Thursday, June 30, 2011

Cloud Computing – Use Cases & Best Practices

Cloud Computing is one of the hotspot gaining more momentum in the tech world, but still the users are not much familiar about how to leverage them in their day-to-day businesses in improving productivity, utilization and profitability. 

ZSL is hosting a live webinar “Cloud Computing – Use Cases & Best Practices” on June 30, 12 PM EST. Join ZSL to learn

  1. The best practices and guidelines involved in creating Cloud-based IT environment.
  2. Things to be considered when migrating to cloud platform.
  3. How to improve your KPIs with cloud applications.
    Webinar Details

    Date: Jun 30, 2011
    Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (Eastern Time)
    Hosted By: Sugalya Murugesan (ZSL)
    Presented By: Naveen Noel (ZSL)

    Tuesday, June 28, 2011

    Learn ABC again - Analytics and Business Intelligence on Cloud (ABC)


    Join ZSL for a live webcast “Learn ABC again - Analytics and Business intelligence on Cloud (ABC)” on June 29, 11 AM ET. During the session, ZSL will uncover

    1. the latest trends, challenges and success criteria governing around Business Intelligence & Analytics on Cloud
    2. how to transform your existing data into business critical information when your organization deals with dearth of data warehousing facilities
    3. how to empower productivity of your business users to beat competition with simplified BI techniques that can work with Business Objects®, Cognos®, MicroStrategy® and any other business intelligence software

      Monday, June 27, 2011

      Basic Guidelines for Developing Mobile Healthcare Applications

      By,

      Yuva Raj
      Head – IDEA Lab (R&D Division)
      ZSL


      It’s Apple that transformed the way we think about Mobile devices and its usage, when Apple launched iPhone in 2007. Other players like RIM, Google (Android) and Microsoft started adopting the changes quickly for their survival in mobile space. Apple made almost all the industry to look at the revolutionized innovation a smartphone can deliver and help the business growth irrespective of the industry.

      Comparing to other industry adoption to new technologies, healthcare and pharma industry realized about the latest technological adoption during later years between 2000 and 2010. Now it’s the Healthcare and Pharma Industry keeping itself in the edge of all emerging technology. According to various study, it’s going to consume reasonable amount of investment for developing efficient Mobile Healthcare application in coming years!

      There are various healthcare sectors looking for comprehensive Mobile application for various purposes that include EMR Data Intelligence & Reporting, Monitoring, Scheduling, Payments, Accounting, Tracking and what not!

      So it will be appropriate for me to discuss about few key factors that any healthcare Mobile application designer or developer or an organization to consider while developing Mobile Applications for life saving industry – Healthcare.

      For any healthcare application, security and compliance goes hand in hand for its essentiality to adopt all healthcare compliances and regulations include HIPAA, HITECH, ITRF Regulation or PCI/PHI compliances. It is absolutely essential that the Mobile application should follow the compliance and regulations base on the Healthcare sector the application will be used. The designer or developer should consider how securely the data is transmitted between end-points, and how securely the data are used. Have to think about how to secure the critical information during unlike events such as the if device is being stolen, hacked or reached wrong hands. Have to apply efficient encryption technologies, authorization and authentications.

      It’s good and smart way to develop Mobile Healthcare Application that supports variety of Mobile Platform, so that the users need not stick to any specific device and they will be free to choose the right device for their need and purpose. It will help the solution providers to implement the solution to the hospitals, clinics or pharmacy without insisting on the device change or force to get the device that the application supports.

      Other critical factors we should keep in mind while designing or developing Mobile Application (this factors are not only for Healthcare Application, it applicable for all Mobile Application developments)

