February 10, 2014
Volume XLVII, Issue 1
Microsoft's Cloud Computing Chief Named New CEO
Excerpted from Associated Press Report
Microsoft has named the head of its cloud computing business as the company's next CEO, tapping a longtime insider to lead efforts to catch rivals in mobile devices and offer more software and services over the Internet.
Satya Nadella replaces Steve Ballmer immediately to become only the third chief executive in Microsoft's 38-year history. Company Founder and first CEO Bill Gates is leaving his role as Chairman to serve as an adviser. He will spend a third of his time working on future products and technology.
Nadella, 46, most recently headed the company's small but growing cloud computing unit, in which customers buy software and services housed on distant servers connected to the Internet. It's a departure from Microsoft's roots making software installed directly on personal computers.
In addition to growing that business, one of Nadella's first tasks as CEO will be the completion of Microsoft's $7.3 billion purchase of Nokia's phone business and patent rights — part of a plan to boost Windows Phone software in a market dominated by iPhones and Android devices.
The direction points the company toward an orbit occupied by rivals Google, Apple, and Amazon and away from the core PC business that has been Microsoft's mainstay.
"Going forward, it's a mobile-first, cloud-first world," Nadella said in a video accompanying the announcement Tuesday.
Nadella, who has worked at Microsoft for 22 years, vowed to remove any obstacles that prevent the company from innovating and said he would capitalize on Microsoft's experience in making the industry's leading productivity software package, Office.
"We need to be able to pick the unique contribution that we want to make," he said. "That's where our heritage of having been the productivity company is, and is what we want to get focused on."
Gates, meanwhile, will remain on the company's Board. The new Microsoft Chairman will be board member John Thompson, who led the search for a new CEO after Ballmer said in August that he planned to step down.
Thompson said Nadella was the Board's "first and unanimous choice."
Analysts hope that Nadella can maintain the company's momentum in cloud computing services and business software while minimizing the negative effect of Microsoft's unprofitable forays into consumer hardware.
Microsoft to Continue Focus on Cloud Computing and Mobile
Excerpted from TweakTown Report by Michael Hatamoto
Microsoft understands it could live or die in cloud computing and mobile technologies.
Newly appointed Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella plans to focus on mobile solutions and cloud computing during the early part of his reign as leader.
Nadella takes over for former CEO Steve Ballmer, as Ballmer leaves behind a 14-year-reign that has left many consumers and analysts disappointed. Nadella has served as the executive vice president behind Microsoft's cloud efforts, which doubled its growth last quarter.
The software giant has embraced cloud computing with success, as its Office 365 service is popular among businesses, non-profits, and educational institutions. However, disappointment with Windows 8/8.1 on the desktop and Windows RT and Windows Phone on mobile devices continues to frustrate users.
Microsoft will continue its attempt to migrate towards the mobile space, though has lacked appealing software to entice users. It's a shame because a seamless transition from desktop Windows apps to a tablet and smartphone would generate great interest from business users.
Report from CEO Marty Lafferty
 TheDCIA & CCA are pleased to announce the dates and venue for CLOUD COMPUTING EAST (CCE:2014), the upcoming must-attend strategic summit for business leaders and software developers in our nation's capital.
CCE:2014 will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 15th—16th, at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC.
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.
CCE:2014 will focus on the gCLOUD (The Government Cloud) and the hCLOUD (The Healthcare Cloud).
Plenary sessions will feature principal representatives of such industry leading organizations as Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, and Verizon, providing delegates with a real insider's view of the latest issues in this space.
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?
gCLOUD speakers will include representatives of such organizations as ASG Software, Clear Government Solutions, DST, HP, IBM, Ipswich Public Library, NASA, The City of New York, QinetiQ-NA, SAP America, Tech Equity, Unitas Global, Verizon, Virtustream, and WSO2.
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.
hCLOUD speakers will include representatives of such organizations as AVOA, BP LOGIX, BrightLine, Dell, DICOM Grid, Level 3, MultiPlan, NTP Software, Optum, ServerCentral, SYSNET Intl., and Vizix.
