Category: Cloud Enable

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

SREs Take DevOps to the Next Level

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

Summary Bullets:

  • SREs will play a key role in determining the shape of the DevOps pipeline.
  • Lack of quality SREs has hindered some containerized apps from moving into production.

The evolution of the DevOps pipeline highlights the importance of the software reliability engineer (SRE), as is increasingly evident amid the growing complexity surrounding the application lifecycle. This topic came up during last week’s Container World conference in Silicon Valley in reference to container management and orchestration. Enterprises need to invest in SREs whose operational expertise will take DevOps to the next level, as these experts strive to support new services to empower the knowledge worker. Continue reading “SREs Take DevOps to the Next Level” →

2018 Predictions: What to Expect in Application Platforms

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

  • Technology vendors will productize and operationalize key application platform components through pre-assembled toolchains and pipelines to ease configuration complexities.
  • Traditional MEAP solutions are being enhanced and repositioned to address advanced app development requirements, including mobile, web, IoT, and chatbots.

In 2017, IT operations played a greater role than ever in the application development and deployment process, albeit amid extreme configuration complexity. The prospect of advancing modern app development through new architectures that better support the DevOps model and need for continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD) was certainly part of vendors’ messaging throughout the year. However, deployment complexities were prevalent, stunting the potential of emerging platform services. Continue reading “2018 Predictions: What to Expect in Application Platforms” →

In 2018, Data Center Technology Will Become Smarter, Hybrid, More Distributed, and Easier to Consume

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • In 2018, rising enterprise demand for hybrid cloud solutions will fuel new and expanded partnerships between traditional infrastructure vendors and hyperscale public cloud providers.
  • Vendor initiatives will target the challenge of managing workloads across hybrid and increasingly distributed IT environments, along with ways of simplifying the procurement, deployment and consumption of IT.

2017 saw a growing recognition that private cloud technology is both a realistic and desirable way to manage enterprise workloads, and can be used more efficiently through effective integration in conjunction with public cloud services. A common theme during the year’s industry events was envisaging and enabling multi- and hybrid cloud futures. At the same time, in 2017, data center infrastructure vendors from Cisco and Dell EMC to IBM and HPE continued to transform their solutions and services businesses. These transformations were a response to enterprise digitalization initiatives and recognition that in the future, IT will be hybrid, and must be able to span the full spectrum of enterprise locales from the cloud to core data centers to the network edge. In 2017, individual vendors went through quite different transformation processes: in addition to launching new solutions, technology companies acquired and integrated new businesses, and forged alliances with one another and with hyperscale cloud providers in order to fill out their portfolios. These developments were all driven by a competitive push to help enterprises modernize their traditional data center environments, capitalize on the benefits of hybrid cloud, and expand their ability to handle growing volumes of data at the edge of their networks. Continue reading “In 2018, Data Center Technology Will Become Smarter, Hybrid, More Distributed, and Easier to Consume” →

GlobalData’s Newest MEAP Competitive Landscape Assessment Recognizes Leaders’ Innovation in Integration and ALM

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable, Internet of Things, Mobilize
C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

  • The newest MEAP platforms are being repositioned to address modern app development issues as operations plays a larger role involving the leveraging of cloud services.
  • New advancements in AI, low-code tools, integration and API management, and serverless computing all play into DevOps’ need to abstract infrastructure complexities while improving management around app deployments.

Application platforms providers are repositioning traditional mobile platforms to address broader, modern app development including web, IoT, and chatbots. Vendors such as IBM, Kony, Oracle, Microsoft, SAP, Salesforce, and Adobe are helping to drive this new era of app development in which modern applications need advanced platform services to respond to continuous integration, continuous deployment (CICD), a prospect which presents enterprises with boundless opportunities to improve businesses, along with extreme challenges. Continue reading “GlobalData’s Newest MEAP Competitive Landscape Assessment Recognizes Leaders’ Innovation in Integration and ALM” →

HPE Discover 2017: Under Antonio Neri, HPE Will Expand Its Focus on the Edge and Intelligent IT

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

• At its Discover event in Madrid, HPE communicated its vision and strategy and to an industry eager to comprehend the impact of Meg Whitman’s decision to step down as CEO.

• In addition to its goal of making hybrid IT simple for enterprise customers, HPE, under its incoming CEO, Antonio Neri, will strengthen its focus on IoT, what it terms “intelligent IT”, edge computing, converged OT control systems, and analytics.

