Cloud May Ease CEO Technology Angst

Posted on by gregl

When 1,500 CEOs worldwide were asked in late 2010 about technology changes, 80 percent said their environments definitely would become much more complex, and over half admitted their companies were not prepared.

“Unfortunately, the information technology infrastructure at many large companies only makes this challenge more difficult, writes renowned technology observer Andrew McAfee in the Harvard Business Review. “Their technology environments actually impede their ability to sense change and respond quickly. While there is no simple fix for this problem, help is at hand in the form of cloud computing, a new suite of digital tools and approaches.

“Cloud computing is a sharp departure from the status quo,” McAfee goes on. “Today most companies own their software and hardware and keep them ‘on premise’ in data centers and other specialized facilities. With cloud computing, in contrast, companies lease their digital assets, and their employees don’t know the location of the computers, data centers, applications, and databases that they’re using. To advocates of cloud computing, that’s the whole point. Customers don’t have to concern themselves with details; they just rent what they need from the cloud.”

Colocation Eases Scalability Worries

Posted on by gregl

Pressures on data centers to quickly grow or shrink – depending on immediate demands on the enterprise from internal or external users – continues to make colocation the most attractive option, especially in these days of cloud computing.

“Colocation offers scalability,” says Caroline Brelsford, head of national accounts with Houston-based CyrusOne. “If an enterprise grows quickly, the storage and power will be there. If it grows more slowly than anticipated, the enterprise hasn’t spent money on facilities that are underused. That means you’re not trying to build five or 10 years out without a crystal ball.”

(Good thing for EasyStreet customers – we offer both cloud AND colocation services. Or even an integration of the two.)

 

Cloud Myth # 3: Cloud computing is an all-or-nothing proposition

Posted on by Karen Karger

InfoWorld’s David Linthicum has it right — there are many Cloud myths that just won’t go away. His contends that, rather than taking an all-or-nothing approach to Cloud computing, you can instead “move to cloud-based systems, such as storage and compute services, as needed, both intersystem and intrasystem. Moreover, you can move in a fine-grained manner, shifting only certain system components, such as user interface processing or storage, and leaving the remainder on premises.”

We find many of our customers (old and new) are taking advantage of the integrated/hybrid IT solutions EasyStreet can design and build for them. These custom designs can combine a number of components, including Private Cloud, Multi-Tenant Cloud or colocation services, to create the best solution based on that particular customer’s needs. (Yes, the word “solution” is overused, but I can’t think of a better one to use in this case.) With our fast point-to-point or Internet connectivity options, some part of the infrastructure can even be kept on customer premises while the rest resides at EasyStreet. (This is the “fine-grained manner” David was writing about.)

Click here to read all four of David Linthicum’s Cloud computing myths.

Better yet, click here to request a quotation from EasyStreet to design a custom Cloud solution for your business.

IT Hiring Expected to Climb for 3rd Straight Year

Posted on by gregl

IT hiring has been on the upswing for three years running, according to Computerworld’s annual hiring survey. Today 29 percent of IT executives polled say they plan to increase their IT staffing in 2012. That’s up from 20 percent polled in 2009 and 23 percent in 2010.

Not surprisingly, the most popular skill these executives want is programming and application development, including web development and upgrading internal systems. Just over 60 percent will seek these skills, up significantly from the 44 percent who sought these same skills in the 2010 survey.

Expanded project-management skills also are high on the list, especially the ability to identify users’ needs and translate them into effective solutions that the IT team can develop. Other skills the executives mentioned included technical support and business intelligence.

Of course cloud computing and virtualization are prompting a growing number of IT staff openings in networking, VMware, data center operations and integration, according to the executives polled.

EasyStreet Business Success Story by AMAX

Posted on by Karen Karger

 

AMAX is the supplier of the Indirect Evaporative Cooling units used in EasyStreet’s Data Center 2. AMAX recently posted a Business Success Story about EasyStreet and how EasyStreet selected this solution as part of our long-standing commitment to sustainability and energy conservation. Thank you to AMAX. (We sure don’t need supplemental DX air conditioning on a chilly day like today!)

Click here to read the success story.