Cloud computing explained

Cloud computing is invading us. There are ways to look at it and also perspectives to take. Some people say   the cloud is Man's ingenuity writ large and others opine that it is just boring place to back-up tedious email. No matter what view you take cloud is real . Here is a brief explanation on that 

What is 'the cloud'?

"The cloud is a collection of interconnected IT services and infrastructures that are accessible via a network," says Dr M Rajarajan, a reader in information security at City University London. From a user's point of view, anything that backs up and syncs data that's accessible on multiple devices can be said to be a cloud service.

For complete story read here 

Cloud computing: What is there for me?

Nowadays, more and more businesses are moving their operations to the cloud as the industry starts to realize the benefits that the cloud brings, whether it’s cost-efficiency, improved flexibility and agility, or any of the myriad advantages that comes from cloud computing. However, before you start migrating all of your data to the cloud, there are some considerations that you need to think about first, such as:

Bigger is Not Necessarily Better

Due to the popularity of cloud computing, you’ll see a lot of large companies from other IT related sectors now staking their claim on the rapidly growing cloud market, but don’t always assume that you’ll be better off with a certain provider just because they are a large, popular company – as they could have earned their reputation in another field and are still not used to the cloud business. It would be wise to do your research first and focus on the provider’s reputation regarding cloud services before signing up with one. For complete story read here 

Cloud Computing For Paranoid People

People often are worried about safety and security standards of cloud computing environment. Here is an assurance by a writer

   I've noticed some people are highly skeptical about the safety of cloud computing and I wanted to chime in because frankly there is a logic that makes the whole thing simple.

   Yes people get into your personal accounts and see things if you aren't careful but if you share information through a cloud and use even a tiny bit of discernment you can mitigate the risk completely.

   Sending documents through a cloud service like evernote for example is pretty safe considering that I never intend to send my banking information through it. The ubuntu cloud service might have my music files but nothing that could hurt me if it got out. This is how one should approach this kind of thing, after all your email is not exactly safe. For complete story see here 

Data as a Service ( DaaS): Newest in Cloud Computing service range

One of the newest approaches to IT is Data-as-a-Service (or DaaS), which refers to the delivery of on-demand Virtual Data Centers (VDC) delivered across a private network rather than the public internet. Typically, these are offered on a per-unit basis – be it per CPU or per 1Gb of storage – and can be dynamically provisioned.

There are many reasons for enterprises to adopt  this model but the primary one is that it allows them to ‘own’ infrastructure on an OPEX basis, thus avoiding large upfront costs. This way enterprises have the ability to scale resources elastically up and down and only pay for them when they are needed. This model is perfect for resource-intensive and fast-changing computing environments, such as financial services. For complete story see here 

Cloud-Based Manufacturing Solutions

Invensys Operations Management and Microsoft recently collaborated on a series of Executive "Eye Opener" seminars intended to promote the potential business benefits of applying cloud computing, virtualization, and analytics in manufacturing. ARC Advisory Group participated in these seminars, which were held last month in Seattle, Houston, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. Over 100 companies registered for the seminars and attendees included a cross section of representatives from manufacturing IT, operations and maintenance management, and IT management.

The goal of the multi-city seminar was to provide greater understanding of the business benefits and applicability of Microsoft Azure Cloud Technology in industrial automation and how proven technologies like virtualization can offer a clear pathway to additional benefits.

Industry and solution experts from Microsoft, Invensys Operations Management, ARC Advisory Group, and Sarla Analytics participated in these interactive, half-day seminars. Specific topics included:

• Is cloud computing an "all or nothing strategy," or can industrial users make incremental investments to help mitigate risk?
• Microsoft's roadmap for bringing cloud computing to industry
• How the cloud impacts manufacturers
• Current mobile solutions for cloud-based reporting and KPI management
• Invensys' near-term product plans for collaboration and reporting in the cloud

For more details on this you may read complete story here 

BookMane: A New experiment in enabling Your Learning

BookMane lets you to create learning hubs in your local area which brings in together learners from different walks of life to solve a real time issue/problem through collaboration , in a way where a solution/product is invented, which in a way can be useful for the people present in that local area. 

