Cloud is a lot more pervasive than one may have imagined and in this article, we will focus on the various ways in which cloud technology is making home security systems robust and impenetrable. The term ‘Internet of Things’ gets thrown around quite a lot when we talk about cloud technology in domains outside of computer systems. But cloud technology in areas like home security is not merely about IoT. Cloud is a lot more pervasive than one may have imagined and in this article, we will focus on the various ways in which cloud technology is making home security systems robust and impenetrable.

read more

The cloud skills gap is widening and almost 40% of businesses are now struggling to find the qualified employees they need, according to Microsoft’s recent Cloud Skills Report. This is an incredible opportunity for professionals who can prove their cloud knowledge.

Determined professionals validate their knowledge and set themselves apart from the competition with training and certifications. The same report from Microsoft also found that tech leaders believe professionals with formal qualifications in cloud technologies are vital for success.

But as new certifications are introduced from every major cloud provider, where should you invest your time? These are the six cloud certifications to boost your career in 2017.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is established as the market leader in cloud, bringing in a titanic $12 billion for the Amazon subsidiary in 2016 –  a 55% increase over the same period last year. AWS continues to expand with plans to open a fifth European region in Sweden.

Launched in May 2013, AWS offer three certification tracks – Architecting, Developing and Operations – designed to teach professionals the skills they need to use AWS. Each certification track is composed of two levels: Associate and Professional.

The first level of the Architecting track, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification, is built for professionals who want to design and deploy applications and systems on AWS.

Professionals that achieve this certification will learn how to build and deploy applications on AWS, that make use of key cloud features, like scalability and high availability. 

Despite being the first certification in the Architecting track, this is not entry-level. You must have in-depth programming experience and good prior knowledge of AWS before attempting the certification exam. To help professionals get to grips with the cloud provider, AWS recommend this online exam workshop.

The Certified Solutions Architect – Associate proves to employers, partners and clients that you’re a skilled AWS pro. Because of this, it consistently ranks as one of the highest paying certifications; AWS Architects earn a median salary of £75,000 (ITJobsWatch, 2017).

Microsoft MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure

Despite Amazon’s massive global cloud market share, Microsoft’s cloud offering, Azure, is catching up. Azure’s popularity is increasing in Europe and recent reports rank Azure above AWS as the dominant provider of IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service).

The MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure was introduced late in 2016 as part of a major restructure of Microsoft certifications. The overhaul saw Microsoft retire the MCSE: Private Cloud certification, alongside 24 other certifications.

This is Microsoft’s most advanced cloud certification and should be considered the crowning achievement of a cloud professional’s career. It recognises your ability to run efficient, modern data centres and qualifies you for high-responsibility jobs like cloud architect.

To achieve it, you’ll need to first obtain one of four Microsoft MCSA certifications:

• MCSA: Windows Server 2012 or MCSA: Windows Server 2016
• MCSA: Cloud Platform
• MCSA: Linux on Azure

As each MCSA requires 2-3 exams, this is a long-term investment. Once you’re MCSA is attained, you’ll then need to pass one additional elective exam to obtain your MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure certification. There a wide range of potential choices, including these relevant exams:

• 70-473 – Designing and Implementing Cloud Data Platform Solutions
• 70-532 – Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions
• 70-533 – Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
• 70-534 – Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions

(ISC)2 Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

Because migrating to the cloud can often result in unforeseen security vulnerabilities businesses are increasingly investing in better cloud security. As a result, the cloud security market is expected to reach £7 billion by 2019 and there is a massive demand for professionals with these skills.

(ISC)2’s Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) validates cloud security skills at the highest level. Backed by two leading non-profits – the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and (ISC)2 – this certification proves expert knowledge of cloud cyber security and information management.

The CCSP builds on existing high-level (ISC)2 certifications and holders of the renowned CISSP are prequalified to take the CCSP exam. Otherwise, you’ll need to meet a lengthy set of prerequisites, including professional experience across multiple CCSP domains, like cloud data security, operations and legal/compliance.

