Yesterday GoGrid finished the rollout of a series of updates designed to make the GoGrid Windows end user experience even better. While not a major feature release, there are some important items to note moving forward.

Windows Image Updates

With this update, there are a few things that GoGrid users should be aware of, specifically:

• The following GoGrid Windows images have been updated with the latest (as of February 2010) Microsoft Windows Security Hotfixes (see table below).
• Windows image names are now more consistent with Microsoft naming standards
• This only applies to GoGrid Virtual Server Images and does not affect Partner or Personal GoGrid Server Images (MyGSIs).

The full list of updated Windows images is below.

For more details, please visit the Windows Server Images section on the GoGrid Wiki.

New RAM Allotments for Windows Virtual Servers

In order to ensure stability and optimal performance, we are now setting recommended RAM Allotments minimums and maximums for Windows Server Images. We have been working closely with Microsoft to implement the best range possible for any new servers that are deployed on GoGrid. Do note, these limits do not affect currently deploy Windows Virtual Servers.

This week, GoGrid was not only an exhibitor and Silver Sponsor of the Cloud Connect Event 2010 in Santa Clara, CA, but also our Lead Senior Software Engineer, Justin Kitagawa, was part of a panel titled “Writing Code for Many Clouds“.

The panel was moderated by Shlomo Swidler (Founder, Orchestratus) and the members included:

• Shashi Mysore, Product Specialist, Eucalyptus Systems
• Adrian Cole, Founder, jClouds
• George Reese, CTO, enStratus
• Michael Mayo, Rackspace
• Mitch Garnaat, President, CloudRight
• Justin Kitagawa, Lead Senior Software Engineer, GoGrid
• Sam Ramji, Vice President of Strategy, Sonoa Systems

Each panel member was allowed a few minutes to discuss how their service can be controlled programmatically via an API or other method. This is an important discussion point because many companies and developers are looking to build applications that span clouds. However prior to doing this, these developers must fully understand how a cloud is architected and can be utilized. Obviously, when building a cloud as a vendor, there are challenges and hurdles that must be overcome in the process. Each of the panelists discussed their design decisions and then answered questions presented to them by the moderator as well as by audience members.

As an attendee of this panel, I thought it important to present GoGrid’s thoughts on our own API and how we came to make the decisions behind its development. Below is a video of Justin’s presentation which covers:

• Who and What is GoGrid?
• The GoGrid Portal
• The GoGrid API
• The Anatomy of a GoGrid API Call
• A Sample API Request
• Sample Code
• GoGrid API Objects & Actions
• Challenges in Developing
• Who is the API for?

The full presentation is also available below:

If you are interested in how the GoGrid API works, I encourage you to look at the GoGrid Wiki where you can find the “Getting Started Guide” as well as the following items:

• Anatomy of GoGrid API Call
• Common API Call Patterns
• API Frequently Asked Questions
• API Libraries and Tools
• Download a GoGrid API Quick Reference Guide
• API Version Log

Also, I’m personally curious to find out if and how you are using the GoGrid API. Have you created a program to hook into our API to control scaling or deployment of servers? What about creating your own interface to our service? Please leave a comment and let me know!

With the March 2010 GoGrid newsletter, we welcome and introduce a new name to our communications, that of Maria Gallegos who has joined us as a Product Marketing Coordinator for GoGrid. Maria comes from a marketing background (from financial services to non-profits) and will be producing the GoGrid newsletter as well as managing other customer experience programs. One of her first tasks has been the March 2010 Customer Update Newsletter.

For those who are not current GoGrid users, we provide the full newsletter on our blog, just so that you can see what you are missing out on! If any of the items that are mentioned here interest you, or if you want to get started on GoGrid right away (remember, we provide a full range of hosted infrastructure solutions ranging from Cloud Servers to Dedicated Servers to Cloud Storage, all within a Load Balanced network), I encourage you to speak with a GoGrid Sales Representative. They can provide you with answers to many of your infrastructure hosting questions. Just tell them that I sent you!

