Dustin Amrhein

IBM Session at Cloud Expo Frankly I've grown weary of the debates over the security of cloud computing. It's not that I don't appreciate that there are technical hurdles in front of us, but we have reached a point that a security vulnerability in a single offering, whether that offering is in the public or private cloud, results in loads of silly commentary that links the particular problem to the overall state of cloud security. I'm not sure if those involved in this commentary have a vested interest in driving this kind of dialogue, or if it happens because it is easy to write about, but in either case a majority of the discussions around cloud security have degraded to pure absurdity. By and large I've learned to ignore most of this commentary as useless rambling. H... (more)

Forget Defining Cloud Computing

Early Bird Savings for Cloud Expo Defining cloud computing has proven to be nearly impossible. Ask ten different people and you'll get ten different answers. Countless discussion groups, blogs, articles, etc. have attempted to give their own take on cloud computing, and all to no avail. The industry just can't agree on a common definition. With that in mind, perhaps it's time to move past... (more)

Cloud Computing and Virtual Images

Cloud Expo on Ulitzer A look at several different cloud computing solutions will reveal a technological enabler present in almost each one. The enabler I'm talking about is the use of virtual images. I cannot think of many, if any, cloud computing solutions that provide software elements (i.e. more than just servers, storage, memory, etc.) that do not use virtual images in some form or ... (more)

IBM and the Air Force Sign Cloud Deal

IBM Session at Cloud Expo Today my employer, IBM, announced that it was awarded a 10 month long contract with the United States Air Force. According to the press release, the contract calls for IBM to "design and demonstrate a secure cloud computing infrastructure capable of supporting defense and intelligence networks." Lieutenant General William Lord, Chief Information Officer and Chief... (more)

Is WebSphere CloudBurst Right for You?

IBM Session at Cloud Expo Trying to pick apart a particular IT solution to figure out if it is right for you and your business can be a daunting task. Trying to do that for solutions in emerging spaces, like cloud computing, can seem even more difficult to the point of looking almost impossible. Case in point, at most of my WebSphere CloudBurst sessions someone (usually multiple people) a... (more)