Enterprises have forever faced challenges surrounding the sharing of their intellectual property. Emerging cloud adoption has made it more compelling for enterprises to digitize their content, making them available over a wide variety of devices across the Internet.
In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Santosh Ahuja, Director of Architecture at Impiger Technologies, will introduce various mechanisms provided by cloud service providers today to manage and share digital content in a secure manner.

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The headlong stampede of enterprise data into the cloud has passed by.

A few years ago I might have written it was ‘underway,’ but this would grossly understate the situation.  Data which was once stored on premise has left the building, the twinkling lights on the tin box in your racks are slowly blinking out. Data osmosis is taking place, draining life force from these antiquated shells into vast data-centres run by some of the largest companies on earth.   It is more than a trend.  It is just reality. 

So as a million barn gates are slammed, the new question on everyone’s lips is one of security.   How do we keep that perfectly curated company data safe when prying eyes hidden in a world of VPNs, bulletproof hosting and dark forums are watching?   In this world, encryption is often touted as a saviour.  People have been given hope by a technique shrouded in a complex veil of military nomenclature and supported by brain melting numbers, with billions of possible variations.

I’m not here to criticise encryption.  It brings a level of complexity that is good in many respects as it makes things harder for threat actors. Encrypted data is more secure than unencrypted data, as long as keys are stored separately and updated on a regular basis. Fact. Google agrees, and that is often a good sign. Low frequency access to data at rest will be well served by encryption because access is not required often, and it is hard to do.

This complexity also exposes one of the weaknesses of the approach, however. Encryption is a reflection of the fact that it is expecting to be stolen, a defensive posture. However, one of the main points of having data in the cloud is because it is supposed to be easy to access.  Wherever, whenever, right?

As more and more daily business is done in the cloud we need to enable this, not make it harder. Also, there is the great unmentionable that the vast majority of data breaches come from within the organisation, and it’s not a great stretch to assume that this could happen by grabbing encryption keys, using social engineering.  

For this reason, monitoring and access control needs to be a big part of keeping cloud data safe. Organisations need to know who has accessed what, where from and what they are doing with it.  Actually, the most important thing to know is, are they allowed to do what they are trying to with your cloud data? We need to know more than plain ‘access attempts’; we need to learn about every single person in any given organisation, what their role is and if they are acting within it. 

Encryption is a wall.  It is a very high wall with barbed wire around your data and a very good way of stopping people accessing things.  However, data sitting inert is just a bunch of information stored on a disc.  Data needs to be free, in motion and used by humans, if it is to be given value.  For this reason, we need to enable organisations in an intelligent manner.  Give people the tools to make the most of their data, rather than just locking it in a bunker. 

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With the global hybrid cloud market poised to reach $91 billion (£69bn) by 2021, as recent findings by analyst organisation Markets and Standards show, it is critical that companies assess whether their cloud strategy meets their evolving storage and recovery needs.

Businesses should resist the temptation for a “rough-and-ready” cloud deployment and instead have a genuine business conversation about cloud adoption. They should consider the comprehensive needs and growth trajectory of the business and the deep and lasting effects that cloud adoption can have when wedded to backup and recovery processes.

Maintaining an in-house data backup and recovery strategy can be costly, slow and admin-heavy. It may also be a burden to the IT department, preventing teams from addressing real business challenges. A recent ESG survey shows that there is significant demand for outsourced data backup and recovery solutions, with one in two companies happy to completely remove their in-house strategy if they could afford to do so.

What could prevent companies from deploying a suitable cloud solution?

However, there is currently too much “noise” in the public domain when it comes to cloud adoption. Three of sets of pressures, specifically, are mounting on business owners. Firstly, there is a swath and flux of information and misinformation about the public cloud which makes it difficult for business owners to have a settled view of what is available to them. Secondly, the barriers to access and costs of setting up on the cloud are low, which may lead businesses to adopt a solution that is ill-equipped to deal with their needs. Finally, with businesses rapidly digitising their approach, data is growing at an exponential rate and there is a growing need for it to be stored and analysed.

How should companies frame their cloud deployment decision?

Mindful of these pressures, companies should ensure that they take a step back and explore solutions that are tailored to their storage and recovery needs. To this end, they should first decide whether they wish to archive data or opt for greater storage capacity. They should prepare for potential bottlenecks by, for example, assessing the impact that low latency periods might have on their backup and recovery capability. This “proactive” mind-set will stand companies in good stead and will help them prove return on investment as they roll out new deployments.

Having laid down these working assumptions and plans, businesses should perform a stringent cost/benefit analysis when it comes to choosing a provider. They should press providers to supply them with a complete and clear account of the benefits of each solution.

What should they assess before adopting a specific cloud solution?

