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Tag: cloud

  • China Mobile International launches iSolutions

    China Mobile International launches iSolutions

    China Mobile International has launched a new cloud network integration solution in Hong Kong designed to provide multinational enterprise customers with self-service deployment capabilities.

    The new iSolutions offering will also allow customers to manage all their cloud and network products on a single platform for enhanced visibility, accessibility and manageability.

    It will allow customers to self-deploy and manage cloud network products from major providers including Microsoft AzureGoogle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Baidu Cloud Engine and UCloud.

    The solution initially covers 60 Cloud Connect points of presence across 47 cities worldwide to enable the management of global cloud and network products from the one platform.

    Customers will be able to use the platform to purchase new cloud services and deploy them within seconds, track and monitor service status and usage, troubleshoot problems and manage the product lifecycle.

    The iSolutions Cloud Network Service leverages China Mobile International’s global footprint to provide 99.99% guaranteed uptime, and the operator’s fiber infrastructure in China to provide value-added services.

    “Our cloud service provider partners represent the highest level of service in the global cloud market. CMI has recently increased its investment in cable systems, PoPs and data centers,” China Mobile International CEO Dr Li Feng said at the launch event in Hong Kong.

    “In collaboration with the world’s finest cloud service providers, we will leverage our combined advantages to provide global enterprises with a one-stop carrier-grade cloud-network solution and customizable attentive professional services.”

  • APJxC to produce 33.8 zettabytes of data by 2025

    APJxC to produce 33.8 zettabytes of data by 2025

    Seagate Technology recently released a white paper with IDC on the growing datasphere in Asia Pacific including Japan, but excluding China (APJxC).

    This is following the launch of IDC’s global White Paper, The Digitization of the World – From Edge to Core, sponsored by Seagate Technology, which examines how much new data is created and replicated each year and the impending shifts to the global data model by 2025.

    Top findings from the regional paper include:

    • Data created in the APJxC regions will increase from 5.9ZB in 2018 to 33.8ZB in 2025.
    • The APJxC Datasphere is one of the fastest growing Datasphere regions, growing at a 2018–2025 CAGR of 28.3% compared with a gloabl rate of 27.2% and a U.S. growth rate of 23.6% over the same time period.
    • Entertainment-related data is growing at a faster pace than most other regions, expanding at a rate of 23% compared with a global average of 20% for 2018–2025.
    • The number of online users in the region participating in entertainment-related activities is growing faster than the global rate — 7.2% compared with 4.6% for 2017–2022, which will increasingly happen on the go on mobile devices.
    • Storage utilization in APJxC will grow from 0.5ZB in 2018 to 2.3ZB in 2025, even though not all data created will require permanent storage.
    • By 2025, 58% of data storage will take place in the public cloud compared with 22% in 2018 – largely driven by the growing number of internet users in the region, which drives use of the cloud not only by users but also by enterprises as they race to keep up with user demands.

    As such, the percentage of data in the APJxC Datasphere emanating from or replicated in the edge will increase from 12% to 20% of the region’s total Datasphere — as data is delivered to endpoints and as IoT devices increasingly drive processing and analytics closer to the point of origin of the data itself.

    This unprecedented data growth combined with the pressures of deriving value from data for digital transformation will create imperatives for IT and business organizations across all regions over the next decade. Enterprises must develop a fitting data storage and management and capitalization strategy and drive a new level of engagement with consumers using data-informed services and products.

  • Vodafone Idea taps Ericsson for cloud packet core

    Vodafone Idea taps Ericsson for cloud packet core

    India’s Vodafone Idea has contracted Ericsson to deploy a cloud packet core to enhance its existing core network.

    The deployment forms part of the operator’s ongoing network modernization program. It is aimed at enabling speedier introduction of new services and providing full-service continuity over the operator’s network.

    Under the agreement, Vodafone Idea will deploy Ericsson core network applications and network functions including the Ericsson virtual Evolved Packet Gateway (vEPG), Service Aware Policy Controller (vSAPC) and Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVi) solutions.

