From the Blogosphere

APIs: Essential for Delivering Storage in Enterprise Cloud Infrastructures

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:15:00 EDT

It’s pretty easy to pick holes in the current legacy storage products, especially when it comes to integration within both public and private cloud deployments. However it’s worth discussing exactly what is required when implementing cloud frameworks, as the way in which storage is deployed is radically different from the traditional model of storage operations. In this post we will look at why traditional methods of storage management need to change and how that affects the way in which the hardware itself is used. This leads to a discussion on APIs and how they are essential to drive cloud deployments effectively.

CloudTip #14 - Can I Get Profile Information from SQL Azure?

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:13:00 EDT

Your application is running slow. You need to find out what’s going on. If you’ve used SQL Profiler on a local database you might be familiar with how you can capture a trace of database activity and use it to figure out where your resources are going. The visibility makes it MUCH easier to tune a database than sorting thru a bunch of code. The question is, what do you do when you’re moving an app to the cloud? If you’ve wondered how you can get Profile information from SQL Azure, the new online management portal for SQL Azure has been updated with design, deployment, administration and tuning features built in. The Overview screen provides quick links to the different areas of the portal, as well as easy links to help information from msdn online. You can get to the portal either by going to the Windows Azure management portal on http://windows.azure.com and after signing in going to the database section and clicking Manage, or simply browsing to your database name – https://.database.windows.net where you substitute your database server’s name for .

RACI and PaaS – A Change in Operations

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:15:00 EDT

I have been having a great debate with one of my colleagues about the changing role of the IT operations (aka “I&O”) function in the context of PaaS. Nobody debates that I&O is responsible and accountable for infrastructure operations. Application developers (with or without the blessing of Enterprise Architecture) select platform components such as application servers, middleware etc. I&O keeps the servers running – probably up to the operating system. The app owners then manage their apps and the platform components. I&O has no SLAs on the platform, etc. In the PaaS era, I think this needs to change. IT Operations (I&O) needs to have full accountability and responsibility for the OPERATION of the PaaS layer. PaaS is no longer a part of the application, but is now really part of the core platform operated by IT. It’s about 24×7 monitoring, support, etc. and generally this is a task that I&O is ultimately best able to handle.

Cloud, Virtualization, Server, Storage I/O Polls

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

The following are a collection of ongoing industry trends and perspectives polls pertaining to server, storage, IO, networking, cloud, virtualization, data protection (backup, archive, BC and DR) among other related themes and topics. In addition to those listed below, check out the comments section where additional polls are added over time.

PaaS Deployment Models

Sat, 19 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

Rapid deployment capability is table stakes when we are talking about a PaaS solution. Every vendor touts it, and to be frank, every user simply expects it to be there. While I think it is interesting to talk about rapid deployment and perhaps compare speed of one solution to that of another, I think it is infinitely more interesting to talk about the mechanics of deployment for a particular solution. That is, I think the more interesting and important question is ‘What deployment style does a particular solution take?' At a very high, black and white level, I think two primary deployment styles permeate the landscape of PaaS today: contained and referential. I want to compare each approach, but before that, let me use a few words to describe each style.

Are Large Storage Arrays Dead at the Hands of SSD?

Sat, 19 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

Are large storage arrays dead at the hands of SSD? Short answer NO not yet. There is still a place for traditional storage arrays or appliances particular those with extensive features, functionality and reliability availability serviceability (RAS). In other words, there is still a place for large (and small) storage arrays or appliances including those with SSDs. Is there a place for newer flash SSD storage systems, appliances and architectures? Yes Similar to how there is a place for traditional midrange storage arrays or appliances have found their roles vs. traditional higher end so-called enterprise arrays. Think as an example EMC CLARiiON/VNX or HP EVA/P6000 or HDS AMS/HUS or NetApp FAS or IBM DS5000 or IBM V7000 among others vs. EMC Symmetric/DMX/VMAX or HP P10000/3Par or HDS VSP/USP or IBM DS8000. In addition to traditional enterprise or high-end storage systems and midrange also known as modular, there are also specialized appliances or targets such as for backup/restore and archiving. Also do not forget the IO performance SSD appliances like those from TMS among others that have been around for a while.

