Category Archives: Amazon AWS

Amazon AWS, CDN, Cloud & IT Management, Content delivery network, Content Management, NetDNA EdgeCaching, Site Management

NetDNA EdgeRules Gives Websites Control over CDN Content

NetDNA today announced EdgeRules, an instantaneous HTTP caching rules service, giving site managers rapid and granular control over their web content for a better user experience, improved security, lower bandwidth costs and the ability to better monetize content by preventing hotlinking.

EdgeRules is an add-on service to NetDNA’s EdgeCaching and EdgeCaching for Platforms.  Both of these HTTP caching services place site content in NetDNA’s worldwide network of edge servers and peering partners for superior web performance optimization.

Using the EdgeRules control panel, site managers can make changes to their content rules and see them enacted in less than one minute – with no review needed from the NetDNA engineering team. This makes it possible for the first time to test, tweak and deploy very granular controls over how and when content is served.

“EdgeRules truly gives website manages the ability to manage their CDN services their way and to finely tune their pull zone content in a way that they never could before,” said David Henzel, NetDNA vice president of marketing.  “NetDNA is well known for giving site managers unprecedented control over their CDN service through our Control Panel.  With EdgeRules, we are at the forefront of CDN self provisioning again.”

A site manager can use EdgeRules to keep certain files from being proxied and thus protecting them from exposure on the Internet. For example, EdgeRules can prevent the exposure of directory indices due to misconfiguration, which is a common problem on cloud services such as Amazon’s S3 service.

The service allows different rules to be set for different files or classes of data so that frequently updated files can be classed differently from more static data.  This reduces calls to the origin server, which lowers bandwidth charges.

Site managers can also use the service to blacklist certain IP addresses, for example blocking web robots that are scraping data from the site.

The EdgeRules service can also read the operating system of a device and serve up optimized content for that device.  For example a smartphone-optimized image can be served up instead of a large image when the service detects a request from an Android or iOS device.

EdgeRules is now available for all NetDNA EdgeCaching customers.  For more information email sales@netdna.com or go to: http://www.netdna.com/products/add-ons/edgerules/.

AlienVault, AlienVault Unified Security Management, Amazon, Amazon AWS, AV-USM, OSSIM, Security engineering

AlienVault Unified Security Provides Security Visibility for Amazon EC2

AlienVault today announced its latest 4.1 release, which aims to resolve the biggest challenges associated with traditional SIEM solutions including cost, complexity and difficult deployments. AlienVault Unified Security Management (AV-USM) platform 4.1 simplifies and speeds SIEM deployments and provides intelligent security incident response guidance. AV-USM 4.1 also extends AlienVault’s best-of-breed security monitoring capabilities to Amazon EC2 to enable greater control over hybrid environments.

“Lack of security visibility and control is a primary concern when businesses move workloads to the cloud,” said Russ Spitler, VP of Product Management at AlienVault. “Traditional SIEM solutions are extremely limited in their ability to monitor cloud environments, leaving companies with siloed assets and glaring holes in their security risk posture. By enabling the AV-USM platform to monitor Amazon EC2, AlienVault customers can lower their costs, optimize their IT environments and get security wherever they need it to be, without sacrificing visibility in their own private datacenters or the public cloud.”

New features in the AlienVault Unified Security Management platform 4.1 include:

  • Support for Amazon EC2: “Instant-on” essential security
    capabilities match the elasticity of the EC2 cloud environment and
    enable unified security monitoring whether assets are in the cloud or
    data center.
  • Auto-Deploy: Automatically identifies potential data sources
    upon deployment with integrated discovery capabilities and removes the
    “guesswork” common with traditional SIEM deployments.
  • Dynamic Incident Response Templates: Extends SIEM functionality
    past the alert by providing customized, contextually relevant
    workflow-driven response procedures so that analysts know exactly what
    to do next.
  • Suricata IDS Profile: Provides an alternative to the SNORT IDS
    engine with enhanced threat detection, analysis and performance.

Based on the open source project OSSIM, the AV-USM platform combines more than 30 of the best security technologies and provides security analysts with five essential security capabilities including asset detection, vulnerability assessment, threat detection, behavioral monitoring and security intelligence capabilities in a single, unified solution and management console. The AlienVault Open Threat Exchange™ is the largest community-sourced threat database and intelligence feed, and is built into the AV-USM platform and OSSIM to provide security analysts with real-time collaborative defense.

