http://www.guardian.co.uk/cloud-computing/a-simple-piece-of-engineering

Companies that just need basic IT support may be better off using a cloud computing system, as Daniel Baker of Kitchons found out

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.

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

1. Collaboration Wars: Collaboration is the ‘killer app’ in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) segment of the cloud computing market. The rapid adoption of Google (GOOG) Apps has demonstrated the latent demand for these web-based solutions. Now, IBM (IBM) is promoting the enterprise-class qualities of its LotusLive offering to win a share of the market. Cisco Systems (CSCO) is also intensifying its efforts to promote its collaboration solutions built around WebEx and Telepresence. I also think Microsoft (MSFT) will accept a greater level of cannibalization of its Office products to win a bigger share of the collaboration market with OfficeLive.

2. Business-Oriented Social Networks: These are closely linked to collaboration and have gained a tremendous amount of attention because of the explosive growth of Facebook and Twitter. Although many corporate executives are still uncertain about how to harness social networks, Salesforce.com’s (CRM) introduction of Chatter at Dreamforce clearly shows that offering an enterprise-class solution can create a competitive advantage.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/180730-8-key-competitive-battlefields-in-cloud-computing-in-2010

As the new year and decade get underway, here are a few of the areas of the cloud computing market which I think will be important competitive battlefields for established and emerging players: