We think of VMware largely as a software infrastructure and virtualization management concern. But the company is also getting into apps, and most recently banged the drum in support of Socialcast, a collaboration tool with similarities to Facebook. Unlike Facebook, Socialcast can be deployed as a service or installed as an on-premise application.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 11/08/20111 comments
Stephen Herrod spent the last decade driving technology at VMware, where he now serves as CTO. Herrod spoke with Bruce Hoard, editor in chief of Virtualization Review, about application development, the cloud and, of course, more than a sprinkle of virtualization.
Herrod believes that virtualization is easier than it used to be since the products are so much better. That said, it still takes a lot of prep work. You can't just virtualize a dysfunctional IT shop.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 11/01/20116 comments
VMware may get the bulk of cloud headlines, but let's face it -- most of this is server virtualization and, now, the cloud. Citrix is no slouch, either, and has ruled the desktop virtualization roost for over two decades (has it really been that long?).
Citrix is taking that expertise to the cloud, looking to serve up virtual desktops from the cloud as opposed to in-house servers. Citrix has also been on a big buying binge, including App-DNA, a company that eases the migration to either Windows 7 or virtual desktops. ShareFile is also in Citrix's pocket, helping users store files in the cloud -- similar to Google Docs, Carbonite (for backup) or Skyline. Finally, Citrix can help build "personal vDisks" through its purchase of RingCube.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 11/01/20110 comments
I was a fan of Netflix until it split its service in two and jacked up prices. With cable, DVDs, a DVR and a cellar full of VHS tapes, I guess I don't need Netflix after all. The Internet could also do without Netflix as a staggering one-third of all 'Net traffic is actually Netflix traffic.
The scary part is that Netflix and such services are still in their infancy. Add video, VoIP, mobile and cloud apps, and you can see the strain our favorite network is under.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 11/01/20111 comments
Google crowed and crowed when it beat out Microsoft for an epic deal to move much of the city of Los Angeles from the aging GroupWise (does anyone remember GroupWise?) to Google's cloud apps. After two years of effort, Los Angeles is as miffed as Lindsay Lohan visiting her probation officer.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/25/20112 comments
In an earlier item, I talked about an impressive cloud startup called Piston Cloud. Now I'm going to talk about Engine Yard Cloud.
The venture-funded Engine Yard is aimed at helping programmers write cloud apps. Founded five years ago, its initial foray was a Platform as a Service (PaaS) tool for Ruby on Rails developers.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/25/20112 comments
On Oct. 6, I got a market-sized notice from the Market Intel Group arguing that in five years, the cloud market will exceed $300 billion. Thirteen days later, I got a market-sized notice from the Market Intel Group arguing that in five years, the virtualization market will exceed $250 billion. I know these markets are intertwined but had no idea they were so similar.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/25/20110 comments
Piston Cloud Computing, a brand-new company founded in part by Joshua McKenty, who served as chief technical architect for Nebula at NASA, is designed to help IT adopt the OpenStack cloud operating system. Nebula is a NASA-backed Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) platform, while OpenStack is a full OS aimed at massive scalability. Other founders were involved with OpenStack as former Rackspace employees.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/11/20113 comments
Overlooked in all the hype surrounding the new iPhone 4S is the announcement that the Apple iCloud service will debut tomorrow. Much of the service is aimed at consumers who want to share and store music, photos, video and so on. More interesting to the masses could be Documents in the Cloud, which, as the name implies, lets you store documents in the cloud.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/11/20112 comments
Microsoft loves to flirt with open source -- it just won't commit. Its latest move solidifies an agreement to port Hyper-V to OpenNebula, an open source cloud project aimed at service providers.
This may not be entirely altruistic: Citrix and VMware are already firmly in the OpenNebula camp. At any rate, expect some early code this month.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/11/20115 comments
A lot of companies have tried to compete with Microsoft and failed -- Lotus, WordPerfect, Netscape and Novell all come to mind.
When Microsoft announced Hyper-V, I expected VMware to suffer the same fate. The opposite has happened -- VMware keeps getting stronger and stronger.
Already the dominant force in server virtualization, the company is now aiming for the cloud. This is a natural move as cloud services tend to run on virtualized infrastructures.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/04/201111 comments
When Windows 8 ships in the next year or two, you'll be able use Windows Live for single sign-on roaming.
Windows Live is already in use to connect to SkyDrive and Office Web Apps. It also gives MSDN and TechNet subscribers a master password that offers access to an array of Microsoft sites.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/04/20110 comments