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• Attain magical five nines availability for cloud applications

  Every company seeks the magical five nines -- or 99.999% availability. If major providers can't promise it, how can you get it? Continue Reading

• Smaller cloud success stories found in shadows of Netflix, Facebook

  When asked about cloud success stories, most IT pros point to Netflix. But daily cloud wins from smaller companies may mean more in the long term. Continue Reading

• OpenStack talk of open source town, but is it hype?

  OpenStack garnered a lot of hype over the past four years, and many companies got behind the open source platform. Has it met the high expectations? Continue Reading

• The security impact of moving public key infrastructure to public cloud

  Moving security controls like public key infrastructure to the cloud can save money, but is cloud security strong enough to handle it? Continue Reading

• Cloud value proposition heightened with proper cost controls

  Public cloud marketing hype promises cost savings, but your budget can easily be destroyed without mitigating cloud's unpredictable costs. Continue Reading

• Companies undeterred by their cloud data security woes

  Many companies say they don't trust their data to cloud security, but that doesn't mean they aren't adopting public cloud.Continue Reading

• Seven ways to keep your cloud storage costs under budget

  Cloud storage can be an effective place to house your data, but keeping it cost-efficient means putting in some work up front.Continue Reading

• Breaking down what's in your cloud SLA

  A cloud SLA can be scary. Filled with governance, security and uptime clauses, it's a lot to handle. Taking it step by step can make it less daunting.Continue Reading

• Maintain cloud computing compliance in the enterprise -- or else

  Cloud compliance is a moving target, so enterprise IT must be diligent to stay on top of changing requirements and regulations to avoid sanctions.Continue Reading

• Untangle cloud billing knots across multiple providers

  Tracking your spending while using multiple cloud accounts can be a budgeting nightmare, but services are available to simplify the process.Continue Reading

• Migrating to Office 365 requires planning, pilot-testing

  Contributor Tom Nolle explains why companies migrating to Office 365 need to plan, pilot-test and verify at every step.Continue Reading

• RTO, RPO metrics find the true value of a cloud DR strategy

  IT pros are intrigued by cloud DR’s shortened recovery, but companies should really be looking at RTO and RPO metrics for cloud DR’s true value.Continue Reading

• Networking costs swell pay-per-use public cloud bills

  Pay-per-use cloud billing means enterprises need to monitor usage to stay in budget, but unpredictable networking costs can complicate this task.Continue Reading

• Reducing network latency means focusing on location, location, location

  As the real estate motto goes, what matters is 'location, location, location.' The same goes for your data when it comes to network latency.Continue Reading

• Is networking infrastructure the Achilles' heel of cloud computing?

  The network is a complicated piece of the data center puzzle and can often be a stumbling block for IT pros, although crucial for cloud success.Continue Reading

• Expect the unexpected with a solid cloud DR strategy

  Failures such as natural disasters and outages are bound to affect your IT environment. A strong cloud DR strategy can ease these calamities.Continue Reading

• Thinking outside the 'box' for cloud orchestration strategies

  Cloud orchestration can offer IT pros the dynamic environment cloud requires, but a strategy must be carefully implemented to see results.Continue Reading

• Cloud management startup aims to fix Amazon VPC snags

  Robert Half International takes the plunge with Carmelo Systems, a new company offering a way to create many virtual private clouds within AWS.Continue Reading

• Enterprise cloud security best practices for locking down your cloud

  Fear still holds back adoption despite inroads in enterprise cloud security. Experts' best practices can guide you through your security options.Continue Reading

• Creating and maintaining a corporate app store: Strategies for success

  Discover the best practices for launching and operating a corporate app store in this collection of tips, expert answers and other content.Continue Reading

• Considering migration to the cloud? Answer five key questions first

  In this Q&A, Todd DeCapua of Shunra Software Ltd. discusses considerations for minimizing risk and maximizing benefits in a migration to cloud.Continue Reading

• Winner: Best cloud management software product

  The winner of the best cloud management software product category in the Impact Awards is the third-party provider deemed to have the best overall offering.Continue Reading

• Five things every cloud developer needs to know about Windows Azure

  Cloud developers who use Windows Azure must keep in mind these best practices throughout development and deployment, and the entire lifecycle.Continue Reading

• Four keys to implementing a cloud file-sharing policy in the BYOD era

  Cloud admins must balance securing content with on-demand access for users, or users will flout the file-sharing policy.Continue Reading

