Cloud stirring mobile demand, and vice versa
Anyone with an eye on the technology industry can see that cloud computing and mobile devices are two of the biggest trends unfolding in the enterprise space right now. Separately, the two are making waves. But combined, the impact of cloud computing and mobile technology has the potential to be enormous.
The flexibility benefits of both technologies are clear. The cloud affords businesses the ability to access data, applications, storage, and resources from virtually anywhere. This has tremendous advantages in terms of increase productivity and business efficiency.
Come a little closer in the cloud
When thinking about the cloud, one may not realize the importance of proximity. This is understandable, given that one of the most commonly cited benefits of the technology is its potential to increase mobility and provide users the option of working from nearly any location.
However, the cloud is only an effective tool if your business can connect to it. This is where proximity comes into play. The closer a business is to a cloud center, the faster its services will perform, and issues with such services are drastically reduced.
Avoiding network strain when moving to the cloud
When it comes to cloud computing, we’re as enthusiastic as the next guy. But, for all the good the cloud brings, the technology is not without its challenges. As more businesses turn to the cloud to take advantage of potential cost savings, improved IT efficiency and greater productivity (the list goes on), there are issues of which a company must be mindful.
One such issue is the cloud’s effect on a company’s infrastructure. It’s understandable that businesses may be inclined to ignore their networks when moving to the cloud. After all, one of the major points about the technology is that it lets a third party deal with the nitty gritty.
Cloud computing can be traced to 3000 B.C.?
As humans evolved, they started earning income. And with regular income, a secure way to store currency became important. That’s when people began using safes at home, and many were happy with this approach.
However, they eventually realized that moving safes from their home to the cloud was more effective in safeguarding their wealth rather than keeping it in-house. Records suggest the earliest “cloud safes” started around 3000 B.C. And the oldest cloud safe – dating back to 1472! - is still in operation today.
Seeing green in the cloud
A few years ago, going green was all the rage. Businesses and consumers alike were doing almost all they could to tap into their inner tree hugger.
In recent years, though, some of the noise surrounding environmental business practices has died down. While the need is still there, it doesn’t seem to be capturing the same amount of attention as it did in the last decade. This coincided largely with the economy tanking. Businesses suddenly found themselves without the extra bread to spend on green initiatives, like solar panels and eco-friendly lighting.
The cloud and MDM: Helping businesses help themselves
For businesses, mobility is the gold rush of today, with many looking to get smartphones into the hands of their employees as quickly as possible. By now, we’ve all heard about the inevitable risks of consumerization of IT, and the importance of mobile device management to get the most value out of enterprise mobility.
So now, businesses are preparing for the technology, putting most of their efforts toward weighing their options on smartphones. Sure, mobile device management is a consideration, and many believe that as long as they have any MDM solution in place, they’ve covered all the bases.
VDI for a Globally Available Virtual Workforce
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is taking precedence in the enterprise more than ever. The cost benefits of large deployments are hard to overlook. Why are we seeing such a slow adoption rate? I believe there are 3 key factors slowing the momentum.
- VDI technology is still hindered by bandwidth delay. Working on a LAN is extremely usable for the average employee. The speeds of processing and usability are near real-time with the latest thin clients. Recently, we can include streamed HD graphics and content to benefit developers. Over a WAN or open Internet is a different story, and there are still large gaps in usability in this architecture. It is improving everyday and more and more people are starting to tackle the problems.
Back from Interop – Things Looking Up (though Cloudy)
Just back from Interop’s 25 anniversary year. Definitely seemed like more energy and attendance this year, though haven’t seen the actual #’s yet.
Not sure how many years you’ve been going to the show, but this was my 19th year. Yes, 10Mb Ethernet switches were first displayed that year (Kalpana), and we had 25% of the attendee population by our Ungermann-Bass booth to see “DragonSwitch” the following year, 1993.
Streamlining applications with Cloud Accelerator
The cloud represents a monumental shift in the way companies approach IT. These days, instead of buying software packages or mountains of storage tapes, we’re just as likely to send software, storage, and other needs to the cloud, which can often afford better solutions at lower costs. However, one challenge that still remains is optimizing response time as more applications are hosted in the public cloud. Because applications hosted on the public cloud are “farther away” from the end-user, customers may find response time leaves something to be desired.
Recognizing this, we rolled out our Cloud Accelerator service in January’2011. The service—an industry’s first acceleration service for public clouds—leverages our Enterprise Services Cloud (ESC) architecture to optimize the performance of applications run on the public cloud, including SaaS, storage, or common office apps.
Virtela takes on the “Windy City” at IT Roadmap
This year’s IT Roadmap Chicago definitely had more emphasis on the cloud than in the past—that’s good news for Virtela.
Our VP of Marketing, Liza Adams, presented at the event and spoke on Using the Cloud for Faster Apps, Robust Security, & Proactive Management. It was reassuring to hear positive feedback from the attendees. One audience member applauded that Liza’s presentation demonstrated how to approach and solve IT issues for multinational companies, instead of sounding like a sales pitch.