Category Archives: Cloud Computing
‘Sweden is heaven for cloud computing’: Amazon Nordic chief – The … – The Local Sweden
Darren Mowry of Amazon Web Services. Photo: AWS
The head of Nordic operations for Amazon Web Services (AWS) has spelled out exactly why the US cloud computing giant chose to locate three state-of-the-art data centers in Sweden.
In April, it emerged that AWS planned to open a new infrastructure region for its cloud computing services in the Stockholm region in 2018.
Swedens enterprise and innovation minister Mikael Damberg hailed the deal as huge for Sweden.
They could do that wherever in the world, but chose to do it here," he added.
Now the man responsible for expanding AWSs cloud services operations in Sweden, American Darren Mowry, has disclosed the reasoning behind his companys decision to invest in Sweden.
Sweden truly does have it all, Mowry writes in a blog post published on the Data Centers by Sweden website.
But theres more to it than that.
Read his full explanation behind the AWS investment here.
This article was produced byThe Local Client Studioand sponsored by Data Centers by Sweden.
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'Sweden is heaven for cloud computing': Amazon Nordic chief - The ... - The Local Sweden
Why Is Cloud Computing The Most Disruptive Force – CXOToday.com
Cloud computing is one of the most disruptive forces facing the Information Technology sector. This statement is not without justification. Lets cast a glance at the enormity of the phenomenon. According to the Bain & Company research report The Changing Faces of the Cloud, globally, the cloud IT market revenue is projected to increase to $390 billion in 2020 from $180 billion, translating into a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 17%.
The report also points out that cloud demand accounted for 70% of related IT market growth in 2015. Moreover, 48 out of Fortune Global 50 companies have announced plans for cloud adoption for a range of IT applications. The cloud market will continue to gain momentum as businesses shift from legacy systems to cloud-based ones, with an increasingly higher number of organizations pursuing digital business strategies.
Cloud computing represents the biggest IT industry disruptions in several years. CIOs will need to put their heads together in order to aid their company successfully and safely navigate the cloud journey, says Shashank Dixit, CEO, Deskera, a global leader in cloud tech.
While premise-based IT software and tools have their own advantages, the global trend is for cloud based applications since they offer more connectivity and functionalities than legacy systems. Moreover, enterprises are naturally gravitating towards it as the technology is reasonably reliable, affordable, and provides them access to other new and emergent technologies as well as high end skills. The cloud boom is also propelled by the fact that enterprises are trying to improve performance and productivity over the long term. Looking at the tremendous response for cloud services, several IT companies are designing applications meant solely for pure cloud play.
The overall global public cloud market will mature, and its growth rate will slightly slow down from 17.2% in 2016 to a 15.2% increase in 2020, says Sid Nag, research director at Gartner. While Brexit and other growth challenges exist, some segments such as financial SaaS applications and the PaaS user markets will still see strong growth through 2020. As buyers intensify and increase IaaS activity, they will be getting more for their investment: ongoing enhancement of performance, more memory, more storage for the same money (which will drive increases in consumptions) and increased automation in traditional IT outsourcing (ITO) delivery, added Nag.
In this fast paced world of technology, enterprises must leverage technology to stay ahead of competition. And they must choose wisely. There is a huge market that needs to be explored particularly since the reach of the Internet (including both 3G and 4G services) and the levels of automation and digitization rise exponentially.
[Disclaimer:The views expressed in this article are solely those of theauthors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views ofTrivone MediaNetwork's or that of CXOToday's.]
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Why Is Cloud Computing The Most Disruptive Force - CXOToday.com
3 killer cloud skills that will get you hired today – InfoWorld
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One of the most common questions that Im asked is: "What cloud skills do I need that will get me hired quickly?"
First, keep in mind that this is an emerging area, so what employers are looking for is constantly shifting. Second, even if they do hire you for a specific skill, youll be asked to retrain and retool as the cloud technology matures.
Still, here are three skills that should get you hired right now:
Any Amazon Web Services certification. My advice to people leaving college is always the same: Get AWS-certified. It does not matter if you take the developer or architect path for AWS skills; companies are focused on all those AWS certifications.
Youll hear people dismiss such certifications as not really demonstrating any ability on the part of those who get them. But viewpoint misses the fact that companies really are not qualified to vet cloud talent themselves, so they need shortcuts these days to staff up. Certifications are an easy way to validate if an applicant has some degree of talent. So, get real about hiring works and get your AWS certs.
