Daily Archives: March 4, 2020

In the decade since the Great Recession, cloud computing became the de facto information-technology strategy for startup companies and, increasingly, large corporations alike. The business of renting remote computing power has grown into an enormous industry and, with No. 1 player Amazon and No. 2 Microsoft based in the Seattle area, a mainstay of the regions broader tech-driven economy.

As fears of a recession mount with the spread of the novel coronavirus, cloud analysts are considering how this $263 billion industry would fare in its first significant economic downturn since reaching maturity. The short answer: fairly well, especially for the market leaders.

Among the digital giants, nobodys scaling back for a blip, said John-David Lovelock, chief forecaster with research and advisory firm Gartner, which expects global public cloud-services revenue to increase 33% to more than $350 billion by 2022.

You dont build a cloud provider of the scale were talking about here without a plan to do it that spans decades, said Corey Quinn, cloud economist with The Duckbill Group. It transcends the boundaries of any individual economic cycle.

Even in the event of a severe global recession, there are reasons to expect cloud computing which fundamentally changed the information-technology business model would continue to grow. Thats what happened during the last recession, when the technology was still nascent.

Cloud computing is a fast-growing business at both Redmond-based Microsoft and Seattle-based Amazon, where it balances the thinner profit margins of the retail side of the company. Cloud competitors including Google and IBM also have major engineering offices in the region.

In thequarter ended Dec. 31, Microsoft reported sales of $11.9 billion in the business segment that includes its Azure cloud computing business, lumped in with its traditional server software and business consulting services. The company said Azure sales increased 62% from a year earlier, though it doesnt disclose the revenue figure. Amazon Web Services (AWS) reported revenue of nearly $10 billion in the same period, up 34%.

Cloud services companies allow customers to rent remote computing power, scaling up and down usage, and associated costs, as needed. The cloud has steadily replaced the old model of organizations building and owning their own servers and data centers, which takes time, requires large up-front capital outlays as well as ongoing maintenance costs, and leaves them with excess computing capacity that goes unused except during brief periods of peak demand.

A business running on the cloud that experiences a spike in customer traffic to its website can immediately call on servers in a global network of Amazon or Microsoft data centers to handle the load. When the traffic subsides, they can turn off those services. Likewise, if a company needs to perform a complex analysis or test a machine learning algorithm, it can rent nearly limitless computing power from a cloud provider for a few hours, rather than incurring the cost of owning it.

In practice, businesses tend to scale up their cloud usage but dont often scale it back down, said Quinn, whose firm helps companies manage their AWS bills and has customers that spend in aggregate about $1 billion a year on Amazons cloud.

Whether by strategy or neglect, they opt to incur higher cloud-computing bills rather than risk constricting capacity and upsetting users, he said. That may start to change as businesses consider belt-tightening measures in the next recession.

That is going to come under an increased level of scrutiny almost certainly when companies start looking at where they are able to cut costs, Quinn said.

But even if cloud customers start combing through their bills, for most, theres only so much they can cut. While some customer-facing applications can scale up and down with demand, and discretionary development projects can be put on hold, other cloud applications that are core to a business basic operations dont change much with revenue fluctuations.

Thats a change from the Great Recession of 2007-2009, when cloud computing was a relatively small feature of the information-technology landscape, used for discrete applications or by small teams within an organization.

The difference now is that there are entire companies running their computing environments [in the cloud] at a scale that weve never seen anything remotely close to, Quinn said.

Cloud providers also offer steep discounts for multiyear spending commitments, which could make it harder for a customer to trim their cloud spending rapidly, Quinn said.

Lovelock said cash-flow constraints in a recession could also prompt businesses to use more cloud services rather than buy their own information-technology equipment.

Thats what happened with SalesForce in the Great Recession. The cloud-based provider of customer-relationship-management software saw revenue grow 21% year over year in 2009, while the broader software category shrunk 3%, he said.

There was still business to be done, but there was limited cash flow, Lovelock said. Cloud computing or software as a service, as it was more commonly called then became the way things got done.

Another factor potentially helping cloud computing weather a possible coronavirus-driven recession: With more people in self-quarantine to avoid contracting or spreading the illness, cloud-based applications for telecommuting and entertainment could see even more usage though many video heavy applications, such as Netflix, are distributed through private content delivery networks.