However, it’s well worth it. The CCSP is a reflection of industry best-practices for cloud security and demonstrates your expert knowledge of cloud application, platform and data infrastructure security.

You’ll also get to grips with a focus on compliance, legality, audit processes and privacy – particularly important when GDPR is introduced in May 2018.

If your role involves managing and securing cloud environments, (ISC)2’s CCSP is one of the best certifications you can get.

CompTIA Cloud+

CompTIA is the leading provider of vendor neutral certifications and has issued over two million certifications since its formation in 1993. Alongside industry stalwarts, like the immensely popular CompTIA A+, CompTIA also provides two cloud certifications.

The CompTIA Cloud+ is a robust certification aimed at IT professionals with 1-2 years’ experience working in networking, storage or data centre administration. Don’t confuse it with CompTIA’s Cloud Essentials Certification, aimed at non-IT professionals.

Passing the Cloud+ will prove your knowledge of cloud models, virtualisation, infrastructure, security, resources management and business continuity.

For professionals who already hold CompTIA certifications, like Server+, Network+ or Security+, the Cloud+ is the next logical step.

Whilst this is a great certification path, you won’t need to study any other CompTIA certifications to sit the CompTIA Cloud+. And with a wide variety of topics, you’ll get a solid base of cloud knowledge, making this certification a great way to kick off any career in cloud technology in 2017.

Cisco CCNA Cloud

Cisco’s CCNA Cloud is regarded as a challenging certification to achieve, but it’s well worth the investment. Cisco sets the industry standard for network equipment; wherever you work, there’s a good chance you’ll be working with Cisco equipment.

The CCNA Cloud focuses on preparing professionals for on-the-job situations, including how to perform crucial administration and maintenance tasks. You’ll study the basics of Cisco cloud infrastructure and administration, including services like: Cisco UCS and server virtualisation, United Fabric and Unified Storage.

Despite a lack of any official prerequisites, professionals must still be realistic about their own experience before attempting the two certification exams: CLDFND & CLDADM. Even with a solid networking background and certifications like CCENT or Network+, professionals may still struggle to master this challenging certification.

Microsoft MCSA: Linux on Azure

The MCSA: Linux on Azure certification arrived at the end of 2015, providing Linux specialists with a path to transfer their Linux skills directly into the Azure cloud.

Achieve this certification and you’ll learn to deploy, configure, host and manage Linux websites on Azure. You’ll also learn how to take advantage of Azure’s key features like Windows PowerShell and Xplat-CLI and study Azure Active Directory implementation, virtual machines and virtual networks – all incorporating Linux.

And with more than one million Azure servers running on Linux, this certification will be highly sought after in 2017.

(c)iStock.com/erhui1979

Cloud usage is accelerating at a rapid rate, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Right now, 90 percent of all companies are using the cloud in some way, and, in the next 10 years, spending on public cloud alone is slated to multiply by a factor of five to $500 billion, according to recent studies by North Bridge and Wikibon.

Enterprises are launching new infrastructure at a furious pace, migrating workloads of all kinds and big chunks of data to public and private cloud environments. Many of these enterprises are generating tangible results – cutting out costs, increasing agility and getting products to market faster.  

But cloud initiatives don’t come without growing pains. If they aren’t managed closely, cloud projects can spiral out of control quickly, leaving a trail of data breaches, regulatory fines and cost overruns. What organizations need is a strong governance program to ensure that their move to the cloud starts smoothly and continues to perform at peak levels over time.

It should come as no surprise that some companies reap greater benefits from the cloud than others. In a recent survey of nearly 400 senior managers, CloudHealth identified a class of “cloud leaders” that are outperforming their peers based on a series of best practices they’re deploying in the cloud. These companies grow revenue 2.3 times faster than their peers. They also move faster, display more agility and position themselves as more likely to see the cloud drive competitive advantage.

Governance is a key differentiator for companies that leverage their clouds efficiently. As companies grow their cloud environments they have to conduct a balancing act between agility and control. They want to be flexible, get to market quickly and innovate, but they need to institute processes to ensure secure, effective and efficient use of IT resources.

