CloudCommons 2012

Cloud News

• The US Congress has instructed the Defense Department to adopt a strategy that involves use of cloud computing services. In an effort to reduce expenditures, the bill requires the Pentagon to migrate data to the cloud. These moves are likely to generate US contracts for suppliers like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. To find out how the White House plans to embrace the cloud, and deal with the associated security concerns that arise, read this Bloomberg Businessweek article.
• CA Technologies recently released its new global report called ‘The Future Role of the CIO 2011’, based on a survey of Chief Information Officers. According to the report, cloud computing is drastically changing the attitude and vision of CIOs and also their role in enterprises. Many believe that cloud technology allows CIOs to focus on strategy and innovation, thus making the transition to CEO easier. To know more about the results of the survey on ‘Changing Role of the CIO’ by CA Technologies, read this article at BIZTECH2.
• Hillingdon, one of London's boroughs, will be the first local authority in the UK to make the move to the cloud. This Guardian article details the transition which will be facilitated by Cloudreach, a reseller of Google Apps for Business.
• IBM recently announced that it will purchase the cloud-based supply chain analytics firm Emptoris. The Massachusetts-based firm specializes in products that make supply chain operations and procurement more efficient. To know more about the acquisition, read this article in InformationWeek.
• Cloud provider Nimbula, whose founders helped build Amazon Web Services, is looking to help firms build their own private or hybrid clouds as alternatives to public clouds like AWS. Nimbula is targeting the customers who realize that private clouds offer better performance than public clouds and can be more economical. To know how the professional services offered by Nimbula seek to address cloud users’ concerns, read this PCWorld article.
• Salesforce.com is looking to counter SAP's acquisition of SuccessFactors by purchasing Rypple, a cloud computing startup. Like SuccessFactors, Rypple too provides tools related to human resource management. Salesforce.com plans to use Rypple's social performance management applications to generate employee feedback and optimize the performance of its cloud-based platforms. To know more about Salesforce.com's collaboration with Rypple, read this eWeek article.