Cloud computing has become a key part of the IT strategy of companies that seek to be at the forefront and advance in their development.

This infrastructure is not exactly something new , but it is now essential in many sectors, especially those in which digital transformation is not an option, since due to its rapid growth it is always necessary to expand computing and data storage capabilities.

In an increasingly digital world, the vast demand for the cloud is expected to continue to expand rapidly during 2022. However, the world of cloud computing continues to evolve year after year in an agile dynamic to adapt to new needs, so Events such as the Cloud Summit 2022 , which will take place from May 17 to 19, are designed to annually chart a new path and guide companies in the future of cloud computing to drive business.

Although the adoption of the cloud had been increasing for some time, the arrival of the pandemic has accelerated the process, so now with the reactivation and the new normal we are seeing various use cases for the cloud. Here is a review of the concepts about cloud computing that you should know due to its growing adoption:

According to Equinix , 93% of enterprises have expressed interest in or have already committed to hybrid cloud, showing how important it is today to be able to have access to a convenient combination of the strengths of the public and private cloud. .

Previously, the most common thing was to choose between a public or a private cloud, each of these has advantages, so for some time it has become normal to implement a combination of both that allows having all their benefits together, reaching the so-called hybrid cloud.

Using a hybrid cloud as a resource allows companies to have the best of both worlds at their fingertips. On the one hand, data that requires frequent and rapid access can be stored on public servers, while confidential information can continue on private servers with greater access control.

Due to its size, when we talk about multicloud, we refer to the possibility of having multiple clouds, that is, using solutions from different providers, which also allows you to take advantage of the best features that each provider offers.

If before it was almost impossible to integrate information from different providers, today this has become easier and more convenient for large companies that handle a large amount of data and applications.

The use of the hybrid cloud and multiple clouds can be summed up in the possibility of having a personalized technological environment tailored to each organization and the technological needs of the company.

In recent years, there has been talk of a type of decentralized IT infrastructure designed to reduce latency problems while increasing the performance of cloud applications.

Edge Computing, translated as the edge of computing, refers to an infrastructure that is not centralized directly in the core of a server. For many it is a threat to cloud computing, but the truth is that it came with the aim of bringing applications and data closer to edge devices, that is, those that are closer to end users.

Features are comparable to cloud computing, but because edge computing brings the cloud closer to the end user, speed is increased, latency is reduced, and possibilities are expanded. Of course, by having the data and resources closer to the end user, in most cases it ends up being a better option to process them locally.

This type of solution will undoubtedly be a high-impact boost for companies that need to increase operational efficiency, but at the same time, end users will be favored by enjoying a better experience.

More and more large companies are joining this trend of taking games to the cloud. Google (Stadia), Microsoft (Xbox Cloud Gaming), Amazon (Luna), are some of the cloud gaming services available today.

Thanks to the power of the cloud, cloud gaming makes it possible to play video games at any time without having to have a powerful computer (PC, console, mobile). In this case, the main demand is a good internet because the transmission of the game is done through streaming.

A good way to take advantage of the cloud to take the experience in this industry of great growth in recent years to another level, which thanks to different innovations has made significant progress. In this way, instead of processing the graphics of the video game in the PC, smartphone or console processor, this process is carried out directly in huge and powerful servers in the cloud, from where the resulting image is simply sent via streaming to the user's device. Username.

Of course, latency times must be minimal to guarantee a good experience when playing video games in the cloud, and this is where Edge Computing plays a very important role, avoiding delays at the time of actions such as pressing buttons, since that all the information travels through the network, so having it as close as possible to the end user can be decisive.

Currently, the benefits of blockchain technology, which is a fundamental part of cryptocurrencies and the different transfer models of digital assets such as NFTs, smart contracts, among others, are widely known.

With the advent of Web3, many companies are looking to integrate blockchain technology into their operations, something that Kubernetes came to facilitate. This open source solution was created to easily achieve the integration of that technology by automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

Originally designed by Google and later donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Kubernetes has become an efficient and productive option when it comes to configuring, installing, and managing either a public or private blockchain environment.

Undoubtedly, the implementation of blockchain through Kubernetes provides a series of benefits, among which are simpler technological deployments, various types of storage, interoperability, surveillance, security, among others.

(About the author: Sergio Ramos Montoya is editor of the Social Geek site)

Read more:

This is how cloud computing advances, a valuable resource for companies - Entrepreneur

There is some debate about potential benefits of hosting cloud computing on a centralized or decentralized network, and whether the blockchain might pose some relevance on such a front. The answer seems to be a definite maybe -- under certain circumstances.

Avivah Litan, vice president and analyst with Gartner, says blockchain enables decentralized cloud computing, which can stir up some hype of new approaches to compute and Web 3.0. In that sense, it is disruptive to the centralized guys, she says. Its not going to disrupt the industry overnight; I dont see it happening that quickly.

Decentralized cloud computing may be an alternative that might even make sense for some non-blockchain applications, Litan says. Still there can be reluctance within organizations to move workloads fast in this direction, she says. However, with certain applications, such a move can be a way to save money.

Dipping into this arena means accepting a nebulous, almost amorphous form of cloud computing. Blockchains decentralized architecture typically means never running in just one environment, Litan says. If you look at a blockchain of 10,000 nodes, you can run your nodes anywhere you want. With Bitcoin or Ethereum miners who are mining, she says, they can set up their nodes on-prem or any on cloud they choose. In that sense, it is not centrally controlled by any one player, Litan says.

In terms of how much of the datasphere and cloud is tied to Web 3.0 activities -- it seems to still be very early days. For example, she says, cryptocurrency trades might not represent a lot of data, but once NFT commerce includes big objects, it can require distributed-style storage. Options for such storage include IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), Litan says, which is a peer-to-peer network data storage in a distributed system, as well as value-added systems such as Arweave, whichmake IPFS more reliable, secure, and persistent.

There are still some functional concerns that might hold developers or organizations back from leveraging distributed systems. The reason why youd want to use decentralized computing is if youre setting up your own node or if youre writing applications that need compute power, Litan says.

Some benefits of turning to a decentralized cloud include it can be a way to cut costs, she says, rather than be at the whims of a centralized party that can increase rates, own the users data, and keep them locked in place. Its very hard to move workloads from one cloud provider to another, Litan says. Its certainly a nice innovation. Yet such innovation has been talked about for years, she says, with uncertain progress being made.

Basically, the value of decentralized cloud in its current form boils down to the circumstances and needs of the users. If youre setting up a mining node and need some cloud power, why would you want to pay AWS? Litan asks. A decentralized cloud might be cheaper to run in such cases, she says, which appeals to miners who want cheap computing in order to make money on the margins.

At the moment, when many developers write applications, they look to the most readily available cloud service, Litan says, and then wind up deploying on the main blockchain where there is no control over where Ethereum or Bitcoin run. Its like saying, Wheres the internet running?

There is some possibility for blockchain and decentralized cloud to gain more momentum down the road, but for now their impact on the entirety of cloud computing remains rather niche. It may become more important as people start writing compute-intensive workloads and they want to keep the cost down, Litan says. Decentralized cloud computing may also be useful for organizations running non-blockchain applications, she says. Then they control their environments, where they deploy, and how much they spend. Theyre in control of the whole stack.

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Are Blockchain and Decentralized Cloud Making Much Headway? - InformationWeek

Cybersecurity must become as flexible as the architecture itself to help companies pivot quickly and respond even faster. Continuous intelligence can help.

Cloud computing offers enterprises the flexibility and proficiency to not only gather vast amounts of data but put it in motion for real-time insights. The downside to moving to the cloud is that new cybersecurity challenges arise. These are some of the most pervasive cloud computing threats for the coming years and what some enterprises are doing now to mitigate the risk.