    The NFVi solution is designed to enable operators to deploy virtual telecom, OSS, BSS, IT and media applications at a low total cost of ownership.

    “Data consumption in India is growing rapidly and users are looking for new, richer experiences every day,” Vodafone Idea CTO Vishant Vara said.

    “At Vodafone Idea, we endeavor to stay ahead of the curve by investing in technologies and solutions to address the evolving demands of millions of our customers in India. We are confident that Ericsson’s vEPC solution will enable us to meet our strategic goals.”

    Ericsson head of digital services for SEA, Oceania and India Alvise Carlton added that the project is one of the vendor’s largest virtual evolved packet core deployments globally to date.

    “This will not only provide VIL the scale and reach to address the growing data traffic levels in India, but the advanced cloud infrastructure will also enable VIL to tap new revenue streams in SMEs and IoT.”

  • Unicom, Ericsson to collaborate on 5G development

    Unicom, Ericsson to collaborate on 5G development

    China Unicom and Ericsson have signed an agreement to accelerate the development of commercial 5G technology.

    The agreement signed at China Unicom’s 5G Innovation and Cooperation Conference in Shenzhen involves further co-operation on a 5G test network.

    The companies have already completed innovative 5G projects, such as the live 4K HD broadcast of a marathon; live 8K HD broadcast of the Women’s World Club Volleyball Championship; 360 degree panoramic live broadcasting, and driving demos.

    Meanwhile China Telecom and Ericsson announced they are collaborating to provide an end-to-end 5G network for the Beijing Expo 2019 horticultural exhibition in Beijing’s Yanqin district.

    The two companies are providing an end-to-end 5G network for the expo offering a combination of garden art and 5G mobile edge computing (MEC) technology to provide visitors with 360-degree panoramic UHD video VR live broadcasting, 5G+VR live broadcasting, and 5G cloud gaming services.

  • Cloud Services Growth to Amazon profit

    Cloud Services Growth to Amazon profit

    Amazon profit surged 118 per cent during the first quarter of this year, from US$1.6 billion to $3.56 billion.

    Operating income during the March quarter reached $4.4 billion, compared to $1.9 billion the same time last year. The increases come off the back of a 17-per-cent growth in sales to $59.7.

    While the company grew its North American operating income over the period to $2.28 billion, its international division reduced its loss from $622 million last year to a more modest $90 million this year.

    Research firm eMarketer estimates that Amazon holds about 47 per cent of the US e-commerce market, which is set to grow 20 per cent to $282.5 billion this year.

    EMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman said the quarter was fuelled by the strength of Amazon’s cloud and advertising business, which continues to inflate the company’s margins.

    “While AWS’s momentum continues unabated and is clearly the bigger driver of this profit story at the moment, the advertising flywheel now appears to be in full effect for Amazon and will only be a bigger part of the growth story over the near term,” Lipsman said.

    Amazon’s AWS segment saw net sales grow 40 per cent year-on-year, from $5.4 billion to almost $7.7 billion, contributing $2.2 billion to the company’s quarterly income.

    Looking ahead, Amazon expects second-quarter sales to land between $59.5 and $63.5 billion, representing an annual growth of between 13 and 20 per cent.

  • Alibaba Cloud Ranked First in Asia Pacific by Gartner

    Alibaba Cloud Ranked First in Asia Pacific by Gartner

    Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing and data intelligence arm of Alibaba Group, has been named first in Asia Pacific(*) market share for IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and IUS (Infrastructure Utility Services) in two consecutive years as per Gartner’s latest report revealed earlier this month named Market Share: IT Services, 2018. It has also retained its top three global provider position in the same space.

    According to this Market Share conducted by global analyst firm Gartner, Alibaba Cloud led the Asia Pacific market for IaaS and IUS with 19.6% market share (+4.7% market share gain from 2017). The technology innovator is followed by 11.0% and 8.0% market shares of the second (AWS) and third player (Microsoft) respectively in Asia Pacific in 2018.

