Google Extends Service Level Agreements ·
Google extended its Gmail service level agreement (SLA) to customers of Google Apps Premiere Editions in order to dispel doubts about the reliability of its cloud computing services, and posted reliability metrics for Gmail in a blog post. (InformationWeek)
October 30, 2008
SAAS
Microsoft Slimming Future Windows ·
Microsoft will ship a slimmed-down Windows in the future, replacing much of the software previously included in its OS with Web-based services. Software chief Ray Ozzie says Windows will be used to optimize hardware performance rather than to add software. (InfoWorld)
Informatica Offering Salesforce.com Integration Service ·
Informatica will announce a Web-based integration service for synchronizing data between on-premise databases and applications hosted by Salesforce.com, and is designed to be easy enough for use by a tech-savvy employee or Salesforce administrator in a business division. (InformationWeek)
CTOs Still Shun The Cloud ·
Enterprise technology leaders remain leery about trusting the cloud with mission-critical applications and sensitive data, despite the major bets placed in this arena by the likes of Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle and other large companies. (InfoWorld)
SAP Retrenching In Face Of Recession ·
SAP will focus on its traditional licensed software applications business, scale back the roll-out of its Business ByDesign SaaS ERP initiative, and transition its hosted computing business to business partners such as AT&T, Accenture, and British Telecom. (InformationWeek)
Hard Drive Maker LaCie Offers Online Backup ·
LaCie is offering potential customers unlimited online backup for one year with the purchase of any of the company's external storage devices. The company says online storage vendor Carbonite will provide the service. (Computerworld)
Google Opens Labs For Google Apps ·
Google launched Labs for Google Apps, a set of experimental features for businesses and schools using Google Apps in order to speed development and adoption of enterprise applications. (eWEEK)
Microsoft Delivers Office Online ·
Microsoft introduced Office Web Applications, an online version of its Office 2007 productivity tools. The services will be available to consumers through ad-funded or subscription options, and to business as a hosted subscription and through existing volume licensing agreements. (ReadWriteWeb)
Device Makers Will Rule Cloud’s Future [OPINION] ·
Companies creating devices that connect to the cloud may well end up being more powerful than the various infrastructure, development platform and application vendors currently dominating the cloud, just as devices that would have been inconceivable without it took advantage of the electrical grid in the early 1900s. (Rough Type)
Instant-On Computers Looming As Windows Threat ·
A growing number of PCs are shipping with Splashtop, technology that allows customers to use their computers without waiting for Windows to boot, leading customers to grow accustomed to working without Windows. (NYT)
Microsoft Launches Windows Azure Cloud OS ·
Microsoft introduced the Azure platform, where it will both run its own Web applications and allow developers to build and run apps using any language and environment. The announcement is Microsoft's admission that, "the truth is evident: Cloud computing is here." (Rough Type)
Netbooks Bucking Economic Trends ·
Sales of netbooks, which feature a price-tag of under $500, limited storage capacity, and a reliance on Web-based data and applications, are surging. IDC raised its forecast for worldwide sales to 20.8 million in 2009, or about 12% of the entire laptop market. (FT)
Microsoft Well-Positioned For Cloud Take-Over ·
Microsoft dodged a bullet by losing out on Yahoo, its customers feel safe with its Software Assurance program, and will prefer its branded, commercial cloud computing offering to "free" but risky open-source alternatives. (Microsoft Watch)
Will Monopolist Control The Cloud? [OPINION] ·
Hugh MacLeod contends that a single company will dominate cloud computing much as Google dominates search. But Web 2.0 guru Tim O'Reilly argues that applications generating viral growth are more important than commodity economies of scale. (O'Reilly Radar)
Amazon Cloud Service Open For Business ·
Amazon added support for Microsoft Windows and SQL Server and took its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) cloud computing service out of beta Thursday. Amazon is offering an SLA with 99.95% up-time. (InfoWorld)
