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Cloud computing

Article Index

This Tech Sector Dinosaur Is Far from Extinct

By , Defense + Tech Specialist, Money Morning • @Robinson_STI -

tech sector

The talking heads and Wall Street are likely misleading you. There's an old-school tech stock with a lot of potential these days.

This company is quietly transforming itself into a cloud-based provider of essential software tools. (You probably use at least one of them.)

Here's everything you need to know about this Silicon Valley legend and how it's about to pull in major profits...

What Is the Internet of Things?

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning • @DavidGZeiler -

Tech investing

What is the Internet of Things?

It's a term thrown around in a lot of tech stories these days, though it's often not well explained.

But the Internet of Things will play a major role in the future of technology. The Internet of Things literally will change how we live. And in the process, it will create countless ways to profit.

To truly understand what this means, you need to see a few real-world examples...

Four Tech Industry Terms That Will Make You Money

By , Defense + Tech Specialist, Money Morning • @Robinson_STI -

tech industry

Cutting through the tech industry jargon can be difficult - there are so many new terms surfacing every other day. And everything seems to progress so fast it's almost futile to try to understand.

We get that. It's our job to get that. We're here to sift through all the technobabble to bring you the pertinent information on how to profit.

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Future of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Stock Hinges on the Cloud

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning • @DavidGZeiler -

In his first “report card” since taking the reins of Microsoft Corp. in February, CEO Satya Nadella showed why he was exactly the right choice to get MSFT stock moving again.

Microsoft beat expectations in when it reported earnings Thursday mostly on the strength of its cloud computing products – Nadella’s area of expertise, and the single most promising business segment for the Redmond-Wash.-based tech giant.

The small bump Microsoft stock enjoyed as a result is just the start, however. Here’s why MSFT could double from here.

Why the Microsoft Reorganization Plan Won't Fix What's Wrong

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning • @DavidGZeiler -

With a Microsoft reorganization plan expected to be announced on Thursday, investors at this point must be wondering: will it matter?

Shareholders of Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) have only recently gotten a glimmer of hope. Microsoft stock had languished in the $25-$30 range for more than a decade until this year, which has seen MSFT pop about 30%.

Although extremely profitable, Microsoft under the leadership of CEO Steve Ballmer has struggled to move beyond its core products of Windows and Office, which still deliver nearly all of those profits.

What this new Microsoft reorganization plan needs to do is reorient the Redmond, WA-based company toward future engines of growth, such as the mobile wave of smartphones and tablets, cloud computing and big data.

Insiders say Ballmer intends the new structure to provide "functional coherence" and will align the company into divisions based on services and devices.

But given Ballmer's spotty track record and Microsoft's unwieldy size (98,000 employees), it's not a given that any major structural overhaul will do much good in addressing the company's real problems.

As one worried Microsoft insider told The Wall Street Journal's All Things D: "If this is all about an org chart and not how to build great products, it does not matter what org chart Ballmer presents. Consumers buy products, not management structure."

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Dell-Compellent Deal Shows the Sky is the Limit for Cloud-Computing M&A

By , Money Morning -

In an indication of how far cloud computing has come - and more importantly where it's headed - tech companies have committed some $5 billion to cloud-related mergers and acquisitions (M&A) since mid-April.

Dell Inc. (Nasdaq: DELL) on Monday made the latest move - snatching up data storage company Compellent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: CML) for $960 million in cash. The acquisition will help Dell expand its offerings of data-center products - cloud computing.

Cloud-computing effectively lets companies outsource information technology (IT) services. The cost of storing data and software, or even billing and payment processes are pushed onto the cloud provider - a separate company that goes through the trouble of securing all of that information.

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The Bright Future for Cloud Computing is Becoming Much Clearer

By , Managing Editor, Money Morning -

The cloud computing industry has yet to fully take off, but for an indication of its potential, look at the players getting involved.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL), Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG), and Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) - the biggest names in the tech sector - are all racing to take the lead in this burgeoning industry.

So what's all of the excitement about?

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The Three Tech Businesses Investors Can't Afford to Ignore in 2010

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning -

The technology sector has always been about The Next Big Thing, and while next year will be no exception, products and services purchased will more reflect the needs of consumers and businesses - unlike the past when more tech buys reflected "wants."

Call 2010 the year of "necessary technology."

While 2009 has seen a dramatic turnaround in the world's stock markets, the rest of the key economic indicators - such as manufacturing, inventories, and jobs - have lagged behind. This has prompted less discretionary spending on technology, and even a postponement of some necessary purchases.

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Buy, Sell or Hold: Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) Is Winning the Race for Cloud-Computing Dominance

By , Contributing Editor, Money Morning -

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) reported a strong quarter at the end of October on the back of resurgent demand in the PC market. But the key issue to watch is the important transition in the company’s major technologies.

Microsoft just launched its very successful Windows 7 operating system, which has produced a major new upgrade cycle in the industry. In England, for example, Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) had more success selling Windows 7 packages than it did Harry Potter books.  Windows 7 has major advantages over Vista, including speed, simplicity and booting time.  This is prompting Vista users, as well as those who skipped Vista, to upgrade.

Read More…