Zenny's Weekly Cloud Links #33 - Future of Cloud, Open Data, Cloud Disaster, CIO

Every Friday we like to highlight some of our favorite posts on Cloud Computing, service orientated infrastructure, DevOps, and anything else that grabbed our attention over the week. Here are some great articles from the week of October 31st that are worth taking a look at. Enjoy!

The Future of Cloud: Infrastructure as a Platform by Lori MacVittie

The takeaway for cloud and infrastructure providers is that organizations want platforms. Developers want platforms. Operations wants platforms (see Puppet and Chef as examples of operational platforms).  It’s about enabling an ecosystem that encourages innovation, i.e. new features and functions and services, without requiring the wheel to be reinvented. It’s about drag and drop, figuratively speaking, in the realm of infrastructure. Bringing the ability to deploy new services atop a platform that provides the basics.

NIST Releases Final Definition of Cloud Computing by Richard L. Santalesa

As NIST notes, SP 800-145 "describes how cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction."

Open Data Center Alliance Membership Forecasts a Tripling of Cloud Computing Deployments by CloudTweaks

Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) members will triple cloud deployment in the next 2 years according to a report published by the organization today. This adoption is 5X faster than Q2’2011 IDC market forecasts... for the >$90B expected invested in cloud operations worldwide in the next two years  and reflects growing member confidence in delivery of industry standard cloud solutions that align with top customer requirements outlined by the organization earlier this year.

What Else Every CEO Needs to Know About the Cloud by Andrew McAfee

I have an article in the new (November 2011) issue of Harvard Business Review called "What Every CEO Needs to Know About the Cloud." It's aimed at managers and executives who work outside the IT department and might not know or care very much about what goes on inside the IT department. So why should such people be interested in cloud computing?

Cloud-based Disaster Recovery as a Service Options by Nitin Mishra

The emerging model of delivering Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) is gaining popularity among enterprises mainly due to its pay-as-you-go pricing model that can lower costs and use of automated virtual platforms that can minimize the recovery time after a failure.

What will tomorrow’s CIOs look like (and where will they come from?) by Joel Dobbs

I read an interesting piece by Dan Woods on the Forbes website this week that, among other things, speculated on the “New role of the CIO.” Mr. Woods summarized the observations of several individuals including Michael Dell, Vivek Kundra, Marc Benioff, and Paul Maritz. Here is his summary of their collective thoughts.

Vendors Releasing Same Software on Parallel Tracks by Maria (Trombly) Korolov

Some software buyers deliberately seek out such dual-licensed software...“At the Department of Defense, we certainly take security seriously,” he says. “The nice thing about open source is you get to see the code. It allows you to assess the software for security issues.”

Disaster Recovery Lessons from Hurricane Irene by Richard Dolewski

Every time a disaster occurs—whether a natural disaster or equipment failure or site loss—businesses get a not-so-subtle reminder of how important it is to have a tested disaster recovery plan.

Scaling the Open Data Ecosystem by Rufus Pollock

This world is rapidly evolving and one of its more striking possibilities is the creation of an open data ecosystem in which information is freely used, extended and built on. The resulting open data ‘commons’ is valuable in and of itself, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, because the social and commercial benefits it generates — whether in helping us to understand climate change; speeding the development of life-saving drugs; or improving govenance and public services.

And a few honorable mentions:

Five Mistakes Companies Make in Their Cloud Strategies by IT Business Edge

4 Myths on Managed Cloud Computing Services & Solutions by CloudWays Intl.

Occupy the Cloud! Five Trends that Show There's No Need to Wait by Arthur Cole