The building of such a product/solution can be supported by people of that particular local area (or) people interested to support the creators of the solution/product, wherein the product/solution built could be used for their personal use. Intent is to bring learners together, which could consist of students, professionals, business people and collaborators together to create a real good ecosystem where on hand learning and DIY activity is given more importance, and in a way achieve a better thriving engineering community.

How Can Cloud Computing Help In Education?

Cloud computing has immense potential to change the education is conceptualized and delivered. Here are some thoughts and ways towards that.

Cloud Computing: A Simple, Cost-Effective Solution for K-12? from Johan Koren

THE BASICS OF CLOUD COMPUTING FOR NON-PROFITS

The sweep of cloud computing is extending. Here is an example from  Fanggle.com 

More and more non-profits are using cloud computing to help them meet their IT needs. Chances are your non-profit already uses cloud computing for some activities, and you might not even realize it. First off;

Cloud Computing for Non Profits

How can cloud computing help your non-profit? One way is by putting your fundraising into a cloud-computing infrastructure.  The level of computing and options available are made customizable to the non-profit’s needs. Here are a few examples of cloud computing for non-profits:

• Fundraising in the cloud makes it easier for people to donate as well as making it easier for organizations to manage donations. Donors can give through email from websites, social media sites and even directly from their cell phones.
• Information management is a cinch when all your databases are managed through the cloud. It’s easy to present unified messages to donors or even target specific donors for events or fund drives.
• Speaking of events, I’m sure you’ve been through the chaos of putting on a fundraiser. Cloud computing helps everyone stay on the same page and keep connected throughout the event planning and implementation process.

Finally, using a cloud for non-profit IT computing can take some of the pressure off the volunteers and staff, so that they can focus on the causes and not the computers.

ACM Symposium on Cloud Computing -2012

The ACM Symposium on Cloud Computing 2012 is the third in a new series of symposia that brings together researchers, developers, users, and practitioners interested in cloud computing. Co-sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Groups on Management of Data (SIGMOD) and on Operating Systems (SIGOPS), SoCC 2012 will take place from October 14th-17th in San Jose, CA. For the first time, ACM SoCC 2012 is being held independently, recognizing the growing research fertility and societal/commercial importance of cloud computing. (SoCC was previously held in conjunction with the SIGMOD and SOSP). 

The complete proceedings can be viewed here 

Cloud Architect: Who is he and what does he do?

Cloud Architect is a challenging job. Here is an explanation on the role and responsibilities of a cloud architect

The Literacy Ladder: 3R's to Cloud Computing Literacy

The success or even survival in any society depends on acquiring certain skills-set.  In the early days of human society those skills were simple and almost learnt by observation. with the advent of technologies and their gradual inroad into society and its institutions- a new range of skills emerge. For example with the invention of printing press- a new set of skills become necessary- Reading, Writing and Arithmetic- popularly known as 3R's. Such survival skills are also called Literacy skills or simply Literacy 

For long print remained a sole media and 3R's remained the standard Literacy. With the arrival multimedia - citizens are required to acquire what is known as Media Literacy

Similarly  with the advent of computer and hence information society- Information skills become Vogue.  

Latest to add in this list is Cloud Computing Literacy- ability to discover and use widely accessible cloud resources for personal and professional productivity 

Cloud Computing Innovations for the Life Sciences Industry

Cloud Computing CRM implementations are reasonably new to the life sciences industry.  Here in an outline of  ways in which CRM and Cloud Computing have helped the life sciences industry to grow and evolve, and discusses how content management can help life sciences take the next big leap into cloud technology.

• Q. How do you see CRM and Cloud Computing as having evolved within the Life Sciences industry over the last 10 years?

A. Five years ago, there were literally zero cloud computing CRM implementations in the life sciences industry. The leading CRM systems were built on massive client/server platforms that, while effective at the time, had become too inflexible to support the rapidly changing needs of pharmaceutical companies of all sizes. Today, all new CRM deployments are in the cloud. Adoption of cloud technology has gone from 0 to 100% in five years…an unprecedented technology adoption cycle in any industry but especially for the life sciences industry. Even still, there are some technology providers that try to label their offerings as ‘in the cloud’ but true cloud-based systems today are multitenant – this is the key to achieving the well-known massive economies of scale that enable all of the signature cloud benefits like cost savings, flexibility, scalability, low-maintenance, fast implementation, and easy upgrades. For complete story see here 

Former Yahoo Cloud Chief Aims to Ease Hadoop Development

Todd Papaioannou knows a thing or two about Hadoop. The former chief cloud architect at Yahoo, Papaioannou is now leading a new startup called Continuuity.

