Cloud News: OnApp Extends its IaaS Platform

VMware vCloud Hybrid receives a HIPAA asessment, HyTrust acquires HighCloud Security, OnApp extends its IaaS platform to external hosts, and GenieDB launches an online management console for geo-distributed MySQL databases.

OnApp extends IaaS platform.  OnApp announced the general availability of the latest version of its Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform for hosts, telcos and MSPs. The new version of OnApp extends the scope of IaaS beyond public and private cloud to include bare metal servers and Smart Servers – a new server type that combines cloud automation with the performance of dedicated hardware. It also introduces Recipes and Blueprints, two new ways for service providers to automate the deployment and customization of servers, applications and complete application stacks. With OnApp, service providers can make more efficient use of their infrastructure as a single pool of resource that can be provisioned at will, to suit a wide range of customer workloads. “What we call ‘cloud’ today is really about abstracting applications away from the infrastructure, and it’s that abstraction that brings the value people look for when they move workloads to the cloud,” said OnApp CEO, Ditlev Bredahl. “That’s what enables automatic scaling, and failover, and self-service provisioning. Bringing dedicated servers into this environment, and extending cloud automation to other types of infrastructure, is the next logical step."

HyTrust acquires HighCloud Security.  Cloud automation provider HyTrust announced that it has acquired HighCloud Security, a leader in cloud encryption and key management software. By combining HyTrust’s powerful administrative visibility and control with HighCloud’s strengths in encryption and key management, the acquisition offers customers of both companies an unprecedented level of flexibility in addressing security, compliance and data privacy requirements in in all cloud environments—private, public and hybrid. The combined offering from HyTrust and HighCloud enables ‘cloaked’ private, hybrid and public clouds and helps address three of the primary security concerns in cloud environments - a broad level of access available to privileged users with malicious intent, breaches, and challenges involved in maintaining the security and privacy of the data itself. “With the increasing prevalence of data breaches, leaks of classified information by insiders, and surveillance in the cloud, data security and privacy are more important than perhaps ever before,” said HyTrust CEO John De Santis. “Cloud computing in all its forms has become the top technology priority for every enterprise, and that’s why we’ve quadrupled our growth at HyTrust in just the past year. By bringing HighCloud Security’s market-leading technologies into the HyTrust family of solutions, we can take to market the strongest protection for virtualized cloud infrastructure available anywhere.”

VMware vCloud Hybrid to help meet HIPAA requirements.  VMware (VMW) announced Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) assessments and attestation for VMware vCloud Hybrid Service, and VMware is now providing HIPAA Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) to customers. BrightLine CPAs & Associates recently completed VMware's assessment against the relevant HIPAA / Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). The auditor also issued an attestation report stating that the information security program for vCloud Hybrid Service meets the applicable HIPAA security and HITECH breach notification requirements.  “Healthcare-focused customers and partners can now obtain a HIPAA BAA from VMware for vCloud Hybrid Service and take advantage of an independent third party assessment of vCloud Hybrid Service against HIPAA security controls and breach notification requirements,” said Bill Fathers, senior vice president and general manager, Hybrid Cloud Services Business Unit, VMware. “This significant milestone enables our healthcare customers to not only take advantage of the agility and flexibility of vCloud Hybrid Service, but collaborate, share, store and centralize Protected Health Information (PHI) so they can operate more efficiently, while protecting patient privacy.”

GenieDB launches online management to provision geo-distributed MySQL.  GenieDB announced the availability of its simple and easy to use Management Console for automated database administration, including backup processes, tuning and updates. Now companies can experience the benefits of GenieDB’s geo-distributed, continuously available MySQL with just a few mouse clicks. With its Globally Distributed MySQL-as-a-Service, companies can launch MySQL database clusters that remain continuously available during regional outages, and provide fast application response time anywhere in the world. "Our management console makes it easy to take advantage of the benefits of GenieDB’s MySQL-as-a-Service,” said Cary Breese, CEO, GenieDB. “By simplifying database creation and administration, companies can stay focused on their core businesses, rather than worrying about outages, availability, and application response time.”