      1. Bandwidth – the application designer/developer should design the application assuming that the radio signal is often be lower bandwidth.
      2. Memory – though the mobile devices started having good memory sizes, still it is not close to PC or Laptop, so the mobile application should not be a heavy lifter!
      3. Energy – the designer or the developer should avoid programming the application in such a way that certain activities should not increase battery energy usage and reduce battery life. For example an activity that transmits the geo-location very often will drain the battery soon.
      4. Data Transmission – Mobile network cost is based on the volume of data we transmit, so the application should be designed and developed in such a way it doesn’t transmit the same data every time it connects with back end systems or vice versa.
      5. Presentation & User-Friendly – the mobile application screen design should be simple, clear and clean, avoid cumbersome texts and inputs. Consider right size text, buttons and controls as most of the operations are trigger by figure touch on the screens. Have to consider screen-size of the device the application is developed for!
      6. Certainly any automated application should reduce manual error and not different for Mobile Healthcare applications as well. A study points that CPOE & Medication Administration Application reduced manual errors up to 38% and 55% respectively.
      7. The Mobile Healthcare Application should help increase employee productively & efficiency, and enable the care taker or Medical Practitioner to take care of more patients. A study indicates EHR increased employee productivity up to 24%. According to a private study, a good Mobile Health Care application saves average of 39 mins for Health Care employees to provide more time to patient care.
      8. Eventually the performance of the application should increase customer/healthcare provider satisfaction and serve more patients.
      9. It’s obvious that the Mobile Healthcare Application should reduce labor cost by automating the manual process; rather it should force the customer to increase the labor to handle and manage the application exclusively to make it work.
      10. And we can’t certainly ignore the fact that the success of these Mobile Healthcare solutions requires a holistic and integrated approach; capable to integrate with heterogeneous systems or application.
        I would like to conclude this article with an interesting fact – by 2015 more than one third of 1.4 billion smartphone users will use at least one Mobile HealthCare Applications. Having the right Mobile Healthcare application will enable us to play an important role in this space.

        Wednesday, June 22, 2011

        ZSL Won the Talkin' Cloud TC 50 Award for 2011 - Top Cloud Computing Service Provider



        

        ZSL has landed on Nine Lives Media Inc.’s first-ever Talkin’ Cloud 50, a unique list and free research report identifying the world’s top 50 VARs, MSPs and IT service providers in cloud computing.


        The Talkin’ Cloud 50 report, available at http://www.talkincloud.com/biz-talk/talkin-cloud-50/, is based on data from Talkin’ Cloud’s online survey, completed in March 2011. The resulting report, overseen by Editorial Director Joe Panettieri, recognizes top VARs and MSPs in the cloud based on cloud-centric revenues, applications offered, users supported, and additional variables. The report also includes new classes of channel partners, including cloud service providers (CSPs), cloud aggregators and cloud brokers.


        “Nine Lives Media Inc. and Talkin’ Cloud congratulate ZSL for their leadership role in cloud computing,” said Amy Katz, CEO of Nine Lives Media Inc. “It’s a great to see the channel stepping to the forefront of cloud computing.”


        “If you tune out the hype and look at the facts it’s clear that the cloud is real,” added Panettieri. “The Talkin’ Cloud 50 companies saw their annual cloud revenues grow nearly 50 percent on average. And they typical company on the list generated at least $6 million in cloud revenues -- a healthy figure considering the market is just getting started.”


        Talkin’ Cloud (Talkincloud), owned by Nine Lives Media Inc. (NineLivesMediaInc), covers the convergence of cloud computing and the channel. The site combines a video blog, daily news analysis, timely insights and forum chatter (beta) for VARs, MSPs, cloud service providers, cloud aggregators and cloud brokers navigating cloud computing.


         

        ZSL (Zylog Systems) Presents at EuroCloud Congress 2011 and ICT Innovation Leadership 2011 conference, Luxembourg, June 27-29,2011




        Every year, the leaders of the European cloud industry gather together at the EuroCloud congress, to be held in Luxembourg this June 27-28 2011.

        This unique two-day event is fully dedicated to the European cloud computing sector. It is the place to meet with business leaders, policy makers and researchers engaged in cloud computing and applications from across Europe. It will examine the industry best practices and standards, role that political, industrial and economic policy can play in cloud's successful growth and global impact. Click here to learn more.




        ICT Spring is a worldwide two days event in the heart of Europe which brings together more than 1,500 Information and Communication Technology(ICT) executives from Europe, America, Africa and Asia.

        ICT spring focuses on INNOVATION and its lifecycle.

        ICT key markets’ latest available revolutions will be unveiled: social networks, mobile trends, security, applications, data centers, e-commerce… And the upcoming ICT topics will be discussed : more than 140 demos of 10’ and 4 keynotes and panels in plenary sessions. Click here to learn more.

