Bonjour Foxes! I started my career as a Telecom Engineer for Rational Software in the load testing space back in the late '90s, and when I look back on the last decade, there were enormous advances in the broader IT world including development methodologies, processing speeds, network speeds, mobile devices (it's hard to believe the first iPhone was only released 6 years ago). But the question is: Has the world of load and performance testing really changed all that much? Are the missions the same? Are the challenges different? And how can we be prepared for the future of load and performance testing? Let's start with what hasn't changed: Websites crash. Crashes are a reality today just as much as they were 10 years ago. While many companies have become aware of big events (e.g., Cyber Monday, big ad campaigns) that cause traffic spikes, exact traffic levels are sti... (more)

UNIT4 Business Software: Three Retail Accounting Tips to Help Retailers Leverage the Cloud and Back Office Systems

VICTORIA, BC and MANCHESTER, NH -- (Marketwired) -- 04/25/13 -- Stronger than expected gains in retail sales in February and March point to a spring outlook where consumers shop more and spend more in the U.S. For an industry on the frontline of a changing economy, this is welcoming news. But responding to a new level of consumer demand across increasingly diverse retail channels -- brick, click, social, mobile, catalog and more -- requires retailers to have more than a good front-end operational, consumer-facing IT system, according to UNIT4 Business Software, the North American... (more)

Cloud Expo NY: Flash Memory Can Be Primary Storage for the Cloud... Now

Cloud Expo New York $500 Savings here! Only a system-level approach to flash memory management can meet the increasing performance demands of the cloud while bringing the price of all solid-state systems to a level that is equal to high-performance HDDs. Innovations are necessary to make the latest generation of 19/20 nm MLC flash memory usable in mainstream enterprise cloud storage. In addition, reducing high costs that keep flash memory from serving as primary storage (as compared to caches or tiers) is very important. In his session at the 12th International Cloud Expo, Rado D... (more)

Backup, Recovery, Archiving, and the Cloud

Backup, Recovery, and Archiving (BURA) are critical elements for IT to address. BURA solutions need to address a broad spectrum of needs including data protection, regulatory compliance, and business continuity. Today's cloud based solutions can enable customers to procure and consume BURA as a service supported by EMC's latest technologies. At the end of Rich Place's session at 12th Cloud Expo | Cloud Expo New York [June 10-13, 2013], Cloud Expo attendees will be able to: 1. Gain a full understanding of Backup, Recovery, and Archiving (BURA), also known as Backup as a Service inco... (more)

Google Glass a Year Away

Don't expect Google Glass to be out anytime soon. Google's globe-trotting chairman Eric Schmidt told the BBC that "It's fair to say that thousands of these will be in use by developers over the next months, and then based on their feedback we will make some product changes, and it's probably a year-ish away." CEO Larry Page has already suggested the cloud-ified glasses with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity will cost developers around $1,500 for early tests. The things are supposed to capture 5-megapixel images and video at a 720p resolution and have 16GB of Flash storage synced w... (more)