Introduction to SQL Azure

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

In our previous articles, Introduction to SQL Server 2012 and Windows Azure Overview, we made references to Microsoft’s SQL Azure service. In this article we will take a closer look at its main features in more detail. SQL Azure is a relational database solution with the capability to support both Windows Azure and on-premise applications with minimum latency. It is considered a managed service and it’s offered by Microsoft to allow you to build applications without concerning yourself about the storage they’ll use. Being a cloud service, SQL Azure gives you all the benefits of the cloud

Quantifying Reputation Loss from a Breach

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:15:00 EDT

It’s really easy to quantify some of the costs associated with a security breach. Number of customers impacted times the cost of a first class stamp plus the cost of a sheet of paper plus the cost of ink divided by … you get the picture. Some of the costs are easier than others to calculate. Some of them are not, and others appear downright impossible. One of the “costs” often cited but rarely quantified is the cost to an organization’s reputation. How does one calculate that? Well, if folks sat down with the business people more often (the ones that live on the other side of the Meyer-Briggs Mountain) we’d find it’s not really as difficult to calculate as one might think. While IT folks analyze flows and packet traces, business folks analyze market trends and impacts – such as those arising from poor customer service.

Storage Old, New and Past Due?

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT

It’s been an interesting day of contrasts in the world of storage, one that shows storage is a diverse and wide ranging segment of IT. Tape has been part of the discussion on the twitterverse and despite everyone’s best attempts, is not dead yet. Tape and backup may not be seen as cool - but data protection is an essential requirement of sustainable data management and tape still provides the one of the most cost effective methods of data protection and of course archive. This has happened because tape continues to innovate. Tape drive speeds and media capacities continue to push upwards to meet demand, driving the effective cost per GB down and so keeping tape a player in the long term data retention market. Tape will be around for a long time to come.

Cloud Encryption for Cloud Providers

Fri, 18 May 2012 07:00:00 EDT

As part of our cloud strategy, we’ve recently released a VMware version of our cloud security offering. It allows cloud providers using VMware, as well as the cloud users themselves, to create an encrypted environment within minutes, while eliminating the complexity around encryption key management in the cloud without compromising trust and confidentiality. During this process we’ve engaged in many conversations with the cloud providers’ community to better understand their requirements, and equally important – their customers’ requirements. We’ve identified some interesting patterns with regards to cloud data security, which I thought would be beneficial to share.

Cloud API Standardization – It’s Time to Get Serious

Fri, 18 May 2012 06:15:00 EDT

Okay – this is easy… or is it? Lots of people continue to perpetuate the idea that the AWS APIs are a de facto standard, so we should just all move on about it. At the same time, everybody seems to acknowledge the fact that Amazon has never ever indicated that they want to be a true standard. Are we reallyIn fact, they have played quite the coy game and kept silent luring potential competitors into a false sense of complacency. Amazon has licensed their APIs to Eucalyptus under what I and others broadly assume to be a a hard and fast restriction to the enterprise private cloud market. I would not be surprised to learn that the restrictions went further – perhaps prohibiting Eucalyptus from offering any other API or claiming compatibility with other clouds.

API-Aware Traffic Management

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

As I mentioned in my last blog post, the promise of cost reduction is compelling many enterprises to move their workloads into the Cloud but many IT leaders are reluctant to do so, for fear of compromising the security and availability of their services. These concerns are well-founded but the benefits of Cloud are too great to ignore. To obtain these benefits, companies must adopt techniques that protect against the attendant risks, without compromise. Many people are familiar with Layer 7’s industry-leading security functionality, so it’s no surprise that I’d recommend using our Gateway technology to protect connections from on-premise infrastructure to off-premise Cloud services. The flexibility of deployment options we offer makes it possible to create a network of secure on- and off-premise endpoints to meet the most stringent requirements. This covers security but what about availability?

