Amplidata Shares the Secrets Behind Storage Clouds’ Exceptional Performance with Big Data at GigaOm Structure

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Amplidata, an innovator in optimized object-based storage technology, will share a few secrets of storage cloud providers’ best practices in coping with Big Unstructured Data at the GigaOm Structure conference this week in San Francisco, starting Wednesday June 20.

Storage clouds service are the conduit for an increasing percentage of business users to access their daily cloud computing needs, not just for casual access to files while traveling, or sending an occasional large file among collaborators. Rather than base their storage clouds on traditional RAID architectures, cloud service providers, online storage companies, and even large organizations are moving to achieve scalability and cost-efficiency in the same way as Facebook, Google and Amazon have done – with object storage implementations. This is particularly true with Big Unstructured Data applications, where the traditional file structure no longer can meet today’s demand for scalability and cost-efficiency.

Amplidata will also showcase its capability with Panzura to leverage the Panzura global file storage solution and Amplidata’s cloud computing storage solution for making all files available to all the users across all locations in a corporate network - and enabling fast, efficient document storage and sharing in a plug and play, seamlessly integrated solution.

Read more: http://goo.gl/uHq5p

Cloud Hosting Your Website: Cloud Hosting Providers

http://cloudhostingproviders.com.au/ Cloud Web Site Hosting can make your website faster, more robust and even save you money, compared with other premium hosting options such as Dedicated and Virtual Private Servers (VPS) Web Hosting. For more information, visit http://cloudhostingproviders.com.au/cloud-hosting-providers/

Cloud_Web_Hosting_-_04.13.2012.wmv Watch on Posterous

What is Cloud Hosting? – Australian Cloud Hosting Providers

http://cloudhostingproviders.com.au/ – What is Cloud Hosting? Cloud Web Hosting is a new way to host websites where instead of hosting your site on a single server (usually with hundreds of other web sites), it is hosted on a massive network of 1000s of servers working together to create a cloud computing environment. For more information on cloud hosting, visit http://cloudhostingproviders.com.au/what-is-cloud-hosting/

What_is_Cloud_Hosting_04.13.2012.wmv Watch on Posterous

Google Drive Begs the Question: Who Owns Your Data in the Cloud?

Like any new technology, data storage in the cloud has gone through a maturation period. Employees started out, way back in 2007, moving a few files over to Dropbox.com. Then, IT started experimenting with cloud storage through more robust services like Rackspace Cloud Files. Now, executives are starting to wonder if all enterprise storage can be hosted in the cloud, and not in an on-premise data center.

Questions About Google Drive

Every so often, a debate about cloud storage crops up, and it presents a good opportunity for IT executives to take stock of their own agreements, especially when it comes to storage. Last week, Google announced Google Drive with great fanfare. Within a few hours, users were already gaining access to the service, which provided 5GB of document and media storage for free.

Enterprise Cloud Storage: Read the Contract

That's why, for enterprise cloud storage, most experts say the most critical step with storage policies is to investigate the actual contract you have with the vendor. This might require scrutiny from a corporate attorney, and further investigations into such intangibles as how to retain data archives if a cloud storage vendor goes under and how to encrypt access to the cloud storage.

In the end, Google Drive is a good reminder about studying vendor agreements and terms of service, negotiating terms that match existing corporate policies, and deciding which data is appropriate for the cloud and which data should never leave the servers in your own data center.

To know more about this article, go to http://goo.gl/qXK59.

Amazon Cloud Drive Gains Desktop App

Amazon has introduced a desktop application for Cloud Drive, its consumer data-storage service, to better rival the recently launched Google Drive and other cloud storage services.

Cloud Drive, which launched last year, gives people tiered levels, starting with 5 gigabytes of free storage, or enough to hold about 1000 songs or 2000 photos. Services are then available for US$20 to US$100 per year, depending on disk space, maxing out at 1000 gigabytes.

Google last week launched Google Drive, a similar service for storing and sharing files online, which also offers 5GB of free capacity — which is cheaper than the popular service Dropbox. With the desktop application, Amazon's service makes Cloud Drive a bit easier to use, and better integrated with a computer than its browser-based version.

