A CIO's guide to cloud computing investments

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  Article

  AstraZeneca employs CASB technology to gain cloud opacity

  Pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca is working with cloud access security broker vendor Skyhigh Networks to reduce security risks by increasing visibility into its cloud services. Read Now

1Assessing key risks of cloud computing investments

Moving data to the cloud comes with its fair share of risks. How safe is your data in the cloud? Are you equipped to handle a cloud failure or breach? In this section, learn about the latest tools and strategies to counteract cloud threats and protect cloud data. Also, learn about new cloud security roles, risk management best practices and steps to cultivate a cloud-security culture.

• Article

  Is it time to hire a chief cloud security officer?

  With hackers running rampant, cloud providers are looking for a new breed of CISO -- the chief cloud security officer. Security experts sound off on the skills needed for this new cloud security role. Read Now

• Article

  Chief cloud security officer: A new role focused on security

  Cloud computing is giving rise to jobs that never before existed. Scott Weller, CTO at Boston startup SessionM, explains how one such new cloud role -- chief cloud security officer -- can help mitigate possible attack vectors in the cloud. Read Now

• Blog

  Custom applications in the cloud pose new security threat

  Research shows that custom applications in the cloud are running more critical business functions than ever, but IT security is aware of only a fraction of them. Read Now

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  For businesses, cloud security still a concern

  Security experts and executives provide insights on strategies and tools that can help counteract threats to cloud data security. Read Now

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  Corporate cloud customers on front lines of data loss prevention

  In this tip, information security and risk management expert Jeff Jenkins discusses the steps cloud vendors and their corporate customers must take to protect cloud data and mitigate security concerns. Read Now

• Video

  Compliance, data security top reasons for cloud encryption

  Securosis founder Rich Mogull discusses different cloud computing models and the main reasons for cloud encryption. Watch Now

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  Building a security culture is an essential first step to cloud strategy success

  In an era where more data is being moved to the cloud, a report shows that engaging the CISO and cultivating a cloud security culture is imperative. Read Now

2Tips to maximize your cloud-based storage

Will your business benefit from the use of object storage systems rather than file storage systems when storing data in the cloud? Read the articles in this section to know about cloud storage tools and applications that are best for your organization, why hybrid cloud could be the future of cloud storage and why the OpenStack platform could be gaining ground.

• Article

  Collier: The OpenStack platform has gained new life

  At the OpenStack Summit in Boston, OpenStack Foundation COO Mark Collier explained why the nearly seven-year-old open source software platform is far from dead. Read Now

• Article

  OpenStack public cloud adoption faster outside of U.S.

  Providers in the Asian and European markets are turning to OpenStack to run their public clouds. Forrester analyst Lauren Nelson discusses why it's not happening stateside. Read Now

• Article

  Cloud applications: Object storage vs. file storage

  In this tip, Marc Staimer, founder and senior analyst at Dragon Slayer Consulting, discusses the various advantages of object storage systems over file systems when it comes to storing cloud data. Read Now

• Video

  Cloud storage FAQs

  In this video, storage analyst George Crump discusses where cloud storage is most useful, whether object storage is necessary to gain the benefits of the cloud, how to integrate cloud into your environment and the benefits of multicloud environments. Watch Now

• Article

  Why hybrid cloud is driving the future of cloud storage

  The appeal of cloud storage services has forced storage hardware and software vendors to provide ways for customers to access data externally, in a hybrid cloud model. Find out about the options involved. Read Now

• Article

  Maximizing your cloud-based storage

  Analyst and consultant Mike Matchett provides tips to get the most from cloud-based storage devices -- and explains why a company's data storage manager can be of help. Read Now

3Cloud-based analytics: Understanding benefits and risks

Cloud data management provides benefits like accelerated technology deployments and reduced costs associated with both system maintenance and capital expenditure. Read the articles in this section to understand the benefits as well as the risks associated with cloud-based business analytics and how data center best practices translate to the cloud.

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  Cloud-based technologies to empower digital business

  Law firm Mayer Brown predicts more companies will adopt cloud services to assist their digital business efforts and to reduce costs. Read Now

• Article

  What CIOs can learn from the Amazon cloud outage

  In the wake of the Amazon Web Services Simple Storage Service outage, industry watchers offer pointers on how CIOs should react to and prepare for future disruption. Read Now

• Article

  Cloud-based BI risks and best practices

  In this tip, data management consultant David Loshin identifies the risks associated with cloud-based data warehousing and business analytics and explains how to protect against them. Read Now

• Article

  Adoption levels of managing and analyzing data in the cloud remain low

  Find out why some businesses are enthusiastic, while some are hesitant when it comes to doing big data analytics and BI in the cloud. Read Now

4Public vs. private vs. hybrid cloud: What's best for your company?

