Thursday 11 March 2010
Platform Computing, the leader in cluster,
grid and cloud management software, is expanding cloud computing capabilities
for high performance computing (HPC) with two new offerings. The company today
announced the release of Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster, a product that
dynamically changes the operating systems and personalities of compute nodes
managed by Platform LSF and Platform Symphony. It effectively increases
application capacity and resource utilization by consolidating heterogeneous
application clusters and allows organizations to build an internal cloud for
HPC. Platform Computing also announced new cloud bursting capabilities that
will permit Platform HPC customers to seamlessly redirect peak workloads from
their internal HPC infrastructure to external cloud resources on a pay-per-use
basis in order to optimally meet service levels. Together, these offerings
let HPC users take advantage of cloud computing by utilizing both internal
private resources and external public cloud offerings.
“Our 17 years in the HPC industry have proven to us that the demand for
compute resources will continue to grow exponentially, driving organizations
to seek ways to maximize their existing infrastructures to meet increasing
capacity needs,” said Peter Nichol, General Manager, HPC Business Unit,
Platform Computing. “It’s clear that the future of HPC lies in cloud
computing, which is why Platform is partnering with cloud leaders and
developing its solution set to allow organizations to take full advantage of
their existing infrastructure investments while capitalizing on the endless
capacity of the cloud.”
Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster
Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster is a new product offering in the Platform ISF
family that enables organizations to create an internal cloud for running HPC
applications and is integrated with Platform LSF and Platform Symphony. The
product dynamically changes the operating system and associated application
stack on demand thereby maximizing resource usage and service levels based on
workload. It does this by automatically provisioning Linux and Windows
operating systems from bare metal or initiating the right guest operating
system within a virtual machine container on the compute nodes upon
application demand.
To ensure application availability and guaranteed performance, many
enterprises employ multiple HPC clusters, each assigned to run a specific
application that requires either a Linux or Windows environment. Inevitably
this results in cluster silos and “cluster sprawls” with low utilization and
high management costs. Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster consolidates the
previous application silos into an internal cloud environment that dynamically
provisions Linux and Windows operating systems based on application demand to
maximize resource usage and service levels. Utilization rates of separate
server clusters typically ranging between 40 - 50 percent - can be increased
to 80 - 90 percent.
“While the 30 - 50 percent improvement in cluster utilization rates speaks for
itself, it’s the fact that we’re leveraging concepts from cloud computing and
applying them to HPC cluster silos for optimization, that really demonstrates
Platform’s commitment to driving the next wave of HPC management software,”
said Jingwen Wang, Vice President Products, Platform Computing. “Our HPC
customers in industries such as research, oil and gas, industrial
manufacturing, and financial services will benefit dramatically from the
improved HPC infrastructure agility by saving on hardware and operational
costs, maximizing HPC resource utilization and improving their end-user
productivity.”
The Platform ISF Adaptive Cluster is available immediately and can be
purchased directly from Platform or its resellers. For additional information
please visit
http://www.platform.com/Products/platform-isf/platform-isf-adaptive-cluster.
Cloud Bursting Capability
Delivered as a solution in the Platform ISF family, the new cloud bursting
capability allows Platform HPC customers to access external cloud resources to
offload peak workloads from internal HPC infrastructure on a pay-per-use
basis. The new solution allows HPC users to use external resources while
operating in a managed, private cloud environment as required by enterprise
governance and compliance regulations. Platform is working with external cloud
service providers to publish a machine image of the Platform HPC management
software stack, which includes Platform LSF, Platform Symphony, Platform
Cluster Manager and the new Platform MPI, to ensure Platform customers have a
single, user-friendly interface to transparently leverage both their internal
enterprise infrastructure for HPC and the external cloud for overflow.
With economic pressure forcing existing infrastructure to handle workload
demands that often exceed capacity, many Platform customers are investigating
alternative infrastructure models, such as cloud, to more effectively
provision for peak workload spikes.
About Platform Computing
Platform Computing is the leader in cluster, grid and cloud management
software - serving more than 2,000 of the world’s most demanding
organizations. For 17 years, our workload and resource management solutions
have delivered IT responsiveness and lower costs for enterprise and HPC
applications. Platform has strategic relationships with Cray, Dell, HP, IBM,
Intel, Microsoft, Red Hat, and SAS. Visit www.platform.com.