Continuuity's aim is to make the benefits of the Hadoop framework available to folks other than data scientists. The key, according to Papaioannou, is making it easier for enterprise application developers to build apps leveraging Hadoop.

"We think the next wave in the Big Data market is going to be application development. So far, we've seen companies in the infrastructure layer like Cloudera and Hortonworks, but we think that as the market evolves what will be needed are applications," he said. "Ultimately customers want to pay for business value and insight. They don't want to pay for infrastructure; they want applications." For complete story read here 

Towards Web 2.0 Schools: Rethinking the Teachers Professional Development

This paper by Roumen Niklov  aims at analyzing the Web 2.0 based distance education in the K-12 schools as an emerging phenomenon that catalyzes a new educational reform all over the world. Some pre-Web 2.0 best practice examples are analyzed in order to draw the main findings in the paper. The teacher’s professional qualification designed to meet the new challenges is considered as a key problem for a successful penetration of this phenomenon in the schools. It is emphasized on the importance of designing a life-long teacher training strategy adapted to the new achievements in the technology enhanced learning research and the new learning theories. 

Building social skills and competencies appropriate to work in  a Web 2.0 based learning  environment and other global ‘social software’ is recommended to be included both in the school curricula and the corresponding teacher development curricula. Such skills and competencies should penetrate the curricula of any life-long learning initiative dedicated to the citizens of the information society. The complete discussions may be read here 

Cloud Benefits for Public Safety

The nature of public safety applications is such that the advantages of shared systems are greater in both cost and utility. Public safety applications are increasingly interconnected to inter-agency, regional, state, and national systems and databases. Each premise-based system must be individually connected to each external system. Every point to- point connection takes network engineering, interfacing, monitoring, maintenance, support, and may require time-consuming certi cations and audits. Shared systems come with shared external connections, live and pre-certifi ed.

As new data sources and applications become available, the cloud model makes it possible to amortize the investment required (to make third-party plug-in services available to users) over the entire user population. With lower integration costs come greater incentives for the creation of new, innovative technologies. As the cost-benefi t of supporting third party services is enhanced by lower up-front costs, support for the add-on marketplace becomes a competitive advantage. Here is a complete report 

Cloud Apps Somewhat More Secure Than On-Premises Apps: Survey – Forbes

Cloud Computing security is a real concern and an industrial challenge.  The debate on whether or not to trust cloud computing security is a perpetual debate. In the mean time a survey has found that " on-premises Web application systems get hammered more frequently with attacks, the study shows.  The average number of web application attacks is 61.4 among on-premise customers and 27.8 on service provider customers. Brute force attacks and reconnaissance attacks were also experienced with higher frequency in on-premises environments.”

Here is a complete survey report by Forbes

How the internet changed career: framing the relationship between career development and online technologies

This article examines the inter-relationship between the internet and career development. It asks three inter-linked questions: How does the internet reshape the context within which individuals pursue their career? What skills and knowledge do people need in order to pursue their careers effectively using the internet? How can careers workers use the internet as a medium for the delivery of career support? The article develops conceptual architecture for answering these questions and in particular highlights the importance of the concept of digital career literacy. The complete article can be read here

Indian Learning Goes Cloud Way

Tomorrow’s classroom would be from a child’s home,” said Subashini Ramakrishnan, Chief Technology Officer, Dax Networks. With more private and foreign universities entering the fray, higher education has become a highly competitive sector. Universities understand that in order to win in this race, they have to ensure quality, provide access to technology including the Internet, employ innovative technologies and enable collaboration

For instance, many Indian universities are now using technologies such as videoconferencing, learning management systems and Cloud computing for better presentation and delivery of content. According to Ashok Pathak, Chief Systems Manager, Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIMK), IT plays an important role in the successful delivery of leading-edge education and contextually relevant content. It also helps in ensuring smooth administrative processes.  For more such instances see here 