Are you cloud-ready? Which cloud model is best for you? Whether you choose public, private or hybrid cloud, knowing your options and business needs are vital to cloud success. This section highlights the good and the bad aspects of a multicloud strategy, some basic cloud considerations and a cloud comparison to help you decide which model best suits your organization's needs.

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  Integration key to multicloud management

  What makes a company multicloud? Judith Hurwitz, CEO of Needham, Mass., consulting outfit Hurwitz & Associates, explains it's about integrating, connecting and optimizing your on-premises and cloud IT operations to perform as one unit. Read Now

• Blog

  The pros and cons of a multicloud strategy

  With multicloud strategies quickly gaining popularity among organizations, analysts at market research outfits Gartner and IDC weigh in on its benefits and drawbacks. Read Now

• Article

  When thinking of creating a private cloud, start with why

  A private cloud requires lots of money and the staff skills to pull it off. Before you get too far along the road to private cloud, you need to seriously consider the value it would bring and whether public cloud could suffice. Read Now

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  Evaluating the cost of private cloud development

  A Forrester Research study found that public cloud business is booming. But what does the future of private cloud look like? Find out the challenges and high costs associated with building a private cloud. Read Now

5How to maximize your cloud benefits

Of the several cloud benefits, cloud inventory management helps in reducing costs and security risks. Negotiating a sound cloud contract also helps mitigate risks associated with the cloud. With more organizations making cloud computing investments, this section highlights the best practices for cloud inventory management and determining metrics that reap maximum benefits from cloud computing investments, and provides tips on the factors that need to be considered before negotiating terms and conditions of a cloud contract.

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  CIO's role in cloud inventory management

  For an effective cloud inventory management, a CIO's first step is to build better relationships with the company's decision-makers. Read Now

• Article

  Employ better metrics to fine-tune your cloud-first strategy

  Determining the benefits of a cloud-first strategy is difficult in large, complex IT environments. But there are metrics available to help CIOs. Read Now

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  Three cloud roles that can help CIOs drive business success

  In a recent webinar, Gartner analyst Donna Scott detailed the three cloud roles that CIOs need to fill in order to gain cloud benefits: one for forming strategy, one for implementing that strategy and one for budgeting. Read Now

• Article

  Software-as-a-service CIO seeks more than colocation from cloud and managed services

  Read how one company weighed factors in the decision to move from colocation to cloud and managed services. Read Now

• Article

  CIO peer review essential in cloud contract negotiations

  CIO and CTOs weigh in on what to consider during cloud contract negotiations, including cloud provider liabilities, cloud exit strategies and the importance of CIO peer review. Read Now

6Expand your cloud vocabulary

Before you start making cloud computing investments, get a handle on basic service-related cloud computing terms. Let this glossary be your guide.

• Definition

  cloud services

  Cloud services is an umbrella term that may refer to a variety of resources provided over the internet, or to professional services that support the deployment of such cloud-based resources. Read Now

• Definition

  cloud infrastructure

  Cloud infrastructure refers to the hardware and software -- such as servers, storage and virtualization software -- required to support cloud computing. Read Now

• Definition

  public cloud

  A public cloud is one based on the standard cloud computing model, in which a service provider makes resources, such as virtual machines (VMs), applications or storage, available to the general public over the internet. Read Now

• Definition

  SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud)

  SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) is the concept that the convergence of four technologies is currently driving business innovation. Read Now

• Definition

  Security as a Service (SaaS)

  Security-as-a-service (SaaS) is an outsourcing model for security management. Typically, Security as a Service involves applications such as anti-virus software delivered over the Internet but the term can also refer to security management provided in-house by an external organization. Read Now

• Definition

  Platform as a Service (PaaS)

  Le PaaS est un type d'offres Cloud mettant à disposition des outils et des environnements, souvent de développement, sur un mode "à la demande". Read Now

• Definition

  Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

  Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a form of cloud computing that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. Read Now

• Definition

  Software as a Service (SaaS)

  Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet. Read Now