Microsoft Must Sell the Cloud to IT Pros in 2010

For Microsoft, 2010 is a platform building and marketing year with no less than the future success of its cloud strategy hanging in the balance, according to observers.

Experts say Microsoft's charge is not only to begin developing and delivering technology that will define its external, internal and hybrid cloud environments, but to clearly articulate to an overwhelming majority of corporate IT pros just how and why they want to live in a cloud.

In addition, there will have to be answers to questions around such issues as security, compliance and performance from those very users.

"In terms of the cloud, it is important for Microsoft to be on the right trajectory, it's not necessarily important to their business from a revenue standpoint to capture lots of revenue out of cloud in the next 24 months," says Al Gillen, program vice president for system software at IDC. "But if they don't get in line to compete, they put themselves at a significant risk of being not there when real money starts to get spent in this space."

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/185206/microsoft_must_sell_the_cloud_to_it_pros_in_2010.html

2009 – The Year The Clouds Reigned And Rained

The cloud is now both such a buzzword and integral component of our lives that it is difficult sometimes to see where the hype ends, and real use begins.

2009 was a huge year for the cloud, in its myriad forms. Let’s take a look the best parts of the cloud this year, and some of the largest problems that seemed to constantly crop up.

We will see that 2009 was most assuredly the year that the cloud became both pedestrian in its normality, and problematic in its often dismal downtime. If you think back however, the cloud is still quite the baby.

The first main-stream rumors of cloud computing, which we are going to use as a generic term for cloud hosting and processing, began in 2007. It is quite simple to watch its ascendancy with Google Trends. The graph below outlines its explosive growth.

Read Full Article Here:
http://thenextweb.com/2009/12/30/2009-year-clouds-reigned-rained/

Will Microsoft Drive Cloud Revenues in 2010?

As the ramp-up towards the January launch of Microsoft’s Azure platform reaches a crescendo, it’s worth asking whether the software giant, of all companies, could be the most significant revenue driver for the cloud in 2010. While cloud adoption is practically a foregone conclusion in IT circles, cloud computing revenues still pale in comparison to total corporate IT spending. To drive significant revenue growth in 2010, cloud computing software and service providers need the simplest, fastest ways to move more spending from enterprise deployments to the cloud. And Microsoft, Azure, and the Windows ecosystem could emerge as the catalysts.

In December, Microsoft reorganized by forming a Server and Cloud division, following a slow and steady rollout of Microsoft Azure throughout 2009. The updates included all the usual tactics of getting developers, service providers, and early customers on the bandwagon. In November, Microsoft officials held court at the company’s Professional Developers Conference, seeking to engage the development community. It became clear there that while Azure does not equal Windows, common development frameworks like .NET deliver a more seamless bridge between on-premise and cloud deployments than existed previously.

Read Full Article Here:
http://gigaom.com/2009/12/28/will-microsoft-drive-cloud-revenues-in-2010/

IBM Backs an OS for the 'Private Cloud'

An open-source Web-based operating system called eyeOS is getting a big boost from IBM. The computer giant has begun selling high-end mainframe servers with eyeOS pre-installed, hoping the operating system will entice customers who are hesitant about using cloud computing.

Managed by a small company based in Barcelona, eyeOS lets users access a virtual desktop through a Web browser. The user can treat that virtual desktop like the desktop of a regular PC, launching and running applications within it.

Though individuals can use the operating system over the Internet through a site hosted by eyeOS, IBM makes it possible for customers to host the service themselves. With the software installed on the mainframe server, a company could offer virtual desktops to its employees, who could then access their "work computers" from any device.

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/24275/page1/

The Busy Executive’s Quick Cloud Computing Reference Guide

As an executive, you may be hearing many different viewpoints about Cloud Computing; some of them promising significant IT cost reductions and reductions in capital expenditures.

Similarly, you are hearing about the potential downsides of Cloud Computing, such as unexpected outages impairing your ability to operate or increased opportunity for data leakage and privacy and confidentiality breaches.

Hence, I've put together this quick primer to provide busy executives with a non-vendor-oriented view of Cloud Computing realities.

You Are a Consumer of Cloud Computing Services


Don't get caught off guard regarding all the technical complexities of developing and offering Cloud Computing services, the whole reason you're considering this option is so others will take care of these factors for you. Although you still need to be an educated consumer, you don't need to be in the weeds to ensure you're not caught with your pants around your ankles if you decide to use Cloud Computing services.

Read Full Article Here:
http://virtualization.sys-con.com/node/1230998

Microsoft loses patent appeal; Word and Office to be barred from sale starting January 11

It's getting closer and closer to check-writing time for Steve Ballmer, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has just upheld a decision that would see Microsoft Word and Office banned from sale starting January 11. If you'll recall, Microsoft lost a patent infringement suit against XML specialists i4i back in May when it was found that Word's handling of .xml, .docx, and .docm files infringed upon i4i's patented XML handling algorithms, but the injunction against further Word sales was put on hold pending the results of this appeal. Now that Microsoft has lost once again, we'd expect either another appeal and request for the injunction to be stayed, this time to the Supreme Court, or for a settlement between these two that would end this whole mess right now. We'll see what happens -- stay tuned.

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/22/microsoft-loses-patent-appeal-word-and-office-to-be-barred-from/

Cloud Computing Grows Up

In 2009, the cloud went from a vague concept to a must-have technology.

It's always fun to watch the emergence of new IT trends and how quickly concepts and products evolve in the early stages. Never was this truer than with cloud computing and what the industry witnessed around its evolution. Over the past year, cloud computing has captured significant attention of CEOs, CIOs and IT personnel alike, as businesses began to investigate the value of moving certain workloads to a cloud model. Facing mounting pressures to provide better services quickly, while reducing costs, many IT decision makers found the economics and capabilities of cloud compelling.

Now with analyst firm Gartner's recent proclamation that cloud computing is the number one technology in its annual "Top 10 Strategic Technologies" list, it's clear that 2009 marked the maturation of this emerging form of computing. Here are a few significant highlights:

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/21/cloud-computing-ibm-technology-cio-network-telford.html?partner=yahootix