Open Systems. DBMS. 2014, Volume 22, Number 6COVER FEATURES
SOFTWARE DEFINED INFRASTRUCTURES
Software Dualism

Will current year become a turning point for software-defined configurations? All technology prerequisites for that are present, but there is no software layer to translate application requirements defined at business logic level for the infrastructure management layer.
Natalya Dubova (osmag@osp.ru), Associate Editor-in-Chief, Special Features, Open Systems.DBMS
 

Machine-to-Machine Communication
Although wireless communication is integral to our daily lives, there are numerous crucial questions related to coverage, energy consumption, reliability, and security when it comes to industrial deployment. Michael Weyrich, Jan-Philipp Schmidt, and I provide an overview of wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies. I look forward to hearing from both readers and prospective column authors about this column and the technologies you want to know more about.
Michael Weyrich (michael.weyrich@ias.uni-stuttgart.de), professor and director of the Institute of Industrial Automation and Software Engineering at the University of Stuttgart; Jan-Philipp Schmidt (jan-philipp.schmidt@ias.uni-stuttgart.de), research assistant in the Institute of Industrial Automation and Software Engineering at the University of Stuttgart; Christof Ebert (christof.ebert@vector.com), managing director, Vector Consulting Services

On the Way towards Unified Storage
The datacenter infrastructure requirements shift steadily in the direction of flexibility provided by virtual environments. This fuels further transformation of automation tools into software-defined platforms such as EMC ViPR.
Alexander Vinogradov (Alexander.Vinogradov@emc.com), specialist at software division, EMC Russia and CIS

The Security of the Software Defined Infrastructures
Today, software defines the properties of all high tech products and solutions interacting with each other, including Internet of Things support infrastructures. The success of all those solutions and concepts largely depends on the security of operation of both individual devices and the environment they communicate in.
Valeriy Korzhov (osmag@osp.ru), staff writer, Computerworld Russia

PLATFORMS
Data Backup Appliances
According to IDC, in 2013 the number of data backup and restore appliances will grow 36% year on year. What is the reason for those devices’ popularity, and what are their primary use cases? Let’s consider those questions using NetBackup Appliance as an example.
Nikolay Pochinok (Nikolai_Pochinok@symantec.com), CTO, Symantec Russia & CIS

I’m Cloud 2.0, and I’m Not Just a Data Center
Cloud service providers invest significant effort into designing, building, and empowering cloud infrastructures. At the same time, technological advances are commoditizing small devices with powerful compute, storage, and communication capabilities at unprecedented scale. What if such devices could extend the boundaries of the traditional cloud model to form an even more flexible, resource-aware, and better-performing cloud?
Emiliano Miluzzo (miluzzo@research.att.com), Senior Member of Technical Staff at AT&T Labs Research

APPLICATIONS
Web Analysis Tools
These days, simple Web surfing is already not enough for extracting useful insights - the potential of World Wide Web is just much greater than that. Therefore, there is a need for tools capable of automating the process of mining the Web for knowledge.
Leonid Chernyak (osmag@osp.ru), Associate Editor-in-Chief, Open Systems. DBMS

INTERNET OF THINGS
Imagineering an Internet of Anything

Today, the Internet of Things. Tomorrow, the Internet of Everything. Beyond that, perhaps, the Internet of Anything—a radically superconnected ecosystem where questions about security, trust, and control assume entirely new dimensions.
Irena Bojanova (irena.bojanova@umuc.edu), program director of information and technology systems, University of Maryland University College; George Hurlburt (ghurlburt@change-index.com), chief scientist at STEMCorp; Jeffrey Voas (jeffrey.m.voas@gmail.com), IEEE Fellow

SECURITY
Self-reconfigurable smart camera networks
Recent hardware advances such as multi-core high-speed platforms allow cameras to perform multiple tasks whilst observing a scene: smart camera networks enable emerging applications that require adaptation to unforeseen conditions, changing tasks and constrained resources.
Juan C. SanMiguel (juan.carlos.sanmiguel@qmul.ac.uk), postdoctoral researcher at Queen Mary University of London, UK; Christian Micheloni (christian.micheloni@uniud.it), Assistant Professor of image and video processing at the University of Udine,Italy; Karen Shoop (karen.shoop@qmul.ac.uk), faculty member at Queen Mary University of London; Gian Luca Foresti (gianluca.foresti@uniud.it), Professor of Computer Science at University of Udine; Andrea Cavallaro (a.cavallaro@qmul.ac.uk), Professor of Multimedia Signal Processing and Director of the Centre for Intelligent Sensing at Queen Mary University of London, UK

Co-Evolution with Social Networks: Deception Is Protection
What do 1.1 billion people in a social network add up to? Perhaps the greatest advertising audience in history — or just maybe a world-dominating organism. As we realize social networks’ power to build online communities, we must also examine the consequences of extremely large organizations in light of their motivations and the threats to individuals’ security and privacy.
Hilarie Orman (hilarie@purplestreak.com), security consultant and president of Purple Streak

OS MUSEUM
Alfa Language and Translator

All programming theory and practice in USSR evolved as a result of efforts focused on automating software creation. Thanks to participating in ALGOL project, Soviet programmers were able to integrate into the international community at the very dawning of universal programming tools era.
Natalia Cheremnykh (chergeneral@gmail.com), employee of Moscow Virtual Computer Museum; Irina Krayneva (cora@iis.nsk.su), fellow, A. P. Ershov Institute of Informatics Systems

EXTREME TECHNOLOGY
The Machine: The Future is now

Could the synergy of unifying the electrons in CPUs, photons in communications, and ions in memory be achieved as part of a bold HP project?
Leonid Chernyak (osmag@osp.ru), Associate Editor-in-Chief, Open Systems.DBMS

OS ACADEMY. LIBRARY
Context-Aware Computers

The April issue of Computer Magazine (IEEE Computer Society, Vol. 47, No. 4, 2014) covers the topic of computing tools capable of context recognition.
Sergey D. Kuznetsov (kuzloc@ispras.ru), Professor, Moscow State University