Virtualization & State of Cloud Computing

A survey of data center and IT management professional conducted by Zenoss, an Annapolis, Md.-based data center software and service provider reveals some surprising facts about virtualization and cloud computing. The results were collated from the responses of 204 individuals. Here are the the findings of the survey plus an info graphic outlining the State of the Cloud Computing:

79.3 percent of those surveyed used VMWare’s virtualization technology, while Citrix’s Xen was the second most popular virtualization technology with 32.7 percent of users. Oracle VirtualBox was third with 22.0 percent, and Linux Kernel-Based Virtual Machines (KVM) was fourth with 21.3 percent. Many used multiple hypervisors.

Nearly 65 percent say they use virtualization technology because of cost savings.

43.3 percent of participants use virtualization because of of the flexibility they get. About a third indicate hardware savings as a reason to use virtualization, and 40.7 percent said they preferred to deploy servers virtually.

The survey noted that nearly half of the respondents wanted to deploy hosted Linux servers in 2010, while 32.6 percent indicated interest in the Microsoft Windows servers.,

Amazon was the most popular cloud service, with 43.9 percent of respondents indicating interest its service. Google AppEngine got 28 percent, and about 22.7 percent indicated that they planned to use Microsoft Azure. Rackspace’s cloud offerings interested only 15.9 percent of the cloud offerings.

When asked what tools were they using to manage their cloud infrastructure, nearly 50.8 percent said none, while 33.3 percent said that they were using web-based tools from the hosting provider. New, specialized, cloud/virtualization tools had 9.8 percent of the total share.

Nearly 39.4 percent of the respondents said they were worried about security, while 26.5 percent said they were concerned about management. Monitoring got 19.4 percent of the responses, and availability had 16.7 percent.

Cloud Computing For Small Businesses - NASDAQ.com

Small businesses are increasingly starting to realise that Cloud Computing (also known as Software-as-a-Service or 'SaaS') is a useful tool for their organisation. This relatively new concept generally works on a subscription basis, rather than requiring you to purchase an expensive new version every year like most of the major software companies would like you to do.

Possibly the greatest innovation of Cloud Computing is that it allows you to run the software application without having to install it on your computer. It runs directly from your web browser, regardless of whatever operating system you choose. This eliminates altogether the great pains we have all experienced of installing software from CDs for hours on end, only to find it still won't work!

Cloud Computing applications can be equally accessed by users of any operating system. Windows, Apple and Linux users with access to the Internet and a web browser such as Internet Explorer. Firefox or Safari will be able to use the software. This allows users to switch their operating system with ease and not worry about compatibility issues.

Because the software provider has control over which version of the application you have access to, you will have the latest update every time that you log in. This eliminates the need to worry about manually updating the software or fear that it will become obsolete and unsupported by the provider. The developers are able to update within a few hours if critical errors are discovered, usually without any disruption to your access to the application.

The data you enter into a Cloud Computing application is stored on the highly secure servers of the provider rather than one your desktop. This is highly advantageous to users, because it provides greater security and also allows them to access it regardless of their current location in the world.

Read more: http://community.nasdaq.com/news/2010-09/cloud-computing-for-small-businesses.aspx?storyid=37628##ixzz10SMIacvu

Cloud Computing Infograph: What is it and Why should i care?

India's cloud computing market to be worth $1 bn in five years

The country's nascent cloud computing market, a platform where software applications and related resources can be shared online, is expected to touch USD 1 billion in the next five years, says a survey.

"India's cloud computing market will be around USD 1 billion over the next five years," consulting firm Zinnov Management Consulting said in a report.

Cloud computing, which is Internet-based, facilitates sharing of technological resources, software and digital information. The emerging field would function on a pay-per-use model, helping technology companies to bring down cost.

The cloud computing platform is expected to mainly benefit enterprise SMB (small and medium business), SOHO (small office, home office) and consumer segments.

A recent study, sponsored by IT infrastructure firm EMC, said that rising growth in the digital information space would create a significant market opportunity for both the cloud computing and storage.

Digital information includes data, text and media elements.

Going by EMC estimates, the storage market in India will be over USD 1 billion in the next five years.

Digital information in India will grow from 40,000 petabytes to 2.3 million petabytes (one petabyte equals 1,000 terabytes) over the next decade (2010 to 2020), twice as fast as the worldwide rate.