SYS-CON Events announced today that A&I Solutions named «Bronze Sponsor» of SYS-CON’s 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Founded over 15 years ago in 1999, A&I Solutions continues to provide companies with premier integrated enterprise solutions. By partnering with the trusted and proven solutions of leading technology companies, our customers are assured high performance levels across all IT environments including: physical, distributed, cloud, virtual and heterogeneous platforms. Our expertise in enterprise applications, service assurance, security and infrastructure monitoring allows our customers to transform their companies by driving consistency and maximizing efficiency.
Mastering Your SaaS Provider Relationship | @CloudExpo #SaaS #Cloud
In this modern world of IT, you’ve probably got some new colleagues in your life-namely, the cloud and SaaS providers who now hold your infrastructure in their hands.
These business relationships-yes, they’re technology-based, but cloud and SaaS are business models-will become as important to your IT team and your company as the hardware and software you used to install. Once you’ve adopted SaaS, or inherited SaaS, it’s on you to avoid price hikes, licensing issues and app or provider sprawl. Budgeting for these apps, which means understanding their pricing models, is also likely in IT’s hands.
Choose Your Cloud Services Wisely to Build Trust with Business Leaders | @CloudExpo #SaaS #Cloud
The first step to solving a problem is recognizing that it actually exists. And whether you’ve realized it or not, cloud services are a problem for your IT department.
Even if you feel like you have a solid grasp of cloud technology and the nuances of making a cloud purchase, business leaders don’t share the same confidence. Nearly 80% feel that IT lacks the skills necessary to help with cloud purchases-and they’re looking to cloud brokers for help instead.
It’s time to admit we have a cloud services problem and start adapting to modern business technology. Part of that is understanding which services to outsource to the cloud so you can start proving your cloud knowledge to business leaders.
IBM touts its cloud platform as quickest for AI with benchmark tests
IBM claims it has the fastest cloud for deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) after publishing benchmark tests which show NVIDIA Tesla P100 GPU accelerators on the IBM Cloud can provide up to 2.8 times more performance than the previous generation in certain cases.
The tests, when fleshed out, will enable organisations to quickly create advanced AI applications on the cloud. “Deep learning techniques are a key driver behind the increased demand for and sophistication of AI applications,” the company noted. “However, training a deep learning model to do a specific task is a compute-heavy process that can be time and cost-intensive.”
IBM purports to be the first of the large cloud providers to offer NVIDIA Tesla P100 GPUs. Separate tests were carried out, first by IBM engineers and then by cloud simulation platform provider Rescale. For the IBM tests, engineers trained a deep learning model for image classification using two NVIDIA P100 cards on Bluemix bare metal, before comparing the same process to two Tesla K80 GPU cards.
The second performance benchmark, from Rescale, also picked up time reduction on deep learning training, based on its ScaleX platform, which features capabilities for deep learning software as a service (SaaS).
“Innovation in AI is happening at a breakneck speed thanks to advances in cloud computing,” said John Considine, IBM general manager for cloud infrastructure services in a statement. “As the first major cloud provider to offer the NVIDIA Tesla P100 GPU, IBM Cloud is providing enterprises with accelerated performance so they can quickly and more cost-effectively create sophisticated AI and cognitive experiences for their end users.”
Another cloud vendor utilising NVIDIA’s Tesla P100 GPU – although not of the same scale as IBM – is Tencent, who made the announcement back in March. As this publication noted at the time, virtually every major cloud player is an NVIDIA customer of some sort, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, and Microsoft.
You can find out more about the IBM tests here.
Nvidia Finds its Niche in Non-gaming Technology
Nvidia has been a gaming company for a long time, and it has always tied its revenues and business to its gaming hardware.
But, that’s now changing as the company is seeing profits in its artificial intelligence (AI) segment as well. Over the last year and a half, Nvidia realized that it can go beyond its traditional gaming business.
These efforts are evident in the first quarter results of its 2018 fiscal year. In fact, its traditional gaming business performed less than expected. It earned a revenue of only $1.03 billion against the average forecast of $1.13 billion.
During this same time, its data-center business saw a big boost in revenue. It reported an earnings of $400 million, which is close to what the company earned in the entire fiscal year of 2016. This goes to show the growth of its data center business over the last one and half years. Besides its data center, its self-driving and automation division also saw a big jump in revenue.
A deep analysis reveals some interesting trends for the company. Firstly, it’s moving away from its core business slowly and steadily, as the loss in its gaming division was made up by the buoyant revenue from its AI and data center divisions. In fact, this expansion into other areas was given a big thumbs-up by the investors. As soon as the results were announced, the stock price of Nvidia went for a joy ride.
