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ParaScale Forecasts Cloud Storage Opportunities for Service Providers and Hosting Companies

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Cloud applications, computing, and storage are just emerging on the scene, yet there is a rapid heightening of interest in all things cloud. Google and Amazon popularized the concept, now businesses of all sizes and types are interested in its potential. With the availability of cloud storage-enabling solutions, many service providers and hosting companies are investigating new cloud storage service offerings.

Sajai Krishnan, CEO of ParaScale, a start-up company developing cloud storage software, believes the impact of cloud technologies will be transformational and cloud will be a major way by which IT is consumed in the future. For service providers, this presents tremendous opportunity, as well as challenges.

Krishnan asserts that the public cloud storage service provider market is beginning to segment. Segment one includes the mass-market cloud service providers like Amazon S3, Google, Rackspace, and a few others. Segment two consists of the sophisticated enterprise cloud service providers who are rapidly creating new services that are combining virtualization, multi-tenant storage cloud and compute cloud service and private hosted clouds. Segment three is comprised of the giant telcos such as AT&T, Verizon Business, and Deutsche Telecom.

“Most manage hosters and service providers will need to determine their strategy for winning business in the second segment of contenders,” said Krishnan. “While the cloud services market is going to provide upside for many years, service providers must have a well thought-out entry strategy to succeed. Surprisingly, a number of mid-sized new entrants are considering a “build and they will come” approach and launching into segment one. This is a recipe for a “build and you will get run-over” scenario, as the goliaths of segment one already have first mover advantage and tremendous economies of scale.”

Krishnan identifies several considerations for service providers and managed hosting companies as they develop their cloud storage services offering. These include:

  • Evaluate your customers and their data needs.
  • What amount of data do you intend to store for your customers?
  • What sustainable differentiator should you base your business on?
  • What cloud services are already available and how will you compete?
  • If you succeed, is the business and architecture going to scale?

Regardless of how the service provider answers the above business questions, the systematic approach to evaluate cloud storage technologies remains the same:

  • A cloud storage solution has three key parts. Research the options to ensure a full storage cloud solution.
  • Choose a cloud solution that can start small with a few TBs and scale up.
  • Avoid proprietary interfaces and APIs.
  • Determine if your preferred cloud storage solution can offer data access via familiar enterprise protocols.
  • Do you have an opportunity to offer differentiated cloud storage integrated application services? Can your cloud storage platform help you deliver this high value service?
  • Cloud is about scale. Ensure that your cloud data access protocol can scale as your business grows.
  • Always perform a proof of concept within your own environment.

Unisys Debuts Secure Cloud Solution

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Unisys today announced that the Unisys Secure Cloud Solution recently became available to clients. This solution enables enterprise clients to securely move conventional business applications – including those with secure or sensitive data, such as human resources, financial, customer and healthcare information – into a managed, shared cloud service without costly, time-consuming rewrites or other alterations.

The Unisys Secure Cloud Solution is a core component of Unisys cloud computing strategy, which enables clients to choose the type of data center computing services that best meet their business objectives, from self-managed private clouds to Unisys-managed cloud services as well as hybrid solutions.

The Secure Cloud Solution integrates Unisys patent-pending Stealth data protection technology, which cloaks data from detection as it moves through the network. As a result, clients in a multi-tenant environment can share the same IT infrastructure without fear of compromising the security of their data. (Unisys also plans to release a Stealth solution for storage area networks to provide the same cloaking capability for “data at rest.”)

Assessing Unisys cloud computing strategy and Secure Cloud Solution, and the value that the Stealth technology brings, The 451 Group analyst William Fellows wrote, “Establishing a strict chain of custody for data will be a key requirement for running more sensitive workloads in the cloud.”

As a managed public cloud service, Unisys Secure Cloud Solution enables global delivery of multiple new services: Secure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Secure Platform as a Service (PaaS), My Secure Application as a Service (AaaS), and three Secure Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings: Secure Unified Communication as a Service, Secure Virtual Office as a Service and Secure Document Delivery Service.

