ranging from Google and Apple to Amazon and Dropbox.
However, the two
nominated by most survey participants were Microsoft (32.8 per cent), and
VMware, named by 31.8 per cent.
Survey respondents
who had already installed a private cloud were asked to identify the main
factor used when choosing a vendor. Three major factors emerged: ease of
implementation (nominated by 38.1 per cent), support (28.2 per cent) and cost
(26.5 per cent). Reputation and security were also flagged as key selection
criteria.
These results, while
not surprising, show how critical it is for cloud vendors to demonstrate how
their technologies can be integrated with existing technology infrastructure.
Failure to do this
will result in fewer organizations embracing the approach.
Despite the positive
approach taken by many organizations to their initial adoption of cloud
technology, it appears there is quite a way to go before it will become the
default choice when setting up new infrastructure.
Of those surveyed,
70.1 per cent said their organization did not have a cloud-first policy for new
IT projects.
This compared with
19.1 per cent that indicated they did.
The research painted
a picture of a market that is evolving rapidly and has captured the attention
of a majority of IT professionals.
Most feel positive
about their experiences, but many others are still taking a wait-and-see
approach before embracing either public or private cloud in a significant way.
There is also
evidence that many professionals (79.1 per cent) believe service providers and
regulatory authorities need to do more to standardize laws and regulations
around the globe on data security and privacy.
For cloud vendors,
these results show there is still work to be done in explaining the benefits
and challenges of cloud computing and how it can be put to use in existing IT
infrastructure.
Video Users to
Nearly Double by 2016
Excerpted from Video
Daily Report by Ross Fadner
Nearly 800 million
people consumed web videos last year - a total that will close to double in
four years to 1.5 billion.
On an individual
level, nearly all of those people will be consuming more video than they are
today. Meanwhile, online video already accounts for more than half of all
Internet traffic.
The data comes from
the latest installation of Cisco's annual Visual
Networking Index (VNI), which claims that by 2016, worldwide data consumption
will reach 1.3 zettabytes. One zettabyte is equal to 1 billion terabytes.
According to the
report, web-connected devices like tablets, phones, game consoles, and TV sets
are driving the rampant surge in video consumption. Cisco claims that by 2016, HD
streams to TV sets will grow six-fold, accounting for 6 percent of all
worldwide consumer web traffic.
However, this will
be dwarfed by the uptick in mobile video consumption on tablets and phones:
according to the report, mobile video traffic will grow 18-fold between
2011-2016, while the number of worldwide mobile users will reach 1.6 billion -
an increase of six times over 2011.
The report also
claims that close to one-third of all web traffic will come from devices other
than the PC by 2016.
Joyent Releases SmartOS Cloud Server Operating System
Excerpted
from WebHostingTotem Report
A SmartOS cloud
server operating system, functioning by way of an open resource software
package license, has been unveiled by the cloud computing computer software
provider Joyent this Monday, encompassing
the KVM hardware virtualization expertise.
With the help of the
SmartOS operating method, commodity hardware can be converted into a
multi-tenant application hosting platform, thus supplying developers with the
specialist gear to manage storage along with resourceful virtualization.
Joyent CTO and Chief
Scientist Jason Hoffman said in a recent interview with Stacy Higginbotham from
GigaOM that the SmartOS operating method is excellent for the latest computing
operations. The software program provider created an intelligent initiative
with open-source SmartOS, substantial-good quality computer software.
The firm stated that
it will be operating SmartOS in order to create cloud computing for firms and
telecommunication organizations. The introduction of the SmartOS cloud server
operating program adds to the improvement of the growing recognition of cloud
computing among businesses that are even supplying cost-free IP addresses. It
is an advancement, which has affected VMware Cloud Foundry, Rackspace
OpenStack, and Facebook Open Compute Venture.
The endeavor,
created by the company to support the direction of open resource, was applauded
by presenters attending HostingCon 2011, who described it as becoming the best
manner through which a modification could be produced towards the generation of
cloud ecosystem.
