Tips

Tips

• Learn from failure with a cloud project post-mortem

  It's easy to point fingers at team members following a cloud project failure. But learning from what went wrong can help companies move beyond cloud disappointments.  Continue Reading

• Cloud-based management comes with trade-off

  As cloud application deployment numbers continue to rise, enterprise IT's need for cloud-based management tools grows. However, that demand may go unanswered.  Continue Reading

• Learning to love the complex multi-cloud

  Multi-clouds come with complexity, but can offer a more cost-efficient and valuable environment. Will enterprise IT learn to love a multi-cloud approach?  Continue Reading

• How to secure REST API endpoints for cloud applications

  When designing APIs, developers must make good decisions about security design components that show who's using what API, when and for what purpose. This tip offers insights into the critical components for securing APIs.  Continue Reading

• Private cloud hardware planning critical for new projects

  There are many considerations for building a private cloud, especially with a tight budget. Keep costs in check by carefully planning out hardware, capacity, storage and networking.  Continue Reading

• Bare-metal cloud means more flexibility at a cost

  Businesses face the challenge of finding the right cloud for their needs. With the ability to customize software for unique app requirements, bare-metal cloud may be the best option.  Continue Reading

• Three misses that cause cloud failure

  The number of organizations moving data and applications to the cloud is rising, but so is the number of cloud failures. Here are the three leading causes of cloud death.  Continue Reading

• Breaking down the three stages of cloud data encryption

  Security remains a major concern for moving data to the cloud. Although data encryption provides protection, decisions need to be made regarding when, where and how to encrypt data heading to cloud.  Continue Reading

• How to make enterprise IT hire you in a cloud career

  From keeping up with the cloud's evolution to quelling security concerns, cloud admins have their work cut out for them -- but if you can master these skills, you'll be a desirable candidate for the job.  Continue Reading

• Target, Home Depot breach highlight need for cloud encryption

  Retail shoppers expect their card information is secure, but recent hacker attacks at Target and Home Depot proved otherwise. Is cloud encryption the best weapon for fending off hackers?  Continue Reading

• Is it possible to block employees from public cloud access?

  Security concerns lead to organizations blacklisting some public cloud services as they would certain websites -- but not all blacklisting is increasing productivity.  Continue Reading

• Top three emerging cloud standards

  Cloud standards are starting to emerge, but they have a lot of catching up to do with a market that is growing rapidly and in multiple directions.  Continue Reading

• Apache Sqoop a crucial link for big data analytics in the cloud

  Hadoop is becoming the popular enterprise choice for big data analytics, but getting your data there isn't so simple. Apache Sqoop is stepping in to help bring the vital data from your database to Hadoop.  Continue Reading

• Five steps to moving mission-critical applications to the cloud

  Some enterprises see migrating mission-critical apps to public cloud as an insurmountable obstacle. But, common sense precautions can smooth the transition of even the most crucial workloads.  Continue Reading

• Three ways to bridge the gap between IaaS and PaaS

  Evolution from IaaS to PaaS seems like a no-brainer as the benefits of cloud platforms becomes clear. However, there's no one way to skin a cat, and finding the best path to PaaS means sifting through three possible options.  Continue Reading

• Explore cloud application integration use cases

  Integrating cloud applications may be complicated, but it is essential. There are a few different use cases developers can use, including iPaaS services, cloud to cloud, cloud to integrator to cloud and hybrid cloud.  Continue Reading

• Crunching the numbers with cloud cost analysis tools

  Cloud costs can quickly skyrocket if the budget isn't kept in check. Cloud cost analysis tools, such as CloudCheckr and Cloudability, however, can help avoid that monthly sticker shock.  Continue Reading

• Digging deep into the myriad Azure management tools

  Windows Azure carries a reputation of being difficult to manage, but with Microsoft and third parties stepping up with several management tools, it can be difficult to sort through your options.  Continue Reading

• Netflix model citizen for creating highly available cloud apps

  The first rule about building highly available cloud apps is: You do not think of apps; you think of services. But that's only the first rule.  Continue Reading

• 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

• Types of cloud application integration

  Learn about strategies and vendors if your company is looking to cloud application integration.  Continue Reading

• IBM Cloud Marketplace one-stop shop for every XaaS need

  IBM's SoftLayer acquisition and BlueMix PaaS helped launch its cloud marketplace, where the vendor hopes to meet any enterprise demand.  Continue Reading

• IPaaS integration: When, how and why to use iPaaS

  Learn how to determine if iPaaS integration works for your business needs.  Continue Reading