The cloud offers an attractive place for threat actors to focus their efforts. Enterprises are layered with systems, creating loopholes that allow cybersecurity threats to work their way into systems far from where the original source of weakness was located. Add in the millions, even billions of data assets IT teams manage, and you have a massive potential to overwhelm during monitoring alone.

According to a report from Checkpoint Security, cyberattacks were on the rise last year. This is also worrying because we often see an increase in certain types of attacks as they prove lucrative, but its rarer to see a general increase. Better automation and tools that allow companies to run their businesses have also created better tools for cyberattacks. Companies will have to approach their security strategies with the same thoughtful automation.

Cloud services are also a primary target because of pandemic-related activities. The pandemic caused an acceleration in cloud adoption as companies tried to adjust to lockdown and other changes in how we work.

Now its been two years. Companies and their third-party service providers have had the opportunity to close many of those early security loopholes caused by rapid movement and have largely been successful. However, vulnerability still exists within cloud infrastructure, providing opportunities despite greater security measures.

See also: Why Continuous Intelligence is Essential for Modern Security Operations

Remote work caused an uptick in employees working from their personal devicesconvenient for the enterprise during a pandemic and convenient for threat actors. Although it facilitates productivity from a work-from-home space, it decreases visibility for IT teams stretched to the limits.

Different phishing scams, including smishing or malicious links sent through SMS, can be difficult to track or spot until its too late to alleviate the damage. Personal devices may offer far less security than company devices or those hardwired to a network, so companies must adapt their approaches to employees accessing the company cloud from home.

Mobile devices create insecure access points across the network. Application programming interfaces allow users to access cloud-based products no matter where they are, but they can be ports of entry for malicious actors. Even with authentication, some hackers can exploit these vulnerabilities due to a lack of visibility or phishing.

See also: What Makes Cloud Observability Critical and Different?

Companies will continue to fight for crucial IT talent to implement security measures for increasing cloud attack surfaces. However, they wont be able to solve all their problems through hiring. Instead, theyll need to take other innovative measures and adopt the tools and processes to increase visibility and automate responses.

Automation helps support IT teams by identifying and then prioritizing flags for monitoring. Human teams can step in to verify if potential attacks are occurring and plug holes. In addition, machine automation can help outline complex relationships between devices, entitlements, and the network.

Gartner identified cybersecurity mesh as a key security feature in its list of top strategic tech trends for 2022. Cybersecurity mesh mimics the move towards flexible, composable architecture by allowing companies to reconfigure their cybersecurity protocols to match needs in real-time. It helps companies integrate distributed security services. The mesh would allow IT professionals and administration to verify identities, provide context, and ensure policy adherence across the entire system.

Experts identify cybersecurity mesh as a process that allows companies to integrate cloud services into their zero trust architecture as a whole. End-point detection and response, as well as multi-factor authentication, also fit into the security process here.

Cloud-native platforms and tools also have a place in the overall security strategy. These products and tools make security easier because they make the most of what the cloud offers and then protect those assets the way cloud products need. Most importantly, it helps enterprises maintain visibility where they need it.

Reducing the cloud attack surface is also required. Quick response times will also reduce the amount of damage hackers are able to do. Either way, cloud attacks will become more commonplace, and companies should be ready.

Companies still in the early stages of their cloud migration will be more vulnerable than those with a more mature cloud strategy. Those companies understand their attack surface and cloud landscape, giving them a better opportunity to handle the basics.

And thats what many of these security attacks are. While truly complex threats exist, many of the most pervasive phishing and ransomware are still simple. That means that less mature companies arent doing the foundational work of creating a secure cloud architecture and training their people to be on the lookout for anomalies. IT cant handle everything. Mature companies know this and work with employees to ensure that private devices are handled with proper security protocols and zero trust remains in place.

Organizations cant turn back the clock on remote work or cloud migration, but they can implement basic security protocols that help protect cloud assets. With processes such as cybersecurity mesh, companies can adapt their security infrastructure to help meet the basic requirements that cybersecurity requires today.

Thats the biggest trend moving forwardadaptability. Cybersecurity must become as flexible as the architecture itself to help companies pivot quickly and respond even faster. This is the only way companies will be able to implement an integrated, cohesive, and, most importantly, automated security infrastructure.

The rest is here:

2022 Cloud Computing Cybersecurity Threats and Trends - RTInsights

SaaScada secures 2.5M with revolutionary cloud native core banking platform

SaaScada, the cloud native core banking platform provider, today announced it has raised 2.5M in seed funding from over ten investors including leading figures from the banking and private investment sectors. The SaaScada cloud native platform allows fintechs and challenger banks to launch new features and products in minutes, rather than months, at a much lower cost than traditional modular core banking platforms.

Powering the next generation of challenger banks with the next generation of cloud technology, SaaScada are well-placed in a market that is redefining how financial services operate.

Cloud computing technology is challenging legacy banking systems by allowing digital banks to launch inexpensively, scale quickly, and operate at speed.

SaaScada achieved 85% year-on-year growth in FY22, securing a strong roster of clients and partners that includes two of the UKs top 20 fintechs. Following its success with fintech challengers, SaaScada is building strong momentum with banks, offering lending, deposit taking, and current account products to both retail and SME customers.

The SaaScada platform provides a central hub that is fully interoperable through open APIs. This enables new banking entrants to launch services and new features, and empowers existing banks to deliver innovative agile solutions to their customers.

Re-Leased is the cloud-based property management platform that allows commercial property managers and landlords complete oversight of their businesses operations. Through a simplified central platform real estate firms can manage property portfolios, in an innovative challenge to out-dated legacy systems.

Re-Leased have raised 11.9M in a funding round led by JLL Spark, using the round to cement [their] place as a global leader in this technological shift, said CEO and founder Tom Wallace.

It was a frustration with desktop software, spreadsheets, and email that led Tom Wallace to start Re-Leased. He founded the company in New Zealand in 2012, having researched the revolutionary potential of cloud computing.

The strategic investment will be used to drive Re-Leaseds growth in key international markets, invest in its core software platform, and launch a series of new products and partnerships that will further solidify the companys position as a leader in commercial property software.

Managing a company payroll has long been a tiresome and complicated administrative task that can become a barrier to expansion and growth. Thankfully, Symmetrical have devised an ai-powered solution!

Symmetrical helps companies to hire and pay employees at scale through smart and fast headless payroll technology. The automated solution removes the need for endless spreadsheets and manual input and is designed for use by mid-to-large size workforce companies with high levels of payroll complexity.

Symmetricals technology is embedded into a company platform and runs in the background of daily business operations.

To facilitate their expansion into new European and US markets, Symmetrical.ai has raised 14.7M in finance by top venture capital firms in a round led by Target Global, who have previously invested in Revolut and other European success stories. The proceeds will also be used to grow the team and to further bolster its single layer global API technology.

Symmetrical was founded in 2019 in Warsaw, Poland and has multiplied revenues by 23x in the last 9 months, processing tens of thousands of pay checks and serving 47 customers across the UK, Spain, Poland.

Piotr Smolen, CEO and co-founder of symmetrical.ai. said: Our bold ambition is to make payroll invisible. We believe that 10 years from now, payroll software will be eliminated from the dictionaries. Invisible payroll will be a crucial element across broader platforms and thanks to our vision, we will be at the forefront of this new trend.

RideTandem, the company that turns local transport providers into smart shuttles for work, education and more, has just raised 1.75M in a seed round led by 1818 Venture Capital.

The capital injection will aid the company that provides commuter services for employers whose staff would otherwise be unable to work because of the cost or inconvenience of transport.

Mobilising the ubiquity of ride-hailing apps, workers can book commuter-rides using an Uber-style mobile app and the employer then subsidies the cost of the ride.

Commuting distance can be a barrier to talent acquisition, with a quarter of UK working-age people living in areas with poor public transport connectivity. Since launching in Q4 2019, RideTandem has generated more than 10M in new earnings for its passengers, as well as achieving two consecutive years of 10x year-on-year growth.

