Home > Resources > Articles > Can Amazon AWS’s Business Productivity SaaS Really Keep Microsoft at Bay?

Can Amazon AWS’s Business Productivity SaaS Really Keep Microsoft at Bay?

February 21, 2017 | 149 views

As the race at the top of the cloud computing industry heats up, Amazon and Microsoft are both making subtle moves that have all the necessary ingredients to shake up the industry in the near future. Until now, Amazon is the undisputed Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) leader, while Microsoft is the Software as a Service (SaaS) segment leader enjoying strong growth in IaaS as well. Both have more than $3 billion in quarterly revenues to prove their strength.

Spotlight

iland Cloud

iland offers secure cloud infrastructure (IaaS), disaster recovery (DRaaS), and backup as a service (BaaS) to enterprises around the world.

OTHER ARTICLES
APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Data Center as a Service Is the Way of the Future

Article | August 3, 2022

Data Center as a Service (DCaaS) is a hosting service that gives clients access to actual data center infrastructure and amenities. Through a Wide-Area Network, DCaaS enables clients to remotely access the provider's storage, server, and networking capabilities (WAN). Businesses can tackle their on-site data center's logistical and financial issues by outsourcing to a service provider. Many enterprises rely on DCaaS to overcome the physical constraints of their on-site infrastructure or to offload the hosting and management of non-mission-critical applications. Businesses that require robust data management solutions but lack the necessary internal resources can adopt DCaaS. DCaaS is the perfect answer for companies that are struggling with a lack of IT help or a lack of funding for system maintenance. Added benefits data Center as a Service allows businesses to be independent of their physical infrastructure: A single-provider API Data centers without Staff Effortlessly handle the influx of data Data centers in regions with more stable climates Data Center as a Service helps democratize the data center itself, allowing companies that could never afford the huge investments that have gotten us this far to benefit from these developments. This is perhaps the most important, as Infrastructure-as-a-Service enables smaller companies to get started without a huge investment. Conclusion Data center as a service (DCaaS) enables clients to access a data center remotely and its features, whereas data center services might include complete management of an organization's on-premises infrastructure resources. IT can be outsourced using data center services to manage an organization's network, storage, computing, cloud, and maintenance. The infrastructure of many businesses is outsourced to increase operational effectiveness, size, and cost-effectiveness. It might be challenging to manage your existing infrastructure while keeping up with the pace of innovation, but it's critical to be on the cutting edge of technology. Organizations may stay future-ready by working with a vendor that can supply DCaaS and data center services.

Read More
APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Enhancing Rack-Level Security to Enable Rapid Innovation

Article | July 16, 2022

IT and data center administrators are under pressure to foster quicker innovation. For workers and customers to have access to digital experiences, more devices must be deployed, and larger enterprise-to-edge networks must be managed. The security of distributed networks has suffered as a result of this rapid growth, though. Some colocation providers can install custom locks for your cabinet if necessary due to the varying compliance standards and security needs for distinct applications. However, physical security measures are still of utmost importance because theft and social engineering can affect hardware as well as data. Risk Companies Face Remote IT work continue on the long run Attacking users is the easiest way into networks IT may be deploying devices with weak controls When determining whether rack-level security is required, there are essentially two critical criteria to take into account. The first is the level of sensitivity of the data stored, and the second is the importance of the equipment in a particular rack to the facility's continuing functioning. Due to the nature of the data being handled and kept, some processes will always have a higher risk profile than others. Conclusion Data centers must rely on a physically secure perimeter that can be trusted. Clients, in particular, require unwavering assurance that security can be put in place to limit user access and guarantee that safety regulations are followed. Rack-level security locks that ensure physical access limitations are crucial to maintaining data center space security. Compared to their mechanical predecessors, electronic rack locks or "smart locks" offer a much more comprehensive range of feature-rich capabilities.

Read More
IT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Infrastructure Lifecycle Management Best Practices