Other featured speakers will include authors, analysts, industry observers, and representatives of such organizations as ActiveState, Aspera, BUMI, CDAS, Edwards Wildman Palmer, Expedient, Intuit, Juniper Networks, Kwaai Oak, M*Modal , Mobily, Numecent. The PADEM Group, Rackspace, SOA Software, Stratus Technologies, Trend Micro, Trilogy Global Advisors, V2Solutions, Veristor, Visionary Integration Professionals, and WikiPay,
The gCLOUD will examine the ways that local, state, and federal governments can improve services and protect citizens with cloud-based tools. It will also address liabilities and challenges that need to concern government agencies regarding cloud-based services, countering NSA-fallout gloom with energized and confident approaches that overcome concerns raised by the Snowden scandal.
The explosion of data, advances in security and reliability, and options for redundant storage; challenges to natural resource management, transportation, and utility grid monitoring; and the impact of cloud services on law enforcement and emergency responsiveness will be featured topics.
The hCLOUD will explore progress being made by the healthcare industry in adopting cloud-based solutions to become more efficient, collaborative, and interactively connected. It will also address legitimate concerns that healthcare organizations must address in implementing cloud-based services.
Managing private patient records; collecting clinical research data; big-data imaging, and remote patient monitoring will be covered.
Speakers will include end-user organizations, public-sector thought-leaders, and private-sector cloud vendors, representatives of hospitals, clinics, multi-physician practices, and healthcare solutions providers, and executives and innovators from the cloud computing industry.
Please contact Don Buford, CEO, or Hank Woji, VP Business Development, at the CCA to learn more about attractive conference exhibition and sponsorship opportunities.
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, Marty Lafferty, CEO of the DCIA, at your earliest convenience. Share wisely, and take care.
Cloud Computing? - The News Is All Good
Excerpted from WhaTech Report
A survey of 542 organizations in the US and Europe that have been using various types of cloud services for at least a year has found multiple pluses and very few minuses.
The survey was conducted by Luth Research and Vanson Bourne for CA Technologies. It "confirmed cloud computing is delivering on all of the major promises vendors have made for it," that "the benefits of using cloud computing are by all accounts living up to the hype, and many of the predicted and/or perceived problems are not actually being reported" and "the more companies use the cloud, the more it exceeds their expectations."
It added, "One of the most surprising findings is that enterprises by and large are seeing tremendous benefit from the cloud and are having few, if any, problems. Across the board, companies are reporting faster than expected deployment, better than expected results and lower than expected costs."
Respondents overwhelmingly said that the cloud was meeting or exceeding their expectations in a number of critical areas, for both IT (reduced total costs, superior IT performance/scalability) and business results (increased speed of innovation, increased revenues).
However the survey also revealed that those companies most experienced with cloud computing, defined as those with four or more years experience and using three or more types of cloud services (Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service), "are now demanding IT management tools such as end-to-end service automation, service-level management across both cloud and non-cloud environments, and the ability to switch between cloud service providers."
The research also revealed that, as experience with cloud services increased so too did users' requirements. "While cost savings continue to be a priority, increased speed of innovation has risen to the top for more experienced organizations," the survey found.
Respondents were also asked what applications they had moved to the cloud, planned to move and would never move. The survey found that "In almost every category of application, more than 50 percent of respondents said they had already moved that sort of application to the cloud."
The only 'cloud' on the cloud horizon revealed by the survey was that "those with more experience in using cloud computing were also more likely to express frustration with their inability to manage it."
The researchers speculated that this could be due in part to cloud implementations becoming stable, constant environments to which IT teams now need to apply the management principals of their primary environments.
One of the most contentious issues around cloud is security and the survey revealed a divergence of views. Ninety-eight percent of enterprises surveyed reported that the cloud met or exceeded their expectations for security and many reported turning to the cloud in an effort to improve security.
"Enterprises are clearly gaining confidence in the ability of cloud computing environments to support above adequate security measures, including up-to-date software, sophisticated identity management capabilities and proper security practices, whether in public or private cloud environments," the researchers concluded.
However "security continues to remain as the number one reason that an application is not moved into the cloud." Security (46 percent), privacy/legal (34 percent) and "certain apps are too core/critical to our business" (28 percent) ranked as the top three reasons for keeping an app out of the cloud.
US Democrats Introduce Bill to Restore Net Neutrality
Excerpted from Slashdot Report
Lawmakers are introducing the Open Internet Preservation Act which aims to restore net neutrality rules enforced by the FCC before being struck down by the DC appeals court.
Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) said, "The Internet is an engine of economic growth because it has always been an open platform for competition and innovation. Our bill very simply ensures that consumers can continue to access the content and applications of their choosing online."
Unfortunately, it looks unlikely the bill will make it through Congress.
Republicans are almost entirely united in opposition to the Internet rules, meaning the bill is unlikely to ever receive a vote in the GOP-controlled House.
Telefonica Digital to Deploy Personal Cloud Solution Globally
Funambol, the leading provider of white-label personal cloud solutions, today announced it has signed a global agreement with Telefonica Digital to deploy the Funambol personal cloud solution across Telefonica operating units in Europe and Latin America. The service is now live in Brazil.
The Funambol solution enables consumers to store, sync, and share rich media such as pictures, video and music, documents, and files across smartphones, tablets, PCs/Macs, and other connected devices. It will be branded for Telefonica's relevant business units and deployed in multiple countries.
Telefonica Digital selected Funambol based on the company's ability to provide a branded solution that deploys in the cloud or on-premise and provides an outstanding user experience.
"As our customers generate and manage more files and data on mobile devices, we see significant demand for a smart consumer cloud storage solution. Telefonica Digital was established to help transform Telefonica into a 'digital telco' by bringing Telefonica's 320 million customers the best selection of digital products and services. Funambol was chosen for its ability to provide a simple, scalable, and powerful solution that helps our customers manage their digital lives across multiple devices," said Tracy Isacke, Head of Global Business Development, Telefonica Digital.
Telefonica Digital has built a strong portfolio of cloud services covering all market segments -- from large enterprise and public sector to small and medium sized businesses, and consumers. With its very significant customer base across multiple geographies, this partnership is a major opportunity for Funambol to increase its global footprint.
"This partnership between Telefonica Digital and Funambol to provide personal clouds offers consumers the ability to manage their digital life from a secure and private cloud," said Amit Chawla, Funambol CEO. "Funambol is excited to work with Telefonica Digital to deploy its personal cloud service for millions of subscribers worldwide."
Telefonica Digital is a global business division of Telefonica. Its mission is to seize the opportunities within the digital world and deliver new growth for Telefonica through research & development, venture capital, global partnerships, and digital services such as cloud computing, mobile advertising, M2M, and eHealth. It is also driving innovation in over the top communications under a new umbrella brand called TU and in Big Data through its Smart Steps product.
Telefonica Digital will deliver these new products and services to Telefonica's 320 million customers as well as entering new markets. It is headquartered in London with regional centers in the Spain, Brazil, Israel, and the US. Axismed, Eleven Paths, giffgaff, Media Networks Latin America, and Terra are all managed under the Telefonica Digital umbrella.
Why the Cloud Is Complicated: No Two Migrations Are Alike
Excerpted from FedTech Report by Jimmy Daly
Cloud computing is no longer an option for federal agencies — it's a must. Many agencies have moved their core IT to the cloud, and the rest are either in progress or in search of the right solution. Cloud computing is one of just a few technologies that is so powerful and beneficial that the government has no choice but to adopt it.
Like email and mobility before it, cloud computing is forcing government IT leaders to make hard choices about the future of their agencies. According to IDC, the government will be spending $7.7 billion on cloud computing by 2017.
MeriTalk's Cloud Computing Exchange recently released the Cloud First Consumer Guide, the result of interviews with 15 federal IT leaders and several years of monitoring cloud-computing trends. The report, which can be downloaded here, offers exciting insight into the government's cloud efforts, with hard numbers on savings and direct quotes from some of the most influential voices in the federal IT community.
Here are some of the most interesting numbers from the report: agencies will spend about $1.7 billion on cloud computing in 2014; ten percent of the federal IT budget will be spent on the cloud in 2017; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) saves $1 million annually as a result of moving its email to the cloud; and the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RATB) saved $854,800 over two years by leveraging a public cloud.
Perhaps more exciting than the numbers were the anecdotal success stories from agencies across the government. Because no two cloud migrations are identical, these stories can help other agencies identify their own paths to the cloud:
In ATF's case, the cloud email and collaboration offering also came with much more robust capabilities than their existing on-premise service — capabilities that would have been difficult and costly to create in the existing environment.
