This is not the first time that I have spoken out about cloud computing (internet based, or the Internet of Things and the way they are impacting the ability to secure a network. It is also not going to be the last. Simply put, the concept that everything needs to be controlled by a computer and talk back to some sort of internet based cloud show a level of ignorance that should not still be out there. Sadly it is and companies are still trying to push the cloud and connected device mentality despite the inherent and known security flaws that exist.

The idea of the “cloud” is nothing new and has, in fact, been around for a number of years in one form or another. The concept goes back to the use of small “dumb” terminals that were nothing more than display devices for com putting done in a central location. After it became possible to put more power into the systems we used the cloud faded into the back ground. With the production of mobile devices that did not typically have the same power and capacity as a desktop the cloud returned. It had a major resurgence when the smartphone and tablet leaped onto the scene and now it seems that everything is trying to become cloud based; including gaming.

Cisco has made the decision to dive even deeper into the cloud with a $1 Billion investment in cloud services. The money will be spent over the course of the next two years and is earmarked to build infrastructure services similar to Amazon Web Services and Microsoft’s Azure. Over the past few years Cisco has been investing more heavily into cloud services and even bought a cloud networking company (Meraki) with the intent of integrating some of their cloud management technologies into future Cisco products. In the long run this is a financially smart move as cloud services can represent a sustainable revenue stream and also allow Cisco (or another business) to reach new markets and customers they might not have access to. It also gives existing customers an option to utilize a “trusted” partner for something they might be considering, but not willing to move on due to not having a vendor they like.

Office 365 Personal is a new and cheaper version of the Microsoft Office subscription package. This edition is intended for individual home users. Suggested retail price is $69,99 per year, but monthly subscription will also be available.

IBM has announced that they will take over Cloudant, specialized in services related to the database based in the “cloud”. Developers of mobile and Internet applications can use Cloudant's non-relational systems for managing databases used for storing large amounts of complex unstructured data.

Microsoft has decided to add more space for storage users of Office 365 and SharePoint Pro SkyDrive service. Initial 7 GB Microsoft upgraded to 25 GB of storage space , which can be further expanded to a maximum of 100 GB. The 7 GB limit of free storage on SkyDrive was determined based on the behavior of 99.94% of their users.

“I will speak slow so that those of you with PhDs in the room can understand.” – Doug Carlin, “Deja Vu,” Touchstone Pictures, 2006

Having been around the software industry from the earliest PC days (and before) it is interesting to see the companies come full circle and the uproar that is surrounding the latest announcements that software would be on a subscription basis.

Much of the furor comes out of a very basic misconception … that you pay once and you “own” the software.

Unfortunately, that tells me that few people really read their license agreements.

Microsoft is making a rapid about face on their DRM AND use game policies. Despite their original statements that people should get an Xbox 360 if they want to play offline they are now removing the 24-hout check in period for disk based games. They are also removing the restrictions they had in place for trading and selling used games. Microsoft is claiming that they did this due to user feedback, but for some reason we think it was more about Sony’s announcement and the way gamers shifted loyalties so fast.

AMD kicked an interesting product out the door today in the form of their Operton X-Series APU SoC. You might remember that the possibility of this APU was leaked a while ago by an inadvertent inclusion on a slide showing the Operton X logo. Everyone knew this was going to fold over into an x86 APU based SoC and the launch was just a matter of time. Now the lid is off and we can talk about the Opteron X (Kyoto) and where AMD sees this new product in their server business and in the market as a whole.

Google Apps ,The combination of Google cloud applications intended for group working under a user's domain,  has so far been available to users as both a free (Google Apps Standard Edition) and commercial variety (Google Apps for Business). Google has now decided to put an end to this so they canceled the free option. Individuals can still open up free Google App accounts, but you simply cannot setup one and attach it to a registerd domain name any more, at least not without paying.