It's Time to Consider Human Capital Again

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:45:00 EDT

Throughout history there has been a cycle that ebbs and flows where new technology makes production more efficient and reduces the need for manpower in a particular space, thus forcing those in charge into the difficult position of deciding who stays and who goes. This is normally replaced by an uptake in needs for employees elsewhere, and eventually by expansion of the original vertical market, a return to labor-heavy workloads. This cycle has existed (in a variety of forms) for ages. With a crossbow, less skill and more bodies were needed to field an army. With early guns, more skill and less bodies were needed. The cycle goes around again. The same is true of any marketplace where technology can help improve efficiencies. In the case of farming, fewer small farms and an increasing number of massive farms with staff no larger than the small farms whose land the large ones take up. The reason being technology improving the rate of all the jobs that are required on a farm.

The Zetta Founders’ Story: From Netscape to Cloud Storage

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:21:18 EDT

It was at Netscape, in the early days of the internet, when co-founders Lou Montulli and Jeff Whitehead first worked together and began to notice how the amount of their data was constantly growing, but the process for adding storage and protecting that data wasn't improving over time. "Zetta is a company that's trying to revolutionize storage," is what Lou says at the beginning of the video above - but what does a revolution in storage look like? Data that's backed up to Zetta is ready to be restored at a moment's notice because it's identical to the data on your company's network and individual endpoints. Your data is never converted to a proprietary backup format (like with appliance-based solutions) or just dumped into buckets (like with that South American river storage).

Big Data Hosting

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT

When it comes to building new cloud services, there is a large opportunity for new services built around Big Data. So when you look at consulting firms that provide application development and integration services, are there opportunities for them to leverage Big Data in their service portfolio? For enterprise consultancy, cloud platforms and tools such as enterprise integration framework and development software can be used to provide line-of-business, e-commerce and system integration services. And the nice thing about Big Data is that it helps provide opportunities to build financially sustainable services. While there is a large market for cloud computing and mobility solutions, one of the services that consultants are seeing traction with is through offering Big Data analytics, especially in the Healthcare and Automotive verticals. The nice thing is that these engagements are usually lengthy and comprehensive, which is important for consulting firms who survive on stable, long-term projects to help raise cash flow and utilization rates to help lower overall cost of sales.

Is OpenStack a New Door to Cloud Adoption?

Wed, 16 May 2012 06:30:00 EDT

All the buzz surrounding OpenStack over the past few months may beg the question of whether Openstack can repeat for Cloud what Linux has done for server operating systems over the past several years. With an enthusiastic following and a compelling, if not industry-leading set of functionality, the possibilities may be boundless. This week’s announcement of the HP Cloud public beta, an OpenStack-based cloud that includes compute, object storage and a content delivery network, provides even further momentum to this open source effort. With well-known vendors such as HP, Rackspace and hundreds of others backing them, we can expect OpenStack adoption to increase.

FedRAMP PMO Releases First Set of 3PAOs

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:41:00 EDT

Late today the FedRAMP Program Management Office released the first list of certified Third Party Assessment Organizations (3PAOs). These companies are accredited to perform initial and periodic assessment of cloud service provider (CSP) systems per FedRAMP requirements, provide evidence of compliance, and play an on-going role in ensuring CSPs meet requirements. FedRAMP provisional authorizations must include an assessment by an accredited 3PAO to ensure a consistent assessment process. he initial set of 3PAOs announced today are (see http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/131991):

Anywhere Access, Share and Collaboration with HP Cloud Storage

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:10:00 EDT

With HP Cloud Storage, you can access it from web browser or from Application Programming Interface (API). With Gladinet, it is much easier to access HP Cloud Storage from all major web browser with Windows Explorer like interface. It is also easy to share and collaborate with colleagues from web browser. Anywhere access: from desktop, from web browser and from mobile devices to HP Cloud Storage. Team Folder for collaboration, with file locking and version control Peer-2-Peer Sharing. It is very easy to share files and folders with people.