NASA opted for cloud-based disaster recovery to geographically expand its resilience without paying for independent infrastructure. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) saw a benefit to the "pay-as-you-go" model; current-year payment rather than an investment-return scheme.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) moved multiple applications to the cloud — web conferencing, IT management services, enterprise financial management, and analytics applications — and used a number of providers to get there.
How Cloud Computing Affects Regulatory Compliance
Excerpted from Atlantic IT Report
Organizations that accept credit and debit card payments or have access to cardholder data at any point must adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) to ensure the security of that data.
Healthcare organizations and insurance companies must adhere to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to ensure patient privacy and the proper handling of medical records.
Financial institutions must adhere to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) to ensure the security and confidentiality of their customers' financial and personal information.
These are just three examples of how regulatory compliance can affect organizations of all sizes in various industries. Insert cloud computing into the equation and compliance tends to become much more complicated.
Cloud computing enables organizations to remotely store data and applications on shared servers owned by a service provider. Users access data and applications through the Internet on their computers and mobile devices, enabling them to leverage the provider's technology. The cloud shifts the burden of purchasing, maintaining and securing technology to the service provider.
While the cloud delivers a number of business benefits, such as greater flexibility and the ability to quickly deploy new applications and services, regulatory compliance introduces a number of questions that must be answered before moving to the cloud:
Is it possible to remain compliant in a cloud environment? If so, how? Is your service provider aware of and adhering to all compliance requirements? How do you distinguish between data owners and data processors? Where is your data located? What is the physical location of the provider's data centers?
It's important to understand how your industry's regulatory requirements can be upheld in a cloud environment. Typically, when a security breach occurs, the victim doesn't target the service provider. They target your organization. Consequently, you need to take steps to make sure your provider can maintain regulatory compliance.
For example, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) makes it clear that the organization is responsible for finance-related security breaches, even if the breach was caused by a third-party service provider.
Organizations can ensure their service providers are compliant by using a set of auditing standards called SSAE 16, or the Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements 16. This is a written assertion that a company has adequate controls and processes in place to manage sensitive data and transactions. SSAE 16 includes a comprehensive description of the system, including data center technology and data protection policies.
Because service providers offer cloud services over the Internet and can store an organization's data virtually anywhere, the geographic location of that data is a major concern. If your service provider is storing your company's data in a different state or country, you need to make sure your provider is adhering to the data privacy and access laws of that particular state or country. While service providers aren't bound by geography, it may make sense to work with a local provider if your organization is subject to regulatory compliance.
As your outsourced IT department, Atlantic-IT.net understands the perils of failing to adhere to government and industry regulations. That's why we take the time to learn the ins and outs of your business, develop a strategic approach to cloud computing, and perform a cloud readiness assessment. Let us help you leverage the cloud without compromising regulatory compliance.
Key Developments in Cloud Computing in 2014
Excerpted from Kroll Ontrack Report
The major developments for the coming year for businesses embracing cloud computing to improve their data management capabilities have been highlighted.
According to industry experts Kirill Bensonoff, Founding Partner at ComputerSupport and Chief Executive Officer of SmartBooks Calvin Wilder, investment in the cloud is set to become more affordable for firms over the months ahead, although issues surrounding data privacy and security still need to be addressed.
The pair recently hosted a webinar entitled 2014 Cloud Trends Every CFO Needs to Know and in it noted the price of cloud computing has been considerably reduced over recent years and this is a trend that is set to continue this year; meaning more smaller businesses will be able to reap the benefits of the technology in the future.
Mr Bensonhoff commented: "This trend will continue throughout the year and beyond. With falling prices, businesses can take advantage of storage and computing available in the cloud."
Meanwhile, issues like a lack of service options and limited accessibility are now believed to have been overcome for good.
"Security is a major factor when choosing a cloud vendor or deciding whether or not to move into the cloud," Mr Bensonhoff added.
As such, firms must ensure their cloud services are capable of adequately protecting sensitive consumer data, as recent high-profile stories including the Edward Snowden affair and the news the US government was accessing private data has meant this issue is now a chief concern among both businesses and consumers.
The pair's predictions follow the publication of a new report from V3, which revealed 78 per cent of respondents stated off-site or cloud-based services had the most impact on business technology in 2013.
At the same time, just eight per cent of those taking the survey stated big data was the biggest influence on technology last year, while two per cent cited the "death of the PC" as their chief change in IT departments.