"Joyent SmartOS is
the first hypervisor platform to emerge in five years, and it's the only cloud
server remedy that can manage both KVM hardware virtualization and operating
method-degree virtualization on a single OS," said Hoffman.
"This mixture of
virtualization possibilities, information consistency via ZFS and access to
DTrace for quick troubleshooting, is the most effective and effective
collection of technologies in cloud application advancement. I invite
developers who use VMware, Citrix, Red Hat, or Microsoft hypervisor resources
to try out this open resource package."
According to the
organization, further details, with regards to SmartOS, are offered on the
Joyent website. Live distribution ISO media is also accessible on the site,
along with the open supply code offered by GitHub.
Huawei Joins Open
Visual Communications Consortium
Huawei
Technologies has
joined the Open
Visual Communications Consortium (OVCC), a group of leading service and solution
providers creating the blueprint to deliver high-quality video collaboration
that connects any vendor, any network, and any device, anywhere. Huawei joined
the organization as a board member.
With Huawei, OVCC
membership has climbed to 24 companies, including AT&T and Verizon.
Huawei is a leading
global ICT solutions provider. Its dedication to customer-centric innovation
and strong partnerships has established end-to-end capabilities and strengths
across the carrier networks, enterprise, consumer, and cloud computing fields.
We are committed to creating maximum value for telecom carriers, enterprises
and consumers by providing competitive ICT solutions and services. Our products
and solutions have been deployed in over 140 countries, serving more than one
third of the world's population.
"Creating a
blueprint to commercialize multi-network, multi-vendor video calls is
compelling for the world's leading service and solution providers, as well as
their enterprise customers. Strong OVCC membership and continued growth moves us
closer to connecting millions of users globally with high-quality,
multi-platform video calls that are as easy to place as a telephone call," said
Andrew McFadzen, OVCC President. "We are excited to welcome Huawei as an OVCC
member."
OVCC members contribute
to and implement the OVCC technical and commercial blueprint, using established
standards and best practices to accelerate and commercialize
business-to-business video communications. OVCC members are committed to
providing video around the world to enable enterprise users to place and
receive video calls beyond corporate firewalls and across standards-based and
proprietary video platforms. The first OVCC services are scheduled to launch
later this year.
Service providers
will develop and implement OVCC technical and commercial specifications based
on industry standards, best practices, and business approaches to answer the
need for interconnection, addressing, signaling, interoperability, and service
coordination. Interoperable, high-quality connectivity across networks and
devices should allow network providers to profitably and predictably monetize
their inter-enterprise video exchanges.
By making
interoperability requirements invisible to the enterprise, the OVCC
specification enables enterprise users to leverage video conferencing
investments and enable more efficient value chains - spanning customers,
distributors and suppliers - to improve the speed and efficiency of doing
business.
Oracle Launching
Cloud Computing Suite Next Week
Excerpted
from San Francisco Chronicle Report
Oracle plans to release a full suite of
Internet-based applications next week in what will be the company's biggest
plunge into cloud-based business software, Chief Executive Officer Larry
Ellison said Wednesday.
Ellison revealed the
Redwood Shores company's plans during a wide-ranging conversation before a
crowd of executives at the D: All Things Digital conference.
"We're announcing on
June 6th the general availability of the Oracle Cloud," Ellison said. "So for
the first time, you're going to have the complete Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM)) suite available in the cloud.
Ellison, who said
the move will put Oracle far ahead of competitor SAP in cloud computing, said
he no longer is resisting the name "cloud computing" as he once did.
He noted he started
Internet business software company NetSuite and got a laugh from the audience
when he said he had the idea before Marc Benioff, CEO of enterprise cloud
computing company Salesforce.com. Benioff is one of the conference attendees.
"NetSuite was my
idea," Ellison said. "Six months later, Marc Benioff, finding out what NetSuite
was doing, kind of copied it."
Ellison also talked
about his passion for America's Cup yacht racing, revealed he played classical
guitar and confessed he was once obsessed with Facebook, "but after three
months, I recovered."
Conference co-host
Kara Swisher asked Ellison what keeps him going.
