Panzura has added new Secure Erase and Enterprise Antivirus Connector technologies in version 5.4.1.0 of its PZOS operating system for the Panzura Global Cloud Storage System. These new features increase security options beyond Panzura’s FIPS 140-2 Level 3 encryption, which was announced in February 2013.
“Everywhere you turn these days, another story appears about confidential information getting into the open where it doesn’t belong. Whether it is credit card numbers or a company’s business-critical files, protecting sensitive data is growing in importance every day, especially for data in the cloud,” said Randy Chou, president and CEO of Panzura.
Monthly Archives: January 2014
Nimble Storage Leverages Big Data & Cloud
Big-data processing helps to make the best use of dynamic storage resources by taking in all the relevant storage activities data, analyzing it and then making the best choices for dynamic hybrid storage optimization.
If, as the adage goes, you should fight fire with fire then perhaps its equally justified to fight big data optimization requirements with — big data.
It turns out that high-performing, cost-effective big-data processing helps to make the best use of dynamic storage resources by taking in all the relevant storage activities data, analyzing it and then making the best real-time choices for dynamic hybrid storage optimization.
In other words, big data can be exploited to better manage complex data and storage. The concept, while tricky at first, is powerful and, I believe, a harbinger of what we’re going to see more of, which is to bring high intelligence to bear on many more services, products and machines.
IoD, IoT, IoE, IoS, IoP, IoU and IoX Are in Your Future
Have you figured out the new buzzword trend for 2014 that starting ramping up in 2013?
Yup, it’s Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of Devicess (IoD)
Assuming that IoT, IoD and other variations catch on which looks like they will, this could bring relief and rest for the over-worked Big Data and Software Defined “X” buzzword bingo bandwagon usage.
For those not familiar with Software Defined “X”, simply replace “X” with your favorite term such as Data Center (SDDC), Networking (SDN), Storage (SDS), Marketing, (SDM) among others.as the new IT (and beyond) industry term might just take some pressure from the over-worked software defined “x” usage (you pick “x” such as data center, networking, storage, marketing, etc).
Sony’s move to cloud gaming goes up a gear with PlayStation Now
Sony has announced PlayStation Now, a service which allows gamers to stream a variety of PlayStation titles across a range of devices without a console in sight.
The announcement was made at CES, with games from Sony’s previous three consoles being utilised and the service available on the PS4, the PS Vita, as well as Sony’s Bravia TV sets.
The technology for PlayStation Now came from Gaikai, a company which streams high-end video games. Gaikai was bought by Sony in July 2012 for $380m, a clear sign of its cloud-based future.
This is not to say the user experience has been completely seamless, however. The Verge reported “a slightly perceptible lag between button presses and the corresponding action onscreen”, yet added that “you’ll never think of gaming the same way again”.
Similarly Sid Shuman, social media manager at Sony Computer Entertainment America, admitted that “pixel counters and …
SYS-CON Media Launches Internet of Things Journal
SYS-CON Media has launched Internet of Things Journal on Ulitzer.com featuring 2,500 stories including live breaking news coverage on the “Internet of Things.” Long-time IT editor/analyst Roger Strukhoff, who is currently Executive Director of the Manila-based Tau Institute, is founder and editor.
Internet of Things Journal is focused on the development of the rapidly emerging Internet of Things market. “Internet of Things” provides valuable information on the common issues and requirements to the technology professionals who are creating a platform for IoT. Article topics include “The Internet of Things and DNS,” “IoT 2014: Tiny Sensors, Open APIs and Hybrid Clouds,” “Is Internet of Things Really Internet of Agents?,” and “Getting Ready for the Future of Technology.”
Top 13 API Integrity / Cloud Testing Resources of 2013
With the “API economy” dominating the headlines in 2013, it’s no surprise that Parasoft saw a surge of interest in how to ensure API reliability, security, and performance. Here’s a recap of the 13 most-accessed API Integrity resources from 2013…
API Integrity: How Buggy Are Today’s APIs? [Infographic] This infographic highlights some interesting findings from Parasoft’s research on API Integrity…
Prevention Not Detection Is the Key to Better Security
Savvy organizations, HP among them, are turning to preventing attacks, rather than just detecting them and remediating them.
The high cost of unwanted intrusion and malware across corporate networks is well known. Less talked-about are the successful ways that organizations are thwarting ongoing, adaptive and often-insider-driven security breaches.
Companies are understandably reluctant to readily discuss either their defenses or mishaps. Yet HP, one of the world’s largest companies, is both a provider and a practitioner of enterprise intrusion detection systems (IDS). And so we asked HP to explain how it is both building and using such technologies, along with seeking some insider tips on best practices.
Monetizing Cloud Services Brokerage | Part 3
In a previous blog on Cloud Services Brokerage (CSB), I promised to return briefly to the topic of CSB monetization.