7 Trends in Cloud Computing to Watch Out for In 2014
Excerpted from B2C Report by Tom Caper
Whether you're a seasoned CTO or rookie IT Manager, unless you've been living in the woods, you're likely well aware of the ubiquitous emergence of cloud computing and the disruption it is causing the IT industry.
As the growth of cloud shows no sign of slowing any time soon, it is increasingly becoming evident that we are sitting on the precipice of an IT revolution. As we are now a month into 2014, I thought it prudent to take a look at some of the specific trends revealing themselves this year.
1. The Cloud Will Be the New Hardware Archetype
Every major IT paradigm shift can be attributed to the development of novel and diverse computational platforms. As for cloud, we will witness the uniform virtualization of enterprise data and seamless integration of business operations. This will allow the entire elimination of many traditional IT infrastructure maintenance costs, with the corresponding savings being added to businesses' bottom lines.
2. Adoption of Better CRM Solutions
We've written previously about the need to shift accounting and ERP practices to the cloud, but cloud solutions should not be reserved only for these record-based systems. In fact, they can also supercharge businesses that utilize them to enhance their customer engagement. When highly flexible cloud database solutions are married with efficient big data analysis tools, incredibly powerful consumer insights can come into focus. These will enable the optimization of marketing campaigns in real-time, and allow the crafting of customer experiences that are unforgettable.
3. Evolution of Big Data Continues
Big data's value to your business does not in itself lie in the total volume of aggregated data, but how well analytic engines harvest valuable business insight from that data. With continued fine-tuning of data analytics' systems it is now possible to derive real-time insights from your business operations. These insights can enable everything from the improvement of product design to the elimination of inefficient redundancies.
4. Get Comfortable with JavaScript
The growth mobile device usage in and out of the workplace means it is more and more imperative for organizations to strive for a singular code base, one that runs flawlessly on any browser. The current best practice is for businesses to develop JavaScript/HTML5 apps. An incredibly flexible JavaScript network and cross-platform mobile development platform allows for the seamless conversion of JavaScript coded apps to device native apps. This will continue into 2014 and (in my opinion) well beyond.
5. Stronger Identity Management Protocols
Cloud vendors have the cumbersome task of optimizing the security of their platforms for both on-premise and SaaS (Software as a Service) applications. This is no truer than in the identity management area. The sanctioning or denial of access to specific employees and partners is a vital security concern that must be adequately addressed by all cloud providers. Those with superior cloud identity management solutions will thus be on the rise.
6. The Rise of PaaS (Platform as a Service)
Once the cloud infrastructure is diversified further and more applications are perfected, an increasing number of enterprises will shed their inhibitions of operating on platforms not wholly owned by them. As complex web and mobile apps become the norm be prepared to see more companies opting for custom PaaS solutions built for their specific industry.
7. Customized Memory Solutions
Memory requirement is a highly relative concept that varies according to the scale and operation area of a business. Multiple vendors now offer compelling cost-efficient memory upgrade solutions to both software and hardware systems. Enterprises can presently enhance their in-memory standards to improve their data analytics engine as a software solution, or as a hardware solution utilize flash memory to drastically cut down the total number of server side reads and writes required, improving overall speeds and minimizing the costly replacement of hard drives.
There you have it. Seven cloud computing trends in 2014 and beyond.
Huawei Expands US Enterprise Channel with ASI Partnership
Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today announced a distribution agreement with ASI, a leading distributor of IT products and services in North America. With this agreement, ASI will work through its resellers to bring Huawei Enterprise's extensive portfolio of IP network infrastructure, unified communications and collaboration, and storage solutions to enterprise and SMB customers throughout the United States.
"We are truly excited to add Huawei's industry-leading enterprise products and solutions to our networking and storage portfolio," said Cathy Wang, vice president of Product Management, ASI. "Huawei has a strong history of technical achievement and providing end value to the customer. This strategic partnership not only expands our enterprise offerings, but also allows us to bring Huawei Enterprise's innovations to the SMB market."
This distribution agreement will provide ASI resellers with Huawei Enterprise's portfolio, including networking, server, storage, and telepresence solutions and services, to meet the IT demands of SMBs and large enterprises.