IBM today announced third-quarter 2009 diluted earnings of $2.40 per share compared with diluted earnings of $2.04 per share in the third quarter of 2008, an increase of 18 percent.
Third-quarter net income was $3.2 billion compared with $2.8 billion in the third quarter of 2008, an increase of 14 percent. Total revenues for the third quarter of 2009 of $23.6 billion increased 1 percent from the second quarter of 2009, and decreased 7 percent (5 percent, adjusting for currency) from the third quarter of 2008.
‘Our long-term strategic shift to higher-value businesses again enabled us to deliver outstanding margin, earnings and cash flow growth in the third quarter,’ said Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM chairman, president and chief executive officer. ‘We also saw improved revenue trends in our business and share gains in software and hardware.
‘We continued to invest for growth in areas where clients see potential for value creation including Smarter Planet solutions, cloud computing and advanced business analytics. We are optimistic about 2009 as we again raise our full-year expectations and we remain well ahead of pace for our 2010 roadmap of $10 to $11 per share.’
IBM now expects full-year 2009 earnings of at least $9.85 per share compared with its previous expectation of at least $9.70 per share.
The company said it expects full-year 2009 pre-tax income for both its Software and Services segments to grow at double-digit rates and reach approximately $8 billion.
From a geographic perspective, the Americas’ third-quarter revenues were $9.9 billion, a decrease of 5 percent (4 percent, adjusting for currency) from the 2008 period. Revenues from Europe/Middle East/Africa were $7.8 billion, down 12 percent (6 percent, adjusting for currency). Asia-Pacific revenues were essentially flat (down 4 percent, adjusting for currency) to $5.2 billion. OEM revenues were $634 million, down 6 percent compared with the 2008 third quarter. Revenues from the company’s growth markets organization decreased 6 percent (1 percent, adjusting for currency) and represented 19 percent of geographic revenues.
Total Global Services revenues decreased 7 percent (5 percent, adjusting for currency); pre-tax income increased 11 percent. Global Technology Services segment revenues decreased 4 percent (2 percent, adjusting for currency) to $9.4 billion. Global Business Services segment revenues decreased 11 percent (11 percent, adjusting for currency) to $4.3 billion.
IBM signed services contracts totaling $11.8 billion, at actual rates, a decrease of 7 percent (7 percent, adjusting for currency), including 13 contracts greater than $100 million. In addition, IBM signed three deals in the first two days of October with a total value of nearly $1 billion.
Signings in Consulting and Systems Integration and in Integrated Technology Services were $5.1 billion, a decrease of 16 percent (15 percent, adjusting for currency). Total outsourcing signings increased 1 percent (1 percent, adjusting for currency) to $6.7 billion. The estimated services backlog at September 30 was $134 billion at actual rates compared with $132 billion at June 30, 2009, and compared with $129 billion in the third quarter of 2008.
Revenues from the Software segment were $5.1 billion, a decrease of 3 percent (flat, adjusting for currency) compared with the third quarter of 2008. Revenues from IBM’s key middleware products, which include WebSphere, Information Management, Tivoli, Lotus and Rational products, were $2.9 billion, an increase of 2 percent (5 percent, adjusting for currency) versus the third quarter of 2008. Operating systems revenues of $521 million decreased 12 percent (8 percent, adjusting for currency) compared with the prior-year quarter.
Revenues from the WebSphere family of software products, which facilitate customers’ ability to manage a wide variety of business processes using open standards to interconnect applications, data and operating systems, increased 14 percent year over year. Revenues from Information Management software, which enables clients to leverage information on demand, was flat. Revenues from Tivoli software, infrastructure software that enables clients to centrally manage networks including security and storage capability, increased 5 percent, and revenues from Lotus software, which allows collaborating and messaging by clients in real-time communication and knowledge management, decreased 9 percent. Revenues from Rational software, integrated tools to improve the processes of software development, increased 2 percent.
IBM said it gained market share in WebSphere, Information Management, Tivoli and Rational software during the third quarter.
