InformationWeek Daily - Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

8 New Cloud Computing Startups The list of emerging companies with cloud services and infrastructure products keeps growing. Since we compiled InformationWeek's guide to 20 Cloud Computing Startups in September, eight more have drifted in. Some of these are new companies with a focus on the cloud, while others have been around a few years and are adapting to the cloud model. Following is a synopsis of four newbies. Arista Networks (2004). Makes a line of 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches and a network operating system for managing and provisioning those switches. With a focus on the network infrastructure for cloud environments, Arista has trademarked the term "cloud networking." (See my earlier post on Arista Networks here.) DataSisar (2008). Based in Bangalore, India, DataSisar provides software design and development, application consulting, virtualization services, and help with software-as-a-service implementations. "We work on all the layers of data management by stacking and configuring the software that's suitable to your business processes on the cloud infrastructure at subscriptions prices," the company says. rPath (2005). With its roots in virtualization, rPath recently introduced a cloud computing "adoption model," which the company describes as a pragmatic, five-step approach to cloud computing. The model begins with virtualization and progresses through experimentation, foundation, advancement, and actualization. Soasta (2006). Developer of a Web application testing service called CloudTest that can be used for load and performance testing in Amazon EC2 and other cloud services. Soasta provides virtual software testing to cloud vendors RightScale and Skytap. To see the other four cloud computing startups on my list, click here. John Foley jpfoley@techweb.com www.informationweek.com
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Image Gallery: Netbooks, UMPCs, And Mini-Notebooks Acer, Dell, Lenovo are joining Asus and MSI in the rush to field ultra-mobile PCs, mobile Internet devices, and netbooks as cheaper, lighter alternatives to laptops. InformationWeek Reports: Microsoft Aims To Join The 64-Bit Stampede Our Rolling Review looks at its most intriguing features, one by one. Should you run with it, or get out of the way?   DOWNLOAD NOW Yahoo Introduces Social Developer Platform Over the coming months, Yahoo expects newly developed social applications to make the experience of using Yahoo more like Facebook or MySpace. Microsoft's $250 Million Check To Calif. Remains Mostly Untouched The grants stem from a class action lawsuit filed in 1999, claiming that Microsoft overcharged for software bought between February 1995 and December 2001. Lenovo Unveils Netbook For Education Market The computer maker also announced two ThinkCentre business desktops with remote power management features. Apple's Controversial iPhone Developer Agreement Published The restrictive terms of the old iPhone SDK Agreement effectively prevented iPhone developers from discussing their coding work with anyone other than project team members. Microsoft Office Headed To The Web Microsoft plans to introduce online versions of its most popular desktop applications. Wal-Mart To Sell Discounted G1 Customers will be able to snatch up the Android-powered handset for about $150 at 550 Wal-Mart stores. Aberdeen: Unified Threat Management Can Shave IT Costs Keeping up with threats and vulnerabilities consumes about 14% of the average IT security budget. Here's how UTM can reduce both costs and complexity. Dell Unveils First Thin-Client Computer The OptiPlex FX160 is a fanless system that supports embedded or streamed operating systems for virtual desktop implementations. Commercial Zeppelin Rides Launch In San Francisco The world's largest airship will ferry passengers around the Bay Area's most scenic spots. Windows 7 Beta Due In Early 2009 Microsoft says the next version of its franchise OS will feature improved compatibility and will be more user friendly than Vista. Mobile Social Networks Have Untapped Potential There's a big financial reward if social networks can get a significant portion of its users into the mobile space, but the business model may need to be tweaked. RadioShack Launches High-Tech Trade-In Program The electronics retailer will offer store credit in exchange for used laptops, cameras, phones, and other technology gear. All Our Latest News See InformationWeek's daily breaking news on your mobile device, visit mobile.informationweek.com and sign up for daily SMS notifications.	