"Huawei is proud to partner with ASI to bring our innovative and highly competitive enterprise solutions to ASI's extensive reseller network," said Jane Li, Chief Operating Officer, Huawei Enterprise USA. "This partnership not only expands our U.S. presence, but also cements our commitment to the largest IT market in the world.
Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Through its dedication to customer-centric innovation and strong partnerships, it has established end-to-end advantages in telecom networks, devices, and cloud computing. Huawei is committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises, and consumers by providing competitive solutions and services. Its products and solutions have been deployed in over 140 countries, serving more than one-third of the world's population.
Cloud Computing Network to Boost Rural Medical Aid
Excerpted from The China Post Report by Katherine Wei
The Executive Yuan announced recently that the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) has established a cloud computing system that allows the public health centers and bureaus of 48 remote townships and offshore islands access to all case reports, hoping to garner support from 500 hospitals and 20,000 clinics by the end of 2015.
According to the Executive Yuan's population numbers, there are roughly 365,000 people residing in Taiwan's remote areas, taking up about 1.6 percent of the entire population, and spread around 48 separate regions that are either mountainous or on offshore islands. Owing to geographical shortcomings, patients in grave medical conditions often find it difficult to reach the nation's larger hospitals; the long trips and medical expenses are hard on the families and many do not make it to the hospitals in time.
The Executive Yuan's Board of Science and Technology collaborated with the MHW in finishing the system by the end of 2013; residents in rural areas will be able to store their electronic case reports, hospitalization reports and medical images in their digitalized National Health Insurance cards.
The Executive Yuan stated that the new system began operating on Jan. 1; there are 260 hospitals participating currently and more to join in the future. Using Alishan Township in Chiayi County as an example, it would cost NT $1,900 for a patient's round trip to the nearest hospital; NT$400 on medical expenses, NT $500 on transportation — a loss of around NT $800 — and another NT $200 on meals and other costs, said the Executive Yuan, which also estimated that if the new system is able to relieve 400,000 people of the said spendings each year, there will be NT $700 million saved in total.
How BitTorrent Plans to Revolutionize DIY Distribution
Mention BitTorrent and people mistakenly assume that you're talking about copyright infringement.
"We have this problem because there were so many infringing sites that used it that BitTorrent become a verb, to BitTorrent something," said Matt Mason, BitTorrent VP, Marketing. While Mason acknowledges that piracy sites use the protocol, he also points out that "Facebook, Twitter, The Human Genome Project, and traders on Wall Street also use it."
The BitTorrent protocol supports peer-to-peer (P2) file sharing that is used to distribute large amounts of data over the Internet. The name became synonymous with infringement because the protocol is open-source and allows people to move large amounts of information.
But the company is determined to change its reputation — especially among content creators such as musicians, publishers, and filmmakers. Its BitTorrent Bundle, a new file format that embeds digital storefronts inside downloads, could revolutionize DIY distribution for filmmakers, publishers and other content creators.
Since 2011, BitTorrent has collaborated with artists, inventors, studios, labels and distributors to build the new publishing platform. Partially to change its piracy-tinged reputation and also to demonstrate the possibilities of the BitTorrent protocol for content creators and publishers, BitTorrent has recently partnered with high-profile filmmakers and distributors of documentaries "The Act of Killing" and "The Crash Reel" on BitTorrent bundles. In both cases, the bundles provide background information on the film projects along with exclusive material (interviews, videos, photographs, etc.).
The BitTorrent Bundle for "The Act of Killing," for instance, features interviews, essays and stills from videos from the award-wining documentary's director Joshua Oppenheimer as well as Werner Herzog and Errol Morris, who served as producers of the film. It also features reporting on the impact of the film on Indonesia, as documented by TEMPO Magazine.
"'The Act of Killing' has an important message. Our goal is to reach as many people as possible -- to preserve this film as a documentary, and as a testament to what happened in Indonesia. BitTorrent Bundle allows us to address a global audience of more than 170 million: to ensure that awareness of the film's message reaches beyond the internet's censors and firewalls," said Evan Husney, Creative Director at Drafthouse Films, the distributor of "The Act of Killing."
BitTorrent Bundle was designed to support free speech and open creativity; using decentralized technology to protect digital artifacts from being destroyed or censored. Previous BitTorrent Bundles include the Madonna-directed "secretprojectrevolution," which launched "Art For Freedom," an online global initiative to support freedom of expression, and "The Lady Gaga Bundle."