Quin AI is an AI-as-a-service startup on a mission to provide easy, accessible, and privacy safe machine learning to predict online user behaviour in real time.

Founded by sisters Gonca Gulser and Gulsah Gulser, the company has just raised 582K in a funding round led by SFC Capital, with participation from NCA, Logo VC, and StartersHub. The money will be invested into the companys UK and German expansion alongside further innovation in AI for creating intelligent applications.

Quin AI aims to understand an online user in real time, predicting their behaviour in under 70ms through native pop-up or API integrations. Easy to integrate into a companys platform, Quin AI has been found to increase a companys revenue by 30% in 15 days.

Gulsah, CEO of Quin AI said: We are very excited to close this round with an amazing team and group of investors in making easy, accessible, and privacy-safe ML applications to predict user behavior. We already started our journey with the e-commerce industry where there are massive amounts of untapped user data and increasing privacy concerns.

Ruth Health secures $2.4M seed round led by Giant Ventures to reimagine comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care for American women

Ruth Health are ruthless in their pursuit of a better way to conduct womens healthcare; one that addresses and enhances womens lives.

Ruth Health are comprehensive care platform built for women by women, using an evidence-based method to provide a suite of remote patient services, including pelvic floor training, lactation counselling, C-section recovery resources, and intimacy and sexual support.

They have recently closed a $2.4M seed funding round led by Giant Ventures, and supported by a wide number of VCs and angel investors. This collective investment a rarity for ventures in the female healthcare sector is a testament to the demand for accessible, inclusive, and comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care for American women, bringing Ruth Healths total funding to $3.1M (2.49M).

Pregnancy care outside of the hospital or clinic setting is critical to the wellbeing of womankind, but its currently fractured, variable in quality, and filled with hurtful, alienating, and misinformed stigmas, said Alison Greenberg, Ruth Healths Co-Founder & CEO. Our mission is to make womens healthcare an accessible, superior quality, and even joyful experience for everyone.

See original here:

Cloud computing and machine learning rule the roost in this weeks MaddyMoney! - Maddyness

Whats in a name? This security article highlights how some cloud definitions, such as edge computing, could in fact place some data, or even entire applications, on your systems, so that unbeknownst to you, they become your liability.

The term edge computing is fuzzy enough; does it mean the edge is inside my firewall or outside? Am I updating the software or is it auto-updated? Is the app running on my hardware or on the service providers hardware? On my premises or on theirs? These issues will become even more complex as advances in 5G deployment enable old architectures to be re-crafted on new platform technology that then employ new names to well-worn existing architectural definitions, such as headless architecture, to sound new and innovative:

Edge Processing vs. Cloud Computing

Say you wanted some of your AI security computation done on-premises. This could be for various reasons, but the most compelling might be latency: you might want a door to open when an employee walks up to it via facial recognition. If you have to push the video to the cloud, process it there, return a result, reach back out to the door controller and open the door, there might be a few seconds of delay during which your busy employee might smash their nose into the door.

How to fix this? Well, you could process the video onsite. Run the video through a computer onsite, frame by frame, and when the AI identifies the employee, send a command to the door controller. This could save a few seconds of upload/processing/download time. Welcome to edge processing.

We are assuming that the solution provider is providing this local computer: they manage this computer remotely, and they are still responsible for making sure everything works. It sounds like the cloud, except the processing is performed at the customers site at the edge. Its cloud-based on our definition above, except something is running on-premises. This edge processing is still legitimately part of a cloud-based offering because your provider handles all the hardware and support.

All that Glitters is not Cloud

Now lets turn our attention to the term Fake Cloud. Fake cloud is when a surveillance security provider slaps a DNS/DDNS entry on a computer that your company owns and operates in order to achieve the same goal. You might be logging into something like:

http://www.legacyprovider.com/yourcompany

http://www.yourcompany.com/legacyprovider

https://yourcompany.legacyprovider.com

But you might still be logging into a computer at your offices. So what just happened? Suddenly your company owns that computer and is responsible for its care and feeding, and its your problem if the data is lost, patches arent done, or the computer is hacked.

The article also includes a graphic that clarifies cloud versus edge versus fake cloud across several attributes.

Overview byTim Sloane,VP, Payments Innovation at Mercator Advisory Group

See the article here:

Fuzzy Cloud, Edge, & Headless Architectures That Impact Business - PaymentsJournal

Virtual reality (VR) is one of the most talked-about technologies over the last few years, and many believe it will revolutionize how we interact with digital content. However, some significant challenges need to be overcome before VR can become mainstream.

One of the biggest challenges is latency, or the delay between signals that are sent and received across distances, which can cause motion sickness in some users of VR technologies. In response, engineers are tapping mobile edge computing to provide a solution to this problem.

Mobile edge computing (MEC) can also be referred to as Multi-Access Edge Computing. It distributes computational resources across networks and expands cloud computings capabilities by bringing them to the networks edge.

Multi-access edge computing is a cloud computing evolution that employs cloud technologies, mobility, and edge computing to move application hosts from a centralized data center to the networks edge, resulting in process that are closer to end users and computing services that are closer to data generated by applications.

Todays service providers are ideally positioned to supply intelligent traffic routing from the mobile network to the best location of the enterprise application and have people on the ground and professional knowledge of network efficiency, network topology, device management, and more.

Network service providers and others can manage or host the edge infrastructure, and the transition to cloud-native network operations and distributed cloud computing allows service providers to expand beyond traditional connectivity-based models.

Edge computing places computational functionality closer to the data user to improve scalability, lower network stress, and speed up data transmission rates. Rather than being centralized in data centers, edge computing spreads computation resources throughout networks.

Similarly, MEC reduces congestion on host networks, lowers latency, and opens up new 5G business options for carriers and businesses by physically shifting those resources closer to the user.

MEC enables operators to deliver 5G apps with low latency and high bandwidth, and employs a system based on Virtual Network Functions managed by a Virtualization Infrastructure Manager (VIM).

The host, platform manager, and orchestrator are the three primary components of the MEC architecture:

VR is a computer-generated recreation of a real or imagined world, employed in entertainment, games, training, education, and science, allowing users to interact with and explore virtual environments alongside their physical ones. All of these factors make VR a resource and bandwidth-intensive application.

A mobile device can use the computational and storage resources of powerful remote, centralized clouds in LTE networks, available via a mobile operators Enhanced Packet Core (EPC) network and the Internet.

For wireless virtual VR experiences to be immersive, image rendering efficiency is critical, but due to their limited computing power and battery life, image rendering in cordless VR headsets is inefficient. Mobile edge computing offers higher computing capabilities near wireless VR players for real-time and resource-intensive tasks.

MEC could provide immersive experiences with better user experience for wireless VR players:

Under the new MEC paradigm, network resources and computations are located very close to end-users, which shares space with a private LTE site. The VR server application is located close to the MEC, and VR application programs receive LTE packets routed to it.

The MECs co-location with the LTE site provides a distinct advantage over cloud servers located in other distant areas, such as streaming live content up to 8K resolution over 4G/LTE networks while saving more than 80 percent of the bandwidth.

Ultimately, VR hinges on low-latency internet connections of 20 milliseconds or less to realize its full capacity and mitigate motion sickness issues, which is not always the case on todays networks. Mobile edge computings power and speed are critical in achieving this to ensure safer and more profitable adoption of VR.

The rest is here:

Mobile Edge Computing and Its Impact On VR - XR Today

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The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic propelled cloud adoption at an unprecedented rate. The benefits of cloud computing combined with the promises Web3 holds for such things as blockchain-backed decentralization, scalability and increased ownership for everyday users became clearer when the world shut down in March 2020.

Now, Web3s lesser-known but important counterpart, Cloud3, is also beginning to gain traction. Executives like Salesforce CEO Marc Bennioff are already mapping how their companies will adopt the new iteration of cloud computing the core of which is built around working from anywhere further supporting the workforce shift.