Cloud software revenue grew through the last recession, Lovelock said, but spending on hardware took a hit. Thats what Lovelock expects to happen in the event of a coronavirus-driven recession. Disruptions to the hardware supply chain are already being felt, particularly given the heavy concentration of semiconductor production in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

Tellingly, Microsoft last week revised its quarterly sales guidance, citing a slower-than-anticipated return to normal operations in its hardware supply chain. The guidance update made no mention of impacts to Microsofts cloud computing or other businesses.

And so far, neither of the Seattle-areas cloud giants appears to be slowing its hiring.

On Tuesday afternoon, Amazon had 14,217 job listings for its Amazon Web Services business more than a third of the companys total openings. Microsoft does not allow its job listings to be filtered the same way, but the word Azure appeared in more than half of its 7,301 listings.

Neither company would comment for this story.

(Anika Varty / The Seattle Times)

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Amazon, Microsoft cloud-computing can weather a recession and coronavirus, analysts say - Seattle Times

Migrating to the cloud seems to be on every CIO's to-do list these days. But despite the hype, almost 60% of UK businesses think that cloud has over-promised and under-delivered, according to a report commissioned by consulting company Capita.

The research surveyed 200 IT decision-makers in the UK, and found that an overwhelming nine in ten respondents admitted that cloud migration has been delayed in their organisation due to "unforeseen factors".

On average, businesses started planning their migration to the cloud in 2015, and kicked off the process in 2016. According to the report, one reason clearly stood out as the push factor to adopt cloud computing: 61% of businesses started the move primarily to reduce the costs of keeping data on-premises.

But with organisations setting aside only one year to prepare for migration, which the report described as "less than adequate planning time," it is no surprise that most companies have encountered stumbling blocks on their journey to the cloud.

SEE: Cloud v. data center decision (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF (TechRepublic)

Capita's head of cloud and platform Wasif Afghan told ZDNet: "There has been a sort of hype about cloud in the past few years. Those who have started migrating really focused on cost saving and rushed in without a clear strategy. Now, a high percentage of enterprises have not seen the outcomes they expected."

Four years later, in fact, less than half (45%) of the companies' workloads and applications have successfully migrated, according to Capita. A meager 5% of respondents reported that they had not experienced any challenge in cloud migration; but their fellow IT leaders blamed security issues and the lack of internal skills as the main obstacles they have had to tackle so far.

Half of respondents said that they had to re-architect more workloads than expected to optimise them for the cloud. Afghan noted that many businesses have adopted a "lift and shift" approach, taking everything they were storing on premise and shifting it into the public cloud. "Except in some cases, you need to re-architect the application," said Afghan, "and now it's catching up with organisations."

The challenges "continue to spiral," noted Capita's report, and they are not going away; what's more, they come at a cost. Up to 58% of organisations said that moving to the cloud has been more expensive than initially thought.

The trend is not only confined to the UK: the financial burden of moving to the cloud is a global concern. Research firm Canalys found that organisations splashed out a record $107 billion (83 billion) for cloud computing infrastructure last year, up 37% from 2018, and that the bill is only set to increase in the next five years. Afghan also pointed to recent research by Gartner, which predicted that through 2020, 80% of organisations will overshoot their cloud infrastructure budgets because of their failure to manage cost optimisation.

Infrastructure, however, is not the only cost of moving to the cloud. IDC analysed the overall spending on cloud services, and predicted that investments will reach $500 billion (388.4 billion) globally by 2023. Clearly, the escalating costs of switching to the cloud is coming as a shock to some businesses especially so because they started the move to cut costs.

Afghan said: "From speaking to clients, it is pretty clear that cloud expense is one of their chief concerns. The main thing on their minds right now is how to control that spend." His response to them, he continued, is better planning. "If you decide to move an application in the cloud, make sure you architect it so that you get the best return on investment," he argued. "And then monitor it. The cloud is dynamic it's not a one-off event."

Capita's research found that IT leaders still have faith in the cloud, with the majority (86%) of respondents agreeing that the benefits of the cloud will outweigh its downsides. But on the other hand, only a third of organisations said that labour and logistical costs have decreased since migrating; and a minority (16%) said they were "extremely satisfied" with the move.

"Most organisations have not yet seen the full benefits or transformative potential of their cloud investments," noted the report.