    Alibaba Cloud boasts a strong network in Asia Pacific, with 15 availability zones in the region outside mainland China, covering Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Japan markets. It is the only global cloud provider that has set up local data centers in Indonesia and Malaysia, offering a wide range of cloud and data analytics products.

    “It is very encouraging that our continued dedication to enabling cloud development across industries in both Asia Pacific and globally(**) has been recognized by world’s leading research and advisory company. As the only global cloud provider originated from Asia, we will continue to champion millions of businesses through our world-class infrastructure, advanced analytics tools and thriving ecosystem.” said Lancelot Guo, Vice President of Alibaba Group and Head of Strategy and Marketing at Alibaba Cloud.

  • SATO Launches Cloud-based Labeling Data Management Service

    SATO Launches Cloud-based Labeling Data Management Service

    Restaurant chains, supermarkets and retailers spread across wide geographic areas face serious challenges with data management for product labeling. As labeling data updates are often supported by system administrators but carried out by local teams, the process has traditionally been time-consuming, entailing a process fraught with possibility of error. Research shows two top priorities among organizations in terms of data management are increasing efficiency and protecting their reputation and brand. Over half (52%) of organizations maintain high-quality data for the purpose of increasing efficiency, while 39% do so to protect their brand1.

    With SATO App Storage, users can streamline processes and ensure the highest level of accuracy in their labeling operations. By centralizing management of labeling data, food and retail chains can ensure product information is always up to date and accurate. Administrators can arrange for updates of label data and label designs to be automated in real time or scheduled for specified locations. The SATO system reduces the time required for data management operations by over half2 when performing label data updates. It automates updates of apps and printer settings when replacing printers and streamlines management of seasonal label data for holidays and price markdowns.

    Also the service features a cloud network of proven security, safety and high availability with best-in-class SLA performance, an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) to prevent exploits and SSL/HTTPS encryption for secure communication.

    “Our secure and maintenance-free cloud printing service ensures up-to-date data anytime, anywhere for peace of mind and cost savings,” said Hayato Shindo, President of SATO International Co., Ltd. “Paired with our native value-added services that enable management of label data, design templates and the devices themselves, SATO now offers a comprehensive labeling management solution.”

  • Huawei taps Infosys to help its build cloud ecosystem

    Huawei taps Infosys to help its build cloud ecosystem

    Huawei’s continued quest to be one of the world’s largest cloud players took a small step forward with the announcement of a new partnership with Infosys.

    Huawei Cloud has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with India-based IT firm Infosys in order to help enterprises transition to the digital cloud. As part of the MOU, Infosys will join the Huawei Cloud Partner Network (HCPN) in order to better blend Infosys’ products with Huawei Cloud’s offerings.

    “Combining Huawei Cloud’s product innovation and Infosys’ strengths in next-generation digital services, we will help our clients accelerate their transition to the cloud,” said Infosys President Ravi Kumar, in a prepared statement. “As part of this engagement, we will provide a suite of technologies hosted on Huawei Cloud, such as workload migration solutions including SAP and other enterprise workloads.”

    Over the past several years, Huawei has made a determined effort to become one of the world’s largest cloud providers, but it faces stiff competition from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Closer to home, Huawei also competes with China-based Alibaba. Alibaba has been making a concerted effort to expand its cloud business into Europe.

    According to a February report by Synergy Research Group, Amazon Web Services increased its market share at the end of last year to the point where it is equivalent in size to the next four competitors combined. In order, Microsoft, Google, IBM and Alibaba held the top spots after AWS, according to Synergy Research Group.

    While Huawei wasn’t mentioned among the top cloud providers in the report, it has been trying to build a cloud ecosystem since at least 2016 when it first launched its “All Cloud” strategy for ICT infrastructure. A year later, Huawei announced it was seeking cloud computing partners to become the world’s fifth largest cloud provider behind AWS, Azure, Google and Alibaba.

    Given its size, Huawei Cloud may be able to muscle its way into cloud markets that are currently underserved by the top four companies, but there are also a host of medium and regional cloud companies.

