Cloud Computing: News

Cloud and premises-based unified communications (UC) software vendor, Mitel, has completed its acquisition of one of its key supplier, PrairieFyre Software, for about $20 million in cash.

In order to decrease the occurrence and mitigate the risks of rogue public Cloud usage, IT departments must be proactive in defining their Cloud strategy and assessing usage, according to Red Hat senior Cloud technology and alliances manager, Martin Zierer.

Internet tools are just starting to be applied to industrial tasks such as maintaining equipment and optimizing operations, but the wealth of data being produced by industrial systems could make this a major focus of development in the coming years.

Big Data without context is just noise, according to CommVault A/NZ area vice president, Bryan Stibbard.

It's a lucky day for ARN's two winners of the State of the IT Channel survey related competition.

Broadband, wireless and communications services provider, Verizon has partnered with datacentre and co-location provider, Equinix, to offer Verizon’s private IP service in Equinix’s International Business Exchange (IBX) datacentres globally.

ICT provider, Dimension Data has partnered with technology and business consulting provider, Oakton (ASX:OKN) to provide ICT infrastructure integration, Cloud and outsourcing services bundles with Oakton solutions.

IBM’s PureSystems has roots its in AS/400 and the failed effort in putting Windows on the POWER Instruction Set Architecture, according to former IBM System i chief scientist, Frank Soltis.

Australia may have traditionally lagged behind the US when it comes to the Cloud, but the discussions around the technology are now similar in both regions.

Open Cloud company, Rackspace Hosting, has launched Australia’s first public Cloud based on OpenStack to give local business full access to its hybrid Cloud offering.

European cloud providers think the U.S. spy scandal will result in more enterprises choosing local alternatives over the likes of Amazon Web Services and Rackspace, which, on the other hand, are adamant that they aren't taking part in programs such as Prism.

Information technology is growing exponentially and the combined potential of mobile broadband, mobile smart devices, Cloud, social media and big data are drastically disrupting the IT services industry, according to analyst firm, IDC.

More than 85 industry thought leaders packed the ARN Cloud Services Briefing at the Crown Promenade in Melbourne, to hear addresses by Longhaus managing director and senior industry analyst, Peter Carr, and IBM A/NZ Global Business Service Cloud sales lead, Martin Stubbs-Race. The full-house also enjoyed breakout sessions after the main event, which was hosted by ARN's Rimin Dutt. The ARN Cloud Services Briefing was sponsored by IBM. An ARN Cloud Services Breakfast was held in Sydney a week earlier.

As Cloud adoption continues to grow among Australian business, many resellers are faced with a myriad options and challenges with how to best capitalise on the opportunity. Services and solutions are fast emerging as key tools to address the growing demand for Cloud products, driven by a need for more flexible work options, and an increasingly agile and mobile workforce.As a result, many traditional channel partners are looking to transform their business models as well.This event looked at opportunities and challenges present in how channel partners can best adapt their revenue models to take advantage of this changing business dynamic, and transition their revenue models from lumpy projects to smoother annuity models, adjusting for potential changes in cost and profitability models. This roundtable was sponsored by Adobe.

Apps, smartphones and the demand for access to content and media anywhere and on any device has led to 71 per cent of Australians using a Cloud service, whether they know it or not, according to a study by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

Microsoft is upping the security on Azure with Active Authentication, a new service now in preview which allows enterprises to secure access to hosted applications such as Office 365 with two-factor authentication.

ICT solutions and services provider, Dimension Data (DiData), has launched new Cloud services hosted in its managed private Cloud environment.

Alcatel Lucent Enterprise has appointed Maud Holvast as the company’s new vice-president for the A/NZ region.

Security monitoring -- the type involving traditional security information and event management (SIEM) -- can be done in some public Cloud environments, according to Gartner. And if you're using public Cloud services, it's time to think about doing it.

On the second day of its annual HP Discover user conference in Las Vegas, Hewlett-Packard launched an operating system (OS) designed specifically for cloud computing, called the HP Cloud OS. Initially, however, the software can only be obtained by purchasing HP systems.