        Monday, June 20, 2011

        ZSL Named to Everything Channel’s VAR500 List

        17th Annual List Ranks North America’s Top 500 Technology Integrators

        ZSL, the Global Systems Integrator, NJ, today announced it has been recognized by everything Channel as a part of CRN’s 2011 VAR500 list, which ranks the top technology integrators in North America. Featuring the highest producing technology integrators and solution provider organizations in the IT channel, the VAR500 rankings consider earnings from hardware sales, software sales and managed IT services. ZSL placed 74 in the 17th annual ranking.

        The VAR500 is a list of the largest value-added resellers, solution providers and integrators in North America by revenue size. Revenue size is determined by the amount of annual products and services sold over the course of 2010.

        ZSL is a front runner in adopting new technologies and delivering market specialized solutions aligned to the industry needs and evolving technology trends. The novelty and uniqueness is concocted from its dedicated business technology innovation effort and commitment to explore the market advancements and concurring its solutions and services to customer expectations and time-to-market necessities.

        “We are much honored to be on the Top Solutions provider list for the 7th consecutive year. This came from the continuous innovation and the differentiation we brought in addressing the market needs and solving customer pain points using the emerging technology platforms and with our co-innovation success that we had with our partners,” says Shiv Kumar, executive vice president, ZSL. “This recognition will bolster our collaborative peer-to-peer business development solution delivery process.”

        “The VAR500 represents the top performing solution providers in the IT community,” said Kelley Damore, VP, Editorial Director, Everything Channel. “Vendors of all sizes rely heavily on the VAR500 list to find those solution providers best suited to sell their products. VAR500 honorees are considered trusted business advisors, integration experts, and invaluable partners. Even more importantly, they solve customers’ biggest IT business problems through product integration, training, consulting and services.”


        VAR500 Executive Conference and Awards
        The 2011 VAR500 list was announced at the VAR500 Executive Conference and Awards, an elite two-day conference designed for high level executives to meet with VAR500 companies to discuss business models, technology offerings, and partnerships. Held June 13-14 at the Sawgrass Marriot in Jacksonville, Florida, the conference focused on channel marketing strategies and direction, offering actionable content to the top Solution Provider organizations in North America. Attendees learned the secrets for uncovering new market opportunities from industry experts, peers and fellow VAR500 companies. A sample of the VAR500 list will be published in print and online at CRN.com on June 20, 2011.


        Everything Channel
        Everything Channel is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With over 30 years of experience and engagement, Everything Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. Everything Channel is a UBM company. To learn more about Everything Channel, visit us at Everything Channel.


        About United Business Media Limited
        UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetization of B2B communities and markets. UBM’s businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists – with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

        Friday, June 17, 2011

        Foundational Understanding of Cloud Computing

        Near universal agreement exists that cloud computing is the Web-based delivery of a service that provides extensible, elastic, and multi-tenant access to computing resources. The definition gets fuzzy from there. What does it mean to be “elastic” or “extensible”? Some groups include “ease of use” or “ease of deployment” in their definitions, but these are subjective measures. And, of course, simple definitions tend to breakdown when actual services are tied to them. A Web-based customer relationship management (CRM) solution such as Salesforce.com is generally considered a staple in the cloud computing portfolio, but is a search engine such as Google or Microsoft’s Bing? Web-based email services such as Hotmail and Yahoo are part of cloud computing, but are emails delivered to a remote client over an SSL or HTTPS connection from an on-premise Microsoft Exchange server also a part of the cloud computing universe?


        A good starting point for defining cloud computing is the definition crafted by NIST. The government research and standard setting agency admits that its definition is fluid and subject to change. However, the NIST definition4, now in its fifteenth iteration, provides clear tenets for what constitutes the basics of cloud computing as a technology and delivery mechanism. The NIST definition is:


        Cloud Computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics (on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service), three service models (software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service), and four deployment models (private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, and hybrid cloud).


        As an addendum, NIST makes the following note about the nature of cloud computing:


        Cloud software takes full advantage of the cloud paradigm by being service oriented with a focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.


        In other words, cloud computing isn’t necessarily proprietary and should have near universal interoperability and communications channels to ensure access to and usability of data.


        The CompTIA Cloud/SaaS Community concurs with NIST’s definition, adding that cloud computing applications, platforms, and infrastructures should guarantee interoperability of solutions, openness in standards, accessibility to resources and data, and portability to different service providers. In our opinion, this openness is necessary for ensuring the sustained adoption and growth of cloud computing by assuring optimal business value to customers.


