Repost, with comments: Virtual or Bare Metal Dedicated Cloud: Which Option is Right for You?

http://talkincloud.com/private-cloud/virtual-or-bare-metal-dedicated-cloud-which-option-right-you?cl=article_5?utm_source=120213&utm_medium=TLK&utm_campaign=NL&elq=~~eloqua..type--emailfield..syntax--recipientid~~&elqCampaignId=~~eloqua..type--campaign..campaignid--0..fieldname--id~~

A good article from the Talking Cloud on the differences, and unique benefits, of virtual machine-based versus "bare metal" cloud architectures.  Invensys offers both options, based on Microsoft's Azure, for there are times when a customer wants basically outsourced IT to manage their applications, and other times, customers require the additional security that an on-site hosted solution brings.  It's a matter of preference, budget, and sometimes corporate standards, that may determine or influence which design is used.

Repost, with comments: Cloud is the New Wild West

http://mobileenterprise.edgl.com/news/Cloud-is-the-New-Wild-West88883
We at Invensys have seen how customer, and really industry, interest in cloud computing has increased over the past year.  It started when virtualization became a common offering for industrial automation. Both VMware and Microsoft made offerings of ESXi and Hyper-V (respectively) "industrialized" so that automation software providers, such as Invensys and others, could use their technologies to provide application portability, as well as more strategic offerings such as High Availability and Fault Tolerance.

Virtualization, as Microsoft and others like to say, is a stepping stone to the cloud, because once you've isolated and "packaged" your application, it doesn't matter whether it's on a box on site ("on-premises") or truly in the cloud.  And if you check out the industrial automation industry, the number of cloud-based offerings, either hosted or as a Software as a Service, have tripled in the past years.  Applications such as remote monitoring, smart device enabled reporting, and process historians are now readily available in the cloud.  We anticipate the number of offerings to triple again, as technology becomes more secure and the infrastructure required to support the cloud products is stabilized and proliferated.  It's a great opportunity for manufacturers to cost-effectively be able to test products without making a huge investment in infrastructure, IT and hardware. 

So, if you would like to see what offerings are available--I have an event for you....it's an Eye Opener Seminar, either in Chicago or Boston, November 12 or 14th.  It's free to attend, there will be representatives from Microsoft, Invensys, and Saugatuck, and it can answer all of your questions about the viability, and use, of the cloud for industry.  You can register here.

Cloud for Industry Eye Opener Seminar: An Excellent Time Was Had By All

Microsoft has 9 data centers worldwide for Azure hosting

We just kicked off the first of 3 FREE Eye Opener Seminars on the Cloud for Industry: Proof Points.  A packed room heard Jason Short/Microsoft, Paul Shelton & Saadi Kermani/Invensys and Mike West/Saugatuck Technologies speak on the readiness of the cloud, the applicability to industrial automation, proof points of use, and products available today.

Repost, with comments: Why Cloud Manufacturing Software Adoption Rates Are Rising [DATA]

http://blog.lnsresearch.com/blog/bid/186719/why-cloud-manufacturing-software-adoption-rates-are-rising-data?source=Blog_Email_[Why%20Cloud%20Manufactur]

Reinforcing LNS's suppositions, we at Invensys have also seen a rising interest in cloud-based solutions for manufacturing, and industry as a whole.  As I discussed in my post last week, the cost effectiveness, scalability, and software on demand aspects of cloud make it an attractive proposition for manufacturers.  The ability to have secure computing with nearly 100% uptime quells most fears of breaches for users.  And, the plethora of providers offering industrial-focused solutions gives end users choices, bringing in competition and with it, innovation and breadth.

To see some of the choices you have for cloud-based industrial applications, visit our webpage, Invensys Cloud for Manufacturing.

Megatrends: The Cloud, Big Data, Mobility: Why Should You Care?

I've written a lot over the past year on the 2013 Megatrends that we see for industrial automation: The Cloud, Big Data, and Mobility.  When we first started talking about the cloud more than a year ago, the overall response we got from our customer base was "please no." There was no interest in the cloud--it was seen as disruptive technology that had no relevance to an industrial environment.

Repost: Top 100 Cloud Services Providers (CSPs) List And Research

http://talkincloud.com/tc100

For vendors such as Invensys, that use the cloud for both software as well as services delivery, providers that offer other services, such as metering, billing, security, become an important part of the ecosystem.  This rating by Talkin' Cloud lists the top 100 for 2013.

It's back: Free Seminar on the Cloud for Industry!

Back by popular demand, the half day, free seminar on the Cloud for Industry is coming to a Microsoft location near you.