How CIOs Migrate Their IT Applications to the Cloud

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:30:00 EDT

As the role of cloud computing is growing around the globe, many CIOs and other senior IT decision makers are facing challenges with their existing network infrastructure -- to support the migration of their business applications to the cloud. A new international study by Cisco Systems revealed the ongoing challenges associated with public or private cloud deployments. These latest research findings provide insight into the current state of cloud service adoption and the chasm between IT expectations and network realities. The survey also examines the experiences of IT professionals regarding the level of difficulty and time required to update their networks and migrate their applications to the cloud.

Modernizing the Network

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:15:00 EDT

Major changes have taken place in the network in the past 15 years. The type of data that users are passing across the pipes is significantly different in size and composition. And, the coming “data explosion” promises to put even the most robust networks to the test. When you add in technologies like virtualization and the need to access cloud computing solutions reliably, it’s no wonder that the network sometimes falls behind the times. If you want to modernize your data center’s network, here are some guiding facts and principles you need to consider.

SDN, OpenFlow, and Infrastructure 2.0

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:07:00 EDT

Like cloud two or three years ago, SDN and OpenFlow is dominating the discussions. During a show that’s (in theory at least) dedicated to networking, this should be no surprise. Is it making networking sexy again? Yes, insomuch as we’re at least talking about networking again, which is about it considering that the network is an integral component of all the other technology and models that took the spotlight from it in the first place. Considering recent commentary on SDN* and OpenFlow, it seems folks are still divided on OpenFlow and SDN and are trying to figure out where it fits – or if it fits – in modern data center architectures.

A Million Monkeys Demonstrate the Power of Hadoop

Sat, 12 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT

There are many great use cases for Apache Hadoop, the open source framework for scalable, reliable, and distributed computing on commodity hardware built around Hadoop Distributed File System and MapReduce, such as delivering search engine results, sequencing genomes, and indexing entire libraries of text, but the Million Monkeys Project by Jesse Anderson may be the easiest to understand and the most fun.

Access and Backup to HP Cloud Storage

Thu, 10 May 2012 23:28:00 EDT

Today HP moved its cloud services to public beta. Gladinet has been working closely with HP Cloud Service since private beta to provide product integration support. Gladinet is also announcing today the support of HP Cloud Storage service with the full Gladinet Suite of products. In the latest Gladinet Desktop Client, you will see the HP Cloud drop down, which allows you to attach your HP Cloud Storage account into Windows Explorer as a mapped network drive.

ACIS – ESaaS Best Practices

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:00:00 EDT

ACIS are a specialist in the Microsoft FAST Search engine, and offer technical and consulting expertise that enables it to be used for the best practices described in our white paper – Microsoft Cloud 2.0 – FAST Social Computing. Their SPM module enables FAST to be used in a ‘Hybrid SaaS‘ manner – In short one version of FAST can serve many different agencies via a form of a multi-tenant architecture, like the Government of Ontario here, which also explains how they use it to improve citizen service access via the various agency portals. Critically they all share one common index, enabling them to implement a streamlined ‘No Wrong Door’ policy, meaning no matter which site you use to ask the question, you’ll always get an answer, and one that is consistent across departments!

This Week in Cloud

Thu, 10 May 2012 07:58:00 EDT

Can Google Apps unseat Microsoft Office and Exchange? This CIO article shares insight from the CIO of New England Biolabs, which recently conducted proof-of-concept testing with Google Apps for Business. While New England Biolabs decided to stick with its Outlook/Exchange Server set-up and plans to transition to a hybrid solution that adds the cloud-based Microsoft Office 365, the article also highlights why organizations should consider Google Apps.

Is Google Drive Too Late to the Party?