"Life's a journey,"
he said. "I think we're all curious about each other. This is a journey of
discovery about our own limits. I'm fascinated by technology. I enjoy the
competition, I enjoy the process of learning. I don't know what I would do if
retire. When I go sailing the problem is I look around and ask, 'Anyone want to
race?' I just like competing."
SOA Software & VMware Enable Cloud Operation of
Governance Platform
SOA Software, a leading provider of SOA
governance, cloud and enterprise API management products, announced today that
its products are easily deployed as VMware images, giving organizations the flexibility to quickly deploy and migrate
governance solutions within and across their enterprise.
In addition, SOA Software has
become a VMware partner participating in VMware's Technology Alliance Program
(TAP). SOA Software's TAP qualification validates the successful deployment of
all of its products on VMware vSphere virtual machines (VMs), the
industry-leading virtualization platform for building cloud infrastructure.
"When governing web
services and web APIs, you get great operating benefits from running your
governance solution on the same virtual machines that power the cloud,"
said Roberto Medrano, Executive Vice President of Marketing for SOA Software.
"Of course, VMware is in a class by itself in the world of virtualization
and cloud computing. Our products leverage this tremendous technical depth to
bring the best SOA governance solution to the VMware customer base."
Many customers are leveraging
datacenter automation solutions to create an internal cloud operating model for
dynamic scaling of their runtime environments. SOA Software's Network Director
is ideally suited for this type of deployment offering the ability to add and
remove instances from clusters dynamically as needed.
SOA Software's Portfolio
Manager, Repository Manager, Policy Manager, and Service Manager all run on
VMware. These products are the heart of the company's comprehensive Integrated
SOA Governance Automation solution. This product set enables SOA governance, SOA
security and SOA management across the complete service lifecycle, from
planning through development and production deployment.
The company's approach ensures
the security, reliability, performance and ease of development of
service-oriented business applications. With SOA Software, you build the right
services, build them the right way, and then assure that your services are
behaving correctly. The products allow you to connect and control SOA platform
components, including enterprise service buses (ESBs) from multiple vendors.
SOA Software's latest solution
is Atmosphere, which provides a secure, robust platform that companies can use
to share their APIs with the growing developer community. Atmosphere manages,
monitors and secures companies' APIs, ensuring that they deliver the level of
service customers and partners require; the security of corporate and customer
information and assets; and the integrity of the corporate brand. Atmosphere
also runs on VMware.
VMware TAP offers its 20,000
members access to extensive technical resources and licenses to integrate or
test their products on VMware platforms. TAP partners also get access to
go-to-market tools to promote their alliance and joint solutions with VMware to
shared customers as well as prospects.
YouView Internet TV
Finally Reaches Homes
Excerpted
from The Telegraph Report
YouView, the
Internet television project backed by Britain's major broadcasters and
broadband providers will finally enter public trials this week after lengthy
delays.
A first-stage trial
in 350 homes was agreed last week by the YouView board, chaired by Lord Sugar,
The Financial Times reported.
Each will get a new
set-top box (STB) that connects to the Internet and offers access to an array
of free online services such as the BBC iPlayer, as well as subscription apps
such as Amazon's Lovefilm. It aims to build upon the success of Freeview by
offering more choice and content.
Until now, the
system has only been tested under secrecy by YouView insiders. Earlier this
month The Telegraph reported that Dido Harding, chief executive of TalkTalk,
one of the major broadband providers backing the project alongside
broadcasters, had not yet received her test equipment.
But as well as
commercial funding, YouView, formerly called Project Canvas, has received at
least 6 million pounds of license fee-payers' money from the BBC over the last
three years.
The system was
originally scheduled for introduction in 2010, but has been blighted by
technical issues. In the meantime electronics manufacturers have introduced
their own "smart TV" equipment and app stores, Google has ramped up its
television efforts and Apple is consistently rumored to be preparing to enter
the market.
But a YouView
spokesman said that if the initial "alpha" public trial phase is successful,
thousands of STBs could be in homes within four weeks for broader testing.
When they are made
commercially available, YouView boxes are expected to cost around 200 pounds.