Internet of things and cloud. Companies have two technology pushes right now. First, moving to the cloud. Second, having all machines talk to all other machines and to people. Combine the two, and you have cloud-based IoT.
AWS has a strong offering here, but dont limit yourself to gaining just AWS cloud IoT skills. Microsoft and Google matter in this area as well, so get skilled in at least one of those two as well. Many employers are looking for people who understand multiple public clouds, and most IoT systems are on those clouds.
Serverless or container anything. Both serverless computing and containers have achieved buzzword status, despite being truly practical technologies. So, theres high demand for people skilled in these new areas, even if hiring companies dont really understand them or know what they would do with them.
The funny thing about these skills is that youre likely to get hired for possessing them, but you may not use them right away. Companies are looking to move to serverless, containers, or bothbut they have not really done much to move the ball in that direction. Still, they are hiring now in anticipation of that day.
Good luck in your job hunt!
David S. Linthicum is a consultant at Cloud Technology Partners and an internationally recognized industry expert and thought leader. Dave has authored 13 books on computing and also writes regularly for HPE Software's TechBeacon site.
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3 killer cloud skills that will get you hired today - InfoWorld
The top 5 jobs that will prosper from Cloud Computing – OxGadgets (press release) (blog)
Cloud computing is driving thousands of companies to make the shift from traditional methods to the cloud. By definition, cloud computing enables remote machines, accessible via the Internet, to store and process data and applications. Cost-efficient and agile systems are tempting businesses with more efficient methods and the increased cloud job opportunities are the perfect proof of the rapid adoption. It has become big enough to generate quite a few different job types.
Here are 5 jobs that are connected to the cloud:
Cloud architects are the professionals behind the creation and deployment of cloud-based systems. They keep in mind business IT objectives achievable with a scalable and secure system.
Employers generally keep an eye out for prospect candidates with a BS in computer science/engineering as well as experience working with multi-platform networks.
A software engineer for cloud computing designs and develops software to integrate it with the cloud service providers. This position is heavy on programming and software development and familiarity with a compiled language is helpful.
Desired credentials generally include a BS in computer science/engineering and experience in professional software development.
A cloud sales/account executive focuses on closing new business opportunities. A cloud sales/account executive performs in a highly competitive environment and focuses more on translating the tech language into this is what it actually means to you to drive new business and create strategic partnerships.
Employers generally look for a Bachelors degree in business and experience in a client-facing role. Knowledge of the technical part of the cloud is not heavily focused on, but instead, highly effective communication skills are prioritised.
A cloud product managers duty is to focus on product planning. To ensure that offerings are valuable and relevant, a cloud product manager stays on top of strategy, concept, requirement specifications, product positioning and sales processes.
Desired credentials are generally a BS in business or computer experience or extensive experience as a cloud product manager. Experience in a technology company is also sought after.
A cloud analyst performs targeted studies and evaluations to translate them into a cloud strategy. The focus is to understand business outcome objectives and be able to recommend technology options that will map to infrastructure solutions.
Desired credentials include IT consulting experience and extensive knowledge of the cloud space.
Overall, there is a major shift amongst industries as more businesses are shifting over to the cloud. There are many jobs that are being created and the advantages of that go beyond the simple proof of job creation. This means that future technologies can also create jobs, not just take them away by replacing humans. Furthermore, amongst the space, there are numerous cloud-specific companies that people can apply to directly if they are really interested in cloud computing. However, if an individual is interested in working with the cloud but not jumping industries directly, there are now many cloud-specific jobs scattered across all industries. As more and more companies across industries and the globe adopt the cloud, the more cloud-specific jobs open up.
If someone wants to get started in this area, whether for a cloud-specific job or company, then taking some cloud training courses is a great way to boost knowledge and become a cloud expert. There are many online platforms available, such as CloudAcademy, where you can follow general cloud learning paths and even cloud-specific platforms.
The cloud is certainly here to stay, so everyone has a choice regarding how and where to get involved. These five jobs show the availability of technical jobs, product management and sales jobs. Similar to any other industry, the IT industry has a mix of job offerings that will prosper from cloud computing.
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Sami Mughal
Can be found somewhere between designing new tech as an electronics engineer or testing new tech as a technology enthusiast. Lives mostly on Twitter, and would love to have a word with you there as @smacula.
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The top 5 jobs that will prosper from Cloud Computing - OxGadgets (press release) (blog)
Cloud security spending to hit $3.5bn by 2021, says Forrester – Cloud Tech
Cloud security spending is set to hit $3.5 billion (2.74bn) by 2021 at a 28% annual growth rate, according to a new report from Forrester Research.
