Memo to Channel Partners: How to Avoid Cloud FUD

"Everywhere you look these days, there’s news about cloud computing — new applications, services, how the cloud will revolutionize IT, ways the cloud will help channel partners. The topics are dizzying and endless. But amid the clamor a few illuminating truths stand out for channel partners. There are plenty of opportunities ahead. There’s also plenty of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). Here’s how to tell one from the other." Read the rest of the article here.

Cloud Computing key benefits

"Like any good consultant or analyst, you can summarize the key benefits in three easy statements: 1) cost, 2) computing on-demand or scalability, and 3) access to expertise on virtualization and technology." Read the rest of Dan Ruggles post about the benefits of cloud computing here. (The risks are here).

Cloud computing key risks

"For every positive benefit there is almost always a negative to compensate for rapid adoption based on wild enthusiasm. Cloud computing has a number of key risks." Read the rest here.

SaaS Revenue to Surpass $8.5 Billion This Year

"Worldwide software as a service (SaaS) revenue within the enterprise application software market is forecast to surpass $8.5 billion in 2010, up 14.1 percent from 2009 revenue of $7.5 billion, according to Gartner, Inc. The rapid adoption of SaaS has contributed to growth in varying degrees across the enterprise software markets. There will be a shift in total SaaS revenue from just over 10 percent of the combined markets in 2009, to more than 16 percent of these combined markets in 2014." It's all about the economic benefits of SaaS. Read the rest at Gartner.

Cloud Computing in Perspective

Cloud Computing in Perspective by CircleID

Corporate America, You’re Not Ready for Internal Clouds!

"Most companies that want the scalability and cost advantages of running an internal cloud aren’t prepared to make the shift, according to a report issued by Forrester Research." Read Stacey from GigaOm's take.

Global Market for Enterprise Cloud Based Services to Grow to US 35.6 million by 2015: Report

"The global market for enterprise cloud-based services is expected to grow from $12.1 billion in 2010 to $35.6 billion in 2015, according to a latest report from Analysys Mason." Read the rest at TMC.

Cloud Computing Frenzy Recalls Y2K

"There's no shortage of hype surrounding the migration to the cloud, where businesses are moving their IT infrastructure to increase efficiency and save costs. But what about the security, privacy and other concerns that come in tow?" Read the rest here.

SMB Virtualization Alters the Channel Partner Landscape

"Research group AMI-Partners has issued a report that finds U.S. SMBs are quickly adopting virtualization technologies, which impacts their entire infrastructure. As logical partitioning of resources extends to the SMBs' IT equipment, particularly servers, these customers require a different set of skills from their channel partners." Read the rest here.

Virtual Private Clouds

Processor magazine looks at Virtual Private Clouds as they extend the Enterprise Data Centers into the Cloud. Read it here.

The Open Standards Open Source Cloud

FastCompany article about the open-source solution for cloud computing, so that folks can host their own clouds.

Rights and Responsibilities for Cloud Computing Services

"All cloud services customers should have some basic rights to protect their interests, and Gartner, Inc.'s Global IT Council for Cloud Services has defined six rights and one responsibility of service customers that will help providers and consumers establish and maintain successful business relationships." Read the six rights and one responsibility of cloud computing services that it believes will enable providers and consumers to work more productively together.

Cloud Computing Videos

From Data Center Knowledge, videos about Cloud Computing. For example, What is Cloud Computing?

IT Execs Increasingly Confident in the Private Cloud

"Is a better understanding of private cloud services enough to spur user adoption? Maybe, according to a benchmark survey of IT executives taken at Platform Computing's International Supercomputing Conference last June. Although demand for such services clocked in at the same figure as the year before –28 percent – the executives polled by the London-based cluster, grid and cloud management software vendor indicated a different set of primary reasons to initiate deployments. This in turn may be a sign not only of growing awareness for private clouds, but also a deeper understanding of their benefits and pitfalls that could ultimately spur adoption, as well as greater customer satisfaction." Read the rest at Phone+.

How Rackspace Saved the Managed Hosting Industry

Seeking Alpha has an interesting piece about Managed Hosting, which I have often thought was an unattractive name for the Cloud or to some extent virtualization.

Communications Archiving Emerges As Opportunity

"An organization’s data retention requirements encompasses not only e-mail but other forms of electronic communication such as IM and social media. MSPs may find opportunities here in the expanding scope of compliance duties. Here’s why." From the MSP Mentor.

