Collection of Cloud Related Links #3

(Stephen Parker, Head of Cloud Strategy, NewLease)

Update #3 now heading your way. Lots going on at the moment in the Microsoft world, both Cloud and traditional Windows. The 29^th February seemed to sum up so much of the challenges facing the industry and Microsoft:

Windows 8 Consumer Preview was launched with much excitement. This is a major milestone for both MS and the industry and will play a key role in how devices evolve over the next few years
Windows Azure appears to have had a leap day moment, with certain capabilities being unavailable for extended periods. This may be the future but there are still areas that need to mature to deliver confidence to the masses.

As always there is no particular order to these articles and the short explanation of why I think they have interest is still there. And remember that whilst these are not specifically Microsoft focused, I have not gone out of my way to find negative articles!

Article	My comments…
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/windows-8-and-bundling-what-a-difference-a-decade-makes/12086?tag=mantle_skin;content	Windows 8 is a hugely important release for MS and there will be lots of articles about this. However this one caught my eye. The Windows Live apps and cloud services were kept separate from the core windows OS for various reasons including the DoJ problems. In Windows 8 bundling is back. The services have dropped the “Live” branding and simply become services and apps available as part of Windows.
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsofts-windows-azure-has-a-meltdown/12076?tag=mantle_skin;content	On the other side of the good news on the 29^th Feb was the Azure outages. “Meltdown” may turn out to be journalistic hyperbole, with the big issue being the service management service (early reports suggest that most production “sites” have continued to be available). Irrespective, for the early adopters the benefits will outweigh the risks, for others the headlines re-enforce the concerns that some feel about the maturity of the cloud
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/five-apps/five-microsoft-apps-that-will-change-it/1156	It’s not all about the Cloud, however System Center 2012 and Hyper-V 3 will be big plays for providers of private cloud services. Windows 8 is reaction to the growth in non-PC devices and the growth in these device types will drive the demand for “cloud” services.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/google-in-the-enterprise/what-to-look-for-from-google-in-2012/727?tag=nl.e101 http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/google-in-the-enterprise/first-year-highlights-of-the-google-in-the-enterprise-blog/723	“If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or you may lose” Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/programming-and-development/a-developers-reflections-on-2011-windows-8-html5-the-cloud-more/4953	Another reflection on 2011: “So that’s where I see 2011: HTML5, mobile, and the cloud all conspiring to end the desktop model, and the vendors waking up and finally playing ball instead of resisting.”
http://www.thecloudinfographic.com/2011/12/23/cloud-computing-adoption-best-practices.html	Infographic from NCR. A simple set of questions that would be wise to ask of any cloud service provider
http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com/node/2098721	The quality expectations from customers of cloud services are growing. This article talks about how following the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) best practises can improve your private cloud deployment.
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/datacenter/can-the-cloud-be-safe-for-banks/5197?tag=nl.e101	“We will never buy another data center. We will never buy another rack or server or storage device or network device again. I will never let any organization that I work for get locked into proprietary hardware or software again. I’ll never tell my teams in the business that it will be weeks to get them hardware provision. I’ll never pay up front for any infrastructure and certainly would never pay for any, or rent any, infrastructure that I would never use.” - Michael Harte, CIO of Commonwealth Bank of Australia, in his speech to the Committee for Economic Development in Australia.
http://www.interxion.com/cloud-insight/index.html	As with all vendor/provider surveys don’t be surprised if the results support their offerings. However this appears a reasonably objective view of the following areas: 1. Who’s using cloud today? 2. What’s driving the investment? 3. What are the barriers? 4. Security concerns 5. Commonly used Cloud applications 6. Cloud tomorrow
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsofts-cloud-roadmap-for-2012-whats-on-tap/11522	What’s coming in the Azure world during 1H2012?
http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com/node/1764445	From this time last year, but still an interesting take on the cloud in one of the powerhouse economies of the 21^st century
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ocean_Strategy	I love the ideas and challenges that this book presents
http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html	Another great TED video: Is genius something rare or have we all got a genius inside us?