The report, authored by analysts Jennifer Adams and Andras Cser, discusses a variety of trends, from cloud security risk, to traditional security tools.
According to the figures, cloud security gateways will continue to be the primary route of global spending, contributing to $1.6bn or 45% - of the overall figure by 2021. Native infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS) will come in to the tune of $1.1bn, while hypervisor security and centralised cloud workload security management are at $0.5bn and $0.3bn respectively.
Financial services represent the larger market for cloud services today and will continue to do so until at least 2021, the report adds. This marks an interesting point the report rightly points out that the idea of cloud-based services in financial would be controversial and radical just a few years ago but the industry is embracing it today to reduce costs and stay competitive. The report also earmarked retail, government, and professional services such as consultants, law firms, and advertising agencies as industries to look out for.
Writing in a blog post, Adams noted the upward trends, although warning about the nascence of the market. While spending on cloud security solutions is relatively small today compared with total spending on security software, its rapid growth is attracting the attention of more traditional security tech vendors, Adams wrote. Larger tech vendors are quickly entering and consolidating the space via acquisitions.
This isnt the same story for everyone; take for instance Netskope, the acclaimed cloud access security broker who announced a $100 million boost in series E funding earlier this month. Yet recent acquisitions in the space, as Adams notes, include Microsoft acquiring Adallom in 2015, as well as Cisco buying CloudLock, and Oracle acquiring Palerra in 2016.
Either way, the trend is inexorable as old school security fails to live up to the task. Traditional perimeter-based security tools do little to protect cloud workloads, and do it yourself internal solutions can be costly to develop and consume variable in-house IT resources, the report notes. We expect most companies to look to commercial off the shelf solutions for their cloud security needs.
You can find out more and read the full report here (paid).
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Cloud security spending to hit $3.5bn by 2021, says Forrester - Cloud Tech
Indonesia banks have yet to implement cloud computing – Jakarta Post
As a country that is experiencing exponential growth in data volume, Indonesia and its banking system have yet to fully implement cloud computing technologies due to regulation barriers and a lack of decent infrastructure.
"Major banks in Indonesia, most of which are our clients, have 10 to 40 million customers with hundreds of millions of transactions every day,"IT solution provider Teradata Indonesia president director Erwin Z Achir said in Jakarta on Monday.
Banking services are among the data giants who generate terabytes of data every day and has yet to move to cloud computing technology a type of Internet-based computing with which different services are delivered to an organization's computers and devices through the internet.
Under Government Regulation No. 82/2012 on the Management of Electronic Transactions and Systems, data and disaster recovery centers for public services must be located within Indonesia, meaning that Indonesian banks must store its customers' data in the country
Therefore, Indonesian banks that previously operated data centers located overseas must repatriate their information.
According to a 2014 survey by IDC Financial Insights on data centers, most Indonesian banks expect a 10 to 20 percent data volume growth rate per year.
Meanwhile, Fajar Muniandy, Teradata chief solution architect, said moving to clouds has yet to be an option for the companys clients because of their massive amounts of data.
He added that cloud computing was currently being adopted by startups and smaller companies because they had built their systems from the beginning. (dis/bbn)
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Indonesia banks have yet to implement cloud computing - Jakarta Post
Why isn’t Cloud Computing in the 2017 Belmont Stakes? – FanSided
May 20, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Javier Castellano aboard Cloud Computing (2) races Julien R. Leparoux aboard Classic Empire (5) during the 142nd running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports
Why isnt Always Dreaming in the 2017 Belmont Stakes? by Cody Williams
French Open 2017: Womens results Final by John Buhler
Cloud Computing was not on the radar of many people coming into the Preakness Stakes. He opened at a 30-1 underdog. And though his odds drastically improved leading up to post time to 13-1, he was still considered a longshot. Yet, he came out of nowhere and was able to overtake Classic Empire on the final stretch to win at Pimlico Race Course.
However, the win for Cloud Computing eliminated the chance of a Triple Crown winner in 2017. Thus, the Belmont Stakes didnt hold the same meaning for him or for Derby winner Always Dreaming. As such, both Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing wont be running on Saturday in the 2017 Belmont Stakes.
But not running solely because theres no shot at the Triple Crown seems a bit petty. Is that the whole reason as to why Cloud Computing isnt running at the 2017 Belmont Stakes? The short answer is, of course, no.
