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Tag: Cloud Computing

  • AWS CEO Pitches Cloud Cost Savings but Customers Not Convinced

    AWS CEO Pitches Cloud Cost Savings but Customers Not Convinced

    AWS CEO Adam Selipsky is trying to convince customers that cloud computing can save them money, but many are unconvinced.

    Amid an uncertain economy, companies are looking to cut costs everywhere. Selipsky is touting cloud computing as a way for companies to save money, according to Business Insider.

    “When it comes to the cloud, many of our customers know they should be leaning in precisely because of economic uncertainty, not despite it. The cloud is more cost-effective,” Selipsky said, adding: “If you are looking to tighten your belt, the cloud is the place to do it.”

    Despite the CEO’s confidence, many customers are not convinced that cloud costs can be kept under control. Pay-as-you-go cloud computing sounds good, but costs can quickly escalate as companies begin to scale up.

    “Especially in the past month and a half, the volume of inbound calls we’re getting from startups saying, ‘We need to cut our costs dramatically’” has increased, Ken Cheney, the chief revenue officer at Ternary, told Insider. “It’s the macro conditions, right? Suddenly spending money like a drunken sailor doesn’t make sense.”

    This isn’t the first time cost has come up as a concern with cloud computing. In August, Anodot’s State of Cloud Cost Report found that 50% of IT executives said it was proving difficult to control cloud costs.

    Unless costs are managed carefully, it’s quite easy to lose track of what’s being used—especially for organizations with large development teams that move quickly and tend to try new things. Misconfigurations, over-provisioning, and forgotten resources that have been provisioned but abandoned are the bane of cost management for DevOps teams. Unfortunately, for many organizations, the surprise costs only show up when the monthly invoice arrives.

    If companies continue to struggle with cloud computing costs, AWS and others may have their work cut out convincing customers to continue spending money.

  • DigitalOcean’s Weak Guidance a Warning to the Cloud Industry

    DigitalOcean’s Weak Guidance a Warning to the Cloud Industry

    Despite beating analysts’ expectations in its most recent quarter, DigitalOcean’s weak guidance may be a warning sign for the industry.

    The cloud computing industry has largely avoided the worst of the current economic downturn as companies continue to race to migrate legacy systems to the cloud. In fact, the cloud market’s growth is accelerating, with end-user public spending poised to reach nearly $600 billion in 2023.

    According to SiliconAngle, DigitalOcean’s guidance for next quarter has disappointed analysts:

    The company offered a forecast of between $160 million and $162 million in fourth-quarter revenue, below Wall Street’s target of $164 million. It also said it’s looking at earnings of 18 to 19 cents per share, below the consensus of 26 cents.

    The guidance is bad news for the cloud industry and may be further indication the sector is not as well insulated from economic uncertainty as some would hope.

  • Public Cloud Spending Projected at Nearly $600 Billion in 2023

    Public Cloud Spending Projected at Nearly $600 Billion in 2023

    The cloud computing industry received good news with a new report projecting 20.7% growth in end-user spending, totaling nearly $600 billion, in 2023.

    The tech industry has been struggling with economic headwinds that have resulted in mass layoffs and hiring freezes. Despite the challenges, however, the cloud computing industry continues to accelerate its growth.

    According to Gartner’s latest research, end-user spending on public cloud services will grow 20.7% in 2023, an increase over the projected 18.8% in 2022. The spending is estimated to reach $591.8 billion.

    “Current inflationary pressures and macroeconomic conditions are having a push and pull effect on cloud spending,” said Sid Nag, Vice President Analyst at Gartner. “Cloud computing will continue to be a bastion of safety and innovation, supporting growth during uncertain times due to its agile, elastic and scalable nature.

    “Yet, organizations can only spend what they have. Cloud spending could decrease if overall IT budgets shrink, given that cloud continues to be the largest chunk of IT spend and proportionate budget growth.”

    Gartner doesn’t see cloud spending slowing down or reversing. In fact, the research indicates that once companies transition to the cloud, very few ever reverse direction, leading to a lasting source of revenue for cloud providers.