• Google Compute Engine is a powerful one-year-old

  In the quest for IaaS domination, Google is stating its case against AWS. But is Google Compute Engine still too new to compete?  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

• Niche providers make a splash in the cloud computing market

  With big fish such as Amazon and Google stealing cloud computing market share, lesser-known providers must make a splash to get noticed.  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

• Sizing, pricing Amazon Web Services EC2 instance types

  Bill Claybrook compares complex sizing and pricing issues when choosing EC2 instance types.  Continue Reading

• Analyzing VMware vCHS for the cloud consumer

  In direct competition with Amazon's IaaS, VMware vCloud Hybrid Service differentiates itself from the pack with several features.  Continue Reading

• Amazon Kinesis benefits and alternatives

  Amazon made waves with the release of Kinesis, but companies should know its ups and downs before blindly adopting AWS's service.  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

• DRaaS benefits spark market growth, mask dangers

  Cloud-based disaster recovery addresses major enterprise concerns, such as lower costs and greater flexibility. But it's not without warts of its own.  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

• AWS platform services emerge from Microsoft's PaaS failures

  Amid signs that Microsoft's PaaS commitment isn't working, cloud pros are concerned about profit beyond IaaS. Reigning leader AWS may have found it.  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

• Is Amazon CloudSearch superior to do-it-yourself search tools?

  Big data can be incredibly valuable for enterprise business intelligence. But to extract that value, you must choose the most appropriate search tool.  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

• How four providers ranked in head-to-head cloud performance benchmarks

  Don't partner with a cloud service provider until you have clear evidence of performance metrics. Here's how four providers stacked up.  Continue Reading

• If IT had a hammer: Choosing among IaaS, PaaS and SaaS

  Enterprises tend to use the latest technology to solve all of its IT problems. But if your apps are nails, is IaaS, PaaS or SaaS really the hammer?  Continue Reading

• Choosing among IaaS, PaaS and Database as a Service for a cloud database

  Regardless of which cloud database you choose, multiple factors must come into play, ranging from costs and availability to feature support.  Continue Reading

• Cloud email migration: 10 tips for evaluating service providers

  In this tip by Executive Editor Jan Stafford, Mimecast CEO Peter Bauer explains how to evaluate vendors that provide cloud email migration services.  Continue Reading

• Securing data with Authentication as a Service in the cloud, mobile era

  Authentication as a Service is enabled by standard security protocols, but other service features can be the keys to deciding on a provider.  Continue Reading

• When IaaS won't cut it: Planning a transition to PaaS cloud

  Many IT pros find PaaS meets their needs more than IaaS does. How can you ensure success? Transitioning to PaaS isn't as easy as you think.  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

• Portable cloud apps require standards, vendor research

  Contributor Christine Parizo describes how to improve portable cloud apps by setting standards and researching cloud providers and app vendors.  Continue Reading

• Negating network latency's effects without bending law of physics

  Moving apps to the cloud for flexibility sounds great in theory, but latency creates its own problems unless you know how to counter its effects.  Continue Reading

• Windows Azure Media Services gives YouTube junkies a new outlet

  Enterprises need only look to YouTube's stats to see the value of video. Windows Azure Media Services has the benefits of video with more control.  Continue Reading

• Entry-level big data analysis with Google BigQuery

  For enterprises intimidated by Hadoop, Google BigQuery offers an entry-level approach to big data analysis, but it may trade accuracy for speed.  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

• Building a hybrid cloud environment with Agile and DevOps

  Learn how best to build a hybrid cloud environment while combining Agile and DevOps.  Continue Reading

• Five things to consider before moving legacy development efforts to PaaS

  Managing your own development infrastructure takes time away from designing and coding. A move to PaaS can be helpful, even for a legacy development.  Continue Reading

• Platform as a Service vendors help cloud market evolution

  Platform as a Service vendors continue to evolve offerings to keep up with customer needs. Which provider is the right fit for your organization?  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

• SaaS providers: Is it really a buyer's market?

  Don't assume you'll save money with Software as a Service. Learn more tips for evaluating SaaS providers' evolving pricing models.  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

• Security considerations for IaaS cloud

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

• You're charging me for what?! Deconstructing your AWS cloud bill

  With the array of AWS cloud services offered, your bill can get confusing. Learn how to decipher your cloud bill so you don't get sticker shock.  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

• 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

• How cloud computing, tablets will reshape the desktop

  The cloud and tablets both have sizable benefits for enterprises. Aligning the two can change the way you think about desktops.  Continue Reading

• Using DevOps tools to support the cloud of the future

  DevOps continues to change with advancements in IT. With the help of cloud computing, IT pros are using DevOps tools to deploy more efficient apps.  Continue Reading