Here is the full March 2010 GoGrid Customer Update newsletter:

Hello,

As 2010 continues to progress, so does GoGrid. From system enhancements to new partners, you’ll find this edition of the newsletter full of information to better help you manage your cloud hosting infrastructure. Specific topics include:

1. New Features and System Enhancements
2. New Windows Minimum RAM Limits
3. New Partners GSIs
4. GoGrid and Microsoft WebsiteSpark Event
5. Other News

New Features and System Enhancements

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Coming April 1, 2010

GoGrid will offer two new hardware firewall services. The firewall services are great for ensuring your hosted servers are free from malicious threats. Plus, you can manage security for your GoGrid VLAN from a single device. The hardware firewall services are delivered via a custom hybrid network and require a GoGrid Prepaid Data Transfer Plan.
Here are the available options:
Option 1: Fortinet Firewall
Pricing

• $99.99/month
• Free setup
• Requires a monthly data transfer plan

Included features

• 100 Mbps throughput
• 100,000 concurrent sessions
• Includes one VPN (SSL, site-to-site, or IPSec)

Option 2: Cisco ASA Firewall
Pricing

• $349.99/mo
• Free setup
• Requires a monthly transfer plan

Included features

• Robust site-to-site and remote access IPSec VPN connectivity
• Multi-Vector Attack protection
• Layer 2 transparent firewall capability

To learn more about GoGrid firewall services, please contact your GoGrid account manager or call the GoGrid sales line 1-877-946-4743.

System Enhancements

On Thursday, March 25, we will release updated Windows Server 2003 and 2008 base operating system images. The new images will appear in the image selection widget located in the GoGrid portal and include the following enhancements:

• Updating the images with the latest (as of Feb. 2010) MS Windows Update HotFixes

New Windows Minimum RAM Limits

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On March 25, we will implement new minimum RAM limits for all Windows Server 2003 and 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server operating systems.
Here are the new minimum RAM limits:

• Windows Server 2003 – 1 GB minimum
• Windows Server 2008 – 2 GB minimum
• Microsoft SQL Server – 2 GB minimum

We are implementing these minimum RAM limits (based on Microsoft recommendations) in order to address server performance issues caused when Windows virtual servers are deployed without sufficient RAM. Existing virtual servers will not be affected by the new minimum RAM limits – the new RAM limits apply only to new server deployments.

New Partner GSIs

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The GoGrid Exchange allows our partners to offer their services to the GoGrid community. This month we have rolled out 3 new partners. The new partners offer services that should allow you to better manage, control and secure your GoGrid infrastructure. Here are the new partner details:

EVault Off Site Backups

This is a cost-effective off site backup and recovery service for businesses that are hosting critical data in the GoGrid cloud. Look for EVault SaaS in the image selection widget located in the GoGrid portal.
For price details, please contact your GoGrid account manager or visit the GoGrid Exchange for EVault service details.

art of defence: hyperguard® SaaS

Protect your web and cloud applications against known and unknown attacks at the application layer (such as SQL injection, cross site scripting or more general OWASP Top10) with art of defence’s firewall (dWAF), hyperguard.
Pricing: $39/month
Access hyperguard SaaS by simply using the image selection widget locate in the GoGrid portal.
More details on art of defence is on the GoGrid Exchange.

Gear6

Delivers higher memory efficiency and is the only Memcached service that can leverage cloud-based storage to increase cache depth by several orders of magnitude. Free and paid images are now available in the GoGrid portal.
Find out more about Gear6 on the GoGrid Exchange.

Upcoming Webinar: Learn about the pros and cons of implementing Memcached in a cloud environment, the basics and best practices of implementation and leveraging free and commercial Memcached GoGrid offerings.

Title : Memcached: Making the Cloud Scalable for Web 2.0 presented by Gear6 and GoGrid
Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PD
Reserve your webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/511484563

To get started with any of our featured PartnerGSIs or to learn more, visit the GoGrid Exchange or contact your GoGrid account manager.

GoGrid and Microsoft WebsiteSpark Event

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Win with GoGrid and Microsoft WebsiteSpark

Learn about this outstanding business opportunity that can save your startup or small business literally thousands of dollars in licensing and hosting costs.

Date : Tuesday, March 30, 2010 from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM PST
Location: Microsoft – Silicon Valley, Mountain View, CA
Click here to register: http://websitespark-gogrid-01.eventbrite.com/?ref=ecount
For more information about using GoGrid as your WebsiteSpark Hosting Partner visit: http://www.gogrid.com/microsoft_websitespark/

Cloud Connect 2010 Expo

GoGrid will be an exhibitor at the Cloud Connect Expo. Explore the benefits and opportunities of cloud computing, learn how to develop successful business models and build relationships and get in-depth technical information on cloud development.
Date: March 15th – 18th
Location: Santa Clara Convention Center
For a Free Expo Pass or to save 40% on the price of a Conference Pass, use priority code: CNJPCC01 when registering at: http://www.cloudconnectevent.com

Other News

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Watch the GoGrid New Feature Release Webinar

We recently hosted a webinar featuring recent updates to GoGrid. If you didn’t get a chance to attend, you can still view the video at GoGrid Feature Release Webinar.