Secondly, the company’s move came at a right time when cloud computing companies are vying with each other to woo customers. In the process, they want to offer products with faster processing speeds. This requires chipsets with advanced deep learning and AI technology, something that Nvidia was able to cater to.
A press release by the company said that it attributed much of its efforts in cloud due to the adoption of its chipsets by some of the largest companies in the world such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Alphabet Inc, Microsoft, Facebook, IBM and Alibaba Group Holding.
If you’re wondering what’s special about Nvidia’s chipsets, well nothing actually.
The Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) were initially being used for 3D rendering and for gaming. Soon, cloud companies realized that the same chip can be used for other processes too as they have high processing power. So, they were adopted by these companies to increase their computing power and that’s how Nvidia’s GPUs became a much sought after product.
Going forward, almost every major cloud provider is looking to standardize the use of GPUs, and this is definitely good news for Nvidia. For its investors and management, it means another few years of bounty results and less dependence on the changing gaming industry. One of the drawbacks of the gaming industry is that it is cyclical, with sales soaring through the holiday season, but remaining subdued through the rest of the year. This move to the cloud means the company can no longer worry about it.
Once again, these results and trends show the over-reaching impact of cloud technology across all companies and it also affirms the fact that cloud is the driving technology of the future.
The post Nvidia Finds its Niche in Non-gaming Technology appeared first on Cloud News Daily.
Six classic ERP system security problems – and how to avoid them
An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a must for every business. The need to store and access more and more data makes it impossible to operate without proper business software. Furthermore, the desire to access this information on the go means that most companies are choosing cloud solutions.
The benefits are countless – more efficient, decreasing costs, easier to maintain, just to name a few. The main problem that it poses is the increased risk of security breach – the privacy of the data that we store is at stake. This data has great value for our business and if it ends up in the wrong hands it may be used against us. To that end, it’s worth examining common ERP system security problems and what can be done about them to keep the system protected and well maintained.
Choosing the wrong ERP provider
Don’t let strong marketing and aggressive salespeople (or overly attractive prices) win you over. Vetting your ERP provider thoroughly is the key to understanding the functionalities and restrictions of your system.
Shop around and get at least three serious offers from reputable providers. Also, don’t be afraid to ask the providers you’re considering for references within your specific line of work. Furthermore, it is a good idea to ask directly the vendors why they consider their product safe or better in security aspect than the completion. You may not understand their answer but if you write everything down it is easy to investigate and even question the next provider over the answer of the previous one and so on. At least, you will be able to sense how comfortable they are discussing this topic.
Not keeping up with the technology
It isn’t uncommon that people think that once they have implemented their ERP system they are set for life. Technology is constantly improving to keep up with the ever-changing market and to meet new standards and requests.
If you don’t follow the technological developments, falling behind will be a given. Evaluate your need for a new ERP system and act accordingly. Check if the software will be updated regularly and if this is included in the pricing. Most cloud solutions do this and it is rapidly becoming an industry standard but that doesn’t mean you can count on it by default.
Not training your staff properly
People tend to get hyped about the cyber part of “cyber security” but they often don’t realize that actually, the weakest link in the system are humans. Well-meaning but uneducated and uninformed staff that regularly use an ERP system and handle sensitive data are probably the biggest security liability.
Don’t rush with going live with your ERP system. Give your staff enough time to get comfortable with it.
Also, rather than spending a lot on extreme cyber security measures, invest some time and money on educating your staff. They need to know how to handle their passwords, what to do with suspicious e-mail and hyperlinks and how to avoid giving a potential hacker what they need freely.
Disregarding necessary audits
Regular cyber security audits are a must. Think about them as regular check-ups at your doctors – if you detect something is wrong at the right time, you’ll have much fewer problems fixing it.
With a regular cyber security audit, you will be able to detect possible loopholes in your system but also catch security breaches relatively early. Latest research shows that, on average, a breach is being detected between six months to a year after it happens. During this period an intruder has access to sensitive information of the company. Doing a cyber-security audit twice a year is highly recommended if the company is big enough to be able to afford it.
Delaying software updates
Unfortunately, software updates take time. And when you’re doing business, time is often one thing you don’t have. That is why, more often than not, companies delay making regular updates of their software in general.
Keep in mind that software updates aren’t there to mess with you – software developers are doing them to fix bugs and weak spots. This means that if you don’t keep your software up to date, you’re potentially making it vulnerable.