Article | July 27, 2022

As your organization scales, inevitably, so too will its infrastructure needs. From physical spaces to personnel, devices to applications, physical security to cybersecurity – all these resources will continue to grow to meet the changing needs of your business operations. To manage your changing infrastructure throughout its entire lifecycle, your organization needs to implement a robust infrastructure lifecycle management program that’s designed to meet your particular business needs. In particular, IT asset lifecycle management (ITALM) is becoming increasingly important for organizations across industries. As threats to organizations’ cybersecurity become more sophisticated and successful cyberattacks become more common, your business needs (now, more than ever) to implement an infrastructure lifecycle management strategy that emphasizes the security of your IT infrastructure. In this article, we’ll explain why infrastructure management is important. Then we’ll outline steps your organization can take to design and implement a program and provide you with some of the most important infrastructure lifecycle management best practices for your business. What Is the Purpose of Infrastructure Lifecycle Management? No matter the size or industry of your organization, infrastructure lifecycle management is a critical process. The purpose of an infrastructure lifecycle management program is to protect your business and its infrastructure assets against risk. Today, protecting your organization and its customer data from malicious actors means taking a more active approach to cybersecurity. Simply put, recovering from a cyber attack is more difficult and expensive than protecting yourself from one. If 2020 and 2021 have taught us anything about cybersecurity, it’s that cybercrime is on the rise and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. As risks to cybersecurity continue to grow in number and in harm, infrastructure lifecycle management and IT asset management are becoming almost unavoidable. In addition to protecting your organization from potential cyberattacks, infrastructure lifecycle management makes for a more efficient enterprise, delivers a better end user experience for consumers, and identifies where your organization needs to expand its infrastructure. Some of the other benefits that come along with comprehensive infrastructure lifecycle management program include: More accurate planning; Centralized and cost-effective procurement; Streamlined provisioning of technology to users; More efficient maintenance; Secure and timely disposal. A robust infrastructure lifecycle management program helps your organization to keep track of all the assets running on (or attached to) your corporate networks. That allows you to catalog, identify and track these assets wherever they are, physically and digitally. While this might seem simple enough, infrastructure lifecycle management and particularly ITALM has become more complex as the diversity of IT assets has increased. Today organizations and their IT teams are responsible for managing hardware, software, cloud infrastructure, SaaS, and connected device or IoT assets. As the number of IT assets under management has soared for most organizations in the past decade, a comprehensive and holistic approach to infrastructure lifecycle management has never been more important. Generally speaking, there are four major stages of asset lifecycle management. Your organization’s infrastructure lifecycle management program should include specific policies and processes for each of the following steps: Planning. This is arguably the most important step for businesses and should be conducted prior to purchasing any assets. During this stage, you’ll need to identify what asset types are required and in what number; compile and verify the requirements for each asset; and evaluate those assets to make sure they meet your service needs. Acquisition and procurement. Use this stage to identify areas for purchase consolidation with the most cost-effective vendors, negotiate warranties and bulk purchases of SaaS and cloud infrastructure assets. This is where lack of insights into actual asset usage can potentially result in overpaying for assets that aren’t really necessary. For this reason, timely and accurate asset data is crucial for effective acquisition and procurement. Maintenance, upgrades and repair. All assets eventually require maintenance, upgrades and repairs. A holistic approach to infrastructure lifecycle management means tracking these needs and consolidating them into a single platform across all asset types. Disposal. An outdated or broken asset needs to be disposed of properly, especially if it contains sensitive information. For hardware, assets that are older than a few years are often obsolete, and assets that fall out of warranty are typically no longer worth maintaining. Disposal of cloud infrastructure assets is also critical because data stored in the cloud can stay there forever. Now that we’ve outlined the purpose and basic stages of infrastructure lifecycle management, it’s time to look at the steps your organization can take to implement it.

Read More
APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

The Drive with Direction: The Path of Enterprise IT Infrastructure

Article | June 6, 2022

Introduction It is hard to manage a modern firm without a convenient and adaptable IT infrastructure. When properly set up and networked, technology can improve back-office processes, increase efficiency, and simplify communication. IT infrastructure can be utilized to supply services or resources both within and outside of a company, as well as to its customers. IT infrastructure when adequately deployed aids organizations in achieving their objectives and increasing profits. IT infrastructure is made up of numerous components that must be integrated for your company's infrastructure to be coherent and functional. These components work in unison to guarantee that your systems and business as a whole run smoothly. Enterprise IT Infrastructure Trends Consumption-based pricing models are becoming more popular among enterprise purchasers, a trend that began with software and has now spread to hardware. This transition from capital to operational spending lowers risk, frees up capital, and improves flexibility. As a result, infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS) revenues increased by 53% from 2015 to 2016, making them the fastest-growing cloud and infrastructure services segments. The transition to as-a-service models is significant given that a unit of computing or storage in the cloud can be quite cheaper in terms of the total cost of ownership than a unit on-premises. While businesses have been migrating their workloads to the public cloud for years, there has been a new shift among large corporations. Many companies, including Capital One, GE, Netflix, Time Inc., and others, have downsized or removed their private data centers in favor of shifting their operations to the cloud. Cybersecurity remains a high priority for the C-suite and the board of directors. Attacks are increasing in number and complexity across all industries, with 80% of technology executives indicating that their companies are unable to construct a robust response. Due to lack of cybersecurity experts, many companies can’t get the skills they need on the inside, so they have to use managed security services. Future of Enterprise IT Infrastructure Companies can adopt the 'As-a-Service' model to lower entry barriers and begin testing future innovations on the cloud's basis. Domain specialists in areas like healthcare and manufacturing may harness AI's potential to solve some of their businesses' most pressing problems. Whether in a single cloud or across several clouds, businesses want an architecture that can expand to support the rapid evolution of their apps and industry for decades. For enterprise-class visibility and control across all clouds, the architecture must provide a common control plane that supports native cloud Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) as well as enhanced networking and security features. Conclusion The scale of disruption in the IT infrastructure sector is unparalleled, presenting enormous opportunities and hazards for industry stakeholders and their customers. Technology infrastructure executives must restructure their portfolios and rethink their go-to-market strategies to drive growth. They should also invest in the foundational competencies required for long-term success, such as digitization, analytics, and agile development. Data center companies that can solve the industry's challenges, as well as service providers that can scale quickly without limits and provide intelligent outcome-based models. This helps their clients achieve their business objectives through a portfolio of 'As-a-Service' models, will have a bright future.

