NASA takes cloud to Mars

NASA's Mars Rover project is working with Amazon.com to use cloud computing to power the daily operations of the Rover - the first agency mission to handle daily operations via the cloud, says InformationWeek.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which runs the project, has moved custom daily activity-planning software it developed, called Maestro, over to Amazon's cloud, according to a NASA press statement.

The JPL said the pay-as-you-go nature of cloud computing and past success NASA has had using it for other projects spurred it to work with Amazon.com to manage the Rover's daily operations via the cloud.

After spending the last several months touting itself as 'all in' when it comes to cloud computing, Microsoft now plans to spend several hundred million dollars to convince businesses what that actually means, reports CNet.

The software maker is unveiling its largest-ever ad campaign targeting businesses, touting 'cloud power' and its benefits over traditional server-based computing.

The ads, which include TV, Internet, print, and outdoor ads, feature the line 'cloud power' with actors portraying different types of customers and offering various takes on what products like Windows Azure, Office 365 and Windows Server can offer.

National Australia Bank (NAB) has signed up to a global cloud computing initiative that features some of the biggest corporations in the world, notes Experian QAS.

It is now part of the Open Data Centre Alliance (OCDA), a group that also includes BMW, JPMorgan Chase, Shell and Marriott International.

The aim of the OCDA is to help shape best practices and standards in the cloud computing industry so businesses can maximise the value they get from the technology, reports Delimiter.