Were in a new world. This is a huge opportunity to create and extend and complement our platform. We realized for each and every one of our clouds, it was time to transform to become a work-from-anywhere environment. We ultimately are focused on delivering the operating system for Cloud3, Bennioff said in a company press release earlier this year.

Cloud3 and Web3 may sound like the latest tech buzzwords, but according to industry experts, the two are on the rise, and enterprise executives and community leaders need to pay attention or risk getting left behind.

Before there was a third iteration of anything, there had to, of course, be a first and second to lay the foundation.

The original iteration of the World Wide Web created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990. It focused on HTML, specification of URLs and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) commands. While Web 2.0 is complex, it can be simplistically defined as what we know the internet to be today, including access to the web via Wi-Fi, smartphones and the rise of social media usage.

Web3s features ensure more democratization over the web. With blockchain-backed decentralization and scalability, there will be less oversight, which may, of course, lead to bad actors, but could also pave the way for underrepresented people, communities and companies to gain more control.

It always seems that POC [people of color] create the culture of communities or companies, but end up benefiting last from it. And with this kind of new paradigm of power Web3 can provide, were able to finally take ownership of our communities, said Cheryl Campos, head of venture growth and partnerships at Republic.

We can use Web3 to more easily and equally share the wealth with others and make sure we are sharing the profits with others. What is so exciting is that Web3 allows for that through non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs)and even with new DeFi (decentralized finance) products coming out that focus on supporting communities or loaning to others. That is not just the wealth gap, but also the ownership gap, that Web3 helps bring back to the hands of communities and the people within in them in a meaningful way, Campos added.

Founder and partner of the Open Web Collective, Mildred Mimi Idada, agrees: The Web3 ethos can bring in more diversity, not just in terms of race, nationality or gender, but also diversity in backgrounds, skills and perspectives.

Diverse skill sets and perspectives are also necessary for innovation in the Web3 space. We need not only technical talent, such as developers, but also creatives, lawyers, bankers and community builders, Idada said.

That said, innovation and benefits Web3 can provide to communities, businesses and investors alike wont happen overnight.

According to Greg Isenberg, cofounder and CEO of Late Checkout, a company that designs, creates and acquires Web3 and community-based technology businesses, Web3 still has a ways to go until the full breadth of its benefits is visible, but its important for executives and community leaders to pay attention now.

Web3 doesnt, and cant, work unless the UX [user experience] is very simple so much so that your grandmother could buy a digital asset like an NFT to have ownership in Web3. But to do that, we need a lot of infrastructure in place, Isenberg said.

Isenberg said he has seen several companies make great strides in UX with a proactive eye toward the rise of Web3 like Rainbow, the Ethereum wallet that allows you to manage many digital assets in one place. Isenberg said he expects other companies across industries to soon follow suit. He also echoes Campos and Idadas excitement and predictions regarding Web3, citing the impressive outpouring of cryptocurrency donations made to Ukraine totaling around $55 million in just days. Its the Web3 infrastructure that these platforms and currencies like crypto are beginning to build that creates the scalability of donations like this.

What gets me excited about Web3 in general is the coordination it brings to capital to address important things. That [was possible] because of the web infrastructure that was built on top of it, Isenberg said. I expect social causes to be a huge part of popular Web3 projects going forward. Now Im thinking, What else can this help change? Its interesting because theres a perception that Web3 is bad for the environment, for example, but I actually think that a large part of solving the worlds problems will stem from coordinating people and capital and Web3 has already proven to be really good at that.

Part of the needed infrastructure to support Web3s promise to coordinate and help solve community and world problems efficiently and at scale will require Cloud3s advanced capabilities which assure secure access to collaborative tools from anywhere.

The evolution of cloud technology began with large IT operations that were disrupted by the software-as-a-service boom. Next came infrastructure-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service technologies, further relieving pressures placed on IT teams and developers alike. Now, the demand for everything the prior cloud iterations provide is just as fierce as the demand from companies and the public alike to access these tools from wherever, whenever while simultaneously having strong IT security as a backbone from wherever, whenever.

Cloud3 will empower businesses to leverage cloud-based experience platforms as a toolkit to seamlessly compose personalized communication experiences, said Steve Forcum Cloud3 expert and director and chief evangelist for marketing at Avaya.

A report from the health information technology and clinical research company, Iqvia, underscores that emerging Cloud3 technologies will disrupt application development in organizations across all industries. Companies in the life sciences and financial industries, in particular, are well-positioned to leverage Cloud3 to differentiate themselves by applying artificial intelligence to big data.

Cloud3s emergence will also transform how businesses are run and how tools and information are supported and accessed to match the pace and style of life that the world has shifted to post-pandemic.

Rather than businesses focusing on moving to the cloud, [with Cloud3] theyll be forced to think of ways to transform within the cloud. With this comes innovation and new, cloud-based technologies. Disruptive technology should not require disruption to your business, Forcum said. A converged platform approach with composability at its core is malleable in nature, adjusting to the organizations business processes, versus forcing processes to compromise around the limitations of a cloud platform or app.

Though intriguing promises and benefits stem from both the emergence of Web3 and Cloud3, there are concerns where they overlap.

A drawback we do see with [the overlap of the] decentralized web [Web3] and Cloud3, is more the industry recognizing that while there are similarities, these are also two very different spaces with very different mechanisms and tools to achieve their goals, said Idada. Nonetheless, hardware, computation power and cloud computing will be key pieces to the next phase of the web. Improved and enhanced capabilities will change how everyday apps operate and what is possible to meet our changing faster pace and on the go lifestyles.

As for what the future holds as innovation increases and cloud adoption accelerates, pay attention or risk getting left behind is the consensus from experts.

Isenberg predicts that moving closer to the fully fleshed out iterations of both Web3 and Cloud3 that we may see more legacy companies begin to adopt them and make moves in the space, but that along with it, particularly for Web3, we may also see many of those companies fail.

Well likely see legacy companies embrace Web3 and its probably not going to go very well for many of them, he said. I think youre going to see a small percentage, maybe 1% to 5%, embrace it really, really well and become category leaders among crypto data brands while others struggle to find their place.

The future of work is remote. So, you have to make sure that there is infrastructure that will allow for this, or otherwise, you will not retain or get the best talent right for your operations. And more than ever, it has been clear that companies that embrace this Web3 space are more likely to attract younger talent and folks that are bullish on the space, Campos added.

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How Web3 and Cloud3 will power collaborative problem-solving and a stronger workforce - VentureBeat

Red Hat and Accenture have announced an expansion of their strategic partnership which will see the pair look to drive open hybrid cloud innovation for enterprises.

Building on their 12-year alliance, the companies are jointly investing in the co-development of new solutions that they say will help organizations better navigate a multi- and hybrid cloud world, define their strategy, and accelerate innovation.

Modernise your IA for AI and hybrid cloud

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The new solutions will be developed over the next year and will initially focus on four key areas: open hybrid cloud application and mainframe modernization, automation, edge computing, and sovereign cloud.

In an announcement, Stefanie Chiras, senior vice president of Partner Ecosystem Success at Red Hat, said that operating in the hybrid cloud enables customers to optimize their existing systems with the added layers and capabilities necessary to support innovation and efficiency at scale.

At Red Hat, we believe that success not only lies in the technical components we bring to the cloud but also with the impactful partnerships that drive successful implementations and business outcomes, she said.

Our long-standing collaboration with Accenture means that customers have access to the open-source solutions they need and expertise they can trust to navigate the complexities of open hybrid cloud and grow their business where it needs to be - in the cloud.

As part of its four key focuses, the partnership is aiming to help clients develop a holistic hybrid cloud strategy to enable greater operational efficiency and drive innovation based on Red Hat OpenShift.

