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photo-David-Linthicum-cropped-481x198Guest Blog: David Linthicum, Cloud Computing Visionary, Author, Speaker

Cloud Cruiser and Cisco have partnered to provide an out-of-the-box cloud financial management system for Cisco Intelligent Automation for Cloud. Through this partnership, Cloud Cruiser provides visibility into the costs of physical, virtualized, and cloud resources, as well as storage, network, application, and non-compute IT resources. We can track both the costs and the revenue realized from services being deployed, which enables service providers and enterprise IT departments to manage the profitability of their cloud services and align their business goals with IT spending.

I’m proud to be participating in a Webinar co-sponsored by Cloud Cruiser and Cisco, which will discuss the topic of cloud financial management.  Why?  Well, cloud financial management is one of the more important concepts in the world of cloud computing.  Yet, it’s also the most misunderstood.

While many cloud providers think of cloud financial management systems as mere billing systems, they are much more.  The core notion is to approach cloud financial management as a set of business processes and automated services that need to coexist with the existing cloud computing services.  These services leverage an on-demand, pay-as-you-go cloud model.  They offer a complete cloud financial management solution designed to lower IT costs, and profitably scale the cloud services business.

The objective of a cloud financial management system is to provide cost transparency, which will allow the service providers to see all costs.  Moreover, it will show how they map to resources consumed, as well as provide this information to the consumer of those resources.  Moreover, the concepts and technology should give the cloud provider cost accountability features, which allow charges to be assigned to the appropriate consumer of the cloud services, and in the appropriate amounts.  This includes either internal or external cloud service consumers.

The use of cloud financial management, as an approach and underlying technology, should offer the cloud provider cost empowerment, which allows the cloud financial management system to place fine-grained data in the hands of the customer (service consumer) so they can manage costs directly.  Finally, there is a need for cost management.  This will allow those charged with monitoring cost to understand the use of the resources, and make sure that costs are in line with the budgetary constraints of the service consumer.

So, just billing systems?  Hardly.  As more service providers come on-line, offering up everything from pre-built business processes that are on-demand, or centralized security and management services, to more traditional IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS, the need for cloud financial management technology grows.

The use of a cloud financial management system is a requirement for cloud service providers to manage and control costs, as well as provide the proper cost and usage accounting for their customers or cloud service consumers. Cloud financial management systems, such as the Cloud Cruiser Platform, provide most of the features and functions that service providers will require, including:

•  Heterogeneous data collection

•  Data analysis and structuring

•  Data aggregation and filtering

•  Hierarchical data mapping

•  Cost and price modeling

•  Budget alert processing

As cloud providers grow in numbers, the use of these systems will no longer be something that’s desirable.  It will be an absolute necessity, given the growth of cloud computing services, and the number of consumers who leverage these services.  Costs have to be monitored, analyzed, and controlled in order for cloud computing to be a business success.

This webinar is not to be missed!



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Earlier this year, I was having a business dinner with an important client in London when I received an IM on my iPhone. The message was from a Cisco colleague, and it said, “I need you to approve a purchase order. Right now.”

So I stepped away from the table, launched an app on my iPhone, read the purchase order, and clicked “approve.” Then I returned to my seat and went back to our dinner without missing a beat. The whole process took maybe two minutes.

Just a few years ago, this transaction would have required a laptop tethered to the network in a hotel or office, and it would have completely disrupted the dinner.  This pace of change, leveraging mobility solutions, across IT is unprecedented.

Why are so many businesses turning to mobile enterprise apps? According to Gartner, more than 25 percent of enterprises will have an app store by 2017. Mobile apps are making the promise of BYOD a reality. People love their apps and the highly personalized experience they deliver. By bringing their own devices to work, people can enjoy their work more, use the devices they choose, and do their jobs better and faster—from anywhere. According to Cisco’s latest study, the Financial Impact of BYOD, they can also be more innovative and productive.  At Cisco we firmly believe that work is a thing you do, not a place you go.  Continue reading “Enterprise Apps: The Next Wave in Mobile Transactions”



Authors

Brett Belding

Senior Manager

Cisco IT Mobility Services

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“You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” So said Dave Evans, Cisco’s chief futurist, in his keynote address at Cisco Live 2013.  I couldn’t agree more! As we usher in a new era of hyperconnectivity, we will see our environment in unprecedented ways, and then manage it like never before.

