The Frugal Networker

Chris Dotson and I discuss IBM Cloud solutions for small and medium-sized businesses including security concerns, costs, advantages and gotchas.

Chris Dotson is currently the Worldwide Infrastructure Architect for Infrastructure and Provisioning Requirements in the IBM CIO office. In this role, Chris is involved in many different cloud initiatives in IBM, with a specific focus on cloud security. Prior to that, Chris was the lead architect for the IBM CIO Dev/Test Cloud, an internal private cloud within IBM created in 2009 that provides infrastructure services to developers and testers. Chris currently holds twelve professional certifications, including the Open Group Master Certified IT Architect certification.

To register for Chris’ upcoming webcast discussed in the podcast, go to the Registration URL.
Date/Time: Dec 13 1:00 pm Eastern.

As the industry prepares to turn the page on another year, Chris looks ahead at the trends that he believes will dominate the landscape in 2013. They include:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) will mature with a greater focus on service level agreements. This development will draw more providers in the market and increased choice. We’ll buy services the same way we buy cars. We’ll specify exactly what we need for mileage, cargo capacity and performance – and expect providers to deliver.

The year of Platform as a Service (PaaS). IaaS can be somewhat difficult to use, but PaaS promises to provide popular services without all the complexity and customization. Research indicates that PaaS is about to break out, and 2013 could be the year.

Get API-Happy. It’s cool that people can provision their own services, but the real promise of cloud is realized when applications can do the same thing. The programmableweb.com application program interface (API) directory has doubled in size in the last year, and there’s plenty of growth still to come. Learn what to look for in the coming year.

Standards Mature. While many IaaS providers have settled on the Amazon APIs, there’s very little standardization in the PaaS market. Expect to see a lot more standards activity in this area in 2013, which will translate into better and more flexible services.

That’s just the beginning. Learn more about where the cloud market is headed in this provocative and interactive webcast. Come ready to ask your own questions as Chris looks into his crystal ball at Cloud Outlook 2013.

Chris Dotson IBM Cloud Solutions for SMBs Discussion

Podcast: MP3 Format. 32:02 min. Rated G for all audiences.

This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.