    “Despite growth, profitability and competition pressures, cloud spending will continue through perpetual cloud usage,” Nag added. “Once applications and workloads move to the cloud they generally stay there, and subscription models ensure that spending will continue through the term of the contract and most likely well beyond. For these vendors, cloud spending is an annuity – the gift that keeps on giving.”

  • Microsoft Lays Out Plans to Address EU Cloud Pricing Complaints

    Microsoft Lays Out Plans to Address EU Cloud Pricing Complaints

    Microsoft has laid out its plans to address complaints that it unfairly leverages its position in the market to penalize smaller cloud companies.

    Smaller EU cloud companies filed a complaint against Microsoft, claiming the larger company made it more expensive for customers to use the smaller companies’ cloud services. Microsoft was specifically accused of making Microsoft Office more expensive for customers that chose to use a third-party cloud provider instead of Microsoft Azure.

    Microsoft vowed in mid-May to address the complaints and revamp its licensing terms, and the company has now delivered, laying out its plans to do so. Microsoft is expanding its Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program to make it easier for partner cloud companies to provide their services to customers. According to a company blog post, Microsoft plans to do the following:

    • Make it easier from customers to run their software on partner cloud platforms.
    • Make sure partners have the tools they need to easily sell their products and services to customers.
    • Help partners build solutions that provide the speed and scale customers need.

    The company emphasized its goal of competing fairly in the EU market and based its changes on discussions with EU cloud partners.

    At Microsoft we recognize the importance of a competitive environment in the European cloud provider market, in which smaller competitors can thrive. It is therefore critical for us to remain mindful of our responsibilities as a major technology company. In May of this year, after constructive discussions with representatives of our European cloud provider partners, Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith announced our European Cloud Principles and committed to addressing their valid concerns, starting with changes to our software licensing terms.

    We are committed to competing fairly and in partnership with the diverse group of European cloud providers, and we strongly believe in the importance of an open and competitive cloud economy in Europe.

    The new terms go into effect on October 1, 2022.

  • Snowflake Results Buoy Cloud Computing Stocks

    Snowflake Results Buoy Cloud Computing Stocks

    Snowflake turned in second-quarter results, and it was good news for the company and the cloud computing industry in general.

    Snowflake is a cloud computing company focused on helping other companies break down data silos, gain better insights from their data, and maximize its overall value. The company just posted its second-quarter results, reporting 83% year-over-year product revenue growth.

    In addition to revenue growth, Snowflake posted 171% net revenue retention, owing to significant expansion of services offered to existing customers. The company also has 246 customers accounting for more than $1 million in product revenue.

    “Sustained 80%+ product revenue growth in a quarter when the broader demand environment for software softened likely boosts investor confidence that Snowflake’s cloud data platform is viewed as a strategic (and durable) area of investment by enterprise customers,” Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss wrote in a note to clients, according to Seeking Alpha. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on Snowflake’s stock.

    According to Seeking Alpha, much of the cloud industry saw gains following Snowflake’s report. Competitors Datadog and MongoDB saw healthy gains following their own results, while Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle all saw gains as well. Salesforce was the outlier, falling 5.5%.

  • Report: Cloud Cost Visibility Is a Major Problem for Organizations

    Report: Cloud Cost Visibility Is a Major Problem for Organizations

    As organizations continue to migrate to the cloud, clearly understanding usage and costs is proving to be a significant challenge.

    Unlike on-premise infrastructure, most cloud providers use a pay-as-you-go model, allowing for a low barrier-to-entry and easy scalability. Unfortunately, that model can also lead to significant challenges accurately predicting how much cloud computing will ultimately cost.

    According to Anodot’s State of Cloud Cost Report, almost 50% of IT executives say it’s proving difficult to control cloud costs, while respondents say that gaining visibility and understanding both usage and costs is a top challenge. Similarly, 88% cite optimization and reduced spending on existing cloud deployments as extremely or very important.

    Interestingly, despite these concerns, 60% of those polled plan to migrate more workloads to the cloud in the coming year.