The trick is getting the relevant data to the right people at the correct time.

Cisco calls this transformation the Internet of Everything (IoE). With its explosion in connectivity from 10 billion things today to 50 billion in 2020, IoE promises a profound transformation that will enhance nearly all aspects of our lives.

But only if we do it right. And that requires changing the ways in which we think.

For IoE to be a true game changer, it will take much more than infusing every road, refrigerator, tire, and supermarket shelf with data-generating sensors. IoE could, for example, have a deep impact on water management. Today, 30 percent of fresh water is lost to leaking pipes. But a sensor in a pipe can only tell you that it’s losing water (and you may already have known that). The key is managing the information, tying it into control systems, and creating far-reaching, highly efficient processes for rerouting water or mobilizing maintenance resources. Continue reading “Internet of Everything: A Pivot Point in Technology — and Thinking”



Authors

Joseph M. Bradley

Global Vice President

Digital & IoT Advanced Services

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Remember the time when we were trying to figure out exactly what the Internet was? Web pages and dot coms didn’t make complete sense. Wow, how times have changed. Today, our world revolves around the Internet. Most of us connect every day. And now, we are doing more than just connecting.

Our team recently joined other industry experts at HITEC 2013, the world’s largest hospitality technology show. Hot topics discussed at the show included the next generation guest, including BYOC (bring your own content), social media, Wi-Fi services, data security, mobility and more. But one topic stood out among the others – the next big innovation cycle for hoteliers.

So what is the next big innovation cycle for hoteliers?

The one thing about innovation in hotels that stands out to me right now is that it’s almost a constant two-way dialogue between the hotel and guest. When we leverage the network beyond just connecting to the Internet, the possibilities are nearly endless.  This two-way dialogue creates an opportunity to better serve customer needs. And if we pay attention to guests’ dialogue and understand their daily physical and digital habits and desires, there is no more assuming what those needs are. By constantly gathering data to determine future needs, we can create a system that not only is a solution, but can help determine solutions for the future. Continue reading “The Next Big Innovation Cycle for Hoteliers”



Authors

Antonio Dimilia

Industry Director - Hospitality and Travel

Business Transformation Team

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With so many schools looking to integrate various technologies for things like blended & distance learning, increased staff and student collaboration, and mobility options, many are asking “are we sure we have the necessary infrastructure?”. And if they answer yes, will it support the newest technologies, and will it work all the time, every time?

We all know technology-enabled classrooms are becoming necessary for students and teachers living in a network-connected, mobile world.  Luckily, schools can actually reduce operating costs at the same time they are enabling these technologies by providing a wireless network infrastructure. Continue reading “[Cartoon Catalyst Blog Series] Why deploy Pervasive Wireless for K-12. Who’s doing it and how.”



Authors

Kerry Best

Marketing Manager

Public Sector Marketing

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How do you turn social media on its head and make it unique for your initiatives? I’m always fascinated to see new approaches to using social media and get inspired by different organizations’ creativity. From specific initiatives to drive more traffic and awareness (like American Express’ Passion Project) to getting executives involved (like HubSpot’s CEO Manager Twitter for a Day) to countless other examples in sports, entertainment, B2B, and B2C, creativity is a key factor in the success of our efforts.

Let's Chat! #Ciscosmt Series
Let’s Chat! #Ciscosmt Series

Social media is especially intriguing when it comes to the way it can be used for on- and offline events. (E.g., webcasts, virtual environments, onsite conferences and meetings, Twitter chats, etc.) Based on the nature of these types of activities, social media is a strong communication channel to pilot new ideas, convert more traditional approaches to 2-way engagements, and create real-time impact.

Specifically social media can be used to:

  • Drive registration traffic
  • Create a much more engaging environment
  • Tie on- and offline participants together
  • Generate more information sharing, innovations, and crowdsourcing
  • Provide more direct access to speakers, executives, peers, and others
  • Offer ongoing engagement opportunities long after an “event” has taken place
  • Troubleshoot and resolve issues quickly

Continue reading “Social Media’s Impact on On- and Offline Events”



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Chandra_Jacobs_headshotToday , I met Chandra Jacobs, Product Marketing  at EMC to talk about her experience at Cisco Live 2013 in Florida  and the solutions she presented.

