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This Week in Cloud, November 10, 2011: NIST releases ‘Bible of cloud implementation,’ BestBuy acquires mindShift, Rackspace extends support services for OpenStack clouds, RSA & McAfree cloud security announcements, Are I&O pros from Venus and developers from Mars? And more…
Cloud News
- NIST released a ‘Bible of cloud implementation’ this week. Read about it in this GCN article and access drafts of the first two volumes at the NIST site. Meanwhile, Jon Stokes writes in this Wired article his thoughts on why NIST should scrap “the cloud” entirely.
- Abiquo released a new version of its cloud platform, which includes features such as multi-currency pricing models, Opscode Chef integration and a customizable, open-source end user portal. Read this ChannelproSMB article for more.
- RSA and McAfee both made cloud security announcements, which are detailed in this Computerworld article. RSA is partnering with Microsoft and Citrix to support use of RSA SecurID authentication. McAfee introduced a new release of its Cloud Security Platform, which provides an email gateway and data-loss prevention services that are designed to be used between an organization’s network and a cloud service. McAfee has introduced a new module called McAfee Cloud Identity Manager.
- Gartner says 30 percent of midsize companies will use recovery-as-a-service by 2014 (as opposed to just over 1 percent today), according to this Gartner press release.
- In this InfoWorld article, Savio Rodriques explains why he believes OpenStack will falter in its race with Eucalyptus to be the leading open source cloud platform, despite the current spate of vendor momentum behind OpenStack. He proposes that a single-vendor controlled open source project has a higher potential of success than a foundation-controlled project, citing examples from Linux and the open source database space as models.
Feature article
How to best fight the rise of rogue IT services? Compete
By George Hulme, Independent Writer
There seems no way to stop it. And it’s no secret, yet it’s one of the more pressing issues IT departments face today. Workers are sidestepping their IT department altogether to find and procure the services they need, whether that be quick access to online storage, collaboration tools, a SaaS application, or a number of servers spun up within a public cloud.
This creates obvious security and regulatory compliance risks. But there are other risks and potential costs associated with users going “rogue” with their IT deployments. Read the full article.
Cloud Views
- In this ZDnet blog, Forrester’s James Staten writes that ‘Public Clouds Prove I&O Pros are from Venus and Developers are from Mars.’
- In this Computerworld article, Joab Jackson provides guidance on the types of apps that work best in a virtualized environment and which ones are better off being installed as native apps.
- PC World writer Tony Bradley is documenting his experience spending 30 days relying solely on cloud-based tools. Here’s an installment from day 2 of his journey, titled ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Cloud.’
MSP Corner
- Best Buy is acquiring MSP mindShift Technologies for $167 million. BestBuy believes the acquisition will help the company grow its SMB IT services business, which is currently serviced through its retail, Geek Squad and Best Buy for Business operations. BestBuy estimates the SMB managed service provider market is worth $40 billion. Read more in this CRN article.
- Rackspace is extending its support services to OpenStack cloud implementations that reside within the walls of an enterprise or third-party commercial data centers. To use these services, an enterprise must use OpenStack according to the Rackspace reference architecture, which the company will make public. Read this InfoWorld article for more.
- MSP ViaWest introduced a Xen-based version of its KINECTed Cloud service, which is based on CA AppLogic. ViaWest now offers its customers a choice between a VMware-based vCloud Powered hypervisor and an open source Xen-based hypervisor, so customers can choose the cloud that best meets their needs, according to this article in The WHIR.
- MSP OpSource launched OpSource Cloud Software which offers Microsoft and Oracle software offerings on a pay-per-use basis. The service is intended to enable test and development without requiring companies to commit to an annual licensing fee, according to this CRN article.
Upcoming Cloud Events
- CA World: November 13 – 16, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Gartner Data Center Conference: December 5 – 8, Las Vegas, NC
- Up 2011 Cloud Computing Conference: December 5 – 9, Mountain View, CA
