I like this major new trend known as software-defined data center and this will be a highly disruptive force in enterprise computing. Gone are the days of expensive physical data center owned by large corporations. Now it is the rise of “soft” infrastructure. Virtual machines and virtual networks and storage can be provisioned and reconfigured rapidly and in a highly automated way, rather than being limited by the constraints of hardware infrastructure that was built for a much less dynamic environment. Most of all it makes great economic sense as the resource utilization will be highly efficient. The “software-defined data center,” as it is commonly known, has business repercussions that go well beyond transforming data center technology. It has shaken long-term alliances between technology giants. Vendors are scrambling to reposition themselves to best exploit th... (more)

Day 2 Keynote at Cloud Expo New York | Ignite Innovation

Cloud Expo New York $500 Savings here! In the old world of IT, if you didn't have hardware capacity or the budget to buy more, your project was dead in the water. Budget constraints can leave some of the best, most creative and most ingenious innovations on the cutting room floor. It's a true dilemma for developers and innovators - why spend the time creating, when a project could be abandoned in a blink? That was the old world. In the new world of IT, developers rule. They have access to resources they can spin up instantly. A hybrid cloud ignites innovation and empowers develop... (more)

Public Cloud’s Got a Silver Lining: Gartner

The worldwide public cloud market is projected to grow 18.5% this year to $131 billion, up from $111 billion last year, according to Gartner. That number includes a 47.3% jump in Infrastructure-as-a-Service to $9 billion. IaaS was up 42.4% to $6.1 billion last year. Gartner expects $677 billion to be spent on cloud services between 2013 and 2016 and estimates that $310 billion of that will go for cloud-based advertising. Cloud advertising was 48% of the total market last year. Gartner found that business process services was the second-largest segment last year, accounting for 28... (more)

NetApp EF540, Something Familiar, Something New

NetApp announced the other day a new all nand flash solid-state devices (SSD) storage system called the EF540 that is available now. The EF540 has some things new and cool, along with some things familiar, tried, true and proven. What is new is that the EF540 is an all nand flash multi-level cell (MLC) SSD storage system. What is old is that the EF540 is based on the NetApp E-Series (read more here and here) and SANtricity software with hundreds of thousands installed systems. As a refresher, the E-Series are the storage system technologies and solutions obtained via the Engenio a... (more)

Cloud Expo New York: Rethink IT and Reinvent Business with IBM SmartCloud

Cloud Expo New York $500 Savings here! On today's Smarter Planet, enterprises are turning to the cloud to revamp existing business models and manage an unprecedented rate of change. In fact, the number of enterprises moving to cloud computing will double within the next few years as they seek to transition IT from a cost center to a strategic center of business innovation. In his General Session at the 12th International Cloud Expo, Craig Sowell, Vice President for IBM SmartCloud Marketing, will discuss how the IBM SmartCloud family, including PureSystems, helps enterprises optim... (more)