First Release of Project Bletchley on Microsoft Azure Blockchain-as-a-Service
Microsoft announced the first release of Project Bletchley, which is Microsoft's approach to building a cloud-based enterprise consortium blockchain ecosystem. This first release is primarily focused on a questionnaire based automated deployment along with roadmap details for the Cryptlet middleware tier.
Amazon Kinesis Analytics is Like SaaS for Big Data Analysis
Real-time analysis of event streams has a new focus in Big Data platforms, both on-premise and in the cloud. AWS have released Amazon Kinesis Analytics, a rival to Azure StreamAnalytics. Both platforms use a simple SQL language for complex querying, and move Big Data analysis into a SaaS-like space.
Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) Gains Worldwide SMS Delivery
Amazon's Simple Notification Service (SNS) recently gained worldwide SMS delivery and can now be used in five additional Amazon Web Services (AWS) regions. AWS also added several new features such as opt-out management, direct publishing, delivery status monitoring, and spending limits.
Amazon Introduces API Gateway Usage Plans
Amazon recently updated their API Gateway service to include Usage Plans. A common pattern for companies that expose their APIs, include monetizing them through a 3rd party developer ecosystem. Usage Plans allow an organization to manage 3rd party developer consumption patterns and billing at an API key level.
SQL Server is the New Hunting Ground in the Cloud
You can now run Microsoft SQL Server on Google Cloud Platform. All the major cloud providers support SQL Server, either with an IAAS or PAAS model, but the offerings have very different feature sets. Providing an attractive option for migrating SQL Server to the cloud seems to be a new focus for Google, Amazon and Microsoft.
IBM Launches Cloud Services for Blockchain Deployments
IBM recently announced a cloud service for organizations looking to adopt blockchain technologies. The service is underpinned by the IBM LinuxONE platform which hosts a series of underlying services for blockchain processing. IBM is positioning this platform for organizations in regulated industries which require secure environments for testing and running blockchain projects.
A Sample Serverless Microservice Architecture from Autodesk
In the webcast entitled "What's Better Than Microservices? Serverless Microservices," Alan Williams (Autodesk), Asha Chakrabarty (Amazon) and Alan Ho (Apigee) discuss the architecture of a serverless microservice built with lambda functions with Apigee end-points running on AWS.
AWS Launches Application Load Balancer
Amazon Web Services has launched their new Application Load Balancer, an OSI Layer 7 balancer that can route traffic to different end-points depending a set of URL rules.
Oracle Unveils Plan to Revamp Java EE 8 for the Cloud
In a recent interview, Thomas Kurian, president of product development at Oracle, announced a set of improvements for Java EE 8. The move is believed to be designed to appease recent critics (like those coming from the Java EE Guardians) and divergent efforts (like the MicroProfile). Although the information at the moment is scarce, further details are to be unveiled at JavaOne 2016.
AWS Adds Native SQL Server Backups to Database-as-a-Service
AWS released an update to its Relational Database Service (RDS) that allows users to take advantage of native SQL Server backup and restore functionality. AWS beat Microsoft Azure to market with this capability which simplifies database migration and disaster recovery scenarios.
Azure Logic Apps Reaches General Availability
On July 27th, Microsoft announced their Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) offering, Logic Apps has reached General Availability (GA). The GA release includes additional management support, telemetry events, alerts, and consumption-based pricing. InfoQ reached out Jim Harrer, principal group program manager at Microsoft to gain further insight into this Logic Apps release.
Azure Premium Messaging Service Reaches General Availability
On July 15th, Microsoft announced the Azure Premium Messaging service has reached General Availability (GA). Premium Messaging targets customers who would like more predictable messaging performance. InfoQ reached out to Dan Rosanova, Principal Program Manager on the Azure Service Bus team for additional insight into this milestone.
Microsoft Updates High Availability Guidance for Cloud Apps
Microsoft has released an updated checklist for high-availability (HA) scenarios in Microsoft Azure with guidance on how to design and manage solutions that use VMs, websites and storage, in cases where great load is expected intermittently or consistently.
Microsoft and SAP Expand Partnership in the Cloud
Microsoft and SAP recently announced, at SAP’s SAPPHIRE NOW conference, an expanded partnership. The expanded partnership will focus on better support for SAP HANA in Azure, integration across Cloud Services including Office 365, Concur and SuccessFactors and Mobile App management for SAP Fiori using Microsoft Intune.
DigitalOcean Launches Flexible Block Storage
DigitalOcean has announced the availability of a new Block Storage service to make it possible to grow storage independently of computing power and at a more convenient price.
