Security concerns about the public cloud have always been a top priority here
at CloudSwitch. Moving to the public cloud is fraught with potential risks
and security managers have legitimate concerns about data integrity, an
opaque security model in the cloud and unauthorized access by cloud
administrators. The question is: how can you protect information in a
shared multi-tenant environment just as you would within the secure confines
of your data center? With that question in mind, I thought it would be
useful to review CloudSwitch’s security model while also discussing an
exciting new feature we’ve just released: integration with Microsoft Active
Directory (AD) 2003 and 2008.
The CloudSwitch Security Model
Our customers have stringent requirements not only to protect their data in
the cloud but also to protect communication paths from the data center to the
cl... (more)
The recent announcement from Amazon of the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
represents the next big advance in the evolution chain for cloud computing.
Enterprises can now integrate their IT infrastructure with Amazon's vast
computing and storage resources, using a VPN connection from their data
center to their own virtual private cloud which then looks like part of their
internal network.
Until the release of VPC, companies were left to build applications and
utilize the cloud as a separate and somewhat siloed portion of their
computing environment. In addition to the VPN connection... (more)
Cloud Computing Expo on Ulitzer
The talk at the 4th Cloud Expo this week in Santa Clara was all about
enterprise cloud adoption. Is it real? Is it already happening? If so,
who’s doing it, which applications are they running and which clouds are
being tested?
To a large extent, cloud computing is a victim of its own somewhat
out-of-control hype cycle. Since so much has been written and discussed about
the cloud in 2009, there is now a growing impatience for actual results. The
fact that 2000 people showed up at the Cloud Expo in Santa Clara this week
(double the number from las... (more)
Cloud Expo 2010
Analysts, bloggers and mainstream media have spent 2009 promoting cloud
computing as “the next big thing” that will revolutionize the way
companies buy and use computing power.
But beyond the hype and the C-level interest in an exciting trend, there’s
value to the cloud that appeals to the pragmatic, “show me” nature of
enterprise IT.
The two main drivers for cloud computing are the same ones that have always
motivated enterprise IT: save money (do more with less) and be more
responsive to business needs. These goals are typically in conflict with each
other, s... (more)
Welcome to our enterprise cloud computing blog where we'll share our
perspectives on cloud computing trends and best practices for the enterprise.
We're a team with extensive experience in IT software and systems (learn more
about us), and we're passionate about the opportunity that cloud computing
offers for fundamentally improving enterprise IT.
However, we believe that before the cloud can reach its potential, some
innovation needs to take place within the enterprise data center to make
cloud computing simple, secure and tightly integrated with existing IT
infrastructure. Our ... (more)