CloudBus

Bharat Badal   and   Rural India         Sometime back   I had shared how rural India can benefit by Bharat Badal , here is a check of how these expectations have panned out. Today the cloud is assisted by cognitive and mobility and nation linked by easy data connectivity which has accelerated the adoption and use of technology in rural India.   What can be done for rural India using the cloud - A status check "The cloud will allow information technology to be infused to the smallest hamlet of India and make access to information available to the poorest of the poor to give them a better life by empowering them with knowledge derived through the net book or mobile phone connected to the cloud. The cloud will make the services such as affordable and accessible at a low cost" This has been achieved for rural India by the   Digital India program of the Government. Bharat will benefit by taking the cloud t...

The banking sector is finally on fire in the use of cloud, as regulators ease the pressure on the use of cloud and as the banks technology strategy  steps down from its ivory tower and embraces the cloud as the saviour. Whether it is mobility, social media, analytics or real time secure transaction, the cloud delivers it all and the year 2017 will be the year of the PAAS for Banking. PAAS takes cloud deployment to a new level, it allows banks to customise and develop based on their needs, if they need nothing, they can use the vanilla PAAS solution, if they want to add more processes or bells and whistles PAAS solutions will allow them to do this easily. PAAS solutions will offer both hybrid and non-hybrid deployment, with adequate security built in the cloud architecture, the PAAS banking solutions will be an accelerator for banks to deliver innovative banking solutions to their customers without robbing the bank and in a small delivery cycle of weeks rather than quarters...

There is an adrenaline rush to prove that Hybrid clouds will win the Gold for cloud adoption.  We have Dell - Virtustream (Vmware & EMC), IBM, HP, NetApp and a few analysts shouting hoarse that Hybrid Clouds is the best route to the cloud. Back to Basics  Gartner in its it-glossary states -  Hybrid cloud computing refers to policy-based and coordinated service provisioning, use and management across a mixture of internal and external cloud services. Let us revisit the NIST Definition - Hybrid cloud is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community or public) that remain distinct entities but are bound together, offering the benefits of multiple deployment models. Hybrid cloud can also mean the ability to connect collocation, managed and/or dedicated services with cloud resources.  The Question to Ask  So how does Hybrid cloud suddenly become the holy grail for cloud computing, it has been demonstrated that in a hybrid cloud the risk...

Another cloud conference and exhibition which is well attended by the Information Technology Professionals who make sure they attend all the Cloud Computing Sessions without fail. They understand what is said and learn diligently from those who have adopted the cloud, the cloud vendors and the thought leaders but  never translate into Action for their organization. Sitting on the Fence is not going to take you the cloud, you must experience the cloud to appreciated its benefits, attending conferences and exhibitions will make you cloud ready but you will need to lead Cloud Adoption. You must Bolt over the fence and embrace the cloud as your own and then you will reap the rewards. More surveys show the fence sitters tick "Yes" for cloud adoption but never translate the "Yes" into action. As an IT Professional are you going to be a fence sitter or do you plan to roll up your sleeves and jump over the fence and take your organization to the cloud. The choice is...

Cloud Computing is changing the face of computing and is a disruptive technology which no professional can ignore today ! It has moved center stage and is the Future of Computing; are you prepared to harness the cloud? If you are a Business Leader then it is time for you to understand the use of cloud computing as a strategic business tool. The Cloud is an Utility and is for everyone to use and no longer confined to the Technology Geeks. If you have not prepared then it is time for you to attend a course on Cloud computing which will help you understand on how Cloud Computing and Business can be woven together to add value to the bottom line of your enterprise. Whatever your role be in the enterprise, a member of the Board, the CEO, a C level executive CXO, CFO, CMO, CRO, CHR it is time you understood cloud computing as a business enabler and how to harness this utility. It is time for you to sign up for a Cloud Computing Program for Business Leaders which presents Cloud Comput...

The cloud phobia among the skeptics peaks with a random cloud outage and is immediately touted as a cloud failure using social media tools and email services that use cloud as a backbone, and the message is "we told you so". Photo Courtesy : Kenneth Menzes Millions of people are using Cloud Based services for their social interaction and are blooming in their social interactions. Social Media services including this blog run on the cloud, including Google, Facebook, Twitter to name a few and yes there have been outages but no one is complaining. But the skeptics wait for one failure and then run riot and tout cloud computing is a failure and one needs to get back to the data center. The paradox is many companies that use the cloud to run their business have great  market value. Facebook :  173 Billion Twitter : 24 Billion  LinkedIn : 20 Billion  Google : 392 Billion  This is a small sample of the market value of cloud driven companies, their founde...