From a storage, backup and recovery standpoint, taking a long-term view is necessary. Ahead of adopting a specific solution, businesses should assess the following:

• Company growth rate: Business needs and goals are constantly evolving. For this reason management teams should not rely upon the thinking and budget constraints of today and should rather take a long-term view, accounting for the growth of business’ data 5 to 10 years ahead. A terabyte decision today becomes a petabyte decision in 5 years, putting significant strain on an inadequate backup and recovery solution.
• Data usage: Organisations should also be methodical in the way they sort and classify their data. Companies and individuals often harbor an almost “emotional” connection to their data. Consequently, it can be over protected and storage can easily be “maxed out” through lack of control. Addressing this, organisations should categorise data and determine what needs to be backed up, how long it should be stored and how fast it should be restored. 
• Cloud consolidation: Businesses should also take into account that the cloud market may undergo a consolidation whereby giants such as Microsoft and Amazon eclipse smaller providers, a trend which is gathering pace according to a recent Forrester report. Cloud storage migration is in its infancy, and challenges could arise if companies wish to withdraw their data from a provider. The cost of changing providers could also be prohibitive, especially for businesses under budget constraints.
• Regulation/legislation: Businesses should be privy to regulatory changes with regard to data, as these can have a significant impact on their storage strategy; The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) may lead to sticking points when companies wish to move data across borders.
• Environment: Storing large amounts of data on-premise can generate a significant energy bill. Adopting a cloud solution can go a long way to alleviating that carbon footprint and associated cost.

Is there a way for companies to test the water with cloud adoption?

Whilst the benefits of flexibility and innovation that cloud affords are widely documented, businesses should take a cautious, incremental approach to cloud adoption rather than one relying upon quick fixes and the most cost efficient options.

Given that businesses cannot outsource 100% in the interim, they should experiment with a hybrid cloud solution and build a data protection strategy that is aligned to their users and endpoints. In this way they can test the water by moving terabytes off site at a time and measuring how the business responds. This measured approach will be most effective in ensuring companies reap the flexibility and IT innovation benefits of cloud adoption in the long-term. 

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It’s a well-worn theme, yet raises its head again; new research from Claranet and Vanson Bourne argues that European businesses are suffering from a lack of understanding between the IT department and the rest of the organisation.

Just over a quarter (26%) of the 900 IT leaders polled – based in Benelux, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and the UK – said they believe the wider business has total understanding of the role of the IT department. A similar number (28%) of IT departments think they meet all the needs of the wider business.

The research findings are the latest in a series issued by the managed hosting service provider. In April, the company revealed that almost half of IT leaders see their primary job as one of cost reduction. This time around, while the figures are up from 2015’s analysis (21% and 26% respectively), Claranet argues more needs to be done to change a familiar disposition.

“IT leaders have a key role to play in building understanding between their department and the wider business,” said Andy Wilton, Claranet CIO. “Those IT leaders who aren’t prioritising developing an understanding between IT and the business are harming their own career prospects and the prospects of their business.

“In order to better support the business, the IT team must focus more energy on the applications and data that are key to business success, and less on day to day technical management and infrastructure maintenance,” added Wilton. “These activities are a large part of the reason that the IT department is stuck in a reactive mode and prevent it from driving the wider business agenda.”

This may be easier said than done. Writing for this publication earlier this month Keith Tilley, EVP global sales and customer services management at Sungard Availability Services, put forward four key tenets to improve workflows for IT departments and drive change: seeking out the right skills; communicating clearly; securing adequate resources; and turning occasionally to colleagues outside of the IT department.

Kubernetes, Docker and containers are changing the world, and how companies are deploying their software and running their infrastructure. With the shift in how applications are built and deployed, new challenges must be solved.
In his session at @DevOpsSummit at19th Cloud Expo, Sebastian Scheele, co-founder of Loodse, will discuss the implications of containerized applications/infrastructures and their impact on the enterprise. In a real world example based on Kubernetes, he will show how to migrate an existing application to Docker and Kubernetes, and what the benefits are.

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To leverage Continuous Delivery, enterprises must consider impacts that span functional silos, as well as applications that touch older, slower moving components. Managing the many dependencies can cause slowdowns. See how to achieve continuous delivery in the enterprise.

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Smart Cities are here to stay, but for their promise to be delivered, the data they produce must not be put in new siloes.
In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mathias Herberts, Co-founder and CTO of Cityzen Data, will deep dive into best practices that will ensure a successful smart city journey.

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Collab9, a Cisco-powered unified communications provider based in Gardena, California, has announced it has become the first unified comms as a service (UCaaS) provider to be authorised by FedRAMP, the government security standard.

The move is aimed at federal, state, and local agencies for their unified collaboration needs, with Collab9 offering messaging, both for voicemail and email, mobility, and integration with Microsoft Office 365, Skype for Business and Gmail.

“We’re elated to be the first and only UCaaS provider to earn the FedRAMP Authorized designation, with the help of the FCC as our sponsor,” said Kevin Schaltze, Collab9 CEO in a statement. “We can now help federal and government agencies accelerate their cloud adoption, increase their confidence in cloud security, and ensure the application of a consistent set of security standards to their cloud environments.”

“As agencies are increasingly using more cloud services, specialised services like UCaaS solutions are gaining greater entry into the federal marketplace, said Ashley Mahan, FedRAMP agency evangelist. “The federal government’s increasing adoption of all types of cloud services will result in many more specialised services coming through FedRAMP, like UCaaS solutions.”

