Category: Cloud Enable

Cloud Enable examines the options available to IT departments considering adopting or managing cloud-based architectures in their business environment.

Blockchain Rivals Seek Out Banking Customers via Foreign Opportunities

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable, IT Leader, Mobilize, Network, Secure
C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

  • ConsenSys is partnering with the Chinese government’s blockchain network to integrate its technology across a nationwide system to spur blockchain use, focused on the financial sector.
  • Oracle has gained an edge in the competitive blockchain platforms space by integrating a new blockchain data format into its flagship relational database offering.

This quarter’s issue of GlobalData’s “Blockchain Watch“ highlights a set of aggressive moves between blockchain competitors, including the establishment of global partnerships (which involve foreign government entities) as well as the development of deeper integration between blockchain and traditional operational systems, further adoption of Ethereum, and the formation of partnerships that highlight unique use cases. Continue reading “Blockchain Rivals Seek Out Banking Customers via Foreign Opportunities” →

RingCentral Puts Competitors on Notice

by Gregg Willsky, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate
Gregg Profile Photo
G. Willsky

Summary Bullets:

  • Recent initiatives have increased brand awareness for RingCentral and enhanced its reputation in the unified communication and collaboration market.
  • RingCentral’s diverse portfolio of voice, video, messaging, and contact center services makes it a competitor to be taken seriously.  

RingCentral is by no means a new kid on the block.  Last month marked 22 years in operation.  Since the time of its founding, noteworthy milestones have been reached.  For example, in 2003, the company introduced its cloud phone system. In 2009, a presence in the UK was established.  In 2012, a partnership was forged with AT&T.  In 2013, an IPO was completed.  Fast forward to the present and RingCentral continues to achieve.  In the past year alone, the company has propelled forward with new features, new services, strategic partnerships, and acquisitions.  RingCentral is serving notice to competitors: ignore it at your own peril.

Continue reading “RingCentral Puts Competitors on Notice” →

Avaya Spaces Expands with New Capabilities

by Gregg Willsky, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate
Gregg Profile Photo
G. Willsky

Summary Bullets:

  • Avaya has added a multitude of capabilities to Avaya Spaces, a collaboration tool that enables integrations with other applications.
  • Avaya Spaces is part of the ‘OneCloud’ portfolio, which is playing a pivotal role in Avaya’s transformation from a legacy provider to an as-a-service business.

Avaya has added a multitude of capabilities to Avaya Spaces, a collaboration tool that enables integrations with apps such as Salesforce, Office 365, G-Suite, and Slack.  Spaces is built on Avaya’s communications platform-as-a-service offering (Avaya OneCloud Cloud CPaaS).  It allows businesses to connect workstream collaboration capabilities with existing on-premises equipment.

Continue reading “Avaya Spaces Expands with New Capabilities” →

AWS Ramps Up Its Momentum to Capture High-Growth Cloud Opportunity in ASEAN

by Alfie Amir, posted in Cloud Enable
A. Amir

Summary Bullets:

  • AWS has a comprehensive cloud portfolio and a growing partner ecosystem to address the diverse demand of ASEAN enterprises.
  • It also brings new features such as AWS Outposts in 1u/2u form-factor and greater scalability to address the ASEAN enterprises’ cloud challenges.

In a recent AWS analyst briefing session, the company shared the ASEAN recap of the AWS re:Invent 2020 (held in December 2020) and its business updates in the region. While there are various new products, capabilities, partnerships and initiatives announced at its annual flagship event, some of the key highlights in the ASEAN regions include expanding its footprint and bridging the cloud gaps.

Continue reading “AWS Ramps Up Its Momentum to Capture High-Growth Cloud Opportunity in ASEAN” →

Digital Acceleration – For When Digital Transformation Is Too Slow

by Gary Barton, posted in Big Data, Cloud Enable, Communicate, Internet of Things, IT Leader, Mobilize, Network, Secure
G. Barton
G. Barton

Summary Bullets:          

  • Digital acceleration implements short-term tactical changes over longer-term strategic projects.
  • Digital acceleration is a response to changing customer demands, not just COVID-19.

Digital transformation has been an industry catchphrase for some time now.  Its definition is both vague and changeable, but it speaks to using technology to improve internal processes within an enterprise to deliver cost savings and/or improved performance.  It encompasses a wide range of technologies including cloud, SD-WAN, collaboration, IoT, 5G, blockchain, AI, and SaaS. 

However, there is a new buzz phrase on the block: digital acceleration.  So, is there a difference between digital transformation and digital acceleration?  The ‘helpful’ answer to that is ‘yes and no.’  The intentions of both digital transformation and digital acceleration are the same, as are the technologies involved.  The big difference is in methodology. Continue reading “Digital Acceleration – For When Digital Transformation Is Too Slow” →

Cloud Wars Under the Microscope: Leaders’ DevOps Strategies and Solutions

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Big Data, Cloud Enable

C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

  • Businesses are resorting to shifts in investments in emerging high-value innovations to hasten their cloud journey.
  • We delve into how cloud rivals stack up in five key innovations: low-code/intelligent automation, developer tools/app architectures, hybrid/multi-cloud management, holistic cloud security, and edge computing.

