“The personal cloud isn’t a single offering, but a reflection of consumers’ expectation that their content will flow seamlessly as the result of a combination of services that overlap the consumer, business and government domains. It encompasses content storage, synchronization, sharing and streaming, as well as context-based access,” said Michael Gartenberg, research director at Gartner.

A personal cloud encompasses business, consumer and government services. At present, there is no single company with all-encompassing dominance. The stakes are high as large vendors such as Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Google try to claim multiple aspects of the personal cloud ecosystem, and as smaller vendors strive to capture parts of the consumer experience with more vertically oriented and dedicated offerings, such as digital storage and streaming services accessible across particular platforms and devices.

“Consumers are confused about the nature of the personal cloud. This will not be helped by many vendors continuing to equate personal cloud services simply with online storage and neglecting their additional features and potential,” said Mr. Gartenberg. ”Consumers will define their own sets of personal cloud services with regard to communication, collaboration and media consumption, despite vendors trying to control the digital ecosystem.”

Competition in the personal cloud market to grow in the following areas:

Mobility and Location: Contextual devices and platforms are evolving, giving consumers the ability to access relevant information from the location of their choosing on their favorite devices. In real time, consumers are now able to store, synchronize, share and stream in ways not previously imagined. These abilities, when combined with services that can remember and restore user states, will have a great impact on consumer personal cloud services, and that impact will affect how other connected screens fare in a given ecosystem.

Platform Independence: Personal cloud integration is about more than just changing where users store their content. Gartner analysts said personal cloud services will grow to augment and eventually displace the PC as the center of the consumer digital experience. The result will be that the core purchase driver for consumers will shift from the operating system to the nature and function of the personal cloud services available to a platform. Platforms will not be judged solely by number of apps, but also by the availability of core personal cloud services for business and personal needs, for both content creation and content consumption.

Seamless Synchronization: Since the personal cloud comprises different service offerings, seamless synchronization will be essential for success. At the simplest level, this means synchronization of content stored locally and mirrored to a given service. This content could be office documents and music and video collections, but could also extend to other types. To achieve synchronization, content need not necessarily be replicated — seamlessly matched content, if delivered appropriately, will be perceived as seamlessly synchronized. But seamless synchronization does require consideration of consumer identity, social graphs, persistent capture of usage states (and the ability for users to opt in or out of any or all of these) from service to service.

]]> http://blog.eyeos.org/en/2012/05/15/the-personal-cloud-is-poised-to-eclipse-the-pc-as-the-hub-of-consumers-digital-lives-by-2014/feed/ 0 http://blog.eyeos.org/en/2012/05/08/its-time-to-increase-the-productivity/ http://blog.eyeos.org/en/2012/05/08/its-time-to-increase-the-productivity/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 08:00:18 +0000 Jordi Collell http://blog.eyeos.org/en/?p=2520 User experience tests have consistently shown over time that the main hurdles in broad acceptance of new software tools are the interface’s complexity, and a lack of ownership, when users perceive that the application is not adapted to the company’s particular situation. In other words, users feel that they have to adapt to the tool, rather than the other way around.

Nowadays, ERP, CRM, business intelligence applications have become extremely powerful and cover all possible aspects of the trade. It gives them the ability to match any company’s particular situation. But there is a stiff price to pay: these apps often have complex interfaces and require significant training, even though most of the time, most users just repeat a simple routine, accessing only a few screens.

Thanks to eyeOS’ flexibility in customization, these screens can be elevated to the eyeOS desktop main menu for direct access. Users can open the full app at any time, but if just performing a simple repetitive task, eyeOS gives them the choice to access it directly, saving several clicks in the process. It’s not just a matter of speed, it’s mostly a question of fit: users see that their desktop has been customized to their needs to help them be more productive.

Since customization is segmented by user profiles, the IT department can tailor the desktop experience to each employee group, based on the main processes performed.

