saas

Storage startup offers a path to private cloud

Judi Hasson — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:30:53 -0400

ParaScale, a cloud-storage startup, says it has software that can pool a number of file servers much the same as NAS clustering schemes like F5's Acopia devices or EMC's Rainfinity software. But the company says it can do it more cheaply and on general-purpose hardware.

"Today, cloud storage means Amazon, Nirvanix, Google, Microsoft, maybe even Facebook, and it needs a large engineering team," said ParaScale CEO Sajai Krishnan. "We say, buy our software and put it on standard Linux servers--you can even re-use old servers as storage nodes--and you're a storage provider."

Krishnan maintains that enterprises should consider ParaScale-based cloud storage as an alternative to clustered NAS because a private cloud will be easier to manage and expand. He also said it ties in with other trends such as cloud computing and software as a service, and is resilient. Krishnan described ParaScale as the third generation of cloud-storage technology. He said the key to this new generation is the use of infrastructure technologies developed for Web 2.0, such as AJAX and WebDAV.

For more on startups and clouds:
- check out this InfoWorld.com article

SaaS gains in popularity

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:59:59 -0500

Software as a service (SaaS) is gaining momentum as whispers of recession grow louder and the need to save money grows more important. "There is less upfront and ongoing capital investment, less risk," with software that is delivered as a service and sold via subscription, said Rebecca Wettemann, an analyst with Nucleus Research. SaaS may also be an acronym for cloud computing--tapping physical computing resources over the Internet. Microsoft and Google are both currently scrambling to offer a bigger array of such online services. And that means your costs may be going down as technology moves in new and different ways to deliver services at reasonable prices.

For more on SaaS:
- See this InformationWeek article
- and see this article on how hackers are putting SaaS to work

Hackers jump on SaaS bandwagon

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Nowadays, it seems like just about everyone is looking at SaaS as a more efficient means of software delivery. And that doesn't just mean traditional or even legitimate businesses--now even hackers are using SaaS to deliver ill-gotten login credentials to customers. "Earlier this month, [online security firm Finjan] discovered a small, standalone application gathering data on over 8,700 servers, including web sites from 2,500 North American companies and a handful of sites in Alexa's top 100 ranking," Ars Technica reports. "Potential buyers were able to log into the malicious server hosting the data-gathering service and evaluate any given web site's size and Google Page Rank to decide whether or not the site's FTP information was worth purchasing or not." One-time oddity or sign of the times? Looks like we'll have to wait and see.

For more on this story:
- see this Ars Technica story

Tech salaries rise in '08

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

It may be a tough economy with all the talk of recession, but plenty of IT professionals will still see raises this year. The 2008 IT Salary Report, released this week by Computer Economics, anticipates a median pay hike of about 3.7 percent in 2008. And some tech professionals at large-sized companies may see a 4 to 4.5 percent salary hike. Tech workers will see even bigger raises if they are working on Web projects, database application builds and voice-data networks, according to this report.

"Salary compensation increases are still fairly healthy though the economy, overall, slowed a bit. What it shows is that IT jobs are holding up fairly well in the marketplace as is the IT segment of business," said John Longwell, Computer Economics' research director. "It's a reflection of the investment companies are making in technology and that they're seeing those investments are enabling them to increase productivity."

For more on tech raises:
- See this CIOUpdate article

Check out these other tech stories from the FierceCIO network:

> Asian Internet outages continue. Article
> Google gets SaaS-y with email security. Article
> AT&T outlines 2008 network plans. Article

ALSO NOTED: Users of Oracle-acquired products fear forced migration; 17,000 U.S. jobs cut in January;

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> SAP hopes for 1000 SaaS customers by the end of the year. Article
> Intel and Micron announce world's fastest NAND Flash. Article
> 17,000 U.S. jobs cut in January. Article
> Users of Oracle-acquired products fear forced migration. Article
> 10 confessions of a Circuit City FireDog tech. Article

