What's the best way to plan for and estimate the ROI of a virtualization project? Find out in this article.

Written by Mickey Iqbal, Dr. Mithkal Smadi, Chris Molloy, Jim Rymarczyk

Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from the book IT Virtualization Best Practices, published by MC Press.

Virtualizing IT resources can lead to savings of over 50 percent in hardware, maintenance, and energy costs in a data center. The transitional cost of virtualizing large-scale IT infrastructures is hard to estimate, however. If not planned correctly, it can often outweigh the benefits of virtualization for several years. This chapter outlines a "divide and conquer" approach to planning and cost estimation for virtualization transformations. This enables an organization to plan and execute complex virtualization transformations while maximizing its return on investment (ROI) within a favorable payback period.

Learn how to create a roadmap to a hosted IBM i cloud.

Written by Symmetry Corp.

Editor's Note: The following article is an extract from the white paper "Driving IT Value from the Cloud—Creating a Five Phase Roadmap to a Hosted IBM i Cloud" available for download free from the MC White Paper Center.

For many IT departments, recent years have seen a shift in focus. Limited resources have left staff spending more time and effort maintaining old systems while project work remains on hold, often to the detriment of the entire business. IT directors are faced with the challenge of transforming their departments from a perceived cost center back to a value add, an innovation powerhouse that contributes to the organization's success.

Let's examine financial software's role in maximizing IT investments in the cloud era.

Written by Steve Pugh

Organizations are steadily increasing their adoption of cloud applications, using both public (multi-tenant) and private clouds. The cloud can offer a variety of compelling advantages over the traditional on-premise computing model, including the following:

Leveraging cloud platforms where they make the most sense is a matter of careful evaluation as well as proper migration.

Written by Vision Solutions, Inc.

Editor's Note: The following article is taken from the publication, Business Continuity Today Ch. 11: Is the Cloud Right for You? available for download free from the MC Press White Paper Center.

Many concepts in modern technology evolve so quickly that those involved in the creation of the technologies may not even notice that a new platform has been born out of their work. The cloud is such a platform. What started years ago in the field of hypervisor-based virtualization technologies is evolving into the ability to produce computer resources, in multiple physical locations, that act as if they were part of the local network that end-users and middleware applications are attached to.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is trying to help.

Written by Todd Thibodeaux

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 and may ultimately prove difficult to pin down.

Services and hardware complement each other to get enterprises up and running in a cloud environment.

Written by Chris Smith

Stephen King wrote a short novel called The Mist about New Englanders trapped in a supermarket enshrouded in fog that hides dangerous creatures. I can't help but think of this story when I read IBM literature about the cloud.

Through a new set of APIs, Intuit has found a way to offer up any SaaS application.

Written by Chris Smith

It's interesting that certain software companies like Oracle are trying to get into the hardware business, while companies such as IBM,  already in the hardware and software business, are now introducing a series of "appliances" that allow them to sell both hardware and software. There are companies, however, that are simply focusing on what their customers need, which is a more efficient way to run their businesses.

Cloud computing is becoming wildly popular. But is it right for your company?

Written by Vineet Jain

"Cloud computing" has become the latest new "buzz" in the IT world. Old technology is being positioned as "cloud-enabled," and new solutions are popping up as the vanguards of cloud computing. A cloud has been used as a metaphor for the Internet for as long as anyone can remember. However, when the word "computing" is added to "cloud," it takes on a whole new meaning.

In a very broad sense, cloud computing refers to the complete access of resources or computing outside of the local firewall. In a more narrow interpretation, however, cloud computing is the distribution of specific applications and services from dedicated Internet-based virtual servers.