It was at my very first job as a developer that I learned about code reviews (and that I intuitively hated them, a characteristic I share with many developers I’ve then since learned). We wrote and maintained software that automated tax preparation (yes, you may in fact be using services that contain code I touched long ago – caveat emptor ;-)) and going over code was an important part of the process. In addition to making sure we were following coding standards with respect to source formatting there was also the opportunity for improvements and to find potential mistakes that might be disastrous given the nature of the software we developed.
Fast forward a number of years (right, like I was going to tell you how many) and code reviews are still a part of the development process. The thing is that the reasons for reviewing source code have expanded, primarily thanks to the success of open source.
Monthly Archives: September 2013
Cloud Security Alliance Releases Cloud Controls Matrix, Version 3.0
The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Thursday announced the release of the CSA Cloud Control Matrix (CCM) Version 3.0, the most comprehensive update to the industry’s gold standard for assessing cloud centric information security risks. The CCM Version 3.0 expands its control domains to address changes in cloud security risks since the release of the CSA’s seminal guidance domain, “Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing version 3.0” while making strides towards closer harmonization of the two.
Examining disaster recovery by the numbers [infographic]
Disaster recovery, or IT Business Continuity as we like to think of it, is a space that’s riddled with traps. Or at best, it suffers from a number of myths and tendencies toward “fingers crossed.”
It’s not just about a fundamental difference between backup and disaster recovery; the idea that it’s one thing to have your data duplicated into a repository somewhere but quite another to be able to actually restore it — also downed applications and network configurations — rapidly…
Example 1: If you can’t test it, you don’t know it works
One can’t get serious about DR unless one acknowledges not just the criticality of testing, but also how it applies to a couple very distinct requirement areas:
Firstly, automation. At nScaled for security reasons our internal team doesn’t have log-in rights to client domains and servers. Our platform, however, automates IP address …
Don’t Be Deterred by Violence in Kenya
It appears that the siege at Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya is over. So it seems safe to write about it and what it means.
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, “wretched violence has once again intruded in a big way into all the world’s efforts to improve economies and the lives of people. It’s horrible, disgusting, and will ultimately achieve the direct opposite of what it’s backers seek.”
My context then was a proposed war policy instead of an actual terrorism incident, but the concept remains the same. Violence only teaches that violence is wrong.
I was saddened to hear Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta say early on that the criminals in this slaughter would be punished swiftly “and painfully.” Certainly everyone understands the anger felt against the perpetrators of a horrific act such as this, an anger that would be white-hot if friends and relatives were among the dead and wounded.
Today Mr. Kenyatta (a son of modern Kenya’s Founding Father, Jomo Kenyatta), stated that the criminals had been “shamed” as well as defeated, again demonstrating righteous anger.
Achieving Nothing
But blood lust achieves nothing. Although I’m reasonably sure I’m not a hard enough person to lead any nation, including a developing one such as Kenya, I always counsel strength through pressure, not violence. I would love to see the perpetrators of the Westgate violence dragged into a local court, sentenced to life in prison, then dragged into an international court, sentenced again to life in prison, then be able to contemplate living out their lives in a small, drab cell somewhere.
The cruel irony of many extremists – and not just religious extremists – is they want to die for their cause, they want to become martyrs. This is quite different from the heroism of the common soldier who is willing to die for his or her country. The latter is a case of selflessly offering the ultimate sacrifice in defense of one’s country; the former is an aggressive narcissism that focuses only on the self.
So I urge Mr. Kenyatta, the Kenyan government, and all others who will be involved in this case to go easy on the violence as they go long on justice served. This malignant violence sidetracks all of the good that so many people are doing to improve global economies and people’s lives.
Progress, Anyway
I grew up around guns and sometimes violent ways of settling disputes. I’m familiar with the statistics oin violence and real-world environments of most places in the US, and many other places throughout the world. I’ve seen my share of young soldiers with machine guns guarding street corners, stores, and airports in all regions of the world. I spent three years living in Southeast Asia, with separatist violence in the air and one incident occurring just blocks from my apartment.
I get righteously angry as well when I learn of the latest incident of innocent people killed. But I won’t be deterred from doing what I want to do. I’d visit Kenya tomorrow if my work required it. Our research at the Tau Institute has shown that Kenya ranks among the Top 10 African countries when it comes to its use of Information Technology.
We are sticking with this ranking. We do factor several socio-economic factors into our research, but our heaviest emphasis is on how much technological infrastructure is deployed in the face of these local conditions. I applaud all those who continue to work to improve the lot of people there in the face of everyday difficulties and of this recent massacre.