• Virtualization to cloud: Planning, executing a private cloud migration

  Moving from virtualization to the cloud requires careful planning and execution, but with the proper tools, enterprise IT can make the switch.Continue Reading

• Build an in-house enterprise app store without breaking the budget

  Contributor Chris Moyer discusses ways to launch an online enterprise app store to help meet mobile employees' needs.Continue Reading

• Platform as a Service: Expert advice for selecting a PaaS vendor

  Seeking a PaaS vendor? Browse this collection of articles, tips, expert answers and other content to help you make the right choice.Continue Reading

• Padmasree Warrior, chief technology and strategy officer at Cisco

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• PaaS application development: Key factors to keep in mind

  In this feature, former SearchCloudApplications editor Adam Riglian delivers an introduction to application development with Platform as a Service.Continue Reading

• Best practices for comparing and deploying cloud servers

  Before you can compare performance benchmark reports on cloud servers, know the facts on what to look for when it comes to price and performance.Continue Reading

• What is PaaS? Experts explain growing role in 'as a service' family

  Former assistant editor Stephanie Mann shares insights on the increasingly popular but still nascent Platform as a Service (PaaS) delivery model.Continue Reading

• Understanding IT's role in cloud security and compliance

  Cloud security and compliance concerns linger for enterprise IT, but not all responsibility falls on them. Vendors must carry some of the load.Continue Reading

• Focus on cloud goals and developer needs to choose the right PaaS

  Companies looking to invest in PaaS are faced with more choices than ever before. Focus on cloud goals and developer needs to choose the right one.Continue Reading

• IPaaS: Confusion around cloud and on-premises app-integration

  Experts consider iPaaS as the fastest growing integration middleware approach, though cloud capabilities remain confusing.Continue Reading

• How SaaS app portability planning can ease pricing, stability woes

  SaaS app portability planning can help users deal with pricing and business stability issues for SaaS providers. Tom Nolle explains.Continue Reading

• Application portability in PaaS: Problems and solutions

  Even in the early stage of cloud adoption, users of PaaS services are already questioning the portability of the applications.Continue Reading

• App integration woes: Even in cloud age, pain is still acute

  App integration remains a pain point for software development. Learn why cloud app integration remains promising.Continue Reading

• Java vs. Ruby: A cloud software engineer weighs in

  A cloud software engineer shares tips on Java versus Ruby, app security and deployment.Continue Reading

• Private cloud to public cloud migration gets easier, but obstacles remain

  Cloud migration tools are on the market that can address private cloud to public cloud migration issues, but users often choose to go it alone.Continue Reading

• Beat challenges of integrating SaaS apps with on-premises legacy apps

  As companies turn to Software as a Service, they must prepare for challenges that arise when integrating with legacy enterprise applications.Continue Reading

• Security considerations for IaaS cloud

  Learn about the necessary security considerations for IaaS cloud environments.Continue Reading

• Cloud stack comparison shopping for your private cloud build

  Will it be OpenStack, CloudStack, Eucalyptus or another option? Save yourself from costly mistakes by choosing the right cloud software up front.Continue Reading

• European Cloud Computing Strategy (ECCS)

  The European Cloud Computing Strategy (ECCS) is an initiative established by the European Commission to promote the adoption of cloud computing services.Continue Reading

• Mobile app development trends to watch

  Learn about the changes in mobile app development and what this means for software application architecture.Continue Reading

• Building redundancy into your cloud outage strategy

  Any effective cloud computing strategy should include measures to protect against outages. The best defense you can have is to plan for redundancy.Continue Reading

• Amazon Web Services targets data migration issues with Redshift announcement

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• 'Big data' collection efforts spark an information ethics debate

  Applications vendors have some soul-searching to do over their approach to 'big data' ethics and information privacy, according to experts.Continue Reading

• Why SaaS application integration requires new strategies, tools

  When companies need to integrate their in-house and SaaS applications, old tools won't stand up to challenges.Continue Reading

• Cost savings, efficiencies lead IT pros to cloud computing

  Public and private cloud use has gained steam in the enterprise, shows survey data, despite IT pros' nagging concerns.Continue Reading

• Cloud computing tips and tricks -- by the numbers

  There are thousands of cloud computing tips offering cloud knowledge. One cloud expert stripped down this info to a handful of lists essential to any cloud project.Continue Reading