As a result, IT leaders are left feeling frustrated and underwhelmed by the promises of cloud technology. But Capita's experts argued that the reason for such disillusionment comes down to the misplacement of expectations. Cloud migration, and its promise of cost-cutting, is a means to an end, reads the report; focusing too much on the process might be "a misaligned goal". One that leads businesses to forgetting that the actual purpose of the move is to enable innovation.

Mark Cook, executive officer at Capita, said: "One of the most important questions raised by the research is how far today's IT leaders are able to see beyond cloud as a means to an end while staying focused on their original transformation goals and aspirations."

SEE: Pay for these four tech jobs is rocketing. Cloud computing is the cause

To illustrate, Capita's report pointed to the top transformational priorities identified by respondents. IT leaders largely indicated cloud migration as their top priority above process automation, big-data analytics, and artificial intelligence or machine learning.

In other words, cloud has become the end-goal for many businesses, more so than the applications enabled by cloud and which will drive innovation to create new value. "Could too much focus on 'cloud' be clouding the issue?" asked the report.

Researchers recommended, therefore, that companies recover an "innovation mindset", and remember the original goals that prompted their move to cloud. Combined with a better strategy, including better governance and skilling up the workforce, the report predicts that a fresher vision will let organisations reap the real benefits of cloud computing.

"'Destination digital' can itself become an all-consuming journey," said Cook. "This points to the importance of individually designing and pressure-testing each journey to ensure it will successfully bring the organisation closer to actual business goals."

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Cloud computing: More costly, complicated and frustrating than expected - but still essential - ZDNet

The computer engine rooms that power the digital economy have become surprisingly energy efficient.

A new study of data centers globally found that while their computing output jumped sixfold from 2010 to 2018, their energy consumption rose only 6 percent. The scientists findings suggest concerns that the rise of mammoth data centers would generate a surge in electricity demand and pollution have been greatly overstated.

The major force behind the improving efficiency is the shift to cloud computing. In the cloud model, businesses and individuals consume computing over the internet as services, from raw calculation and data storage to search and social networks.

The largest cloud data centers, sometimes the size of football fields, are owned and operated by big tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook.

Each of these sprawling digital factories, housing hundreds of thousands of computers, rack upon rack, is an energy-hungry behemoth. Some have been built near the Arctic for natural cooling and others beside huge hydroelectric plants in the Pacific Northwest.

Still, they are the standard setters in terms of the amount of electricity needed for a computing task. The public thinks these massive data centers are energy bad guys, said Eric Masanet, the lead author of the study. But those data centers are the most efficient in the world.

The study findings were published on Thursday in an article in the journal Science. It was a collaboration of five scientists at Northwestern University, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and an independent research firm. The project was funded by the Department of Energy and by a grant from a Northwestern alumnus who is an environmental philanthropist.

The new research is a stark contrast to often-cited predictions that energy consumption in the worlds data centers is on a runaway path, perhaps set to triple or more over the next decade. Those worrying projections, the study authors say, are simplistic extrapolations and what-if scenarios that focus mainly on the rising demand for data center computing.

By contrast, the new research is a bottom-up analysis that compiles information on data center processors, storage, software, networking and cooling from a range of sources to estimate actual electricity use. Enormous efficiency improvements, they conclude, have allowed computing output to increase sharply while power consumption has been essentially flat.

Were hopeful that this research will reset peoples intuitions about data centers and energy use, said Jonathan Koomey, a former scientist at the Berkeley lab who is an independent researcher.

Over the years, data center electricity consumption has been a story of economic incentives and technology advances combining to tackle a problem.

From 2000 to 2005, energy use in computer centers doubled. In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency forecast another doubling of power consumed by data centers from 2005 to 2010.

In 2011, at the request of The New York Times, Mr. Koomey made an assessment of how much data center electricity consumption actually did increase between 2005 and 2010. He estimated the global increase at 56 percent, far less than previously expected. The recession after the 2008 financial crisis played a role, but so did gains in efficiency. The new study, with added data, lowered that 2005 to 2010 estimate further.

But the big improvements have come in recent years. Since 2010, the study authors write in Science, the data center landscape has changed dramatically.