On the other hand, when you are working a lot of time is lost in retrieving files, writing emails to colleagues, organizing meetings, getting access to your data while out of the office. In the past few years, new SaaS services have emerged as attractive alternatives for file storage, personal data storage and collaboration. Simple access and user-friendly designs have driven fast adoption among consumers but in most cases, IT departments are concerned by security and data protection, as well as increased complexity due to uncontrolled proliferation among the workforce.

eyeOS brings these tools together under one single desktop interface. Its unique value lies in the way they are seamlessly integrated. Unlike standalone SaaS services, with eyeOS all data remains under the control of the IT department, either in the company’s servers or on the host chosen by the company.

Discover eyeOS Professional Edition!

Source: CIO.com

They believe their investments now will eventually pay off either by providing the company a more efficient work system or by replacing other hardware and software recurring costs.

There is an onslaught of literature on the potential of Cloud Computing. It is also this very rich literature that makes it confusing for people to determine which is reliable and which is a baseless claim. I am just as confused as everyone.

The IDG Enterprise research revealed that IT personnel and other experts are also still experimenting and exploring with the supposed potentials of cloud. After a decade, they are nowhere near any kind of conclusive result. However, they are fast realizing that any investment that eats more than half the budget should serve a more strategic purpose, regardless of what kind of investment that is. Cloud Computing, therefore, needs to be more than just an IT solution, it has to be used in business strategy, corporate operations, and administrative systems.

According to the study of IDG Enterprise, IT managers and other executives know that. However, understanding the principle and executing it are two different ballgames.

The Danger They Haven’t Realized

Reliability and trust are issues that are expected to come up whenever people encounter anything new. Cloud computing is not an exception. Many of the respondents in the IDG Enterprise research declared that they use their Cloud only for private deployment because they are concerned about security risks. The concern is understandable but there is also a known fact that limiting the use of cloud to private use also means that there are useful management resources available on public cloud that are not being utilized.

The Potential They Haven’t Seen

Many analysts believe that when the dust settles, only a maximum of 20 Cloud Computing providers will be left standing. These are the companies that will develop, market and treat Cloud Computing as a business solution rather than an IT solution. Cloud Computing should be utilized to develop business systems and processes to aid strategic business decisions not just as a database management system.

As stated above, Cloud Computing can virtualize everything which essentially gets rid of the need for hardware and software. It also gets rid for any manpower requirement. What you have is a host of options. All you need is tick what you need. It gives allows people control over the technology even when they don’t know how to manipulate or use technology. This fits businesses which doesn’t include IT as a core competency.

It can also work for businesses on a much intimate level. It can become the virtual system that supports all processes and applications of a company. It turns over control to the IT department and also provides higher level of security.

Source: CloudTimes

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As a IBM PureSystems certified business partner, we are not only able to offer an integrated, expert solution designed to simply address our client’s complex challenges, we will also give our clients the opportunity to increase ROI — by reducing development time and costs and growing business — and tap into the 70% of IT budgets currently devoted to upkeep of current systems for innovation.

“IBM is excited to work with eyeOS, a leader in the Cloud Computimg industry,” said Michael Riegel, vice president of global ISVs, IBM. “Our clients are demanding optimized solutions and the combination of eyeOS and the new IBM Troy will help them reduce complexity and drive innovation.”.
“For years, companies across industries practiced scale-up computing, adding more resources like memory and processing to their systems to meet new demand,” said Bruce Maule, director business partner programs, IBM systems and technology group, IBM. “With IBM PureSystems, IBM and its Business Partners like eyeOS are joining together to provide organizations with the pre-integrated, expert technology needed to free our clients from the complexities of today’s Information Age.”

Working with eyeOS, and combined with IBM PureFlex System, the enterprise will be able to virtualize the employees’ workspace and save on infrastructure, support and licenses while delivering a totally new user experience. With this partnership companies can integrate existing SaaS, virtualised legacy applications, and other in-house apps served as web services, combining the advantages of the Cloud with the control that any IT department requires.

After completing extensive training and testing, we’re proud to be certified ready for IBM PureSystems and confident that our solutions will provide our clients with the level of satisfaction they expect and the level of simplicity they desire.

There is an specific site (ibm.eyeos.org) with extra details and information for IBM customers to expand the possibilities of using eyeOS in their servers.

eyeOS professional Edition 1.1 introduces powerful new features that reinforce the social dimension of the platform and make the delivery of Hybrid Desktop Virtualization a no brainer. As new features are directly integrated into the desktop interface, expect broad acceptance among your user base.