Yahoo Introduces Social Developer Platform Microsoft's $250 Million Check To Calif. Remains Mostly Untouched Lenovo Unveils Netbook For Education Market Apple's Controversial iPhone Developer Agreement Published Microsoft Office Headed To The Web Virtualization At The Desktop? Examine how more than 250 companies plan to adopt server virtualization technology in this recent InformationWeek Research report, Server Virtualization. The BI Explosion Examine the business intelligence strategies of 500 companies, including deployment drivers and challenges, spending plans, and vendor selection, in this recent InformationWeek Research report. Windows Azure: Help Wanted In The Blue Sky Mine Well, there was at least one surprise in the first day of the Microsoft Professional Developer Conference: Microsoft's new cloud OS is named Azure, not the rumored Stratus. Many of the other Azure foundation pieces-parts are predictable adaptations and evolutions of existing Microsoft products and services, which is both good news and bad. Spectacular Rally Before Black Tuesday Anniversary Doesn't Get Investors Out Of The Woods Consumer confidence has hit 40-year lows. Home prices fell for the 20th consecutive month. Unemployment is expected to rise. So, what has that done to U.S. stocks? iPhone 2.2 Images Hit The Web The iPhone 2.2 firmware update is on its way, and it's a meaty one, with goodies for Google Maps users and podcast fans. Beta users have been posting images of the Google Maps upgrades, with added support for Street View and walking and transit directions, and they look sweet. Could Health Care IT Get A Boost Next Year? There's a lot of uncertainty out there in general when it comes to the economy, next week's elections, and other unknowns, but when it comes to the health care sector, the uncertainty runs a bit deeper, especially when it comes to investments in IT. Renewable Cisco Gets Green Pats Cisco Systems and Intel were among those feted at the annual National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference, held this week in Denver. Of these, special honors should go to Cisco for its emphasis on absolute reduction of greenhouse gases, rather than through offsets. Want A G1 Android Phone At A Discount? Try Wal-Mart Retail discounting giant Wal-Mart is set to begin selling the HTC G1 Android phone for $30 less than it costs at T-Mobile USA stores. If you wanted to get the G1 on the cheap, looks like Wal-Mart is the way to go. Microsoft PDC Day 2: Office, Windows, And Live Mesh Today, Microsoft unveils Windows 7 and talks about the future of Office and Live Mesh. I'm watching the keynote, and will blog about it here. Will Windows 7 be better than Vista? Does Live Mesh matter? Read it here. Windows Azure: The End Of Software? Forget the marketing hype, Windows Azure isn't the latest Microsoft operating system. It's a business strategy. One that shows Redmond believes the days in which it can make fat profits from software alone are numbered. Survey Shows Disconnect On IT Policy Cisco follows up on its survey on data leakage, which I already wrote about, and an anaysis of policy effectiveness. There isn't too much surprising in the findings, but the results continue to highlight the need for sound security policy management processes in organizations and, more important, that the policies need to be communicated to employees. Which Google Android Apps Are G1 Users Downloading? Want to know who's downloading what for their HTC G1 Android phones? Medialets, a company which hooks iPhone and Android apps into mobile advertising, has an early look at the most popular Google phone applications. Here's the data. Canonical's Next (And Hardest) Steps Look forward, not back. That's a philosophy Mark Shuttleworth wants to bring to Ubuntu, and by extension to the rest of Linux as well. In a conference call on Monday, right before the release of 8.10 at the end of this month (happy Halloween!), he laid out what's in that release right now and some high-level goals for the future. Best Buy Wants A Whopping $660 For BlackBerry Bold If you had any desire to snag yourself a BlackBerry Bold free of contract, you may want to think twice. The unlocked, unsubsidized version of the Bold is on sale at BestBuy.com for $660. Real-World SOA: Definition, Implementation and Use of SOA with CentraSite Web services are having a dramatic impact on improving enterprise architecture and application development practices. This paper highlights three sample case studies illustrating how Fujitsu's CentraSite delivers SOA solutions. Forrester Consulting: Unified Communications Delivers Global Benefits This Forrester Consulting study shows how Unified Communications (UC) makes it simpler to contact others over any device in any location, enhancing business agility, cutting costs, and boosting employee productivity. Forrester finds that UC is already delivering major savings for organizations around the world in retail banking, manufacturing and education. Download the full report for free. Software as a Service Research Report No longer a niche software delivery model, software as a service (SaaS) can help small and midsize companies get access to enteprise-class software functionality without having to commit enterprise-level capital resources. Download the full report for free. The Internet & The Developing World The evolution of the Internet has been full of surprises - surprises that have sometimes resulted in radical changes in the commercial landscape, such as the arrival of Amazon, eBay, Google, YouTube, and Skype. Could one of the next big surprises turn out to be linked to developing countries? Read the full report for free from InternetEvolution.com Featured Jobs: Vanguard seeking Line Manager - IT in Valley Forge, PA Volt Technical Resources seeking Motivated C# Developer in Redmond, WA Volt Technical Resources seeking Business Analyst in Redmond, WA Lowes seeking Information Security Analyst II in North Wilkesboro, NC FedSources seeking Director of Web Products in McLean, VA For more great jobs, career-related news, features and services, please visit our Career Center. 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