In the Fall 2011 issue of IT in Europe, Manek Dubash explores how open-source storage could be the key to breaking the chains of vendor lock-in. 

Named as one of Storage magazine’s “Hot Technologies for 2011”, automated storage tiering is an effective way to make efficient use of installed data storage resources, and to take advantage of the high performance of solid-state storage. 

This report from Capgemini, shows how organisations can navigate around ‘cloud confusion’  from suppliers pushing products rather than business solutions. 

This paper from Quocirca outlines the need for Managed Print Services (MPS)  and why organisations that are operating a heterogeneous print environment should consider an independent MPS provider to proactively manage and transform their print infrastructure. 

The struggles disaster recovery (DR) may soon be in your rearview mirror, thanks to the power of virtualization. In the April 2011 cover story of Storage magazine, Lauren Whitehouse highlights the benefits of using virtualization for DR and provides tips for how to integrate these technologies into your own strategy. 

The value of the IT market for smart cities globally is approximately $35bn, according to this in depth analysis from Ovum. 

This analyst report from Freeform Dynamics gives helpful advice for companies embarking on Desktop Virtualisation projects. 

<p>To enjoy the flexibility and resource savings of a private cloud, you need to know where to begin with building one. In this issue of <em>Cloud Development Digest, </em>find best practices and expert recommendations for implementing a private cloud.</p> 

This report from the Corporate Executive Board, based on extensive research with Chief Information Security Officers, identifies the top 10 security imperatives for 2012. 

Download the Service-Oriented Cloud Computing Infrastructure (SOCCI) Framework from the Open Group. 

Download the Open Group Service-Oriented Architecture reference architecture. 

Colin Rees, IT Director at Domino’s Pizza explains how a project to move the company data centre into the cloud has transformed its online business. 

Josko Grljevic, IS Director of thetrainline.com, explains how he cut its IT costs dramatically by virtualising its data centre and moving IT services into the cloud.