Tribler: A Better Society with P2P
Excerpted from The H Report
In a lecture at the Computer Systems Colloquium at
Stanford University, developer Johan Pouwelse has announced the impending
release of version 6.0 of the open source Tribler peer-to-peer (P2P) client. Developed at Delft University of Technology, Tribler is a fourth
generation P2P system (4G P2P),
which enables BitTorrent-compatible downloads, video on demand, and live
streaming over a zero-server self-organizing platform. Compared to BitTorrent,
which is used by millions of people each day, the Tribler community of around
25,000 monthly active users is relatively small.
Originally launched as a pure BitTorrent client with its own
social networking extensions in 2006, Tribler now relies on a dual stack
implementation. This enables the P2P engine to use both the TCP-based
BitTorrent protocol and the more video-streaming-friendly UDP-based Swift
protocol. At IETF 83, held in Paris in
late March, the Internet Engineering Task Force's peer-to-peer streaming
protocol (PPSP) workgroup proposed making
Swift the P2P standard.
The latest development is Swift for Android,
a lean implementation of the protocol as a P2P app for Android-based
smart-phones. Experiments of this type with the BitTorrent protocol have been
carried out in the past, one of the first being SymTorrent, released three years ago
after being developed by Nokia for its Symbian OS. It, however, was limited to
file downloads. Swift4Android, by contrast, should allow CPU- and memory-saving
live streaming on smart-phones.
The Delft-based team are part of a growing trend. In April,
Chinese P2P broadcasting system SopCast,
which also offers live streaming of many foreign channels, released a
pre-release version of video streaming app SopCast for Android for smart-phones, tablets, set-top boxes
and other devices running Android 2.2 and later. In contrast to the
LGPL-licensed Swift for Android, however, SopCast is proprietary.
The Delft P2P developers' vision goes further. Pouwelse,
Assistant Professor in the Parallel and Distributed Systems Group and
Scientific Director of the EU project P2P-Next,
envisions a kind of microblogging tool to strengthen democracy. Pouwelse says
that it will "enable people to create a better society, by joining
together into non-hierarchical groups based on cooperation and the principles
of direct democracy," and be "completely independent of the influence
of business and governments". However, to many this may seem too good to
be true as mobile phone network operators usually throttle data or block
peer-to-peer applications and services altogether.
Tribler is licensed under the terms of the
LGPLv2.1; the current stable release is version 5.9.11, which is available for Windows, Mac
OS X, and Linux.
Is Windows 8 Ready for a Cloud-Based World?
Excerpted from Slashdot Report by Nick
Kolakowski
Microsoft is betting big that Windows 8, its next-generation
operating system due later this year, will prove a resounding hit with
consumers and businesses.
However, Windows 8 faces a tech landscape radically
different from the one that greeted any of its predecessors, including Windows
7. For starters, cloud services and platforms are proliferating at an insane
clip; your average PC user can navigate their entire day without needing any
sort of desktop-based app, only a browser and a decent Web connection.
One of Microsoft's biggest rivals, Google, is already
rushing to take advantage of this brave new world with its Chrome OS, a
browser-based operating system installed on laptops manufactured (so far) by
Samsung and Acer. Those "Chromebooks" offer Google's suite of online services
and a selection of cloud apps via the Chrome Web Store.
Microsoft's other operating-system rival, Apple, has also
incorporated more and more cloud features into its Mac OS X. In addition to an
App Store, the iCloud platform allows users to wirelessly sync content across
their ecosystem of iOS and Mac OS X devices.
Second, mobile devices such as smart-phones and tablets are
beginning to eclipse PCs as the center of peoples' computing lives.
In light of all that, Windows 8 must walk the equivalent of
a loose tightrope in a gale-force wind, over an enormous pit of white-hot fire.
It must carry forward the legacy of previous Windows operating systems, offering
the ability to run desktop-based, resource-hogging applications; it must appeal
as best as possible to these new cloud and mobile paradigms; and it must sell
enough licenses to prevent any Windows Vista-style debacle.
