BTC Insight » Cloud Computing

Will Microsoft be a winner in enterprise Cloud computing?

Paul — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:05:49 +0000

There have been a couple of trends in the Cloud marketplace recently that are noteworthy.

First there is now a general acceptance that enterprises will choose hybrid Clouds as the best way to meet their needs. This was picked up by David Sherr in his recent blog entry (http://dsherr23.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/ive-looked-at-clouds-frm-both-sides-now/) and covered by David Linthicum in his blog on InfoWorld (http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/hybrid-clouds-new-twist-old-trick-514).

There has also been increasing debate about whether Microsoft will be one of the top 5 Cloud providers (or Cloud Champions as I refer to them) three to five years out. David Linthicum has covered this quite well in [...]

Enterprise IT Unit Cost – Microsoft Could Play a Leadership Role in Cloud Computing

Elliott — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:46:22 +0000

In his article “Microsoft has nowhere to go but up in cloud market”, Robert Mullins examines BTC Logic’s cloud computing ranking report. As part of the cloud computing ecosystem, Microsoft could take a leadership role through cloud technology, to help the enterprise CIO understand their unit costs, and supporting how best to allocate costs across business lines. As a major player, they could support the revitalization of unit costing in data center management.

In a recent discussion with a top 10 cloud management company, the chief marketing officer mentioned a major sales challenge: getting the [...]

Market insight from the BTC Logic Rankings

Paul — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:20:22 +0000

There is an increasingly global battle to provide IT services to the enterprise. The clear leader in this activity is IBM, and there is a battle between Cisco, Oracle, SAP, and HP that has spread from databases and networks into all aspects of providing services to enterprises. And one cannot, of course forget Microsoft coming from its roots in the desktop and local network environment.

All the major players named above (except SAP which has been slow to move, although that is now changing with a new CEO) have significant initiatives to capture share in cloud computing – which is [...]

Multi-Tenancy – A Pragmatic View

Elliott — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:36:43 +0000

The principle of multi-tenancy is not universally accepted and supported within the software industry, and this may be a source of competitive differentiation. This blog differentiates fundamental multi-tenancy from more cultural, more ambiguous uses of cloud computing. Rather than provide a literal definition, we suggest a pragmatic approach to answer what multi-tenancy is. Specifically, how to deliver very efficient, economically viable multi-tenancy from applications that might not be architected to run concurrently. [...]

Cloud Computing – Fizzle, Bubble or Real Pay Dirt? – Part I

Johannes — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:39:27 +0000

Spending much of my time talking to folks about Cloud Computing, both here and recently also in Europe, I’m struck by two things: Most everyone has heard of Cloud Computing and is sure it’s a happening, important trend. But it seems to be a minority that truly seems to have grasped essential concepts of Cloud Computing such as virtualization or the opportunities of mobile computing. Second, many aren’t really clear on why Cloud Computing is a good thing from purely a business point of view. Partly that is due to Cloud Computing by and large still being a technology revolution driven by technorati for the technically literate, and partly because the business community at large has not yet wrapped their minds around the product impact potential of Cloud Computing for their own offerings. [...]

Common Definitions of Cloud Computing

Johannes — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:54:10 +0000

A recent exchange on one of LinkedIn’s Cloud Computing interest groups, answering the moderator’s question of what is Cloud Computing, illustrated how broad – and at times confused – the various Cloud Computing definitions are. Similarly, following the topic in the media one is confronted with a plethora of at times contradictory definitions. Adding in the marketing messages companies send out about their Cloud Computing offerings, no wonder a newcomer to the space gets confused. So, we are proposing three groups of definitions that circumscribe how “Cloud Computing” seems to be used in the press and marketing literature. [...]

Productivity with Top Cloud Performers

Elliott — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:07:35 +0000

When googling “cloud computing” companies, in less than 0.30 seconds you receive 20,600,000 hits. Included in the hit list are the top 10 to 100 companies to watch, as well as insights on how these companies are changing the world. The list includes company sizes from start-ups, all the way to large, publicly established companies making lots of noise and promising the world’s best possible solutions. What seems to be missing is a business perspective ranking, or a tool kit that lets a business executive quickly ascertain what companies and areas make sense to investigate. Not wanting to spend unnecessary time, it [...]

Thoughts on Marc Levinson’s “The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger”

Elliott — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:10:14 +0000

I recently took a closer look at container shipping. I came across an interesting book: The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, written by Marc Levinson in 2006. This is a fascinating book, exposing a disruptive technology that radically changed the shipping industry from labor intensive and costly into something more diverse, more efficient and more cost effective. We have Malcolm Mclean to thank for challenging the norm – an exception based solution in place from the start of vessel shipping. The inefficiencies in commercial shipping, including ineffective packaging and crating, “break-bulk’ or piecemeal [...]

How do You Know When Going into the Public Cloud Makes Financial Sense?

Johannes — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:49:32 +0000

Much is being written about (public) cloud computing and its financial benefits. Typically, stated benefits arise from more efficient server utilization and reduced power consumption, as well as from the ability to manage more server capacity with existing IT resources. We find that many of these analyses paint too narrowly focused a picture, and are thus offering a few observations to help quantify more completely and accurately the costs and benefits of a planned cloud computing infrastructure. [...]

The Challenge of Growing Revenues in 2010

Paul — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:51:12 +0000

The number one challenge for most of our clients in 2010 remains finding ways to lift revenue while maintaining or increasing profit margins. There are still attractive segments in new geographical markets such as China, India, and Brazil, but expansion there can cause unusual problems such as the censorship issue in China, or heavy regulation in India.

The US and European markets are still very sluggish –the strength of countries like Germany and Norway is offset by continuing weakness in the UK, Spain, Greece, and Portugal. The removal of government stimuli in developing markets such as China will slow the [...]