by Rich KarpinskiDecember 28th, 2009
Google Voice users — not to mention the FCC, we’d imagine — are still waiting for Apple to approve Google’s submission of its Google Voice iPhone app. In the meantime, developer RiverTurn has created a browser-based approximation of an iPhone Google Voice app, dubbed VoiceCentral and now available in limited beta. (more…)
Related Topics: All Stories, Cloud Computing, Mobile Apps |
by Ed GubbinsDecember 2nd, 2009
Verizon Business (NYSE: VZ) is positioning its new cloud-computing consulting offering – which fluidly combines consultation, professional services and some of the carrier’s own managed telecom/IT services – as an open-ended best-of-breed approach. The company hopes to advise enterprises on their cloud strategies, whether based on internal or third-party infrastructure or a hybrid of the two, even when those enterprises get their cloud computing services from a competitor to Verizon – say, Savvis, Rackspace or AT&T.
“The client may want our full support or just a helping hand,” said Bruce Biesecker, senior strategist at Verizon Business. “They may want design help or other resources. Or they may just want us to provide some training and then fade out into sunset gracefully.” (more…)
Related Topics: All Stories, Cloud Computing, Global |
by Rich KarpinskiNovember 9th, 2009
Shortly after the launch by Cisco of a slew of new unified communications and collaborative technologies earlier today, I was able to touch base with a company executive for some additional insights into the service provider impact of its moves.
Cisco emphasized its long-term focus of working closely with service providers and highlighted some new products likely to be delivered with the help of operators.
But perhaps the day’s most interesting new product, a hosted e-mail offering dubbed WebEx Mail that will not only compete but emulate some of the protocols within Microsoft Exchange, will be delivered solely as a cloud service directly by Cisco — at least for the time being. (more…)
Related Topics: All Stories, Business Services, Cloud Computing, Unified Communications |
by Rich KarpinskiNovember 2nd, 2009
The unsurprising truth about new competitors pitching ‘voice 2.0′ services or angling to compete with traditional telcos is that sitting behind them and powering most of their services are … traditional, or at least “semi-traditional” (i.e., more IP-based), telephone companies.
Witness the lineup of partners supporting Google Voice, Google’s find-me-follow-me-help-me-manage-my-calls service, which according to docs filed with the FCC (and reported by Business Week) includes:
Level 3 Communications, Global Crossing, Broadvox Communications, Bandwidth.com, Pac-West Telecomm, IBasis, Neustar and Syniverse Technologies.
It’s not so easy to recreate the telephone network, is it? (more…)
Related Topics: All Stories, Cloud Computing, Mobile Apps, Residential Services, Service Delivery, VoIP |
by Rich KarpinskiOctober 30th, 2009
The funny thing about the Web and content industry’s haranguing for “network” neutrality is that — despite its “don’t be evil” guiding principle — Google is as well positioned as any company to wield its power in less than neutral ways. (more…)
Related Topics: All Stories, Cloud Computing, Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC), Mobile Apps |
by Rich KarpinskiOctober 14th, 2009
If you’ve ever had a PC crash, you know how painful it is to lose personal data. Most times, you have only yourself to blame for not backing up your data properly.But what if the entity to blame should know better – for instance, the provider of a cloud computing service? Just how much blame, and recrimination, should there be to go around? (more…)
Related Topics: All Stories, Cloud Computing |
by Rich KarpinskiOctober 1st, 2009
Yesterday, we ran a story on a Yankee Group survey showing that the economy had slowed many companies plans to adopt so-called cloud computing efforts. Oracle’s outspoken boss Larry Ellison has also been pounding the approach, dubbing it “water vapor” in one report. But there’s some proof of momentum and growth as well.
(more…)
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by Kevin FitchardSeptember 24th, 2009
Vodafone (NYSE:VOD) is puttingthe LiMo Foundations Linux-based operating system at the heart of its new social-networking centric mobile Internet portal, called 360, and plans to bring the phones and service to most of its global subsidaries this year and next. The big exception is Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ, NYSE:VOD), which tends to go its own way anyhow. But while VZW may not be participating in Vodafone’s global cloud applications extraveganza, it is still following its lead on the device. (more…)
Related Topics: 3G/4G, All Stories, Cloud Computing, Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC), Global, Mobile Apps, Service Delivery, Wireless |
by Rich KarpinskiSeptember 3rd, 2009
So Google’s GMail service was down yesterday, apparently due to some architectural issues that failed to isolate failed routers correctly. That follows major outages in February and May. Just ask a telco, a few hours of outages per month can very quickly not a few “nines” off your “ive-nines” uptime guarantees.
That’s not to say that everything is rosy in carrier-land, either. (more…)
Related Topics: All Stories, Cloud Computing, Residential Services, Service Delivery |
by Rich KarpinskiSeptember 2nd, 2009
If you work on a Mac, you probably are familiar with Parallels, the company and software that lets Mac users run the Windows operating system and applications in so-called “virtualized” fashion. In recent weeks, the privately-held Parallels announced a new app to help making a Windows-to-Mac switch easier and another update helping users run Windows and Linux side-by-side.
But for all the attention the vendor’s desktop virtualization business gets — including its success fueling visions of a possible IPO sometime soon – Parallels also does a healthy business providing hosting companies, including telecom service providers, with an industrial strength platform for automating, virtualizing and provisioning managed services and new cloud computing applications.
(more…)
Related Topics: All Stories, Business Services, Cloud Computing |
