Microsoft buys Opalis for cloud management; IDC's top 10 tech predictions; Amazon cloud tries auction-style pricing

IDC's top 10 tech predictions: cloud and analytics; Amazon cloud computing service unveils eBay auction-style pricing Cloud Computing NetworkWorld.com | Update Your Profile | Forward this to a Friend >>> Sponsored by AT&T AT&T Synaptic Compute as a Service. Boost your power on demand. Click to continue Spotlight Story Microsoft buys Opalis to strengthen cloud management capabilities Moving to strengthen its management tools related to virtual environments, Microsoft announced it has purchased IT process automation vendor Opalis for an undisclosed sum. Read full story Related News: IDC's top 10 tech predictions: cloud and analytics Unsurprisingly, cloud computing tops IDCs' 2010 technology predictions after a year where it was hyped and pushed and almost bludgeoned into the mindsets of IT professionals across the industry. Amazon cloud computing service unveils eBay auction-style pricing Amazon's cloud computing division is unveiling an eBay-style auction service that will let users bid on unused virtual server capacity. Akamai service to stop data center attacks Akamai Technologies is introducing a cloud-based managed service called Web Application Firewall it claims will head off the bulk of Web applications attacks before they get inside corporate data centers. What cloud computing can do for higher education Higher education IT organizations need to perform application triage, finding lower-cost places -- like the cloud -- to move low-value software. Cloud computing outages: Amazon customers the latest to suffer downtime If you're a critic of cloud computing looking for ammunition, then Amazon gave you a nice gift this week with a power outage that took some Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud instances offline for several hours. BT and Cisco launch cloud-based IPT solution BT and Cisco have announced the launch of a global cloud-based Internet protocol telephony (IPT) solution from BT's Onevoice unified communications and collaboration portfolio. Realigning Microsoft Azure unit may boost innovation, squabbling Unifying Windows Azure with its on-premises counterpart Windows Server should hasten the rollout of new features in Microsoft Corp.'s enterprise cloud platform, but it also will pit Azure against Microsoft's other cloud services for the loyalty of a key customer base, says one independent Microsoft analyst. Symantec and Amazon team on enterprise security Symantec is offering its security and enterprise-class storage management solutions through the Amazon elastic compute cloud (Amazon EC2). Cost-effective data encryption in the cloud Some companies fear the cost and complexity of data encryption. Now a cloud-based service makes it easy and very cost effective to implement encryption as a means to secure sensitive data. Today from the Subnet communities On Cisco Subnet: Annual revenue for Cisco TelePresence and Cisco's EMC/VMware collaboration viewed favorably; On Microsoft Subnet: Power outages cause Windows Server 2008 problems; On Google Subnet: Google claims its new URL shortening service is more secure Network World on Twitter? You bet we are Ethernet everywhere! Inside planes, trains, cars and spaceships, Ethernet is a morph master. Here's a look at some of Ethernet's cooler implementations. 7 tools to ease Windows 7 rollout These utilities help you plan, ensure app compatibility and manage images. Should Your Email Live in the Cloud? Cloud-based email is often cheaper than on-premise email especially when you consider the fully loaded costs of maintenance, high-availability, disaster recovery, email filtering and archive. This Forrester report will help you evaluate the full cost of your email environment and it will explore the benefits of cloud-based technologies that reach further than just your bottom line. Read More Why Print Management Matters By implementing an effective print management strategy that includes outsourcing the management of your printers you will lower costs, create a greener IT environment and improve employee productivity. Learn More   December 15, 2009 MOST-READ STORIES Google releases experimental phone to employees 10 top iPhone apps for IT pros Watch out Microsoft: GNOME is poised to have a killer 2010 After criticism, Facebook tweaks friends list options Microsoft buys Opalis to strengthen cloud management 8 more PowerPoint train wrecks Eric Schmidt's privacy policy is one scary philosophy Tech mergers and acquisitions to grow in 2010 Amazon's data center outage reads like a thriller Nortel purchase to test Avaya big time Making Way for the Next-Generation Data Center Wouldn't it be great to manage and operate the data center as a single switch-with all the network and security services built in? This webcast will examine how to re-architect the data center to improve scale, performance and cost efficiencies, while reducing the amount of equipment needed. Register now! EMO Labs: Better Sound Through Innovation at DEMOfall 09 EMO Labs' Invisible Speaker innovation takes People's Choice Award top honors at DEMO conference. Watch EMO Labs product launch.   This email was sent to security.world@gmail.com Complimentary Subscriptions Available for newsletter subscribers. Receive 50 issues of Network World Magazines, in print or electronic format, free of charge. Apply here. Terms of Service/Privacy   Subscription Services Update your profile To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. Unsubscribe Network World, Inc., 492 Old Connecticut Path, Framingham, MA 01701 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2009 www.networkworld.com | Forward this to a Friend >>>