Red Hat to Launch OpenShift Marketplace for Cloud Apps

Red Hat is preparing to launch OpenShift Marketplace, an online shop for cloud applications.

The OpenShift Marketplace will bring the power of Red Hat’s OpenShift Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) partner ecosystem directly to OpenShift Online customers.  Red Hat said customers will be able to securely access and manage leading OpenShift application technologies from a single location. Customers and developers will be able to easily search for third-party OpenShift solutions and add-on productivity offerings, including database, email delivery services, messaging queues, application performance monitoring and more, all managed from a central location. Several OpenShift partners have already signed on to add their solutions to the OpenShift Marketplace, including BlazeMeter, ClearDB, Iron.io, MongoLab, New Relic, Redis Labs, SendGrid, and Shippable.

http://marketplace.openshift.com/

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IBM Enhaces Softlayer Disaster Recovery Options

IBM introduced a new set of cloud-capabilities and services in its Softlayer data center portfolio that help customers ensure continuous businesses operations and application performance, even in the event of a disaster.

SoftLayer customers will initially have access to IBM’s Cloud Virtualized Server Recovery (VSR) managed service, which automates the recovery of mission-critical applications, servers and cloud-based data in the event of an outage or disaster. With VSR, SoftLayer businesses will be able to replicate entire systems in real-time including system files, databases, applications and user data in a way that is independent of the make and model of the underlying hardware.

IBM’s Resiliency Consulting Services will also be extended to SoftLayer clients. These services, which integrate legacy IT environments with a private cloud and the SoftLayer public cloud, will help with resiliency assessment, planning and design, implementation and testing and more. These include Resiliency Consulting for Cloud, Cloud Managed Backup, Cloud Data Virtualization, Cloud Application Resiliency and Cloud Virtualized Server Recovery.

IBM will also be opening two new cloud based resiliency centers in Raleigh, North Carolina and Mumbai, India. These new facilities, which will join the 15 other global centers planned by SoftLayer
and the 150 BCRS Resiliency Centers, will speed up recovery times by virtually eliminating network latency while allowing businesses to manage federal and local data residency compliance regulations.

In addition to these new services on SoftLayer, IBM also unveiled enhancements to its BCRS cloud-based resiliency offerings designed to help clients ensure their businesses, applications and IT infrastructures are stable and running around the clock. These include Cloud Managed Backup, Cloud Data Virtualization, Cloud Application Resiliency and Cloud Virtualized Server Recovery.

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/43659.wss

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Oracle Announces Back-up and Storage Cloud Services

As part of its commitment to providing its advanced cloud portfolio, Oracle is launching a new Database Backup Service and a new Storage Cloud Service. 

Oracle Database Backup Service is positioned as a simple, scalable, and low-cost Oracle Database cloud backup solution.  It is integrated with Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN), enabling customers to continue using familiar RMAN commands for seamlessly and securely performing backup and recovery operations between on-premises Oracle Databases and the Oracle Cloud. The service also enables customers to parallelize and compress backup data transfers to help maximize performance and it includes client-side encryption.

Oracle Storage Cloud is positioned as a solution to simplify and lower capital and operational costs for storing data backups and archives with high reliability and security.  It is API compatible with OpenStack Swift and provides access to data through REST and Java APIs.

https://cloud.oracle.com/tryit

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ConteXtream Collaborates with Red Hat on OpenStack Orchestration of Carrier-SDN

ConteXtream is working with Red Hat to integrate OpenStack orchestration with ConteXtream’s software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) fabric for carrier-SDN solutions.

Specifically, ConteXtream has integrated Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform with its ContexNet SDN fabric.

ConteXtream said this collaboration enables end customers to instantiate ContexNet nodes in the right places, servers and switches within the network, as well as to provision the correct parameters and key performance indicators (KPIs).

When used for NFV purposes, ContexNet leverages Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform to populate its distributed mapping system with relevant information regarding instantiation of Virtual Network Function Components (VNFCs) in the network. In addition, Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform can direct the right VNFCs to the right ContexNet network virtualization edge overlay nodes, whether they are host-based, top-of-rack based or a WAN edge nodes.

The companies plan to continue work on joint use cases in the areas of the collapsed virtualized packet core, IMS-SBC VoIP applications, and full wire speed software forwarding needed for high-touch chaining-balancing actions for service providers.


“SDN and NFV have significant potential for changing the economics of service provider networks, and we believe OpenStack will be a key enabler to making this a reality,” said Radhesh Balakrishnan, general manager, Virtualization and OpenStack, Red Hat. “Through this collaboration with ConteXtream, we are not only demonstrating new, real-world applications of SDN technology, but setting the foundation for Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform to become a core component of next-generation programmable networks.”

“SDN and NFV bring efficiencies and feature velocity to service providers based on new abstractions that separate network control from physical forwarding, network functions from physical junctions,” said Sharon Barkai, co-founder of ConteXtream. “ContexNet inline flow orchestration and Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform cloud orchestration provide the sound structure enabling the software-defined and subscriber-centric agility, flexibility, elasticity features to emerge in carrier class, carrier scale production deployments.”



http://www.contextream.com

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T-Mobile US Promises No More Overage Charges

As of May 1, T-Mobile US promises to eliminate overage penalties for its consumer voice, texting and data services.  In a marketing blitz, the carrier is challenging AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to do the same.

"Today I'm laying down a challenge to AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to join T-Mobile in ending these outrageous overage penalties for all consumers - because it's the right thing to do," said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. "Overage fees are flat out wrong... Charging overage fees is a greedy, predatory practice that needs to go," continued Legere. "Starting in May for bills arriving in June - regardless of whether you're on Simple Choice, Simple Starter or an older plan, we're abolishing overages for good. Period."

http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/

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IBM Wins U.S. Patent for Cloud QoS Technique

IBM  has been awarded a U.S. patent for a technique that enables data to be dynamically modified, prioritized and shared across a cloud environment, thereby improving the quality of service.

IBM said its patented technique creates a cloud environment in which Quality of Service priorities can be modified according to real-time or expected conditions, to reduce data bottlenecks in the cloud, thereby ensuring that clients receive the level and quality of service they expect.  The technique could be used by cloud providers to provide simultaneous, efficient and uninterrupted service to a range of clients for applications.

IBM received U.S. Patent #8,631,154 “Dynamically modifying quality of service levels for resources in a networked computing environment," for the invention.

"Since companies are relying upon the cloud to manage and process critical business data and interactions, guaranteeing and delivering quality, reliable service is an imperative for cloud vendors,” said IBM Cloud Offering Evangelist Rick Hamilton. “This patented invention will enable cloud service providers to dynamically respond to potential data choke points by changing quality of service priorities to ensure the free flow of data for their clients.”

http://www.ibm.com

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Ericsson's Chief Strategist Steps Down

Ericsson announced that Douglas Gilstrap will resign from his role as Senior Vice President and Head of Group Function Strategy and leave Ericsson's Executive Leadership Team.

Gilstrap joined Ericsson in this role in 2009 and has been responsible for developing Ericsson's business strategy and driving the company's M&A activities during this time. The company credits him with playing a key role in dissolving the ST-Ericsson joint venture and integrating the thin modems business into Ericsson; since 2013 he also serves as Chairman of Business Unit Modems.

Hans Vestberg, CEO and President of Ericsson, said: "Douglas has been instrumental in shaping Ericsson's strategy with his broad industry knowledge, business development and transactional skills during the five years that he has been with the company. He has played a leading role in all M&A and key commercial activities during these years, strengthening Ericsson's position across all business segments."

http://www.ericsson.com/news/1777165

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