We also show Uganda emerging as the continent’s leader – a nation where the government is threatened by an ongoing, extremely ugly guerrilla resistance that operates in neighboring countries as well. I’d go there tomorrow, too.
Hope Beyond Hope
All of us in the technology world must maintain our hope – quixotic as it may seem some days – that our industry’s innovation and inventions can continue to improve the lives of people in all corners of the world.
I don’t advocate that any particular person throws caution to the wind and travels and works in a place where he or she feels threatened. But I do advocate that no one advocates violence as the way to end the endemic violence that plagues so much of the world and impedes the progress of humanity.
Taking Control of the Infrastructure
Fast-growing healthcare claims company Navicure is gaining better control and optimization across its IT infrastructure by deploying a comprehensive monitoring and operational management approach and taming IT complexity.
StorageCraft Named “Bronze Sponsor” of Cloud Expo Silicon Valley
SYS-CON Events announced today that StorageCraft Technology Corporation, a provider of best-in-class backup, disaster recovery, system migration and data protection solutions for servers, desktops and laptops, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON’s 13th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 4–7, 2013, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
StorageCraft Technology Corporation provides best-in-class backup, disaster recovery, system migration and data protection solutions for servers, desktops and laptops. StorageCraft delivers software products that reduce downtime, improve security and stability for systems and data and lower the total cost of ownership for servers, desktops and laptops.
Seagate’s eVault Reportedly Developing New “Cold Storage” Tech to Compete with AWS Glacier
Very interesting, though somewhat speculative, article today in The Register that outlines some new technology that may make a disk-based competitor to Amazon’s Glacier as cheap but faster:
“EVault, according to our storage gossips, is going to use disks, next-generation slow and energy-efficient drives from parent Seagate, probably shingled magnetic recording drives, and thus be able to generate restores which are potentially faster than those achieved on Glacier.”
For details and full-on speculation, read the article.
WebRTC Summit | WebRTC: Test then Disrupt
With WebRTC, customer interactions that start on the Web will be able to stay on the Web, giving users a simple path to fulfilling any number of service needs when connecting with a company. Contact centers that implement WebRTC solutions are going to find value in simplifying their networks and being able to provide multi-services through a single interface: the web browser. They’ll also benefit from the customer insight efficiencies WebRTC can deliver when interacting with customers.
For instance, when Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) are interfacing with customers via WebRTC, interactions are driven from an HTTP/application/browser data path. Therefore, additional context about each customer will be available. This, in turn, will arm CSRs with business intelligence, so they can immediately understand why customers are calling and how to address their needs. This efficiency can drive productivity and increase customer satisfaction.
VASCO to Exhibit at Cloud Expo Silicon Valley
SYS-CON Events announced today that VASCO Data Security International, Inc., will exhibit at SYS-CON’s 13th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 4–7, 2013, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
VASCO is a leading supplier of strong authentication and e-signature solutions and services specializing in Internet Security applications and transactions. VASCO has positioned itself as global software company for Internet Security serving a customer base of approximately 10,000 companies in more than 100 countries, including approximately 1,700 international financial institutions. VASCO’s prime markets are the financial sector, enterprise security, e-commerce and e-government.
Three New Customer Success Stories
Mailprotector provides cloud-based email security, management and hosting services through the channel to businesses, government entities and non-profit organizations around the globe. Mailprotector needed a fast, easy way of expanding its business internationally through the integration of its solution into the infrastructures of leading web hosting companies all over the world.
To accomplish this, Mailprotector is leveraging APS, founded by Parallels, to speed time to market through fast, easy integration with the Parallels Automation platforms of partners such as fast-growing Brazilian web hoster Websolute.
To keep pace with rapid business growth, Conetix wanted to build its platform and personnel to ensure that business expansion did not come at the expense of customer service.
Conetix selected Parallels Cloud Server as the platform for consolidating its existing systems and scaling its operations. The decision was based on the capabilities of Parallels Cloud Server as well as Conetix’s existing expertise with Parallels.
As the largest web hosting company in New Zealand with 100,000+ domains managed for over 25,000 customers, Web Drive devotes a significant proportion of its manpower resources to ongoing tasks such as site migration, optimizing system performance, and ensuring that operating systems and other software are kept up to date.
To enhance the efficiency of its operations and accelerate its growth trajectory, Web Drive decided to deploy the latest version of hosting control panel solution Parallels Plesk Panel for performance, improved integration with Parallels Business Automation Standard and the ability to manage site migrations more easily.
Want to be featured in a Parallels case study? Fill out the following form on Parallels PartnerNet. (registration is required)