Oxford Economics Survey Completed
The Oxford Economics survey is completed and we are busy analyzing the data.
This global survey of 200 senior business and IT executives was conducted in December 2012, concluding in early January 2013. The largest group of respondents, 16%, came from the US, followed by Brazil, India, Mexico, and the UK, with 13% each; Germany (10%); Canada (9%); China (6%); Japan (4%); Australia (3%); and Saudi Arabia (3%).
Respondents came from several industries, including retail (28.5%), consumer products (28%), banking (25%), telecommunications (13%), and capital markets (7%).
More than one-quarter of respondents (27%)…
Why Cloud Computing: An Interview with Brian Kinion
Brian Kinion, VP of Finance at SuccessFactors, took time to talk about why cloud computing and how it has impacted his business. SuccessFactors, an SAP Company, is the leading provider of cloud-based business execution software.
What does the cloud mean to you?
What it means to me is being able to get the right data at the right time to the right people. The cloud allows you to conduct your business anytime and anywhere, like setting up and aligning your goals, conducting your performance reviews, etc. You can use a mobile device, tablet, or whatever…
Hype & High Expectations For Cloud Computing, Part 1
Cloud computing is a much hyped but often misunderstood technology that is gaining traction in different industries around the world. Businesses are integrating the cloud into countless systems, from HR to finance. Full adoption and acceptance of cloud computing, however, are still far away.
A recent global survey by Knowledge@Wharton and SAP’s Performance Benchmarking team reveals that while the hype and excitement surrounding cloud computing is reaching a fever pitch, many businesses are still expressing concerns over cloud security and IT integration issues. The survey also shows that while…
2013 Prediction: Cloud Computing Will Disrupt Healthcare
As we come to a close on 2012, everyone’s making their predictions for next year. This year I have had the opportunity to write about Cloud computing and its impact on so many areas.
But where do I think it will have the biggest impact in 2013? Only in an industry that is expected to be a $5.4 billion market by 2017, Healthcare.
Typically slow to adapt new technologies due to very legitimate reasons such as data security and privacy, the Health Care industry is…
How You Can Get Your SMB To The Cloud
As an SME, you’re looking to have an agile business, raise capital, as well as productivity, all while creating an easy to collaborate environment for your employees. This in turn will give you an advantage over your competition.
To solve this dilemma, more and more companies are using cloud computing. In a July CompTIA survey, half of the 500 businesses surveyed are planning to increase their cloud investments by 10% this year.
But where do you start?
First, look at you current IT…
Is The Cloud Ready For Data Warehousing?
Infinite capacity, fast deployments, and high availability – at trivial cost. What’s not to like about public clouds? Even setting data privacy and security aside, for data warehousing, likeability depends on database workloads.
True, Web and online start-ups have shown us that the cloud can support transaction processing, with its relatively simple and predictable access patterns.
But for the complex compute- and read-intensive characteristics of business intelligence (BI) and analytics workloads, success with public clouds is problematic. If the…
Cut Costs By Moving to the Cloud
In this uncertain market, you’re not alone in trying to cut costs – as the widespread shift from on-premise to on-demand solutions would seem to indicate. Cloud’s affordability has become as attractive as the productivity upswing it offers.
According to a recent edition of the Issues Monitor – Technology published by KPMG, one major factor contributing to this trend is the slashed IT budget:
“Many research firms suggest that there might be a slowdown in the growth of enterprise IT spend because of the postponement of IT spending decisions and…
‘Bring Your Own Network’: More Security Risks Than BYOD?
The advantages and security risks of Bring Your Own Network, or BYON, don’t just apply to the personally-owned devices of workers, but potentially corporate-owned ones, too. Not everyone agrees, though.
The difference between newfangled buzzword and accepted industry term is totally subjective. Maybe this isn’t the best example, but I once wrote a story where I mentioned VCs in passing. The copy editor asked me why I was writing about the Viet Cong.
On the other hand, thanks to Facebook and Twitter, esoteric jargon can become totally mainstream in no time. Think of BYOD. Or Honey Boo Boo.
Bring…
Five Innovative Social, Mobile, Cloud, and Big Data Apps From the US 2012 Election Campaigns
With the US 2012 election campaign finally, thankfully, winding down, I wanted to share some interesting stories about the technology being used by the campaigns and super PACs to more effectively direct their field staff and target voters. From the various news stories I’ve heard over the past few weeks on NPR, and read in articles, it seems that both the presidential campaigns and the big budget super PACs have been making heavy use of social media, mobile device applications, cloud platforms, and big data.
This blog isn’t meant to take a position in the campaign. I can’t even argue…
Will New EU Standards Boost Cloud Take-Up?
