There’s Big Data, then there’s really Big Data from the Internet of Things. IoT is evolving to include many data possibilities like new types of event, log and network data. The volumes are enormous, generating tens of billions of logs per day, which raise data challenges. Early IoT deployments are relying heavily on both the cloud and managed service providers to navigate these challenges. Learn about IoT, Big Data and deployments processing massive data volumes from wearables, utilities and other machines.
Six Ways to Turn Freemium into Premium By @AriaSystemsInc | @CloudExpo [#Cloud]
“Free” reigns supreme when it comes to online marketing. But “pay” is more profitable to your bottom line. In the popular Freemium world of digital offerings, where free and premium content or services are offered, it’s prudent to consider how you will transition free offerings into paid subscriptions before you actually take that leap.
The conversion rate is all over the boards when transforming free into premium services. Industry averages have been reported anywhere from 0.5% to 5%. When it comes to profit, that’s a huge range.
Cloud Orchestrator V5 Released By @Flexiant | @CloudExpo [#Cloud]
Flexiant, today releases the new look of Flexiant Cloud Orchestrator in its latest version to deliver a simplified experience for service providers and their end users. Using the latest design concepts, Flexiant has reduced complex common work processes into a few simple, wizard driven clicks. The result is a differentiated and easier experience for service provider’s customers helping to increase profit, revenue and growth from cloud services.
Shining a light on shadow IT – and how to ensure you get it right
(c)iStock.com/jrwasserman
The nature of work is evolving; employees are mobile and cloud-enabled, free to work anywhere from almost any device. In response to this shift, the BYOD trend has emerged stronger than ever. Coupled with this is the growth of employees desiring more accessible applications. However, these factors have undoubtedly contributed to the emergence of shadow IT, which is creating a problem for many IT departments.
Applications such as Dropbox are increasingly being used by employees for business critical functions. Yet many of these apps are not enterprise ready, leaving IT departments caught between the twin demands of employee flexibility and enterprise security. For example, a recent report from the Ponemon Institute revealed that 44% of corporate data stored in cloud environments is not managed or controlled by the IT department. More than two-thirds of respondents said that protecting sensitive data in the cloud was more challenging when using conventional security practices. Clearly, enterprises that want to embrace cloud but stay secure need a new approach.
Secure bridges beat blanket blockages
It is unrealistic to adopt a comprehensive block on all unsanctioned application. IT departments must empower employees by granting access to their favourite cloud apps, while protecting the organisation from data loss and network threats. Rather than blocking apps en-masse, IT departments need the ability to review the activities that pose the greatest risk, such as sharing data outside the company, and block those apps specifically to mitigate their risk. To do this, IT departments need real-time visibility into how cloud application are being used, so they can enforce smart usage policies and promote safe cloud practices. With the emergence of the latest cloud management and analytics tools, this kind of clarity is very achievable.
Teaching and engaging
Once IT departments have sight of the applications in used throughout the organisation, the next step is to educate employees about why certain activities have been blocked. Offering alternative apps that have similar features but are lower-risk, means employees will feel empowered by using apps and devices they enjoy, and corporate security is maintained.
Consulting and providing feedback also means IT is in a strong position to give guidelines of approved applications, policies and alternatives. Providing consultative advice ensures IT will be seen as trusted provider; staff will want to be informed and discuss their IT queries so they can get the job done and improve business processes. Ultimately, this open approach will give IT greater visibility and insight into what applications users are deploying.
The need for visibility
In the on-premise world, keeping track of the applications being used and by whom was relatively easy, as they were purchased and managed centrally. But with cloud, different applications are being used by different people across a multitude of devices; many of which have been purchased outside of traditional IT and procurement channels. This stops IT from having visibility and control over the applications being used in the cloud. Costs can also quickly spiral out of control as a result of ‘cloud sprawl’, thanks to the sheer ease of buying services and applications (e.g. employees paying by credit card).
Without having visibility into cloud application usage across the business, organisations will be unable to consolidate applications and miss out on cost-savings as a result of procuring cloud services centrally. Having sight of the cloud applications being purchased allows businesses to easily forecast costs, and to make informed decisions that will improve business processes and cut costs.
Regaining control will deliver value
Cloud applications like Dropbox and Evernote are helping employees to be productive, but it’s up to businesses to ensure that the applications are secure. IT departments have a tricky job of securing data while allowing employees access to cloud applications; businesses need to support IT with tools which give visibility into the applications in use throughout the IT environment.
With this insight, IT departments can implement a far more strategic approach to cloud usage and security policies. With these controls are in place, the IT department can increase user productivity while securing the IT infrastructure. With this approach, IT can take back control and deliver value to the organisation with a skilled and productive workforce.