Read this full article at http://goo.gl/DWa5v.

Copyright Lost In The Cloud

KPMG reckons that cloud computing will add $3 billion to our GDP in 10 years. But will the opportunities of the cloud be constrained if we don't fix copyright law?

Until now, the issue of copyright and the internet has been focused on the consumer space, but the implications could soon be felt in the business world, too.

Senator Stephen Conroy said that the copyright issue will be fixed by the inquiry into copyright reform being undertaken by the Law Reform Commission (LRC). The question is, of course, whether the inquiry will try to add to the existing complexities of copyright law, or whether it set a few high-level principles that will enable us all to benefit from the cloud. The LRC has a big, important job on its hands.

How do you think the copyright issue can be fixed?

Read more at http://goo.gl/S9ZWw

Go Daddy Serves It Up In The Cloud

Web hosting and domain name provider, Go Daddy, is now offering a cloud server service which it says gives businesses the ability to move from traditional hosting to more advanced, scalable servers with flexible network options, and at a lower cost.

Go Daddy vice president of hosting development, Brian Krouse, who oversaw the development of the technology says cloud servers takes “Infrastructure as a Service to a whole new level," and he adds, “helps businesses that need both cost effective flexibility and scalability."

Read the full article at http://goo.gl/UZj8z

Clouding the Issue

Though “the cloud” may sound like a cult or a threat from a horror movie, it’s actually an incredibly smart, efficient and cost-effective way of managing data in a business setting.  On its most basic level, cloud computing is the practice of using virtual data storage technology.  This can range from something as specific as Google Documents, to something as simple as uploading photos or documents onto a profile.

Former New York Jets quarterback, Tony Merendino, runs ServIT; an infrastructure company that provides hardware, middleware stacks, IT services and most importantly, cloud hosting and managed services, primarily for the manufacturing and distribution industries.

ServIT also provides what they call image-based backup, a process for a computer or virtual machine that creates a copy of the operating system and all the data associated with it, including the system state and application configurations. The backup is saved as a single file that is called an image. This insures that a company’s data and entire IT infrastructure are completely safe in the cloud.

For more information, please visit http://goo.gl/vzUVL

 

Fast Cloud Adoption Risks IT Export: AGIMO

The Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) has urged caution on cloud adoption, saying that it doesn't want to be on the leading edge. IT departments that wait too long and get left behind might find themselves redundant, according to one industry analyst.

Speaking at the Trend Micro Evolve.Cloud conference in Sydney today, AGIMO first assistant secretary of agency services, John Sheridan, said that there are many considerations when adopting cloud, warning that adoption isn't as simple as "ticking the iCloud box on your iPad".

Forrester vice president and principal analyst for Asia Pacific, Michael Barnes, who spoke earlier in the day, said that there is an air of urgency to cloud adoption, as there are external organisations out there that may represent a credible threat to internal IT departments.

"Internal IT has competition. Cloud providers and even traditional hosting service providers and other folks who have been in this space, who are now embracing cloud approaches — they are legitimate competition to us," Barnes said.

Read more of this article at http://goo.gl/wfgXa

 

Virtual-Q Announce Strategic Relationship with Rackspace®

Virtual-Q, a leader in Hosted Virtual Desktops, today announced a strategic relationship with Rackspace® Hosting, the service leader in cloud computing, for its hosting needs. Virtual-Q will use Rackspace's global datacenters to host their 'Q' hosted virtual desktop platform. The decision to select Rackspace was driven by Virtual-Q's rapid growth and the increasing needs of its customer base for a complete hosted virtual desktop solution that utilizes scalable and reliable datacenters.

To support a growing global presence, Virtual-Q needed a world-class data center provider with a geographically redundant infrastructure, robust network and industry leading uptime. Following an extensive evaluation process, Virtual-Q chose Rackspace to host the 'Q' not just because of their technology, but because of their Fanatical Support® service.

