Manager, Cloud Computing & Virtualized Data Centers Marketing at Cisco Systems
James Urquhart manages cloud computing and data center virtualization marketing for the Data Center Solutions group at Cisco. One of the most respected subject matter experts on the cloud, he is also the author of the popular CNET Blog, The Wisdom of Clouds. Mr Urquhart is a seasoned field technologist with almost 20 years of experience in distributed systems development and deployment, focusing on service-oriented architectures, cloud computing, and virtualization.
Contributions
Podcast:Cloud Computing and Commodity - March 2010
James Urquhart and Dave Linthicum talk about Cloud Computing as a commodity, and how this may play out as Cloud Computing providers mature.
Article:The Cloud Cannot Ignore Geopolitics - March 2010
In Cloud Computing, "virtual" geography and "physical" geography are both extremely important. There are many reasons to consider "location" and "borders" in cloud computing. Unfortunately, how governments perceive those concepts versus how networks do can be at odds.
Article:Cloud Computing and Commodity - February 2010
Understanding Commodization and Commodification and how they apply to cloud computing.
Article:Payload Descriptor For Cloud Computing: An Update - January 2010
Without a universal way to describe and evaluate payloads, a liquid marketplace for cloud capabilities may not be possible without significant changes to the design of applications, data center infrastructure, and the Internet itself. Here is a much better proposal for what is needed to allow for simpler real-time selection of cloud infrastructure.
Original Article: Application Packaging for Cloud Computing: A Proposal - January 2010
Here is a vision of what software packaging architectures in cloud computing environments may look like. Specifically, Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings, and the enabling infrastructure that will handle application deployment to these services in the future. How they may possibly evolve to make deployment and operations as easy as possible.
Article:Does the Fourth Amendment Cover The Cloud? - January 2010
One of the biggest issues facing individuals and corporations choosing to adopt public cloud computing is the relative lack of clarity with respect to legal rights over data stored online. A recent note written for the Minnesota Law Review gives a thorough outline of where we stand with respect to the application of Fourth Amendment law to Internet computing.
Article:Understanding Infrastructure 2.0 - January 2010
As we move into an era of data center virtualization and cloud computing, logging into switches one by one, or even executing a manual update to a set of switches at once isn't fast and agile enough to react to the changing needs of an automated application and server infrastructure. We need to take a systems view of our entire infrastructure, and build our automation around the end-to-end architecture of that system.
Article:Cloud Computing's Green Paradox - January 2010
The increased efficiency of the hardware components in most cloud data centers and the increased utilization of these components mean that we are almost certainly doing more work ber unit of energy consumed than before. However, we can’t know the actual savings to the environment until it is actually measured.
Podcast:Overcast Show: Focus on PaaS - December 2009
James and Geva catch up on some of the latest developments in cloud computing, with a particular emphasis on Platform-as-a-Service. Some of the companies, products and technologies mentioned include: Amazon, Salesforce.com, Engine Yard, Heroku, Canonical, Eucalyptus, Chef, Sauce Labs and Microsoft Azure.
Article:Practice Overtaking Theory in Cloud Computing - Novemebr 2009
While there are still plenty of critical and complex problems to solve, and many implications of this disruptive operations model that have yet to be understood, we’ve entered a new phase in the evolution of cloud adoption. Real work now exceeds theory when it comes to both new online content and work produced.
Article:Five Competitive Differentiators for Cloud Services - November 2009
Cloud Computing providers have a difficult marketing challenge. No matter what service model or deployment model they deliver, they must differentiate their service while meeting the commodity needs of as many customers as possible. Here is a list of five categories of competitive differentiations for Cloud Computing. For buyers, these are elements to help you evaluate any service. For vendors, consider this an outline for your nest requirements document.
Article:Cloud Computing and the Big Rethink - October 2009
Cloud Computing will change the way server software is packaged, with an emphasis in lean "just enough" systems software. This means that the big, all-purpose operating system of the past will either change dramatically or disappear altogether, as the need for a "handle all corners" systems infrastructure is redistributed both up and down the execution stack. In this series James discusses why the operating system, along with most server, network, and storage virtualization is a stop-gap measure as we move to a cloud experience centered on the application user and developer.
Cloud Computing and the Big Rethink: Part 1
A response to Chris Hoff's post on the operating system and the need for the virtual machine in a cloud-centric world. James adds his own take and discusses how cloud computing will affect software architecture and why IT operations professionals need to understand that their roles and responsibilities are changing.
Cloud Computing and the Big Rethink: Part 2
An exploration of why cloud computing drives infrastructure toward homogeneity (at least within the data center) and why that is the bane of server virtualization.
