Abstract: Systems and articles of manufacture for enabling access to user-specified and/or user-chosen content via remote third-party systems include communicating with a content provider via use of one or more user credentials, wherein the content provider maintains a list of user content choices and one or more preferences for content, wherein the content is generated by the user and/or by the content provider and/or by one or more other users, automatically downloading an amount of user-specified and/or user-chosen content from the list of user content choices and one or more preferences to a primary enterprise system and/or a secondary enterprise system in conjunction with an interaction between the user and the primary enterprise system, and providing access to the downloaded user-specified and/or user-chosen content to the user in conjunction with an interaction between the user and the secondary enterprise system, the content provider and/or the primary enterprise system.

Abstract: Techniques for detecting a cloned virtual machine instance. A method includes transmitting an identifier associated a virtual machine from an agent embedded in the virtual machine akin to a malware to a detection entity in a network, determining whether the identifier is a unique identifier or whether the identifier is a clone of an identifier associated with a separate virtual machine in the network, and initiating at least one remedial action with the agent embedded in the virtual machine if the identifier is determined to be a clone of an identifier associated with a separate virtual machine in the network.

Abstract: A method for evaluating the performance of an application when migrated from a first environment in which the application is currently executing to a different second environment includes generating a configuration file using data obtained from the application executing in the first environment, installing the configuration file in a virtual machine residing in the second environment, launching the application in the virtual machine after the installing, and obtaining a metric indicative of the performance from the virtual machine.

Abstract: Evaluating the performance of an application when migrated from a first environment in which the application is currently executing to a different second environment includes generating a configuration file using data obtained from the application executing in the first environment, installing the configuration file in a virtual machine residing in the second environment, launching the application in the virtual machine after the installing, and obtaining a metric indicative of the performance from the virtual machine.

Abstract: Techniques for detecting a cloned virtual machine instance. A method includes transmitting an identifier associated a virtual machine from an agent embedded in the virtual machine akin to a malware to a detection entity in a network, determining whether the identifier is a unique identifier or whether the identifier is a clone of an identifier associated with a separate virtual machine in the network, and initiating at least one remedial action with the agent embedded in the virtual machine if the identifier is determined to be a clone of an identifier associated with a separate virtual machine in the network.

Abstract: Techniques for detecting a cloned virtual machine instance. A method includes transmitting an identifier associated a virtual machine from an agent embedded in the virtual machine akin to a malware to a detection entity in a network, determining whether the identifier is a unique identifier or whether the identifier is a clone of an identifier associated with a separate virtual machine in the network, and initiating at least one remedial action with the agent embedded in the virtual machine if the identifier is determined to be a clone of an identifier associated with a separate virtual machine in the network.

Abstract: One embodiment of a computer readable storage medium contains an executable program for providing a cloud-based service to an enterprise comprising a plurality of members, where the program causes a processor to perform steps including receiving at least a portion of a policy a first user within the enterprise, where the policy defines a limit on usage of the cloud-based service by at least some of the plurality of members, receiving a request for the cloud-based service from a second user associated with one of the plurality of members, and automatically responding to the request in accordance with the policy.

Abstract: One embodiment a method for providing a cloud-based service to an enterprise comprising a plurality of members includes receiving at least a portion of a policy a first user within the enterprise, where the policy defines a limit on usage of the cloud-based service by at least some of the plurality of members, receiving a request for the cloud-based service from a second user associated with one of the plurality of members, and automatically responding to the request in accordance with the policy.

Abstract: Techniques for facilitating customer-initiated virtual machine (VM) migration and swapping. A method includes obtaining documentation of at least one performance parameter of two or more virtual machines running on two or more physical machines, obtaining a request for a virtual machine exchange from a user of a first virtual machine, wherein the request comprises a preference for at least one desired performance parameter in at least one additional virtual machine, matching the request from the user of the first virtual machine with at least one additional virtual machine that includes the at least one desired performance parameter without assistance from a cloud provider, and exchanging the first virtual machine with a virtual machine from the at least one additional virtual machine that includes the at least one desired performance parameter.

Abstract: A system and an article of manufacture for facilitating customer-initiated virtual machine (VM) migration and swapping include obtaining documentation of at least one performance parameter of two or more virtual machines running on two or more physical machines, obtaining a request for a virtual machine exchange from a user of a first virtual machine, wherein the request comprises a preference for at least one desired performance parameter in at least one additional virtual machine, matching the request from the user of the first virtual machine with at least one additional virtual machine that includes the at to least one desired performance parameter without assistance from a cloud provider, and exchanging the first virtual machine with a virtual machine from the at least one additional virtual machine that includes the at least one desired performance parameter.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus and an article of manufacture for remediating overload in an over-committed computing environment. The method includes measuring resource usage of each of multiple virtual machines on each of at least one hypervisor in a computing environment, upon detection of a resource overload on one of the at least one hypervisor, determining at least one operation that is to be taken for at least one of the multiple virtual machines on the hypervisor to remediate resource overload while increasing values of running virtual machines, and sending a command to the hypervisor to issue the at least one operation.

Abstract: A method of automating patching of a computer system includes determining whether a computer patch is available for a computer system of a customer, determining a patch management policy of the customer, determining a patch window of the customer based on the determined patch management policy, and directing application of the computer patch to the computer system at the determined patch window.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus and an article of manufacture for controlling growth in virtual disk size. The method includes limiting a guest virtual machine file in a hypervisor from allocating a new disk block as allocated space, wherein a virtual disk on a virtual machine is mapped to the guest virtual machine file, and facilitating the virtual disk to reuse a previously allocated and freed disk block for the allocated space to control growth in virtual disk size.

Abstract: Generally, this disclosure describes a scalable cluster router that includes a plurality of server-class computers interconnected together to form a router. Each server may be configured to independently schedule switching of packets to reduce the switch speed requirements on a per server basis. Each server may include a scheduler that independently load balances packet flows across servers of the cluster. Router capacity may be incrementally scaled by adding more servers, and router capacity may be increased by load balancing techniques within individual servers.