Defining key terms for understanding the basics of this emerging technology

Cloud computing continues to be a hot trend in technology and is a great option for budget-minded and resource-constrained small businesses. Cloud-based services offer a more cost-effective solution for accessing applications and hardware on demand and provide small businesses with greater flexibility. In fact, many smaller companies are using cloud services without realizing it. And therein lies the challenge—there’s a general lack of understanding when it comes to cloud computing.

In this installment of our Talkin’ Tech series, we define key terms to help you understand the basics of cloud computing. If there’s a term we didn’t include that you’d like defined, please let us know!

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Tags: cloud, Cloud Computing, Hybrid Cloud, paas

Over the last few months, the big trend in Cloud Computing has been a dramatic shift from “talking” to “building”. Companies in every industry are taking the next steps to deploy their strategies to deliver more efficient IT services for their business, with the goal of delivering the services in the best possible manner regardless of the source (Private Cloud, Public Cloud service, Hybrid capabilities).

But companies looking to deploy Cloud Computing or expand their existing footprint face several challenges:

• How to deal with on-going support for legacy applications (such as this or this) while beginning to deploy new virtualized or cloud-based applications?
• How to ensure consistent levels of Security, Auditing, Compliance, and Quality of Service across the range of applications (old and new)?
• How to build out Cloud Computing infrastructure in a way that is consistent and able to easily grow as demand grows?
• How to deal with potential migration from one source of services (internal or external) to another without having to completely re-architecture the underlying infrastructure?
• How to deal with concerns about stability of external Cloud Computing services that are outside of their control?

Tags: Big Data, Business Ready, Client-Server, Cloud Computing, Hybrid Cloud, nexus, NX-OS, private cloud, virtualization

Cloud computing is ubiquitous – directly or indirectly, enterprise organizations, governments and consumers have been actively using or engaging with hosted application platforms for some time and will continue to do so for many years to come.  Lately we have been bombarded by cloud conversations, market analysis on whether cloud is greener, more secure, more cost effective or if it’s here to stay. The din of these conversations sometimes dulls out the reality that cloud is simply a necessary and expected evolution of the way we consume, access, and deliver information over the network. Click here to learn how some private sector organizations are already realizing the benefits of cloud.

With the proliferation of mobile devices, applications and social networks, consumers’ behaviors are changing and access to information anytime, anywhere and over any platform has become a norm. As devices become more relevant, more intelligent and more embedded into our day-to-day lives, we begin to expect that same seamless connected experience across the services we receive from our cities, governments, schools, etc.  Cloud enables these connected devices to go beyond the limitations of our 1:1 interactions and extends our access to services and information. With cloud computing, governments and industries can deploy more dynamic services to grow cities, deliver faster, more reliable services to citizens, and ensure greater access to a global market of opportunities and experiences.

Cloud is really about economies of scale.  Tangible upfront cost savings are difficult to measure, but if you look at cloud as a means to achieving organizational agility through efficient virtualization processes, then the savings are more quantifiable. Cloud computing won’t solve all our IT problems, but it gives us an opportunity to look beyond a siloed approach to IT and information sharing and experience the next generation of collaboration that is dynamic and reliable enough to evolve the way we currently deliver services and operate.

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Tags: cloud, government, Hybrid Cloud, private cloud, Public Cloud

Maybe you’ve noticed our recent ad campaign, “Cloud with Confidence“, in which we talk about the explosion of companies enabling their business via Cloud Computing activities -- Public, Private and Hybrid Clouds. One of my favorite parts of the messaging is that it doesn’t try and confine the definition of “cloud” as a single thing but instead it highlights the power of connectivity between people, information, markets and ideas. The value to businesses is the interaction and availability of all of these services to help them move from a great idea to a great implementation as quickly as possible.

But that’s just marketing, right? We live in an environment where people are skeptical of large claims and want to see results. Increasingly, they often want to see other people take the risk before them. Not only do we hear this from CIOs that are managing long-term strategies and budgets, but we also hear it from IT organizations that don’t want to do a lot of extra work if the benefits aren’t going to be there.

Fair enough.

How about a couple of REALLY BIG examples? Read More »

Tags: Cisco IT, Cloud Computing, EMC, Hybrid Cloud, innovation, Journey to Cloud, private cloud

2010 saw a lot of attention, coverage, and interest building up around the private cloud.  IDC’s “IT Cloud Services Survey” conducted in the second quarter of 2010 showed that “those who find private clouds more (and much more) appealing than public clouds outnumbered those who find private clouds less (or much less) appealing by over 5 to 1.”

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Tags: automation, cloud, Gartner, Hybrid Cloud, IDC, intelligent, security