Revenues from the Systems and Technology segment totaled $3.9 billion for the quarter, down 12 percent (11 percent, adjusting for currency) from the third quarter of 2008 — but an improvement in the year-to-year revenue growth rate compared with the second quarter of 2009. Systems revenues decreased 13 percent (11 percent, adjusting for currency). Revenues from the converged System p products decreased 10 percent compared with the 2008 period. Revenues from System z mainframe server products decreased 26 percent compared with the year-ago period. Total delivery of System z computing power, which is measured in MIPS (millions of instructions per second), decreased 20 percent. Revenues from the System x servers increased 1 percent. Revenues from System Storage decreased 13 percent, and revenues from Retail Store Solutions decreased 15 percent. Revenues from Microelectronics OEM decreased 1 percent.
IBM said it gained market share in System p, System x and disk and tape storage during the third quarter.
Global Financing segment revenues decreased 15 percent (13 percent, adjusting for currency) in the third quarter to $536 million.
The company’s total gross profit margin was 45.1 percent in the 2009 third quarter compared with 43.3 percent in the 2008 third-quarter period, led by improving margins in services and software. Overall gross profit margins improved year-to-year for the 20th time in the last 21 quarters; total services gross profit margins improved year-to-year for the 18th time in the last 19 quarters.
Total expense and other income decreased 11 percent to $6.3 billion compared with the prior-year period. SG&A expense decreased 11 percent to $5.0 billion. RD&E expense of $1.4 billion decreased 8 percent compared with the year-ago period. Intellectual property and custom development income increased to $294 million compared with $267 million a year ago. Other (income) and expense was expense of $5 million compared with income of $51 million from a year ago. Interest expense decreased to $84 million compared with $159 million in the prior year.
IBM’s tax rate in the third-quarter 2009 was 26.5 percent compared with 27.5 percent in the third quarter of 2008.
The weighted-average number of diluted common shares outstanding in the third-quarter 2009 was 1.34 billion compared with 1.38 billion shares in the same period of 2008. As of September 30, 2009, there were 1.31 billion basic common shares outstanding.
Debt, including Global Financing, totaled $25.5 billion, compared with $33.9 billion at year-end 2008. From a management segment view, Global Financing debt decreased $1.4 billion from year-end 2008 to a total of $22.9 billion at September 30, 2009, resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.0 to 1. Non-global financing debt totaled $2.5 billion, a decrease of $4.0 billion since the end of the second quarter, and $7.0 billion since year-end 2008, resulting in a debt-to-capitalization ratio of 14.2 percent from 48.7 percent.
IBM ended the third quarter of 2009 with $11.5 billion of cash on hand and generated free cash flow of $3.4 billion, excluding Global Financing receivables. The company returned $1.7 billion to shareholders through $726 million in dividends and $930 million of share repurchases. The balance sheet remains strong, and the company is well positioned to take advantage of opportunities.
Year-To-Date 2009 Results
Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 was $8.6 billion compared with $7.9 billion in the year-ago period, an increase of 9 percent. Diluted earnings per share were $6.42 compared with $5.65 per diluted share for the 2008 period, an increase of 14 percent. Revenues for the nine-month period totaled $68.5 billion, a decrease of 11 percent (5 percent, adjusting for currency) compared with $76.6 billion for the nine months of 2008.
IBM has
announced the availability of the industry’s first public desktop cloud
service.
Cloud computing can give end-users easy access to the critical information
they need remotely, from various devices, virtually anywhere. IBM helps
organizations benefit from this model with desktop services that are designed
to enable end-users with network-attached PCs and certain other devices the
ability to access applications and data through a centrally managed computing
environment.
“Today more than ever, enterprises need an affordable, reliable and efficient
way to deploy and manage desktop infrastructures,” says Jan Jackman, Vice
President, End User Services, IBM Global Technology Services. “The public
desktop cloud service is designed to help bring cost savings, flexibility,
scalability and security to clients like never before.”
The new IBM Smart Business Desktop on the IBM Cloud subscription service helps
clients virtualize desktop computing resources, and provide a logical, rather
than a physical, method of access to data, computing power, storage capacity
and other resources. This service requires no up front capital or one time
expense and is designed to provide enhanced levels of security, resiliency,
reliability, and quality for virtual desktops. The service offers flexible
delivery models, including three standard cloud-based offerings, dedicated
infrastructure, and customer premise solutions, while helping to streamline
data backup and recovery, and reduce unauthorized access.