“Since our business is completely built on IaaS providers, we need to find a way to get reliable security visibility in this environment,” said Fredrick Lee, Lead Security Engineer for Twilio. “A lot of traditional security solutions fall short when facing the challenges of deploying in the cloud. AlienVault USM provides a great way to deploy the security capabilities I find essential – IDS, vulnerability assessment, SIEM – quickly and completely.”

AlienVault has also launched a new documentation portal, the AlienVault Repository of Knowledge (ARK), which complements the support forum and provides access to interactive assets, product documents and how-to videos for the larger OSSIM community.

The latest version of the AlienVault Unified Security Management platform 4.1 is available now.

Amazon AWS, Amazon Glacier, Amazon S3, CloudBerry, CloudBerry Explorer, CloudBerry Lab, Free, Storage

CloudBerry Introduces Smart Restore for Amazon Glacier

CloudBerry Lab today released CloudBerry Explorer v. 3.7.2 an application that allows users to manage files in Amazon S3 and Amazon Glacier just as if they were on their local computers.

In the new release CloudBerry Explorer allows users controlling the restore cost in Amazon Glacier that is charged based on the peak usage per hour in a given month. Smart Restore functionality enables users to specify peak retrieval rate to keep the cost on the required level and to run the restore process in the background.

The new version also comes with the ability to display Amazon Glacier storage using the Folder View to make it easier for PC users to work with the storage.

Smart Restore and Folder View features are available in both versions of CloudBerry Explorer: Freeware and PRO.

Freeware version offers basic storage management capabilities such as browsing, creating, and deleting files, folders, buckets and vaults and uploading content from your PC to Amazon S3 and Amazon Glacier storage and vice versa. CloudBerry Explorer Freeware is available for download at http://www.cloudberrylab.com/free

PRO version offers some advanced features over Freeware version. It costs $39.99 per license.

Amazon AWS, Amazon Web Services, Backup, Google, Guest Post

To Cloud, or Not: Getting Started

Guest Post by Gina Smith

Many small business owners are still apprehensive about utilizing cloud options. While it can be a big step, there are significant long-term benefits to utilizing this expanding innovation, including:

  • Enhanced Security – Cloud providers go to great lengths to protect client data, often implementing security protocols which are much more advanced than those on most “hard” networks.
  • Emergency Backup – No need to worry in the event of a fire, earthquake, flood, storm or other natural disaster. Your data and files are safe and being backed up in the “cloud”.
  • Remote Access – You and your employees can gain access to company data at anytime from anywhere in the world.
  • Easily Upgrade or Replace Computers – Quickly and painlessly replace obsolete or faulty computers by connecting the new machine(s) and remotely accessing and/or transferring any data needed directly from the cloud!

Once a business decides to take that step into the “cloud”, many get “stuck” trying to figure out which options will work best for their needs. Amazon is considered by many to be a pioneer in the world of so-called “remote computing” services. And now, Internet giant Google has thrown its hat into the game, launching their “Google Cloud” platform earlier this year.

Amazon AWS (Advanced Web Services)

Amazon was one of the first companies to develop a remote access/cloud computing product catered to the general public. They still offer the most extensive options for both users and developers. The Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is attractive to many companies because they offer “pay-as-you-go” programs with no upfront expenses or long-term commitments required. Amazon Simple Storage (S3) is also very flexible, offering storage options in different regions around the world. Some companies choose to store their data in a lower priced region to reduce storage costs or in a region different from where their company is located for disaster recovery purposes. Amazon still offers the most versatile services and options. Some claim their system can be difficult to learn initially, but fairly easy to get around once you get the hang of it.

Google Cloud Services

There is no doubt that Google has made a permanent mark in history. The Internet giant has revolutionized our lives and made a significant impact on modern society. The company’s launch of their Google Cloud Platform got people who had previously discounted the cloud to seriously begin considering it again. Why? Well, it’s simple. Google has already developed applications which people are comfortable with and familiar. This, of course, makes the entire thought of cloud conversion and eventual emersion much less intimidating. Google’s cloud platform is still in its early stages and does not offer quite the flexibility and options as Amazon AWS – yet. Their data centers are secure and well managed, and their interface and applications are fairly easy to learn and navigate.

GoogleAppsAndroid
GoogleAppsiOS
GoogleMobile

While this article offers a good general overview of each system, it is always advisable to conduct your own research to determine which provider will best suit your needs. Both Amazon AWS and Google Cloud provide reliable, secure, dependable, cost-saving options for businesses. Also consider utilizing companies specializing in cloud management and backup, such as www.spanning.com. And, as your business grows and your cloud use increases, don’t forget that Cloudyn can use their Cloud Intelligence and other advanced tools to analyze your usage. They can be a tremendous asset in helping manage and optimizing your data costs.

