Earlier this week NASA took the wraps off a new Cloud Computing platform called NEBULA, or what I'm calling the (Space Cloud). Described as a way to manage research-class computing capacity. NASA describes NEBULA as "a Cloud Computing environment integrating a set of open-source components into a seamless, self-service platform." I found the location of the Space Cloud particularly interesting, The primary NEBULA data center is at Ames Research Center, in the Ames Internet Exchange (AIX). AIX was formerly "Mae West", one of the original nodes of the Internet, and is still a major peering location for Tier 1 ISPs, as well as being the home of the "E" root name servers. Basically you can't find a better location to put a cloud then the birth place of the internet. NASA also put out a request for "Computonauts" through the TESS Community Observer program which will allow... (more)

Where Is The Intuitive Web?

The current web provides a two dimensional user experience. A user has to interact with 2 dimensional objects in a browser. This experience is so much frustrating that some users are turning back to old way of doing business - go offline and call the live person. A study by Forrester Research just found that for online travel web site users. This is no different for other web users. The fact is link based navigation is orthogonal to human nature. The human mind excels with interaction. We humans love interacting and need interactive user interface. When I say interactive, it does not meaning link based navigation or web 2.0 style auto refresh of data, what I indeed mean interacting in human language. The ability to interact like you would do with a live person. One should not need any special language or special technology to do business online. The fact that peop... (more)

U.S. General Services Administration Awards Unisys Blanket Purchase Agreement to Provide Cloud-Based Email Solutions to Federal, State, Local and Tribal Governments

BLUE BELL, Pa., Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced that it was awarded a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to compete for task orders for cloud-based services for email, collaboration, office automation, electronic records management and other functions. Unisys was one of 17 cloud service companies selected to provide these services under a GSA BPA with an estimated ceiling value of $2.5 billion. This indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity BPA, open to all U.S. federal agencies as well as state, local and tribal governments, has a two-year base period followed by three one-year option periods exercisable at the discretion of the government. By using the GSA BPA, agencies can cut the time and money needed to develop and implement their own procurements for cloud-based services... (more)

Cloud Sherpas Nets $40M to Fund Global Growth Plans

ATLANTA, GA -- (Marketwire) -- 12/20/12 -- Cloud Sherpas has completed a $40 million Series B capital raise that will help the company execute its aggressive international growth plans for 2013 and beyond. Existing Series A investors Columbia Capital and Delta-V Capital are joined in the new round by Greenspring Associates, a global venture capital firm with over $2.2 billion in committed capital, and Queensland Investment Corporation, one of the largest institutional investment managers in Australia. Cloud Sherpas is one of the fastest-growing, most successful cloud services brokerages (CSB). With over 3,000 customers, the firm has more than doubled in size organically every year since inception and projects 2013 revenues north of $100 million. It has built strong and deep partnerships with two of the world's most prominent cloud providers, Google and salesforce.com... (more)

The Top 250 Players in the Cloud Computing Ecosystem

In the run-up to the next Cloud Expo, 7th Cloud Expo (November 1–4, 2010) being held at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley, it's time to give my earlier list a complete overhaul. Here, accordingly, is an expanded list of the most active players in the Cloud Ecosystem. I have increased it from the 'mere' 150 I identified back in January of this year, to 250, testimony – as if any were needed! – to the fierce and continuing growth of the "Elastic IT" paradigm throughout the world of enterprise computing. Editorial note: The words in quotation marks used to describe the various services and solutions in this round-up are in every case taken from the Web sites of the companies themselves. Omissions to this Top 250 list should be sent to me via Twitter (twitter.com/jg21) and I will endeavor to include them in any future revision of this newly expanded rou... (more)

Dolphin Announces Open API With Over 50 Add-ons Including Dropbox and Wikipedia

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 06/28/12 -- GOOGLE I/O -- Dolphin Browser, the most popular third-party browser on Android and iOS and only Gesture and Voice enabled browser, today announced the launch of Dolphin Garage, which opens the Dolphin Browser API to allow for third-party development. Dolphin also announced four new Add-ons from Dropbox, Pocket, Evernote and Wikipedia that show off Dolphin Garage's powerful capabilities. In addition, Dolphin Garage also supports Web apps based on Adobe's PhoneGap, which enable faster HTML5 Web app deployment. Dolphin Garage gives developers access to more than 150 Dolphin internal APIs including various browser user interface interactions, while also providing a runtime sandbox environment to allow developers to create their own experiences within Dolphin Browser. Powered by Dolphin Garage, users can now seamlessly exp... (more)

Where Are RIA Technologies Headed in 2008?

