Some argue that cloud computing platforms provide greater levels of security because the systems are guarded by world-class experts. Others argue that it’s only a matter of time before we have a major security breach that results in hundreds, if not thousands, of customer accounts being compromised. This debate has led the Cloud Security Alliance to identify the top seven security threats to cloud computing.

http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/vizard/cloud-computing-forces-data-governance-issue/?cs=39920

Right now, says Young, there are two schools of cloud computing. One is led by relative enterprise IT newcomers such as Google and Amazon that have gained traction at the departmental and business-unit level. The other camp is led by IBM and Microsoft,

Last week we got two major briefings on completely different aspects of cloud computing.

On Friday, we were treated to Hewlett-Packard’s end-to-end cloud computing strategy by the highly energetic Lee Kedrie, chief technologist for HP Services Solutions Expertise Center. Basically, this was a run-up to the company’s HP Cloud Design Service announced today — a professional services offering aimed at cloud service providers, enterprises interested in creating private clouds, and business consumers of cloud services. Kedrie’s rousing pitch stretched all the way from needs assessment to governance.

http://www.infoworld.com/t/cloud-computing/cloud-computing-gets-little-more-real-261

HP rolls out a new cloud consulting practice, while Cisco takes a step toward erasing the line between the data center and the cloud

Do read the Government IT Strategy. Much has changed from previous drafts. The big issue ia, however, to turn aspiration into reality. The claimed savings look like those in the Gershon report: impossible to achieve without a change of culture but pedestrian compared to those achievable  once that change has been achieved.

Delivery, not aspiration, is that name of the game.

On Tuesday PITCOM had a meeting on Cloud Computing addressed by Salesforce.com, arguably the biggest and most successful cloud operator. The audience included a number of senior public sector IT figures. I was sat next to a CIO who whispered to me that they had looked at Salesforce.com. They were indeed impressive – but the cost per transaction was well above staying in-house. The issue was to do with marginal costs. The organisation had an efficient, mature operation and no need for change – provided politicians or regulators did not mess them about. The choice might well have been different if they had a new application to organise or outsourcing contracts coming to maturity.

http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/when-it-meets-politics/2010/01/g-cloud-or-g-string-turning-as.html

More-over, given that the current plans of BT and Virgin will barely have covered 40% of the UK by 2013/4, it looks as though Cloud Computing will be confined to major conurbations, unless its proponents help pull through the investment necessary to expedite and extend the access their customers need.

Virtualization is being taken up at such a pace that it’s hard to find a metaphor to describe it. “Exploding” has a pieces-coming-apart-at-high-speed vibe, when in fact virtualization’s pieces are all coming together. “Imploding” doesn’t work either. We’ve had maybe five years of fast growth, but now it’s mainstream and ready for the lion’s share of apps. We’ve passed the point where the natural expectation for new servers is that they may be virtualized.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31114_3-10432596-258.html

This year is going to be amazingly full of change in IT. “Ennnh, IT sees a lot of change every year,” you say? Yes, fine and true. But not like this one. Not at this magnitude.

International Business Machines on Thursday announced the largest-ever enterprise cloud computing venture, with the migration of Panasonic to all of IBM’s LotusLive collaboration services, including e-mail and social networking.

The cloud computing market is expected to grow 28% annually, from $47 billion in 2008 to $126 billion by 2012, IBM ( IBM – news – people ) said, based on various market estimates. IBM has launched 11 cloud computing labs worldwide, most recently in Hong Kong.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/14/ibm-panasonic-agreement-markets-equities-cloud-computing.html

A day after HP and Microsoft teamed up, competition gets more intense in corporate cloud computing

An annual customer-and-partner event is a good platform to announce intentions and showcase solutions. HP Software and Solutions did just that in its recently held HP Software Universe and Communications World event. It made three announcements for businesses and telecommunication service providers to realize the benefits of cloud computing. Of these, HP Operations Orchestration and HP Cloud Assure are essentially updated offerings, while HP Communications as a Service (CaaS) is a new offering.

http://voicendata.ciol.com/content/NetworkingPlus/110010508.asp

At its annual EMEA showcase event in Hamburg, HP makes its cloud intentions clear by announcing accelerated cloud computing adoption for businesses and telcos

In a direct challenge to computer giants IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co., data storage firm EMC Corp. of Hopkinton has allied with Cisco Systems Inc., the world’s leading computer networking company.

In a joint venture, EMC, its majority-owned subsidiary VMware Inc., and Cisco will sell prefabricated business computer systems. The new products will be built with computer servers from Cisco, data storage hardware and software from EMC, and server management software from VMware. “Wherever you touch any one of the three of us, we will look like one company,’’ said Cisco chief executive John Chambers.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/11/04/emc_cisco_alliance_takes_on_computing_giants_ibm_hp/

Joint venture with VMware to offer complete systems