Read More
APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Why Should Your Business Utilize Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?

Article | August 3, 2022

Data Center as a Service (DCaaS) is a hosting service that gives clients access to actual data center infrastructure and amenities. Through a Wide-Area Network, DCaaS enables clients to remotely access the provider's storage, server, and networking capabilities (WAN). Businesses can tackle their on-site data center's logistical and financial issues by outsourcing to a service provider. Many enterprises rely on DCaaS to overcome the physical constraints of their on-site infrastructure or to offload the hosting and management of non-mission-critical applications. Businesses that require robust data management solutions but lack the necessary internal resources can adopt DCaaS. DCaaS is the perfect answer for companies that are struggling with a lack of IT help or a lack of funding for system maintenance. Added benefits data Center as a Service allows businesses to be independent of their physical infrastructure: A single-provider API Data centers without Staff Effortlessly handle the influx of data Data centers in regions with more stable climates Data Center as a Service helps democratize the data center itself, allowing companies that could never afford the huge investments that have gotten us this far to benefit from these developments. This is perhaps the most important, as Infrastructure-as-a-Service enables smaller companies to get started without a huge investment. Conclusion Data center as a service (DCaaS) enables clients to access a data center remotely and its features, whereas data center services might include complete management of an organization's on-premises infrastructure resources. IT can be outsourced using data center services to manage an organization's network, storage, computing, cloud, and maintenance. The infrastructure of many businesses is outsourced to increase operational effectiveness, size, and cost-effectiveness. It might be challenging to manage your existing infrastructure while keeping up with the pace of innovation, but it's critical to be on the cutting edge of technology. Organizations may stay future-ready by working with a vendor that can supply DCaaS and data center services.

Read More
APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Adapting Hybrid Architectures for Digital Transformation Implementation

Article | July 16, 2022

IT and data center administrators are under pressure to foster quicker innovation. For workers and customers to have access to digital experiences, more devices must be deployed, and larger enterprise-to-edge networks must be managed. The security of distributed networks has suffered as a result of this rapid growth, though. Some colocation providers can install custom locks for your cabinet if necessary due to the varying compliance standards and security needs for distinct applications. However, physical security measures are still of utmost importance because theft and social engineering can affect hardware as well as data. Risk Companies Face Remote IT work continue on the long run Attacking users is the easiest way into networks IT may be deploying devices with weak controls When determining whether rack-level security is required, there are essentially two critical criteria to take into account. The first is the level of sensitivity of the data stored, and the second is the importance of the equipment in a particular rack to the facility's continuing functioning. Due to the nature of the data being handled and kept, some processes will always have a higher risk profile than others. Conclusion Data centers must rely on a physically secure perimeter that can be trusted. Clients, in particular, require unwavering assurance that security can be put in place to limit user access and guarantee that safety regulations are followed. Rack-level security locks that ensure physical access limitations are crucial to maintaining data center space security. Compared to their mechanical predecessors, electronic rack locks or "smart locks" offer a much more comprehensive range of feature-rich capabilities.

Read More
IT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Why are Investments in Network Monitoring Necessary for Businesses?

Article | July 27, 2022

As your organization scales, inevitably, so too will its infrastructure needs. From physical spaces to personnel, devices to applications, physical security to cybersecurity – all these resources will continue to grow to meet the changing needs of your business operations. To manage your changing infrastructure throughout its entire lifecycle, your organization needs to implement a robust infrastructure lifecycle management program that’s designed to meet your particular business needs. In particular, IT asset lifecycle management (ITALM) is becoming increasingly important for organizations across industries. As threats to organizations’ cybersecurity become more sophisticated and successful cyberattacks become more common, your business needs (now, more than ever) to implement an infrastructure lifecycle management strategy that emphasizes the security of your IT infrastructure. In this article, we’ll explain why infrastructure management is important. Then we’ll outline steps your organization can take to design and implement a program and provide you with some of the most important infrastructure lifecycle management best practices for your business. What Is the Purpose of Infrastructure Lifecycle Management? No matter the size or industry of your organization, infrastructure lifecycle management is a critical process. The purpose of an infrastructure lifecycle management program is to protect your business and its infrastructure assets against risk. Today, protecting your organization and its customer data from malicious actors means taking a more active approach to cybersecurity. Simply put, recovering from a cyber attack is more difficult and expensive than protecting yourself from one. If 2020 and 2021 have taught us anything about cybersecurity, it’s that cybercrime is on the rise and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. As risks to cybersecurity continue to grow in number and in harm, infrastructure lifecycle management and IT asset management are becoming almost unavoidable. In addition to protecting your organization from potential cyberattacks, infrastructure lifecycle management makes for a more efficient enterprise, delivers a better end user experience for consumers, and identifies where your organization needs to expand its infrastructure. Some of the other benefits that come along with comprehensive infrastructure lifecycle management program include: More accurate planning; Centralized and cost-effective procurement; Streamlined provisioning of technology to users; More efficient maintenance; Secure and timely disposal. A robust infrastructure lifecycle management program helps your organization to keep track of all the assets running on (or attached to) your corporate networks. That allows you to catalog, identify and track these assets wherever they are, physically and digitally. While this might seem simple enough, infrastructure lifecycle management and particularly ITALM has become more complex as the diversity of IT assets has increased. Today organizations and their IT teams are responsible for managing hardware, software, cloud infrastructure, SaaS, and connected device or IoT assets. As the number of IT assets under management has soared for most organizations in the past decade, a comprehensive and holistic approach to infrastructure lifecycle management has never been more important. Generally speaking, there are four major stages of asset lifecycle management. Your organization’s infrastructure lifecycle management program should include specific policies and processes for each of the following steps: Planning. This is arguably the most important step for businesses and should be conducted prior to purchasing any assets. During this stage, you’ll need to identify what asset types are required and in what number; compile and verify the requirements for each asset; and evaluate those assets to make sure they meet your service needs. Acquisition and procurement. Use this stage to identify areas for purchase consolidation with the most cost-effective vendors, negotiate warranties and bulk purchases of SaaS and cloud infrastructure assets. This is where lack of insights into actual asset usage can potentially result in overpaying for assets that aren’t really necessary. For this reason, timely and accurate asset data is crucial for effective acquisition and procurement. Maintenance, upgrades and repair. All assets eventually require maintenance, upgrades and repairs. A holistic approach to infrastructure lifecycle management means tracking these needs and consolidating them into a single platform across all asset types. Disposal. An outdated or broken asset needs to be disposed of properly, especially if it contains sensitive information. For hardware, assets that are older than a few years are often obsolete, and assets that fall out of warranty are typically no longer worth maintaining. Disposal of cloud infrastructure assets is also critical because data stored in the cloud can stay there forever. Now that we’ve outlined the purpose and basic stages of infrastructure lifecycle management, it’s time to look at the steps your organization can take to implement it.

Read More
APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

The Drive with Direction: The Path of Enterprise IT Infrastructure

Article | June 6, 2022

Introduction It is hard to manage a modern firm without a convenient and adaptable IT infrastructure. When properly set up and networked, technology can improve back-office processes, increase efficiency, and simplify communication. IT infrastructure can be utilized to supply services or resources both within and outside of a company, as well as to its customers. IT infrastructure when adequately deployed aids organizations in achieving their objectives and increasing profits. IT infrastructure is made up of numerous components that must be integrated for your company's infrastructure to be coherent and functional. These components work in unison to guarantee that your systems and business as a whole run smoothly. Enterprise IT Infrastructure Trends Consumption-based pricing models are becoming more popular among enterprise purchasers, a trend that began with software and has now spread to hardware. This transition from capital to operational spending lowers risk, frees up capital, and improves flexibility. As a result, infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS) revenues increased by 53% from 2015 to 2016, making them the fastest-growing cloud and infrastructure services segments. The transition to as-a-service models is significant given that a unit of computing or storage in the cloud can be quite cheaper in terms of the total cost of ownership than a unit on-premises. While businesses have been migrating their workloads to the public cloud for years, there has been a new shift among large corporations. Many companies, including Capital One, GE, Netflix, Time Inc., and others, have downsized or removed their private data centers in favor of shifting their operations to the cloud. Cybersecurity remains a high priority for the C-suite and the board of directors. Attacks are increasing in number and complexity across all industries, with 80% of technology executives indicating that their companies are unable to construct a robust response. Due to lack of cybersecurity experts, many companies can’t get the skills they need on the inside, so they have to use managed security services. Future of Enterprise IT Infrastructure Companies can adopt the 'As-a-Service' model to lower entry barriers and begin testing future innovations on the cloud's basis. Domain specialists in areas like healthcare and manufacturing may harness AI's potential to solve some of their businesses' most pressing problems. Whether in a single cloud or across several clouds, businesses want an architecture that can expand to support the rapid evolution of their apps and industry for decades. For enterprise-class visibility and control across all clouds, the architecture must provide a common control plane that supports native cloud Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) as well as enhanced networking and security features. Conclusion The scale of disruption in the IT infrastructure sector is unparalleled, presenting enormous opportunities and hazards for industry stakeholders and their customers. Technology infrastructure executives must restructure their portfolios and rethink their go-to-market strategies to drive growth. They should also invest in the foundational competencies required for long-term success, such as digitization, analytics, and agile development. Data center companies that can solve the industry's challenges, as well as service providers that can scale quickly without limits and provide intelligent outcome-based models. This helps their clients achieve their business objectives through a portfolio of 'As-a-Service' models, will have a bright future.

Read More
MORE ARTICLES

Spotlight

iland Cloud

iland offers secure cloud infrastructure (IaaS), disaster recovery (DRaaS), and backup as a service (BaaS) to enterprises around the world.

Related News

HYPER-CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE,APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE,APPLICATION STORAGE

EY announces alliance with Kyndryl to help organizations advance and accelerate their digital transformation journeys

EY | August 17, 2022

EY today announces an alliance between Kyndryl, the world's largest IT infrastructure services provider, and Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), to support clients in achieving their digital transformation goals. Many organizations are turning to digital transformation to become more effective and competitive. As they go through this journey, many face challenges related to complex IT environments and the inherent risks (e.g., cybersecurity, resiliency and IT asset management). Recognizing this, the EY−Kyndryl Alliance provides an innovative approach and utilizes advanced technologies to help organizations transform and modernize their business. The alliance combines Kyndryl's cloud and core infrastructure services with the leading business and technology consulting capabilities of EY US in areas including cybersecurity, asset management and cloud infrastructure services. Kyndryl is a leader in managed infrastructure and implementation services. They offer a comprehensive suite of mission-critical capabilities, while EY US is a leader in driving large-scale, complex client transformations and has deep industry experience as part of its business and technology consulting services. The combination of these complementary services will greatly assist clients on their transformation journeys while mitigating the risks of these highly complex initiatives. Heather Ficarra, Kyndryl Alliance Leader, Ernst & Young LLP, says: "As organizations execute on their digital transformation journeys, they face challenges in modernizing complex systems, business processes and controls. The EY−Kyndryl Alliance will help clients achieve their strategic transformation goals by providing compelling comprehensive solutions. The alliance leverages the deep domain experience of EY business and technology consulting with Kyndryl's technology transformation and support." Greg Sarafin, EY Global Partner Ecosystem Leader, says: "The combination of the leading business and technology consulting capabilities of EY US and the industry-leading IT infrastructure services of Kyndryl will be a powerful force in the market. The creation of innovative, joint services and solutions that address the strategy, transformation and ongoing operations will greatly benefit our mutual clients." Stephen Leonard, Kyndryl Global Alliances & Partnerships Leader, says: "Our alliance with EY US will help broaden the global reach and impact of Kyndryl's advanced IT infrastructure services to new customers across different industries and geographies that are seeking to modernize and transform their businesses. The combined experience and solutions that will stem from our strategic relationship with EY US will help companies overcome challenges, pursue new opportunities and derive more value from their IT environments." About EY EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Read More

APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Osterman Research Survey Finds 84% of Companies Have Only Rudimentary Capabilities for Securing Their Cloud Infrastructure

Ermetic | August 05, 2022

Ermetic, the cloud infrastructure security company, today released the findings of a research study conducted by Osterman Research on the cloud security maturity level of organizations in North America. The survey found that 84% of respondents were at an entry level (one or two) in terms of their cloud security capabilities and only 16% ranked at the top two levels. Meanwhile, 80% of companies reported they lack a dedicated security team responsible for protecting cloud resources from threats. The survey also revealed the top five priorities that all highly mature companies have in common when it comes to cloud security. Osterman Research surveyed 326 organizations in North America with 500 or more employees and who spend a minimum of $1 million or more each year on cloud infrastructure to establish an industry baseline against the Ermetic Cloud Security Model. The model was designed to provide organizations with a lightweight framework for determining their maturity level (1 - Ad Hoc, 2- Opportunistic, 3- Repeatable, 4- Automated & Integrated) across multiple domains, while allowing them to develop a specific, actionable roadmap for advancing their capabilities. “One of the most unexpected findings that emerged from this study was the lack of cloud security maturity among the largest enterprises surveyed,” said Michael Sampson, senior analyst for Osterman Research and author of the report. “Less than 10% of companies with more than 10,000 employees reported being at the top two maturity levels, while nearly 20% of smaller enterprises have achieved repeatable or automated & integrated cloud security capabilities.” Other Report Highlights Demonstrable ROI: 42% of companies investing more than 50 hours per week on cloud security are achieving the highest levels of maturity (Levels 3 and 4) Bigger not better: Only 7% of companies with more than 10,000 employees were at level three or four in terms of maturity, compared with 18% for companies with between 2,500 and 9,999 employees, and 24% for companies with 500 to 2,499 employees Overall, maturity is low: 84% of companies were at level one or two (41.5% Ad Hoc and 42.5% Opportunistic) and only 16% at level three or four (11.1% Repeatable and 4.9% Automated & Integrated) More clouds doesn’t equal more maturity: the percentage of companies that ranked at the highest levels of maturity (3 & 4) decreased with multicloud usage. For example, the number of organizations achieving Repeatable or Automated & Integrated security capabilities dropped nearly 50% when going from one (10%) to three (6%) cloud platforms Shared blindspot: 81% of organizations lack full visibility into all resources that are directly accessible from the Internet “This survey makes two things very clear. Without the right tools, spending lots of time and resources on cloud security will not necessarily make you more secure,” said Shai Morag, CEO of Ermetic. “And, by focusing on the right priorities you can achieve a very high level of security maturity regardless of your organization’s size.” Five Habits of Highly Mature Companies Organizations that reported focusing on the five following security priorities achieved the highest levels (3 or 4) of maturity: Detecting general cloud misconfigurations (e.g., unencrypted resources, MFA) Achieving the ability to track and investigate activities performed by human users and applications/service accounts across the cloud infrastructure Establishing Just-in-Time (JIT) access for developers / DevOps / Cloud operations teams to cloud infrastructure environments Evaluating and reporting on alignment with security best practices (e.g., AWS well-architected, CIS) and compliance standards (e.g., NIST, ISO, SOC2, PCI-DSS) Achieving least-privilege for identities in the cloud (both human identities and service accounts) About Ermetic Ermetic helps prevent breaches by reducing the attack surface of cloud infrastructure and enforcing least privilege at scale in the most complex environments. The Ermetic SaaS platform provides comprehensive cloud security for AWS, Azure and GCP that spans both cloud infrastructure entitlements management (CIEM) and cloud security posture management (CSPM). The company is led by proven technology entrepreneurs whose previous companies have been acquired by Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks and others. Ermetic has received funding from Accel, Forgepoint, Glilot Capital Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Qumra and Target Global.