The tectonic shift has been to the cloud. In 2010, the researchers estimated that 79 percent of data center computing was done in smaller traditional computer centers, largely owned and run by non-tech companies. By 2018, 89 percent of data center computing took place in larger, utility-style cloud data centers.

The big cloud data centers use tailored chips, high-density storage, so-called virtual-machine software, ultrafast networking and customized airflow systems all to increase computing firepower with the least electricity.

The big tech companies eke out every bit of efficiency for every dollar they spend, said Mr. Masanet, who left Northwestern last month to join the faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Google is at the forefront. Its data centers on average generate seven times more computing power than they did just five years ago, using no more electricity, according to Urs Hlzle, a senior vice president who oversees Googles data center technology.

In 2018, data centers consumed about 1 percent of the worlds electricity output. That is the energy-consumption equivalent of 17 million American households, a sizable amount of energy use but barely growing.

The trend of efficiency gains largely offsetting rising demand should hold for three or four years, the researchers conclude. But beyond a few years, they say, the outlook is uncertain.

In the Science article, they recommend steps including more investment in energy-saving research and improved measurement and information sharing by data center operators worldwide.

The next few years, they write, will be a critical transition phase to ensure a low-carbon and energy-efficient future.

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Cloud Computing Is Not the Energy Hog That Had Been Feared - The New York Times

Direct competition between US and Chinese cloud computing service providers will increase. China will begin to reap the rewards of its investment in 5G. More businesses will turn to hybrid cloud to achieve digital transformation. Meanwhile, there will be greater scrutiny of carbon emissions resulting from cloud computing.

The cloud services market, comprising infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS), is forecast to be worth $332.8bn in 2020, up 22% on the previous year. According to GlobalData, SaaS will make up 57% of cloud services revenue, while IaaS will be the fastest-growing service line, increasing by 26% to $90.9bn in 2020.

The cloud services sector is dominated by five large companies: Amazon (AWS), Microsoft, Alibaba, Google, and IBM. The status quo will not be disturbed in 2020.The hyperscalers will continue to grow rapidly and expand their geographical footprint.

In 2020, GlobalData expects more companies to adopt hybrid cloud as part of a broader digital transformation strategy. Competition in the hybrid cloud market will increase, with the arrival of Nutanix Clusters on AWS and a new joint offering from VMware and Google. There will also be a greater focus on solutions that support application portability across multiple clouds. For example, IBMs Red Hat OpenShift containerisation software will compete with VMware Tanzu, among others.

Open-source container orchestration systems Kubernetes has become the main driver in digital transformation projects that involve app modernisation. Consequently, a growing number of tech providers have entered the app modernisation market. This trend will continue in 2020. Kubernetes will retain its leadership position in app modernisation directives, and containerisation will spur new partnerships and acquisitions among players at opposite ends of the cloud stack.

Cloud computing has been lauded in the past for its positive impact on environmental sustainability, but studies by US researchers have suggested that information and communications technology (ICT) could be responsible for up to 3.5% of global emissions by 2020, more than aviation and shipping, and 14% by 2040. There will be greater scrutiny of the green credentials of cloud computing in 2020.

This is an edited extract from the TMT Predictions 2020 Thematic Research report produced by GlobalData Thematic Research.

GlobalData is this websites parent business intelligence company.

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Technology, media, and telecom (TMT) trends: Cloud computing - Verdict

Cloud computing is a word that is usually used to define the usage of software and hardware offered through a network (mostly internet). The word comes from the usage of symbol that is cloud shaped and represents the working of a complex working that allows the usage of hardware, software, remote services and computation.

In simple words, it is the computing over internet. In the past, individuals used to run programs and apps from software downloaded on a physical device. Cloud computing enables you to use the same types of apps but using internet. The cloud VPS is being used all over the world by many businesses.

Cloud computing benefits

There are a lot of different benefits of cloud computing. Here well discuss a few of those benefits.

Efficiency / cost reduction

If you use cloud based computing, you do not have to spend a lot of money on maintaining and purchasing devices. This reduces your costs very efficiently. You do not have to spend money on facilities, hardware, utilities, or working to build a huge data center to increase your business. You dont have to hire a large number of IT engineers or managers to handle your cloud computing centers because these services are often provided by cloud service providers.