    Anadot highlights the importance of organizations carefully tracking their cloud usage to better understand their needs and associated costs:

    Unless costs are managed carefully, it’s quite easy to lose track of what’s being used—especially for organizations with large development teams that move quickly and tend to try new things. Misconfigurations, over-provisioning, and forgotten resources that have been provisioned but abandoned are the bane of cost management for DevOps teams. Unfortunately, for many organizations, the surprise costs only show up when the monthly invoice arrives.

    Understanding cloud cost visibility is not a new challenge. In fact, AWS recently took steps to lower customers’ bills following years of complaints and a reputation for surprise bills, artificially high fees, and hidden costs.

    With 60% of organizations planning to increase their cloud deployments, cost visibility is something that will need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

  • ServiceNow CEO Says Cloud Computing Is Century’s ‘Pervasive Computing Theme’

    ServiceNow CEO Says Cloud Computing Is Century’s ‘Pervasive Computing Theme’

    ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott has called cloud computing the “pervasive computing theme of the 21st century.”

    The cloud computing market is experiencing major growth, due in no small part to the pandemic and the rise of hybrid work. All three of the top providers are experiencing major growth, with no signs of it slowing down. According to McDermott, cloud computing’s success is because of its “pervasive” and transformative nature.

    “It simplifies everything. Everything’s on the mobile. Everything’s beautiful and easy to use,” McDermott told Yahoo Finance.

    “It’s one platform that can single thread business across an entire enterprise, all functions of the business. So, it is a great unifier in a sense, because some people have very powerful Chief Information Officers, others have Chief Digital Officers, others have Chief People officers, others have these wonderful data managers,” McDermott added. “But to have one platform, that single thread, all of those powerful relationships to deliver great experiences is super exciting to us.”

    While the economic downturn has many companies hedging their bets and cutting costs, McDermott believes the cloud computing market can continue growing, buoyed by companies’ digital first strategies.

    “Ninety-five percent of CEOs have a digital first strategy. So, they’re leaning in to digital transformation. Because it’s the only way out. On one hand, it’s software as the great deflationary force,” McDermott said. “On another hand, if you can’t transform and recreate your business model, and innovate digitally, you lose the game. So, CEOs are very well aware of this. So, that tailwind is super strong.”

    McDermott’s predictions are good news for the cloud market and underscore the opportunities available to cloud providers.

  • CloudBees: 45% of Execs Are Only Halfway Through Securing Supply Chain

    CloudBees: 45% of Execs Are Only Halfway Through Securing Supply Chain

    The latest report from CloudBees is bad news for the cloud industry, with many companies still not fully securing their supply chain.

    Supply chain attacks have become increasingly common, with hackers viewing them as a high-reward attack vector. Rather than trying to compromise individual targets, a single, successful attack against a vendor whose software or APIs are used by thousands of companies can yield far greater results.

    Unfortunately, many companies have yet to fully secure their supply chain, according to CloudBees. Of the C-suite executives surveyed, 93% believed they were well-prepared for an attack. A deeper dive, however, showed a different story.

    A whopping 45% of execs say they are only halfway through the process of securing their supply chain, with only 23% nearly done. Even worse, a disturbing 64% say they don’t know who they would turn to first in the wake of an attack.

    “We discovered that as software becomes the primary source of customer experience and value, supply chain security is getting the attention it deserves and at the proper levels in the organization,” writes Prakash Sethuraman, Chief Information Security Officer, CloudBees. “However, this study reveals gaps that indicate supply chain security is not well understood, nor are systems as robust or comprehensive as they should be.

    “Bottom line, the results reinforce the concept that software supply chain security needs to go beyond “shift left” to “shift security everywhere” — with automation. The software you are developing must be as secure as possible, but it doesn’t stop there. The delivery process itself must be protected, and you have to be able to detect and instantly mitigate problems in production to consider your software supply chain as secure.”

  • AWS Says It Wants to Reduce Customers’ Bills, But It Has An Ulterior Motive

    AWS Says It Wants to Reduce Customers’ Bills, But It Has An Ulterior Motive

    AWS is looking to reduce customers’ bills for cloud services, but the company clearly has its own reasons for doing so.