Gina Smith writes freelance articles for magazines, online outlets and publications.Smith covers the latest topics in the business, golf, tourism, technology and entertainment industries.

Amazon, Amazon AWS, Amazon S3, Batch Processing, Clients, Free, Glacier, Mac OS X, Storage, Uploading and downloading, Windows

FileZoomer for Amazon S3 Adds Glacier, Life Cycle, Versioning, Batch Options

A new release of FileZoomer, a cross-platform client for Amazon’s S3 has been released,  adding support for new S3 features including Versioning and Object Life Cycle. Object Life Cycle for S3 includes the option to migrate files to the lower-cost AWS Glacier storage option, and includes a facility to retrieve archived files so they can be downloaded from S3.

The Glacier support in S3, as featured in FileZoomer, does not require a separate AWS Glacier account. Instead it is handled transparently by S3 and FileZoomer.

Versioning allows the option of keeping previous versions of files as they are updated.

Unique to FileZoomer is the Batch Processing option, which allows the interactive creation of configuration files that control batch uploads, downloads, and syncing files between a local machine and S3. Once configured, the pre-defined actions can be invoked from within the FileZoomer client, of from batch processes in Windows, Mac OS X, or linux.

FileZoomer is a free java client that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and linux, and it can be downloaded from FileZoomer.com

Amazon, Amazon AWS, Amazon Elastic MapReduce, Amazon Web Services, AWS Data Pipeline, Big Data, Business Intelligence, Business Processes, Workflow

New AWS Pipeline Tool Aims to Make Effective Use of Your Business Data

AWS Pipeline Diagram

Amazon’s new AWS Data Pipeline product “will help you move, sort, filter, reformat, analyze, and report on  data in order to make use of it in a scalable fashion. ” You can now automate the movement and processing of any amount of data using data-driven workflows and built-in dependency checking.

A Pipeline is composed of a set of data sources, preconditions, destinations, processing steps, and an operational schedule, all definied in a Pipeline Definition.

The definition specifies where the data comes from, what to do with it, and where to store it. You can create a Pipeline Definition in the AWS Management Console or externally, in text form.

Read more.


Amazon, Amazon AWS, Amazon S3, Amazon Web Services, Reduced Redundancy Storage, Storage

Yet Another Round of AWS Storage Price Cuts

Timed for announcement at AWS re:Invent, and nicely juxtaposed against this week’s similar storage price cuts by Google, Amazon has trimmed S3 and EBS prices.

They’ve reduced the price of Amazon S3 storage by 24-28% in the US Standard Region, and made similar price reductions in all nine regions worldwide  as well as reducing the price of Reduced Redundancy Storage (RRS). Here are the new prices for Standard Storage in the US Standard Region:

Tier Old Price
(GB / month)		 New Price Change
First 1 TB / month $0.125 $0.095 24%
Next 49 TB $0.110 $0.080 27%
Next 450 TB $0.095 $0.070 26%
Next 500 TB $0.090 $0.065 28%
Next 4000 TB $0.080 $0.060 25%
Over 5000 TB $0.055 $0.055 No change

The new prices are listed on the Amazon S3 pricing announcement page. The new prices take effect on December 1, 2012 and will be applied automatically.

Amazon also reduced the per-gigabyte storage cost for EBS snapshots, again world-wide. Here are the new prices:

Region Old Price
(GB / month)		 New Price Change
US East (N. Virginia) $0.125 $0.095 24%
US West (Oregon) $0.125 $0.095 24%
US West (Northern California) $0.140 $0.105 25%
EU (Ireland) $0.125 $0.095 24%
Asia Pacific (Singapore) $0.125 $0.095 24%
Asia Pacific (Tokyo) $0.130 $0.100 23%
Asia Pacific (Sydney) $0.140 $0.105 25%
South America (Sao Paulo) $0.170 $0.130 24%


Amazon AWS, Amazon Web Services, AWS, Load Balancing

F5 Adds BIG-IP Solutions for Amazon Web Services

F5 Networks, Inc. today introduced a BIG-IP® virtual edition for AWS, which leverages F5’s complete portfolio of BIG-IP products for the AWS cloud. This announcement addresses organizations’ escalating demand to extend their data center and applications to AWS, maintaining enterprise-class reliability, scale, security, and performance. F5’s new AWS offering is also the featured attraction at the company’s booth (#506) at the AWS re: Invent conference at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, November 27–29.

