Could open-source hardware shake up the datacenter the way in which Linux disrupted software? From Facebook to Fidelity, a number of big companies say this idea works. Facebook, Fidelity, Goldman Sachs, and other leading IT users think the open-source movement is able to shake up the hardware industry the style Linux did in software. In the past, only the very biggest companies — the likes of Amazon, Google, and, yes, Facebook — could afford to customise servers, storage, and networking systems to their precise needs. Instead, most companies have filled their datacenters with off-the-shelf, mass-produced hardware from the likes of Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Dell, Cisco, and Oracle. But an open-source initiative called the Open Compute Project is attempting to upend this hardware production process in two ways simultaneously. First, Facebook and other companies are sharing their hardware designs through OCP. Such sharing could put leading-edge designs within the hands of many more user companies. Second, shared hardware specs let IT organizations mix’n’match parts from different suppliers,... Read More »

Microsoft’s Surface 2 is now equipped for LTE connections — but still must compete with iPad Air. Mobile World Congress: 5 Hot Gadgets (Click image for larger view and slideshow.) Microsoft on Monday announced a version of its ARM-based Surface 2 tablet equipped for 4G LTE connectivity. The brand new device is otherwise a twin of the WiFi-only model, and may be available March 18 for $679. The LTE-equipped Surface 2 comes with 64 GB of storage. It will become offered unlocked but is meant to be used within the US with AT&T’s LTE network. AT&T should not offer any subsidized Surface options, and it’ll be the customer’s responsibility to enroll in a compatible plan. The device also supports GSM micro-SIM cards but will work only on specific bands: 1, 2, and 5 for 3G, and four, 7, and 17 for 4G LTE. [Is Microsoft’s Surface 2 the best tablet for you? Read Microsoft Surface 2: Hands-On Review.] At only two pounds, the skin 2... Read More »

Insiders have publicly bet against Red Hat’s platform-as-a-service, but I say it’ll stand by OpenShift without regret. Is platform-as-a-service only a feature of infrastructure-as-a-service and destined to vanish? Citrix’s chief technology advocate Reuven Cohen made that argument recently, but i feel it is the wrong way around: Infrastructure may best be approached through a PaaS. I think there’ll several different platforms-as-a-service that will help you launch your next-generation application at the cloud of your choice. I say several because there’s been a debate recently about whether the successful launch of a Cloud Foundry Foundation amounted to the death knell of Red Hat’s OpenShift PaaS and the related Project Solum in OpenStack. Project Solum is suffering momentary suspended animation, because the dust settles around rival VMware/Pivotal’s announcement of a foundation for its Cloud Foundry project. Some Solum backers, comparable to Rackspace, IBM, and Ubuntu, seem like shifting allegiance. Joshua McKenty, CTO of Piston, gave the look to be only stating the most obvious when he bet... Read More »

Hosting provider’s compromised password system, not a hacked hypervisor, caused defacing of OpenSSL.org site, site reps say – after VMware cries foul. Top 10 Cloud Fiascos (click image for larger view) The administrators of OpenSSL.org have backed off a up to date charge that their site was defaced Dec. 29 by a Turkish hackers group who reached it through a compromised hypervisor. The hypervisor that was under suspicion appears to had been VMware’s ESX Server, and the charge brought a denial on Thursday from VMware, after it conducted its own investigation. OpenSSL site administrators said Friday that the intrusion occurred instead through its hosting provider’s compromised password system. That exposure gave the crowd, calling itself TurkGuvenligiTurkSec, temporary control of a virtualization console and allowed it to put a taunting but otherwise harmless message at the OpenSSL site. Not one of the site’s code repositories were altered within the intrusion, an OpenSSL spokesman said in a post to the OpenSSL.org website. OpenSSL administrators had previously said... Read More »

Cloud security, mobile security, advanced behavioral detection, and some other surprises make this latest crop of newcomers worth watching. It’s boom times for security startups as experienced researchers, security entrepreneurs, and other industry players attempt to profit while helping enterprises cope with the following generation of threats. With technology addressing everything from cloud and mobile security to advanced threat detection, this latest class of startups shows promise, offering a spate of latest development within the year to return. Bluebox Still working in stealth mode, Bluebox just picked up another sizeable chunk of change to continue developing technology to support enterprise data on employee-owned devices. As of now the corporate remains heads down, though it does have a nominal place available in the market with a free security scanner inside the Android app store. The app looks for a flaw that that may give the opportunity to show legitimate apps malicious. TaaSERA Spun out of a $10 million 5-year Army research project, TaaSERA’s patented behavior detection... Read More »