When Technology Overcomes a natural barrier, it leads to a revolution

Historically, natural barriers have always halted or delayed human progress. Technology is a means to overcome a natural barrier. Before the invention of printing press around 14^thCentury, human memory was a limiting factor in determining the nature and scope of learning and teaching. A student’s ability to learn is limited by natural memory she has been endowed with and his gained skills to manage it- remembering and recalling. A teacher’s ability or facility to teach is limited by his preferences. The advent of book and human’s ability to put knowledge with in the covers of a book- heralded new waves of liberation.  Student was no more at the mercy of a teacher to learn- don’t have been in teacher’s physical proximity to learn from him. Nor the flow of teaching depended on the whim and fancy of the teacher. A student can literally do away with the teacher and can depend on books as reliable source and means of knowledge. In addition a teacher, who can put his knowledge into a book, can teach more students than he can meet or manage. 

Moreover, a student can always get back to books for reference thus relieving his mind and memory from ‘stocking” knowledge and instead employing those resources to “think’ and “deliberate”. At a higher level printed books also liberated people from adhering to traditional and ‘vested and limited” ’ interpretation of writings – be it Bible or great books of Greek civilization.  Thus newer interpretation of bible led to religious revolution in Christianity and divided it into Catholics and protestants and in France, newer insights and interpretation of ancient Greek works such of Aristotle and other eminent writer resulted in French revolution demanding for new social order based on newly found values – Liberty, Human dignity, freedom, Government and more. Thus it can be safely asserted that any technology that overcomes a natural barrier unleashes new wave of human possibilities and eventually lead into revolution. The invention of printing press and ability to produce books – was directly responsible for at least one religious and another momentous socio-political revolution. Not just that- it is said that book determined the emergence and structure of modern university. One can not imagine building a library in the absence of producing books in large numbers and there can not the concept and subsequent practice of university. As we can see it later- this true of any invention or tool that humanity has invented.  

References: 

Economic Impact of the Printing Press: Info Age 1.0

Cloud Computing to Benefit India

According to a new report, “Unlocking the Benefits of Cloud Computing for Emerging Economies—A Policy Overview” by Peter F. Cowhey and Michael Kleeman of the University of California San Diego, which examines the critical benefits to lower and middle-income economies, in particular those of India, Mexico and South Africa, from international and domestic adoption of cloud computing. 

Among the key findings in the report from UC San Diego: 
1. The cloud enables developing world economies to be competitive with higher value added products as goods and services become more information and communications technology (ICT) intensive;
2. The cloud bolsters South-South commerce, the fastest growing share of world trade investment;
3. The cloud’s scalability boosts job creation by helping small to medium sized businesses reduce costs and investments;
4. The cloud enables developing world countries’ governments to deliver core services more effectively and efficiently; and
5. The cloud boosts network infrastructure investment in lower income economies.  For more details on the report see here 

Five benefits of cloud computing

Edwin Schouten, cloud services leader for IBM Global Technology Services, has produced a list of five key reasons companies should look to use cloud computing. He points out that one of the major benefits for implementing the technology is increased efficiency, but there is much more to it than that.Here is the summary. The complete story is available here

• The first area he highlights is ‘business agility’. This is where a firm can deliver faster results in a cheaper manner to give them an edge on their competition.“I have seen a data analytics project being reduced from four months to just three weeks, reducing the projects time-to-market and overall cost significantly,” Schouten said.

• The second advantage of the cloud he points out is the fact that it allows firms to try out new business models, Mr Schouten says that utilising its flexible structure can result in new and innovative business structures being created and this can result in new areas of revenue becoming available to the company. “There are even companies that are building entirely new business models and value propositions solely using cloud services. I see this last category especially in small and medium enterprises, but also think of Spotify, and BitCasa,” he pointed out.
• Next up is reduced operational issues. This is an area where business continuity is improved and less time is spent trying to sort out problems.
• Benefit number four is a better use of resources. Because the cloud gives more “business agility” this means that staff members can now spend more of their time focusing on areas which offer greater value to the firm.Mr Schouten said: “This benefit is different for every organisation and harder to quantify, but people are an organizations biggest asset and this allows you to better utilise this asset.”
• Lastly, and most importantly to many companies, is reduce capital expense. Because data is held remotely, firms can reduce their storage costs but they can also save money on staff and maintainance.