To know more about the collaboration of Virtual-Q and Rackspace®, read the full story at http://goo.gl/6zFRd

Microsoft's Office Live Small Business closing today

Microsoft is sticking to its plan to shut down its Office Live Small Business (OLSB) suite of cloud-based services on Monday, even though it seems many customers are either unaware of the deadline or are having difficulties migrating.

Microsoft first announced its intention to close OLSB about 18 months ago and launched the suite's replacement, Office 365, in June of last year. Customers also have the option to migrate to non-Microsoft email and website hosting providers such as GoDaddy.

It seems that many customers of this cloud-hosted email and website hosting suite won't make the deadline to transition to another service.

It's unclear how many OLSB customers remain oblivious to the suite's impending shutdown. OLSB is used primarily for email communications and website hosting.

Recently, some Microsoft partners developed automated tools to transfer websites from OLSB to Office 365, including CloudVisors. However, Microsoft never developed its own tool to do this.

Read more from this article - http://goo.gl/hB2xV

 

Hosting Provider Deploys Brocade Solutions For Cloud Services

Australian hosting and cloud services provider, 6YS, has deployed Brocade’s ethernet fabric and routing infrastructure as a foundation for what it says is the rapid growth of its Ironpoint Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering.

6YS CTO, Martin von Stein, said that after a highly-successful trial, Brocade VDX 6720 data centre switches had been deployed at the company’s two data centers as the basis of a single, scalable Ethernet Fabric, and leveraged within its IRONPOINT enterprise cloud architecture.

According to Brocade’s regional director for the Australia and New Zealand region, Graham Schultz, “6YS is well known for successfully pioneering software as a service, which is really the forerunner of the cloud computing services we are starting to see today.” said Graham Schultz, Brocade’s Regional Director for the Australia and New Zealand region.

 

Read this full article here.

Which Free Online Cloud Storage Is Best?

The cloud storage wars are escalating as Google, Microsoft and Apple (among others) vie for your files. But which to choose?

 

• Google Docs (Google Drive)

• Dropbox

• Apple iCloud

• Microsoft Windows Live SkyDrive

• IDrive

 

Raed more:  http://goo.gl/szJFb

US Unhappy With Australian Governments' Attitude To Offshore Cloud

The full report can be accessed from here.

The Office of the US Trade Representative has issued harsh words in its latest foreign trade report about Australian federal and state governments for warning Australian companies and agencies about risks associated with storing data with offshore cloud providers. The US is also upset about continued restrictions on the foreign ownership of Telstra.

Apparently, the US Trade Representative believes that it is unfair on US companies that even Australian government agencies should insist on keeping data such as Australian electronic health records inside the country.

"A number of U.S. companies have voiced concerns that various Australian government departments, such as the Department of Defense, the National Archives of Australia, the Department of Finance and Deregulation's Australian Government Information Management Office, and the State of Victoria Privacy Commissioner, are sending negative messages about cloud computing services to potential Australian customers in both the public and private sectors, implying that hosting data overseas, including in the United States, by definition entails greater risk and unduly exposes consumers to their data being scrutinized by foreign governments," the report states.

Google Launches 'Cloud' Service

GOOGLE has launched a long-anticipated "Drive" service that lets people store photos and filed in the online "cloud."

Google Drive accounts with five gigabytes of storage were available free at drive.google.com and upgrades to more space on servers in the California company's data centres were available at rates set by size and country.

Google Drive software has been tailored for Windows and Macintosh computers as well as smartphones or tablets powered by Google-backed Android software.

Google Drive data can be reached from various devices, and deleting it from one deletes it from all. Scanned letters can be saved under the new service and fax messages can be sent or received.

Google Docs online text program was described as an integral component of Drive, letting people create and collaborate on documents.

Read more: http://goo.gl/bWukN

Xerox Throwing Cloud Computing Coming Out Party

Xerox for the past few years has steadily, and quietly, been building out its cloud offerings. Now officials from the venerable printer and copier company are ready to make some noise about it.