The range of offerings will also include solutions that automate and orchestrate workloads across the IT infrastructure to reduce risk and lower costs of technology operations. This includes the development of Accenture solutions on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform to deliver stable, automated cloud computing capabilities.

In terms of edge computing, there will be solutions focused on analyzing and processing data where it is generated to help improve the customer experience and reduce latency. With Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, applications can be deployed and automated at the edge - reducing dependency on a physical footprint.

Additionally, Red Hat and Accenture said they are also developing offerings that will help clients control the location, access to and processing of their data in the cloud through open-source technologies and services.

Organizations are increasingly turning to hybrid cloud to help overcome complex challenges around core business functions like customer service and supply chain, and to drive growth and innovation, commented Raj Wickramasinghe, Accentures Hybrid and Emerging Platform lead.

Through our expanded alliance with Red Hat, we can further help clients embrace the cloud continuum to enable greater operational efficiency and drive innovation.

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Global Crowdsourced Testing Market

Global Crowdsourced Testing Market

Dublin, May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Crowdsourced Testing Market by Testing Type (Performance Testing, Functionality Testing, Usability Testing, Localization Testing, and Security Testing), Platform, Organization Size, Deployment Mode, Vertical and Region - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global Crowdsourced testing market size to grow from USD 1.6 billion in 2022 to USD 2.5 billion by 2027, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.4%

The increase in the number of devices, operating systems, and applications is one of the key drivers for crowdsourced testing, With the numerous combinations of mobile devices and operating systems being used, companies are finding possible reasonable approaches to strategize the testing of their applications on all these possible combinations to provide the best User Experience (UX). Thus, investing in innovative end-user testing solutions, such as crowdsourced testing, to curtail the need for a feature-rich and customer-centric product offering.

In a short time, the COVID-19 outbreak has affected markets and customer behaviors and substantially impacted economies and societies. Healthcare, telecommunication, media and entertainment, utilities, and government verticals function day and night to stabilize conditions and facilitate prerequisite services to every individual. The telecom sector, in particular, is playing a vital role across the globe to support the digital infrastructure of countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Fujitsu's Global Digital Transformation Survey, offline organizations were damaged more, while online organizations witnessed growth in online demand and an increase in revenue. 69% of the business leaders from online organizations have indicated that they witnessed an increase in their business revenue in 2020. In contrast, 53% of offline organizations saw a drop in revenues.

The Localization testing segment to have a higher CAGR during the forecast period

Organizations are developing software that can be released for users present across the globe. Hence, they implement localization testing that tests the software for compliance with the requirements of the target market. Through localization testing, organizations can evaluate the product based on the language and cultural standards and whether it is tailored as per the existing accuracies or not.

With localization testing, organizations can ensure that their apps are as per the required standards and easy to use for their target audience, irrespective of their geographic presence. Crowdsourced testing provides a hassle-free and cost-effective way to test the app or website on the multiple target demographics, globally.

Retail in vertical segment to account for larger market size during the forecast period

Retailers are now doing business via omnichannel retailing, i.e., through their online, mobile, and point-of-sale technologies. Hence, to remain relevant in the fast-evolving vertical, the quality of these channels is crucial. The success of omnichannel retailing is assessed by security, performance, and delivery offered by them.

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However, retailers investigate their retail systems through the consumer's perspective for enhancing their experience across all the channels available for achieving omnichannel success. Hence, crowdsourced testing is implemented by retailers across the globe to optimize the offerings and stay ahead in the highly competitive market.

Among regions, APAC to hold higher CAGR during the forecast period

The growth of the crowdsourced testing market in APAC is highly driven by the rapid digitalization of enterprises across the region. Enterprises across APAC are working effortlessly on taking up digital transformation, majorly for streamlining their operations and improving the customer experience.

Indicating that spending on software is also expected to grow to keep with up with rising customer demands in terms of online accessibility of services from enterprises. Hence, this rapid investment in technologies and providing online services to the customer is expected to drive the growth of the crowdsourced testing market in APAC.

With the rising digital transformation and offerings, consumer expectations have also changed in terms of timeline, emphasizing on speed and performance of the software used by them. Enterprises in APAC are going for innovative solutions to testing, such as crowdsourcing, for ensuring better UX for customers.

Premium Insights

Increasing Number of Devices, Operating Systems, and Applications for Scaling Quality Assurance to Drive Market Growth

Retail Vertical to Account for the Largest Market Share During the Forecast Period

Large Enterprises to Lead Market Growth in 2022

Crowdsourced Testing Cloud Deployment Mode to Lead Market Growth in 2022

Functionality Testing to Account for the Largest Market Share During the Forecast Period

Web Crowdsourced Testing to Lead Market Growth During 2022-2027

Asia-Pacific to Show Fastest Growth Rate During the Forecast Period

Canada to Account for High Growth During the Forecast Period

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Increase in the Number of Devices, Operating Systems, and Applications

Need for Scaling Quality Assurance of Software for Enhancing Customer Experience

Requirement for Adopting Cost-Effective Software Development Process

Need to Fill the In-House Skill Gap with Crowdsourced Testers During COVID-19

Restraints

Opportunities

Challenges

Industry Trends

Case Study Analysis

Case Study 1: with the Help of Rainforest Qa Cireson to Cut Qa Testing Time from Weeks to Hours

Case Study 2: High-Growth Fintech App Ramps Up a Global Testing Operation in Two Weeks with Testlio

Case Study 3: Soundcloud Paves Road to Revenue with Mobile Testing with the Help of Test Io

Case Study 4: Specsavers Saw Testing Timescales Shrink and Qa Improve with Digivante

Case Study 5: Simplot Embraced Crowd Testing for Its Latest Venture Using Crowdsprint Crowd Testing Platform

Regulatory Bodies, Government Agencies, and Other Organizations

General Data Protection Regulation

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Cloud Standard Customer Council

System and Organization Controls 2 Type Ii Compliance

Iso/Iec 27001

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Federal Information Security Management Act

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act

Crowdsourced Testing Market: Patent Analysis

Document Types of Patents

Patents Filed, 2019-2022

Innovation and Patent Applications

Total Number of Patents Granted in a Year, 2019-2021

Top Applicants

Top Ten Companies with the Highest Number of Patent Applications, 2019-2021

Company Profiles

Major Players

Startups/SMEs

Global App Testing

Applause

Synack

Testbirds

Rainforest

Digivante

Testlio

Crowdsprint

Mycrowd Qa

Ubertesters

Qa Mentor

Crowd4Test

Testunity

Usabitest

Stardust

Impactqa

Cobalt

Bugcrowd

Qualitrix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qha6z0

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Global $2.5 Billion Crowdsourced Testing Markets to 2027: Adoption of Cloud Computing to Enhance Device Virtualization and Tester Support - Yahoo...

HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sangfor Technologies is an APAC-based, global leading vendor of IT infrastructure and security solutions specializing in Cyber Security and Cloud Computing. Sangfor works closely with its customers to develop new products and improve their already stellar offerings to help users across the world make their digital transformation simpler and secure.

The Cloud Strategy Cookbook 2021 by Gartner provides infrastructure and operations managers with a virtual template for devising a sound cloud strategy document, which answers the what and why of cloud implementation and adoption.

Gartner research resulted in several interesting findings:

The Cloud Strategy Cookbook provides infrastructure and operation (I&O) leaders with recommendations and guidelines on creating a living cloud strategy document that effectively aligns cloud migration and implementation plans with core business strategy. The cookbook approach divides the cloud strategy document into five major components: Executive Summary, Baselines, Brainstorming, Principles and Inventory, and Aligning with Other Strategies and Supporting Elements.

In response to The Cloud Strategy Cookbook, Sangfor released a detailed newsletter that answers the how of cloud implementation and offers the following practical preparations for a successful cloud journey:

For more detailed information and to read the Sangfor newsletter featuring the Gartner report in its entirety, click HERE.