Read More

IT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Stream and T-Systems Partner to Empower Advanced Hybrid Cloud Architecture

Stream Data Centers | August 02, 2022

Stream Data Centers, the industry leader in delivering exceptional data center experiences to global enterprise companies, is proud to announce that it has been selected as a trusted data center partner by T-Systems. T-Systems, a leading provider of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) solutions to major corporations and public-sector organizations across the globe, chose Stream Data Centers' Houston campus in the Woodlands to host customers and help deliver innovative cloud operation services both locally and globally. As part of Deutsche Telekom Group (DT), T-Systems is a leading digital and cloud services provider, offering world-class service while supporting local and global customers by extending its global portfolio, expertise, and operational capabilities. Led by its dedication to providing transformative ICT solutions, the company today has nearly 100 managed data centers, 56,800 open system servers, and more than three million managed SAP users. While expanding its newest hybrid cloud platform, T-Systems found that it needed a strategically-located data center that could cater to its architecture's high-density demands as well as the company's own ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) goals. "Our mission is to provide the best solutions to our customers, with the right partners, using state-of-the-art technology," states Mauro Guzelotto, Head of Cloud Services for T-Systems. "It was in the spirit of that mission that we decided to partner with Stream, and we are very excited about the value and possibilities that Stream brings to the table. Another key element of our decision was sustainability, and I am confident that our decision to partner with Stream will contribute to our sustainability strategy by helping us be more energy efficient." After a rigorous RFP process, Stream and its Houston campus were selected for a host of reasons, including the location's advantageous geographical setting, Stream's ability to meet sustainability goals with its energy procurement and operational expertise, and additional strategic service offerings including high-density capabilities. The Houston I facility in the Woodlands is located outside of the 500-year floodplain and has 185 mph wind ratings with an uplift-rated building and equipment yard. These aspects have enabled this facility to offer 100% power and cooling uptime for the last 8 consecutive years — even standing strong against 1,000-year storms like Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri. It is also connected to a separate power grid from T-Systems' core facility, which allows for added redundancy. As a secondary site, Stream's campus offered superior benefits and assurance against downtime. Stream also enabled T-Systems to benefit from a partnership with Megaport, enriching its public cloud connections and further enabling the delivery of a robust hybrid cloud platform. T-Systems' tailored cooling and power-per-rack demands could also be easily met with Stream's large rooms, 3-foot raised floors and tall ceilings, which help the ambient temperature remain easily controlled even for high-density deployments. Furthermore, T-Systems' multi-stage goals for sustainability across its operations (with an ultimate goal of fully eliminating its carbon footprint) are empowered by this facility's LEED certification and the Stream team's insights into strategic energy procurement and efficient usage. "With this symbiotic partnership in place, Houston-area customers can enjoy T-Systems' leading suite of IT service offerings and leverage their innovative platforms to further their own digital transformation initiatives. "Being selected by a global leader like T-Systems is a great testament to Stream's Woodlands facility and team members." Chad Rodriguez, Vice President of Network and Cloud at Stream Data Centers "The partnership between T-Systems North America and Stream Data Centers allows our joint existing and future customers to travel their cloud journeys with the certainty that availability, reliability, sustainability, and security are managed by two of the most relevant IT and DC experts in the market," comments Cesar Martinez, Managing Director for T-Systems in North America. About Stream Data Centers Stream Data Centers has provided premium data center services since 1999, with 90% of its inventory leased to Fortune 100 customers. To date, the company has acquired, developed and managed 24 data center campuses nationally, while leadership has remained consistent for all 23 years.