5 Cloud Security Practices
2014 could have easily been host to some of the biggest security breaches ever. Many hackers have adapted to the ever-changing technological advances, but current security practices and technologies can prevent these breaches. Many companies that fell victim to security breaches fell into the compliance equals security trap. This trap concludes that if a company goes to the trouble of being legally compliant, to any number of regulations, then it will be secure. But this is not the case.
Security is never a guarantee. However, there are some things that can be done to help prevent serious breaches of security and the consequences that come along with it.
-Continuous Visibility: Companies need to have complete and total visibility into their technology assets and services. You cannot secure what you cannot see. You need to be aware of what you have and what it’s doing at all times if you want to keep things secure. Visibility can be a challenge due to the automated, on-demand modern infrastructure.
-Exposure Management: Once transparency is achieved, companies need to eliminate obvious vulnerabilities that are known in their networks. Continuous monitoring tools, strong vulnerability and security configuration management technology and practices are key to mitigating exposure.
-Strong Access Control: This practice is often implemented incorrectly. Many companies implement access control, however they give excess access. Recent breaches involved valid access control ID’s being used to compromise systems that had nothing to do with its function in the network. The ID’s had access to a lot of information that they shouldn’t have. Limit the access users receive and monitor all user actions.
-Data Protection and Encryption: Once all the aforementioned steps have been taken, it is important to encrypt any sensitive information. Both data at rest and data in motion need to be encrypted if they have any sensitive material. Data protection is needed to ensure that even if data gets compromised, it will not get sent outside of the network.
-Compromise Management: Few companies actually have plans to deal with a breach and how to mitigate the damage caused. No matter what preventative steps you have taken, breaches can still occur. Companies need to implement courses of action and technologies that allow them to act fast. This includes being able to tell that you have been compromised. This includes file integrity monitoring, intrusion detection, and forensic data for analysis.
These steps represent that bare minimum of protection and are suggested for implementation to limit your vulnerability.
The post 5 Cloud Security Practices appeared first on Cloud News Daily.
The Emerging Science of Digital Forensics | @CloudExpo [#Cloud]
Without question, the rise in cyberleaks, nation-state cyber terrorism and the beach of consumer data across multiple industry domains has led to a heightened awareness of the enterprise and personal responsibilities associated with cybersecurity. The consumerization of IT and the adoption of cloud, mobile and social media by enterprise organizations is opening a new threat landscape and new threat vectors. Everyone is affected and everyone is talking about it, from senior executives to teenagers.
Should You Avoid DIY Private Clouds? By @MadGreek65 | @DevOpsSummit [#DevOps]
Our guest on the podcast this week is Mark Thiele, EVP of Data Center Technology at Switch.
We discuss the idea that private clouds are often equated with do-it-yourself and why that should be changed.
Taking sure you are receiving the private environment you need at a cost that can support your business.
Listen in to learn the different ways to own and manage a private cloud.
Four Steps for Securing Your Data in the Cloud | @CloudExpo [#Cloud]
Cloud has become part of the enterprise landscape with nearly 90 percent of businesses having adopted cloud-based apps and services. However, organizations need to make sure that these cloud solutions don’t compromise the hard-won security policies that govern the rest of the information enterprise and are supported through IT.
As organizations shift to embrace popular cloud-based applications like Office 365, Salesforce, and other services that support the business, identity access management (IAM) solutions become crucial for maintaining productivity and security. Additionally, a single sign-on (SSO) solution that is deployed in conjunction with a solid IAM strategy streamlines access to thousands of cloud applications and enforces necessary security policies. It allows users to easily access the applications and services they need with a single click.
Stand By Data Center, IaaS Is Heading Your Way By @Automic | @CloudExpo [#Cloud]
IaaS will drive further consolidation among data center outsourcers and hosting providers. Why? Because the flexibility and cost advantage of IaaS cloud providers requires data center outsourcers and hosting providers to either adopt IaaS or move into niches.
With standards driving down IaaS licenses and implementation costs, data center outsourcers and hosting providers could move into IaaS either on their own (which requires sufficient scale) or through partnerships. It’s easy to imagine a net of partnering providers offering IaaS under a virtual umbrella as a standardized offering to customers.
Microservices: The Proxy is the App By @LMacVittie | @DevOpsSummit [#DevOps]
Microservices, for the uninitiated, are essentially the decomposition of applications into multiple services. This decomposition is often based on functional lines, with related functions being grouped together into a service. While this may sound a like SOA, it really isn’t, especially given that SOA was an object-centered methodology that focused on creating services around “nouns” like customer and product. Microservices, while certainly capable of being noun-based, are just as likely to be verb-based, that is to say, based on a functional grouping like “login” or “checkout.” SOA was essentially an extension of object-oriented design while microservices are more about decomposition for purposes of rapid (agile) development with the bonus of having significant scalability advantages over object-oriented architectures.