Through key technology and business partnerships with Citrix, Desktone, VMware
and Wyse, along with IBM tools for customer assessment and strategic planning,
IBM is helping clients address PC replacement dilemmas, deliver resilience and
reliability for critical information, and resolve Internet access parity
problems, all at competitive subscription service pricing.
“We’re thrilled that IBM recognizes Desktone’s pioneering work in desktops as
a service(R) (DaaS(R)), from both technical and market development
perspectives, and has selected us to provide foundational technology for its
innovative service,” says Harry Ruda, CEO, Desktone. “Desktone’s solution is
the first and only virtual desktop hosting platform designed specifically for
the cloud era, providing unique capabilities such as multi-tenancy and
seamless multi-data center support, key elements to designing and building a
scalable, cost-effective global desktop cloud offering.”
Supported by government funding, the Hispanic Information and
Telecommunications Network is partnering with IBM on a grass roots project
called CBO Connect to provide desktop computing to over 200 sites nationwide.
The CBO Connect is a coalition of community based organizations consisting of
non-profits, schools and libraries where visitors have access to 21st century
classrooms that offer desktop cloud computing, interactive video conferencing
for distance learning, video distribution system with digital signage, and
other classroom and administrative services.
“We recognize the interdependency between access to online services, economic
development and the quality of life,” said Jose Rodriguez, CEO of the Hispanic
Information Telecommunications Network. “By working with IBM, we can build
classrooms to serve as technology learning centers for underserved broadband
communities and ultimately provide a low cost entry point for residential
subscribers by using cloud computing services.”
IBM plans to make the IBM Smart Business Desktop on the IBM Cloud service
available in North America and Europe starting October 2009.
About IBM
For more information, visit www.ibm.com/services.
For more information about IBM Smart Business Desktop on the IBM Cloud, visit
http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/offering/bcrs/a1026737.
CONTACT:
Reilly Starr
917-472-3741
starrr@us.ibm.com
SOURCE IBM
Reilly Starr, +1-917-472-3741, starrr@us.ibm.com
VMworld 2009
VMware, Inc, the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop through the datacenter and to the cloud, today unveiled the for the most important virtualization event of the year, VMworld 2009.
Underscoring the conference theme, “Hello Freedom,” more than 300 presentations and breakout sessions from companies and customers driving innovation in the virtualization industry will focus on the liberating and transformative effects of virtualization on nearly every aspect of datacenter, desktop and cloud computing.
Leading off the general session keynote presentations will be VMware President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Maritz who will examine the rapidly expanding role of virtualization as IT organizations implement innovative solutions to achieve unprecedented levels of agility, reliability and cost savings. Maritz will deliver his keynote on Tuesday, September 1 at 8:00 a.m. PT. VMware Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Research and Development Dr. Stephen Herrod will discuss the future of virtualization and the evolution of computing in his keynote address on Wednesday, September 2 at 8:00 a.m. PT. Both presentations will be available via webcast at: www.vmware.com/go/vmworld-general-sessions.
The “Hello Freedom” theme highlights the ability of virtualization to empower IT professionals to rid themselves of the technical limitations of conventional computing, and recognizes the resourceful, creative and forward-thinking IT professionals and developers who leverage virtualization to turn possibilities into reality and potential into impact. Thousands of VMware customers worldwide are transforming their organizations by saying “goodbye” to the inflexible and inefficient traditional approach to computing and saying “hello” to a future of infinite possibilities powered by virtualization.
The “Hello Freedom” theme will be further amplified by the conference’s first Technology Exchange Developer Day on Monday, August 31 with nearly 300 developers attending. VMware Chief Operating Officer Tod Nielsen will be the featured keynote speaker. The industry’s leading software developers and engineers will also be presenting the latest technologies for building robust solutions on the VMware vSphere(TM) 4 platform. Attendees will be able to participate in beginner and advanced level sessions that provide an overview and best practices in the adoption of VMware’s developer APIs, including the VMware vSphere 4 Web Services Software Development Kit (SDK).
