Citrix Can’t Stay Xen as Microsoft Launches Hyper-V

Stacey Higginbotham, Thursday, June 26, 2008 Comments (2)

After today’s launch of Microsoft’s server virtualization hypervisor, Citrix, which bought virtualization company XenSource last year, may be asking itself some hard questions. Microsoft’s Hyper-V will compete directly with Citrix’s XenSource products for the data center as well as with products from VMware and startup Virtual Iron.

But Citrix and Microsoft have close enough ties that the move by Redmond into data center virtualization may be akin to your sister stealing your boyfriend. And that could strain their relationship. Industry players have claimed that Citrix may be ready to let Microsoft get away with the theft, and focus instead on the PC virtualization market. Others disagree. I plan to ask Citrix about its Xen business next week when I talk to Simon Crosby, the CTO of Citrix’s virtualization business. Continue Reading

Introducing GigaOM Briefings

Om Malik, Thursday, June 26, 2008 Comments (8)

Yesterday, at our Structure08 conference we launched our newest effort, GigaOM Briefings. We launch with our first briefing on Cloud Computing, which has been written by Alistair Croll, whose work you know from our site.

So what are our Briefings? Briefings are downloadable digital reports that contain in-depth, timely and actionable information on current technologies and technology trends. Our aim is to identify the roots of change behind the trends, the impact they will have and the opportunities they present, and to bring such information to our audience in a format that is concise, factually accurate and easy to understand.

We have started Briefings after many of our readers and also our network of sources pointed out that they wanted to know more about a topic, but didn’t have time to research or read long research reports. We could expand our blog posts. We love blogging and we like to think we have taken part in taking it to a higher level of credibility through our editorial values. But blogging demands that we be succinct.

Hence, GigaOm Briefings.

A GigaOm briefing will be a 20-to-30 page report, that gives you facts and insights in a quick-to-consume manner. The knowledge to empower your business. You can find out which companies are important in a sector, who is going to be important in a sector and well, who is going to get crushed. We will release reports as topics arise and warrant them, so stay tuned. Much the way the Zagat guides help you make decisions about where to eat, we hope our reports become your constant companions in your quest to navigate the ever-changing technology landscape.

Our first briefing looks at Cloud Computing is 18 pages long and costs $249 a copy. You can find more details on briefings.gigaom.com. Future briefings will focus on Location-Based Services, The Smart Grid, & Application Delivery Networks.

Nick Carr: The Big Switch to Clouds

Om Malik, Thursday, June 26, 2008 Comments (2)

Nick Carr, author of “Does IT Matter” and “The Big Switch,” helped us kick off the Structure 08 conference yesterday with a short and sweet message about the shift to cloud computing and why we need to think about the ethics of infrastructure. He also pointed out our conference was being held in the week Bill Gates retires from Microsoft. Carr sees it as an end of one era of computing and the start of another. Watch his message on this video:

Can Power Grid Be Hacked? —

A smarter network doesn’t necessarily mean a safer network, or so goes the thinking when it comes to the new intelligent power grid. It is seen as an increased security risk. It has been rumored that Chinese paramilitary hackers have taken tried to take down parts of the U.S. power grid and caused blackouts. Former CIA director-turn-venture-capitalist James Woolsey asked a panel of energy experts at the Google/Brookings plug-in electric vehicle conference in Washington this month what is being done to address this threat. We wanted to know too so we asked some smart grid startups. The threat is real, they say, and the solution is IP.  Continue reading at Earth2Tech and watch the video. 

Comments (1)

SIPphone Makes The Call To Jajah

Om Malik, Thursday, June 26, 2008 Comments (18)

Jajah, in its effort to become a backend platform for VoIP services, has started offering call termination, billing and other such services to one and all comers. They got a big boost when they signed up Yahoo! Now, the Sequoia Capital-backed company has signed up SIPphone, the company behind Gizmo and will handle their call termination. Does this mean Gizmo’s call quality will increase? I certainly hope so - I have stopped using the service because of poor quality of voice.

Instead, I have opted for RingCentral, which recently introduced a Mac OS X soft client (in addition to a PC version) and it is doing a might fine job for me. I was highly skeptical of RingCentral in the past but they have won me over with their high quality service. (Full review, pending!)

Soft phones - whether they are from RingCentral, Vonage, Gizmo or Skype extremely useful. I almost never am close to a landline, but an internet connection is always handy. Using soft phone, I can make quick calls without really breaking away from the computer screen. I am not alone in professing a liking for Softphones. A Frost & Sullivan report says that as a percentage of total IP-telephone market soft phones share will increase from 5 percent to 20 percent by 2014. Softphone sales rose to 416,000 units, worth $18.9 million in 2007, up 30% over 2006.

WoW No Longer World’s Biggest MMO?

Wagner James Au, Thursday, June 26, 2008 Comments (29)

Based on publicly available data, it looks like an Internet milestone will be passed by the end of next month: World of Warcraft will lose its undisputed status as the most popular massively multiplayer online world. It’s struggling to defend that title as Habbo Hotel, the web-based, social MMO from Finland’s Sulake Corp., is nipping at its heels. Habbo just sent me news that it has logged its 100 millionth registered avatar (pictured at left), and more crucial, that Habbo “attracts close to 10 million monthly visitors to its services worldwide.”

Currently 9.5 million active monthly users, to be exact, compared to Warcraft’s last-reported 10 million subscribers — but at current growth rates, it’s easily within striking range. Continue Reading

Happy Birthday to Us. Thanks All, for Everything

Om Malik, Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Comments (14)

Structure 08 is over and folks are already asking us about Structure 09. I’m happy to report that our first official GigaOM conference not only sold out but got a big thumbs-up from attendees. I want to thank a lot of people for making this event a success: The speakers; the sponsors; the attendees; the fine folks at Marketing Alchemist (especially Erin and Stacey); Alistair Croll, our magnificent MC; and of course, the GigaTeam. In particular a big shout out to Surj Patel, Joey Wan, Chancey, Mike & Nick! They worked extremely hard to make my dream into an idea, and then a reality. Here is a list of our live blogging from today.

I have some other good news. We are two years old today (though I got outed by Valleywag a bit earlier than June 25) — so below is a little video that shows how we were then and and how we are now. The lessons I’ve earned in these first two years will turn into a really long post someday.

I am planning to take some time off tomorrow, so no posting! Good night all!

Our Live Coverage of Structure 08 Conference

Liz Gannes, Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Comments (18)

We’re live in San Francisco today at Structure 08, GigaOM’s cloud computing conference. GigaOM old-timers Katie Fehrenbacher and Liz Gannes have prime seats to give you photo, video and blog updates throughout the day. If you want to pretend like you’re here with us, check out our live-streaming video, which will feature all the main stage speeches and panels, as well as interviews with attendees, conducted by our favorite GigaOM office personalities, Carolyn Pritchard and Chris Albrecht.

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