Cloud Computing

In the world of IT, it's important to maintain an open mind and be willing to consider new approaches to addressing problems. People often have a tendency to get locked into a particular approach and hold onto it long past the point at which it has ceased being a best practice. On the other hand, i...

Cloud computing has been a central subject and strategy for IT vendors of every sort, but the actual meaning of "cloud" remains hazy. For Web-based information aggregators like Google and Yahoo, the cloud offers a mechanism for delivering advertising-driven content and services. For Software as a Se...

Research In Motion is bolstering its mobile productivity lineup with new enterprise offerings. In addition to a new version of its server software, BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0, which emphasizes energy efficiency and virtualization, RIM has partnered with HP on an operations manager for the Blac...

Oracle is intent on expanding its offering of Software as a Service applications, according to press reports. Specifically, it is planning to offer seven new products in a SaaS environment -- a move that would significantly enlarge its already substantial SaaS footprint. What's surprising is that it...

Two different types of media uses are propelling the vision for a connected consumer electronics home. These two concepts -- media server and cloud media -- increase the value of television, as well as other devices, by increasing the ability to discover, aggregate, access and display different type...

The reported acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle makes a ton more sense than IBM's earlier failed bid. This new compact, if it succeeds, will bring as good an end to an independent Sun as the pioneering IT vendor could have hoped for at this sorry stage in its history. However, there are much ...

One of the misconceptions of the Software-as-a-Service and broader cloud computing market is that these new Web-based services will "disintermediate" the channel because of their simpler, more user-friendly solutions, and direct sales and delivery business models. While there is no question that the...

In just a few years, Software as a Service has gone from a curiosity to a mission-critical application, accelerating into mainstream adoption. Faced with a dire financial situation, most businesses are taking advantage of the tremendous economies of scale that SaaS brings. Yet that's only the beginn...

Data loss prevention has traditionally been considered an on-premise activity. Software as a Service, by definition, is not. However, DLP and SaaS represent major trends in email security with high visibility, and they are often driven by corporate initiatives and senior level decision makers. Simil...

Privacy rights organization EPIC, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, has asked the Federal Trade Commission to see if Google is misleading consumers. This follows a breach in Google Docs on March 7, which was caused by a software bug that led users to inadvertently share some of their files ...

In my previous column in this space, I examined the trends which are driving IT managers to increasingly embrace Software as a Service solutions to better support their end-users and help their organizations achieve their corporate objectives. A growing number of managed services providers are also ...

It just goes to show how perplexing the gathering cloud marketplace is that the punditry are hesitant to meaningfully analyze this important development. But Amazon -- with a history of bold and long-term bets -- and IBM -- with a history of making markets whether it's right about the future or not ...

One of the common misconceptions about Software as a Service is that this new approach to software distribution and user adoption is at odds with the preferences and best practices of the IT organization. The reality is that SaaS is increasingly being viewed as a savior for IT. A longstanding goal o...

IBM and Amazon Web Services have inked an agreement to offer Big Blue's software through Amazon's cloud offering. Over the next few months, software images for full production of some of IBM's most popular software will launch in beta. IBM, of course, has a well-established footprint in the cloud an...

IBM has rolled out new products and services -- along with a joint network offering with partner Juniper Networks -- that solidifies its foothold in the enterprise cloud computing space. The IBM-Juniper offering is an infrastructure play targeting IBM's private cloud clients. Specifically, it's a hy...