    AWS is the leading provider in the cloud market, with roughly a third of the overall market. In spite of its lead, according to Business Insider, the company has a reputation for surprise bills, hidden costs, and “artificially high” fees. In fact, Insider goes so far as to call AWS “a poster child for the surprise cloud bill that customers now dread.” The company now says it is working to address the issues and help lower bills.

    “When the pandemic started, we started to work with a lot of customers on how they can reduce their cloud costs,” said Mark Schwartz, an enterprise strategist at AWS. “But that’s not just special for the pandemic.”

    While the cost decreases will be welcome for most customers, Amazon definitely has a long-term plan behind the change.

    “Our view is that if we can make customers more successful in the cloud, that is going to determine the future of the cloud,” Schwartz told Insider. “I’m going to customer executives and saying, ‘How can I help you be more successful?’ And that’s really the long game for us.”

    In other words: Save the customer money now and they’ll spend more over the long term.

    “They’re very happy to see a customer’s cloud consumption go down over two or three quarters,” Neil Lomax, the president of sales at AWS IT partner SoftwareONE, told Insider. “They know that if they do that, the customer will come back stronger because they get way more confidence in that cloud environment.”

  • AWS Wants to ‘Completely Re-Imagine How the AWS Network Is Managed’

    AWS Wants to ‘Completely Re-Imagine How the AWS Network Is Managed’

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) appears prepped for a major overhaul of its service if a job posting is any indication.

    AWS is already the leading cloud provider in the world, but Microsoft and Google have been making major headway in recent years. AWS appears to be on the verge of something big, posting a job opening for a “Manager, Software Development, New Initiative.”

    The description of the role is what’s of particular note:

    AWS is looking for a software development manager to own a green-field network software project. We are launching an effort this year to completely re-imagine how the AWS network is managed. A key part of this project is building a suite of control plane services from the ground-up, which the network fabric teams will use to scale and manage the networks that they are ultimately responsible for. This role will own product definition, development, testing, and ultimately operation of these services, which are going to be critical to the growth of the AWS network, and Amazon as a whole.

    As this is a green-field project that is just getting started, many decisions are yet to be made, about not only the software components this role will own, but also around the overall customer experience. By joining this effort early in the definition phase, you have an opportunity to shape how one of the largest networks on the planet is going to be operated for at least the next decade.

    There’s little else to indicate what might be involved, but the post alone promises some big changes ahead.

  • Beginner’s Guide to the Benefits of Cloud Security

    Beginner’s Guide to the Benefits of Cloud Security

    Considering over 45% of US companies have experienced a data breach in the last 12 months, the rate of cybercrime impacting individuals and businesses across the globe is increasing at an alarming rate. While data leaks from breaches may seem like an easily-resolvable problem, they actually contribute to numerous bankruptcy filings, with 60% of small businesses that suffer a leak going bankrupt within the following year.

    With alarming statistics like these, it’s no wonder that more companies are turning toward updating their online security systems. The first line of defense when it comes to data protection and keeping systems safe is cloud security.

    In this article, we’ll be exploring exactly what cloud security is, demonstrating its benefits, and clarifying why your business should be moving to cloud security tools. Let’s get right into it.

    What Exactly is Cloud Security?

    Cloud security is the liberation of security services away from on-site premises and into the remote cloud. Instead of having huge repositories that contain security protocols that you store in your own building, businesses can turn to cloud security to get efficient coverage wherever they are.

    By moving to cloud security, you no longer need all the room for server storage, with the tools and software provided by this online form of security directly linking into your systems. These third-party data centers are often much cheaper to run than in-house data centers, saving your business money while also offering an unmatched level of security support.

    Going beyond this, cloud security is a very generalist term, acting as an umbrella for many types of cybersecurity. Everything from data center security and c to network security and detection and mitigation tools are included in this holistic practice. In short, it’s a comprehensive form of digital security for your business.

    What are the Advantages of Cloud Security?