Source: Gartner Research NoteThe Cloud Strategy Cookbook G00741474, Published 17 February 2021, By Analyst: David SmithGARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Sangfor Managed Cloud Services

Sangfor Managed Cloud Services gives customers the convenience and flexibility of a public cloud, with the security, control, and professional service of a private cloud, making it the best cloud service approach for most SME customers. It provides globally distributed data centers, offering Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) as well as dedicated resource/data security and full-stack security protection in a new security responsibilities model. Think of it as a local public cloud, with the security and ease-of-service of a private cloud. Leverage Sangfor Managed Cloud Services and allow your organization to focus on digital transformation and create more business value!

For more information on Sangfor Managed Cloud Services, please visit us online at http://www.sangfor.com.

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Sangfor Newsletter Featuring the Gartner Research: The Cloud Strategy Cookbook, 2021 - Business Wire

Cloud Application Programming Interface (API) Marketreport contains detailed information on factors influencing demand, growth, opportunities, challenges, and restraints. It provides detailed information about the structure and prospects for global and regional industries. In addition, the report includes data on research & development, new product launches, product responses from the global and local markets by leading players. The structured analysis offers a graphical representation and a diagrammatic breakdown of theCloud Application Programming Interface (API) Marketby region.

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Cloud Application Programming Interface (API) is a software interface that allows developers to link cloud computing service together. Application programming interfaces (APIs) allow one computer program to make its data and functionality available for other programs to use. So, basically APIs can connect software component across a network. The increasing demand of cloud computing and new advancements will help the business man to grab business opportunity. For instance: according to NCBI, Microsoft Azure enables customers to build the foundation for a private cloud infrastructure using Windows Server and System Center family of products with the Dynamic Data Center Toolkit.

Furthermore, the adoption of cloud computing and rise in the demand for micro services by organizations are also anticipated to flourish the growth of the cloud application programming interface (API). Also, with the increasing digitalization, the adoption & demand for Cloud Application Programming Interface (API) is likely to increase the market growth during the forecast period. However, rising security concerns associated with the cloud API security will be major limitation for the cloud application programming interface market.

The key regions considered for the global Cloud Application Programming Interface (API) market study includes Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is dominating the market of cloud API as the region is well developed and there are high number of early adopters of cloud technology. Whereas, Asia-Pacific is register exhibit highest CAGR over the forecast period 2021-2027. It is expected to witness significant growth owing to increase in number of cloud Enterprise Size providers in the region and rising digitalization in Asia-Pacific region would create the highest growth in the forecasted period 2021-2027.

Major market player included in this report are:Amazon Web Enterprise Sizes Inc.CA Inc.Dell Inc.Google Inc.IBM CorporationMicrosoft CorporationOracle CorporationSalesforce.com Inc.SAP SETIBCO Software Inc.

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The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players.

The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:By Organization Size:Large-Scale EnterprisesMedium-scale EnterprisesSmall-scale EnterprisesBy End User:RetailHealthcareTelecomBFSI Media and EntertainmentHospitalityEducationOthersBy Region:North AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeUKGermanyFranceSpainItalyROE

Asia PacificChinaIndiaJapanAustraliaSouth KoreaRoAPACLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of the World

Furthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year 2018, 2019Base year 2020Forecast period 2021 to 2027

Target Audience of the Global Cloud Application Programming Interface (API) Market in Market Study:

Key Consulting Companies & AdvisorsLarge, medium-sized, and small enterprisesVenture capitalistsValue-Added Resellers (VARs)Third-party knowledge providersInvestment bankersInvestors

What is the aim of the report?

The report analyses growth rate, market

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About Report Ocean:We are the best market research reports provider in the industry. Report Ocean believes in providing quality reports to clients to meet the top line and bottom line goals which will boost your market share in todays competitive environment. Report Ocean is a one-stop solution for individuals, organizations, and industries that are looking for innovative market research reports.

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Cloud Application Programming Interface (API) Market 2022 Size, Share, Trend Insights on Share, Application and Forecast Assumptions Queen Anne and...

TrueCarbon provides cloud service provider-agnostic tools to measure, monitor, and reduce carbon emissions from cloud operations. These capabilities empower businesses to weigh sustainability considerations as they would other business costs and decisions with a heightened level of transparency. Key features include:

S&P 500 companies are increasingly focusing on sustainability efforts; in 2011, only 20% were publishing a sustainability report, and in 2020, 92% were. Prior to the launch of TrueCarbon, there was no independent product for organizations that reliably measured and analyzed the end-to-end carbon emissions of their cloud operations across multiple cloud service providers and enabled organizations to take immediate action directly within the platform.

"We're proud to bring this revolutionary solution to the market during such a critical moment for climate change," said Chris Noble, CEO, Cirrus Nexus. "The time is now to take bold actions to avoid increasing global temperatures, and companies need tools that not only reduce cloud costs, but also operate their systems with the smallest possible carbon footprint. That is exactly what we hope to help businesses achieve with TrueCarbon."

Beyond the business implications, the lack of clarity and visibility into carbon emissions produced by cloud operations has a direct impact on global warming. To drive real change, real insight is needed. According to theClimate Clock, we have 7 years to take bold actions to avoid increasing global temperature 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, a point of no return that science tells us is likely to make the worst climate impacts inevitable. Getting an independent view of emissions and being able to act on that information rapidly is essential to making meaningful change.

To learn more about Cirrus Nexus TrueCarbon, visit: https://www.cirrus-nexus.com/truecarbon.

About Cirrus NexusCirrus Nexus empowers businesses through its A.I.-driven cloud management platforms that offers direct control of monitoring and optimizing cloud spend across multiple different cloud service providers. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in New York, Cirrus Nexus works with mid-size to large enterprises looking to optimize their cloud computing costs. For more information, visit: https://www.cirrus-nexus.com/.

SOURCE Cirrus Nexus

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Cirrus Nexus Introduces Industry-First Carbon Reduction Tool for Cloud Operations - PR Newswire

This exclusive Q&A interview was conducted by Nages Sieslack of the ISC 2022 conference organization, with Eric Eppe, head of portfolio and solutions, HPC & Quantum at France-based HPC systems vendor Atos.

Nages Sieslack: How are the needs of the European HPC market changing with regard to traditional supercomputing and things like deep learning/AI and data-centric computing?

Eric Eppe: Supercomputers are the soft power for all nationals. They are essential for numerical simulations, accelerating technological, industrial, and scientific innovations. We see a transition from traditional compute-centric simulation toward data-centric, resulting in a more heterogeneous workload. We believe the future of HPC is hybrid. This means combining traditional simulation workflows using CPU & GPU (even TPU, FPGA, IPU, why not QPU) with advanced techniques to accelerate part of these workflows thanks to machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), or even quantum computing (QC). The virtue of deep learning/AI is not only limited to the GPU accelerator on the hardware side but also serves as the foundation of smart software within HPC cluster management and workload optimization. In this regard, deep learning/AI-empowered software optimizes workloads while increasing the systems global efficiency.

Sieslack: How are those changes affecting the types of systems and services you are offering?

Eppe: Atos leads the hybrid computing trend with its existing HPC portfolio and the newly revealed BullSequana XH3000. It is the next-generation hybrid computing platform, the foundation for any scale simulation up to the exascale. It has unparalleled flexibility, industry-leading density, and embedded security. For Atos, Exascale doesnt mean Exaflopic performance only. We believe that Increasing global system and application efficiency is the only way to decrease system cost and stay within a reasonable power consumption at that scale. Thus, we have incorporated ML/AI mechanisms in our HPC Software suites to optimize simulation and keep control of energy consumption for unprecedented efficiency. We have also witnessed the need for high-performance AI simulations and launched the ThinkAI solution last year. With ThinkAI, we eliminate all the roadblocks in designing, developing, and installing high-performance AI systems, putting AI simulations at the fingertips of all businesses and academics. Furthermore, we leverage our HPC-as-a-Service portfolio, enabling any customer to run their simulations anywhere they want.