What’s new?

• Wall

Leave the email for external communication, there is a better way to communicate internally

Have you ever… sent an email to the wrong person? … forgotten to send a copy to one of your team?… struggled to find an attachment you needed?
It goes without saying, these are problems we all face every day. Don’t get us wrong… we love the simplicity of email, but sometimes we need more flexibility to work effectively. With the new wall, share messages and files with your teams fast and securely. Just open your wall, type your message and share!

• Task Manager

Collaboration is good; Collaboration toward a common goal is better

One of our initial goals for eyeOS Professional 1.1 was take things a step further in helping teamwork and enhancing high productivity teams. Collaboration is not just about sharing files and communicating. The job has to been done, so that means tasks have to be defined, assigned across the team and performed.

• eyeSurveys

Need an opinion? Just ask!

In a high productivity environement, feedback is essential but it must be timely. eyeOS Professional 1.1. ships with eyeSurveys, a polling app that will allow you to gather feedback in the blink of an eye.

• XenApp integration

Discover the most cost-effective way to virtualize your desktop, even with legacy applications

Have you ever wanted full control over your computer network? XenApp is an on-demand application delivery solution that enables any Windows® application to be virtualized, centralized, and managed in a datacenter and instantly delivered as a service to users anywhere on any device. eyeOS Professional 1.1 introduces XenApp integration, which allows you to launch virtualized apps directly from eyeOS. By combining eyeOS web technology and Citrix virtualization technology, you optimize your infrastructure. We call it ‘Hybrid Desktop virtualization’.

Other features

And eyeOs Professional Edition has more awesome features:

• eyeRun: executes files saved in the cloud with local applications (such as Office, Photoshop, etc.)
• eyeSync: synchronises the files between the cloud and the local device in order to permit working offline
• Virtual Appliance: works with a packet which includes the entire environment necessary for operating eyeOS in a virtualisation environment.
• Admin Panel: intuitive and easy to use, so as to aid the Systems Administrators’ job of managing users
• Active directory connectivity/LDAP: For a perfect integration with the company’s directory
• Mobile: works with eyeOS from any mobile device
• File sharing: works in collaboration with users of the platform or shares files outside of it via URL
• Group IM: talk inside eyeOS with other users
• Collaborative calendar: share your calendar with you coworkers

Buy eyeOS Professional Edition 1.1

You can buy eyeOS Professional Edition by filling out the website form. An eyeOS representative will contact you shortly.

• Private cloud.  The cloud infrastructure is operated solely for one organization.  It may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on premises or off premises.

• Community cloud.  The cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations).  It may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist on premises or off premises.

• Public cloud.  The cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services.

• Hybrid cloud.  The cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds).

• 67% of 163 IT professionals surveyed say that software-as-a-service (SaaS) is the most popular method of cloud computing, followed by private cloud computing (49%), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), also known as the public cloud (32%), and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) (15%).

• 74% of respondents express that the number one concern about cloud adoption is the security of corporate data. Other concerns pale in comparison but are still significant. The lack of ability to monitor the end-user experience was raised by 37% of respondents, then compliance issues (33%), the impact on network bandwidth (32%), cost increases (29%) and a lack of interoperability standards (25%).

• Availability: most saw no difference and 33% saw an improvement while only 8% reported a decline.

• Quality of the end-user experience: 25% noticed an improvement and only 12% reported a decline.

• Ability to monitor their cloud service: only 20% saw an improvement while 22% reported a decline, and most detected no change.

• Ability to troubleshoot problems with their cloud service: 28% reported it got worse, 55% reported no difference and 17% saw an improvement.

According to a new InformationWeek report, there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration when deciding whether an application is right for the cloud. Costs for hosted cloud services go beyond the monthly (or annual) fee linked to the subscription. When deciding to rent versus buy, IT must take into account additional cost factors like high availability, backups, Windows Server licensing, network and storage I/O, Internet bandwidth, staff training, and network monitoring and disaster recovery–all of which come with their own costs to the enterprise.

Source: Network Computing

To better understand the shift in how organizations use cloud today and how they plan to employ it in the future IBM, in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit, surveyed more than 500 business and technology executives worldwide. The findings were compiled in a new study, titled “The Power of Cloud: Driving business model innovation.”

