Azure is now up and running for you to check out for free until the Microsoft presentation

Check it out at: http://www.microsoft.com/azure and post your comments here.
The pricing model seems fair. What do you think? Have you played with the SDK yet?
I would like to know.

Please post comments or email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them here.

Xen Virtual server now free!!!

For those interested, the xen virutal server is now free and it is cloud proven.
Check out the link below:

http://citrix.com/English/ps2/products/product.asp?contentID=683148

Securing the Clouds

Cloud computing is all the rage and yes it helps with that LLS (lost laptop syndrome). It also allows you the ability to share data with others more securely. But wait a minute before thinking that your user name and password are making things secure.

Remember egghead and the hackers that broke in and stole the credit cards. There were also
many stories about insiders stealing credit cards from databases they had access to because they were not encrypted. That is when this next quote from an article surprised me

The files that are stored on the Microsoft servers “in the cloud” (the 5 GB of
Live Desktop storage that each user gets) are protected by access controls but
are not encrypted.

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Microsoft-Live-Mesh-Security-Implications.html

Although initially this sounds like a bad thing it really isn't. What it means is users of the mesh.com really need to ensure their files are encrypted themselves prior to uploading. The question I have is if you encrypt your folder on Vista and share it with the mesh, does it also encrypt it when its sync'd to the mesh or are we required to encrypt the file prior to putting it in our folder?

If you know the answer to this please post it as a comment and I will approve it or you can email it to me at susan@clinchportal.com and I will post an update.

Adobe CoCoMo - What is it?

From the what I saw Adobe CoCoMo is supposed to be Adobe's Cloud to work with Flex but I am confused.

I registered as a developer and looked around but all it talked about was rooms. Creating and managing rooms. What does this have to do with Cloud computing? Am I misisng something?
Do you know what CoCoMo is and how it relates to Clouds?

Please email me if you know more at susan@clinchportal.com and I will post it here to clarify for others too.

mesh.com - Have you tried it out?

I played with it last night and its awesome. You can place folders on this virtual desktop then sync it with multiple devices from there. All the changes are put up on the cloud in a encrypted manner. You use your Passport account.

I was wondering if anyone else had a chance to check it out. I am curious about anything you like, dislike, are concerned about.

Please email any of the above to susan@clinchportal.com I am sure we will see a lot more clouds popping up all over.

Introduction To Azure and Cloud Computing

We have heard a lot of hype about Cloud computing lately as if it just appeared out of nowhere.
First I will start by grabbing the wikipedia definition for it:

Cloud computing is Internet-based ("cloud")
development and use of computer technology ("computing"). The cloud is a
metaphor for the Internet (based on how it is depicted in computer network
diagrams) and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it
conceals.

Upon taking a closer look you realize that this is a combination of the service oriented architecture and grid computing that is wrapped in a new name and potentially easier to use/maintain. Microsoft is building a new platform around it called Azure. Here is Microsoft's description of its platform.

The Azure™ Services Platform (Azure) is an internet-scale cloud services
platform hosted in Microsoft data centers, which provides an operating system
and a set of developer services that can be used individually or together.
Azure’s flexible and interoperable platform can be used to build new
applications to run from the cloud or enhance existing applications with
cloud-based capabilities. Its open architecture gives developers the choice to
build web applications, applications running on connected devices, PCs, servers,
or hybrid solutions offering the best of online and on-premises.

As time gets closer to the release and we learn more I will post more information on this platform. Also if any of you have played with the Azure preview (Oslo) please email me feedback at susan@clinchportal.com or comment on this post and I will approve non obscene comments.