As Cloud Computing goes mainstream and drives the collaboration , commerce, cohesion and social mores in the World, the cloud skies are history and let us ring in 2014 as the Year for Clear Skies for Cloud Computing. Here are 14 thoughts for 2014 - 2014 will be the year where if you are not in the cloud your IT strategy maybe suspect.  2014 will be the year when cloud computing will be referred to as computing and be the technology for business and individuals. 2014 will be the year when your health parameters and personal life will be logged in the cloud through the internet of things.  2014 will be the year when mobility will be pass, phablets will rule the end point device market. 2014 will be when cloud security will not longer a concern, rather the cloud will be engine to secure the digital world. 2014 will be the year when SMAC will be an utility for the CMO. 2014 will be the year when Community Clouds will take center stage.  2014 will be the year when c...

As the year of SMAC the outlier which changed  the fortunes of business across the world in 2013. Looking into the crystal glass, we see that next year 2014 will the year of Community Clouds which will change the fortunes of companies which specialize in data center solutions. We will see community clouds being build by the Fortune 500 companies in a collaborative manner, business across Europe will drive the adoption of Community Clouds in Europe to adhere to the ENISA guidelines. Cloud Computing now moves beyond cost it is about reliability, economics of scale, security and mutli device support and global standards. Community clouds will be adopted by the banks of Europe, the pharmaceutical companies of Europe, the European Union and more. Developing regions in the globe too will adopt cloud computing, Africa will lead the charge with large nations like Brazil, Latin American countries and across the APAC region. A Bus in Mumbai, A community initiative ! Everyone is wor...

Everybody is a Winner Baby was a popular song many decades ago and  is true for Cloud Computing. Everybody wins in the Cloud, the service provider, the application developer, the network provider, the end point device maker and all the innovators who come up with a new idea everyday in the cloud. Cloud is about Innovation and Excellence with a small investment to get started and if your idea is big enough you are all set to be a Winner. When you compare the capital invested to the rewards by companies like Twitter and FB the  poster boys of today your realize that no other investment has provided humongous valuation for such a small investment, The valuation hinges on the innovative ideas and excellence of delivery and savvy marketing to the end consumer. Everyone is a Winner in Cloud Computing !  In cloud computing  you signed for Salesforce or Google or Zoho  for free and got hooked and   realized you could be technology illiterate and sti...

"SMAC" is the a acronym for Social, mobile, analytics & cloud the four pillars of the fifth wave of technology as defined by  Cognizant Technology the  Teaneck, New Jersey headquartered ITES company (NASDAQ Symbol : CTSH). SMAC will change the customer dialogue by leveraging on the collective strength of the Social Media Network, Mobile devices, Analytics driven by Big Data solutions and Cloud Computing as the underlying backbone of affordable and reliable engine for computation.  Let us look at each of these components and their impact on our lives today: 1. Social Media - The Social Media has seen breakneck growth and significant valuation with the winners, we have the four undisputed leaders in this segment Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest  & LinkedIn with competition from Yahoo, Google and Microsoft and another hundred more social media sites of different hues and aspirations.   2. Mobility - The way we handle and process information an...

Come January we will have 7 new Indian Banks given licences to operate from the many applicants. The new licences will be given with conditions attached for rural thrust in banking and also social banking. As the applicants eagerly await their licences and start head hunting for their leadership the promoters will need to review whether Cloud Computing could be  the Elixir for getting them operational in weeks rather then months. Cloud computing will give them reach to the remote rural hamlets in India and also be effective, reliable and a secure vehicle to reach banking technology to the 40 million unbaked Indians. As the head hunters set the wheels in motion to hire the new suite of leaders to put execution plans into action it may the time for the Board of these promoter Banks to consider Cloud Computing for their profitability, agility and secure banking. Are New Indian Banks Ready to Fly into the Cloud ? Photo by Amitav Thamba Hiring Technology leaders from the conv...

Founders must Let Go! Many founders are so attached with their company that they are unable to scale of grow their company fast enough to realize value and take it to greater levels.  The challenge for the Founders is to grow the company quickly and then bring in professional management and list the company so that the risks are distributed among shareholders plus the company can raise more capital and the founders can de-risk their investment in their company.  But most times company founders treat their company as the extension of their personality and like a protective parent do not let go and allow it to grow and mature. There are so enamored by their success that they suffer from myopia. Over the last 20 years I have seen companies similar in aggression and business grow, but I have found companies where founders were willing to take it to a wider investor base and also bring on board more passionate professionals succeed where as companies where the owners have h...

Recently there have been a few Shutdowns of Cloud Services with short notice periods which have forced customers to scurry for cover and in some cases customers have been caught in a bind Shutdown in the Cloud will be an eventuality when companies cannot scale in the cloud and remain profitable, they get choked for cash and suffer slowly leading to instant death within weeks after they are choked of funds. How do we handle Shutdown's in the Cloud will be the next domain for Risk Management in the Cloud. Though outright it looks straightforward and it appears we can apply the same matrix as we would to technology vendors, but this may not be the right approach. There are various dimension of Risk to be associated and constant monitoring of the health of the vendors is essential in the fast changing landscape of technology vendors which is pitted with risk and unexpected twists and turns. Why Cloud computing, we seem to forget how Tandem, Digital was snapped up by Compaq in mont...