For HPE, last week’s Discover event in Madrid was an opportunity to communicate its vision and strategy to an industry eager to comprehend the impact of Meg Whitman’s announced decision, the week before, to step down as CEO. In her time as CEO, Whitman oversaw the company’s transformation from a provider of traditional data center infrastructure to a business focused on enterprise cloud and hybrid IT solutions. This transformation saw the creation of HPE at the end of 2014, followed by a further slimming down of the company via the disposal of non-core businesses. At the same time, HPE acquired several new companies, including wireless-network infrastructure provider, Aruba Networks and all-flash hybrid storage array provider, Nimble Storage. Continue reading “HPE Discover 2017: Under Antonio Neri, HPE Will Expand Its Focus on the Edge and Intelligent IT” →

OpenStack Sydney: Community Raises a Call to Action for Improved Integration with Non-OpenStack Technologies

by Chris Drake, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • The latest OpenStack Summit highlighted the need to improve integration between OpenStack and external technologies for managing containers and edge IT environments.
  • The November Summit also saw a change in the language that’s used to define OpenStack development initiatives, to focus less on projects and more on use cases such as containers and edge infrastructure.

News stemming from the November 2017 OpenStack Summit in Sydney, Australia, reflected the maturity of the OpenStack platform and the stability of its core technologies: Nova for virtual machines, Swift for object storage, Cinder for block storage and Neutron for SDN. However, the Summit discussions also reflected an acknowledgement of the limits of OpenStack and the need to ensure the stack’s integration with a host of additional technologies – including technologies for managing applications and containers and those that support the successful operation of edge IT environments. Continue reading “OpenStack Sydney: Community Raises a Call to Action for Improved Integration with Non-OpenStack Technologies” →

Salesforce Dreamforce 2017: Salesforce DevOps Focus Acknowledges Next Phase of Cloud Development

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable
C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

• Salesforce Lightning brand leveraged to promote low-code, customization capabilities

• Salesforce DX emphasizes advanced dev tools: CLI, Scratch.org, repackaging/distribution

Amidst all the hoopla of a big city mega conference which attracts 135,000 attendees were some very important points about how developers and operations teams wish to proceed over the next year with their cloud native app development/deployment projects. Continue reading “Salesforce Dreamforce 2017: Salesforce DevOps Focus Acknowledges Next Phase of Cloud Development” →

Nokia Innovation Forum: Enabling Digital Transformation Through Telcos

by Alfie Amir, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate, Internet of Things, IT Leader, Network
A. Amir

Summary Bullets:

  • Nokia uses its strength and experience in network solutions as well as its strong relationships with telcos to drive digital transformation.
  • In emerging markets where digital transformation is slow, Nokia needs to work more closely with the telcos and focus on particular solutions and verticals.

Nokia held its Asia-Pacific Innovation Forum in Singapore on the October 24, 2017. Various topics and use cases around IoT, 5G, cloud, network and security were discussed by not only Nokia executives, but also its industry partners, its telco customers, start-ups, government agencies and end users. Despite the diverse topics, the presentations and discussions throughout the event focused around digital transformation themes. Continue reading “Nokia Innovation Forum: Enabling Digital Transformation Through Telcos” →

TM ONE (Telekom Malaysia’s Business Arm Brand) is Going Beyond Domestic Market with Its Twin-Core Data Center

by Alfie Amir, posted in Cloud Enable
A. Amir

Summary Bullets:

• TM ONE is launching twin-core data centers in Malaysia, targeting businesses in Malaysia and Singapore as well as service providers

• While the features and price may be comparable against services offered in Singapore, there is a trade off in latency and options for exchange partners

TM ONE (the business arm brand of Malaysian incumbent carrier, Telekom Malaysia) is launching twin-core data centers in south of Malaysia and the capital city. The first data center is planned to be commercially launched in November this year while the second one is expected to be ready next year. The data centers will be Uptime Institute Tier-III certified for design and construction, and comply to other industry standards such as TVRA, PCI DSS, ISO-27001, ISO-14001, GBI and US LEED for security and green technology. TM will also offer carrier diversity and wide exchange options through its partnerships with various carriers as well as service providers. As TM is going beyond its domestic market, targeting the Singapore-based businesses and service providers, does it have unique values to challenge the existing players and win the market there? Continue reading “TM ONE (Telekom Malaysia’s Business Arm Brand) is Going Beyond Domestic Market with Its Twin-Core Data Center” →

Telstra Vantage 2017: Programmable Network Inches Ahead of Competitors in the Software-Defined Space

by siowmeng, posted in Cloud Enable, Network
S. Soh

Summary Bullets:

  • Enterprises need a more agile network solution to support rapidly changing IT requirements and the migration of workloads to the cloud.
  • Telstra’s Programmable Network is designed to overcome challenges enterprises are facing, and the platform is developed and enhanced in-house through an agile and iterative approach.

Telstra Programmable Network (TPN) is an elegant platform designed to solve some issues enterprises are facing. In the digital era, enterprises need to move fast to transform their business and stay competitive. Increasingly, companies are gathering and analysing data to develop competitive advantages. IT needs to ensure that their network solutions are flexible to support digital platforms and hybrid cloud services. Speed (fast provisioning), agility (scale up and down) and cost-effectiveness are important with end users demanding more and the budget not increasing proportionately. In addition, with more applications and services running over the network, there needs to be tools to enable ease of management and visibility. Continue reading “Telstra Vantage 2017: Programmable Network Inches Ahead of Competitors in the Software-Defined Space” →