    In this week’s first quarter earnings report, which was the company’s first, Huawei touted the artificial intelligence capabilities that are in Huawei Cloud.

    “Huawei CLOUD remains committed to innovation. It aims to build the best possible hybrid cloud, provide full-stack AI solutions for intelligent industries, and make inclusive AI a reality,” the company said in its earnings report. “More than one million enterprise users and developers have chosen to work with Huawei Cloud. In Q1, Huawei Cloud services were launched in Singapore, and Huawei Cloud released its AI model market.”

    In yesterday’s press release, Huawei said the number of HCPN partners had exceeded 6,000. Working with those partners, Huawei Cloud has added 2,800 applications that are available in 23 regions around the world.

  • Cloud fueled data center spending growth to $150b in 2018

    Cloud fueled data center spending growth to $150b in 2018

    Synergy Research Group (SRG) says a 30% spike in public cloud spending the data center hardware and software market grow to $150 billion in 2018. In addition, the requirement for ever-richer server configurations also drove up enterprise server average selling prices.

    Spending on enterprise data center infrastructure grew by 13% in part driven by the 23% growth in private cloud or cloud-enabled infrastructure, which helped to offset a marginal decline in traditional, non-cloud infrastructure.

    In terms of market share, ODMs in aggregate account for the largest portion of the public cloud market, with Dell EMC being the leading individual vendor, followed by CiscoHPE and Huawei. The 2018 market leader in private cloud was Dell EMC, followed by Microsoft, HPE and Cisco.

    Private cloud or cloud-enabled infrastructure accounted for a little over a third of the total. Servers, OS, storage, networking and virtualization software combined accounted for 96% of the data center infrastructure market, with the balance comprising network security and management software.

    “Cloud service revenues continue to grow by almost 50% per year, enterprise SaaS revenues are growing by 30%, search/social networking revenues are growing by almost 25%, and e-commerce revenues are growing by over 30%, all of which are helping to drive big increases in spending on public cloud infrastructure,” said John Dinsdale, chief analyst at Synergy Research Group.

    “We are also now seeing some reasonably strong growth in enterprise data center infrastructure spending, with the main catalysts being more complex workloads, hybrid cloud requirements, increased server functionality and higher component costs,” added Dinsdale.

  • Cloud gaming could make up half of 5G data traffic by 2022

    Cloud gaming could make up half of 5G data traffic by 2022

    Cloud gaming could generate as much as 50% of 5G data traffic by 2022, based on the rapid progression of cloud gaming services in recent months.

    That was one of the key findings presented during a recent livecast hosted by Openwave, which was attended by over 50 operators, including Vodafone, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Verizon, AT&T and Telefónica.

    According to Openwave, most operators believe cloud gaming could represent 25% to 50% of 5G data traffic by 2022.

    As mobile operators deploy 5G networks, it’s vital that mobile operators prepare for the disruptive impact that cloud gaming could pose, the company noted.

    “The recent emergence of cloud gaming platforms including Google Stadia, Apple Arcade, Microsoft xCloud and Snap Games has not escaped the attention of the operator community,” said John Giere, president and CEO of Openwave Mobility. “Over-the-top (OTT) players have ambitious plans to become the ‘Netflix for gaming’, hosting libraries of thousands of instantly accessible games that, ultimately, will consume three to four times the amount of bandwidth on 5G networks, compared to standard definition video traffic. Needless to say this will impact mobile operator data strategies.”

    “While 5G network rollouts are still in their infancy, OTTs are already planning augmented, virtual and mixed reality services, in addition to cloud gaming. Combined with the expected continued growth of streaming video, these services will rapidly eat into the additional bandwidth provisions of 5G.”

  • Google confirms more Pixel tablets to Arrive

    Google confirms more Pixel tablets to Arrive

    The Android tablet market was once much riches with many more options than the iPad market, but as consumers shifted their attention to smartphones with big displays, many companies have decided to shrink their tablets portfolio or drop it altogether.