And Finally... A comic strip saluting IT heroes. Article

ALSO NOTED: Indian outsourcing continues to grow despite weaker dollar; R&D spending in Europe increases;

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

> Indian outsourcing continues to grow despite weaker dollar. Article

> R&D spending in Europe increases. Article

> Alignment still a priority for CIOs. Article

> Microsoft's Steve Ballmer on advertising and SAAS. Article

> Dell sees profits in green computing. Article

And finally... former Microsoft techie puts time and money into building schools and libraries in developing countries. Article

Open-source, Web 2.0, SAAS continue to disrupt

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Meanwhile, Gartner analysts were also talking about innovation this week, at the Gartner Web Innovations conference in Las Vegas. Their key takeaway: consumerization and open-source will continue to produce disruptions in the high-tech market and will continue to provide new revenue opportunities for businesses. Specifically, analyst Tom Austin said that the relationship between Web 2.0, SAAS, global class, consumerization and open-source is growing more complex. When it comes to vendor management, he said that "the[se] five forces can impact the vendor balance of power, kill distribution and business models and create new ones, and create implementation alternatives."

All of this has a lot to do with competition. Traditional software vendors like Microsoft and IBM are competing with smaller and more nimble vendors in the Web 2.0 space with wikis, AJAX applications, social networks and mashups. "When there [are] tens of hundreds of thousands of vendors out there, it's no longer an issue of who's the leader," Austin said. "The best alternative will change. In the end, patterns emerge and new ways of working emerge."

For more on how new tools are reshaping the enterprise space:
- see the article in eWeek

Is Microsoft inching toward SaaS?

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

As more vendors move toward an on-demand software delivery model, Microsoft might be preparing to join the party. In an apparent shift from its business of selling packaged software for personal computers, Microsoft plans to make available free software that connects its Windows operating system to software and services delivered on the Internet, according to an article in the New York Times. The company is clearly looking for ways to retain its customer base, as competitors start offering pay-as-you-go options in its sweet spot. While the article does not deal with the issue of enterprise licenses, it will be interesting to see if this model is rolled out as a corporate service, and what ramifications this could have on enterprise agreements. Microsoft's new Windows Live software suite includes an updated email program, a photo-sharing application and a writing tool for blogging. Google has already made its intentions to challenge Microsoft clear with a suite of free word processing and spreadsheet applications that can be accessed through a web browser. While Microsoft is a late entrant to this business model, it has a head start when it comes to market share with an installed base of more than 1 billion Windows-based personal computers.

For more on Microsoft and its new delivery model:
- read the article in Cnet

SaaS-based security gets some buzz

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Executives are learning that security technologies delivered via the SaaS (software-as-a-service) business model are proving to be a big success. Imperial Chemical Industries--a London-based maker of paints and chemicals, which is in the process of being acquired by industrial conglomerate Akzo Nobel for $16 billion--is engaged In a focused effort to secure its assets and data. The company is using SaaS applications--like vulnerability scanning tools, email and spam filtering and Web filtering. "We're pushing the envelope in terms of what's out there with security SaaS, but so far, it's been a fantastic success," Paul Simmonds, global information security director at ICI, told Infoworld. Still, he says that not all security applications should be offered using a SaaS model, including security tools like NAC systems and endpoint-oriented products.

For more on delivering security tech through SaaS:
- read the article in Infoworld

A SaaS checklist

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Meanwhile, Network World offers up a checklist of issues to be aware of before committing to SaaS. First off, don't use SaaS for applications that can make or break your company. In other words, if your company depends entirely on a specific application running perfectly all the time, you might want to think twice before replacing that app with a service. Secondly, vendors in this area are not nearly as established as some of the larger software companies. Thus, it is important to be sure that there's a backup plan in place--in case your SaaS vendor closes shop. Third, integration is important as more companies implement SaaS in their networks. This area has yet to be resolved in the nascent SaaS industry, but it's an area to push your vendors on as you begin your implementation.

Want to read more recommendations for CIOs?
- see the article in Network World