Cloud Computing enables Educational Entrepreneurship

A businessman who set up a company to tackle the problems of China's classrooms has been named Entrepreneur of the Year. It uses cloud computing to create a teaching platform that can be used by teachers, pupils and parents.

China's Naibo Yu has been named Entrepreneur of the Year following the success of his cloud computing company. For complete story see here 

Cloud Computing in Five Years: A Veteran's Views

Since 1998, Phil Wainewright has been a thought leader in cloud computing as a blogger, analyst and consultant. Here are his views on prospects of cloud in next five years

• Cloud is delivered on mobile, includes social. Ask a technologist for a definition of cloud and you'll soon get dragged into discussions of virtualization, automated management and even data center design. Ask a business person and they'll talk about the freedom of interacting with applications, resources and contacts without being tied to a physical location. The business people have got it right: what's important about the connected technology of the cloud is the incredible speed, agility and transformation it enables in business. Some people say cloud is a buzzword that is nearing the end of its heyday, but I think it will endure, not as a technology buzzword but as a layman's term for connected automation.
• Many businesses will thrive because of cloud. Cloud, in its widest sense of being connected to a global network of on-demand resources, is transforming entire industries. Look at all forms of media and publishing, look at retailing, look at advertising and marketing, look at information technology. The businesses that are using the Web to pioneer new ways of delivering goods and services are growing fast — as Marc Andreessen put it so memorably, software is eating the world. For other prospects and complete story read here 

Cloud Computing is Affecting and Benefiting one and ALL

As I have been stressing in my presentations and posts, cloud computing is really a plenary technology and has potential to affect all. Something similar view is expressed in this CloudTimes Post by   Florence de Borja 
With the current popularity cloud computing is experiencing, it is not surprising to expect that it will have a great impact on the global economy. In fact, according to the International Data Corporation, it is expected for cloud computing to generate at least 14 million jobs worldwide. In a recent Forbes article by Joe McKendrick, he pointed out 5 ways in which cloud computing will change how businesses are implemented. According to him, cloud computing will also indirectly affect jobs.

For complete story on how cloud computing can benefit each one of us see here

Cloud Fever Grips Oracle and Focuses on India

With a strong focus on emerging markets, Oracle is moving aggressively in India in terms of investments and positioning its products and solutions for customers here. “Cloud computing has moved beyond early adopter stage to mainstream in India,” says Sandeep Mathur, managing director, Oracle India (see interview). The setting up a datacentre here to cater to the regional demand for cloud computing is high on the agenda

Truth be told, Oracle was slow to embrace this trend. But the Redwood Shores, California-based firm subsequently introduced its own offerings in the rapidly growing area and also acquired several firms selling internet-based software as its corporate customers embraced younger cloud rivals including Salesforce.com, Amazon.com and Google. For complete story on Oracle strategy towards cloud computing read here 

How to get your first cloud computing job?

As indicated earlier Cloud Computing is a new and emerging career option. Here is an interesting perspective on Cloud computing Jobs landscape from Infoworld
Cloud computing is expanding rapidly, with an accompanying need for for cloud computing "experts" to make this technology work. That translates into many new jobs chasing very few qualified candidates. At the same time, many IT professionals are attempting to figure out how they can cash in on the cloud.

Most of the cloud jobs to be found these days require deep knowledge around a particular technology, such as Amazon Web Services, OpenStack, Salesforce.com, or Azure. This is typically due to the fact that the company has standardized on a cloud technology. I call these jobs cloud technology specialists, in that they focus on a specific cloud technology: development, implementation, management, and so on. The complete story is available here 

Cloud Computing enters Chinese Classroom

In a Chinese classroom, a teacher needs to face more than 20 students and sometimes up to 60. These students, and their parents, will always want to get the most attention from the teacher. This is an educational challenge faced by schools the world over, which in China, we're turning to technology to tackle.