The Unisys Secure Cloud Solution, which is based on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standard for service management, uses the automation and virtualization capabilities of Unisys real-time infrastructure solutions. Drawing on technologies from key partners as well as Unisys, these solutions enable an organization’s IT infrastructure to respond automatically to changes in the business environment.

Unisys worked closely with Intel to develop the computing architecture that powers the Secure Cloud Solution and collaborated with EMC, drawing on that partner’s storage technology to create the information infrastructure that enables fast storage and delivery of information securely in the cloud. Software from partners Scalent Systems and Enigmatec Corporation enables repurposing and orchestration of IT resources to meet the service levels required for clients’ business.

Unisys Converged Remote Infrastructure Management solution provides end-to-end operations capabilities for the Unisys Secure Cloud Solution. Based on software from BMC Software, the Converged Remote Infrastructure Management capability gives clients a single view of their infrastructure, managing the cloud from the cloud and enabling them to seamlessly integrate request, change, configuration, incident and availability management into their existing service management infrastructure.

A self-service portal enables clients of Unisys Secure Cloud Solution to scale IT resources in real time to meet fluctuating business requirements.

As client needs or data security requirements dictate, the Unisys Secure Cloud Solution can balance workloads across a global network of Unisys data centers certified to key international standards for security and service management. Through these centers, clients can both benefit from Unisys global and local service delivery expertise and comply with laws requiring storage of sensitive business data in-country while leveraging Unisys layered security infrastructure.

A portfolio of Unisys Cloud Transformation Services, also available now, complements the Secure Cloud Solution. These advisory and implementation services assist clients in assessing potential cloud computing options and determining which best suits their needs or financial objectives; modernizing their IT and application environments; and, through the cloud, enhancing productivity while lowering costs and safeguarding their data.

Delivered by a force of more than 800 Unisys consultants worldwide, these Cloud Transformation Services are designed to accelerate clients’ realization of value from cloud solutions.

Enigmatec Automates Cloud Provisioning Services at PrimaCloud

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Enigmatec Corporation Limited has announced that managed cloud computing pioneer PrimaCloud will deploy Enigmatec’s run book automation software for provisioning and management of its customers’ virtual private datacenters (VPDCs) in the cloud.

In addition to automating the deployment and lifecycle management of complex cloud applications, PrimaCloud will utilize Enigmatec’s Workload Management (AWM) and Disaster Recovery (ADR) solutions to offer its customers automatically scalable enterprise-grade virtual infrastructure featuring greater than 99.99 percent uptime.

Adding run book automation capability to its managed cloud computing service enhances PrimaCloud’s capability to provide dynamic, real-time orchestration of the crucial IT components for their customer’s virtual application infrastructure. PrimaCloud’s customers in turn can realize cloud computing’s benefits of minimizing staffing and reducing capital expense.

Enigmatec’s run book automation technology links together the IT management, provisioning and support tools customers use today and provides a powerful distributed workflow platform in which to design and deploy new workflows for IT operations. Automation of these tasks is critical to the cost effective and rapid creation and management of a new virtual application environment as a utility within the cloud. Enigmatec’s dynamic provisioning enables cloud computing providers to rapidly flex IT resources to meet demand and fulfil the promises of improved service, SLA’s and the cost reductions customers expect from cloud computing.

Rackspace Leverages VMware With Private Cloud Offering

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Rackspace Hosting today announced its new Private Cloud offering, which allows customers to run the centrally managed VMware virtualization platform on private dedicated hardware environments. Rackspace recognizes the demand from enterprises for a more flexible and scalable hosting solution. Although multi-tenant cloud solutions are very flexible and cost-effective, they are not always right for every segment. The Rackspace Private Cloud’s single-tenant architecture offers increased control and security, while still maintaining the scalability, flexibility and resource optimization that make shared cloud offerings so compelling.