Cloud Computing and the Big Rethink: Part 3
A look at things from the software layers down, getting into more detail about why applications will be created differently for the cloud than they were for servers.
Cloud Computing and the Big Rethink: Part 5
A vision of what the cloud of the future may look like when the evolution or demise of the operating system and virtual server is complete.
Article:Five Ways that Apps.gov is a Trendsetter - September 2009 Apps.gov, a federal government initiative out of the General Services Administration, demonstrates several concepts that have been the dream of many private enterprise IT departments for some time, but have been successfully executed by very few. Here are the five trends that Apps.gov demonstrates, and why you should pay attention.
Video:Clarifying Clouds: What's the Right Approach for Your Business? - September 2009
Many companies are rapidly evolving toward cloud computing, though from different starting points and not without debate as to the best direction or computing model. While internal and external clouds are based on the ownership of where the computing resources reside, two other cloud types, public and private, have more to do with control point of the cloud applications and resources. Here is a high-level breakdown on the distinctions between internal and external vs private and public clouds, and some of the benefits.
Video:James Urquhart on Cloud Computing - August 2009
Dells Cloud Computing Evangelist, Barton George, talks to James Urquhart at CloudWorld. They discuss how the conversation has changed from "What is Cloud" to questions of how to replicate some of the recent Cloud success stories. James gives examples of how businesses are reacting to cloud computing and where the biggest interest is coming from. They also discusses how the Cloud has lowered the VC capital that start-ups require to get set up and going, how internal IT needs to start realizing they are no longer delivering a product but a service, how regulatory and industry standards will be what dictates the speed of the clouds evolution and not technology, and much more.
Video:Mainstream Meanings for the Cloud - August 2009
Standardization, Simplification, and Jumping in Headfirst
At the CloudWorld event in San Francisco, panelists question whether cloud computing, quickly gaining mainstream adoption, could replace system ownership entirely. The Panel was moderated by Jeff Kaplan of THINKstrategies and the panelists included Joe Weinman of AT&T Business Solutions, Sam Charrington of Appistry, James Urquhart of Cisco Systems and the CNET Blog Network, and Timothy Chou of Ming Holdings.
Article:Three Debates that will Benefit Cloud Computing - July 2009
Cloud computing is one of those operations models that has already started to disrupt the way in which everyone consumes software. It is also starting to have an effect on the way in which people and organizations consume hardware. The tension created by disagreement and debate in the cloud computing marketplace is spurring entrepreneurs, vendors, and even individuals to become innovative. Here are the three most important examples of how disagreement is driving technology road maps industry wide.
Article:Lawyers Shine Light on Real Cloud Concerns - June 2009
Many lawyers are finding the uncertain legal and regulatory terrain of cloud computing fertile ground for new legal analysis and business. The gap between the cloud and the current state of legislation is serious. Here are a few examples of some of the issues and advancements in the cloud legal discussion.
Video: Cloud Computing from Amazon to the Intercloud - May 2009
Article:Exploring Cloud Interoperability - May 2009
Researching the interoperability standards of Cloud Computing management is the next step in an accelerating effort to unify the cloud. Everyone is getting involved, from virtualization vendors to public cloud providers to the major enterprise IT systems vendors. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
Video: The Future of Enterprise Cloud Computing - May 2009
Technology Strategist for Cisco Data Center Solutions Group, James Urquhart, discusses the future of enterprise IT in light of the increasing influence of Cloud Computing technologies and services.
Article: Has Cloud Computing Lost Its VC Luster? - March 2009
Venture Capitalists of late have been approached with start-up pitches assigning Cloud to everything from hardware to downloadable software clients. It seems that just about every pitch these days is for cloud computing, and the folks with the money are getting a bit weary of it. A big part of the problem is the unresolved definition of cloud computing.
Article:Cloud Computing Addresses Two Wholly Different Market Needs - December 2008
Scale Out and Enterprise clouds serve different purposes, often for completely different audiences, and enterprise IT organizations would do better to focus their efforts on the specific facet of cloud computing that applies to a given project.
Podcast:Overcast Show: John Willis - November 2008
James and Geva are joined by John Willis, one of the leading bloggers and podcasters on cloud computing. They discuss some of the basic cloud computing elements, including, what is a cloud? Platform-as-a-Service, Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Software-as-a-Service, Hybrid Clouds and Cloud Bursting. They also talk about whether or not the analogy between electric utilities and cloud computing is a valid one and where the two may differ.
Podcast:Overcast Show: Cloud Computing Anouncements - November 2008
James and Geva talk about Force.com and the relationship between Salesforce and Amazon Web Services. They also discuss the cooperation between RightScale and the open Source EUCALYPTUS project.
James Urquhart