The Enterprise Cloud
This blog covers the latest developments and major players in cloud technology. Get practical advice on evaluating providers of cloud applications and services, as well as tips and best practices.
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The big data challenge: Extracting actual business value
You've got the tools and the power of the cloud to capture big data, but figuring out what you want from it and how to extract it is the final, crucial challenge.
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Private vs. public cloud: Why the supposed debate is really no debate at all
Hybrid cloud solutions are popular for organizations who want cloud benefits but want to retain some control. Here's one perspective that argues that the public cloud is the way to go.
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How the cloud fits into the big data technology stack
Nick Hardiman peers into the technology stack that makes big data work.
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Why everyone wants a private cloud
Concerns about security and control make the "private" cloud a more palatable model for many companies. How sound is this kind of thinking?
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5 ways cloud accounting increases financial efficiency and accuracy for the enterprise
Cloud-hosted SaaS solutions open the doors to sophisticated tools that many, if not most, businesses could not have accessed in the past.
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Amazon's market dominance in IaaS: The consequences for innovation
Amazon Web Services is the dominant player in the IaaS market, which could have significant consequences for further innovation and future entrants into the space.
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Cloud computing and the rise of big data
The cloud enables big data processing for enterprises of all sizes by relieving a number of problems, but there is still complexity in extracting the business value from a sea of data.
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Infographic: Cloud apps and knowledge workers
This infographic breaks down a recent survey of workers, executives, and IT about the adequacy of their tools for remote access and the role of cloud apps.
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Look before you leap: Evaluating cloud migrations in high-performance LAN environments
Seth Miller demonstrates why its crucial to gather all the relevant data about how your systems are used before moving anything to the cloud.
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Softlayer: The bare metal IaaS provider
Softlayer is an IBM company that provides IaaS. What makes them different from Amazon?
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SaaS governance: Five key questions
Increasingly savvy customers are sharpening their requirements for SaaS. Providers must be able to answer these key questions for potential clients.
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Service Management Automation (SMA): Management from the cloud
A new paradigm for achieving automation in a Microsoft network is emerging. Service Management Automation (SMA) is fundamentally PowerShell behind Windows Azure Pack (WAP).
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Tough questions to ask your cloud provider, part 2
Here are questions about risk and cost that you need to ask potential cloud providers.
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Replicate backups to the cloud with StorageCraft ShadowProtect
Derek Schauland reviews the ShadowProtect backup application and Image Manager that allows you to replicate your data to the cloud.
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Moving to IaaS: Strategy and best practices guide
Don't miss this month's TechRepublic-ZDNet special feature on moving to infrastructure-as-a-service.
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IaaS provider comparison reveals market trends for the cloud
Thoran Rodrigues analyzes the data recently compiled on IaaS providers to reveal some interesting cloud market trends. Here's what he discovered.
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Selecting and installing your first UPS
As an IT professional, you see UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) just about everywhere. Every server room will likely have one of these somewhere. Datacenters are filled with banks of them. Yet there is not much that is written about these boring, yet essential, pieces of silent (literally!) hardware.
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Replicate backups to the cloud with StorageCraft ShadowProtect
Derek Schauland reviews the ShadowProtect backup application and Image Manager that allows you to replicate your data to the cloud.
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Private vs. public cloud: Why the supposed debate is really no debate at all
Hybrid cloud solutions are popular for organizations who want cloud benefits but want to retain some control. Here's one perspective that argues that the public cloud is the way to go.
-
How the cloud fits into the big data technology stack
Nick Hardiman peers into the technology stack that makes big data work.
-
Why everyone wants a private cloud
Concerns about security and control make the "private" cloud a more palatable model for many companies. How sound is this kind of thinking?
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How do I... Install and configure a DNS server in Windows Server 2008?
Without DNS, computers would have a very tough time communicating with each other. However, most Windows administrators still rely on WINS for name resolution on local area networks and some have little or no experience with DNS. Steven Warren explains how to install, configure, and troubleshoot a Windows Server 2008 DNS server.
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5 ways cloud accounting increases financial efficiency and accuracy for the enterprise
Cloud-hosted SaaS solutions open the doors to sophisticated tools that many, if not most, businesses could not have accessed in the past.
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Calculate IOPS in a storage array
What drives storage performance? Is it the iSCSI/Fiber Channel choice? The answer might surprise you. Scott Lowe provides insight into IOPS.
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Google Apps v. Office 365: Head-to-head comparison of features
Ian Hardenburgh compares the core features of Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps to see which one comes out on top and includes a downloadable chart for at-a-glance comparison.
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Help! My SQL Server Log File is too big!!!
Overgrown transactional log files can turn into real problems if they are not handled properly. Today SQL Server consultant Tim Chapman discusses the perils of not handling SQL Server log growth properly, and what can be done to correct the problems.
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See what process is using a TCP port in Windows Server 2008
Windows administrators sometimes have to track down network traffic or errant processes and then match that to network traffic. Here are scripts that will aid in the connectivity forensics at the port and process level.
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Block level storage vs. file level storage: A comparison
Block level storage sales have gone through the roof as more businesses realize its flexibility. File level storage is still a better option when you just need a place to dump raw files. Learn more about when to use which type of storage.