GoGrid is HIRING!

We currently have over 10 open positions in Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Sales, Services and Administration. See: http://www.gogrid.com/company/careers.php for more details.

As always, you can find more information about GoGrid at:
GoGrid Product Site – http://www.gogrid.com
GoGrid Blog – http://blog.gogrid.com
GoGrid Wiki – http://wiki.gogrid.com
GoGrid Forums – http://forums.gogrid.com

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me directly at Maria[AT]GoGrid.com.

Thank you,
Maria Gallegos

Thanks for reading!

Don’t miss Cloud Connect Event 2010, the first event to bring together executives, IT professionals and developers to explore and define the cloud. See the latest cloud technologies and learn from thought leaders in Cloud Connect’s comprehensive conference and expo . March 15-18, 2010 http://cloudconnectevent.com/

GoGrid is a sponsor of this premier Cloud Computing event and will have a booth there. We hope that you will come and visit us to discuss your Cloud Computing plans. Our staff there will be available for infrastructure consultations, demos and general discussion about the Cloud.

Also, Justin Kitagawa, Senior Technical Lead at GoGrid, will be part of a panel called: “Writing Code for Many Clouds” which is on Tuesday, March 16 (1:30-2:30PM). The panel details are as follows:

Writing Code for Many Clouds

Tuesday, March 16 1:30 PM–2:30 PM

You may be developing an application that runs on a single cloud today, but you’ll want to keep your options open in case things change. Switching clouds isn’t always easy: cloud providers have differing resource models, constraints, and gotchas. All of these pose potential risks of lock-in, presenting challenges for developers who need to consider how their code can work with more than just one cloud provider.
This panel brings together developers who’ve dealt with some of these challenges and built to specific cloud APIs with the people who built those APIs. It’s a rare glimpse into the design decisions behind some of today’s most prominent cloud computing platforms — and perhaps even a glimpse into the future API feature plans of various cloud providers.

• Moderator – Shlomo Swidler, Founder, Orchestratus
• Speaker – Shashi Mysore, Product Specialist, Eucalyptus Systems
• Speaker – Adrian Cole, Founder, jClouds
• Speaker – George Reese, CTO, enStratus
• Speaker – Michael Mayo, Rackspace
• Speaker – Mitch Garnaat, President, CloudRight
• Speaker – Justin Kitagawa, GoGrid
• Speaker – Sam Ramji, Vice President of Strategy, Sonoa Systems

Special Offer

You can now register for a FREE EXPO PASS or save 40% on the price of Conference Passes by using the priority code: CNJPCC01 . Simply go to the Registration Page and enter in the priority code at checkout.

More about the Cloud Connect Event

The event is from Monday, March 15 through Thursday, March 18th at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley, CA.

Topics for the Conference include:

Cloud Futures and Roadmaps
The Impact of Clouds on Society – Thursday, March 18 8:15 AM–9:15 AM
What IT Couldn’t Do Before – Thursday, March 18 9:30 AM–10:30 AM
Ubicomp is Here: Pervasive Connections, Cloud Computing, and Universal Interfaces – Thursday, March 18 10:45 AM–11:45 AM

Cloud Risks, Challenges, and Governance
What to Worry About: Risks, Regulations, and Unknowns – Wednesday, March 17 1:30 PM–2:30 PM
Cloud Providers: Leveraging Risk and Compliance in Today’s Cloud Environments as a Competitive Advantage – Wednesday, March 17 2:45 PM–3:45 PM
Cloud Users: Compliance and Mitigating Risks to Hedge Against Uncertainty – Wednesday, March 17 4:00 PM–5:00 PM

Dealing with Big Data
Introduction to Big Data and Storage at Scale – Thursday, March 18 8:15 AM–9:15 AM
Processing Big Data – Thursday, March 18 9:30 AM–10:30 AM
Learning from Big Data with Scaleable Analytics – Thursday, March 18 10:45 AM–11:45 AM