Sieslack: Geographically, where do see your biggest opportunities for growth in the HPC market, both within Europe and globally?

Eppe: Compared with China, the U.S., and Japan, which are relatively closed HPC economies (they build their own HPCs for their use), Europe is the most dynamic and open HPC market. Europe has significantly invested in the EuroHPC JU, Atos empowers 5 of the 7 EuroHPC centers. Europe continues to invest in supercomputing, including HPC and Quantum computing, e.g.the upcoming Exascale tenders, as an extension of the EuroHPC JU. Atos designs, develops, and builds our HPCs in Angers, France, and is number 1 in HPC in Europe. We also have our HPC, AI & QC R&D centers in France. We actively participate in European initiatives to develop the European microprocessor with EPI and the GAIA-X initiative. Atos is the undisputed leader in the European HPC market, instrumental to its technological and economic sovereignty.

Sieslack: What trends are you seeing for your HPC on-demand service via your Nimbix cloud offering with regards to use cases and the types of customers?

Eric Eppe of Atos

Eppe: As industry analysts have predicted, cloud computing will continue to grow at double-digit rates through 2025*. Our on-demand service through Nimbix is seeing this growth, with customers across the globe consuming computer power at record numbers. We have witnessed on-demand usage increase specifically within automotive manufacturing, Lifesciences, and academic research organizations. We are pleased to offer these industries the most comprehensive hybrid HPC cloud portfolio and are excited to be advancing this space with new offerings and technology. In fact, in the second half of the year, we will deploy the first public cloud offering in partnership with a top hyperscaler to provide Genomic analytics of sequencing data, from specialized cluster resources delivered by Atos Nimbix.

Sieslack: What is Atos doing now on the quantum computing front? Which companies and partners are currently using your Quantum Learning Machine simulator?

Eppe: Quantum Computing will re-invent how we simulate, co-existing with HPC. In Dec 2021, Atos confirmed its role as a global leader in quantum hybridization technologies at its 8th Quantum Advisory Board. For Atos, we work mainly on five strategic directions to accelerate quantum computing:

On top of these five strategic paths, we have launched Qscore, a universal metric to benchmark quantum applications performance. Together with clients worldwide, such as Argonne Labs, BMW, CESGA, SENAI CIMATEC, and Total, we are accelerating the arrival of the quantum era.

*Source: Intersect360 Research forecasts cloud computing will continue to grow at double-digit rates through 2025.

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Atos Talks European HPC Openness and a Hybrid Future of AI, Machine Learning and Quantum Supercomputing - insideHPC

Its slipping again, but after Microsoft(NASDAQ:MSFT) reported its third-quarter earnings on April 26, MSFT stock put together a decent rally. A relatively rare rally for a big tech stock in 2022. However, despite the pop which saw MSFT gain 7.3% in the days after its Q3 earnings beat shares are still down over 20% in 2022. Theyre off November 2021s high close of $343.11 by 29%.

Microsoft shares were stuck in the doldrums for the first decade and a half of the century. Windows and Office kept plugging along, but the company wasnt really breaking any new ground. It was finding its footing again after a close call with a government antitrust case that nearly saw the company broken up. In addition, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates stepped down as CEO in 2000, leaving Steve Ballmer to run the company.

Current CEO Satya Nadella took over in 2014, with a focus on the cloud. Since then, MSFT stock has been a steamroller. Even after 2022s slump, it is up over 600% since Nadellas appointment. With shares feeling the impact of 2022s market, now would be a great time to buy MSFT stock in anticipation of the growth momentum continuing in the long term. Thats especially true with the way the companys cloud bets are paying off.

Shortly after Microsoft reported its Q3 earnings in April, I wrote about the importance of its legacy businesses, including Windows and Office. They tend to get overlooked these days, but still continue to reliably generate big revenue for the company. However, this time I want to focus on the cloud.

Microsofts cloud services including Azure was one of the quarters highlights. And its an area where CEO Satya Nadella has pushed the company to greatly expand its presence.

Heres what the companys CFO had to say about the third quarter: Continued customer commitment to our cloud platform and strong sales execution drove better than expected commercial bookings growth of 28% and Microsoft Cloud revenue of $23.4 billion, up 32% year over year.

That cloud revenue is creeping close to half of the companys total revenue. Overall revenue for MSFT was up 18% year-over-year, so cloud services are seeing their revenue grow at a faster pace than other divisions.

Right now, Microsofts Azure is in second place globally among cloud computing providers, with a 21% market share. Microsoft is slowly but surely growing its share in a market that is experiencing rapid growth. Everything from online shopping to remote work to the metaverse is continuing to boost the demand for cloud computing. This is a market thats on track to hit a value of $947.3 billion by 2026, with a CAGR of 16.3%.

In other words, look to the cloud to power MSFT stock growth in coming years.

Its not just Microsofts cloud services that are exciting for investors. Its the way the company is able to leverage Azure and its cloud computing infrastructure to wring more revenue from its other businesses including legacy products.

For example, you can still buy a copy of Microsoft Office. But by pushing Office to the cloud and a subscription model, Microsoft is ensuring this cash cow continues to deliver. You can now access Office documents from virtually any connected device, keeping it relevant. In 2017, Office 365 online brought in more revenue than the traditional, boxed Office products for the first time.

Any company benefits from ongoing subscription revenue thats not tied to buying cycles or strict hardware requirements. By leveraging the cloud, Microsoft is ensuring Office a product first released in 1990 continues to be a big revenue generator.

Another great example is the companys Xbox gaming division. One of the key buying propositions for an Xbox game console is Microsofts strong online gaming capabilities through subscription services like Xbox Live. That has expanded to Xbox Cloud Gaming that leverages Azure to Bring Xbox Series X-quality gaming to mobile devices. Naturally, this also adds to the companys growing subscription revenue stream.

Its having a tough 2022, but MSFT stock earns a B in Portfolio Grader. Microsoft is a company with a proven history of innovation. MSFT stock has been an impressive performer since 2014. It has been riding the cloud for momentum not seen since the companys early days as a PC pioneer.

There may be more bumps to deal with in 2022, but the opportunity to buy MSFT stock at this price will almost certainly pay off in the long term.

On the date of publication, Louis Navellier had a long position in MSFT. Louis Navellier did not have (either directly or indirectly) any other positions in the securities mentioned in this article. InvestorPlace Research Staff member primarily responsible for this article did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.

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The Cloud Is Yet Another Reason to Buy Microsoft Stock - InvestorPlace

In the first quarter, most of the FAANG companies delivered underwhelming financial results. Alphabet missed earnings estimates on the bottom line, Meta Platforms posted its slowest salesgrowth as a public company, Netflix lost subscribers for the first time in a decade, and Amazon (AMZN -3.20%) turned in its first quarterly loss since 2015.

With the exception ofApple, all of the FAANG stocks have fallen at least 20% from their highs, and most have fallen much further. That creates a buying opportunity, and Amazon looks like the best bargain of the bunch.

Here's why.

Image source: Getty Images.

In the first quarter, Amazon's revenue grew just 7% to $116 billion, and online store sales actually fell 3%. On the bottom line, the retail titan posted a net loss of $3.8 billion -- its first quarterly loss in seven years. At first glance, Wall Street's disappointment is understandable, but investors need to dig a little deeper.

Those results are set against an exceptionally difficult macroeconomic backdrop. Russia's war on Ukraine has sent fuel prices soaring. During the earnings call, management noted that the cost to ship overseas containers has more than doubled from pre-pandemic levels, and inflation pressures collectively added $2 billion in expenses compared to last year. Amazon's net loss also reflects $8.2 billionin unrealized losses from its equity investment portfolio. Rivian alone accounted for $7.6 billion of that total.