Read More

HYPER-CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE,APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE,APPLICATION STORAGE

EY announces alliance with Kyndryl to help organizations advance and accelerate their digital transformation journeys

EY | August 17, 2022

EY today announces an alliance between Kyndryl, the world's largest IT infrastructure services provider, and Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), to support clients in achieving their digital transformation goals. Many organizations are turning to digital transformation to become more effective and competitive. As they go through this journey, many face challenges related to complex IT environments and the inherent risks (e.g., cybersecurity, resiliency and IT asset management). Recognizing this, the EY−Kyndryl Alliance provides an innovative approach and utilizes advanced technologies to help organizations transform and modernize their business. The alliance combines Kyndryl's cloud and core infrastructure services with the leading business and technology consulting capabilities of EY US in areas including cybersecurity, asset management and cloud infrastructure services. Kyndryl is a leader in managed infrastructure and implementation services. They offer a comprehensive suite of mission-critical capabilities, while EY US is a leader in driving large-scale, complex client transformations and has deep industry experience as part of its business and technology consulting services. The combination of these complementary services will greatly assist clients on their transformation journeys while mitigating the risks of these highly complex initiatives. Heather Ficarra, Kyndryl Alliance Leader, Ernst & Young LLP, says: "As organizations execute on their digital transformation journeys, they face challenges in modernizing complex systems, business processes and controls. The EY−Kyndryl Alliance will help clients achieve their strategic transformation goals by providing compelling comprehensive solutions. The alliance leverages the deep domain experience of EY business and technology consulting with Kyndryl's technology transformation and support." Greg Sarafin, EY Global Partner Ecosystem Leader, says: "The combination of the leading business and technology consulting capabilities of EY US and the industry-leading IT infrastructure services of Kyndryl will be a powerful force in the market. The creation of innovative, joint services and solutions that address the strategy, transformation and ongoing operations will greatly benefit our mutual clients." Stephen Leonard, Kyndryl Global Alliances & Partnerships Leader, says: "Our alliance with EY US will help broaden the global reach and impact of Kyndryl's advanced IT infrastructure services to new customers across different industries and geographies that are seeking to modernize and transform their businesses. The combined experience and solutions that will stem from our strategic relationship with EY US will help companies overcome challenges, pursue new opportunities and derive more value from their IT environments." About EY EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Read More

APPLICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Osterman Research Survey Finds 84% of Companies Have Only Rudimentary Capabilities for Securing Their Cloud Infrastructure

Ermetic | August 05, 2022

Ermetic, the cloud infrastructure security company, today released the findings of a research study conducted by Osterman Research on the cloud security maturity level of organizations in North America. The survey found that 84% of respondents were at an entry level (one or two) in terms of their cloud security capabilities and only 16% ranked at the top two levels. Meanwhile, 80% of companies reported they lack a dedicated security team responsible for protecting cloud resources from threats. The survey also revealed the top five priorities that all highly mature companies have in common when it comes to cloud security. Osterman Research surveyed 326 organizations in North America with 500 or more employees and who spend a minimum of $1 million or more each year on cloud infrastructure to establish an industry baseline against the Ermetic Cloud Security Model. The model was designed to provide organizations with a lightweight framework for determining their maturity level (1 - Ad Hoc, 2- Opportunistic, 3- Repeatable, 4- Automated & Integrated) across multiple domains, while allowing them to develop a specific, actionable roadmap for advancing their capabilities. “One of the most unexpected findings that emerged from this study was the lack of cloud security maturity among the largest enterprises surveyed,” said Michael Sampson, senior analyst for Osterman Research and author of the report. “Less than 10% of companies with more than 10,000 employees reported being at the top two maturity levels, while nearly 20% of smaller enterprises have achieved repeatable or automated & integrated cloud security capabilities.” Other Report Highlights Demonstrable ROI: 42% of companies investing more than 50 hours per week on cloud security are achieving the highest levels of maturity (Levels 3 and 4) Bigger not better: Only 7% of companies with more than 10,000 employees were at level three or four in terms of maturity, compared with 18% for companies with between 2,500 and 9,999 employees, and 24% for companies with 500 to 2,499 employees Overall, maturity is low: 84% of companies were at level one or two (41.5% Ad Hoc and 42.5% Opportunistic) and only 16% at level three or four (11.1% Repeatable and 4.9% Automated & Integrated) More clouds doesn’t equal more maturity: the percentage of companies that ranked at the highest levels of maturity (3 & 4) decreased with multicloud usage. For example, the number of organizations achieving Repeatable or Automated & Integrated security capabilities dropped nearly 50% when going from one (10%) to three (6%) cloud platforms Shared blindspot: 81% of organizations lack full visibility into all resources that are directly accessible from the Internet “This survey makes two things very clear. Without the right tools, spending lots of time and resources on cloud security will not necessarily make you more secure,” said Shai Morag, CEO of Ermetic. “And, by focusing on the right priorities you can achieve a very high level of security maturity regardless of your organization’s size.” Five Habits of Highly Mature Companies Organizations that reported focusing on the five following security priorities achieved the highest levels (3 or 4) of maturity: Detecting general cloud misconfigurations (e.g., unencrypted resources, MFA) Achieving the ability to track and investigate activities performed by human users and applications/service accounts across the cloud infrastructure Establishing Just-in-Time (JIT) access for developers / DevOps / Cloud operations teams to cloud infrastructure environments Evaluating and reporting on alignment with security best practices (e.g., AWS well-architected, CIS) and compliance standards (e.g., NIST, ISO, SOC2, PCI-DSS) Achieving least-privilege for identities in the cloud (both human identities and service accounts) About Ermetic Ermetic helps prevent breaches by reducing the attack surface of cloud infrastructure and enforcing least privilege at scale in the most complex environments. The Ermetic SaaS platform provides comprehensive cloud security for AWS, Azure and GCP that spans both cloud infrastructure entitlements management (CIEM) and cloud security posture management (CSPM). The company is led by proven technology entrepreneurs whose previous companies have been acquired by Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks and others. Ermetic has received funding from Accel, Forgepoint, Glilot Capital Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Qumra and Target Global.