VMworld 2009 will feature more than 300 breakout sessions in six tracks: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, Desktop Virtualization, Enterprise Applications, Technology & Architecture, Virtualization 101, and Virtualization Management. VMworld will also feature 12 instructor-led and nine self-paced labs with over 10,000 total lab seats.
VMworld 2009 Online Resources
* For a list of VMworld 2009 exhibitors and sponsors, please visit: http://www.vmworld2009.com/sponsors-exhibitors/
* The VMworld 2009 agenda is available at: http://www.vmworld.com/community/conferences/2009/agenda/
* For more information about the VMware Technology Exchange, please visit:http://communities.vmware.com/community/developer/techexchange
* To register to attend VMworld 2009, please visit: http://www.vmworld2009.com
* To network and join VMworld discussions on Facebook, Twitter and other social media, please visit: http://www.vmworld2009.com/networking/
About VMware
VMware (NYSE: VMW) is the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter — bringing cloud computing to businesses of all sizes. Customers rely on VMware to reduce capital and operating expenses, ensure business continuity, strengthen security and go green. With 2008 revenues of $1.9 billion, more than 150,000 customers and more than 22,000 partners, VMware is one of the fastest growing public software companies. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is majority-owned by EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC).
VMware, VMworld, and VMware vSphere are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in this press release which are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the safe harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate, but are not limited, to continuing customer adoption and deployment of virtualization products and architecture. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) the duration and deepening of negative economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in consumer or information technology spending; (iii) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures, industry consolidation, entry of new competitors into the virtualization market, and new product and marketing initiatives by our competitors; (iv) our customers’ ability to develop, and to transition to, new products, (v) the uncertainty of customer acceptance of emerging technology initiatives; (vi) rapid technological and market changes in virtualization software; (vii) changes to product development timelines; and (viii) our ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect as well as other risks detailed in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. VMware disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.
Contacts:
Mary Ann Gallo
VMware Public Relations
magallo@vmware.com
(650) 427-3271
Liz Clinkenbeard
OutCast Communications for VMware
liz@outcastpr.com
(415) 392-8282
Job in Cloud Computing
If you need a job or if you need to find skilled employees, look to the clouds at www.cloudjobs.net where you can post or find a job in the Cloud Computing Jobs.
SaaS is the latest innovation in Internet technology. The term “cloud” is a metaphor used to describe the Internet. Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the “cloud” that supports them.
Parent company, Cloudcor, Inc. recently revised their online service portal to make it easier to use and more intuitive than any other online resource offers both free and paid services which can be accessed from anywhere in the world.
The new control panel is easy to understand and even easier to use meaning visitors will spend more time on finding that right job instead of trying to figure out how to use the system
.
There are many jobs already available at www.CloudJobs.net including jobs that require vmware certification and experience. HPC and data center specialists are also in high demand on http://www.CloudJobs.net.
Cloud Jobs was founded in 2008 by former Fortune 50 consultants with a great deal of experience in IT technologies, computing models, software services and more. Our newsletter, the Cloud Computing Group, is read by over 17,500 readers, making it currently the largest Cloud and grid computing group in the world. We have successfully helped qualified professionals land careers in some of the world’s leading companies including: Intel, Microsoft , Amazon, Argonne National Lab, SGI, Hitachi, CitiCorp, IBM, HP, SUN and more.
For more information about Cloud Jobs and its services, please contact Khazret Sapenov at:
Cloudcor Inc.
2980 Don Mills Rd., Suite 910
Toronto, Ontario, M2J 3B9 Canada
tel: (510) 984-2312
fax: (510) 373-1709
e-mail: info@cloudjobs.net
Website: http://www.CloudJobs.net
Press Information:
Calciustech
Cloudcor Inc
2980 Don Mills Rd, Suite 910
Contact Person:
Cloudcor Inc
Finding a job is easy at CloudJobs.net
Phone: 510-984-2312 x2544
IBM: JVC KENWOOD
IBM (NYSE: IBM ) today announced that JVC KENWOOD Holdings, Inc., the joint holding company of Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC), and Kenwood Corporation (Kenwood), has signed a 2.6 billion yen, six-year strategic outsourcing contract with IBM Japan for the management of its information technology
(IT) systems and shared hosting services.