Not keeping up with the growth of your business
As your business grows, you’ll inevitably add more and more devices to your ERP system. It won’t only be regular desktop computers in your office but tablets and mobile phones as well. You will also want to connect to your ERP system from anywhere, not just from your well-maintained, secure office network.
Make sure that your ERP system can keep up with this and try to always use secure networks. Don’t gamble with free Wi-Fi when you are trying to manage your business remotely.
Conclusion
A good ERP system can be a lifesaver when you’re doing business. But although it makes day to day work much easier, it does require that you take care of it properly.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to seek professional help. In the end, when you consider the time, risks and effort, a professional who knows what they’re doing will probably save you more money than you’ll end up paying them.
The Parallels Team Participates in the Global Clean Up
If you were to type the word “Malta” into a search engine, you would find thousands of idyllic images of a beautiful, Mediterranean island—the ideal holiday destination for many. Luckily for us, Malta is also one of the countries that houses a Parallels office. Unfortunately, wherever there are people, there is garbage, and a country […]
The post The Parallels Team Participates in the Global Clean Up appeared first on Parallels Blog.
[session] Your Hybrid Cloud | @CloudExpo @CAinc #DX #Serverless #DevOps
Cloud promises the agility required by today’s digital businesses. As organizations adopt cloud based infrastructures and services, their IT resources become increasingly dynamic and hybrid in nature. Managing these require modern IT operations and tools. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Raj Sundaram, Senior Principal Product Manager at CA Technologies, will discuss how to modernize your IT operations in order to proactively manage your hybrid cloud and IT environments. He will be sharing best practices around collaboration, monitoring, configuration and analytics that will help you boost experience and optimize utilization of your modern IT Infrastructures.
Thirteen Recommendations for Digital Transformation in Retail | @CloudExpo #Cloud #DigitalTransformation
The behaviors and expectations of today’s consumers are rapidly evolving under the influence of digital and mobile technologies; as a result, retail growth and profits are quickly shifting to digital commerce. These changes require retail industry decision makers to acquire real-time situational awareness, new digital strategies and a digital mindset around business transformation. Retailers must recognize and act proactively when customers, competitors and markets change by deploying the appropriate digital strategies and technologies in the right sequence to maximize returns and competitive advantage.
A New Healthcare Cloud from Virtustream
Virtustream, an enterprise class cloud company, announced today that it will be launching a new healthcare cloud for its clients. This new product is built on Virtustream Enterprise Cloud and is aimed to helping clients to comply with the security requirements from regulatory bodies.
One of the key aspects of this healthcare cloud is that it offers an environment that is compliant with existing standards like HIPAA and HITECH. The service level agreements ensure that these requirements are met 99.999%, and this can be a big relief for healthcare companies.
Currently, the many regulations take up a lot of time and resources of healthcare companies and it also takes their time away from their core business. If the IT environment they work on is going to take care of all these requirements, then it’s sure going to make life easy for them.
This healthcare cloud product is designed to support a range of different electronic medical record systems and a ton of other healthcare and non-healthcare applications that are used by hospitals worldwide.
The best part is this cloud can be deployed as a public, private or hybrid cloud, depending on the business needs of the client and the infrastructure they want to implement. Such a flexibility is definitely heartening in today’s cloud environment.
This is a significant move from Virtustream considering its history and expertise. Just to give you a brief background, Virtustream is a subsidiary of Dell Technologies. A few years back, this cloud company was acquired by EMC for $1.2 billion in 2015 and it became a part of Dell, when the latter acquired EMC for $67 billion in 2016. As a result, Virtustream became a part of Dell Technologies and this has been a blessing for this division.
Virtustream’s strong cloud presence combined with the IT expertise of Dell makes it a perfect company to offer a healthcare cloud. To top it, this company already has a large target market within the US. It is estimated that more than two-thirds of U.S hospitals are customers of Dell EMC and at least 49 percent of storage infrastructure for hospitals run on Dell software. Around the world, more than 6000 hospitals use this Dell software for their operations. In addition, seven out of ten top pharmaceutical companies are Dell customers.
This is a significant market and having a healthcare cloud that will make life easy for them would be an attractive option. This way, the company doesn’t have to spend a ton on marketing campaigns, as the target market is clear and ready.
Yet another major feather in the cap is the joint creation of a new connection by Virtustream and VMware. Both the companies recently announced that they will create a VRA Connector to allow VMware’s private cloud customers to extend their mission-critical applications to Virtustream’s Enterprise Cloud.
In all, this is an important announcement and one that can take cloud’s reach to new heights, especially in the healthcare sector. It also, in many ways, shows the wide-reaching impact of cloud technology as a whole.
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