Day: February 5, 2021

Cloud computing: AWS is still the biggest player, but Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are growing fast

Cloud spending was up 33% in 2020, reaching $142 billion. 


Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Spending on cloud infrastructure from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and others reached $39.9 billion in the fourth quarter of last year – up $10bn year on year.   

Collectively, AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud earned 58% of the industry’s revenues. For the full year, cloud spending was up 33% to $142 billion from $107 billion in 2019. 

AWS remains the top cloud provider with a 31% share of total spend in Q4 2020, which is slightly down on the 32.4% share it had in Q4 2019. Nonetheless, its revenues grew 28% year on year in Q4 2020.

SEE: Kubernetes security guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

AWS and Google parent Alphabet reported Q4 2020 earnings this week. AWS Q4 2020 revenues reached $12.74 billion with operating income of $3.56 billion. Google Cloud, which includes

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A Microsoft engineer found a brilliant way to fix a big Teams problem

And… roll credits.


Image: Microsoft

You sit, you stare. You grin, you bear.

more Technically Incorrect

Sometimes, you might even speak or laugh.

The whole video conferencing thing is, though, still fraught with issues that few anticipated.

How do you decide who speaks? How, in a bigger meeting, do you even know who’s spoken? And why is there always one person who pretends they’re on a beach?

There’s an issue, though, that plagues all this Zooming and Teaming. How do you end the meeting? How does everyone know that this is it, we’re done, switch channels, and go off to your next absorbing videofest?

Do you wave? Do you instantly blank the screen? Do you worry about what everyone will think at the next Teams meeting?

Microsoft engineer Scott Hanselman felt the problem acutely. As he explained on Twitter: “My Teams meetings always end so awkwardly and it’s not

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CE consortium calls on comms regulator to ignore pleas to delay 6GHz certification

In April 2020, US telecoms regulator the FCC circulated draft rules permitting unlicensed devices to operate in the 6GHz band, a move initially applauded by consumer electronics firms, wireless broadband and portable device manufacturers for ushering in the age of Wi-Fi 6E – but these bodies are now warning of potential threats and delays to the roll-out of technology and services using the new standard.

On 6 April 2020, FCC chairman Ajit Pai’s proposed rules would make 1,200MHz of spectrum available for use for unlicensed devices, a move that would share the spectrum with incumbent licensed services under rules crafted to protect the latter and to support both wireless operation types.

US businesses had lobbied the FCC for such regulation, trying to persuade the commission that such a large unlicensed allocation with seven 160MHz channels would have a dramatic impact on a number of industries.

The new standard could potentially

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TikTok's launch on Android TVs in France, Germany, and the UK yesterday is part of its push to diversify its audience and bring its stars into the mainstream (Chris Stokel-Walker/WIRED UK)


Chris Stokel-Walker / WIRED UK:

TikTok’s launch on Android TVs in France, Germany, and the UK yesterday is part of its push to diversify its audience and bring its stars into the mainstream  —  The app’s arrival on smart TVs is part of a plan to diversify its audience – and bring its stars further into the mainstream… Read More