The term CSB can refer to both to the activity of brokering cloud services, or to the software application (or suite of applications) used to manage that activity. The activity of brokering cloud services can be carried out within an enterprise, as an internal support function, or performed as a paid-for service by a third party. So just to be clear, the discussion in today’s blog is all about the monetization of CSB as a service when provided by a CSB service provider.
The scope of CSB need not be limited to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). To provide a complete cloud service, a broker might also offer IaaS and/or PaaS. The CSB service might also include desktop tools to help the customer, and also some good old-fashioned consulting.
2014: Customers Rejoice in the Year of Service Personalization
As we enter a new year, it is time to look back over the past year and resolve to improve upon it. In 2014, we will see more service providers resolve to add more personalization in enterprise technology. Below are seven predictions about what will drive this trend toward personalization.
The Internet of Things turns into the Internet of Agents. M2M connections and multi-agent systems will result in an increasing number of highly personalized, value-added branded services. The latest Gartner forecast for the Internet of Things (IoT) predicts that by 2020, there will be $309 billion in incremental revenue opportunity for IoT suppliers, mostly in services. Everything-as-a service (XaaS) will lead us toward more complex services, more bundles and more options. Individual users will use agents whose sole job is to create functional services for individuals, out of everything available in the connected service universe. As we move closer toward XaaS, we will become familiar with the concept of “agents” in the delivery of those everything services via SaaS, PaaS and IaaS. Agents can reside as modules within SaaS service offerings or they can be tools embedded in the service provider infrastructure or operating systems. Agents can exist in cloud-connected devices, or in the management software within the evolving smart device ecosystem. Any service delivery platform (SDP) can contain agents that add functionality to the supported services by collaborating with other agents on other platforms.
Defining Requirements Leads to Successful IT Projects
By Erin Marandola, Contract Administrator, PMP
Simply stated, a successful IT project is one that is completed on time and within budget. But, how do we get there, and why are there so many project failures? From a service provider’s perspective, a successful project avoids scope creep (the project getting out of control), which adds cost, time and risk. The successful project should also avoid gold plating (the addition of unintended added features to the final product of the project). These pitfalls can be easily avoided. In this blog, I’ll review how properly defining requirements can contribute to a thorough, well-thought out Statement of Work, and lead to a successful project.
If there is a mutually agreed upon Statement of Work outlining the project scope, deliverables, acceptance criteria, and assumptions, each party should have a clear, equal understanding of the project, right? Not exactly. A key factor in project failure is neglecting to exhaustively define and document project requirements within the Statement of Work. When we withhold information, assumptions are made. Since we don’t all think the same way, this can lead to the service provider believing certain terms and conditions are true, while the customer believes otherwise.
Looking back at my career, a few project failures come to mind. In one case, there was a different perception of what was considered in and out of scope between various parties. For example, the Statement of Work said “Eight (8) hours of post-implementation support.” The customer assumed the provider would provide support to end users, but the provider assumed the support would be at the system level and provided only to system administrators. In another case, assumptions were made while scoping the project and writing the Statement of Work, but they were never documented and validated by all parties. This resulted in an engineer arriving onsite for an Exchange upgrade, only to realize the project could not be completed based on conflicts in the client’s environment. It was assumed the customer had a Disaster Recovery solution in place that would support the upgrade, but that was not the case. Had the requirements been documented, this would not have happened.
Register for our upcoming webinar to learn more about project management best practices
To create a comprehensive Statement of Work, we need to methodically define requirements. The most crucial ingredient in defining requirements is the stakeholder, defined as anyone with a vested interest in the project, or anyone that will be impacted by the project. Stakeholders should be included in meetings where scope and requirements are being defined. They can open our eyes to the impacts the future project will have on the organization, environment and processes. They can also help define what the business and functional requirements are, and what constraints might hinder project objectives. Additionally, stakeholders help define what assumptions the project team is working under and how project success will be measured. The benefit of stakeholder involvement in defining requirements is the collaboration – the stakeholder meetings facilitate consensus amongst participants, ownership, and buy-in in the project. The collaborative approach allows stakeholders to assess multiple options to reach the project goals and mutually agree upon the best fit.
Once the requirements from the stakeholder meeting are defined, progressively elaborated and documented, a Statement of Work can be created incorporating the feedback. Prior to mutual execution of the Statement of Work, it is crucial that the service provider and customer review the document together to ensure both parties understand the business need, desired solution, assumptions, and scope of work. The Statement of Work should be updated as appropriate based on feedback from the review session(s).
In summary, defining requirements early on is essential in keeping a future project on track, in scope and in budget. Stakeholders are an invaluable resource in defining requirements. Defining, documenting and incorporating requirements into the Statement of Work results in a document that is clear, through and easy to manage to, helping to avoid some of the pitfalls we earlier alluded to. Best of all, defining requirements leads to a project that meets the true needs of the organization. If you’re looking for more information around IT project management, our VP of Project Management and our Director of Project Management are holding a webinar on January 23rd to discuss the benefits of creating a Project Management Office.