July 26th, 2011 — 8:38am
Dell (NSDQ:Dell) is leveraging its partnership with the Rackspace-led OpenStack open source cloud project to the fullest with the launch of an Infrastructure-as-a-Service system based on the OpenStack cloud operating system.
According to Dell, “OpenStack is a massively scalable infrastructure-as-a-service cloud solution. It offers support for existing ecosystems plus opportunities to influence future direction.”
The Dell Openck Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service arrives just as cloud technology has matured enough for customers to want alternatives to proprietary licensed software cloud models. John Igoe, director of cloud strategy at Dell put it thusly:
“This is one of the first reference architectures in the environment that can be purchased and deployed,” Igoe said of the Dell OpenStack Cloud Solution.
The Dell OpenStack Cloud Solution IaaS play comprises the OpenStack cloud operating system; cloud-optimized Dell PowerEdge C servers; a new Dell-developed OpenStack installer called “Crowbar;” and services from Dell and Rackspace Cloud Builders.
According to Igoe, Dell’s new OpenStack cloud system will not cannibalize existing Dell offerings. Igoe said Dell wants its customers to have different options for moving forward with the cloud.
Kudos to Dell for being a leader in this burgeoning space.
Click here for more information about the new Dell OpenStack-Based Cloud.
Comment » | Cloud Computing, dell, future
July 19th, 2011 — 12:43pm
Hackers at Redmond Pie gave details of an exploit allowing someone to jailbreak version 4.3.4 of Apple iOS (it is important to note that this does not affect the iPad 2 device).
Jailbreaking is a means to circumvent normal security measures in Apple devices like iPhones and iPads. It allows anyone to use applications not approved by Apple’s App Store – obviously causing great concern to Apple over lost revenue.
“Apple has just pushed out iOS 4.3.4 for the iPhone, iPad and the iPod touch. And thankfully, we have cooked custom PwnageTool bundles which allows you to jailbreak any device (except for iPad 2) running iOS 4.3.4, and at the same time preserve your baseband for an Ultrasn0w unlock later on,” said Redmond Pie’s Uzair Ghani in a blog post.
At the moment, this jailbreak is “tethered”, meaning to take advantage of it, the device must be physically connected to a computer.
“No matter how annoying it may sound, it’s better than having no jailbreak at all,” Ghani said.
This latest in a string of hacks against iOS was releaed Friday, also the day that Apple released a security patch to repair PDF problems in their Safari Browser.
Typically to exploit the PDF vulnerability, an attacker would distribute a malicious PDF via email, or social networking sites and a user would unknowingly install malware by opening it. Attackers would then have access to personal and financial data stored on mobile Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad. They could even track a users location via the GPS capabilities in these devices.
This latest jailbreak exploit is likely to spur demands for increased vigilance by Apple. Germany issued a security warning to consumers in the wake of this latest hack release.
Popularity of the iPhone and iPad is only expected to grow. We can definitely expect more vulnerability exploits in the future.
Comment » | exploits, iOS
July 18th, 2011 — 10:51am
On Thursday Google App Engine, the mega-corp’s cloud platform offering, crashed, knocking some websites and services offline. According to the Google status dashboard, the disturbance happened bewteen 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. PST on Thursday, bringing down customer apps and web sites that depend on the Google App Engine.
Apps written for the platform use the Java (and by extension, languages that run on the JVM), Go orPython programming languages. Python apps, evidently, were unaffected.
Google’s status dashboard also indicated that a scheduled maintenance was being performed at the time, however, it is not 100% clear that the maintenance and performance malfunction are related.
A quote from a developer at “You vs. the Internet” summed it up thusly:
“Well, I think I aged a few years tonight. That really, really sucked. The worst part? Google never acknowledged that they had a problem,” a Wordament developer wrote. “Down the line of their Service Status was ‘Normal.’ And yet, we were running 0 servers. The other part that really sucked was our powerlessness to do anything. We couldn’t even contact support. Sigh.”
Comment » | Cloud Computing, Google
July 15th, 2011 — 11:43am
“The Cloud..” It seems no matter where you turn, you hear this phrase over and over. Google Cloud, Microsoft Cloud, Apple iCloud, etc. The list goes on and on.
But, what is “The Cloud” and why is it getting so much buzz?
The Cloud Defined
In the most basic of terms, cloud computing refers to being able to access resources and applications that are available on the Internet from just about any Internet connected device. Your “device”, be it a PC, iPhone, or other Internet enabled machine can then essentially act as if these resources and applications were housed locally. Being that they are housed remotely in one location means easier maintenance, and reduced costs.
In more sophisticated terms, it refers to scalable IT architectures that can be more easily accessed and maintained. “Scalability” means you can add more capacity, power, and services without incurring exorbitant costs – clearly a boon for businesses.
How Popular is The Cloud in the Business World
According to Saugatuck, a Connecticut based research and consulting firm, by 2015, there will remain no business computing category that hasn’t moved to the Cloud – with 65 percent or more of all NEW business application / solution decisions Cloud-based or Hybrid by 2015.
According to research firm, Gartner, By 2012, 20% of businesses will own no IT assets as increasingly business rely on external, cloud based hardware provided to them under subscription models.
Have questions about “The Cloud?” Call us – 972.235.3114
Comment » | Cloud Computing
July 7th, 2011 — 9:27am
Not to be left behind in the cloud buzz, Intel is putting some muscle into promoting its own cloud offerings. In what Intel is labeling “the world’s smallest data-center”, you essentially have two 1U servers in a nice, compact package. This is to further bolster their marketing for their “Cloud 2015″ service (wow, so the world doesn’t end in 2012 like the Mayans predicted after all??).
The servers showcase a number of different Intel products all at once. The utililize the latest and greatest Xeon processors. They have support for rigourous hardware encryption via Intel’s “Trusted Execution Technology”. It also features support for Intels hardware based Virtualization Technology.
Other feautres:
- Intelligent Power Node Manager
- Expressway Access 360
- Expressway Gateway Service
It seems this is effort at a model of many small datacenters distributed geographically, yet operating together. Let’s see how it plays out.
More information here.
Comment » | Cloud Computing, future
July 6th, 2011 — 12:11pm
Japanese electronics company Sony Corp. had announced Monday that Sony Network Entertainment International will fully have restored all PlayStation Network and Qriocity services in Japan by today.
You may recall in April when a hacker breach prompted Sony to shut down these services to bolster their overall security.
This breach was evidently perpetrated by the “hactivist” group, “LulzSec.” (they have since claimed that they are disbanding)
Since May 28th, they have been in the process of slowing phasing in newly implement security procedures.
Now that service has been restored in Japan, Sony has fully brought back PlayStation and Qriocity services in every area where they had been operating before the breach.
In addition, Sony will be offering a special “Welcome Back” package to all registered customers as a way of making amends.
Despite the new security measures. People and organizations utlizing these services should still take their own measures.
- Cancel credit card
- Change associated email address
- Change your password to something entirely new, not used anywhere else
Comment » | IT Support, Security