Data security

One of the most important things in any business is the security of the data. It doesnt matter if youre running a small or big business, security of your data is very important. Loss of important data can decrease the revenue of a business and it also affects the image of a brand.

Cloud computing provides you a lot of advanced security features that ensure the safety of your data.

Mobility

It also helps you to access your data through smartphones and other devices, which a great method to make sure that every member of your team knows the activities taking place in your organization. Team members that work remotely or spend most of their time out of the office can use this facility to stay in touch.

Moreover, it is very easy to access the resources stored in the clouds. This data is easy to store, retrieve and, recover with a few commands. This data can be accessed over the internet whenever someone needs it.

Disaster recovery

Loss of data is not a good thing for any organization. The main reason of data loss is lack of data security or backup. The cloud service providers offer you proper data security and backups of your data. So, if you lose your data for any reason, you can recover it without any problems.

Moreover, this data is kept safely considering all of the security measures and you can make sure that your data is in safe hands.

Control

It is important for any company to have control over their data. An important data can ruin the complete business if it goes into the wrong hands. So, cloud computing helps you make sure that your data is in safe hands.

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Benefits of Cloud Computing - - VENTS Magazine

NEW YORK, March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Global Healthcare Cloud Computing Market 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the global healthcare cloud computing market and it is poised to grow by USD 25.54 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 23% during the forecast period. Our reports on global healthcare cloud computing market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p02779355/?utm_source=PRN

The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by integrated service offering for healthcare industry.In addition, development of hyper-converged infrastructure is anticipated to boost the growth of the global healthcare cloud computing market as well.

Market Segmentation The global healthcare cloud computing market is segmented as below: Product: o SaaS

o IaaS

o PaaS

Geographic Segmentation: o North America

o APAC

o Europe

o South America

o MEA

Key Trends for global healthcare cloud computing market growth This study identifies development of hyper-converged infrastructure as the prime reasons driving the global healthcare cloud computing market growth during the next few years.

Prominent vendors in global healthcare cloud computing market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global healthcare cloud computing market, including some of the vendors such as Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., Amazon Web Services Inc., athenahealth Inc., Carestream Health Inc., General Electric Co., IBM Corp., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., Salesforce.com Inc. and Siemens Healthineers AG . The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p02779355/?utm_source=PRN

About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

__________________________ Contact Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001

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The GLOBAL HEALTHCARE CLOUD COMPUTING MARKET is expected to grow by USD 25.54 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 23% during the forecast...

At the launch of Arm Neoverse, we recognized that building the cloud-to-edge infrastructure needed for one trillion intelligent devices would require a broad ecosystem with technology, expertise, and commitment to transform the internet. The intention for Neoverse has always been to enable a high-performing, flexible cloud-to-edge infrastructure built for the next era of compute; but when we take a step back to think about what one trillion devices looks like, it is incredible to realize the amount of data that will need to be processed as a result.

The existing infrastructure is not ready for whats next. Computing as we know it is changing. Its expanding and happening at multiple layers from cloud to edge to endpoint, emphasizing the need for a nimble and strong infrastructure ready to take on more data processing than ever before.

Our Neoverse product portfolio delivers incredibly strong performance-per-watt for cloud-to-edge workloads, as evidenced by the expanding ecosystem and many partners who have adopted Neoverse products and solutions since the launch in 2018. Today, we are proud to say the expanding ecosystem of Neoverse partners now includes Ampere, who has announced the industrys first 80-core server processor which is based on the Neoverse N1 Platform!

Amperes Altra server processor news is more than just a milestone for Arm in the data center; it is a turning point for the industry in terms of what is possible in data center computing. Todays announcement demonstrates the power of building the right compute for the right applications. Ampere took the N1 platform and integrated its own innovations to design an SoC uniquely built for applications across hyperscale cloud and edge markets, while bringing it to market quickly to address evolving compute requirements.

The importance of scalability and flexibility

By 2021, it is expected that 94% of workloads and compute instances will be processed by cloud data centers, requiring massive amounts of processing for popular applications like video streaming, Internet search, and social networking, and do so within the power availability envelope. Looking ahead, the processing requirements are even greater as faster 5G networks are deployed and billions of smartphones become enabled with ultra-high definition (UHD) or 4K viewing capabilities, for example. When you factor in all the compute required to ensure a flawless end-user experience, while also using compute cycles to process and analyze the data being generated and process it closer to the user, maintaining strong performance at very low power levels is imperative. This was the guiding principle when designing Neoverse IP.

