Innovation

Public vs. Private Cloud Debate is Real

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST

The zebra in this analogy is the private cloud, where corporate IT departments feel safe controlling everything internally, and not risking exposure to the perceived tigers "out there" in the public cloud arena. But Tejada stated that in the end, large-scale IT initiatives always concern themselves with "access, security, and scalability. You always have to deal with those issues."

DoD Clarifies Guidance on Open Source Software

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EDT

As friend John Scott points out on his blog, Dave Wennergren, DoD CIO, has just signed out a very well coordinated, well staffed and well thought out clarification of guidance regarding Open Source Software (OSS). A copy is attached. Some key points: - Open Source Software meets the government’s legal definition of “commercial computer software,” which [...]

Ellen Degeneres Should Go Open Source

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EDT

By the way, if Ellen Degeneres wants to respond in a reasonable and constructive way to the lawsuits over her use of song snippets to dance to, she could always start using Creative Commons-licensed music, with a nice plug for the open-hearted musicians making our lives more tuney.

VMware Releases vCloud API Under Open Source License

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EDT

For anyone interested, VMware has launched their Vcloud API specification. They describe their new "open" vCloud API as an interface for providing and consuming virtual resources from the cloud. It enables deploying and managing virtualized workloads in internal and external clouds. The vCloud API allows for upload and download of vApps along with their instantiation, deployment and operation.

Cloud Gets Endorsement From Events

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:45:00 EDT

Many of the concepts first proposed and extolled during the Internet hype curve in the mid-1990s are now bearing fruit. Perhaps we should think of cloud computing as less than a separate hype curve, and more as the realization of the original Internet value curve , now some 15 years into its mainstream maturity.

Opportunity for ERP Enthusiasts with Open Source ERPs

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EDT

Open ERP has released its new service offer - Odoo, the Ondemand ERP solution with minimal costs involved for end user. Its a SaaS (Software As A Service) offer from Open ERP, which provides access to end user without any investments or any infrastructural costs.

SpringSource Adds Grease to Java Cloud Skids

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:00:00 EDT

This is the clear path for open source and Java developers to the cloud. Microsoft will have its hands full just keeping the .NET developers and operators on the farm, so to speak. SpringSource made headlines last week when VMware scooped up the Java infrastructure and management firm for $420 million in a move to breed easier cloud migration. Now, the spotlight is on the San Mateo, Calif. company once again as it leverages one of its own recent cloud industry acquisitions.

The Next Wave of Virtualization

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Virtualization adoption in the desktop and datacenter space has been rampant over the past few years given the popular benefits that the technology has to offer. Classical virtualization benefits are numerous and result in savings on many levels. The ability to host multiple server environments, each as a virtual machine, on a single physical blade yields a measurable reduction in hardware costs.

Perspectives on the Value of Open Source

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Recently, I have had the opportunity to work with a number of clients on their strategy to leverage the advantages that open source can achieve across their IT organizations. I found the major motivator and attention getter for open source adoption is the promise to cut costs; but increasingly, interests now include ways open source can provide control and enable agility.

Automating Website Testing Using Open Source Tools

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EDT

In today's competitive world, the most important presence for a corporation is their website. It not only acts as a face for the company but also as an interface enabling its clients, users, and prospects to communicate with the company. As websites are accessible to users via thin clients such as web browsers, the quality and reliability of a website are paramount to its success.

Overdue Innovation in Mobile

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:15:00 EDT

Why is the 'collaborative source' development approach uniquely suited and required to drive innovation in the mobile-communications software stack? What are the early fruits of its impact? Out of the principles of open source and the particular market and legal constraints of the telecom world, a best-of-two-worlds approach is being forged: the collaborative source development model that is spawning overdue innovation in mobile.

Software Appliances: Delivering Open Source

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:45:00 EDT

Appliances. The very word is emblematic of stability and strength. Think of the appliances in your kitchen. Unless you're particularly unlucky, 99.9% of the time your refrigerator, stove and dishwasher just work. You don't have to give it a second thought. When we talk about software appliances, we're talking about a similar stability.

There's Power in a Common Customer View

Thu, 01 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Last summer, a group of technical experts from various open source companies came together under the banner of the Open Solutions Alliance, rolled out an enterprise-class application, and demonstrated the power of collaboration with the launch of the Common Customer View project, an interoperability project that integrates data from diverse front-office, back-office, and planning applications.

How Open Source Is Changing Network Management

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:00:00 EST

Enterprise networks are growing increasingly complex. Over the past five years, the increased focus on unified security, network optimization, and application acceleration has resulted in an explosion of new technologies, specialty devices, and vendors. The proliferation of high-speed connectivity networks and logical overlay networks - all running over the same physical links - have made it all but impossible for network teams to maintain consistent security, access, audit and change control using manual processes and device-specific management tools.

The Cure for What Ails System Administrators

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:00:00 EST

The introduction of Linux into the data center has brought with it the promise of a new level of cost-efficiency and flexibility for enterprise data center environments. IT professionals prefer Linux for their data centers because it's highly customizable and can be adapted to address specific issues more easily than any other operating system.

Ten Open Source Solutions Your Enterprise Should Be Using

Thu, 03 May 2007 16:15:00 EDT

Linux tends to take center stage when it comes to support and other services for enterprise open source users. However, there are literally thousands of other solid open source packages available that perform a wide variety of functions. Unfortunately, there's a real lack of information about the options and considerations for selecting open source that not only meets the functional and technical requirements of specific tasks, but has the support and backing that enterprises need to manage risk. As a result, with enterprise developers lost in a sea of open source options, it can be a daunting task to make the best choice.

An Inexpensive Network Emulator for Testing Applications

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:00:00 EST

This article presents a simple and inexpensive methodology for predicting the performance of a client/server application over a wide area network. A network emulator, placed between the client and server, is used to vary key network properties, such as latency, bandwidth and packet loss. This method is not meant to replace extensive network modeling tools such as OPNET or Load Runner, however, it can provide developers with a simple way to explore the behavior of applications over a wide area network before deployment. For example, developers will be able to determine performance over a dial-up line or low-speed frame relay circuit.

Open Source Software, Standards, and Java

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 15:00:00 EDT

Sun Microsystems recently announced its intentions of finally publishing Java under an Open Source license. But what does that actually mean? We'll take a quick look at what it means to be 'Open Source,' how the Java language specification compares to other more formal language standards, and the importance of the brand and certification programs. We'll then look at what benefits Sun may get from distributing Java as Open Source and at some of the problems that will have to be addressed.

Linux Technology Leadership and the Forking Issue

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 12:30:00 EDT

Linux is the fastest-growing embedded operating environment in the world today. It's quickly becoming the single largest operating system platform for embedded computing. As a result, many technology managers must come to grips with the complexity and the dynamics of Open Source software in general and Linux evolution in particular. Particular questions and concerns arise in the areas of compatibility, the role and nature of different versions of Linux (the 'forking issue'), and the technology advancement process itself. The history of incompatible proprietary versions of Unix contributes significantly to these concerns. It's critical for the continued successful adoption of Linux that these concerns be assessed and understood. The nature of Linux as Open Source dramatically changes not just the specifics of these concerns, but relative to the history of Unix, changes even the nature of the concerns themselves.