• Choosing the right cloud connector for application integration

  Many architects are turning to cloud connectors to connect on-premise applications to cloud-based software. Choosing the right one can be a challenge.Continue Reading

• The road to SaaS and on-premises integration is treacherous—take a map

  Getting fundamentally different applications to play nice is not simple, but with careful planning and a good understanding of your requirements, rewards are well within reach.Continue Reading

• Cloud integration a challenge for testers

  Developers have more cloud integration technology choices than ever, but system and application dependencies can complicate integration testing.Continue Reading

• The lifecycle of your enterprise cloud adoption strategy

  Cloud adoption is more than choosing a technology; it requires planning for the future. This chapter looks at all steps of a cloud adoption strategy.Continue Reading

• SaaS Application Management FAQ

  SaaS is a staple in many organizations because of its wide reach and flexibility, but managing such an array of apps -- and vendors -- can be a challenge.Continue Reading

• Common mistakes in cloud application deployment

  Simple mistakes are plaguing cloud application deployment. The good news is, they are easily addressed.Continue Reading

• Five VMware tools to kick start a private cloud build

  If you're kicking the tires on a private cloud, you might want to read up on these five VMware tools.Continue Reading

• Implementing SOA in the cloud

  Learn why there is confusion surrounding implementing SOA in the cloud.Continue Reading

• Evaluating SaaS providers: Uncovering vendor weaknesses

  Learn the four evaluation criteria for evaluating SaaS provider strengths and weaknesses.Continue Reading

• Cloud outage report of 13 providers reveals downtime costs

  A new report on cloud resiliency calculates average system availability at "three nines," which could cost cloud providers in more ways than one.Continue Reading

• Download this exclusive cloud migration guide

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• Mobile cloud computing vs. cloud computing in building or hosting mobile apps

  Learn the differences in using the mobile cloud computing for developing or hosting mobile apps when compared to regular cloud usageContinue Reading

• Best practices for implementing a private cloud computing environment

  Learn best practices for implementing private cloud computing environments and avoiding security problems in the public cloud.Continue Reading

• Application portability: What enterprises need to know

  Since many IT organizations are wanting to move apps between public clouds and private clouds, application portability is a growing concern. He discusses the current obstacles and steps enterprises can take to enhance portability of their apps.Continue Reading

• Public vs. private cloud applications: Two critical differences

  Private cloud applications are similar to public cloud applications, but there are a few key considerations, experts warn.Continue Reading

• SaaS SLAs: What you must have in an agreement

  Learn what to expect from a service-level agreement when looking to providers for Software as a Service.Continue Reading

• Primary factors for migrating VMs to the cloud

  Cloud may seem to change everything, but the issues aren't new. Looking closely at virtual-to-cloud migration, it's more like a throwback to P2V days.Continue Reading

• Using OpenStack as the building block for a do-it-yourself cloud

  While building a private cloud on open source software may not be for all companies, OpenStack has features that make it worth it to develop in-house.Continue Reading

• Keys to integrated cloud application management

  Seamless cloud application management isn’t a pipe dream. By following a few steps, cloud admins can monitor cloud app performance from one interface.Continue Reading

• Hybrid cloud management tools and strategies

  Determining how to manage hybrid clouds can seem daunting. The trick is to identify what you need to manage and the best types of tools for the job.Continue Reading

• Checklist: Managing applications in the cloud

  Moving applications to the cloud goes beyond selecting the right apps. Next steps include configuring apps, migrating data and monitoring.Continue Reading

• Building a Citrix private cloud in six steps

  Are you ready to build a private cloud? Use Citrix’s cloud offerings and follow these six steps to get your cloud up and running.Continue Reading

• Managing and monitoring cloud computing services

  Keep your cloud services operating at optimal performance levels with advice from this collection of cloud management and monitoring resources.Continue Reading

• Resolving cloud application migration issues

  To construct increasingly portable cloud applications, more appropriate application architectures and open cloud standards are a necessity.Continue Reading

• Calculating the cost advantages of private cloud

  In the right situation, private cloud can save you money. This chapter excerpt explains the value in estimating the pricing benefits of an in-house cloud.Continue Reading

• Piecing together VMware's cloud strategy

  Can VMware's lead in server virtualization translate to cloud supremacy? A bevy of challengers will make VMware's goal of bringing cloud to the enterprise a difficult one.Continue Reading

• Comparing four cloud computing strategies

  It's important for prospective cloud adopters to know what the key vendors are planning. Our expert explains what to expect from four different offerings.Continue Reading

• Why is cloud computing so hard to understand?