The best of the best accomplish this using centralized governance. According to the survey, cloud leaders are twice as likely to have instituted centralized governance plans for migrating workloads to the cloud. And once the workloads are up and running, the survey found, cloud leaders display a series of best practices that effectively govern their cloud operations and protect their organizations from risk.

What are the most important facets of a cloud governance program? Based on the cloud leaders survey and anecdotal evidence we’ve observed from working with some of the most active cloud users in the world, here are six best practices for governance success:

Designate someone to oversee governance

When your organization has hundreds, if not thousands, of cloud instances spread across departments and locales, it’s not hard to lose track of how cloud services are being used. There needs to be accountability – and the easiest way to ensure this is to put one person in charge.

An organization can assign any number of names to this role – Cloud Optimization Manager, Cloud Governance Manager or, one we’ve heard repeatedly, Cloud Steward. The important thing is to be clear on this person’s duties. The individual must have a business sense for the corporation and an ability to cross and influence departments and LOBs. The governance leader needs to have a strong technology sense for the corporation with access to devops, monitoring, API and security level expertise. The individual also will need to lead a cross functional team that defines best practices for building functional business groups across cloud resources and assets.

This role is emerging. According to the survey, cloud leaders are 2.5 times as likely to have a role dedicated to cloud optimization and governance. Having this “Cloud Steward” designated and empowered gives an organization a head start toward getting a cloud program under control. 

Pursue a clearly articulated strategy of leveraging advanced pricing vehicles

A strong governance strategy can help an organization keep costs under control and manage the financial risks of a cloud environment. Controlling costs is a complicated discipline, with many factors to consider. But one way to get started is to simply set up a system to stay current with costs structures in the market.

Across the board, cloud leaders showed a better understanding of pricing structures and could control cost (even when dealing with a variety of vendors, pricing plans and billing structures). The survey concluded that cloud leaders are 1.5 times as likely to leverage pricing strategies from cloud providers based on forecasted use by workload. They’re also 2.5 times as likely to have a comprehensive, clearly articulated strategy for managing the cost of cloud deployments.

Manage by exception

Proactive monitoring and alerting mechanisms will detect abnormal behavior. This can explain why cloud leaders are nearly three times as likely to identify and mitigate cloud computing risks “somewhat or extremely fast.”

Closely monitor internal cloud use

Just as monitoring and alerting can help organizations manage security threats, they can help keep costs under control by flagging improper use of services or unexpected outages. Many unauthorized uses stem from the spread of “shadow IT.” According to a recent survey by North Bridge and market watcher Wikibon, nearly two thirds of large enterprises have a cloud governance policy in place to help control shadow IT. The same survey revealed that a third of cloud services are “not allowed” by IT, meaning they present a risk to the organization.

Clearly, the increased availability of cloud applications puts a strain on IT departments. Having clear governance practices that define who can use what resources and when can eliminate a lot of confusion and risk in the organization.

Have a standard reference architecture

Knowing what is and what is not permitted in terms of usage prevents users from relying on inefficient methods that drive costs higher. For example, there can be a policy limiting the amount of time a development program can be run in the cloud, so that the development team doesn’t run something over an entire weekend, wasting money. Guidelines can also govern factors such as maximum thresholds for memory and minimum thresholds for performance, with the goal of optimizing efficiency in the cloud and keeping costs in control.

Ensure that governance is an ongoing effort

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of governance is the fact that it’s not a “set it and forget it” practice. Organizations need to regularly update policies to reflect changing services, cost structures and usage patterns for continuous optimization. Tellingly, cloud leaders are 4.6 times as likely to see cloud deployment optimization as a continual process, rather than a one-time exercise. They get it.

Conclusion

Cloud computing is the new normal. Adoption is growing rapidly, and the enterprises that are using cloud wisely are able to conduct business in dramatically different ways. To get the most out of the cloud, while keeping a lid on cloud complexity, organizations need to establish clear, concise governance practices. Doing a good job on cloud governance will set organizations on the right path to long-term success.