Today, were seeing the capabilities of Neoverse come to life combined with Ampere innovations in the Altra processor which delivers the performance-per-watt, flexibility and scalability to address a diverse suite of compute intensive cloud applications to edge analytics. To ensure efficient scalability, the Ampere Altra processor uses the highly scalable Arm CMN-600 mesh interconnect, ensuring its robust 80-core design is optimized for maximum performance. Additionally, Ampere has utilized our SBSA/SBBR specifications, with a goal to achieve Server Ready certification later this year, to ensure Altra is fully compliant with the Arm architecture so its system partners, ISVs and developers have a seamless out-of-the-box experience.

Choice in transforming the modern cloud-to-edge infrastructure

Arm and Ampere share a common goal of providing the industry the choice and flexibility it has long been deprived of. Building on top of Arm Neoverse platform enables ecosystem innovation and a cadence previously unseen in enterprise infrastructure. Ampere recognizes this and have committed to a roadmap with annual cadence of new products. We look forward to doing our part in enabling this rapid pace of innovation.

Together, with ecosystem partners like Ampere, were challenging the status quo with Arm-based silicon solutions primed to transform the modern cloud to edge infrastructure. I, along with the entire team at Arm, congratulate Ampere on this industry milestone!

About Arm

Arm technology is at the heart of a computing and connectivity revolution that is transforming the way people live and businesses operate. Our advanced, energy-efficient processor designs have enabled intelligent computing in more than 160 billion chips and our technologies now securely power products from the sensor to the smartphone and the supercomputer. In combination with our IoT device, connectivity and data management platform, we are also enabling customers with powerful and actionable business insights that are generating new value from their connected devices and data. Together with 1,000+ technology partners we are at the forefront of designing, securing and managing all areas of compute from the chip to the cloud.

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Changing the game for cloud computing with Neoverse - Design and Reuse

Certificate of Cloud Auditing Knowledge and Cloud Controls Matrix v4 represent critical progress to modernize the audit profession and align cloud assurance with technology innovations

TheCloud Security Alliance (CSA), the worlds leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, announced a call for subject-matter experts to support the ongoing review of its flagship document, the Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM), Version 4 of which will be released later this year. CCM v4 will reflect the current cloud technology landscape, providing cloud users with a better, more comprehensive security framework and guidelines to facilitate both implementation and audit.

Calling all today cloud subject-matter experts! @cloudsa is asking for help to support the ongoing review of its flagship document, the Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) Version 4. Join Us!

Additionally, CSA is pleased to announce that theCertificate of Cloud Auditing Knowledge (CCAK)subject-matter expert working group has held initial program development meetings and that the CCAK credential and courseware will be previewed at CSAsSECtemberconference (Seattle, Sept. 14-18). The CCAK is a new credential for industry professionals that demonstrates expertise in the essential principles of assessing and auditing cloud computing systems and will be released in the second half of 2020. The CCAK will provide a common baseline of knowledge and shared nomenclature to ensure that IT and security professionals, as well as auditors, have the right expertise and tools to appropriately and accurately understand and measure the effectiveness of cloud security controls.

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For 11 years, the Cloud Security Alliance has led the industry in delivering the necessary innovations to build the trusted cloud ecosystem on a global basis. In 2020, CSA will focus on supporting the cloud community in acquiring the necessary tools, skills, and expertise to ensure that the many iterations of cloud meet robust security and privacy objectives, said Daniele Catteddu, Chief Technology Officer, Cloud Security Alliance. As organizations adopt DevOps, CI/CD, and related innovations, the audit function must keep pace. With the release of CCM and CCAK, we continue to support the community in their cloud journeys.

The Cloud Controls Matrix is the de facto standard in the market. Its latest iteration will include new control objectives in areas such as container and microservices, cryptography, and identity and access management, along with implementation guidance, and will improve upon the auditability of existing controls.

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Cloud auditing skills are becoming a mandatory requirement for IT auditors and will become fundamental expertise for any IT manager and professional, especially in the areas of governance, risk management, compliance, and vendor/supply chain management. Traditional IT audit education and certification do not adequately prepare professionals for the challenges cloud provides. Recent breaches demonstrate the knowledge and responsibility gap that comprehensive cloud auditing frameworks such as the CCAK will solve.