Developing for the Cloud
Writing Code for Many Clouds – Tuesday, March 16 1:30 PM–2:30 PM
Design Patterns for Cloud Computing Applications – Tuesday, March 16 2:45 PM–3:45 PM
Deploying to the Cloud: The Care and Feeding of a Cloud Application – Tuesday, March 16 4:00 PM–5:00 PM
Orchestration: The Next Frontier for Cloud Applications – Wednesday, March 17 8:30 AM–9:30 AM

Migration Strategies
Moving to Clouds: It’s Not All or Nothing – Tuesday, March 16 1:30 PM–2:30 PM
Practical Migration to On-Demand Clouds – Tuesday, March 16 2:45 PM–3:45 PM
Building Infrastructure as a Service – Tuesday, March 16 4:00 PM–5:00 PM

New Infrastructure
Private and Hybrid Clouds – Wednesday, March 17 1:30 PM–5:00 PM
The New Role of Networks – Thursday, March 18 8:15 AM–9:15 AM
Infrastructure Interoperability in a Cloudy World – Thursday, March 18 9:30 AM–10:30 AM
Standardizing Infrastructure Interoperability: An Introduction to IF-MAP – Thursday, March 18 10:45 AM–11:45 AM

ROI, Cost and Economics
Cloudonomics: The Surprising Economics of the Cloud – Tuesday, March 16 1:30 PM–2:30 PM
Tools and Rules: How to Calculate ROI from the Cloud – Tuesday, March 16 2:45 PM–3:45 PM
New Pricing Models: How Will They Impact ROI? – Tuesday, March 16 4:00 PM–5:00 PM
Public, Private, or Hybrid: Where’s the Value Today and Where’s It Going? – Wednesday, March 17 8:30 AM–9:30 AM

Standards, Governments and Industry
Where We Are Today: State of the Standards – Wednesday, March 17 8:30 AM–9:30 AM
The Standards Real Users Need Now – Wednesday, March 17 1:30 PM–2:30 PM
Standardization from a Provider Perspective – Wednesday, March 17 2:45 PM–3:45 PM
Where Are Standards Going? – Wednesday, March 17 4:00 PM–5:00 PM

Case Studies and Lessons Learned
Startups Built on Clouds – Wednesday, March 17 1:30 PM–2:30 PM
Enterprise Cloud Adoption – Wednesday, March 17 2:45 PM–3:45 PM
Government and Open Clouds - Wednesday, March 17 4:00 PM–5:00 PM

We hope to see you at this event!

Today art of defence and GoGrid announced the availability of the Industry’s first Distributed Web Application Firewall running within the GoGrid cloud. This is a cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) solution called hyperguard™ and can be easily and quickly deployed using a GoGrid Partner Server Image (GSI). By using a GoGrid Server Image running art of defence’s hyperguard SaaS, customers can be assured that they are receiving robust application-level protection beyond simply the network layer within their cloud environment.

By deploying the hyperguard-enabled GoGrid Server Image, GoGrid users simply have to configure their applications and their respective protection levels through hyperguard‘s web-base GUI which allows for comprehensive attack detection and protection at the Web Application layer. hyperguard SaaS basic (which is currently available on GoGrid for $39/mo/server plus associated GoGrid RAM/Bandwidth costs) offers web application security monitoring, detection-only and protection modes.

Hyperguard SaaS Standard dWAF provides the following key capabilities:

• Security monitoring at the application layer of attacks like SQL-injection, cross site scripting and OWASP Top10 for all applications delivered on the hyperguard web server GSI
• Comprehensive baseline protection against known attacks at the application layer – only if rule sets are run in protection mode
• Automated updates of baseline protection rule sets by art of defence – with testing capability for these new rule sets via detect-only mode

The GoGrid Server Image is available now through GoGrid:

More information about art of defence within the GoGrid Exchange is available here.

The full press release is available online as well as below:

art of defence Expands Availability of Industry’s First Distributed WAF (dWAF) as a SaaS With GoGrid Partnership

Company Focused on Making Real Web Application Security Available for All Cloud Computing Needs

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire – March 2, 2010) – Today, art of defence, the leading distributed web application firewall (dWAF) provider, announced the industry’s first cloud-based SaaS solution, hyperguard™ SaaS, is now available through the GoGrid Cloud. GoGrid customers can access hyperguard SaaS by simply deploying a GoGrid Partner Server Image (GSI) with hyperguard SaaS installed.