Enterprise architects are increasingly adopting multi-cloud strategies as they seek to utilize existing data center assets, leverage the advantages of cloud computing and avoid cloud vendor lock-in. This requires a globally aware traffic management strategy that can monitor infrastructure health across data centers and end-user experience globally, while responding to control changes and system specification at the speed of today’s DevOps teams.
In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Josh Gray, Chief Architect at Cedexis, will cover strategies for orchestrating global traffic achieving the highest-quality end-user experience while spanning multiple clouds and data centers and reacting at the velocity of modern development teams.

read more

While big data is undoubtedly high on the list of invaluable tools a business needs today – and has been for some time – many companies are still struggling to use it. In fact, according to Square Root’s Data Chasers research, while 92% of companies wholeheartedly believe that big data will revolutionise their success, only 40% are actually taking advantage of it as it was designed to be.

There are obstacles that companies have been stumbling over for years, seemingly unable to overcome – but progress can be made with the right insights and perspectives. Here are the top four roadblocks businesses are facing with big data, and how they could finally beat them.

It’s too little, too late to make the change

Big data isn’t some shiny new accessory to speed up and improve your productivity. On the contrary, you can instead think of it as the foundation and structural beams of your company’s infrastructure – something that’s clearly not easy to replace on short notice. While younger businesses are better able to embrace the change, with new startups figuring it into their original construction, many businesses who’ve been in the industry for years are struggling to remake themselves as big data compatible.

It’s a steep uphill climb, but the key for established businesses trying to make the switch is to take meaningful but measured steps. You didn’t build Rome in a day and you’re not going to rebuild it in that time; instead, evaluate what parts of your business could benefit the most from Big Data, and what practices could make real changes in your productivity and interactions with your audience now. Apply those small but crucial changes and slowly work your way backwards. It won’t happen all at once, but it will give you valuable results where it counts.

The experts are in short supply – or aren’t the right kinds

Your current data experts aren’t to blame; they are skilled in their chosen profession and you hired them for a reason. However, the issue lies in the data world moving out from under them. New practices, tools, and developments in big data have made previously invaluable skills irrelevant, and calls for a new crop of data experts fluent in the modern lingo and tactics. The obvious answer is to hire on these professionals, right?

However, the universities are having trouble keeping up. Students are graduating as quickly as they can and older professionals are taking new courses to bring themselves up to date, but the issue remains. Businesses who want to leverage big data to their full benefit will have to accept that the right experts come at a high price and competition is tough, but it’s necessary.

They’re not sure what they need big data for

Unfortunately, many companies are approaching Big Data with the mindset of “if they have one, I want one too!” It’s undoubtedly a tool every company needs, but for different reasons, and if you acquire big data without knowing the problems you want solved or the insights you’re looking for, it’ll be useless.

While it’s tempting to build up big data as quickly as you can, it’s more important to put on the breaks and have your company take a long look at what actually needs accomplished, from developing converged systems to ironing out operational hiccups. If there are gaps in your information, then this is a place big data can help as well. Once you have a solid look at your goals, you’ll know how to refine the tool to work for you.

They take too much too fast

Think of big data like a massive haystack; the data you benefit from is also hay, but a specific kind of hay. Using big data properly is asking for the right type of hay, from the right haystack, and extracting it with the right tool. Unfortunately, many businesses fail to realise this and believe that all the hay is valuable – and the more haystacks, the merrier. In other words, companies often use too many data sources, too many data collection methods, and put in too many data requests, giving them plenty of results but none that are precise or actionable. This leads to confusion and false starts that hinder rather than help.

Instead, companies need to refine the way they use big data – and not get too excited. It’s about the right answers, not all the answers.

(c)iStock.com/themacx

Sponsored For those at the coalface of the security industry, the feeling of metaphorically banging one’s head against a brick wall, of continually educating, re-educating and correcting misinformation, mischievous or otherwise, will feel all too familiar.