Chandra – Can you introduce yourself ?

I love creative and challenging projects in the emerging technology product space. I have a background in technology, innovation, and product development, especially as applied to web and mobile development, but have recently expanded into content marketing and digital marketing.

In my role in product marketing at EMC, my specialties are Backup and Recovery Solutions for highly virtualized, converged environments (like the VCE Vblock System) as well as  “Cloud Backup as a Service “(BaaS) for Service Providers, Outsourcers, and Systems Integrators. I am active on social media, often tweeting from @EMCBackup as well as @therestlessroad, and write regularly for TheBackupWindow.emc.com, the Backup Recovery Systems Division blog

Sounds that you had a lot of fun at Cisco Live , but you  also have been pretty busy ?

Chandra1Yes ! With over 20,000 show attendees, Cisco Live was  all about the power of networking. I hope you enjoyed the play on words—I particularly think it is clever, considering the theme of the conference as well as the value attendees, partners, and customers get out of interacting and connecting with one another.

Chandra3Representing EMC Backup Recovery Systems here at Cisco Live, I witnessed first-hand exceptional collaboration between EMC partners around booth activity, social media promotion, and product expertise. VCE is the perfect example. In fact I counted up to 4 VCE Vblock Systems on the show floor !
At the EMC booth, the VCE booth, the Cisco Data Center and Cloud booth, the VMware booth !

 

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Chandra2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only is that a lot of exposure for a great product, but it also shows the level of commitment and support the partner companies have in making the Vblock System a success.

So in this spirit , how does your team contribute to the success of the Vblock System ?

My team is dedicated to provide the best  Data Protection solutions for the Vblock System, which is built upon a foundation of backup and recovery architected with TLC around leading edge EMC products EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain systems.

Continue reading “Data Protection Solutions for the Vblock System”



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Welcome to another episode of Engineers Unplugged! This week features Cisco’s Andrew Levin (@AndLevin) discussing the use cases for FCOE with Nexus IS’s Paul Sferratore (@MadItalianATL). This is a detailed and nuanced debate of the pros and cons based on a variety of scenarios from large-scale to smaller deployments.

Listen in and let us know what you think about efficiency and cost savings:

Andrew Levin and Paul Sferratore show off their unicorns. Do not try this at home.
Andrew Levin and Paul Sferratore show off their unicorns. Do not try this at home.

Welcome to Engineers Unplugged, where technologists talk to each other the way they know best, with a whiteboard. The rules are simple:

  1. Episodes will publish weekly (or as close to it as we can manage)
  2. Subscribe to the podcast here: engineersunplugged.com
  3. Follow the #engineersunplugged conversation on Twitter
  4. Submit ideas for episodes or volunteer to appear by Tweeting to @CommsNinja
  5. Practice drawing unicorns

Join us next week for Part 2 of this discussion. Meanwhile, for all the updates and behind the scenes, like Engineers Unplugged on Facebook!



Authors

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Cisco Partner Summit 2013 was an amazing event this year, and as you saw throughout the week, we had lots to tell you about the huge opportunity for partners focused on the midmarket.  Partner participation was excellent both live in Boston and at Virtual Partner Summit. Together with Cisco regional leaders, we engaged with more than 1,100 partners during our VPS Dialog Sessions.

Some of the topics covered during our VPS Dialogs: Grow your Business with Cisco sessions included:

  • Midmarket opportunity: 1.4 million midsize customers, $25 billion in potential product revenue and $30 billion in potential services revenue and how Cisco is helping all of our certified partners capture this  opportunity.
  • Enhanced Training:  New SMB Specialization, SMB University and an updated Smart Business Roadmap
  • New Mobile App: Cisco Engage Mobile App designed especially for Select Partners
  • Business Focused Event Series: An opportunity for hands-on product demos and networking with peers
  • Customer Case Studies: Developed by Cisco to promote our partners successes
  • Meraki Acquisition: New cloud offering available for partners

Participating partners responded very positively to polling questions during the sessions. According to the feedback we received: Continue reading “Continuing Our Midmarket Momentum With Partners”



Authors

Gordon Mackintosh

Director, SMB Sales

WW Partner Organization