"One of the key motivations behind bundle product is to help people really understand and get what BitTorrent is. It's a great technology that can really help filmmakers more than it hurts them," said Mason.
BitTorrent doesn't expect to replace YouTube, iTunes, or Netflix, but rather, to be another option for filmmakers to distribute their work. "We want people to connect directly with their fans. That was the promise of the Internet," said Mason.
The company envisions the BitTorrent bundle as a self-serving publishing platform along the lines of YouTube. But unlike a Spotify or a YouTube, BitTorrent isn't trying to build a destination. "Everything can be shared on the Internet," said Mason. "For us, it isn't about capturing your fans as much as directing your fans where they want to go."
Approved creators can build their own DIY distribution campaigns using the new Bundle, which the company describes as "direct-to-fan publishing made simple." At the moment, there is no fee for creating a BitTorrent bundle, but that will likely change once BitTorrent introduces "pay gates," where users get a certain amount of content free and then pay to get additional content (at the moment, there are "e-mail gates," which are free). But Mason said that though they'd "take a small cut, it will be way less than places like iTunes."
BitTorrent isn't looking at the Bundle product as a profit center at the moment. "The first thing we want to do is to make sure if it really works for its users. If it works and we're building value, then we'll figure out how to monetize it later on." BitTorrent has over two million licensed works available and 164,383 BitTorrent Bundles are downloaded around the world, every day, according to BitTorrent, which said that the Bundle website has grown over 200% since it launched back in May.
Though BitTorrent didn't set out to focus on documentary films with BitTorrent bundle, given the success they've had, it's likely we'll see more issue-oriented docs doing Bundles. "The Act of Killing" Bundle has been downloaded more than 3.5 million times.
Mason said the company is also in talks with a number of studio, both small on large, on scripted projects. "Filmmakers need another option other than iTunes and Netflix and BitTorrent is definitely another option," said Mason. "Our biggest problem with filmmakers and artists is we can't build the Bundle products out fast enough."
Hollywood Blazes Trail in Hybrid Cloud
Excerpted from IT World Report by Nancy Gohring
DigitalFilm Tree, a company that does post production work for TV and film, once spent a lot of time managing the delivery of hard drives to and from various partners. Now, however, it's using a hybrid cloud from Rackspace to foster collaboration among all the partners, like Disney, that develop a TV show or movie. ABC's "Mistresses" and TNT's "Perception" are two programs using the new setup.
Historically, at the end of a day of filming a TV show, DigitalFilm Tree would get a hard drive or several hard drives and copy it onto its on-premises shared storage system, Guillaume Aubuchon, DigitalFilm Tree's CTO said. DigitalFilm Tree would convert the data into a low resolution version and send a worker to deliver it to a partner that does editorial work.
That partner would copy the low res version onto their shared storage system, work on it, transfer the data onto another hard drive and send a worker to deliver it to another partner, maybe a visual affects company. And so on, until a complete product made it back to DigitalFilm Tree and eventually the original studio.
Back then, using "FTP would have been utopia," said Aubuchon.
Gradually, DigitalFilm Tree has begun using both private and public clouds to offer studios and production companies a video streaming and collaboration service called Critique. The service lets all the partners work on a project at the same time in a way that improves efficiency.
Here's how the service works. At the end of a day of filming, Critique enables the uploading of a low resolution version of the video to Rackspace's public cloud. Because a full resolution version of a day's shoot might run to 35 terabytes of material, using a low res version saves on bandwidth and storage costs as well as transmission time.
Once it's in the public cloud, producers, directors, cinematographers and other partners can review the film and make notes for each other in real time. Partners like Disney can do editorial work or add visual effects. When they're finished, Critique matches the low res version with the original, making the changes to the high res version that's stored in a private cloud.
"What we needed to do is have this hybrid where we have this proxy material that's easy to manipulate and collaborate on in the cloud but that has an association back to this high resolution material that's also in the cloud," Aubuchon said.
DigitalFilm Tree is running a private OpenStack cloud set up with help by Rackspace and using the container sync function in Swift Object Storage to replicate between the high res local material with the low res material in the public cloud. It also recently started using Rackspace's performance servers which reduces costs and improves speed, Aubuchon said.