A new strategy to be announced by the EU this week is expected to encourage greater use of cloud computing technology to provide a range of benefits to businesses throughout the continent.
The positives of cloud computing are clear, as a study of the market produced by the European Commission (EC) earlier this year found businesses stand to benefit from reduced costs in areas such as capital expenditure.
The EU noted this results in lower barriers to entry, provides the ability to bring new products to market more quickly and frees small and…
Cloud Forecast: 18 Plus
According to Gartner, investment in the cloud will increase by 18 percent yearly through 2016, although it will still only make up 5 percent of total IT spending.
In its latest forecast of IT spending in 2012, Gartner has slightly improved its outlook for 2012 over last quarter’s predictions. Instead of an increase in spending of 2.5 percent, Gartner now expects 3 percent growth for 2012. Despite this adjustment, the growth rate is still well below 2011 numbers.
Feeling the financial crisis
For enterprise software, the outlook…
3 Trends Impacting Cloud Adoption
For a number of reasons, cloud is quickly becoming one of the fastest adoptions in businesses. It provides a one size fits all, bringing benefits to both large enterprises and startups around the world. Three trends are playing a significant role on the growing adoption of cloud.
Natural disasters
In a matter of minutes, an entire history of a company can disappear when disaster strikes. Even information stored on a server, in an unequipped data center, can be irretrievable. This vulnerability is something businesses are addressing with the increasing number of catastrophes occurring.
Disaster recovery in the cloud allows users to create…
The Evolution of the Cloud – How We Got Here
The Application Cloud did not arrive as a fully formed concept, birthed directly from the brain of Marc Benioff. No, there were definite named precursors to the Cloud. In my view, the evolution of the Cloud occurred like this: The Internet, ASP, SAAS, then the Cloud.
Read More on Toolbox.com >>
Six Things to Expect when Moving Applications to the Cloud
If you haven’t spent much time there, the Cloud can be a mysterious place. Here are some things to expect when planning to relocate business functions to the Cloud.
The Cloud is different things to different audiences. The Cloud can be shared or rented IT infrastructure. The Cloud can be data or document storage. The Cloud can be a Development and Deployment platform for custom applications. The Cloud that I want to discuss is the Application Cloud, the automation of business functions using a shared, configurable application that includes all infrastructure, maintenance, and platform development services. I and others…
Three Things That Cloud Architects Must Understand
The newness and excitement around cloud computing has driven the demand for many cloud architects. While some of the more experienced application, enterprise, and systems architects seem to be making their way just fine into the new world of cloud computing, those that are new to the game are missing a few key points.
Read more on Toolbox.com >>
“Captive Clouds?” Cloud Parallels with BPO
Once upon a time, someone came up with this brilliant idea called “Business Process Outsourcing”. The buzzwords were simple – Consolidate, Save maintenance expenses and salaries, focus on your core business, and benefit from scale. Though there was stiff resistance, in time, it became obvious that everyone will have to outsource business processes in greater or smaller degree.
Or so we thought.
Read more on Toolbox.com >>
Sweating Hardware in the Private Cloud
The Register UK has posted up the results and color commentary of its recent Private Cloud Survey and it’s well worth a read even if your business or you personally have nothing to do with a private cloud deployment.
Read more on Toolbox.com >>
Strategically Thinking About Managing Work in the Cloud
There’s a lot of talk about working in the “cloud” these days. If you’re like me, you have some personal storage in the cloud, a handful of the apps you use every day are in the cloud and your company is always looking for new ways to work in the cloud.
Earlier this month, Mark Thiele suggested, “As an IT community we are still stuck in the past relative to the strategic nature of cloud. Many of us are looking at the adoption of cloud as just another technology, and are leaving the decisions on how to adopt, own, and…
Two Things I Wish Companies Cared More About: Cloud & Acquisitions Risks
Over my 9 years of blogging here at toolbox.com, I have periodically ranted about some of the corporate information security programs that I’ve encountered during my travels. From a ten thousand foot view, information security programs have matured by leaps and bounds – and so have the challenges. Some companies have adequately staffed information security departments that make a good effort at keeping pace, and others are struggling to write their first information security policy.
Back in 2009, I pointed to a list of pet peeves about some information security professionals. Some folks agreed, some felt that I was being…
Make Sure Your On Premise Infrastructure Is Cloud Ready
As an IT manager, you would know that most IT functions work on a cycle of renewing infrastructure and services every few years. Whether it happens every three, four or five years this opportunity to refresh your environment can be nerve wracking, but it is also an ideal time to architect your IT infrastructure. This means you can be prepared for a migration to cloud services in the following 3-5 year cycle.
Read more on Toolbox.com >>
Recent Comments