Thu, 10 May 2012 07:00:00 EDT

Like many people, the other week I downloaded and installed Google Drive. This is the long-awaited competitor to services like Dropbox and Microsoft’s SkyDrive, offering free online storage with the ability to upgrade to higher capacity at a cost. Dropbox and the various other lookalikes have been around for some time, so is Google coming to this market too late and is the party already over? The concept of Cloud Storage is pretty simple. Services like Dropbox allow you to share a local folder on your PC or Mac and have that data replicated into “the cloud”. From there it can be accessed by other devices, including smartphones, web browsers and tablets. The great benefit of cloud storage offerings is that they allow all copies of data to be kept in sync, while retaining a backup copy that can be used if any or all of the local device copies are lost or corrupted.

Get Work Done with Sparqlight - Enterprise Social Workflow App

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:24:00 EDT

Sparqlight, the world’s leading Cloud-Based Enterprise Social Workflow Application, enables sharing, tracking, and assigning goals and to-do’s within a single familiar social interface. We eliminate outdated, unorganized collaboration methods like email and endless meetings and allow you to experience the pure joy of simply getting work done. Today's knowledge workers want enterprise social applications to democratize their work just like social networks have done for their personal life. Tools like Sparqlight have emerged that make it easy to discover and collaborate with your peers and colleagues and key component of managing collaboration has to be accountability. It's imperative that organizations track, analyze and constantly improve their collaborations and the work that results from them.

Storming the Castle

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT

When developing your security architecture, look to the 500 year old medieval castle model to create layers of protection. And this best practice extends itself to the cloud as security-as-a-service. One of the true benefits of the cloud is the ability to reconfigure and create a stronger, more active asset protection strategy than you might be able to otherwise afford. But let’s look beyond the cost factor for a moment and analyze a true best practice that gives an organization a true advantage within the cloud and an overall strategic deployment of security resources.

HP Cloud Is All Set to Enter the Public Beta

Wed, 09 May 2012 07:45:00 EDT

OpenStack gets one of the most crucial endorsements as HP goes into the public beta on May 10th. I got the private beta access a couple of months ago and I tried a few scenarios. Though it has a long way to go, HP Cloud looks complete in its approach and is ready to take head on! Soon after going into the public beta, HP wants to add persistent block storage and relational database capabilities to the stack. According to HP, the Cloud Block Storage offers a high performance, persistent storage solution that allows users to easily move data from one compute instance to a second compute instance and the HP Cloud Relational Database for MySQL is a managed, web-based service that provides you with on-demand access to your application data stored in a relation-based structure. HP manages the database administration tasks for you.

Advances in Clouds - Research in Future Cloud Computing

Wed, 09 May 2012 07:00:00 EDT

It has been more than two years since the European Commission published in January 2010 its pioneering report about the Future of Cloud Computing. A group of experts was established with the aim to evaluate the state-of-the-art and develop future research directions in cloud computing. Since then, there has been considerable advances in the field, developments have closed some gaps that were identified in this report, but more challenges have emerged. We were re-convened by the European Commission in 2011 in order to capture these changes and maintain a state-of-the-art view on cloud computing technologies, its position in and its relevance for Europe. The experts, led by Keith Jeffery, Lutz Schubert and Maria Tsakali, have produced a final version of this report entitled Advances in Clouds - Research in Future Cloud Computing. The report brings valuable information for people defining Cloud Computing strategies, developing innovative research lines, or exploring emerging market opportunities beyond today’s Clouds. It is a must-read.

Designing Applications for the Cloud

Wed, 09 May 2012 06:00:00 EDT

When designing applications for the cloud, or extending on-premise applications into the cloud, it should go without saying that you can't just deploy and expect good results.

UCaaS: Foundation for Social Business Architecture

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:21:00 EDT

Ontario Province has recently become more proactive in asking the local industry for innovative new Cloud solution type models, such as UCaaS – Unified Communications as a Service. This provides the ideal stimulus for development of the local Cloud supplier base, and to identify where the opportunities are for the additional innovation that Ontario is looking for, we can look at a number of different aspects of the Cloud industry. The first and most important of these is ‘Social Business Architecture‘ – How to design applications to become more integrated with the world of social media. While we often talk of the big industry battle taking place around Cloud as the main theme, it’s actually the field of ‘Social Business’ where key players stand to win or lose mind-share and therefore market share.

