InformationWeek Reports : Cloud Computing

Research: 2012 State of Cloud Computing

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:30:28 -0500

More than 500 IT pros weighed in on their use of public cloud services, and we can sum the results up in two words: blind leap. Just 28% assess the impact on their internal networks, even though 73% are using multiple providers. It's not too late to reverse the lemming migration. Here’s how.

InformationWeek Digital Issue: February 6, 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:45:03 -0500

Leap Of Cloud Faith
>> IT's diving in with too much custom code and too little planning
>> Six Flags and Yelp show what works

2012 InformationWeek Cloud ROI Modeler

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:41:07 -0500

This "Cloud vs. In-House" investment modeler, a supplement to the InformationWeek 2012 State of Cloud Computing report, is intended to give some general guidelines when considering a cloud initiative. Data has been provided as a sample to be used as a starting point. All fields are unlocked and can be modified to suit your particular business needs.

Wall Street & Technology: February 2012

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:12:08 -0500

EMBRACING CLOUD: Facing declining revenues and increasing pressure on capital expenditures, many Wall Street organizations are warming up to semi-public cloud offerings.

Strategy: Database Defense

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:10:15 -0500

The biggest threat to your company’s most sensitive data may be the employee who has legitimate access to corporate databases but less-than-legitimate intentions. And while the incidence of insider data breaches has decreased, external attacks often imitate them—and do serious damage. Follow our advice to mitigate the risk.

Strategy: Understanding Software Vulnerabilities

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:09:49 -0500

To protect company and customer data, we need to determine what makes it so vulnerable and appealing. We also need to understand how hackers operate, and what tools and processes they rely on. In this report, we explain how to ensure the best defense by thinking like an attacker and identifying the weakest link in your own corporate data chain.

Fundamentals: How to Write an Effective SAN RFI

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:33:00 -0500

Storage and networking are ground zero for the next enterprise data center upgrade wave. This time, architecture designs will be based on virtualization and private clouds, not discrete servers and local disks. Translation: Plenty of IT teams are in the market for SANs. Here’s how to make vendors work for your business.

Research: Data Encryption

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:53:49 -0500

Just 36% think they're ahead of the encryption curve, and now the cloud and mobility are adding new wrinkles to an already complex and difficult-to-implement technology. Meanwhile, just 47% have made mobile-device encryption a priority. Our take: This tech may just be the key to achieving the magical ROI promised by cloud services and mobility programs.

Fundamentals: Windows Azure: Clear Enterprise View

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:54:22 -0500

Understanding what Azure is and isn’t can be confusing, but the platform's place in the enterprise is becoming more clear with a more standardized taxonomy and nomenclature.

Research: State of Database Technology

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:35:05 -0500

We aren't surprised that 42% of our 760 respondents cite the ability to meet complex requirements as the top factor influencing their choice of operational database, or that virtualization and the cloud have lukewarm acceptance. But we do wonder about the 26% who still don't encrypt databases containing sensitive information.

Research: IT Pro Ranking: Data Center Networking

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:11:34 -0500

Cisco has an iron grip on the data center network. One reason is its reputation for quality: The company scores a 4.3 out of 5 for reliability, a rating no other vendor matched. That said, technology and market changes are loosening Cisco’s hold. Will the shift to virtual infrastructure, next-gen Ethernet and commodity switching components change the vendor pecking order? More than 500 IT pros weighed in to evaluate 7 vendors.

Strategy: Delegation Delivers Virtualization Savings

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:35:08 -0500

IT can't--and shouldn't--maintain absolute control over highly virtualized infrastructures. Instituting a smart role-based control strategy to decentralize management can empower business units to prioritize their own data assets while freeing IT to focus on the next big project.

Government: Cloud in Action

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:47:50 -0500

Uncle Sam wants to tap into the benefits of cloud computing. Here’s how 10 agencies are moving from planning to implementation.

InformationWeek Government: December 2011

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:16:29 -0500

Cloud In Action -- Federal IT needs ROI dashboard -- The Pentagon’s data center challenge -- NASA launches mobile apps store -- Smart grid cybersecurity at risk

InformationWeek Supplemental Issue: December 2011

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:10:54 -0500

Disaster Recovery Disaster -- Don't Let Old Thinking Sink A New Disaster Recovery Model

InformationWeek: December 12, 2011

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:01:17 -0500

- Chief Of The Year Starbucks CIO Stephen Gillett
Brought in to help perk up a struggling company, Gillett is leading Starbucks into some hot new digital ventures.

PLUS:
Cisco Still Rules The LAN

Inside Visual Studio 11
VMware's ups and downs -- Does BI need collaboration? -- The art of capacity planning -- RIM tries mobile management -- AT&T's wasted time

Strategy: Education's Technology Dilemma

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:33:37 -0500

Today's technology should make it possible to engage students in new and unique ways, but tight budgets and aging infrastructure mean that’s not always possible. Find out how two public school districts are using technology in innovative ways to close the gap between growing expectations and shrinking budgets.

5 Steps to Building A Private Cloud

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:25:35 -0500

Virtualization, automation and orchestration are the keys to making your IT infrastructure a business enabler rather than a cost center--they'll help you drive new initiatives through innovation and rapid service deployment. In this report, we lay out a staged approach to achieving this architecture.

Research: 2012 BI and Information Management

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:28:22 -0500

Our 542 respondents say mobile, cloud computing and, above all, analytics are making their mark within nearly every IT category. That’s the case despite the fact that 63% worry about data security in using SaaS/cloud-based BI/analytics and 47% foresee integration issues.

Research: BC/DR and the Cloud

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:31:39 -0500

These days, automatically replicating and archiving data to an offsite provider is as simple as plugging in a network storage appliance and filling out a few Web screens—and recovery is about as easy and transparent. Backing up applications isn’t quite so straightforward, though pairing internal virtualized apps with cloud-based VMs allows even small enterprises to achieve seamless recovery to world-class facilities with nearinstantaneous failover, without breaking the bank.

4 Steps to Cloud Quality

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:24:07 -0500

Negotiating SLAs with providers is a matter of metrics, performance targets, and realistic remedies.

Destination: Private Cloud

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:52:12 -0500

Getting to a next-generation virtualized data center will be difficult with today’s technology and standards.

Best Practices: Private Cloud Reality Check

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:28:58 -0500

A data center where server, network and storage resources are unified is key to enabling agile delivery of IT services. Call it a private cloud or convergence or a way to squeeze staffing levels or a recipe for vendors to lock you into their proprietary systems—whatever your take, it's the future for most data centers. But getting there isn't for the faint of heart or light of wallet.

Strategy: Patch Management

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:25:06 -0400

It’s no longer sufficient to patch just Windows, Office and IE. With the massive array of applications now residing on enterprise PCs, and the proliferation of mobile and cloud-based applications, your business is far too vulnerable to exploitation unless you have a solid strategy for patch prioritization, deployment and quality assurance. Follow these steps to put your plan in place.

InformationWeek: October 31, 2011

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:28:18 -0400

Virtualization: What Next? -- Top 10 CIO Priorities -- Why Oracle wants Endeca -- Risky handoff: Cellular to Wi-Fi -- Inventor of C remembered -- 7 tips for BYOD -- Tablets go industrial