(1-Feb-2012) The toll of cyber crime appears to be rising as criminals become more sophisticated and more focused on financial gain. And while businesses are doing a bit better at protecting themselves, criminals have become better at bypassing...

Solution Set

Trends often represent substantial and potentially disruptive change. Application Managers that choose to follow these trends can significantly improve or possibly damage the organization's competitive position.

Note

Major trends in Social Computing, Cloud Computing, Rich Internet Applications, and Mobility, are driving businesses quickly towards the future and for those businesses not ready to move with the wave of emerging trends, many are being left in...

Tool

Info-Tech conducted its own market evaluation of seven leading WAN optimization solutions. Use this tool to narrow the vendors to a shortlist of solutions that best satisfy the company's requirements, before sitting down with dealers and...

Note

The WAN optimization landscape has evolved dramatically in recent years. Technologies that were once cutting edge have become mainstream and vendors are now focusing their attention on the future. Mobility, virtualization, and cloud computing...

Solution Set

A utility infrastructure IaaS alone does not equal cloud. A range of emerging solutions offer to pave that last mile to full-function IaaS cloud services.

Template/Policy

IT departments are being asked to respond to interest (and sometimes direct pressure) in cloud computing. This strategy position template will help objectively define IT's position on the cloud for the organization and set realistic expectations.

Note

A cloud management solution alone does not create an internal cloud. However, it does put the final piece of the cloud puzzle in place once a mature, standardized, and virtualized environment is established.

Video

Three or four years ago keynotes and announcements at VMworld were all about cool server tricks. Today, as VMware seeks to be an infrastructure cloud platform, servers are just one layer in the infrastructure cake of the "virtual data center."

Solution Set

The Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) market is still in its nascent form with a large and diverse set of vendors. This size ensures that there is an IaaS option for all sizes and types of enterprise.

Note

The Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) market is still in its nascent form with a large and diverse set of vendors. This size ensures that there is an IaaS option for all sizes and types of enterprise.

Tool

Info-Tech conducted its own market evaluation of 13 Cloud IaaS solutions. Use this tool to narrow the vendors to a shortlist of solutions that best satisfy the company's requirements, before sending out RFPs and scheduling vendor demonstrations.

Organizations developing solutions must understand the architecture of building and creating software programs. When managers and leaders have a better and deeper understanding of the methodologies and construction techniques, it is easier to...

Limitations, pros and cons to developing in the cloud are extensive depending on the point of view. The general principle, and leading benefit, is that any computer connected to the Internet can be connected to the same pool of resources...

Vendor Research

Info-Tech conducted a survey of 285 North American technology solution providers, which revealed their interest and ability to make money from cloud-based solutions and services.

Vendor Research

The cloud represents both significant opportunity for solution providers to grow revenue streams and profits, as well as a fundamental threat to their existing business models. As vendors continue to ramp up their cloud offerings, their partners...

Vendor Research

Enterprises of all sizes are evaluating the potential of cloud computing for greater flexibility, speed, and lower costs in service delivery. Platform as a Service (PaaS) is one of three services typically based in externally maintained compute...

Vendor Research

Most enterprises are in the early stages of evaluating various cloud-based options including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) clouds. IaaS involves the direct rental of abstracted compute services, such as processing and storage.

Note

The cloud allows IT organizations to be more flexible, scalable and competitive. However, prompt organizational changes in technology, processes and people are required to take full advantage of the value from the cloud.

Solution Set

Adoption of the cloud has seen incredible growth in the last year, and has passed a tipping point. The impact of adoption will be experienced throughout IT.

Video

An internal cloud requires capacity management to cost effectively match business requirements with infrastructure. Develop a capacity management plan that optimizes infrastructure as a service by inventorying current capacity while planning for...

Tool

Use this capacity tiering workbook to keep track of applications and infrastructure, and introduce tiers of service that deliver "good enough" performance for cost effective capacity management.

Template/Policy

Having an internal cloud strategy can control costs and improve efficiency of a consolidated infrastructure. Use this process checklist to track your organization's progress in developing your internal cloud.

Note

An internal cloud requires capacity management to cost effectively match business requirements with infrastructure. Develop a capacity management plan that optimizes infrastructure as a service by inventorying current capacity while planning for...

Template/Policy

In an internal cloud, careful assessment of applications is needed in order to make efficient use of current capacity and plan for hardware upgrades to capacity. Use this assessment checklist can be used to gather the requirements of new and...

Solution Set

Provisioning an app or service in a consolidated environment is less about acquiring and deploying technology than it is carving resources out of an existing pool of capacity. Server and storage consolidation breaks a neat 1-to-1 connection that...

Template/Policy

Having an internal cloud strategy can control costs and improve efficiency of a consolidated infrastructure. Use this business plan to demonstrate how ongoing capacity assessment and planning will help deliver service goals at the lowest...

(30-Jul-10) It takes the defense industry years to design and build a new tank or jet fighter. But when it comes to cloud computing, the Defense Information Systems Agency has rolled out services faster than most of its civilian counterparts and...

Video

There is real and growing interest in cloud computing despite the overuse and overhype of the term cloud. One of the fastest growing areas of the cloud is cloud-based development. Enterprises of all sizes are evalutating the potential of...

Interest in cloud computing is strong among small enterprises as they explore potential for cost savings and agility. The disruptive potential of the cloud exists, but be careful to set appropriate cost saving expectations when considering cloud...