5 Cloud Computing Stories MSPs Need to Know About, Week of May 1
MSPmentor has compiled a list of the top cloud computing stories that managed service providers (MSPs) need to know about for the week of May 1.
This week’s column features cloud computing news from Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL) Carbonite (CARB), Synergy Research Group and the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA).
Microsoft Extends Big Data Platform On Azure
Microsoft unveiled several database-as-a-service (DBaaS) offerings at this week’s Build conference. The Redmond, Washington-based technology giant said these “elastic databases” for Azure SQL Database can scale to meet business needs. Microsoft also announced Azure SQL Data Warehouse, which can create a scalable data warehouse in the cloud, and Azure Data Lake, a distributed file system implementation that is compatible with the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS).
Oracle Hurd: (Nearly) All In on the Cloud by October
Oracle co-CEO Mark Hurd said he anticipates at least 95 percent of his company’s offerings will be available in the cloud by October. He told Bloomberg that cloud versions of roughly 65 percent of Oracle’s products, services and applications are currently available, and his company is revamping its sales force to expand its cloud services as well. “We are still investing very much in our traditional products,” Hurd noted. “But that said, we are moving those products to now be available in the cloud at a really incredible pace.” Hurd’s comments come during a week when Oracle is rumored to be one of the companies exploring an acquisition of cloud-based CRM rival Salesforce.com.
SMBs Want Cloud, Hybrid Business Continuity Solutions, Study Finds
Many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are targeting cloud or hybrid business continuity strategies, according to a new survey from Talkin’ Cloud 100 honoree Carbonite and market intelligence firm International Data Corp (IDC). The survey, titled “The Growth Opportunity for SMB Cloud and Hybrid Business Continuity,” showed that 65 percent of SMBs leverage on-premise data backup. However, the survey also revealed that SMBs are increasingly turning to cloud or hybrid solutions to achieve business continuity, which could drive growth in the backup-as-a-service (BaaS) and recovery-as-a-service (RaaS) segments.
AWS Dominates Cloud Infrastructure Service Market, Study Shows
A new Synergy Research Group study revealed that Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains larger than Microsoft, IBM (IBM), Google (GOOG) and Salesforce.com (CRM) combined in the cloud infrastructure service market. AWS continues to grow faster than the cloud infrastructure service market as a whole, according to Synergy. The market intelligence firm said AWS’s market share increased 29 percent in the first quarter of this year; AWS previously reported $1.566 billion in net sales during the time frame, too.
(ISC)², CSA Team Up To Develop New Cloud Security Cert
The CSA has teamed up with IT certification organization (ISC)² to launch the Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) certification. This certification represents “the advanced skills required to secure the cloud, while establishing an international standard for professional-level knowledge in the design, implementation and management of cloud environments,” according to the CSA.
What do you think of this week’s cloud stories for MSPs? Share your thoughts about this story in the Comments section below, via Twitter @dkobialka or email me at dan.kobialka@penton.com.
