CLOUD COMPUTING — 1st Quarter 2015

Are You Investing Enough in Data Security?

According to the majority of IT executives, security is a key ongoing concern. Yet, if you ask security vendors or look at survey data, most enterprises aren't taking the steps necessary to protect their infrastructure or their data as well as they should. In fact, under normal conditions, talking potential security risks is an exercise in futility... Read More >>>

Cloud Security Alliance Survey Finds Financial Firms are in Search of a Cloud Strategy
When it comes to cloud adoption by enterprises, it is no secret that one of the biggest obstacles to adoption, if not the biggest, has been concerns about security. This means the security of data at rest as well as on the move. The vertical market that has proven to be a difficult one for cloud providers, especially because of the intensity surrounding the need to mitigate risks at almost any cost, has been the financial services sector. Let's just say that C-levels at banks, insurance companies and all types of investment and wealth management firms around the world have been cloud skeptics.

The Future According to Microsoft: Universal Communications
The world is changing. Business used to be straightforward - you create or produce something, then you market and sell it. There was always some level of ownership involved; and there's always been some level of local infrastructure in play. But, today, when you look at some of the most successful businesses in the world, they don't own or produce their own products.

SimpleWAN Well Positioned for Security-as-a-Service Growth
The state of IT security is terrible - that is the only conclusion you can make, when breach after breach is reported by global media outlets. Keep in mind, these are only the breaches we hear about... countless others go unreported. Hackers are winning the war against companies and customers are caught in the crossfire. There is so much at risk: Millions of dollars of reputational damage, direct lost business, lawsuits and much more.

What to Expect from OpenStack
At the beginning of every year, I like to take a moment to look at how far where we've come from a technology perspective and to venture a guess at where I believe things are going. Some of the most formative and influential moments I had this year were related to the growth around OpenStack, which was especially notable after my return from each OpenStack summit. As such, I'm going to focus my predications for cloud trends around around OpenStack in 2015.

Enterprise Mobility is Poised to Set A New Precedent
In 2014, the stage was set for mobile to become a driving force in the enterprise. From the rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT), to new approaches to app development and collaboration, and even the growing acceptance and adoption of a two-track approach to IT that promotes both speed and agility - in my view, mobility is poised to set a new precedent in the enterprise in 2015. Here, we look at some of these forces to better understand what they are and how they are driving change in the enterprise.

Financial Firms Acclimate to the Cloud by Embracing Hybrid Architecture
After a tumultuous period of several years, the financial industry has slowly rebounded from a global crisis and is fighting to win back both the business and trust of their customers. It's expected to be a long road, particularly given research that shows how little confidence consumers have in financial institutions.

Top 3 Barriers IT Consultants Face in Embracing the Cloud
It's impossible to ignore the meteoric rise of cloud-based services. Surveys and articles in publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal to Information Week have been trumpeting a tipping point for cloud computing for several years. More recently, RightScale's annual State of the Cloud survey revealed that an amazing 94 percent of businesses are utilizing the cloud for at least some of their IT needs.

New Cloud Formations in 2015
2014 was a year of significant maturation for cloud computing. We now have a complex and established cloud ecosystem, which means the way we use it, implement it and, even the way we talk about it, is changing rapidly. As we settle into 2015, the conversation around cloud is becoming increasingly subtle and the use cases more sophisticated. As cloud computing allows us to continue pushing boundaries in business, we're enjoying greater agility, innovation and, in some cases, witnessing the disruption of entire industries by the adoption and application of cloud technology. This is happening even in the most traditional, non-technology spaces.

It Will All be About Integration
We have hit a time when mobile is flat. Everyone has at least one device and studies show that households have an average of 7 Internet-connected devices. This morning, one person mentioned that he has 30+ devices connected in his household.