“Companies are starting to understand — cloud isn’t just about gaining efficiencies and cost savings; it’s about driving the kind of fundamental innovation that provides lasting marketplace advantage,” said Saul Berman, IBM global strategy consulting leader and co-author of the study.

Highlights from the “Power of Cloud” report:

The authors determined that companies want to leverage cloud for future growth and competitive advantages, and that both business goals and IT needs are driving cloud adoption

• 16% of the executives said they currently using cloud for full-scale innovation; by 2015 35% plan to use it to change their business models

• Around half of the respondents listed “organizational efficiency” as a current challenge; however only 31% expect it to be a major challenge over the next three years

• 62% said “increased collaboration with external partners” is a factor in moving to the cloud

• 57% said “competitive cost advantages through vertical integration” is a motivator

• 56% said “opening new delivery channels and markets” by leveraging cloud is an objective

• Other key reasons for cloud adoption are it’s capacity to “mask complexity” and enable user interaction, scalability using cloud, and cost savings and flexibility

The joint IBM/EIU study can be accessed here

Speaking at a briefing for technology industry executives in Singapore, Gartner managing vice president Andrew Johnson said that the emergence of personal clouds reflects the “4S experience”, consumers’ desire to store, synch, stream, and share their content on regardless of device or platform seamlessly.

“The shift to the personal cloud will accelerate rapidly in 2012 as consumers learn how to use new services on their devices,” said Mr. Johnson.  “As cloud services become part of people’s lives, device vendors and platform providers must integrate cloud services in order to win customers in 2012 or risk being displaces by those that offer these services. Brands must stretch across multiple devices, platforms and services.”

According to Gartner’s definition, personal cloud allows consumers to seamlessly store, sync, stream and share using multiple connected devices such as smartphones, media tablets, televisions and PCs over the internet. Consumers have begun to adopt cloud-based services as part of their digital ecosystem, thanks to services such as Netflix, Google Apps, Amazon Music, Microsoft SkyDrive and Apple’s iCloud. In a personal cloud, a TV show, for example, can be watched, left and resumed across multiple devices.

“The notion of personal cloud is not new, the refinement and diversity of services for consumers is,” said Mr. Johnson.  “Online backup and synchronization companies have been offering personal cloud for years. However, a big change has occurred during the past couple of years, with the growing adoption of mobile and portable devices that have limited internal storage and rely heavily on cloud services. What distinguishes the personal cloud from what came before is its ability to store, synchronize, stream and share as needed allowing consumers greater flexibility in choosing devices and platforms.”

Gartner estimates that consumers will spend approximately US$2.2 trillion on digital technology products and services in 2012, or about 10 percent of the average disposable household income. By 2015, consumers will spend some US$2.8 trillion worldwide on connected devices, the services that run them and content that is transferred through them.

However, according to Gartner, growth is not the only opportunity.

“Inside the spending envelope, market dynamics will collapse some markets while creating others that expand the captured revenue. Providers of consumer devices, services and content must anticipate the risk of sweeping changes to their business models,” said Mr. Johnson. “The personal cloud will force technology providers not only to rethink how they approach markets, but also, more importantly, how they define markets. ‘Emerging’ and ‘mature’ markets are no longer useful market segmentation.”

However, traditional storage will not disappear overnight but will, however, be augmented by the consumer personal cloud.  Gartner predicts that personal cloud will become widely adopted by 2015, but that in 2014 less than 10 percent of consumers will use cloud services as their main storage.

Gartner’s recommendations for technology vendors:

·         Make personal cloud services a core part of your development efforts.  Invisible and ubiquitous now, monetize later

·         Take the time to educate and evangelize cloud services to consumers. A key to consumer cloud services will be educating people about the role of the cloud, and how new business models such as subscription and streaming services can coexist with existing services they are familiar with.

·         Service providers must deliver an invisible content synchronization experience.

·         Personal cloud services can’t be tied to one specific device or platform. An invisible experience means it works on anything.

·         Failure to protect consumer data, or a lack of service reliability, could lead to a consumer backlash and a co-dependence on local storage, on top of privacy and security concerns.