Take the comments from Home Secretary Amber Rudd around WhatsApp following the terror attack in Westminster. Following the disclosure that the messaging service was used moments before the attacker struck, Rudd’s remarks – “there should be no place for terrorists to hide” – were met with a certain level of dismay in the industry.

Graham Cluley, a long-standing independent security analyst, put it this way. “There is a danger that politicians will take ghastly incidents of terror as a platform to push forward their agenda of weakening encryption,” he wrote. “It makes them sound tough in the fight against terror – at least to people who don’t know much about technology. But it won’t make a blind jot of difference to bad guys.”

With other technologies, such as cloud and Wi-Fi, a similar effect occurs. Last month David Linthicum, a highly-respected cloud thought leader, wrote about how the battle for cloud security in enterprises is increasingly not a technological one. “The truth is that competent cloud security technology is available, and most IT organisations’ cloud teams are good at finding and using it,” he wrote in InfoWorld. “To achieve solid cloud security, departments across IT need to come together, both those that focus on legacy and those that focus on cloud computing.

“In reality, this union has proven to be difficult. Why? The people down the hall are dead set against you driving change.”

One firm which looks at how employees deal with these situations is mobile connectivity provider iPass. The company issues a yearly report around mobile security, with last year’s revealing that almost two thirds of organisations ban their mobile workforce from accessing free Wi-Fi hotspots. In addition, 94% of respondents said free Wi-Fi was either ‘very much’ or ‘somewhat’ of a threat to their company. This is backed up elsewhere; Xirrus, in a recent report, found that 91% of Wi-Fi users did not believe it was secure, yet 89% continued to use it anyway.

Raghu Konka is vice president of engineering at iPass. He argues that ‘all security challenges are both organisational and technological to varying degrees’, but adds a caveat. “Education is hugely important, and employees need to understand that security is their responsibility as well, not just those in IT,” he explains. “However, relying on employees to do this for themselves, and to always follow best practice, is a sure-fire way to get hacked.”

One element of best practice which should be – but is not always – followed is around VPNs. The iPass study found that only one in five (21%) US firms polled were ‘fully confident’ their workforce always used the company’s VPN. “Employees still need to be more aware of VPNs as commonly the ‘last mile’ is where a user’s data is most vulnerable. However, by using a VPN, data is masked and encrypted, protecting people from the infamous ‘man in the middle’ attacks, and unwittingly exposing their online data to malicious activity,” says Konka.

“In today’s ‘Wi-Fi first’ world, it is imperative that mobile workers are equipped with the requisite tools to get online and remain productive, while simultaneously ensuring the security of corporate data from wherever it is being accessed,” he adds.

All that said, the onus is not entirely on the employee. Konka argues that employers taking actions such as simply banning public Wi-Fi will be a stop gap as workers will just find a way around it. “Getting employees to use VPNs, for instance, should primarily be a technology issue,” he says. “Employers need to provide zero touch technology solutions to cover employee misuse and mistakes, as well as any inevitable gaps in education, training and awareness.”

Sometimes, however, it’s a question of watching the watchers. Last week, an article on Motherboard debunked a service calling itself MySafeVPN, after it spammed a database of media player provider Plex. Among the various issues which led people to suspect the service was not entirely legitimate, the company’s sign up page had no SSL, its headquarters was traced to a Vietnamese restaurant, and some users reported visiting the website triggered an anti-virus warning.

As the Motherboard story argues, the emergence of operations such as MySafeVPN may well be linked to new US legislation which allows internet service providers to sell users’ browsing history to the highest bidder.

Konka hopes VPN services – reputable ones, that is – will see an uptake following the vote, which was passed in the House of Representatives by 215 votes to 205, but is not entirely confident. “General awareness around VPNs is likely to rise as a result of the ISP privacy vote, but we can’t rely on there being an instantaneous surge in VPN use,” he says. “When privacy and security are concerned, apathy regularly trumps reason.”

For those in the security industry, it’s a continual goal to make reason trump apathy.

This post is brought to you by TheBestVPN.com. Find out more about them here.