Rackspace Private Cloud is an evolution of its popular dedicated virtual server (DVS) offering within the managed hosting business unit. In the last year, revenue from virtualization solutions has grown substantially, driven mainly by the increased flexibility, improved asset utilization and lower capital and operating costs that VMware’s virtualization provides.

The new Rackspace Private Cloud offering provides new pricing and configuration options that further extend the value for customers. The savings for customers can be substantial and further cost reductions can be achieved by the ability to quickly provision, deploy and take down virtualized server instances, using only what is needed. As with all Rackspace products, Private Cloud is backed-up by Rackspace’s Fanatical Support.

“2009 Cloud Consensus Report” Shows Federal Government Cloud Computing Progress

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MeriTalk and the Merlin Federal Cloud Initiative (an alliance with Merlin International, NetApp, Riverbed, and VMware) today announced the results of its study, the “2009 Cloud Consensus Report – Bringing the Cloud Down to Earth.” The study reveals that though cloud computing is considered the hot technology topic today, neither the private nor the public sectors have a clear understanding of what cloud computing fully encompasses. Only 13 percent of private- and public-sector IT executives report that their organization or agency is using cloud computing, while 44 percent report using applications that rely on the cloud.

The “2009 Cloud Consensus Report” provides snapshots of industry and government cloud progress, details the issues stalling the Federal cloud transition, and provides recommendations to enable agency cloud-readiness. On track with industry, most Federal agencies claim to be in cloud learning mode, which presents an opportunity for the Federal government to lead by creating a unified cloud definition and standards that can be universally employed across all agencies and into industry. While government and industry are in early adoption, the future looks promising. Forecasting ahead, 76 percent of IT and government managers believe that the cloud is here to stay.

Federal Civilian and Department of Defense agency respondents cited savings as the top benefit to cloud computing – 63 percent of all Federal respondents believe this technology is the key to reducing IT expenses. Today’s economy, the increased emphasis on agency cost savings, and President Barack Obama’s technology initiatives of transparency, collaboration, and participation all make the promise of the cloud appealing to those looking for the panacea for Federal IT woes. The new administration is placing special emphasis on transitioning to the cloud to tap into the cloud’s potential to allow agencies to save without sacrifice. The National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) has offered a working definition of cloud computing. But what is holding up the transition?

Seventy-eight percent of respondents claimed that concerns over security in the cloud are the biggest barrier to cloud adoption, while 41 percent also cited privacy concerns. To build cloud confidence, Federal IT executives need security assurance and examples of cloud implementation success stories to clear the way for widespread cloud adoption. In the interim, agencies can take advantage of the benefits of the private cloud to centralize and virtualize their IT infrastructures and comply with Federal mandates, such as continuity of operations (COOP).

VISI Launches Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS) Product Based On VMware Infrastructure 3

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VISI, Minnesota’s largest cloud computing, data center services and managed hosting provider, is proud to announce the launch of its new Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS) product based on VMware’s industry-leading virtualization and management suite, VMware Infrastructure 3.

VISI’s VDS product was designed to provide a higher level of security, reliability and performance than you can get with traditional hosting products. VISI has leveraged VMware’s High Availability (HA) feature to maximize customer’s uptime by rebooting a virtual server on another physical host in the event of hardware failure.

VMware’s Infrastructure 3 allows VISI to offer customers greater control and flexibility by providing them their own operating system (OS) instance. Customers are able to select the amount of CPU, memory and storage they need. Data is stored on a SAN-based storage system for enterprise-class reliability.

As a member of the VMware Service Provider Program (VSPP), VISI is well positioned to deliver knowledge and expertise to customers from initial pre-sales and consulting engagements to post sales support and implementation services. VISI has attained the following credentials as part of its VMware practice: VMware Sales Professional (VSP), VMware Technical Sales Professional (VTSP), and VMware Certified Professional (VCP).