Our first seminar will be held on September 18, 2013 at the Microsoft Technical Center in Mountain View, CA.  Sponsored by Wonderware Norcal, this venue is right in the center of Silicon Valley. 

The program features updates by Microsoft on Azure hosting and technology, new product offerings taking advantage of the cloud by Invensys, and a guest analyst speaker with deep roots in cloud technology.

Interested?  Register here: https://www.cvent.com/events/eye-opener-seminar-the-cloud-for-industry-proof-points/registration-4496610e816b4335a5384a2634df2e1a.aspx.  We are looking forward to meeting you, and discussing your own journey to the cloud!

Repost: Time to retire the word 'disrupt' (?)

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/07/12/time-to-retire-the-word-disrupt/

I put the question mark in, because, I believe it's completely situational when/if you should bring disruption to your customers.  For example, Microsoft is sunsetting XP next April.  This is certainly a disruptive event (lack of support for your operating system) and it will cause a certain amount of pain and suffering to the installed base.  But you need disruption to move forward--whether you call it migration, or modernization, it's a disruption of your way of doing business, and a call for addressing, and remediating, the current situation.

Disruption for disruption sake--totally agree with the writer, it's unnecessary.  But let's look at the cloud--it's disruptive technology, but you can gradually adopt.  So, the disruption becomes less noticeable, and you have a choice as to when and if you decide to use.  That's the disruption that I believe is necessary and useful...offering choices, some familiar, some not so much, and allowing changes when you are ready.

Microsoft: SMB Views on the Cloud Vary Widely

http://talkincloud.com/cloud-computing/microsoft-smb-views-cloud-privacy-security-vary-widely?utm_source=062413&utm_medium=TLK&utm_campaign=NL&elq=~~eloqua..type--emailfield..syntax--recipientid~~&elqCampaignId=~~eloqua..type--campaign..campaignid--0..fieldname--id~~


Invensys has been working with Microsoft since February 2012 to build industrial-grade reporting, analysis and collaboration products that can be hosted on the cloud.  Since that time, what we've learned is that companies aren't adverse to a cloud-hosted solution, but want to be sure that their internal security policies are adhered to, and the products in that form factor bring more benefits than if they'd be traditionally hosted on an on-site server.

This study, funded by Microsoft, explores some of the issues that small and medium sized businesses are grappling with when going to the cloud.  At the onset, these companies are likely to be the ones benefitting from the "no touch" hosting and self-service environment, but there are lingering concerns about safety that must be addressed.

Industrial Automation & Robotic Systems | April 10, 2013 | IHS GlobalSpec Events

Industrial Automation & Robotic Systems | April 10, 2013 | IHS GlobalSpec Events

I was pleased to be able to provide a view of the cloud for manufacturing through Global Spec.  Invensys has, for the past year, been actively involved in creating products for hosting on Microsoft's Azure.  This presentation is a "back to the basics" on what the cloud is, and how you, as a manufacturer, can start to take advantage of its benefits: scalability, accessibility, lowered costs of use, and enhanced security.

Invensys presents: the Cloud for Manufacturing--featured on Global Spec

I was pleased to support Global Spec in a presentation on the Cloud for Manufacturing.  Access via this link:

http://www.globalspec.com/events/presentationdetails?eventId=163&presentationId=487

In this presentation, I describe what the cloud is, why you should care, and what the benefits are.  I also detail some real-life examples of industrial automation products that are available today using cloud-based hosting.

Are you ready for the next wave in software?

It seems as if industrial software plunks along for a time, bringing new features and functions to existing software categories, without anything really earth-shaking occurring that makes you stop and go “huh.” I’ve talked a lot about the cloud, and yes, you are getting it from me again.

The reason that all of us are so enthralled with the cloud is not because it’s a cloud, but because of the flexibility, cost savings, and scalability that it can provide you as an end user.  If you think about the change in your behavior when you first started doing on-line banking: some of you were early in, some (like me) carried kicking and screaming into the new technology.  But now, I couldn’t imagine NOT having it.  Late charges on credit cards?  Thing of the past.  Immediate access to my checking, savings accounts? You bet.  But it took an event (well, a couple) to drive me to consider that option—late charges.  And so, you learn, you adapt, and it becomes part of your normal day.

Musings on the Cloud

I recently attended the Cloud Channel Summit in Silicon Valley.  The attendees represented leading software, hardware, systems and cloud hosting providers, as well as their channel—distributors, value-added resellers, systems integrators. Billed as a networking event to help build strategic alliances for a #cloud offering, it was apparent that the “cloud” and its ecosystem are still very much in a developmental stage.