Intel shows off tech powering the cloud

Intel used its Day in the Cloud conference event in Kontich, Belgium, last week to demonstrate its partners' cloud technologies based on the Intel Xeon processor series.

One such showcase was the combination of EMC Atmos cloud storage with Oxygen Cloud secure file access software. This was described as a provider solution for enterprise IT, service providers or hosting providers for large-scale private or public clouds.

The setup is device independent and can be accessed from iPhones/iPads, laptops and desktop computers anywhere in the world thanks to global storage and distribution. Security features include end-to-end encryption, remote device wipe, LDAP integration and audit trails, which EMC says provides the efficiency of cloud storage with the security of on-site data storage.

Security controls allow client authentication and multi-tenancy support both internally and externally. The system also allows external customers to create sub-tenancies' with permission policies, which give control over how long the files are stored and where as well as whether or not they can be duplicated.

The technology also allows you to invite tenants and set permissions on whether users can read, write or simply view files from the cloud.

IT Pro saw a demo during which the Oxygen interface synchronised a file on an iPad from an active list of files. Simply ticking an icon next to the file launched the synchronisation process and, once synchronised, the file was automatically downloaded to the device and decrypted for use.

Desynchronising the file, was again a simple icon press to un-tick it from the list and delete it from the iPad. The file remains in the cloud and remains visible from the device. There are no loading screens or progress bars - it all happens seamlessly and the whole system appears very smooth, intuitive and user-friendly.

Another demonstration previewed RES Software's software as a service (SaaS) Virtual Desktop Extender (VDX). RES Software's Bob Janssen, co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO), highlighted the typical performance found with other virtual desktop systems when trying to view video content remotely and the associated problems of sound and video being out of synch.

Janssen then ran the same video from a machine running VDX, which synchronised perfectly. RES' technology merges local applications which benefit from running on local hardware with your VDX remote desktop so you get to have remote and local applications together in one seamless desktop environment.