Every Friday we like to highlight some of our favorite posts on IT Operations, Cloud Computing, DevOps, Virtualization and anything else that grabbed our attention over the week. Here are some great articles from the week of August 6th that are worth taking a look at. Enjoy and have a fantastic weekend!
Red Hat: Open cloud requires open APIs and stacks by Paula Rooney | ZDNet
Red Hat announced the release of its Deltacloud 1.0 API last week and insisted that a truly open cloud requires open APIs as well as open source cloud platforms such as OpenStack. Like its sibling CloudForms platform, Red Hat's homegrown Deltacloud API (a project now hosted by the Apache Software Foundation) is repositioned as a tool for building an open hybrid cloud.
The Rise of the Programmable Data Center by Michael Vizard | Slashdot
A "programmable" data center could allow IT administrators to more holistically manage servers, storage, and networking components. Almost every process associated with the data center these days is either a manual one, or else reliant on some sort of undocumented script that doesnât scale particularly well. That drives up the costs associated with managing the data center, and creates more opportunities for human error.
Google CIO: Cloud Will Dictate Business Processes by Xath Cruz | CloudTimes
Googleâs CIO Ben Fried said the cloud is slowly dictating how small businesses are going to grow and whether or not they can transition to become a big company...he said that it is a difficult idea to wrap oneâs head around but it doesnât make it less true.
Public Cloud Reportedly Coming from VMware by Maureen O'Gara | Cloud Computing Journal
VMware is going to go up against Amazon, Microsoft, Google and presumably Rackspace with its own public cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service developed as Project Zephyr according to CRN, which thinks it could create some channel conflict for vCloud service providers that will have to compete with VMware.
Local Governments Could Save Most from Cloud, but are Least Receptive to It by Barb Darrow | Gigaom
IT officials in cities and towns are far cooler towards the notion of cloud computing than their peers in state and federal government, according to new IDC research. Thatâs surprising considering how much they could save by making the move, experts say.
How the Cloud Brings Developers into Business Process by Bernard Golden | CIO.com
The disruptive innovation that is the cloud has given developers significantly more influence than they, and their organizations, are used to having. This means the agile, sometimes unstructured world of the developer is increasingly coming into contact with more rigid business groups. Making everyone happy may mean reengineering IT processes.
How Performance Issues Impact Cloud Adoption by Rick Blaisdell | CloudTweaks
Cloud computing is continually changing the way IT services are provided. The initial promise of cloud computing was the ease of Internet service delivery and of simplified service management. A current challenge a company can face is related to how to incorporate cloud computing into their integrated business and IT strategy. It is necessary to develop an enterprise cloud adoption strategy in order to grow and stay competitive.
Rackspace Rebrands Open Cloud Mantra by Barb Darrow | Gigaom
With its OpenStack cloud now ready for its closeup, Rackspace is rebranding itself to emphasize open cloud as opposed to its hosting roots. Company CMO Suaad Sait said the company will continue to stress âfanatical supportâ as a key differentiator.
Cloud in action, in a cool way: NASA uses Amazon to stream Mars video by Joe McKendrick | ZDNet
Curiosity's descent onto Mars and follow-up imagery are being hosted in the cloud. NASA has been renting cloud power to stream video of Curiosity's adventures on Mars, as reported by Amazon Web Services.
Oracleâs Acquisition of Xsigo: The Drive to Integrated Stacks by Larry Carvalho | Cloud Computing Journal
Oracle has been a voracious cloud acquirer with a number of SaaS acquisitions like RightNow, Taleo and VitrueâĤ SaaS solutions are a great way to open cloud markets to large technology companies as the subscription model allows a low entry point for new customers.
Why Google and Amazon Don't Offer Private Cloud Services by Saroj Kar | CloudTimes
Amazon along with Google doesnât provide customers to build private clouds. It is difficult to write down some bullet points as why these companies are yet to offer these services.
Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing Shows Enterprises Finding Value in Big Data, Virtualization by Louis Columbus | Forbes
Enterprises are beginning to change their buying behaviors based on the deployment speed, economics and customization that cloud-based technologies provide. Gartner cautions however that enterprises are far from abandoning their on-premise models and applications entirely for the cloud.
Rackspace OpenStack: Customers want build-you-own-cloud options by Gina Narcisi | SearchCloudProvider
Rackspace is finally rolling out OpenStack-based cloud services to its customers. The cloud provider hopes the freedom offered by the open source platform, which contrasts sharply with the proprietary back-end systems of providers like Amazon Web Services, will revolutionize the cloud industry.
IT outsourcing firm or cloud provider? The line keeps blurring by Joe McKendrick | ZDNet
The Gartner Gang reports that cloud computing represents the fastest-growing segment of the IT outsourcing market. While still a relatively small piece of this market, it points to a blurring between solutions. Are cloud providers -- especially Infrastructure or Platform-as-a-Service vendors -- IT outsourcers? Are IT outsourcers and systems integrators becoming cloud vendors? What's the difference anymore?