While this is claimed as the first UCaaS play to get FedRAMP accreditation – Collab9 notes its data centre was built with the NIST 800-53 federal standard in mind – there have been plenty of other moves in the cloud infrastructure space. In June, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and CSRA’s ARC-P infrastructure as a service, were given a passing grade under the new FedRAMP High Baseline requirements.

Research in the unified comms space continues to show an emerging, yet hazy market. Back in November, a study from Osterman Research found that more than a quarter of IT decision makers and almost two in five business decision makers were at least ‘somewhat’ fearful about migrating their systems to unified comms.

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Organisations across all industries are moving towards a digital-first approach; shaking up the way they operate, drive growth and engage with customers.

Even the most established sectors are changing their go-to-market strategies as a reaction to digital demands. For example, the banking sector is undergoing severe disruption due to the rise of plucky fintech start-ups, such as Stripe or Atom Bank. The UK has recently been hailed as number one in the world for supporting innovation in this area. And while positive to see, one can’t help but think of the pressure this is placing upon the IT department to keep up with this pace of digital transformation.

For the business, IT holds immeasurable power: offering a competitive advantage, enabling growth and playing a vital role in the market strategy. However, with so much to do, IT is becoming something of a complex beast. Something of a bear, infact.

At its worst, IT can be slow and unpredictable; prone to hibernation in times of limited investment and liable to lash out when placed under pressure, in turn wielding the potential to hold back organisations. If businesses do not control the bear, the IT department can’t hope to effect the digital transformation needed to keep their companies at the forefront of their respective industries.

A powerful force

Digital tools are vital for business growth today, from attracting the brightest talent, through to entering new markets. This power has not gone unnoticed, with 79% of ITDMs stating that digital transformation is vital in remaining competitive.

In tandem, employees are placing growing importance on the power of digital technology, believing it will improve productivity, allow them to develop new skills, and make their jobs easier. With UK businesses facing ongoing market uncertainty following the EU referendum and subsequent vote for Brexit, could this digital revolution be the key to futureproofing organisations during these turbulent times?

Disturbing the beast

This increasing demand for digital tools and transformation is putting a great deal of pressure on the IT department. Exactly one half of IT decision makers fear that they cannot drive digital transformation forward at the speed their management team expects. Combine this with the fact that 32% of employees also believe their employers are not driving digital transformation as fast as competitors are doing, and you have the ingredients for a disaster – commercially speaking.

When disturbed, a bear becomes unruly and unpredictable. The same result can be seen when too much pressure is placed upon an IT system ill-equipped to handle the demands of digitalisation. When this happens, the IT department struggles to deliver the best quality IT service to end users.  The bear’s unpredictable, volatile and temperamental nature is wreaking havoc, and the carnage left in its wake impedes businesses from innovating to remain competitive in their chosen fields.

Unsurprisingly, this affects more than just the IT department and is having a knock-on effect upon the whole organisation. Nearly a third of employees (30%) confessed that new digital tools are actually making their jobs more difficult, while 31% said it made their roles more stressful. Not only do these responses reveal scenarios at odds with the benefits firms undertake new IT deployments to achieve, less time is spent on thinking about the strategic direction of the business itself, when an entire organisation grapples to control the IT bear!

As the digital revolution continues, reining in the bear has never been more critical – and those who fail to do so will risk everything from staff retention and customer satisfaction, through to their very survival.

The bear necessities

The pressure is very much on for the IT department! Technology is rapidly adapting and fierce competition abounds. Bearing this in mind here are some necessary steps to take when attempting to tame the bear to harness its strength:

• Seek out the right skills: Bringing in the right talent – inside and outside of the IT department – who can help drive your digital culture forward will be vital. Remember that soft skills are just as important as technical ability.
• Communicate clearly: Keeping a clear and open dialogue with the wider business will not only help the IT department understand exactly where business priorities lie, but will help prevent employee and management expectations from getting out of hand.  
• Secure adequate resources: Changing a company’s culture understandably requires investment. Communicating the benefits associated with digital transformation – and investing in training for those who need it – is crucial in order to ensure that the wider business both pays its fair share of the associated costs, and receives due positive outcomes too.
• Don’t go it alone: Turning to colleagues and tech champions outside the IT department can help drive change. Additionally, partnering with an appropriately experienced managed services provider can allow the IT department to focus on delivering new, innovative services, rather than getting waylaid by small, fiddly system maintenance tasks, or overwhelmed by the changes undertaken. This was a strategy adopted by global logistics firm John Menzies PLC when it decided to completely overhaul and update its IT. A huge task by any stretch of the imagination. However, by partnering with a provider experienced in business transformation and Hybrid IT systems they were able to ensure the ‘business as usual’ nature of day to day operations, whilst effecting said transformation.

Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes lies with the connotations that are associated with the term ‘digital transformation’. Many have made the mistake of thinking it has to be an all-encompassing overhaul; but a revolution doesn’t come out of nowhere, it can be built upon one step at a time. In simple terms, taming the IT bear is about getting the most out of your IT system.

By aligning IT to business outcomes, you then use it to open up new opportunities, create better working practices, and ultimately improve the competitive strength of your business. Taking this measured approach will help make the situation more bear-able.