Those interested in contributing to the development of the CCAK are encouraged to join the CSACloud Audit Expert Group. Group members should be familiar with CSAs best practices and control frameworks, such as theCloud Controls Matrix (CCM), theConsensus Assessment Initiative Questionnaire (CAIQ), andCSA STAR levels of assessment, as well as have knowledge in such key areas as cloud risk management, compliance, continuous auditing, and more. Members will be tasked with reviewing and providing advice on the scope, curriculum, objectives structure, go-to-market, and value proposition for the CCAK.

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Cloud Security Alliance 2020 Initiatives Changing the Face of IT Audit and Cloud Assurance - AiThority

One of the North Wests fastest-growing industries could be set to benefit from R&D tax changes in next weeks budget, according to the national IT lead of Spinningfields-based business adviser Grant Thorntons tax innovation team.

The cloud computing industry is expanding at a rate of seven times that of the wider IT sector and this year is expected to be worth 9 billion to the UK economy. In Manchester, the industry is growing rapidly with Amazon Web Services moving to the city at the start of 2020, joining existing providers like ANS, iomart, and Cisco.

Trade organisation techUK reports that the adoption of cloud services, including software as a service (SaaS), has increased dramatically. In 2016, 36 per cent of businesses were accessing the technology, with that number now in excess of 42 per cent. The growth is driven by the overwhelming digital transformation disrupting multiple sectors and the increasing application of big data.

To date, however, interpretations of unhelpfully-vague eligibility criteria, driven by preconceptions and misunderstandings of the nuances of digital research and development, have prevented many businesses from claiming valuable rebates through HRMCs R&D Tax Credit scheme.

R&D tax credits incentivise businesses to invest in the development of new products, services or processes, or to enhance existing ways of working. The guidelines relating to software projects were revised in October 2018. But the changes did not reflect the evolution in the way software and technology projects are developed, which has seen suites of dedicated hardware and software licences replaced by cloud computing.

The absence of clear, consistently-applied guidelines around the inclusion of cloud computing and big data investment for developmental purposes, is particularly affecting small and mid-sized companies, which are able to claim up to 33.35 per cent of eligible R&D spend back in a valuable cash credit.

That could be about to change, according to Andy Nixon National IT tax lead in business adviser Grant Thorntons tax innovation team: The Conservative manifesto pledged to increase the R&D expenditure credit rate from 12 per cent to 13 per cent and review the inclusion of cloud computing and data within the scope of an R&D claim.

Should the Chancellor follow through on this pledge next week, were predicting an influx of improved or first time claims, particularly those in the entrepreneurial and mid-market space. For many of our clients, innovation now takes place in remote datacentres, far away from the office or laboratory. This is true in software and app development, but it increasingly affects other industries such as pharma and financial services, which are transforming their business models by harnessing big data.

Businesses in all of these sectors would receive a boost by a revision to the eligibility criteria, while the larger corporates providing the infrastructure to enable this virtual R&D would also welcome the move.

Grant Thorntons north west tax innovation team operates from the firms Liverpool and Manchester offices, in addition to its base at the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus. In 2018, GT became the first advisory firm to open a permanent base office at the campus to service its growing science and tech-comprised client base.

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Budget set to boost rapidly-growing cloud computing industry, according to R&D tax expert - Bdaily

With its massive flexibility and pay-as-you-go pricing, cloud computing is apotential boonto K12 schools. Schools can rapidly introduce new applications and scale up as use cases expand and shed the cost burden associated with data centers.

But not allcloud solutionsare the same, nor do all school districts have the same IT needs. How best to migrate off of legacy systems and on-premises solutions? Here are K12 considerations for a successful move to the cloud:

MORE ON EDTECH:Read about five best practices for ensuring data security in the cloud.

Beyond these diverse considerations, its also important to take a hard look at the cloud vendors bona fides.

A vendor who has worked extensively with school districts will understand the obligations around student data privacy, financial constraints, the need for scalable solutions based on the school-year model, McLaughlin says. You want a partner who understands the need for a collaborative environment.

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Finding the Right Cloud Solution for Your District's Storage Needs - EdTech Magazine: Focus on Higher Education