This week, GlobalData released Part II on its analysis of the five most important innovations necessary for successful business transformations. This report specifically delves into how Microsoft, AWS, Google, and IBM stack up in key digitization technologies. Considering the pandemic’s unprecedented pressure on the global economy, prompting enterprises to accelerate and nail digitization initiatives, we determined that cloud providers’ strategies and solutions should be put under the microscope. (Please see “A Cloud Wars Comparison on Critical innovations (Part II),” March 9, 2021). Continue reading “Cloud Wars Under the Microscope: Leaders’ DevOps Strategies and Solutions” →

Microsoft Ignite 2021: Microsoft’s Priorities—Low-Code, Multi-Cloud/Edge, Intelligent Data Services

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable

Charlotte Dunlap – Principal Analyst, Application Platforms

Summary Bullets:

• Microsoft broadens developer reach via new low-code language, Power FX, an open-source contribution on GitHub

• Arc-enabled ML brings Azure AI capabilities to multiple clouds and closer to the data

During last week’s Ignite mega developer conference, Microsoft’s technology announcements focused on app modernization including IT operations’ ability to access a common control plane among multi-cloud environments and ensure proper workload lifecycle management. DevOps teams are interested in extending multi-cloud management’s ML data services for developing apps and training models locally where the data resides, to reduce sensitive data transport requirements. Continue reading “Microsoft Ignite 2021: Microsoft’s Priorities—Low-Code, Multi-Cloud/Edge, Intelligent Data Services” →

Microsoft Announces Azure Percept to Bring Azure AI Services to the Network Edge

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • With Azure Percept, Microsoft aims to help enterprises deploy and use Azure AI services on devices located at the network edge to support new use cases.
  • Despite a swath of capabilities to support use-case development, Microsoft still needs to demonstrate demand for the sort of use cases Azure Percept is designed to enable.

One of the new solutions announced by Microsoft at its recent annual developer conference, Ignite, was Azure Percept, a hardware- and software-based platform to help enterprises deploy and use Azure AI services on devices located at the network edge.  Azure Percept includes a development kit, Azure Percept DK, which allows users to develop AI proofs of concept for use cases leveraging vision and/or sound.  These could include applications that detect production anomalies in manufacturing scenarios or those that apply shelf or customer analytics to retail environments.  The kit features hardware-enabled AI modules for running models at the edge.  However, they can also be connected to the Azure cloud, supporting enterprises’ ability to take advantage of hybrid cloud scenarios. Continue reading “Microsoft Announces Azure Percept to Bring Azure AI Services to the Network Edge” →

The Impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. WAN Market

by Gregg Willsky, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate, Network

G. Willsky

Summary Bullets:

  • SD-WAN improves network performance, saves costs, and helps organizations remain agile. Thus, adoption has increased, especially since the onset of COVID-19.
  • SD-WAN treats the home environment as a branch of the corporate network. For this reason, it will play a key role supporting the post-pandemic, remote workforce.

COVID-19 greatly disrupted the U.S. WAN market. Virtually overnight, the pandemic forced businesses to support a distributed, remote workforce while ensuring continuity. COVID-19 underscored the importance of agility and the need to carefully choose a WAN deployment model. Service providers have responded well to the crisis, but their ability to address long-term impacts is unclear. Continue reading “The Impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. WAN Market” →

IBM Pivots Toward Partner Ecosystem for Its Go-to-Market Strategy

by siowmeng, posted in Cloud Enable
S. Soh

Summary Bullets:

  • IBM has made a major change to its go-to-market strategy, focusing on developing its partner ecosystem and deploying its direct sales resources to engage the largest accounts looking for integrated solutions from IBM. 
  • This move is likely to result in more partners building specialization and expertise around IBM solutions. 

IBM held its Think Summit Australia & New Zealand in February 2021.  While hybrid cloud, AI, and digital transformation remained the key themes, the company also shed some light on the changes to its go-to-market strategy, particularly its investment in developing the partner ecosystem known as PartnerWorld.  IBM recently announced an investment of USD 1 billion in its partner ecosystem, with the aim of driving more sales through channel partners.  The investment is part of IBM’s new go-to-market strategy.  The company is simplifying its sales model by reducing the number of customer groups from 50 to just two.  IBM direct sales will utilize the IBM Garage to engage top-tier customers.  The rest of the IBM client base will be served by channel partners, which means significant opportunities for these partners. Continue reading “IBM Pivots Toward Partner Ecosystem for Its Go-to-Market Strategy” →