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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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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Cloud computing and IT obsolescence: Reinventing the role of IT
Will the cloud spell the end of the IT department? Thoran Rodrigues explains how IT will need to reinvent itself to avoid obsolescence.
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Stop obsessing about applications, think about events
Focusing on event management, rather than applications, is a more effective strategy as data centers become a complex mix of physical and virtual machines and multiple hosting providers.
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Choosing a cloud provider: Bringing business and IT together
As the public cloud industry matures, more companies will face the challenge of choosing the right cloud provider. It's not a decision to be made in isolation.
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Tough questions to ask your cloud provider, part 1
What should you ask a potential cloud provider to decide if they are right for your organization? Thoran Rodrigues has some tips to get you started.
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Service will be the next SaaS differentiator
Where most of the focus on SaaS has been on the software side of things previously, as the industry matures, service will be the deciding factor for many.
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Top cloud IaaS providers compared
Thoran Rodrigues updates his comparison of some of the top IaaS providers, including categories of cost, scalability, ease of migration, reliability, and security.
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Cloud computing, shadow IT, and financial risk
The risks of shadow IT in the cloud age aren't just technical. It could be disastrous for the financial health of an organization if not detected.
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Cloud computing and the dangers of shadow IT
Business users who engage cloud providers without the proper vetting that would normally come from IT pose a serious risk.
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Managing the mixed cloud: Red Hat's Open Hybrid Cloud
Red Hat is building tools to help enterprises make the transition to the cloud by concentrating on interoperability and centralized management.
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The cloud is a revolution-enabler for SMBs
Small businesses and startups may have the most to gain from cloud technology. Thoran Rodrigues explains how this leveling of the playing field works to the advantage of the SMB.
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Google's Zopfli Compression Algorithm: Extract higher performance from your compressed files
Google's Zopfli compression algorithm offers significant benefits for cloud applications, mobile performance, and app development.
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Network emulation for the cloud
For those considering a move from the LAN to the public cloud, network emulation offers a new way to test performance.
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How to create load-balanced VMs on the GoGrid IaaS platform
This step-by-step procedure shows you how to create an enterprise-level web service with high availability on the GoGrid platform.
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How the cloud allows SMBs to retake their place as drivers of innovation in IT
Thoran Rodrigues explains how cloud technology allows small companies to compete with big providers, thus making enterprise-grade software available to all.
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Passing table valued parameters in SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 2008 introduces the ability to pass a table data type into stored procedures and functions. The table parameter feature can greatly ease the development process because you no longer need to worry about constructing and parsing XML data. Learn about other benefits of the feature, as well as its minor drawbacks.
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Restart Windows Server 2003 from the command line
When the Windows Server 2003 computer you are working on will not shut down and you don't have any luck using the Start menu or the [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] methods -- and you need to restart the server as quickly as possible -- Derek Schauland can help you. Here is a quick workaround that gets the job done -- and you don't even have to handle power cords or the power switch.
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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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Top cloud IaaS providers compared
Thoran Rodrigues updates his comparison of some of the top IaaS providers, including categories of cost, scalability, ease of migration, reliability, and security.
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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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Disable UAC for Windows Servers through Group Policy
User Account Control is rarely needed for Windows Server systems. Learn how to use Group Policy to disable this feature.
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RAID 50 offers a balance of performance, storage capacity, and data integrity
RAID 50 is an often overlooked RAID level that can bridge the gap when it comes to choosing between RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10. Scott Lowe explains why RAID 50 is his favorite RAID level.
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Configure a standalone NTP server in Windows Server
Active Directory domains for Windows Servers can make time management easier. If Active Directory isn't in place, here's how to configure a standalone Windows Server to function as an NTP server.
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Back up Exchange 2010 with this Windows Server 2008 R2 feature
Windows Server Backup is included with Windows Server 2008 R2 and can be a great quick-and-dirty way to back up an Exchange server. Scott Lowe explains how to use this tool.
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Comparing cursor vs. WHILE loop performance in SQL Server 2008
Tim Chapman discusses your iteration choices in SQL Server 2008 and explains why determining which option performs better depends on the situation.
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Generate dynamic SQL statements in SQL Server
When you need to solve a tricky database problem, the ability to generate SQL statements is a powerful tool -- although you must be careful when using it. Tim Chapman explores how you can use this functionality to generate SQL statements on the fly.
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Set the PowerShell execution policy via Group Policy
IT pro Rick Vanover shows how to centrally manage the PowerShell execution policy in this quick Windows Server tip.
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Identify stale Active Directory computer accounts with dsquery
Active Directory domains are in constant need of housekeeping. Rick Vanover shows one way to identify potentially stale computer accounts in Active Directory.
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Gather Exchange 2010 mailbox information with a PowerShell command
As your organization migrates to Exchange 2010, you'll want to get detailed mailbox information for planning purposes. The PowerShell command get-mailboxstatistics can help.