Will You Still Run Your Data Center in 2020? Yup!

Will You Still Run Your Data Center in 2020? Yup!

By Trevor Pott, IOD Expert
What will the data center of 2020 look like? In all likelihood, it will look much the same as today’s data center does, but more …cloudy. The data centers of 2020 will blur the lines between public and private cloud and hybrid cloud will be the new normal.
The cloud in this context doesn’t refer to the public cloud exclusively. Though public cloud adoption is steadily increasing, it does not look set to kill off the private datacenter any time soon.
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6 re:Invents Later, AWS Is Still the Only Serious Cloud Player

6 re:Invents Later, AWS Is Still the Only Serious Cloud Player

By Ofir Nachmani, CEO, IOD
It’s beautiful here in Vegas. It always is.
But headed into my sixth AWS re:Invent, I have to admit, I wasn’t convinced the event was going to be as spectacular as the scenery. Sure 43,000 attendees is impressive — the number grows every year. And yes, Amazon has a reputation for surprising us with announcements of new innovations. But, after working with AWS since 2008 and writing thousands of articles about the cloud giant, as well as those seeking to compete with them, I wasn’t sure anything they would introduce would be showstopping for me.
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I’ve Got a Plan for reInvent 2017. Do You?

I’ve Got a Plan for reInvent 2017. Do You?

By Maish Saidel-Keesing
I am no IT conference novice. I’ve attended several VMworld events over the years (last year, together with over 25,000 other IT professionals). But even though I’ve been in this business for quite a while — since the days when cloud was known as “virtualization” — I haven’t been to re:Invent before.
This year, I knew it was time.
Over the years, as virtualization evolved into cloud, my skills and knowledge evolved, too: from hardware to VMware to cloud (with VMware) and then open-source cloud (with OpenStack), then containers, Docker, and now, most recently, the major public cloud providers. My day job the past year has been focused solely around complex deployments in AWS. How could I miss re:invent 2017?
So, I’m headed there next month. Yet, despite all my years attending VMWorld, I know re:Invent is definitely a conference in its own class. It requires advanced preparation in order to make the best of it.
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5 Key Benefits of Docker: CI, Version Control, Portability, Isolation and Security

5 Key Benefits of Docker: CI, Version Control, Portability, Isolation and Security

cool docker imageDocker doesn’t need an introduction. It is one of the hottest open source projects that allows you to deploy your application inside containers, adding a layer of abstraction. In a seemingly constant state of maturation, the benefits of using Docker increase on a regular basis. In this post, instead of talking about what Docker is or how it works, I’ll outline the top five benefits of using the ever-growing platform.
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I Love the Cloud: My Never-Ending Journey with AWS

I Love the Cloud: My Never-Ending Journey with AWS

[GUEST POST] I started exploring the cloud computing world around 5 years ago, and I must admit that my initial understanding of the cloud was a disaster. At first, it was difficult to find a comprehensive definition, but I finally settled on one from the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST). It clearly defined the cloud’s attributes and models, and removed my doubts regarding what falls under the cloud umbrella. The experience that I had finding this definition made me realize that I wanted there to be an easier way for others to find it, as well. Therefore, I decided to create my own list of cloud guidelines. This was a turning point in my cloud journey, as it pushed me to teach many students and IT professionals about cloud computing.
Stumbling upon AWS is inevitable when discovering the cloud, and just as with the cloud, my first interaction with AWS was not simple, either. I remember the moment of “Eureka!” that came after I was finally able to launch an EC2 instance and deploy a simple application. Sometimes, I laugh at the sheer joy I experienced from such a small achievement, but I realize that this was a stepping stone in my AWS journey and my love for Amazon. I am now able to manage bigger AWS cloud infrastructures, and I’ve consulted for and successfully designed various Amazon projects. I’ve conducted sessions on how to scale applications and how to make scalable applications using Amazon.
I see that two things have remained steady over the past few years: continuous innovations at AWS and my love for AWS. AWS has always kept me motivated to learn new things with its consistent new offerings, and I’d like to share the reasons that I believe make it the immense influence on the cloud that it is today.
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EC2 Virtualization Options and the Move from PV to HVM

aws icon ec2aws icon ec2aws ec2 cloud[Guest Post by Uri Wolloch, Co-Founder and CTO at N2Ws]

This article discusses the recent change that has taken place with AWS EC2 virtualization options. We will look into AWS’ virtualization backend and what it means for AWS users in general and N2WS, in particular. For a bit of background, up until recently, the AWS cloud supported a virtualization type called Hardware Virtual Machine (HVM) for Windows instances as well as ParaVirtualization (PV) for Linux instances. While these are both Xen technologies, they are slightly different. PV requires an added layer of software (i.e. kernel) between the designated hardware and virtual machines, and HVM runs directly on hardware and can make use of special hardware extensions.

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My Expectations for AWS reInvent 2014: Lots of People and 3 Announcements

aws reinventThis is my third re:Invent, and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to attend all of the major AWS events thus far. It is evident that Amazon is disrupting the IT industry, and some very experienced bloggers in the field have told me that it is just a matter of time before it takes over enterprise IT, as well. Maybe in another 10 years, though. Nonetheless, the change it has established in the industry is extreme, with the cloud’s agility and speed able to reach nearly every place on earth. There were 5K attendees at AWS’ first re:Invent and this year, Amazon is expecting over 12K. Vegas will be filled with geeks and big shot CIOs.
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Make the Most of AWS reInvent 2014

aws reinventThese are exciting times for the world of cloud computing, and with the largest ever AWS conference just around the corner, we can’t wait to see what everyone has in store. Our successful video interviews at AWS re:Invent 2013, with leading cloud brands across the globe, has brought the popular enterprise technology channel, SDR News, and yours truly together again to see what re:Invent 2014 has to offer.
The technology and consulting partners that shared their knowledge at last year’s event have greatly benefitted from their exposure across our social channels. And with the 12,000 participants expected to show up next week, exhibitors need to be especially on top of their game in order to manifest valuable opportunities. Last year’s video interviews focused on assessments of the event and learning about the exhibitors’ positions in and contributions to the AWS ecosystem. However, this year, we’re turning the focus fully onto you.
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