        Bearing the NIST definition in mind, it is helpful to think of cloud computing broadly in two layers: (1) applications and services that encompass packaged cloud apps (SaaS— Software as a Service) and custom cloud apps (developed on PaaS—Platform as a Service), and, (2) the shared network, server, storage, and security resources that constitute IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service).


        Read What Cloud Computing Isn’t in our next blog.

        Wednesday, June 8, 2011

        Collaboration: Peer-to-Peer Partnership for Growth

        Cloud computing - A transformative delivery model
        Cloud computing is a transformative delivery model that is changing the way technology vendors, distributors, resellers, and consumers think about, approach, and implement IT systems. What exactly “the cloud” is remains a matter of debate, as there are more than two dozen definitions for cloud computing. Further, how the cloud is applied to the conventional IT channel is relatively uncharted. In this paper, the CompTIA Cloud/SaaS Community will provide basic definitions and core characteristics for cloud computing, and put those definitions into a channel context. The paper is a foundational document designed to give the channel community a baseline reference for describing cloud computing and how it fits with the various constituencies that comprise the channel.

        Situation Assessment
        Escaping the cloud is almost impossible. Cloud computing—or the delivery of application, platform, and infrastructure via the Internet1 as a service—is transforming the way technology vendors produce and distribute their products, as well as the way enterprises and SMB organizations consume technology. The cloud revolution is more than just “webifying” applications. It is a fundamental shift to a new IT architecture grounded in broad availability, multi-tenancy, shared resources, and dynamic capacity. It’s about changing the entire cost structure of technology from a capital expense to a recurring operational expense. And it’s making technology more accessible, productive, and affordable. And that is driving its rapid adoption.

        Cloud computing has morphed from a relatively limited set of Web-based services to a full gamut of business products and models. According to analyst firm Gartner, the cloud computing marketplace will grow from $46.4 billion in 2008 to more than $150 billion by 2013. Gartner predicts that 20 percent of all businesses will own no IT infrastructure by 2012 as they will have been completely transformed into near-total cloud consumers. The hype around cloud computing continues to escalate, making it increasingly difficult to separate the marketing buzz from the true implementations of technology and services via the Internet. Nearly any application or service remotely attached to the Internet is now taking on the cloud as both a descriptor and value proposition. No wonder that 59 percent of end users and 64 percent of the channel say that cloud computing needs clearer definitions, according to a new CompTIA study.

        Defining cloud computing is more than an academic exercise; it’s a matter of drafting parameters of understanding among marketplace constituents that produce, support, and consume cloud-based services. Creating this shared business and technical vocabulary helps promote effective commerce among all entities in the cloud computing supply chain. Through clear and concise definitions, producers and consumers of services can develop business strategies, implementation plans, business models, and performance metrics for maximizing the potential of a revolutionary delivery system.

        Numerous, often competing definitions for cloud computing exist. Most do a fine job of framing what many consider the core tenants of cloud computing, yet only 24 percent of end users and 29 percent of the channel believe the existing definitions are sufficient.

        And even these constituents say that the existing definitions are not consistent, according to the CompTIA study. The leading and most generally accepted definition is the one developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which provides for the essential elements and characteristics of the medium. However, many vendors and solution providers believe there is an opportunity to extend the NIST definition by incorporating the unique needs of the IT reseller and services channel into the model.

        The CompTIA Cloud/SaaS Community will affirm the NIST cloud computing definition and extend it to include critical considerations for the channel community. Through these contextualized definitions, we aim to provide the entire channel with a common foundation for framing cloud computing discussions and messaging, business planning and modeling, and sales and marketing execution.

        Read Foundational Understanding of Cloud Computing in our next blog.

        Tuesday, June 7, 2011

        Watch the Recorded Webcast on Need of the hour…… ZSL’s Performance Testing Framework

        Watch the Recorded Webcast on Need of the hour…… ZSL’s Performance Testing Framework

        Presenters : Mohan Shankar, ZSL
        Head of ZSL Validation Services Practice

        Watch the Recorded Webcast on Social CRM – Making Your Social Network to Work for You

        Watch the Recorded Webcast on Social CRM - Making Your Social Network to Work for You

        Presenters: Yuva Raj, Head - IDEA Lab (R&D Division), ZSL