    When it comes to cloud security, a large part of what makes this system so useful for modern businesses is how convenient and accessible it is. Around 20 years ago, to create a strong cyber defense for your company, you would have to designate large portions of your buildings to server storage space, also then paying someone to look after the servers and set up security protocols.

    Nowadays, by navigating to a cloud security agency, you’re able to select the cyber defense plan that you want and instantly get access to your business. Going beyond just the convenience of this service, there are a range of benefits to using cloud security:

    ●  Scalable

    ●  24/7 Support

    ●  DDoS Protection

    ●  Advanced Threat Detection

    Let’s break these down further.

    Scalable

    When it comes to in-house security, if you need to scale your security defenses, then you have to increase your server capacity, buy more hardware, and potentially even hire more management staff. On the other hand, if you need to increase your security when working with a cloud supplier, you simply click on a different package.

    As you can click through different personalized plans, you’ll always be able to find the very best cloud security package for your business. With this, scalability is made something simple and easy. Instead of having to plan months in advance, all you need to do if you want to boost your defense is to access your cloud supplier’s webpage and increase the scope of your plan.

    Cloud security services make scalability easier than ever.

    24/7 Support

    Another benefit of cloud security is that whenever you need to get in contact with support, you will be able to do so. Instead of an in-house team that has set working hours, cloud security offers 24/7 support, allowing you to get in contact with someone whenever you need to.

    Whether you have a particular problem that you need to sort out or you simply need advice or additional support, you’ll only need to get in contact with your security supplier. This around-the-clock supervision also means that your company is protected at all hours of the day, not just during daylight working hours.

    DDoS Protection

    20% of businesses that have over 50 employees have suffered a DDoS attack within the past 12 months, demonstrating how common this occurrence is. With additional layers of support and their own defenses, cloud security services are much harder to DDoS. Due to the much larger server base, they are much less vulnerable to DDoS attacks, making your business, in turn, less vulnerable.

    With their built-in redundancies and advanced security tools, they’ll prevent attacks and keep your business as safe as possible.

    Advanced Threat Detection

    As cloud security businesses only exist for that one function, all of their time and budget is poured back into the security protocols. Continually developing their defenses to cover every inch of the MITRE Attack Framework and more, they create a comprehensive level of defense.

    From neutralization to detection, every single aspect of this process is covered by a cloud security service, helping to keep your business as safe as can be. It will also cover all of your attack surfaces, helping you with everything from stopping ransomware emails to blocking any data penetration attempts.

    This is really only the beginning, with cloud security providing an incredibly advanced level of security for your whole business. No matter what individual packages or specific security protocols you need, you’ll be able to find a cloud security partner that has it all.

    Final Thoughts

    In an age where the digital threat from hackers is higher than ever, it’s only natural that more and more businesses are turning towards modern methods of protection, mitigation, and defense. As a customizable, scalable, convenient, and comprehensive digital security system, cloud security is one of the most all-encompassing cyber defenses that you can invest in.

    With continual updates, around-the-clock support, and the ability to scale your security services at a moment’s notice, cloud security is the mobile tool that all modern businesses should be looking towards.

  • Cloud Computing Market to Hit $750 Billion in 2027, Driven by Hybrid Cloud

    Cloud Computing Market to Hit $750 Billion in 2027, Driven by Hybrid Cloud

    The global cloud market is set to expand at a rapid pace, reaching $750 billion by 2027, thanks in large part to the growth of hybrid cloud options.

    New research from SkyQuest Technology shows the cloud market is set to grow at an annual compound growth rate (CAGR) of 30.10% during the forecast period of 2020 to 2027. By 2027, the total market will be worth some $750 billion.

    Cloud computing’s growth is being driven by a wide array of factors. The pandemic-fueled move toward remote and hybrid work has been a significant driving force, as has the cloud’s ability to help companies be more nimble and competitive.

    Hybrid cloud, in particular, provides these benefits, giving organizations the ability to quickly adapt to changing demand. As a result, not only did hybrid cloud account for 25% of the market in 2021, but it will continue to be a growth driver.