Read More

IT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Stream and T-Systems Partner to Empower Advanced Hybrid Cloud Architecture

Stream Data Centers | August 02, 2022

Stream Data Centers, the industry leader in delivering exceptional data center experiences to global enterprise companies, is proud to announce that it has been selected as a trusted data center partner by T-Systems. T-Systems, a leading provider of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) solutions to major corporations and public-sector organizations across the globe, chose Stream Data Centers' Houston campus in the Woodlands to host customers and help deliver innovative cloud operation services both locally and globally. As part of Deutsche Telekom Group (DT), T-Systems is a leading digital and cloud services provider, offering world-class service while supporting local and global customers by extending its global portfolio, expertise, and operational capabilities. Led by its dedication to providing transformative ICT solutions, the company today has nearly 100 managed data centers, 56,800 open system servers, and more than three million managed SAP users. While expanding its newest hybrid cloud platform, T-Systems found that it needed a strategically-located data center that could cater to its architecture's high-density demands as well as the company's own ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) goals. "Our mission is to provide the best solutions to our customers, with the right partners, using state-of-the-art technology," states Mauro Guzelotto, Head of Cloud Services for T-Systems. "It was in the spirit of that mission that we decided to partner with Stream, and we are very excited about the value and possibilities that Stream brings to the table. Another key element of our decision was sustainability, and I am confident that our decision to partner with Stream will contribute to our sustainability strategy by helping us be more energy efficient." After a rigorous RFP process, Stream and its Houston campus were selected for a host of reasons, including the location's advantageous geographical setting, Stream's ability to meet sustainability goals with its energy procurement and operational expertise, and additional strategic service offerings including high-density capabilities. The Houston I facility in the Woodlands is located outside of the 500-year floodplain and has 185 mph wind ratings with an uplift-rated building and equipment yard. These aspects have enabled this facility to offer 100% power and cooling uptime for the last 8 consecutive years — even standing strong against 1,000-year storms like Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri. It is also connected to a separate power grid from T-Systems' core facility, which allows for added redundancy. As a secondary site, Stream's campus offered superior benefits and assurance against downtime. Stream also enabled T-Systems to benefit from a partnership with Megaport, enriching its public cloud connections and further enabling the delivery of a robust hybrid cloud platform. T-Systems' tailored cooling and power-per-rack demands could also be easily met with Stream's large rooms, 3-foot raised floors and tall ceilings, which help the ambient temperature remain easily controlled even for high-density deployments. Furthermore, T-Systems' multi-stage goals for sustainability across its operations (with an ultimate goal of fully eliminating its carbon footprint) are empowered by this facility's LEED certification and the Stream team's insights into strategic energy procurement and efficient usage. "With this symbiotic partnership in place, Houston-area customers can enjoy T-Systems' leading suite of IT service offerings and leverage their innovative platforms to further their own digital transformation initiatives. "Being selected by a global leader like T-Systems is a great testament to Stream's Woodlands facility and team members." Chad Rodriguez, Vice President of Network and Cloud at Stream Data Centers "The partnership between T-Systems North America and Stream Data Centers allows our joint existing and future customers to travel their cloud journeys with the certainty that availability, reliability, sustainability, and security are managed by two of the most relevant IT and DC experts in the market," comments Cesar Martinez, Managing Director for T-Systems in North America. About Stream Data Centers Stream Data Centers has provided premium data center services since 1999, with 90% of its inventory leased to Fortune 100 customers. To date, the company has acquired, developed and managed 24 data center campuses nationally, while leadership has remained consistent for all 23 years.

Read More

Events