In 2008, with a start up loan from Youth Business China (a member of the global charity network),Youth Business International, I founded HowLang Group - part of a new wave of educational tools, social learning, where technology is used to help break down the barriers of the school walls and improve learning. At this time, our product was just in the design phase, struggling for investment, so the loan was crucial to helping us progress.

Our new solution to the challenges of modern teaching in China was to use cloud computing. Students can access lesson plans on their PC or tablet (like an iPad), and work through the lesson. These lessons can be accessed at any location and anyone can use the resources freely.

The teachers use the platform for teaching, the students use the platform for learning, and parents can use it to see how their child is doing at school and share their feedback with the teachers. At the same time, participants can ask and answer questions and share knowledge to help others. For complete story see here 

5 Cloud Course Teaching Platforms

Though Cloud Computing has been in the offing for some years now, its inner core is still enshrouded in a cloak of mystery as people only see the surface. One of the more important sides of the service include the platform, which is useful for teaching the fundamentals of the technology that ties together all networks in a developing cloud. Though the platform is important for developing concepts and doing practical work, it is, however, still the best stepping stone for learning about the subject. This is because app-based platforms are always evolving.

There have been many brands that have come up to replenish the role of Platform as a Service (PaaS) which is the application arm of the cloud. They approach the technology from various angles, which suit particular business models, while others are mere development platforms for stats.

Here are five of the leading platforms that use cloud courses as their teaching models.

• Appistry
• Windows Azure
• AppScale
• Amazon EC2
• AT& T
  For complete details view a story here 
  
  

A guide to small business Cloud storage and data protection

Entering the era of online data raises many issues for the small business operator. How best for a small business to store its data online? How can this data be kept secure? What cloud tools are best suited for SMBs? Small businesses might have a smaller amount of data, but that doesn’t mean security is a smaller concern. Try the following tools to get your small business on the cloud easily and securely. Here are 5 selected tool beneficial for small business

Cloud Computing In Agriculture: 5 Key Questions You Must Answer

Cloud Computing is spreading its service range. Here is an example on how it can help agriculture too

XS Inc. recently built a private cloud infrastructure on Dell to help agricultural clients improve business processes and decision making through data management and analysis. The Dell infrastructure is critical to supporting XS, Inc.’s big data applications due to its flexibility and reliability.

“As population increases and farm land remains limited, efficiency on the field and in the data center is imperative,” says Darren Patterson, vice president of technology at XS, Inc. “When you factor in a drought, it’s even more important to make the most of your resources.”

As cloud computing in agriculture continues to increase, so too will the number of questions about it. To answer the most frequently asked questions, I've identified the top five things you need to know before entering the cloud, according to IT experts:

1. Private or public? If you're considering adopting cloud computing, one of the first questions experts say you need to answer is private or public? A private cloud, built using your resources in your data center, leaves you in control but also means you shoulder the management overhead.  Public cloud services relieve you of that management burden but at the expense of some control. There's also a hybrid approach, in which some data resides on a private cloud, while other data resides on a public cloud.

2. Is security a concern? For a long time people were concerned about the security of cloud-computing platforms, but most of them are actually now much more secure than traditional approaches that they replace, according to experts. That's not to say you shouldn't have any worries about security with cloud computing. The Cloud Security Alliance recommends you be aware of software interfaces, or APIs, that are used to interact with cloud services. "Reliance on a weak set of interfaces and APIs exposes organizations to a variety of security issues related to confidentiality, integrity, availability, and accountability,” says the group in its "Top Threats to Cloud Computing" document.

3. What are the benefits? Many cloud-computing service providers claim they can significantly reduce the cost and complexity of owning and operating computers and networks. Cloud services can often be customized and flexible to use, and providers can offer advanced services that an individual company might not have the money or expertise to develop. Plus, experts say you have ability to add storage as needed. When you need more capacity, you get more, and when you need less, you get less — and you pay only for what you get.

4. How can I ensure success? According to an April 2011 online survey by Baseline, two critical elements of a cloud strategy are not commonly recognized: attention to service levels and focus on integration. To ensure your path to cloud success, experts encourage businesses to incorporate both elements. Also, IT leaders should obtain hands-on experience with cloud computing to learn its capabilities before implementing a company-wide solution.