There are a couple of reasons DigitalFilm Tree uses private clouds rather than going 100 percent public. "We have studios that are highly paranoid about pre-release content. They like to know that it's stored in their four walls or a trusted vendor," Aubuchon said.
Also, the sheer size of the files means it's easier to manage and less expensive to store it on-premises. Some of the larger features have hundreds of terabytes or even petabytes of data, he said.
Using the cloud makes it easier for all of the involved partners to allow new people to work on projects. "If the marketing department wants to pull a shot for a promo, it's just a matter of granting them access," he said. "It's not a matter of requesting that shot and someone putting it on a drive and driving it over."
Critique was also used in the creation of the movie "Her" and is used by "Modern Family" and "NCIS: LA," but those users did not employ the same hybrid setup.
OpenStack backers are hopeful that the entertainment industry will settle on widely using OpenStack. There is an effort underway by a group called The Entertainment Technology Center to investigate ways the cloud might be useful to the industry. Aubochon said it's key to use an open technology so that independent companies could use the cloud service of their choice while easily interacting with each other. He said he has investigated other clouds but settled on OpenStack for its potential for interoperability.
Rackspace pointed out the potential for conflict that its rival and dominant cloud provider Amazon Web Services might present for movie studies. John Engates, CTO for Rackspace, said the entertainment companies don't want to lock themselves into a particular cloud provider, "especially if that cloud provider aims to be their competitor down the road. If Amazon gets into the movie business, it puts people in a funky spot," he said.
Cisco Unveils Fog Computing Vision to Spark Innovation
Excerpted from CIOL Report
This week, Cisco continued delivering on its vision for fog computing, transforming the network edge into a distributed computing infrastructure for applications that take advantage of the billions of devices already connected in the Internet of Things (IoT).
With the new Cisco IOx capability, customers from all segments and solution providers across industries will be able to develop, manage and run software applications directly on Cisco industrial networked-devices, including hardened routers, switches and IP video cameras.
With applications closer to where actionable data is generated, customers can more easily manage the massive amount of data that is projected to come out of people, process and things in the Internet of Everything (IoE) - and derive more value from their existing networks. Companies will be able to become more innovative, agile and efficient in their operations as a result.
Cisco conservatively estimates that there will be 50 billion connected devices by 2020. These devices are creating a tidal wave of data that is expensive to move to existing cloud environments for analysis and conversion to useful content.
To better monitor, manage and respond to the massive amount of data generated by IoT, IOx allows applications to run as close as possible to the data source and create automated responses that drive value.
Here are examples.
Smart Energy Distribution: Energy load balancing applications running on network edge devices that automatically switch to alternative energies like solar and wind- based on energy demand, availability and the lowest price.
Smarter Traffic Lights: As a video camera senses an ambulance flashing lights, it can automatically change streetlights to open lanes for the vehicle to pass through traffic. Smart streetlights can help achieve energy savings with intelligent lighting, which only turns on once a sensor identifies movement and switches off as traffic passes.
Self-Maintaining Trains: Sensor monitoring on a train's ball-bearing can detect heat levels, allowing applications to send an automatic alert to the train operator to stop the train at next station for emergency maintenance and avoid potential derailment.
Lifesaving Air Vents: Sensors on vents monitor air conditions flowing in and out of mines and automatically change air-flow if conditions become dangerous to miners.
Cisco IOx brings the open-source Linux operating system and Cisco IOS network operating system together in a single networked device, which allows applications to run and respond instantly to actionable data sensed in an IoE world.
The open application environment encourages more developers to bring their own applications (BYOA) and connectivity interfaces (BYOI) at the edge of the network and help advance the deployment of IoE across different industries such as utilities, manufacturing and transportation.
Cisco IOx capabilities will initially be available in Cisco industrial routers this spring. Cisco is working with industry leaders to collaborate and develop IOx-based solutions that will ease the deployment and support of the billions of connected devices in IoT.
Coming Events of Interest
CCISA 2014 – February 12th–14th in Turin, Italy. The second international special session on Cloud Computing and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and its Applications within the 22nd Euromicro International Conference on Parallel, Distributed, and Network-Based Processing.
Cloud Computing Conference for DoD & Government - February 19th-21st in Washington, DC. This 5th annual CCCDG seeks to build on the success of last year's event and refine its scope by addressing the newest developments in cloud computing for the public sector.
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.
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