  In this chapter excerpt, see why cloud computing can be considered both a tangible delivery model and a buzzword for advanced IT services.Continue Reading

• IBM’s cloud computing strategy: Flying blind?

  IBM seems like a natural to lead in the cloud computing market, but instead the industry pioneer struggles to redefine itself in a fast-changing services world.Continue Reading

• Salesforce.com legitimizes cloud strategy with Heroku purchase

  Salesforce.com acquires Ruby on Rails platform Heroku for $212 million, increasing its stake in the cloud development game and raising questions about the future of VMforce.Continue Reading

• Evaluating cloud computing services: Criteria to consider

  Not all clouds are created equal. When considering possible cloud computing providers, be sure to factor in differing criteria like performance levels, cost and reliability.Continue Reading

• Interacting with cloud services: A management perspective

  Discover how to limit and manage cloud computing services both inside the enterprise and in a public cloud environment in this cloud computing roundtable.Continue Reading

• Five tips for evaluating the TCO of a cloud application

  Before moving applications into a cloud computing environment, take a look at these five guidelines for calculating the total cost of ownership of your apps.Continue Reading

• Using CMDBs and service catalogs to build private clouds

  Companies leading the charge on building private clouds are making use of service catalogs and configuration management databases to support the rapid change enabled by cloud-based IT services.Continue Reading

• VMware's fortunes hinge on cloud strategy success

  VMware has locked up the hypervisor lead in the data center and now wants to dominate cloud services. Enterprise IT shops must weigh its expertise against Microsoft in the enterprise and Google in the cloud.Continue Reading

• Salesforce.com and CVM do supply-chain management in the cloud

  Salesforce.com rolled out the red carpet for its collaboration with CVM Technology when it put the company's supply-chain management tool on Force.com.Continue Reading

• Deciphering Red Hat's cloud computing strategy

  Red Hat's cloud strategy seems aimed at providing consistent open source cloud service for data centers and public clouds using tools like Deltacloud and Linux -- an approach our expert thoroughly examines.Continue Reading

• Five open source tools for building and managing clouds

  Cloud computing is poised to reap the benefits of open source tools. Our expert describes five tools, including KVM, Eucalyptus and Deltacloud, to keep an eye on.Continue Reading

• Why cloud computing is here to stay

  Some industry experts expect the cloud business model to fail. What they're ignoring, however, is that cloud computing can solve real world problems at a reasonable cost.Continue Reading

• Wanted: New skills for cloud computing success

  As IT departments adapt to the cloud, managers may need new skill sets to make cloud computing architectures work.Continue Reading

• The building blocks of private cloud

  Before building a private cloud, make sure that you understand its virtualization underpinnings and the essential characteristics of cloud computing in general.Continue Reading

• The top 20 SaaS and cloud computing buzzwords

  Learn the top 20 SaaS and cloud computing buzzwords. Get information on on-demand CRM, hosted CRM and cloud-based computing.Continue Reading

• Cloud computing licensing: Buyer beware

  One of the major issues with moving applications to the cloud is the effect it has on licensing. It's a complex problem that the vendors have not yet answered. This article digs into the details on what IT pros should be aware of when considering ...Continue Reading

• Cloud management tools guide for beginners

  Get a better understanding of the major players in cloud infrastructure management and provisioning, including RightScale, Kaavo, Zeus and Scalr.Continue Reading

• How to build an application for the cloud

  The CTO and founder of email archiving service provider Sonian discusses how he designed his Software as a Service application specifically for the cloud.Continue Reading

• Want to build a private cloud?

  Where should IT pros start when it comes to building a private cloud? This tip digs into the requirements for private cloud, including IT automation, security and standards.Continue Reading

• How cloud computing will change capacity management

  Capacity management in IT departments has been informed by the limitations of traditional data centers. Cloud computing will change the ball-game, allowing IT managers to deal with the new rivers of data that would overflow the traditional data ...Continue Reading

• Does cloud computing reduce IT staffing and costs?

  The given wisdom is that cloud computing decreases IT costs and improves employee productivity. But evidence suggests that the benefits of the cloud aren't so clear-cut.Continue Reading