“Enterprise customers have come to rely on BIG-IP’s strategic awareness that provides important information on how applications, resources, and users interact in order to successfully deliver applications,” said Siva Mandalam, Director of Product Management and Product Marketing, Cloud and Virtualization Solutions at F5. “Since BIG-IP for AWS will have equivalent features to physical BIG-IP devices, customers can apply the same level of control for their applications in AWS. With BIG-IP running in enterprise data centers and on AWS, customers can establish secure tunnels, burst to the cloud, and control the application from end to end.”

The BIG-IP solution for AWS includes options for traffic management, global server load balancing, application firewall, web application acceleration, and other advanced application delivery functions. With the new F5 offering:

  • F5 ADN services operate seamlessly in the cloud – BIG-IP
    virtual editions are being made available to a growing number of
    customers seeking to leverage cloud offerings. Availability for AWS
    expands on F5’s broad support for virtualized and cloud environments
    based on vSphere, Hyper-V, Xen, and KVM.
  • Enterprises can confidently take advantage of cloud resources –
    AWS customers can easily add F5’s market-leading availability,
    optimization, and security services to support cloud and hybrid
    deployment models.
  • IT teams are able to easily scale application environments –
    Production and lab versions of BIG-IP virtual editions for AWS enable
    IT teams to move smoothly from testing and development into production
    to support essential business applications. Customers can leverage
    their existing BIG-IP configuration and policies and apply them to
    BIG-IP running on AWS.

Supporting Facts and Quotes

  • F5 has the greatest market share for the advanced application delivery
    controller (ADC) market, deployed within the enterprise and service
    providers markets. According to Gartner, Inc., F5 has 59.1% market
    share based on Q2 2012 worldwide revenue.1
  • F5’s initial product offering will use the AWS “bring your own
    license” (BYOL) model, which allows customers to buy perpetual
    licenses from F5 and then apply these licenses to instances running in
    AWS. To evaluate or purchase BIG-IP software modules, customers should
    contact their local
    F5 sales office.

“As enterprises consider which applications to move to the cloud, many customers have asked for the same advanced application control they have in their local data centers,” said Terry Wise, Head of Worldwide Partner Ecosystem at Amazon Web Services. “The BIG-IP solution for AWS enables enterprises to quickly move complex applications to AWS while maintaining high levels of service at a lower overall cost.”

“Enterprises want the flexibility and scale of cloud services, yet they can struggle with application complexity and sufficient control,” said Rohit Mehra, VP of Network Infrastructure at IDC. “The challenge lies in easily expanding IT’s service portfolio with cloud and hybrid capabilities while keeping the applications fast, secure, and available. BIG-IP’s native availability inside Amazon Web Services allows enterprises to deeply embed a strategic awareness of how applications behave in cloud adoption scenarios.”

To learn more about how F5 enables organizations to realize the full potential of cloud computing, visit F5 (booth #506) at the AWS re: Invent conference. During the event, Siva Mandalam from F5 will deliver a presentation focused on “Optimizing Enterprise Applications and User Access in the Cloud” at 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday, November 28.

 

 


Amazon AWS, App Status Dashboard, Azure, Google, Outage Alert, Tools

Most Popular: App Status Dashboard of Dashboards

Since we introduced our App Status Dashboards page, it has proven to be our most popular offering. As most of what we offer is news that quickly gets stale that’s not surprising, though it is sort of heartening that something with serious rather than humorous intent is finally edging out our most popular post ever.

How can we make it better? Send any ideas to richard at cloud news daily dot com.


Amazon AWS, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Data center, Hardware, Servers

Contrarian: Building, Colocating Your Own Servers, No Cloud Involved

Jeff Atwood has a great post at Coding Horror talking about his penchant for building his own servers to rack at a colo. It tries to compare to the Amazon Ec2 alternative, all the while admitting it’s pretty much apples and oranges.

I want to make it clear that building and colocating your own servers isn’t (always) crazy, it isn’t scary, heck, it isn’t even particularly hard. In some situations it can make sense to build and rack your own servers, provided …

  • you want absolute top of the line server performance without paying thousands of dollars per month for the privilege
  • you are willing to invest the time in building, racking, and configuring your servers
  • you have the capital to invest up front
  • you desire total control over the hardware
  • you aren’t worried about the flexibility of quickly provisioning new servers to handle unanticipated load
  • you don’t need the redundancy, geographical backup, and flexibility that comes with cloud virtualization

It’s worth reading in its own right, but also because he does a pretty good job of outlining the pros and cons of cloud versus self-hosting. It’s also good thing to remember that no matter how “virtual” we get there’s still gotta be a bunch of hardware somewhere to make it all go.