• The role of software-defined networks in cloud computing

  Software-defined networking can be difficult to define. Understanding SDN models is key for enterprises trying to properly position cloud services.  Continue Reading

• Re-defining the Windows Azure cloud computing message

  A weak marketing message may be behind some Windows Azure confusion and slower-than-expected adoption rates.  Continue Reading

• Understanding the significance of DevOps in a cloud deployment

  DevOps and cloud go hand-in-hand, facilitating application deployment and automation. Will DevOps be the key to enterprise cloud?  Continue Reading

• Cloud computing development tools call for collaboration, integration

  When developing apps in the cloud, look for tools that allow collaboration and align with your IaaS or PaaS platform.  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

• Windows Azure Services allows multi-tenant IaaS cloud

  The latest Windows Azure Services for Windows Server preview enables cloud hosting providers to offer multi-tenant Windows Azure IaaS subscriptions.  Continue Reading

• Five hybrid cloud security issues to overcome

  Many factors threaten hybrid cloud security, ranging from a lack of redundancy to poorly constructed SLAs. Here's how IT should prepare.  Continue Reading

• Peeling back the layers of the Platform as a Service market

  The PaaS market can be split into traditional IT vendors and independent, niche providers. Which choice offers an enterprise long-term cloud health?  Continue Reading

• Ten key principles of evaluating a cloud SLA

  Don't get buried under cloud SLA details. Know how to read the fine print and ensure it jibes with your personal business needs.  Continue Reading

• Reducing risks with multiple cloud service providers

  Using multiple cloud providers can help mitigate public cloud risks, though the challenges of a multi-cloud environment take some getting used to.  Continue Reading

• Windows Azure Active Directory enables single sign-on with cloud apps

  Linking Active Directory to multi-tenanted Windows Azure apps can simplify user sign-on in the cloud.  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

• Public cloud security: 10 ways to keep your applications safe

  Learn ten important best practices for keeping your public cloud security applications safe.  Continue Reading

• Defining the right cloud SLA requirements up front

  Before signing on the dotted line for cloud services, scrutinize your SLA for unsavory terms. Be wary of these SLA gotchas.  Continue Reading

• Five common mistakes of constructing a cloud presence

  With all that’s involved in moving to the cloud -- choosing a provider, determining which workloads to cloud-enable, and more – mistakes will happen.  Continue Reading

• SaaS application service assurance: It’s more than a SLA

  For most SaaS application consumers, the SLA from the network provider is the wrong tool.  Continue Reading

• 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 usage  Continue 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

• Cloud integration tools and platforms

  Learn about the decisions IT managers must make when it comes to cloud integration tools, platforms and architectures.  Continue Reading

• PaaS selection starts at the programming language

  The PaaS market is growing without a single leader or approach. Picking a model should involve more than just saying, ‘Eeney, meeney, miney, moe.’  Continue Reading

• The basics of cloud-based data storage

  Public cloud can offer near-limitless storage, though it’s not always the right choice. Storing the wrong type of data there has its consequences.  Continue Reading

• Big data buzz gets louder with Apache Hadoop and Hive

  Apache Hive gives SQL-savvy developers the power to add up complex queries against big data in Windows Azure blobs.  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

• Pros and cons of a non-VM-based IaaS model

  Building an IaaS cloud without using VMs has some limits. The ability to progress to a mixed-service cloud can help IT teams ignore potential issues.  Continue Reading

• Why big data, testing make good Amazon EC2 spot instance candidates

  Amazon EC2 spot instances are ideal for use with some cloud apps. Running tasks like big data analysis there can even reduce your bottom line.  Continue Reading

• Rules for deploying virtual machine images in the cloud

  Choosing a method for deploying VMs in the cloud forces you to reckon with your priorities. Weigh advantages of assembly on demand vs. golden images.  Continue Reading

• Examining the state of PaaS in the year of ‘big data’

  Either more vendors are offering ‘big data’ capabilities or they have creative marketing teams. Which PaaS provider’s big data cloud is the real deal?  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

• Planning and testing cloud-based disaster recovery

  Cloud-based disaster recovery can be less expensive and faster than traditional DR -- and it could protect your enterprise when all hell breaks loose.  Continue Reading

• Open source cloud platforms: Moving from hype to production

  Success of several open source cloud providers hinges on whether OpenStack cloud is production-ready. How do Eucalyptus, Red Hat and others stack up?  Continue Reading

• Selecting the right virtual machine for your private cloud

  So you’re ready to get into private cloud? Pace yourself. Choosing to cloud-enable the wrong VM could negatively affect performance.  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