JVC KENWOOD Holdings will leverage cloud computing to create a dynamic infrastructure
that acts more like the Internet to allow access to vast pools of technology resources during periods of high volume.
The new system will IBM’s Shared Hosting Services for IBM System z mainframes (zSHS) and will be hosted out of IBM’s data center in Makuhari, Chiba, Japan. The zSHS model will provide flexible IT assets and resources according to system demands and needs. The shared, virtual infrastructure on System z gives the company enterprise-class qualities of service at an optimal cost. IBM will also centralize IT resources by relocating JVC KENWOOD Holdings’ existing data centers in Saitama and Tokyo to IBM’s Makuhari Data Center, which has a sophisticated seismic- isolated structure and fully redundant electrical system for increased resiliency and security.
IBM System z has a long history of providing shared workloads in a single server with rapid automation of server provisioning and de-provisioning, making it an ideal candidate to deliver virtual assets to a multitude of tenants.
The contract was signed in April 2009.
About IBM
For more information, visit www.ibm.com/services.
CONTACT: Jen Knecht, IBM Media Relations Tel: +1 917 472 3607 e-mail: knechtj@us.ibm.com Kazuhiro Kaneko, IBM Media Relations Tel: +81 3 3808 4770 e-mail: kazk@jp.ibm.com
High Performance Computing Survey
Over a quarter (28 percent) of IT executives surveyed are planning to deploy private cloud in 2009, according to a survey of delegates by Platform Computing at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC’09) in June 2009. This planned adoption of private cloud within High Performance Computing (HPC) is being driven by the increased workload demand of applications and the need for IT to cut costs at the same time. As the leader in grid and cloud computing software, Platform Computing has been tracking adoption of private clouds and this level of intent to deploy reflects steadily changing attitudes in IT departments.
Cloud computing is an IT delivery model that provides infrastructure and computer resources as a service. By implementing a private cloud, IT leverages the power of sharing to maximize the utilization of compute, networking and storage resources in an organization. The compute-intensive nature of HPC applications lends themselves to the benefits of shared resource pools of private clouds. The concept of cloud computing has generated considerable buzz in recent months and is expected to become increasingly popular over the next few years. According to Gartner, by 2012 80 percent of Fortune 1000 enterprises will be paying for some cloud computing services and 30 percent will be paying for cloud computing infrastructure services.
The survey also cited that IT executives are positive about the benefits of the technology, with most (41 percent) citing ‘improving efficiency’ as the biggest motivation for establishing a private cloud. This was followed by ‘resource scalability’ (18 percent), ‘cutting costs’ (17 percent), ‘experimenting with cloud computing’ (15 percent) and ‘improving IT responsiveness’ (9 percent).
The majority (67 percent) said they are planning to run simulation and modelling applications on cloud, highlighting the need for greater power for compute intensive tasks. When asked what other applications they were planning to run using cloud, 32 percent said web services, while 18 percent said business analytics.
Yet before this takes place, several internal hurdles need to be overcome. Business decision makers are not fully aware of the benefits the technology can deliver — according to the survey findings, 76 percent of IT executives admit they do not feel that business decision makers understand the potential of private clouds. Also, according to respondents, over one third (37 percent) felt organizational culture was the biggest barrier to establishing a private cloud. The survey demonstrates that while IT executives recognize the benefits that private clouds can deliver over the traditional approach to IT, and want to deploy quickly, some decision-makers still need convincing. Others cited complexity of managing (26 percent), security (21 percent), upfront costs (8 percent) and application software licensing (8 percent).
“The private cloud route offers organizations a responsive, cost effective infrastructure model and supports IT’s obligation to oversee fundamental corporate requirements, including governance, compliance, business continuity, cost management and risk management,” said Randy Clark, chief marketing officer, Platform Computing. “IT executives are clearly convinced about the efficiencies and cost savings that private clouds will deliver, but as the research highlights, senior business decision makers are not yet on-board. If enterprises are to reap the full benefits of private clouds, the IT function will evolve to become a business service partner to the business. While this transition will not happen overnight it’s hugely important and will require internal leadership and world-class vendor support.”
Notes to editor: Survey of 103 IT executives completed at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) in June 2009. For more information about the conference please visit: http://www.supercomp.de/isc09/.