Xerox's traditional IaaS offering provides compute and storage capacity in a public, multi-tenant environment. The differentiating feature, according to Schilperoort, is the operating system models Xerox supports. In addition to Windows and Linux, it offers IBM AIX, Oracle Sun Solaris, HP-UX and IBM iSeries OS support. Through Xerox's ITO business, it also helps businesses deploy and manage on or off-premise private clouds.

Xerox also plays in the cloud market via the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model that enables customers to offload app support from their own data centers yet still provide access via a variety of devices. The company hosts software, including custom-built business process apps from SAP and others for HR, vertical industries and more. Xerox also offers cloud-based disaster recovery and mobile device management services.

A challenge for Xerox and others is that the cloud can cannibalize more traditional IT outsourcing services. Anderson says Xerox can win in the market if it keeps a customer-focused vision and realizes that customers are not moving to the cloud all at once. If Xerox can get in on the game early in an enterprise cloud life cycle, it can grab long-term customers, Anderson says.

 

Read More: http://goo.gl/P5Y5D

Fast-growing Cloud Infrastructure Startup SingleHop Grabs $27.5M From Battery

Infrastructure-as-a-service startup SingleHop has raised $27.5 million in its first round of funding, cash that will help it quickly accelerate growth, the company announced today.

SingleHop has been slowly making a name for itself in the cloud computing and cloud infrastructure arena. The company’s proprietary management platform, called LEAP, makes it possible for clients to deploy and manage their web infrastructure from a unified platform. Its traction has been so good that it was named No. 25 on the Inc. 500 list for fastest growing companies in the U.S., leaping up from the No. 58 spot a year prior.

Read more:  http://goo.gl/iE0j7

Hubbub Over Content Rights Greets Google Drive

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google CEO Larry Page recently wrote that he hopes to show the company is "deserving of great love." But the Internet search leader may need to win more trust, based on the suspicions swirling around Google Drive, a new online storage service for personal documents, photos and other content.

As those words circulated on the Internet, fears about Google Drive undermining intellectual property rights mounted. Some interpreted the legalese to mean that if an author stores a novel on the service, Google suddenly owns the work and can do whatever it likes with it.

The way Google keeps documents in its data centers requires the company to obtain a license to "host, store (and) reproduce" the files. If, say, a screenwriter in China uses Google's services to collaborate on a movie script written in Mandarin with a script editor in Hollywood who only reads English, Google needs the rights for "translations, adaptations or other changes" to allow the two writers to work on the document in different languages and make revisions.

Click here to read ore about this article.

Australia's Cloud Policy Ruffles The United States' Feathers

Australian government agencies are developing a Cloud framework for government agencies to follow, but a stance against storing classified data in off-shore locations has garnered ire from the US.

Australian Government Information Management Office guidelines released in February this year state agencies must adhere to IPP 4 – storage and security of personal information regulations, which requires agencies to ensure adequate security protections are in place against the misuse or loss of personal information.

However, the US government has labelled the policy as a trade barrier for companies with data centres in the US and in its 2012 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers says Australia is misinterpreting the US Patriot Act

 

Read more:  http://goo.gl/mFROh

StratITsphere, ScaleMatrix Announce Data Center Partnership to Provide Greater Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity to Clients

HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwire - April 26, 2012) - Colocation customers of two data centers in Texas and California will enjoy greater protection from disasters thanks to a new alliance announced today.

ScaleMatrix, a San Diego colocation and private cloud hosting provider, and StratITsphere, a
Houston-based data center, cloud computing, and IT & security infrastructure consulting firm, will provide high availability and geographic redundancy services to clients within each other's facilities.

StratITsphere found ScaleMatrix to be a good fit for similar reasons, including ScaleMatrix's ability to host clients requiring high density power of more than 30 kilowatts per rack in their San Diego data center.

Located outside the 500-year flood zone and off of any major thoroughfares, StratITsphere's Alpha Data Center facility boasts an ideal geographic location. Its Tier-IV design provides the best quality protection available from man-made and natural perils for client's mission critical systems and data.

ScaleMatrix's Green Giant San Diego facility boasts industry-leading efficiency ratings and some of the highest density floor space in the Western United States.

 

Read more:  http://goo.gl/taehN