Does Cloud Storage Make Sense for Businesses?

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:00:00 EDT

For the past several years, companies have been making use of cloud computing solutions. Cloud solutions offer agility and scalability that are often hard to duplicate in-house, and they offer a way for companies to meet specific business functions without large capital investments. Cloud-based storage is one of the areas that has seen relatively little activity in the business world, while it’s taken serious hold in the consumer marketplace. The success of companies like Dropbox in providing cloud-based storage solutions, however, has more and more businesses asking whether such solutions make sense for them.

Canada Cloud Network – A Triple Helix Design

Mon, 07 May 2012 08:45:00 EDT

The idea behind the Canada Cloud Network has been to identify, review and then utilize a number of Innovation Best Practices to design how (and why) this forum works. In particular one key goal is to implement a ‘Next Generation Cluster‘, a thought leadership piece from Cisco on how the original cluster model from Michael Porter can be upgraded through new Cloud 2.0 technologies.

Cloud and Clear: Please Join Me at Cloud Expo in June

Mon, 07 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT

It’s April in Vancouver, which got me thinking about clouds. Although the IT buzz in 2012 has been dominated by mobile and big data, Cloud computing is still a hot topic, especially since it is an enabler for both. In the public Cloud space, Google just launched Drive.

Fall is a Season Not the Future of SaaS

Mon, 07 May 2012 06:45:00 EDT

I recently read a TechCrunch article titled: The Rise of Big Data Apps and the Fall of SaaS written by Raj De Datta. I do agree with the prefix. As far as the suffix is concerned, I can only explain why Raj De Datta's opinion is wrong. I usually tend not to agree with statements about premature End of Life of technologies or architectures or trends. In most cases, it easier to kill a concept in writing, than to persuade a large number of users to change their habits.

Storage and IO Metrics That Matter

Mon, 07 May 2012 06:15:00 EDT

It is great to see more conversations and coverage around storage metrics that matter beyond simply focusing on cost per GByte or TByte (e.g. space capacity). Likewise, it is also good to see conversations expanding beyond data footprint reduction (DFR) from a space capacity savings or reduction ratio to also address data movement and transfer rates. Also good to see is increase in discussion around input/output operations per section (IOPs) tying into conversations from virtualization, VDI, cloud to Sold State Devices (SSD). Other storage and IO metrics that matter include latency or response time, which is how fast work is done, or time spent. Latency also ties to IOPS in that as more work arrives to be done (IOPS) of various size, random or sequential, reads or writes, queue depths are an indicator of how well work is flowing. Another storage and IO metric that matters is availability because without it, performance or capacity can be affected. Likewise, without performance, availability can be affected. Needless to say that I am just scratching the surface here with storage and IO metrics that matter for physical, virtual and cloud environments from servers to networks to storage.

Five Security Principles for Virtualized Environments

Sat, 05 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT

Over the past decade, we’ve become much more robust in our approach to information security. We recognize that our company’s largest vulnerabilities have to do with its computer systems, and that data security is at the core of loss prevention, disaster recovery, and even normal operations. Virtualization has created a much more efficient environment for our technology, but it’s also raised some new types of security risks. If you’re going to keep business running as usual and keep it secure, you need to know how to mitigate some of these risks.

When Big Data Meets Cloud Meets Infrastructure

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:00:00 EDT

I’m a huge fan of context-aware networking. You know, the ability to interpret requests in the context they were made – examining user identity, location, client device along with network condition and server/application status. It’s what imbues the application delivery tier with the agility necessary to make decisions that mitigate operational risk (security, availability, performance) in real-time. In the past, almost all context was able to be deduced from the transport (connection) and application layer. The application delivery tier couldn’t necessarily “reach out” and take advantage of the vast amount of data “out there” that provides more insight into the conversation being initiated by a user. Much of this data falls into the realm of “big data” – untold amounts of information collected by this site and that site that offer valuable nuggets of information about any given interaction.

Google Drive with a Mapped Drive Letter

Thu, 03 May 2012 06:45:00 EDT