If we look at it from Yammer’s perspective, it’s been a good year. Being part of the Microsoft family has helped it grow its total user base by 60% in the last 12 months to almost 8 million users, and its number of paid networks has grown by 200%. Plus, Yammer’s 2012 full year sales almost tripled year over year, helped by a stellar Q4 performance. –Microsoft & Yammer: still a long way to go

If we look at it from Yammer’s perspective, it’s been a good year. Being part of the Microsoft family has helped it grow its total user base by 60% in the last 12 months to almost 8 million users, and its number of paid networks has grown by 200%. Plus, Yammer’s 2012 full year sales almost tripled year over year, helped by a stellar Q4 performance. –Microsoft & Yammer: still a long way to go

So what is the impact of IBM's acquisition of SoftLayer?This analyst believes this acquisition may be a fundamental signal to competitors that the old world of outsourcing is fading and that the only way to the future is delivery of services via an "IT" utility called the cloud.Just consider that 80% of U.S. buyers indicate that they will have transformed 50% of their IT environment to a cloud by 2017 and that they will not have all the resources to manage their own cloud.

So what is the impact of IBM's acquisition of SoftLayer?This analyst believes this acquisition may be a fundamental signal to competitors that the old world of outsourcing is fading and that the only way to the future is delivery of services via an "IT" utility called the cloud.Just consider that 80% of U.S. buyers indicate that they will have transformed 50% of their IT environment to a cloud by 2017 and that they will not have all the resources to manage their own cloud.

Increasingly, PC makers are experimenting with Android, given that Microsoft's Windows 8 devices have struggled to attract consumers, according to analysts. Google promotes Android as a free and open operating system, and many tech companies are already relying on the OS to build their smartphone and tablet products. PC makers will come out with more Android devices, "But the question is what is it going to look like?" said Bryan Ma, an analyst with IDC.

Increasingly, PC makers are experimenting with Android, given that Microsoft's Windows 8 devices have struggled to attract consumers, according to analysts. Google promotes Android as a free and open operating system, and many tech companies are already relying on the OS to build their smartphone and tablet products. PC makers will come out with more Android devices, "But the question is what is it going to look like?" said Bryan Ma, an analyst with IDC.

Only 8% of office system users employ cloud-hosted email and desktop applications, according to analyst company Gartner Gartner expects that 10% of enterprise email inboxes will be hosted in the cloud by the end of 2014. ...adoption will accelerate from the first half to 2015, reaching 33% penetartiong in 2017 and 60% by 2022 –Just 8% of workers use cloud for office apps These figures - which I pretty much believe - always baffle me.

Only 8% of office system users employ cloud-hosted email and desktop applications, according to analyst company Gartner Gartner expects that 10% of enterprise email inboxes will be hosted in the cloud by the end of 2014. ...adoption will accelerate from the first half to 2015, reaching 33% penetartiong in 2017 and 60% by 2022 –Just 8% of workers use cloud for office apps These figures - which I pretty much believe - always baffle me.

Looks like that $600m AWS contract with the CIA is real, if not closed. Also of note: Amazon is bidding for building a private cloud - I think...? - more or less. More: Amazon confirms CIA spook cloud contract

Looks like that $600m AWS contract with the CIA is real, if not closed. Also of note: Amazon is bidding for building a private cloud - I think...? - more or less. More: Amazon confirms CIA spook cloud contract