ITEC

This article is based on the book “Creating the Infrastructure for Cloud Computing: An Essential Handbook for IT Professionals”

The virtualization models for clients are, arguably, more diverse than those for servers.  For servers there are essentially two, the earlier model of static consolidation and the more recent dynamic model where virtual machines lightly bound to physical hosts can be moved around with relative ease.

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Where Chrome, Firefox, IE, Opera, and Safari stand on HTML5 Canvas, HTML5 video, SVG, and WebGL

The five characters HTML5 are now an established buzzword, found everywhere on the Web and often given top billing in slides, feature lists, and other places where terms du jour congregate. Nonprogrammers who must either manage or work with programmers are even beginning to pick up the term. Just two days ago, someone who can't manage a TV remote explained that he was sure his company's Web presence would be much better because they were using HTML5.

The five characters are in reality just the name of a document that isn't even finished. The W3C, whose job it is to build standard-setting descriptions of Web technology, has been contemplating the fifth version of the HTML standard for almost seven years. The latest HTML5 draft may finally become official in 2022, at least according to Ian Hickson, one of the authors who works for Google.

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It's Shaping Up To Be A Private, Virtual & Hybrid Marketplace

Key Points

• A key trend to follow is the evolution of the role of the IT department into an orchestrator of services, evaluator of choices, and optimizer of how business services are being delivered.
• IT departments are being told to integrate and consolidate systems to streamline processes within the organization and will likely seek cloud solutions that will perform a number of duties.
• Enterprise departments will adopt more cloud computing technologies as they respond to cloud efficiencies. Expect to see more private clouds, virtual private clouds, and hybrid solutions coming to market.

Cloud computing may seem overhyped, but there’s a good reason: It represents a new way to run IT, and that new way is very enticing. The new computing paradigm shifts IT costs from capital expenses to operational expenses, which rise and fall with usage. That shift enables a new type of flexibility, and the time it takes for a business idea to be delivered by IT drops dramatically. We’ve already witnessed cloud computing moving in a general direction, but what can we expect in the year ahead? Here are some of the upcoming cloud computing trends and technologies that are likely to shape the data center in the next 12 months.

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Plans to make the VM Import feature compatible with more platforms for virtualization in the future

Amazon Web Services has announced a new feature called VM Import, which allows IT departments to move virtual machine images from their internal data centers to the cloud.

The new feature can be used in a number of migration and disaster recovery scenarios, according to a blog post. VM Import can handle VMware VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk Format) images of Windows Server 2008 SP2.

To import images, IT departments use Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) API tools to point to a virtual machine image in their existing environment. Next, they specify the amount of compute capacity they need and where they want to run the image in Amazon's cloud platform. VM Import will then automatically transfer the image file, migrate the image and create the instance in Amazon's cloud, Amazon said.

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Speeds in both mobile and fixed networks are set to increase

A number of different technologies are being developed or improved to offer higher speeds for fixed and mobile broadband networks, as operators are preparing to compete with each other and carry video traffic in 3D and at higher resolutions, which is expected to happen in the coming year.

Broadband speeds have arrived at the point where increasing them is a challenge for most types of fixed and mobile networks as providers move toward offering 3D and other more advanced services. However, there are things that network providers can do, such as merging several links into one connection in both copper and mobile broadband networks.

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Microsoft finds itself in a precarious position. Gone are the days when the software giant easily leads the way in every space in which it competes. Instead, Microsoft is looking more like the company that might not fully understand the needs and desires of customers. Along the way, it’s watching as the competition delivers better choices and options all around. 

But it wants to change all that. 

At CES in January, reports claim, Microsoft will be unveiling a version of Windows designed for tablets and running on ARM Holdings mobile technology, in an attempt to take on Apple, Google, and other companies in that market. For its part, Microsoft has neither confirmed nor denied that report. But speculation abounds that Microsoft will have its sights set on the tablet space going forward. 

In Redmond, that might seem like a good idea. But tablet watchers know that Microsoft’s desire to invest more heavily in that space will eventually will fall short, as will its quest to beat Apple. 

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It's a common practice among the disgruntled, Internet-savvy customers to create websites with embarrassing domain names to sharpen any axes they have to grind with Corporate America and its executives.

When confronted with these guerilla attacks against their prestige, most companies grin and bear it. That's not the case with Bank of America, which has taken the offensive against offending domain names by buying them up.

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Expect Increased Interest In Power Monitoring & Intelligent Cooling In The New Year

Key Points

• Long-term power savings means higher voltages in data centers are becoming common.
• Organizations are finding that efficient cooling is making power easier to manage and less costly.
• Branch circuit monitoring is becoming obsolete, with that work being done at the server level.

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Intrinium unveiled a new service at the recent ITEC Conference in Seattle. This new tool allows organizations to test, train and report on Security Awareness concepts and practices within the organization. Developed in conjunction with the input of regulated institutions, Confidence is a one-of-a-kind tool for IT, HR and those with IT security concerns to finally meet this gap in Information Security that many organizations face.

Contact Intrinium with questions or comments – ITEC Connect subscribers receive a 10% service discount!

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As CIOs increasingly are expected to lead innovation initiatives within their organizations, it becomes more important for them to put strong, creative individuals in critical roles on their teams. Hiring people who know how to innovate is not a simple chore, however. For two hiring exercises designed to identify good innovators, take a look at a post by Pete Maulik, innovation consultant, at HarvardBusinessReview.

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