Without those expenses and unrealized losses, Amazon's net income would have been $6.4 billion. And that doesn't even account for any inflationary pressure on consumer spending.

Despite a disappointing performance in Q1, Amazon still benefits from an ironclad competitive position in the e-commerce industry. Its marketplace accounted for 41%of online retail sales in the U.S. last year, more than the next 14 retailers combined.

To reinforce that edge, Amazon has built out an extensive fulfillment and logistics network, giving the company greater control over shipping costs and delivery times. Building upon that infrastructure, the company recently announced Buy with Prime, a service that extends the benefits of its Prime membership program to third-party websites.

Amazon also dominates the cloud computing industry. In Q1, Amazon Web Services (AWS) captured 33% market share, easily outpacing second-place Microsoft Azure. In fact, a report from Okta suggests that Amazon has six times more cloud computing customers than Microsoft. Few businesses have ever achieved that level of success even one time, but Amazon has pulled it off twice.

In Q1, AWS revenue growth accelerated to 37%, and its operating margin expanded nearly five percentagepoints to 35.3%. That makes Amazon's cloud computing business much more profitable than its retail business, which typically achieves an operating margin in the mid-single digits. That means Amazon should become increasingly profitable as AWS accounts for a bigger part of its total business.

To some extent, the novelty of e-commerce and cloud computing has worn off, but both markets are still growing at a good clip. According to eMarketer, online retail sales will climb 50%over the next four years, reaching $7.4 trillion by 2025. And Gartner says cloud spend will more than double over the same period, reaching $917 billion. That means both of Amazon's core businesses still have a long runway for growth.

Better yet, the company is actually gaining ground in a third high-growth market: digital advertising. Amazon accounted for 11.6% of digital ad spend in the U.S. last year, but eMarketer says that figure will hit 14.6% by 2023. For context, U.S. digital spend is expected to reach $270 billion in 2023. That means Amazon will generate about $40 billion in U.S. ad sales.

Amazon doesn't provide details about its ad business, but a 30% operating margin seems like a reasonable estimate. In Q1, Alphabet achieved an operating margin of 37% on its Google services segment, which primarily consists of advertisingacross Google Search, YouTube, and partner websites. In other words, digital advertising is much like cloud computing for Amazon. As it becomes a bigger part of the total top line, the company should become increasingly profitable.

To sum things up, Amazon has a commanding lead in two high-growth industries, and it's gaining ground in a third. And with shares trading at 2.4 times sales -- their cheapest valuation in the last six years -- this FAANG stock is a screaming buy.

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My Best FAANG Stock to Buy Now and Hold Forever - The Motley Fool

Software as a service has become the default for how organizations adopt and use apps these days, thanks to advances in cloud computing and networking, and the flexibility of pay-as-you-use models that adapt to the evolving needs of a business. Today, a company called Paddle, which has built a large business out of providing the billing backend for those SaaS products, is announcing a large funding round of $200 million as it gears up for its own next stage of growth.

The Series D investment led by KKR with participation from previous backers FTV Capital, 83North, Notion Capital, Kindred Capital, with debt from Silicon Valley Bank values London-based Paddle at $1.4 billion. With this round, the startup has raised $293 million.

Paddle today works with more than 3,000 software customers in 200 markets, where it provides a platform for them to set up and sell their SaaS products in those regions, primarily in a B2B model. But with so many consumer services also sold these days in SaaS models, its ambitions include a significant expansion of that to areas like in-app payments.

Were been growing a lot in the last couple of years. We thought it would tail off [after the COVID-19 peak] but it didnt, said Christian Owens, the CEO and co-founder. Indeed that includes more videoconferencing use by everyday people, arranging Zoom dinner, but also the explosion of streamed media and other virtual consumer services. B2C software has over the years blurred with what is thought of as B2B. Suddenly everyone needed our B2B tools.

Payments has long been a complicated and fragmented business in the digital world: banking practices, preferred payment methods and regulations differ depending on the market in question, and each stage of taking and clearing payments typically involves piecing together a chain of providers. Paddle positions itself as a merchant of record that has built a set of services around the specific needs of businesses that sell software online, covering checkout, payment, subscription management, invoicing, international taxes and financial compliance processes.

Sold as a SaaS itself basic pricing is 5% + 50 cents per transaction Paddles premise follows the basic principle of so many other business tools: payments is typically not a core competency of, say, a video conferencing or security company (one of its customers is BlueJeans, now owned by Verizon, which used to own TechCrunch; another is Fortinet).

To be fair, there are dozens (maybe hundreds) of merchants of record in the market for payments services from PayPal and Stripe through to Amazon and many more no surprise since it is complicated and just about any businesses selling online will turn to these at some point to handle that flow. However, Paddle believes (and has proven) that there is a business to be made in bringing together the many complicated parts of providing a billing and payments service into a single product specifically tailored to software businesses. It does not disclose actual revenues or specific usage numbers, but notes that revenue growth (not necessarily revenue) has doubled over the last 18 months.

Paddle as a company name doesnt have a specific meaning.

Its not a reference to anything, just a name we liked, Owens who himself is a Thiel Fellow said. And that impulse to make decisions on a hunch that it could be catchy is something that seems to have followed him and the company for a while.

Image Credits: Paddle

He came to the idea of Paddle with Harrison Rose (currently chief strategy officer and credited with building its sales ethos), after the two tried their hands at a previous software business they founded when they were just 18, an experience that gave them a taste of one of the big challenges for startups of that kind.

You make your first $1 million-$2 million in revenue with a handful of employees, but gradually those businesses become $2-20 million in sales, and then $300 million, but the basic problems of running them dont go away, he said.

Billing and payments present a particularly thorny problem because of the different regulations and compliance requirements, and practices, that scaling software companies face across different jurisdictions. Paddle itself works with some half dozen major payment companies to enable localized transactions, and many more partners, to provide that as a seamless service for its customers (which arenot payment companies themselves).

You may recognize the name Paddle for having been in the news last autumn, when it took its observations on the challenges of payments to a new frontier: apps, and specifically in-app payments. It announced last October that it was building an alternative to Apples in-app payments service.

This was arrived at through much of the observational logic that started Paddle itself, as Owens describes it. Apple, as is well known, has been locked in a protracted dispute with a number of companies that sell apps through the app store, which have wanted to have more control over their billing (and to give Apple less of a cut of those proceeds). Owens said Paddle felt encouraged to build an alternative in the heat of that dispute, before it has even been resolved, based on the response from the market (and specifically developers and app publishers) to that public dispute and governments stance.

Its approach is not unlike Apples itself, ironically:

There is one thing Apple has done right, which is to build a full set of tools around commerce for these businesses, he said. But, he added, its failing has been in not giving customers a choice of when to use it, and how much to charge for it. There has to be an alternative to cover all that as well.

(Paddle plans to charge 10% for transactions under $10, and just 5% on transactions over $10, compared to Apples 30%, a spokesperson later told me.)

The product is built and ready to go, Owens said, adding that there are already 2,000 developers signed up, representing $2 billion in app store volume, ready to try it out. Due to launch in December, Paddle has held off as Apples case with Epic (one of the most outspoken critics of IAP) has dragged on.

And he said, found Paddles name included, and not in a good way, in an update to Apples complaint.

That bold attitude may indeed keep Paddle in Apples bad books, but has made it a hero to third-party developers.

Paddle is solving a significant pain point for thousands of SaaS companies by reducing the friction and costs associated with managing payments infrastructure and tax compliance, said Patrick Devine, a director at KKR, in a statement. By simplifying the payments stack, Paddle enables faster, more sustainable growth for SaaS businesses. Christian and the team have done a phenomenal job building a category-defining business in this space, and we are excited to be supporting them as they embark on the next phase of growth.

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Paddle, the company that wants to take on Apple in IAP, raises $200M at a $1.4B valuation to supercharge SaaS payments - TechCrunch