Cloud computing will provide the comfort and stability in the world of VUCA ( volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) . Wiki source for VUCA :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatility,_uncertainty,_complexity_and_ambiguity Cloud computing is the right solution to help business in its technology investments and answers its concerns on the following issues confronted in the world of VUCA : Anticipate the Issues that Shape Conditions Understand the Consequences of Issues and Actions Appreciate the Interdependence of Variables Prepare for Alternative Realities and Challenges Interpret and Address Relevant Opportunities Cloud computing also helps the organization to be prepared with technology enabled tools in the VUCA world :  Knowledge Management on Sense-Making  Planning and Readiness Considerations  Process Management and Resource Systems  Functional Responsiveness and Impact Models  Recovery Systems and Forward Practices C...

In a recent cloud conference they were two Senior Technology Professionals who spoke in the conference and the general consensus of the participants was all they did was to Rave, Rant and Spit Venom at Cloud Computing. People who attended their session were wondering how they had reached such Senior roles in Information Technology Leadership with so much bias and attitude against emerging technologies like cloud computing. Raise the Bar not degrade yourself and the cloud  These these two personalities were able to bring about a pall of gloom and disbelief  among the participants in this cloud conference. Many wondered if  they had such strong views against cloud computing why they were invited by the organizers ? Why did they take time off to use the forum at the conference to belittle the participants in the cloud conference and also show how petty minded they were.. Cloud Detractors Need to be Kept Away from Cloud Computing Conferences as speakers ! As a cloud...

Recently Forrester stated that 70% of "private clouds" aren't really clouds at all http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/022613-forrester-private-clouds-267108.html Therein lies a tale of deceit, misinformation and false gratification of many organizations believing they have a cloud in place.  To get the facts right we need to revisit the definition of cloud computing as defined by NIST which in may opinion is the final authority on cloud computing standards and is followed by the industry and professionals.  http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-145/SP800-145.pdf Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared  pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that  can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.  This cloud model is composed of five essential characte...

This is the reproduction of an article published in Information Week today . http://www.informationweek.in/cloud_computing/13-07-02/why_the_cloud_can_come_down_to_earth_in_india.aspx The author illustrates how the network and infrastructure can be the differentiator between success and failure in deployment of real time technology solutions like exchanges and cloud computing applications In 1991, I was a key member of the team to build the first automated stock exchange in India known as the OTC Exchange of India on dial up telephone lines and subsequently an overlay network network on an Government built X.25 backbone with an X.28 dial up connectivity. The internet was unheard of those days, though a few Software Technology Parks (STPI) did have this connectivity and I remember the slow browser which connected me to the Harvard facility from the STPI in Hyderabad. We had limitations because we could operate only in 26 cities in India with dialup connections, because the rest ...

Today's program on cloud computing for Business at Bangalore was well received and was attended by Senior Business Leaders. Some of the keen observations was the lack of adoption of cloud computing by business in India because of poor internet connectivity in smaller cities and rural areas. There were live examples of challenges in getting reliable internet access and bandwidth and more needs to be done to fix this problem to make cloud computing adoption a reality. The second takeaway was the large  technology  cost to support transactions in Banking sector, almost about Rs. 50 a transaction was the estimated cost. Cloud could substantially lower this technology cost by banks adopting cloud computing. Some banks are there in a nascent stage and some Banks offer their application as a SAAS based core banking solutions in a virtualized environment which is marketed as a cloud. More needs to be done in this area and one solution was to build a dedicated and secure cloud ...

There are strikes in Brazil, the Indian Rupee is shedding value faster than my weight gain, the world globally is grappling on how to keep recession at bay. The business climate is tough and Cloud Computing could be Superman for Business. When business want to cut costs they need tools to identify what they are doing, they need tighter monitoring and controls, they can find solutions for this in the various SAAS solutions available in the cloud. They just pay for what they use and get their business ship shape. Energy prices and managing data centers is expensive, cloud could offer a better and more cost effective solution. Reach for the Clouds when the Going it Tough Marketing budgets are tight, but without marketing how do you reach your customer, use the cloud computing social media tools to reach your customers. Sales people costs are high and customer support  is essential for survival use cloud hosted  sales and customer management tools. Logistics, distribut...

There are many great stories of Information Technology Business on the cloud who have made millions of dollars with a great idea, these are companies who have built solutions on the cloud and benefited by a low cost  launch of their business and almost no entry barrier to succeed in their vision for changing the world with cloud computing. This article is for another type of Business, those  who can use computing as a business enabler and benefit with automation from conceptualization to execution to sustenance of their start-up business whatever it may be. Let us consider start-up business in the non technology traditional economy, simple businesses like engineering fabrication, distribution, cash collection, retailing, food and beverages, and any other start-up whose leadership has an idea and the entrepreneurial zeal. What cloud computing solutions can Business use for their business efficiency? today many Business start their computing journey on the internet with a...