    Google has adopted the same strategy in the last couple of years. Even though the Pixel Slate was launched about six months ago, this is a 2-in-1 tablet and laptop rather than a pure Android tablet. The last such product Google released on the market is the Nexus 9, an Android tablet built in collaboration with HTC, which made its debut on the market back in 2014.

    Samsung on the other hand, along with a couple of other Chinese companies like Lenovo and Huawei, has continued to launch Android tablets on a regular basis. Of course, the same applies to Apple, as the Cupertino-based giant now owns an impressive iPads portfolio.

    All information coming from various sources painted a rather bleak picture for the Android tablets segment, as reported last month that even Google plans to move dozens of employees from its laptop and tablet division to other posts within the company.

    The report cites “roadmap cutbacks,” but also points out that team members have been advised to find new roles “temporarily” within Google or Alphabet. The fact that people working for the laptop and tablet division were supposed to find temporary roles in other teams suggests that Google may decide to boost staffing on these teams at any time.

    At the beginning of the week, at Cloud Next 2019, Google hosted a conference, suggestively named “Introducing Google Hardware for Business,” where it reiterated that a new device to help the workforce “be production on-the-go” might be launched soon.

    The tools they have aren’t really conducive to the lifestyle and work style that makes them maximally productive and excited about going to work every day. And we think there are some unique things we can do differently than the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate that are going to really help give them what they’re looking for when they’re working in this new modern cloud-first era.

    A Pixel Slate sequel is more likely rather than a traditional Nexus tablet. Google also mentioned that although it doesn’t have any announcements ready to go live regarding the upcoming laptop/tablet this week, such a product will certainly be revealed “down the road.”

    Although statements made during Google’s Cloud Next 2019 even allow us to make some predictions the company’s plans for the laptop and tablet division, it’s impossible to tell what the search giant wants to do “differently than the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate.”

    Interestingly enough, Steve Jacobs, Pixelbook Group product management leader, who stated the above, coordinates three different categories within Google’s Core Technology group: Pixelbook, Pixel Slate, and Emerging.

  • Global public cloud spend to 17.5% in 2019

    Global public cloud spend to 17.5% in 2019

    Gartner forecasts worldwide public cloud services market will grow 17.5% in 2019 to reach a total of $214.3 billion, up from $182.4 billion in 2018.

    Cloud system infrastructure services, or infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is forecast to grow 27.5% in 2019 and reach $38.9 billion, up from $30.5 billion in 2018 (see Table 1). The second-highest growth rate of 21.8% will be achieved by cloud application infrastructure services, or platform as a service (PaaS).

    Gartner research vice president, Sig Nag, says “we know of no vendor or service provider today whose business model offerings and revenue growth are not influenced by the increasing adoption of cloud-first strategies in organizations. What we see now is only the beginning, though. Through 2022, Gartner projects the market size and growth of the cloud services industry at nearly three time the growth of overall IT services.”

    Gartner expects that by the end of 2019, more than 30% of technology providers’ new software investments will shift from cloud-first to cloud-only. This means that license-based software consumption will further plummet, while SaaS and subscription-based cloud consumption models continue their rise.

    “Organizations need cloud-related services to get onboarded onto public clouds and to transform their operations as they adopt public cloud services,” said Nag. Currently almost 19% of cloud budgets are spent on cloud-related services, such as cloud consulting, implementation, migration and managed services, and Gartner expects that this rate will increase to 28% by 2022.

    “As cloud continues to become mainstream within most organizations, technology product managers for cloud related service offerings will need to focus on delivering solutions that combine experience and execution with hyperscale providers’ offerings,” said Nag.

    He sees the complementary approach as driving both transformation and optimization of an organization’s infrastructure and operations.

  • Hyperscale operators to boost colocation market

    Hyperscale operators to boost colocation market

    Synergy Research Group (SRG) says hyperscale operators are the fastest growing customer category for colocation providers. For both wholesale and retail colocation, 2018 revenue from hyperscale customers grew much more rapidly than revenues from other service provider customers and from enterprises.

