A few days ago, Microsoft published The Economics of the Cloud, a whitepaper that has so far not gotten nearly as much attention or consideration as it deserves.  Perhaps this indifference is due to a collective freshman flashback on the dreaded "Econ 101" or, to skepticism about Microsoft's importance in the new world of cloud computing.  Either way, it is unfortunate because the paper presents some startling new data about the cloud, and, not entirely intentionally, reveals the company's cloud strategy at a level of nuance that we have not seen before. The paper is by Rolf Harms and Michael Yamartino, a director and manager, respectively, in Microsoft's Corporate Strategy Group.  The paper is pointed at "IT leaders", a phrase used 16 times in 22 pages, and has the ostensible goals of sharing the cloud wisdom Microsoft has gained from doing Azure, Bing, Windows Li... (more)

Cloud Expo New York Speaker Profile: Bart Copeland – ActiveState

With Cloud Expo 2012 New York (10th Cloud Expo) now just three weeks away, what better time to introduce you in greater detail to the distinguished individuals in our incredible Speaker Faculty for the technical and strategy sessions at the conference... We have technical and strategy sessions for you every day from June 11 through June 14 dealing with every nook and cranny of Cloud Computing and Big Data, but what of those who are presenting? Who are they, where do they work, what else have they written and/or said about the Cloud that is transforming the world of Enterprise IT, side by side with the exploding use of enterprise Big Data – processed in the Cloud – to drive value for businesses...? CLOUD EXPO SPEAKER NAME: Bart Copeland TWITTER: @ActiveState COMPANY: ActiveState 10TH CLOUD EXPO SESSION TITLE: Private PaaS for the Enterprise & Beyond SESSION DESCRIPTION: ht... (more)

Serious Mandate for National Health [The Corpus Callosum]

It was the second-most-blogged article on the NYT when I got up this morning; now, it is the first-most-blogged.  It is the article that reports on a survey that shows 72% support for a government-run health insurance program.  The program would be similar to Medicare, but would be available to persons under 65 and not on Social Security Disability.  In Poll, Wide Support for Government-Run Health By KEVIN SACK and MARJORIE CONNELLY Published: June 20, 2009 Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... ... (more)

Swine Flu Cookies and Other Wacky Flu Stuff

One of John and Adam’s pet rants on No Agenda revolves around the hysteria being generated for the swine flu and the vaccine that you WILL have to take under government orders, and then die after eating Monsanto-ized french fries. So, I decided to take a look around the Interwebitubes for signs of how people are reacting to it all. Here’s some of what I found. Click pics for more swiny goodness. Swine flu cookies Excellent headline for a story: Rupert Grint Gets Swine Flu And Doesn’t Even Die Swine flu t-shirt and Achufy, the 2009 commemorative Mexican flu stuffed toy The Swine Floozy (Tequila, 7up, Lime Juice, Bacon) function change_color(input, id) { var obj = document.getElementById(id); if (obj) { obj.style.backgroundColor = "#" + input.value; //alert (obj.style.backgroundColor + " for " + obj.id); } } .color_viewer { border:1px solid; width:70px; background-c... (more)

Seeding the Cloud: The Future of Data Management

PowerBuilder Session at Cloud Expo Doing more with less is a familiar refrain for IT professionals, and today's challenging business environment has only increased the pressure on managers to achieve efficiencies, maximize performance and improve responsiveness of the data center. More and more frequently, IT is turning to virtualization to accomplish its mission-critical goals. The hot new trend in cloud computing is a natural extension of this drive toward virtualization. In the case of the public cloud, IT can add processing power and infrastructure as needed, and in the case of the private cloud, IT can improve the utilization of existing infrastructure. In other words, cloud computing platforms offer IT the opportunity to increase efficiencies and become more agile, transforming the data center into an environment that delivers greater benefits to end-users. ... (more)

Open Government Clouds

You wouldn't typically combine the words 'Government' and 'Innovation' in the same sentence, but actually it's the ideal way to highlight some of the most essential and exciting points about Cloud computing. Although the technology can lower operational costs by moving processes 'into the Cloud', up to 90% in some cases of government adoption, it's not the full extent of the benefits. It can also go hand in hand with 'Open Transformation' of the processes themselves, utilizing "Crowdsourcing" approaches to fully leverage all aspects of what modern technology offers. Cloud Bursting Efficiency The key ROI dynamics of Cloud are elasticity and new technology adoption. IT organizations can improve their cash flow by avoiding lots of unnecessary hardware capital costs, and they can break 'Innovation Gridlock' by opening up Web 2.0 type environments to users and developers t... (more)

