In The Know: Top 5 Must-Read Cloud Stories, April 29

Talkin’ Cloud at the end of each day pulls out five must-read cloud computing stories from the news cycle for its readers to review in the morning. Today’s column features Skykick, Evolve IP and Blue Box.

Some of these stories have been gathered from Talkin’ Cloud’s article database, while others have been collected from elsewhere. If we missed something, feel free to leave a comment below. We might just add it into the mix.

Here’s today’s list of must-read cloud computing stories.

Skykick Automates Microsoft Office 365 Migration Process. While there is a lot of interest these days in making the move to Microsoft Office 365 in the cloud, actually making that migration is a time-consuming process. The end result is that organizations often wind up in situations where one part of the business has made the shift while other parts continue to run Microsoft Office on traditional desktops for many months. Looking to help accelerate that migration process, Skykick has come up with a set of tools that automate the move by eliminating the need for end users to actually be involved.

TC 100 Profile: Evolve IP Employees Volunteer Time, Money To Better The Community. “Go big or go home” — employees at Evolve IP, a Wayne, Pennsylvania-based cloud services provider (CSP), take this motto to heart. Evolve IP Chief Sales Officer Tim Allen said his company, which ranked 28 on last year’s Talkin’ Cloud 100 list of the top 100 CSPs, employs more than 165 associates nationwide, all of whom serve as “true community ambassadors.”

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 (CARB) and market intelligence firm International Data Corp (IDC).

Is the Cloud Really Cheaper?. There has been plenty of debate around the real cost of the cloud versus using internal IT resources, or even erecting your own private cloud. Those arguing against the public cloud tend to focus on matters such as a few cloud providers having complicated pricing plans that make it difficult for you to know how much you will really be charged. The simple answer is to deal only with reputable providers that offer easy-to-follow pricing with no hidden fees to menace you. If you deal with the right company, you won’t end up being reminded of the time when your 13-year-old’s texting frenzy cost you an extra $500 on your monthly phone bill.

Blue Box Adds Alert Logic’s Cloud Defender to Private Cloud Service Portfolio. Blue Box has integrated Alert Logic’s Cloud Defender cloud security technology into the Blue Box Cloud portfolio. The OpenStack-based private cloud-as-a-service (PCaaS) solutions provider is working with Alert Logic to integrate its Threat Manager intrusion detection and vulnerability scanning product into this portfolio, too.

BONUS: 2015 TC 100 Survey Now Open. Welcome to the fifth annual Talkin’ Cloud 100 survey. Each year Talkin’ Cloud collects data on cloud services providers (CSPs) in the industry to provide channel partners with a ranking of CSPs dominating today’s market space. TC’s staff uses various metrics —  including annual recurring cloud revenues, seats under management, growth rates and more — to identify and rank the world’s top 100 CSPs.

Follow CJ Arlotta on Twitter @cjarlotta and Google+ for further updates on the story above — or if you just want to say hello.