    In 2021, hybrid cloud segment held a significant share of more than 25% share in the global market. The segmental growth of the market is attributed to the certain advantages offered by hybrid cloud when compared with other deployment type. Using a hybrid cloud allows businesses to scale computer resources while also reducing the need to invest large sums of money to handle short-term spikes in demand, as well as freeing up local resources for more sensitive data or applications. Hence, this contributes to the segmental market growth.

    Some of the biggest tech companies have already bet big on hybrid cloud options. IBM is one such company, announcing in late-2020 that it would split into two companies, with the core business focused on hybrid cloud computing.

  • How the Cloud Can Reduce Emissions in the Financial Services Industry

    How the Cloud Can Reduce Emissions in the Financial Services Industry

    Sustainability is becoming one of the most important topics for financial industry consumers.  For all the joys and conveniences of electronic banking, there is a hidden cost attached to each transaction: emissions.  Nearly 369 billion purchases happen every day on electronic platforms, and each one might be polluting the environment.  The more relevant an issue climate change becomes, the more attention will be paid to this problem.

    Both businesses and consumers want to move in a green direction.  60% of financial industry consumers are more likely to purchase sustainable services.  52% of banks see environmental concerns as an emerging risk over the next 5 years.  Green trend adoption is no longer a feature; it is turning into a necessity for survival.  Nearly every CEO agrees that sustainability issues are critical to the survival of a successful business.  However, 65% also said that while they want to make a difference in sustainability efforts, they aren’t sure how to do it.  Only 36% of those survey have quantifiable ways to measure the success of their sustainability initiatives.  For an industry that loves assigning monetary value and numbers to every action, this is an incredible oversight.

    Let cloud computing be the start of the solution.  People don’t typically turn to the cloud for its environmental benefits, but cloud services can help reduce greenhouse gasses in a number of ways.  To start, cloud data centers use less energy than traditional, on-premise data centers do.  They can do more with less.  Additionally, the cloud’s virtualization of physical machines means that the high-carbon physical equivalent of a machine does not need to be built.  Finally, cloud services are more flexible in function than previous generations, reducing the harmful effects of decommissioned servers, networking equipment, and racks in a landfill.  The cloud can divert up to 81% of waste from a landfill. 

    To put some numbers on the cloud’s ability to reduce carbon emissions, migrations to the cloud can bring global emissions down by 59 million metric tons every year.  That is a 5.9% reduction in total IT emissions, equivalent to pulling 22 million cars off the road.  From 2021 to 2024, the transition to cloud computing is on track to save 629 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.  Companies drive even greater carbon reductions through enabling cloud-native architectures and deployments.  Another way to compound emission reductions is by strategic placement of the cloud’s physical location.  Because cloud services don’t have to be located near the businesses they serve, cloud data centers can take advantage of the places with the greenest energy grids.  Google Cloud has already seized upon this opportunity.  The company is working towards 24/7 carbon-free energy for its cloud services by 2030.  For grids where the energy source can switch between renewable and non-renewable, Google shifts its flexible computing tasks to times when the power on the grid is cleanest.  In 2020, 10 years pre-goal, Google achieved 67% round-the-clock carbon free energy across all of their data centers.

    How the Cloud Can Help Reduce Carbon Emissions for the Financial Services Industry
  • Report: Cloud Computing to Grow at 11% CAGR Till 2028

    Report: Cloud Computing to Grow at 11% CAGR Till 2028

    Cloud computing has been experiencing stellar growth, but the industry still has years of growth ahead of it.

    A new report by BlueWeave Consulting says the global cloud computing market was worth $390 billion in 2021. What’s more, the industry is set to continue growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% till 2028. This would put its value at $852 billion.

    The industry’s growth is attributed to the widescale adoption of various technologies, such as as AI, machine learning, big data, and more, all of which are heavily reliant on cloud computing.

    In addition, there is an uptick in cloud adoption by small and medium-sized enterprises.