    While the overall colocation market grew by 10% in 2018, revenues from hyperscale operators grew by 24% in the wholesale segment of the market and by 16% in the retail segment. Enterprise spending on wholesale colocation was relatively flat in 2018 compared to 2017, while enterprise spending on retail colocation grew by 7%.

    Synergy’s Q4 and year-end data shows that the total colocation market grew to over $34 billion in 2018.

    Growth was strongest in the APAC region, with China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore showing the highest growth rates in the region. Hyperscale operators comprise the world’s major cloud and internet service firms, including the largest operators in IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, search, social networking and e-commerce. The other service provider category includes telcos, non-hyperscale cloud providers and internet service firms, hosting/outsourcing companies and content & digital media service providers. The enterprise category includes all other industry verticals plus government and the public sector.

    “It comes as no surprise that hyperscale operators are providing a boost to colocation providers, as they are on a charge to rapidly extend their worldwide data center footprint and in 2018 ramped up their capex by no less than 43%,” said John Dinsdale, a chief analyst at Synergy Research Group.

    “In order to support this rapid growth they cannot just build their own data centers, so they also need to rely on colocation providers to lease out both large wholesale facilities and capacity at smaller edge locations. Hyperscale operators are becoming an ever-more important source of business for leading colocation companies such as Equinix, Digital Realty, Interxion, CyrusOne, QTS and GDS.”

  • HPE launches cloud advisory service

    HPE launches cloud advisory service

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise has announced HPE Right Mix Advisor, an offering that aims to help businesses develop their hybrid cloud strategies.

    HPE Right Mix Advisor recommends which workloads and applications are ideal to move to public clouds, or keep in private clouds, and how to migrate those workloads to achieve the right mix of hybrid cloud according to each business’s specific need.

    Many organizations find identifying their right mix to be a significant challenge, due to the complexity of their environment and the rate of change in technology and business. HPE said its new advisor aims to be the systematic approach businesses need to develop their hybrid cloud strategies with confidence.

    “IT executives have noted to us that identifying the optimal fit for their individual workloads is one of their top challenges today,” IDC’s Jed Scaramella said. “Past approaches that relied on best practices and manual analysis are now too costly and time consuming.”

    HPE Right Mix Advisor is built upon experience from over 1,000 hybrid cloud engagements, best practices from Cloud Technology Partners and RedPixie, and automated discovery capabilities from iQuate.

    Millions of data points are quickly collected from the customer’s IT landscape, from CMDBs such as ServiceNow, and from external sources such as cloud vendor pricing models. In a recent engagement, for example, nine million IP addresses across six data centres were examined.

    HPE Pointnext experts work with the client’s IT teams to analyze the data using proprietary tooling and placement algorithms. The result is a data-driven recommendation of the right workload placement strategy, as well as a phased plan to get there.

  • Nokia unveils Factory in a Box 2.0

    Nokia unveils Factory in a Box 2.0

    Nokia is showcasing the second generation of the vendor’s Factory in a Box container solution at the 5G Arena during Hannover Messe 2019 in Germany.

    Factory in a Box 2.0 is designed to demonstrate how industry 4.0 solutions for manufacturers can be packed, transported and brought online within hours.

    The solution combines additive manufacturing technologies with augmented and virtual reality and robotics solutions, as well as connectivity using Nokia’s private 4G/5G equipment.

    Meanwhile a semi-automated production workflow has been integrated with Nokia’s Worldwide IoT Network Grid, which is designed to help mobile operators deliver a better global IoT experience to enterprise customers.

    Finally, the solution is designed with a Nokia Digital Automation Cloud, which is targeted at industrial environments large and small.

    “We could tell from the positive feedback we received on the Factory in a Box last year that there is a lot of potential for this concept in the manufacturing industry,” Nokia VP of supply network and engineering Grant Marshall aid.

    “This year, we have raised the bar again, and Factory in a Box 2.0 is now connected to Nokia WING and has Nokia DAC on board, making it even more flexible, secure and efficient.”