Microsoft's most visible solution is a Start screen rendered
in the same "Metro" design interface that defines the company's Windows Phone
and revamped Xbox dashboard (see the above image, of the Windows 8 Consumer
Preview's Start screen, for an idea). The large and colorful tiles, linked to
applications and capable of displaying all manner of active data, can be
touched (if Windows 8 is running on a tablet) or clicked on (in the case of PCs
with mice or touch-pads) with equal facility.
(Windows 8 on tablets is a huge part of Microsoft's plans
for competing in the market, and Redmond desperately wants its hardware
partners to create devices capable of battling toe-to-toe with the iPad and the
higher-end Google Android touchscreens. Neowin recently leaked the
purported specs for Dell's upcoming Windows 8 tablet, which included a
10.8-inch screen with 1366 x 768 resolution, 1.57 pound "starting weight," an
Intel Clover Trail Atom dual-core processor, up to 128GB solid-state drive
storage, and a variety of accessories.)
From there, the user can jump to a more "traditional"
Windows interface, i.e. the familiar desktop. Within that environment,
Microsoft has made some significant tweaks to the user interface and feature
set, including the introduction of the semi-dreaded ribbon to Windows Explorer.
Microsoft is also releasing a version of Windows for
ARM-based devices such as tablets. This iteration, known as Windows RT, is seen
by outsiders as Microsoft's answer to Apple's iPad: a lightweight system that
emphasizes workability with a regulated selection of largely cloud-based apps
(in Microsoft's case, "Metro"-style apps built to tight specs by third-party
developers).
Since last month, the blogosphere has buzzed about
Windows RT lacking support group policies, a requirement of enterprise IT
administrators who need to control their networks, as well as domain joining,
which in theory would exclude any Windows RT devices from connecting to a
corporate network.
When asked about Windows RT's support group policies and
domain joining, a Microsoft spokesperson declined comment.
Windows 8 will feature a browser (obviously) and built-in
app store, as well as tight integration with cloud-based Microsoft services
such as SkyDrive. Those are all points in its favor, in terms of embracing
cloud apps. The situation with group policies and domain joining could hurt
Windows RT in the business-cloud arena, but Microsoft could intend that
particular Windows product as more of a consumer play.
Whether Windows 8 will succeed or fail as a cloud (and
mobile) platform could depend largely on the willingness of third-party
developers to create useful and/or fun apps. But the larger success of Windows
8 will hinge on much bigger factors, including if people are willing to make
yet another upgrade after adopting Windows 7-or jumping to Apple's camp-a few
short years ago.
Most Firms Aren't
Aware They Are Already Using Cloud Computing
Excerpted
from Silicon Republic Report
Businesses are so
confused about cloud computing to the extent they are already using the
technology without realizing it, a new study reveals.
The O2 survey found
that almost half (45 per cent) of firms surveyed are confused or very confused
by the term cloud computing.
While just one in
five say they are currently using cloud computing, the study finds 48 per cent
are using one or more cloud apps: 29 per cent of firms say they use Google
Docs; 20 per cent are using Dropbox, and 17 per cent are using Microsoft's
Office 365.
"Business owners
remain generally confused about cloud computing, yet they are adopting cloud
services because of the clear benefits they offer," Alan Brown, Business
Director at Telefonica Ireland, explained.
The lack of
awareness is most prevalent among smaller companies and the retail/wholesale
and hotel/leisure sectors. Some 48 per cent of firms employing one to three
people are confused about cloud computing. This falls to 40 per cent for those
employing more than 10 people.
The O2 study finds
that of those who say they don't currently use cloud computing, one in five is
considering the technology.
Perceived benefits
are widely spread across accessibility, ease of use, reduced cost, security and
business continuity.
In terms of barriers
to implementation of the cloud, a large majority (67 per cent) cite lack of
awareness as their main or secondary reason.
In its Action Plan
for Jobs 2012, the Irish Government identified the technology as part of its
overall program to create 100,000 net new jobs in the Irish economy by 2016.
George Carlin Would
Have Loved Hybrid Clouds
Excerpted
from Skytap Report by Jay Odell
George Carlin's bit
on the importance of "stuff" is a comedy classic. As human
beings, we have an innate need to acquire, hold, move, and find places to put
our stuff. In our personal and professional lives, acquiring stuff can
give us a sense of accomplishment, security, and control.