Though many people only pay attention to horse racing during the Triple Crown races, its actually quite a long season. There are numerous races with big purses for the winner throughout the summer. Thus, a lot of trainers and owners are interested in seeing their horses do well in those races to complete the season.
Whats more, the Belmont Stakes is a notoriously grueling race. Weve seen former Triple Crown hopefuls win the Derby and Preakness only to come up short at the Belmont because of the length of the race.
Thus, with the prestige of the Triple Crown not on the line, it makes sense that Cloud Computings team would rather focus on the summer and not such a long race. Its unfortunate and takes away some of the drama, but it makes sense in the long run.
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Why isn't Cloud Computing in the 2017 Belmont Stakes? - FanSided
Cloud Computing Companies Move Into Medical Diagnosis (GOOG, IBM) – Investopedia
Your next medical diagnosis could come from a cloud-based machine learning system. According to a Bloomberg report, Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) subsidiary Google is gearing up to provide "Diagnostics-as-a-Service" capabilities through its cloud division. The service will analyze reams of patient and disease data to diagnose patients and, possibly, recommend appropriate drugs for treatment. A German cancer specialist Alacris Theranostics GmbH is already working with Google's cloud division to carry out virtual clinical trials and virtual patient modeling. It uses these models to design drug therapies for patients. (See also: Google Creates New Cloud Group to Take On Amazon and Microsoft.)
Google is not the only cloud company targeting the healthcare industry. International Business Machine Corporation's (IBM) Watson, which uses a mix of artificial intelligence and cloud computing on the back end, analyzed medical data and images pertaining to 1,000 cancer patients last year and returned diagnoses that concurred with a human doctor's assessment in 99 percent of all cases. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), which is a leader in cloud computing, lists genomic sequencing as one of the most prominent use cases of its service on its site. Last year, the National Cancer Institute announced a collaboration with Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) and Amazon to analyze cancer genomes and enable secure collaboration between researchers using the company's cloud services. (See also: Top Medical & Healthcare Software Companies.)
Healthcare spending on cloud services reached $3.73 billion in 2015 and is expected to increase to $9.5 billion by 2020. Primary use cases for this spending were data storage, email and software systems that increase efficiency. For example, telemedicine is rapidly gaining ground as a means to cut down on redundant costs associated with doctor visits for minor ailments. Medical diagnosis using cloud computing is a relatively new use case.
And it might be a while before the diagnostic use case becomes a reality. This is because such diagnoses requires healthcare providers to release critical data to cloud computing companies. A mix of regulatory and competitive advantage considerations may prevent them from doing so. The Bloomberg article quotes an analyst who says that medical data are likely to remain "locked up" with healthcare providers in the "foreseeable future." (See also: Investing in the Healthcare Sector.)
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Cloud Computing Companies Move Into Medical Diagnosis (GOOG, IBM) - Investopedia
Growing Patent Claim Risks in Cloud Computing – Lexology (registration)
This blog develops the themes of our February piece on cloud availability risks from software patent claims. It shows how the patent cloudscape is changing; how PAEs are increasingly active in Europe as well as in the USA; and how CSPs are starting to respond in their contract terms.
With increasingly recognised benefits of security, flexibility and reliability, cloud computing continues to carry all before it. Its aggregation of massive processing power also heralds deep, connected and transformative innovation in our daily lives. Intellectual property (IP) is at the centre of this wave of innovation, and an increasingly fierce battleground as the current high profile dispute between Alphabets Waymo and Uber over core autonomous vehicle technology shows.[1]
You might think that the cloud, built and running on shared environments and public standards, would be a safe space from intrusive IP disputes. But the evidence is mounting that the cloud is proving attractive for PAEs (Patent Assertion Entities, businesses who litigate their patents but generally dont otherwise use their patented technology). And whilst cloud users are increasingly aware of the importance of security and privacy, cloud IP risks are now equally important but still somewhat overlooked: many enterprises dont yet have complete clarity on their IP litigation strategy or IP innovation strategy, especially in a global context.
There are persuasive reasons for cloud customers to focus more on patent risks. PwC, in its most recent (May 2017) Patent Litigation Study[2] notes that damages awards for PAEs are almost four times greater than for other patent claimants and that damages awards at trial in patent disputes continue to rise.
Europe is quickly becoming a key jurisdiction for patent enforcement: the European Patent Office granted 96,000 patents in 2016, [3] up 40% from 2015, and the Unitary Patent along with EU-wide injunctions will soon be a reality.[4]
The cloud computing patent landscape is also developing rapidly. Cloud patent families are well-known in areas such file-storage and protocols but other areas like Fintech[5] are also growing quickly.