5. Will the role of my IT department change? Cloud computing will not eliminate the need for an IT team, but many experts believe it will likely shift the role it plays within an organization. Before cloud computing, technical support spent much of its time monitoring and/or recovering all devices and systems to make sure they were available for business operations. With the transition of many devices to the cloud, an IT staff can spend more time in the role of project manager, business analyst and strategic planner.

Cloud Operating System TransOS Coming Soon Say Researchers

The push The push toward a world of total cloud computing continues, as a group of Chinese researchers are developing a critical piece of software meant to be accessed and stored offsite: The operating system.

These days, even the most casual of computer users understands the importance of the operating system. Be it Google’s Chrome OS, Apple’s Mac OSX or Microsoft’s Windows, the OS is the piece of software which not only ties together the bits and pieces of the computer, but also provides a platform on which applications and programs can be run.

As time and technology have progressed, these operating systems, like many other aspects of computing, have gotten much smaller. However, now that many are looking to the cloud as a cheap and viable option for storing data offsite, it seems only inevitable that a truly cloud-based OS would one day allow users to keep all of their data in the cloud. Here is the complete story 

Teaching in tune with Technology and Time

All educators today, but especially those in post-secondary roles, need to learn how to make the most of cloud-based resources in their teaching practices, according to education consultant John Kuglin. The best way to get up to speed on those resources is to take them for a test drive, he said. Fortunately, there's a bunch of free or nearly free stuff out there that virtually anyone can use to get started in the cloud.

"In the 21st century, you must have a digital footprint," he said. "You really have no choice. And nowadays, that means the cloud". For complete details see here

Mobile learning and cloud-based assessment set to enter Oman's university campuses

Mobile learning and cloud-based assessment are set to radically transform the GCC's education sector with universities in Oman among the first in the Middle East to adopt this revolutionary new technology. Here is my presentation made at CDAC, Hyderabad

Mobile learning, or m-learning, takes digital education to an altogether higher level and Oman can be one of the first few countries in the world to adopt this revolutionary technology in mobile learning 'm-learning' and cloud computing through hand-held devices.

Building on the popularity of tablet PCs and smart phones among the younger generation, Core Education & Consulting Solutions FZ LLC 'Core', a global leader in education technologies, has revolutionised traditional concepts of teaching and learning, firmly aligning them with cutting-edge 21st century education processes. Complete story is here 

OpenStack cloud computing certification

Rackspace Hosting Inc., announced Wednesday its open cloud training initiative, which aims to certify IT administrators onOpenStack software. Open source cloud computing has made waves in cloud-savvy enterprises, but with OpenStack still not in a large number of production environments, can this certification make a difference among IT job candidates?

IT departments, companies want to ensure they have the right talent for the job -- and employees need to ensure their skills remain relevant. Much debate has come up around cloud computing certification among IT professionals. And much fear has been stirring that cloud signals the end of the IT admin. Can a stamp of approval or a certificate for a cloud technology help job retention as IT departments evolve?  Complete interview and details are here 

Cloud Solution Enhances Kansai University's Educational Research System Platform

Fujitsu and Kansai University today announced that they have collaborated in enhancing Kansai University's educational research system platform through the use of cloud computing. The new system began full-fledged operations on September 21, 2012.

By employing virtualization technology, the new system consolidates the previous array of 21 servers down to only two. Furthermore, Kansai University's file servers for both students and faculty members were further enhanced with the deployment of "Organic Storage Service II," Fujitsu's cloud-based online file storage service that is able to dynamically scale its storage capacity to match changes in usage volume. The addition of this new service works to further optimize the deployment of ICT resources, increase operational efficiency, and improve system security.

As a result of these moves, Kansai University has successfully lowered its total ICT costs by 30% while cutting its electricity consumption by 46%. Furthermore, by using the Fujitsu Akashi System Center, which has comprehensive disaster mitigation measures as well as advanced security features, the University has also enhanced its security. In addition, both students and faculty members are now able to access the university's email and file services 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, even when the university is subject to legally mandated rolling blackouts. Complete story here