Microsoft Launches Appliance For Building Private Clouds

"Microsoft has developed a private cloud appliance with hardware partners and the $60 billion-a-year, online marketplace, eBay. ... The Azure platform appliance is designed to be deployed in an on-premises private cloud in racks of hundreds or thousands of servers. It will run both Windows Server and a software stack that matches what's available in Microsoft's Azure public cloud. In addition to enterprises, the appliance is geared for use by large cloud services suppliers." Read the rest here.

Microsoft Reveals Cloud Computing System, Azure, eBay Partnership

"MS is officially revealing its Azure cloud computing platform, and noting big first-run customers like eBay and Dell will be using it." Read about it FastCompany.

Backup Data from The Cloud

"Backupify, a startup that provides online backup, archiving and export services for cloud-based social media and SaaS data, is rolling out its application for Google Apps. This will allow any Google Apps users to backup all data stored in their Gmail, Docs, Calendar, Contact and Sites accounts." Read the rest at TechCrunch.

Tim O'Reilly talking about Data in The Cloud

Tim O'Reilly video from MySQL CE 2010 talking about Data in The Cloud. [click here]

What is “The Cloud” Really?

"I make the following observations about how most companies in “the cloud management space” are making it harder for their markets to understand what they do rather than easier." Read the article here.

What is The Private Cloud?

"The increasing availability and use of virtual machines and software appliances are enabling the development of the private cloud: in-house environments that manage workloads using cloud methods. IBM forecasts that these "private clouds" can lower IT labor costs by 50 percent, improve capital utilization by 75 percent, reduce provisioning time from weeks to days, and reduce end user support costs by 40 percent.
With these cost savings come increasing reliability and availability." Thanks to Novell.

County Works with INX to Develop Virtual Private Data Center

"This move to a virtual private data center was completed in an effort to lower costs, reduce power usage and increase availability. Denton County was attracted to the idea of virtualizing their remaining physical servers and as anticipating increased capabilities offered by VMware’s vSphere." Read the rest of the story.

Uptime Releases New Operations Standard

"The Uptime Institute has released the new standard for data center owners, operators, and managers: Tier Standard: Operational Sustainability. The standard focuses on three elements: Management and Operations, Building Characteristics, and Site Location. Read the PDF here.

10 Things to Consider Before Moving to the Cloud

"There is much talk throughout the telecommunications industry about moving to the "cloud." Companies are throwing out software solutions in favor of on-demand options available in the cloud." Here are 10 Things to Consider Before Moving to the Cloud.

Savvis Plays Conductor For Cloud 'Symphony'

"Cloud infrastructure and hosting provider Savvis on Monday tuned its instruments for the launch of Savvis Symphony, a line of cloud services that kicks off with a suite of cloud offerings for public or private clouds." Read the rest here. Or you can read the press release from Savvis here.

ADS Takes Advantage of Host.net's Virtual Private Data Center Offerings

"Florida-based Automated Document Solutions (ADS) is one organization that made the move to a virtual private data center and is now reaping the benefits." Read the case study.

Special Report on HR Technology: In SaaS Battle, Customers Win

"A holy war is under way among HR product vendors over “software as a service,” or SaaS.... The battle over what’s sometimes called “on demand” software comes with strong rhetoric among combatants." Read the report.

SaaS is dead; long live services?

An attention getting headline by ZD because "Slow going: Gartner says Software as a Service still doesn’t even equal one percent of enterprise IT spending." Read it here.

Putting Cloud Providers to the Test - New Bitcurrent/Webmetrics Report

"Recently Bitcurrent conducted a cloud performance test commissioned by Webmetrics, a business unit of Neustar. Bitcurrent describes itself as part blog, part analyst firm and part resource site for the web community. The research project was led by Alistair Croll, a well-known name in the space and program chair for the Cloud Connect conference." Read the rest here.

EMC Shutters Atmos Online Cloud Storage Service

Didn't see that coming: EMC shuts down a cloud service?! Read here.

How to SELLECOM SAAS (and Cloud)

Podcast interview about How to SELLECOM SAAS and cloud services. Listen here.

10 things you may not know about using Amazon Web Services in the enterprise

"Amazon Web Services recently sponsored a half-day event for potential enterprise customers. If you’re planning to deploy AWS in your company, you should be aware of the questions and concerns that came up." Read the rest of the article here.

Cloud, SaaS on the horizon for state and local governments

"State and local governments contending with budget shortfalls and declining tax revenues are taking a closer look at cloud computing and Software as a Service. And that's encouraging for cloud- or SaaS-savvy VARs that focus on government accounts. Vendors and resellers of on-demand solutions report a bump in government sales and increased interest in the form of requests for proposals (RFPs) now hitting the street. Executives said government entities are taking to the cloud as an option for messaging and collaboration, customer relationship management and constituent services among other applications." Read the rest here.