Spotify opens up on choosing Google Cloud for its cloud migration

Spotify is one of Google Cloud's cornerstone customers, representing a step change towards Google's enterprise ambitions. It is also a lucrative one. In its IPO filing in 2018, Spotify revealed it was paying Google €365 million across three years to do so - which equates to just over €10m (£8.78m) per month.

But what is behind those figures? A new podcast from Spotify has shed light on how the company chose Google Cloud for its migration, as well as pain points and...

8 April 2021 | Architecture

AXELOS: How to get the most out of the ITIL 4 framework

The ITIL framework - the acronym being retained from its former description of Information Technology Infrastructure Library - is focused on aligning IT services with the needs of businesses, including activities such as IT service management (ITSM) and IT asset management (ITAM).

Since 2013, it has been owned by AXELOS, a joint venture between Capita and the UK Cabinet Office. As the company puts it, its role is to be 'responsible for developing, enhancing and promoting a number...

7 April 2021 | Enterprise

Danielle Royston, TelcoDR: On buying Ericsson’s MWC stand and the public cloud-telco opportunity

A curious announcement hit the wires from the GSMA on March 12. "GSMA introduces TelcoDR, the public cloud transformation specialist, as one of the largest exhibitors by floor space at MWC Barcelona 2021," it ran.

The upshot? Ericsson had pulled out of this year's jamboree - to be held this year at the end of June - and TelcoDR has taken its place. But who is TelcoDR?

The clue is in the initials. Former Optiva chief executive Danielle Royston, known to associates as...

1 April 2021 | Enterprise

Cloud service revenue ‘finally dwarfs’ enterprise data centre spending in 2020

2020 saw enterprise spending on cloud infrastructure services 'dwarf' that of data centre hardware and software, according to the latest note from Synergy Research.

Enterprise cloud infrastructure spend continued to 'ramp up aggressively' last year - in part driven by the need for remote working with the Covid-19 pandemic - to hit almost $130 billion (£93.3bn). In comparison, enterprise spending on data centre hardware and software fell by 6%, to less than $90bn.

2019...

19 March 2021 | Data Centres

Spotlight: How hyperscaler clouds and telecom operators are collaborating for 5G

5G is clearly a new revolution which supports various new technologies - autonomous cars, augmented and virtual reality - by providing low latency and higher bandwidth on the network. For the first time, with 5G, telecom network workloads are shifted to cloud and becoming the service-based architecture (SBA) where network will be used to push services to subscribers. Additionally, edge clouds are being introduced which further extends 5G capabilities and delivers faster, reliable services...

2 March 2021 | Applications

Featured: CloudTech’s list of innovative cloud companies to watch in 2021

Featured 2020 was a fascinating year for cloud technologies. The Covid-19 pandemic forced remote working initiatives which accelerated demand for cloud software and infrastructure. 2021 is going to be about taking advantage of the opportunities which have arisen, with multi-cloud and hybrid cloud to the fore.

As Andrew Brown, general manager EMEA for IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software wrote for this publication last month, while 2021's exact playout is unknown, the company "expects...

17 February 2021 | Applications

How to formulate and implement a cloud management strategy: A guide

“If you have not developed a cloud-first strategy yet, you are likely falling behind your competitors.” This was the long and short of a Gartner survey on the worldwide spend on cloud applications and infrastructure, as affirmed by Elias Khnaser, VP analyst at the firm.

Cloud services are increasingly replacing stand-alone or on-premises data center technology at companies across industries or sectors. Affordable public cloud services from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have...

29 January 2021 | Applications

Telco cloud revisited: How 5G core and edge networks are proving key

Analysis Incumbent telecom service providers are consumed by the ongoing quest for substantive new revenue opportunities, beyond the delivery of internet access via wired and wireless broadband infrastructure. The leaders have long held the belief that value-added offerings were the key to sustainable growth.

Once again, that quest has led them to explore potential upside opportunities within the cloud computing arena. Global telco cloud computing revenue is now forecast to reach...

14 December 2020 | Enterprise

How MSPs have coped during the Covid-19 pandemic – and what they need to assess going forward

When the pandemic first hit earlier this year, nobody could have foreseen that we would be in lockdown again by November. With no signs of slowing down, the global health crisis is continuing to create challenges for businesses everywhere, but perhaps the biggest shock was the initial closing of offices when the UK was first told to work from home.

Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were unprepared, scrambling to set up remote network access, cloud applications and the...

23 November 2020 | Case Studies

Alibaba Cloud posts $2.2bn revenues as company says growth is still early

Alibaba Cloud has posted revenues of $2.2 billion (£1.67bn) for its most recent quarter - with group CEO Daniel Zhang saying the cloud business is still in an 'early stage of growth.'

The retail giant's cloud computing arm saw year on year growth of 60%, with the company adding its predominant growth was in customers from the internet, finance and retail industries.

Speaking to analysts following the announcement, Zhang noted the company's previous assertion, on...

9 November 2020 | Alibaba Cloud