About Platform Computing
Platform Computing is the leader in grid and cloud computing software that dynamically connects IT resources to workload demand according to business policies. Over 2,000 of the world’s largest organizations rely on our solutions to improve IT productivity and reduce data center costs. Platform has strategic relationships with Cray, Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Red Hat, and SAS. Building on 17 years of market leadership, Platform continues to help data centers be more efficient, responsive and dynamic. Visit www.platform.com.
National Institute on Standards and Technology’s Peter Mell said Monday that the US needs “minimal” standards to define cloud computing. Mell, senior computer scientist for NIST’s Information Technology Laboratory, stressed that he was not speaking in an official capacity even as he discussed his draft definitions for cloud computing. He said he saw no issues with the U.S. putting “low-sensitivity data” on public cloud services; indeed, data.gov and USAspending.gov are currently hosted on cloud provider Terremark. There is a strong push from the top down; newly minted Federal CIO Vivek Kundra is pushing hard for cloud computing usage.
Kevin Jackson, VP of Dataline, met with Kundra and spoke of his overriding determination to cut computing costs by using virtualization and public cloud. Dataline provides IT services for the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies, according to Jackson. He said Kundra wanted to change the procurement system to favor new, cheaper technologies and push towards easier collaboration. Federal CIOs, he warned, would be held to task by Kundra if they did not look at cloud computing first. The U.S. government is on track to spend more than $77 billion dollars on IT in 2010, according to recent reports, mostly in services from EDS and SAP, making it one of the largest consumers of IT in the world. The conference discussions will yield a report on how to start standardizing cloud technology to be presented to the National Defense University Cloud Symposia on Wednesday. Fed CIO Kundra will present a keynote at the Symposia, as well as presentations by Google, HP, IBM and others.
Google’s Chrome operating system (OS) will operate on and allow immediate access to Web-based applications, which prominently includes the company’s cloud computing offerings. The OS will be designed to work originally with netbooks, providing what is being called an “Internet-based experience”, and will be expanded thereafter to laptops and desktops. CSC announced plans to resell Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) while providing all Level 1 and 2 support for the included products. They will also offer a mix of BPOS hosted by Microsoft, the version hosted in CSC’s “Trusted Cloud” and their already existing email management services as a multifaceted, cost-saving option.
After much speculation, it appears that the pricing of Microsoft Azure’s services could be up to 10% less than the cost of using Amazon Web Services. Industry sources have stated that Microsoft will “charge per 10 gigabyte database units, with other fees based on bandwidth and query activity.”
This guest post from Jonathan Sapir discusses the cloud computing revolution, including how the technology removes the boundaries previously enforced by IT and how the idea of users servicing themselves becomes more realistic with every day. t the HotCloud ‘09 conference in San Diego, CA, numerous groups made proposals in an effort to battle significant cloud computing issues. The IT Knowledge Exchange presents this free chapter excerpt from Power in the Cloud by Jonathan Sapir. The next step in IBM’s cloud computing strategy will be to offer business analytics tools as part of its services. Having these tools off-site will offer companies an opportunity to host and analyze large amounts of data elsewhere.
The deal, in which IBM will sell products from Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Juniper under its own name, builds on similar relationships IBM has with other networking companies. The Armonk, N.Y.-based technology giant already resells networking equipment from Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), the world’s largest networking equipment company and Brocade Communication Systems Inc. (BRCD), another networking product maker. Cisco, Juniper and Brocade all make routers and switches, used to “network” computers together, as well as direct information and data over the Internet.
IBM’s deal comes amid growing interest in “cloud computing,” the concept of selling computing services that are accessed online and paid for on a metered basis. Cloud computing is shaking up the technology sector - Microsoft Corp. ( MSFT) and Google Inc. (GOOG) have launched products to establish themselves in the field - and several big technology vendors are seeking to augment their portfolios with products which can better serve the cloud computing platform.
In particular, Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), IBM’s biggest rival in the hardware and IT services market, has been beefing up its ProCurve networking division and is starting to compete more aggressively with Cisco and others. Cisco, for its part, recently announced its intention to start making servers, bringing it ultimately into more direct competition with IBM, while Oracle Corp. (ORCL), the database and software giant, also recently moved into the hardware business through its acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc.