This announcement marks another step closer to reaching art of defence’s goal of providing universally accessible web application security to companies using cloud computing. By integrating a dWAF right into a virtual image and hosted as a SaaS, customers overcome the false sense of security created by traditional network perimeter security strategies which fail at the application level.

The first of several service levels to be rolled out, hyperguard SaaS Standard, offers users web application security monitoring, detection-only and protection modes. hyperguard’s SaaS delivery model allows customers the freedom to pay on a use-case basis and avoid having to invest in owning and maintaining a solution themselves. For a limited time, art of defence and GoGrid will offer a $100 GoGrid credit to test the service. Full details for the solution and the promotion can be found http://gogrid.artofdefence.com.

Key hyperguard SaaS Standard Facts

• Web application security monitoring enables customers to understand the risk and exposure of their cloud applications to known attacks at the application layer without hyperguard SaaS Standard interfering with web traffic.
• ‘Detection only mode’ allows rule-sets to be tested but not enforced, alongside with rule-sets in ‘protection mode’ that enforce already proven security policies.
• hyperguard SaaS Standard is ideally suited for GoGrid customers who want application-level protection beyond the network layer for their cloud offerings.
• For companies relying on the GoGrid Cloud for application overflow resources, hyperguard SaaS Standard defends users’ custom applications on the cloud.

Resources

• art of defence will be exhibiting at the RSA Conference, taking place March 1-5 in San Francisco, California
• For details and a free trial of hyperguard’s SaaS offerings, visit http://gogrid.artofdefence.com
• More information about hyperguard for the Cloud, read our white paper at http://www.artofdefence.com/dokumente/Cloud_AppSec_Whitepaper.pdf
• Read art of defence’s blog http://artofdefence.wordpress.com/
• Follow art of defence on Twitter at http://twitter.com/hyperguard
• GoGrid Exchange, visit http://exchange.gogrid.com

Supporting Quotes

• “Use of cloud computing is on the rise as companies shift from testing services to beginning to rely on them for critical business applications and we’re excited to work with GoGrid who is at the forefront of providing these services,” said Georg Hess, founder and CEO, art of defence. “As the migration continues, web application security gets put under the microscope and traditional WAFs just don’t hold up to the rigors of fully virtualized environments. When we launched the world’s first distributed WAF, we targeted these challenges specifically and the uptake we’ve experienced in this approach shows we made the right decision.”

Tags
GoGrid, cloud, art of defence, hyperguard, WAF, web application, security

About art of defence
Founded in 2005, art of defence established its San Francisco-based North American headquarters in 2009. Focused exclusively on providing comprehensive web application security technology on any scale, art of defence’s distributed web application firewall (dWAF) technology, hyperguard™, is the industry’s first WAF SaaS offering. Available in many forms, hyperguard is the most flexible solution on the market today. Customers have access to the solution as a software plug-in, virtual appliance, hardware appliance or as a standalone software solution.

The company serves the financial services, eCommerce, technology, telecommunication and public sector markets exclusively through OEM/technology and reseller channel partners. art of defence partners with leading technology providers like GoGrid, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Zeus, GeNUA, and Armorize. Regensburg, Germany, remains the global headquarters for the European and Asian markets in addition to North America.

For more information about art of defence, visit: www.artofdefence.com/en.

About GoGrid
GoGrid is the Global LEADER in Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure that delivers true “Control in the Cloud™.” GoGrid enables sysadmins, developers, IT professionals and SaaS vendors to create, deploy, and control free f5 load balanced cloud & dedicated servers and complex hosted virtual server networks with full root access/administrative server control which includes personal server images (known as MyGSIs). GoGrid server instances maintain industry standard specifications with no requirement to learn and adapt to proprietary standards. Deploying GoGrid infrastructure takes minutes via a unique, award winning web control panel or GoGrid’s API. GoGrid delivers portal controlled servers for Windows Server 2003/2008, SQL Server, and ASP.NET, as well as multiple Linux server operating systems like RHEL and CentOS. GoGrid gives users the control of a familiar datacenter environment with the flexibility and immediate scalability of the cloud, a “cloudcenter.”

To learn more, visit www.gogrid.com.

To view other GoGrid Partners, we recommend that you visit the GoGrid Exchange for a variety of Software & Application, Development & Test, Disaster Recovery & Backup, Cloud Management, and Security, Monitoring & Reporting solutions now available within the GoGrid Cloud.