    Cloud computing is gaining significant traction among small and medium enterprises. The SMEs are utilizing cloud computing to expand their business along with keeping the cost low and boosting the overall productivity. Furthermore, cloud computing is also helpful in offering advanced data security, reduced downtime, flexible storage, better CRM management, etc. Cloud computing also proves to be cost efficient for SMEs as they only pay according to their size and financial capability. This is anticipated to drive the growth of the cloud computing market in the forecast period.

    The global pandemic kicked cloud adoption into overdrive, but BlueWeave’s report shows there’s little sign of it slowing down anytime soon.

  • Oracle Releases Massive April 2022 Critical Patch Update

    Oracle Releases Massive April 2022 Critical Patch Update

    Oracle has released a major April 2022 Critical Patch Update, fixing a whopping 520 issues.

    Oracle regularly releases updates to its software and service. This update, however, is a large one, containing hundreds of fixes. The update also slightly changes the quarterly release schedule, making it easier to plan for future updates

    “With this Critical Patch Update release, Oracle is making a small adjustment to the Critical Patch Update release schedule,” Eric Maurise, Vice President of Security Assurance, wrote in a blog post. “Critical Patch Updates will no longer be released on the Tuesday closest to the 17th of the month of January, April, July, and October, but they will be released on the third Tuesday of January, April, July, and October. This minor adjustment will not affect the frequency of Critical Patch Update releases (still 4 times a year), but essentially, makes it easier to set calendar reminders and determine the date of future Critical Patch Update releases.”

  • Cloud Computing Revenue Poised to Hit $519 Billion by 2017

    Cloud Computing Revenue Poised to Hit $519 Billion by 2017

    Research and Markets has released its Global Cloud Computing Services Market Report 2022, predicting cloud computing revenue will hit $519 billion by 2027.

    Cloud computing has been gaining steam for years, but the global pandemic sent cloud adoption into overdrive. Companies large and small have been migrating to the cloud, utilizing a combination of private, public, hybrid, and mutlicloud options.

    According to Research and Market’s latest report, the industry’s revenue is expected to hit $519 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.7%. The firm attributes that growth to the transformative effect of the cloud:

    Cloud is an enabler of business process change as it facilitates key benefits including expenditure reduction (CapEx and OpEx), service development and delivery efficiencies, and greater flexibility to meet evolving business needs. Cloud technologies and solutions are becoming increasingly more important to communication service providers, enterprise, content and commerce providers. This is particularly the case as many IT departments predominantly implement virtualization of network functions and “softwaritization” of applications and operational support systems through the use of software-defined network solutions.

  • Microsoft Says It Will Make Changes Over Anti-Competitive Cloud Concerns

    Microsoft Says It Will Make Changes Over Anti-Competitive Cloud Concerns

    Microsoft President Brad Smith has acknowledged concerns and vowed changes in response to complaints the tech giant is unfairly using its position to lock out cloud rivals.

    Microsoft has a long history of anti-competitive behavior, ultimately leading to its landmark anti-trust trial in 2001. Much of the company’s anti-competitive behavior came from it using its position in one market to gain an advantage in another. For example, the company used its Windows dominance to push Internet Explorer over Netscape. The company is now being accused of reverting to old habits, charging more for using Windows and Office with rival cloud platforms.

    If the allegations are true, it would be a departure from the company’s playbook in recent years. Under CEO Satya Nadella, the company has become far less concerned over forcing customers to use its platforms, instead focusing on making its software work on almost every major platform. To then turn around and penalize companies that use those other platforms seems antithetical to that philosophy.

    According to Bloomberg, company President Brad Smith has acknowledged the concerns, saying there is at least some cause for them.

    “There definitely are some valid concerns,” he said. “It’s very important for us to learn more and then make some changes.”

    Microsoft has so far managed to avoid the anti-trust scrutiny Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta are currently under. The company would do well to voluntarily address these concerns before it finds itself in the crosshairs.

  • Vultr Now Using AMD EPYC Over Intel As Default Option

    Vultr Now Using AMD EPYC Over Intel As Default Option

    Cloud provider Vultr has begun offering AMD virtual machines (VMs), a significant departure from its past.