PHC Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2009 Results

PEABODY, MA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/13/09 -- PHC, Inc., d/b/a Pioneer Behavioral Health (AMEX: PHC), a leading provider of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services, reported financial results for the company's second fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2008. Second Quarter Fiscal 2009 Highlights -- Patient care revenue totaled $10.1 million, off less than one percent from the same year-ago quarter -- Signed agreement for sale of Pivotal Research Centers for a total consideration of $5.0 million, of which $2.0 million is contingent on future revenue -- Established rate increases for major contracts effective January 1, 2009 Key Financial Indicators (Dollars in thousands, except per-share amounts.) Q2 FY2009 Q2 FY2008 ----------- ------------ Total revenues* $ 11,020 $ 11,273 Patient care revenues 10,106 10,147 Net income (loss)* (404) 524 Earnings (loss) pe... (more)

Human Resource Executive Magazine's "Best HR Ideas for 2009" Issue Shines Spotlight on AlliedBarton's Human Capital Management Program

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA -- (Marketwire) -- 04/16/09 -- AlliedBarton Security Services implements one of the best HR ideas of the year as determined by Human Resource Executive® magazine. Celebrated in the magazine's March 2009 issue, the magazine editors shine a spotlight on AlliedBarton's Business Development Manager Talent Lifecycle Value (TLV) initiative. AlliedBarton, the industry's premier provider of highly trained security personnel, launched the TLV program in April 2008 to better understand how to address sales generation challenges during a turbulent economy. "We are honored by this recognition that comes from reviewing internal practices to continue to adjust strategies to meet demands of the ever-changing marketplace and place a premium on our customers' needs," says Jim Gillece, AlliedBarton's Senior Vice President, Human Capital Management and Chief People O... (more)

Poniard Pharmaceuticals Reports First Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Provides a Corporate Update

- Conference Call Today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time - SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PARD), a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2009, and provided a corporate update. "The completion of enrollment of our pivotal Phase 3 SPEAR trial of picoplatin for the second-line treatment of small cell lung cancer, along with the independent Data Monitoring Committee's support of the continuation of SPEAR, are significant accomplishments that bring us closer to our goal of building a U.S.-based oncology business," said Jerry McMahon, Ph.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Poniard. "Upon positive SPEAR data, we plan to initiate a rolling New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this year." Partnering... (more)

Cogo Group, Inc. Reports 2009 First Quarter Results

- Q1 Net Revenue: $63.3 million (a year-on-year increase of 5.1%) - Q1 Net Income attributable to Cogo Group, Inc.: $1.6 million GAAP and $4.5 million Non-GAAP - Q1 EPS Diluted attributable to Cogo Group, Inc.: $0.04 GAAP and $0.12 Non-GAAP with a year-on-year decrease of 36.8% - Company provides Q2 guidance of $70-72 million in revenue and Non-GAAP EPS attributable to Cogo Group, Inc. of $0.14-$0.15 SHENZHEN, China, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cogo Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: COGO), a leading provider of customized design solutions for the technology manufacturing sector in China, today announced unaudited financial results for its first quarter of 2009. The Company reported quarterly revenue of $63.3 million, up 5.1% year-over-year, compared to $60.2 million reported in the first quarter of 2008. Net income attributable to Cogo Group, Inc. for the first quarter o... (more)

Equifax's SVP of Global Internet Solutions Receives 2009 CIO Ones to Watch Award

ATLANTA, May 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) announced that Ed Smith, Sr. Vice President of Global Internet Solutions, has been selected as a recipient of the 2009 Ones to Watch award from IDG's CIO magazine and the CIO Executive Council. The CIO award recognizes 25 rising stars in Information Technology who bring tremendous leadership, innovation and value to their organization and have the potential to become future CIO's. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060224/CLF037LOGO ) The awards ceremony was held on May 4, 2009, at Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. during CIO magazine's Leadership Event. After accepting the award, Smith said, "It is an honor to be recognized among such a talented group of professionals. I am excited to share this honor with my entire team, who have been extraordinarily effecti... (more)