PAEs are acquiring cloud computing patents at a rapid pace according to IPlytics, an IP intelligence provider,[6] who note that:
PAEs often acquire patents in technological areas that will likely become strategically important for future markets.
This is borne out in a European Commission report on PAEs in Europe[7] which (on page 26) cites findings that:[8]
PAEs are overwhelmingly involved in the litigation of German and UK patents related to computer and telecommunications technology [and that] these findings are consistent with existing evidence on the activity of US PAEs, which also tend to enforce high-tech patents at a disproportionately high frequency, especially software patents.
Part of the attraction for PAEs is that patent infringement is increasingly easy to detect in the cloud: detailed documentation, APIs and the code for open source (the software that powers much of the cloud) are readily available, and can be read and analysed by anyone, making the cloud a soft target.
As the economic importance of the cloud rises, cloud customers make increasingly interesting targets for PAEs: customers generally dont have the same level of expertise in cloud tech as cloud service providers (CSPs), have a greater incentive to settle, are less prepared to fight an IP battle, and have little incentive to solve an IP Issue for others. Contrast this with the position of the CSP, who will want to avoid an IP threat becoming an issue across its customer base.
A measure of this growing cloud patent claim risk is the evolving approach of the largest global CSPs to this issue in their cloud service agreements.
Microsoft has taken an early lead through its recently announced Azure IP Advantage[9] programme with uncapped indemnification for its Azure cloud services, including open source incorporated in its services, and 10,000 (7,500 currently, 2,500 to come) patents that Microsoft is sharing with its consuming customers.
Google in its Cloud Platform Terms of Service[10] seeks (at section 14.2) to exclude open source software entirely from its IP infringement indemnification a big carve-out given the importance of open source in the cloud environment.
In Amazon Web Services (AWS) Customer Agreement,[11] the effect of section 10 is that AWS does not offer in its standard terms any IP protection at all for its services. Section 8.5 is an unusual IP non-assert term that requires the customer not itself or through others to assert any IP claim regarding the AWS services it has used. The clause continues without limit in time after the agreement has ended; and to the extent it could be said to amount to a patent no-challenge clause, could be problematic in Europe under EU competition law, for example.
The fact that all the largest CSPs are starting to address cloud patent risk expressly in their contract terms is perhaps the most compelling evidence that this PAE-fuelled risk is becoming increasingly relevant and material. Cloud customers, and their regulators in regulated sectors, should take note as well.
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Growing Patent Claim Risks in Cloud Computing - Lexology (registration)
Is Cloud Computing in the 2017 Belmont Stakes? – FanSided
May 20, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Javier Castellano aboard Cloud Computing (2) wins the 142nd running of the Preakness Stakes past Julien R. Leparoux aboard Classic Empire (5) at Pimlico Race Course. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports
Is Always Dreaming in the 2017 Belmont Stakes? by Michael Whitlow
71st Tony Awards: Whos nominated? by Sarabeth Pollock
The Belmont Stakes has long been known as the toughest of the three Triple Crown races, lasting 1.5 miles around at Belmont Park up in New York. A lot of dreams of the crown have died at this track over the years, but unfortunately, no horse will be in the running for the honor this year.
Always Dreaming, the winner of this years Kentucky Derby, got off to a good start at the Preakness, but faded about halfway through the oval and finished eighth to end his chances at the Triple Crown.
What about Cloud Computing, the winner of the Preakness?
Unfortunately for racing fans, neither the Kentucky Derby winner nor the winner of the Preakness will be racing in New York this year.
The trainer of Cloud Computing, Chad Brown, confirmed that the Preakness winner will not be racing in New York long before the race.
Heres a report fromUSA TODAY on Cloud Computing skipping out on the Belmont:
Trainer Chad Brown confirmed Sunday that Cloud Computing would skip the Belmont, which had been expected.
Brown will still have a starter in the $1.5 million race: Twisted Tom, who won the Federico Tesio on April 22. Because Twisted Tom wasnt already nominated to the Triple Crown series, it will cost $75,000 to get him in the race. He will try to become the third gelding in history to win.
This will not only hurt NBCs ratings not having either winner of the first two legs this year in the final race or a horse in the Triple Crown hunt anyway, but this probably couldve been a platform for Apple to align themselves with Cloud Computing after potentially winning two of the three Triple Crown races.
They might have been able to convince Brown to change the horses name to iCloud Computing, am I right?
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Is Cloud Computing in the 2017 Belmont Stakes? - FanSided