    Vultr previously only offered Intel VMs, but the company has begun deploying AMD EPYC, thanks to the performance the platform offers. In fact, AMD’s platform is now the one Vultr will recommend as its default option.

    “This is the first time we’ve offered AMD processor-powered virtual machines, and given their exceptional performance, these VMs are now our default, and recommended option for most users,” reads the company’s statement.

    “AMD has pushed the performance and technology capabilities of the EPYC family of processors over the last few years. 3rd generation EPYC processors, which power our new VMs, continue that trajectory, providing up to 64 cores in a single CPU. The particular 3rd Gen EPYC processors that underpin our new VMs are powered by AMD’s Zen 3 microarchitecture, which delivers fantastic performance per core along with a maximum frequency of 3.675GHz.”

    For customers that still want Intel, Vultr will continue to support them. Nonetheless, the switch to AMD as its default option is certainly a big win for AMD.

  • In the Wake of Major Cloud Outages, Multicloud Is the Future

    In the Wake of Major Cloud Outages, Multicloud Is the Future

    Following multiple AWS outages that crippled entire sections of the internet, companies are increasingly looking to a multicloud future.

    Multicloud refers to companies relying on multiple cloud vendors rather than a single one. AWS experienced two major outages in as many weeks, bringing some of the biggest sites and services on the web to a halt.

    According to CNBC, the outages are causing companies to look more closely at multicloud options. As evidence of that is HashiCorp’s public offering, just two days after the AWS outage. HashiCorp helps companies utilize multiple clouds. In just its second day of trading, the company surged to a market cap of more than $15 billion.

    Critics have long warned that reliance on just a few cloud vendors could put entire industries at risk, and it appears companies are increasingly taking notice of those warnings, especially in the wake of AWS’ failures.

  • Oracle In Talks to Buy Medical Records Giant Cerner

    Oracle In Talks to Buy Medical Records Giant Cerner

    Oracle is in talks to buy medical records giant Cerner, in a move that puts it on a collision course with its larger rivals.

    Oracle has been making headway in the cloud market, but still lags behind the top three: AWS, Microsoft, and Google Cloud. Cloud companies of all sizes are working to expand their markets, and the medical industry is a prime target. Microsoft acquired healthcare AI firm Nuance, and Google made a bid for the healthcare market with its Project Nightingale, before ultimately disbanding the effort.

    Oracle appears to be making its own bid for the healthcare market, with talks to purchase Cerner Corp, a leading electronic-medical-records company. According to The Wall Street Journal, the deal could be worth as much as $30 billion, which would make it the largest acquisition in Oracle’s history.

    According to WSJ’s sources, the deal could be finalized soon. If it goes through, it could help Oracle make significant headway in the cloud market, and add to the company’s reputation for offering a full end-to-end solution.

  • Larry Ellison Touts Oracle Cloud’s Reliability in Wake of AWS Outage

    Larry Ellison Touts Oracle Cloud’s Reliability in Wake of AWS Outage

    Larry Ellison isn’t passing up an opportunity to take a swipe at AWS, sharing a note from a telecommunications customer touting Oracle Cloud’s reliability.

    AWS suffered a major outage earlier this week, impacting some of the biggest sites on the web. Coinbase, Disney+, McDonald’s and Amazon’s own Alexa service were just a few of the brands affected.

    Ellison is all too happy to point out Oracle’s reputation for reliability, sharing a note from a telecommunications client at the end of the company’s quarterly earnings call, according to CNBC.

    “Let me close with a note that I’m going to paraphrase from a very large telecommunications company who uses our cloud and all the other three North American clouds — Google, Amazon and Microsoft,” Ellison said. “And the note basically said the one thing we’ve noticed about Oracle, Oracle’s cloud, is that it never ever goes down. We can’t say that about any of the other clouds. We think this is a critical differentiator.”

    Despite not being in the top three cloud providers, Oracle has consistently won praise for offering a full turnkey solution, providing everything from cloud infrastructure to database-driven services. If the company can make the case for better reliability than the top three, it may be able to continue chipping away at their market share.