I am always being told off by i-technologists for quoting Picasso as having said that computers are useless. But I still love his reasoning? "Because they can only give you answers." Picasso, like AJAXWorld Magazine, liked questions. So we thought we would share with you what some of the world's leading rich Internet application pioneers are thinking may be the next questions that we need to see answered. From that readers can themselves infer where AJAX is headed. What are the top questions to ask next about AJAX? Eric Miraglia of Yahoo! 1.  (From March'08) How do I calculate the ROI of building my RIA on the iPhone SDK vs using AJAX? 2.  How do I assess the performance of my app and decide what to do next to make it faster?  3.  When it comes to accessibility, how do I know what's required of me for my rich web apps?  Beyond what's required, what makes good business se... (more)

Cloud Expo New York Call for Papers Now Open

Early Bird Savings Cloud Expo Cloud computing is a game changer. The cloud is disrupting traditional software and hardware business models by disrupting how IT service gets delivered. Entrepreneurial opportunities abound as this classic disruptive technology begins to proliferate, so it is no surprise that SYS-CON's industry-leading International Cloud Expo is going from strength to strength. The 5th International Cloud Expo, to be held April 19-21, 2010, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, NY, announces that its Call for Papers is fast approaching. Topics on which submission are welcome include all aspects of providing or using massively scalable IT-related capabilities as a service using Internet technologies (see suggested examples below). Help plant your flag in the fast-expanding business opportunity that is The Cloud: submit your speaking propos... (more)

Cloud Expo 2011 East To Attract 10,000 Delegates and 200 Exhibitors

SYS-CON Events announced today that the 8th International Cloud Expo will take place June 6-9, 2011, in New York City. The International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo series is the world's leading Cloud-focused event and is held three times a year, in New York, Silicon Valley and in Europe. Over 600 corporate sponsors and 10,000 industry professionals have participated in Cloud Computing Expo since its inception, more than all other Cloud-related events put together. Cloud Computing Expo 2011 East Call for Papers Deadline November 30, 2010 - SUBMIT YOUR SPEAKING PROPOSAL TODAY! The four-day event will offer a rich array of sessions led by exceptional speakers about the business and technical value of cloud computing with more than 150 sponsors and exhibitors and over 5,000 estimated delegates from well over 48 different countries. Explore Cloud Expo Sponsorship &... (more)

Cloud Expo, Inc. Announces Cloud Expo 2011 New York Venue

Click Here to Save $800 at Cloud Expo New York ! Cloud Expo, Inc. announced on Thursday that Cloud Expo 2011 New York, the 8th International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo, will take place June 6-9, 2011, at the Javits Center in New York City. Cloud Expo - International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo series is the world’s leading Cloud-focused event and is held in New York, Silicon Valley, Prague, Tokyo, and Hong-Kong. Over 900 corporate sponsors and more than 65,000 industry professionals have participated in Cloud Expo since its inception, tenfold more than all other Cloud-related events put together. Click Here to Save $800 at Cloud Expo New York ! "Cloud Expo was announced on February 24, 2007, the day the term ‘cloud computing' was coined," said Fuat Kircaali, Chairman and Founder of Cloud Expo, Inc. "Cloud has become synonymous with ‘computing' and ‘soft... (more)

Personal Branding Checklist

This is a checklist of items you need for an all-encompassing personal branding strategy. Personal branding is the process of marketing and selling yourself as a brand in order to gain success in business. Personal branding is a continual process just as knowing yourself is a continual process. As you grow, so does your brand. The need for personal branding arises from the fact that globalization has increased competition in the workplace. As the wheat is separated from the chaff, if you are left standing, you are left standing with others of good caliber. The playing field is now that much more challenging since your competition is as good as, or better, than you. To paraphrase David Samuel, the bloke who got me into personal branding after I saw him speak a few years ago; he spoke about of why you need personal branding. His audience was a group from a large teleco... (more)