Historically,
acquiring stuff has been common practice in almost every company since the dawn
of the information revolution. However, the world around us is evolving rapidly
and cloud computing is changing - and simplifying - every facet of how we use
technology in both our personal and professional lives. Practically speaking,
enterprises are learning that sometimes procuring, installing, maintaining, and
depreciating stuff - like compute hardware - is not an efficient business
model.
At Skytap, we're seeing our enterprise customers
adopting more of a corporate "Don't Own Stuff" (D.O.S.) philosophy. Who doesn't
want to simplify, right? To enterprises, D.O.S. means still having all the
stuff they need, without having to hold, move, and find places to put it.
Case in point, Cushman & Wakefield - the world's largest privately held real estate services firm. They leverage a
hybrid cloud model because they have adopted the D.O.S. philosophy. This led
the company to seek out cloud-based solutions that offer essential compute
capabilities without needing all of the internal resources traditionally
required to support on-premises computing infrastructure.
They moved their
application development
and test environments to the public cloud to improve the speed of their
software release cycles and make them more efficient. Before the cloud,
provisioning IT environments for Cushman & Wakefield's development and test
teams took anywhere from days to weeks depending on workload and availability
of IT resources.
Of course, there are
things your company dare not put into a public cloud. Mission critical
applications and secure data will continue to live in private clouds and
enterprise-owned internal infrastructure for the foreseeable future. But
environments that are not running 24X7 - for example, use cases like
development and test, software
demos, and virtual
training - are a great fit for a public or hybrid cloud.
In the recent
Interop 2012 keynote speech: Gaming the Hybrid
Cloud: Lessons from Zynga's zCloud, CTO Allan Leinwand said of cloud
computing "hybrid is the new black." Which brings us back to George - well
known for wearing black in most of his comedy bits - who said, "A house is just
a place to keep your stuff."
And when it comes to
enterprise datacenters, the question has become: Which stuff will you keep in
your house, and which stuff will you move to the cloud?
Coming Events of Interest
Cloud
Computing Forum & Workshop V - June 5th-7th in Washington, DC. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
hosts this meeting focused on reviewing progress on the Priority Action Plans
(PAPs) for each of the 10 high-priority requirements related to
interoperability, portability, and security that were identified by US
government agencies for adopting cloud computing.
Cloud Expo - June
11th-14th in New York, NY. Two unstoppable enterprise IT trends, Cloud
Computing and Big Data, will converge in New York at the tenth annual
Cloud Expo being held at the Javits Convention Center.
A vast selection of technical and strategic General Sessions, Industry
Keynotes, Power Panels, Breakout Sessions, and a bustling Expo Floor.
IEEE
32nd International Conference on Distributed Computing - June 18th-21st
in Taipa, Macao. ICDCS brings
together scientists and engineers in industry, academia, and government: Cloud
Computing Systems, Algorithms and Theory, Distributed OS and Middleware, Data
Management and Data Centers, Network/Web/P2P Protocols and Applications, Fault
Tolerance and Dependability, Wireless, Mobile, Sensor, and Ubiquitous Computing,
Security and Privacy.
Cloud
Management Summit - June 19th in Mountain View, CA. A forum for corporate
decision-makers to learn about how to manage today's public, private, and hybrid
clouds using the latest cloud solutions and strategies aimed at addressing
their application management, access control, performance management, helpdesk,
security, storage, and service management requirements on-premise and in the cloud.
2012 Creative Storage Conference - June 26th in Culver City. CA. In association with key industry sponsors, CS2012 is finalizing a series of
technology, application, and trend sessions that will feature distinguished
experts from the professional media and entertainment industries.
CLOUD
COMPUTING WEST 2012 - November 8th-9th in Santa Monica. CA.
CCW:2012 will zero in
on the latest advances in applying cloud-based solutions to all aspects of
high-value entertainment content production, storage, and delivery; the impact
of cloud services on broadband network management and economics; and evaluating
and investing in cloud computing services providers.
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