5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

The Week Ending Aug. 8

This week's roundup of companies that came to win includes cloud computing superstar GreenPages, whose cloud computing Management-as-a-Service platform is growing fast; VMware, which reported that its NSX software defined networking platform is hitting its stride with customers and partners; Force 3, which names a new CEO; Google, which beefed up its Compute Engine public cloud platform; and Quantum acquires Symform.

GreenPages: Hybrid Cloud Computing Is Big Business

GreenPages Technology Solutions held its 18th annual cloud summit this week at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel in Portsmouth, N.H. CEO Ron Dupler (pictured) told attendees that the pace of hybrid cloud computing adoption is accelerating and is paying big dividends for the Kittery, Maine-based solution provider.

Sales of GreenPages' own cloud computing Management-as-a-Service platform will double through the first quarter of next year as more companies implement hybrid cloud systems, Dupler said in a keynote speech. That's become a major engine of growth for GreenPages, which Dupler said would end 2014 with a 12 percent increase in annual sales to $130 million.

VMware NSX Customer, Partner Adoption On The Rise

Speaking of the GreenPages summit, VMware Network and Security Business Unit General Manager Steve Mullaney told IT executives there that VMware's NSX software defined networking platform is hitting its stride with customers, and the channel adoption accelerating at a rapid pace.

The NSX software has already been adopted by 200 customers since it hit the VMware price list in June, with even more rapid growth expected down the road, said Mullaney.

"We have hit the curve where we are now crossing the chasm,’ said Mullaney in a keynote address before some 118 IT executives at the 18th annual GreenPages cloud summit. ’We'll add hundreds of customers per quarter this year."

Force 3 Names New CEO

Crofton, Md.-based Force 3 has appointed a new CEO, who said he will help the longtime federal VAR establish itself as a specialized player in the federal networking and security market.

Mike Greaney is assuming the role of CEO, after previously acting as president of Force 3 Federal.

Greaney brings more than 24 years of experience in the industry, including various executive roles at Force 3, since 2009. Prior to that, Greaney worked at Abraxsis Technologies, All American Semiconductor and Unique Technologies.

’I think we need to lay a stake in the ground and say we are the network security company," Greaney said in an interview with CRN.

Google Beefs Up Compute Engine

Google rolled out two new zones and simplified access to a major security protocol this week in an effort to improve the experience of developers using its public cloud platform Compute Engine.

Among this week's upgrades, Secure Shell (SSH) can now be used to access Google's cloud through a web browser. Developers like to access virtual machines via the secure protocol, but in the past it could be a headache.

Since late June, when Google held its developers' conference Google I/O, the company has been touting a range of features and tools, including new SSD memory instances, for making the process of building and deploying applications easier on Compute Engine.

Quantum Acquires Symform

Quantum is expanding its cloud-based backup capabilities with the acquisition of Symform's cloud storage technology and its development team.

Quantum declined to discuss financial details, including how much it paid for Symform.

Symform, which in late 2009 came out of stealth mode, develops distributed cloud backup technology that protects a customer's data by breaking it into tiny blocks, encrypting those blocks and then dispersing them across excess capacity on multiple customers' storage devices. The company raised a total of $20 million in funding, Lee said.