Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Article | July 13, 2023
There is an exciting convergence in the networking industry around open source, and the energy is palpable. At LF Networking, we have a unique perspective as the largest open source initiative in the networking space with the broadest set of projects that make up the diverse and evolving open source networking stack. LF Networking provides platforms and building blocks across the networking industry that enable rapid interoperability, deployment, and adoption and is the nexus for 5G innovation and integration.
LF Networking has now tapped confluence on industry efforts to structure a new initiative to develop 5G Super Blueprints for the ecosystem. Major integrations between the building blocks are now underway–between ONAP and ORAN, Akraino and Magma, Anuket and Kubernetes, and more.
Read More
Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, IT Systems Management
Article | September 14, 2023
IT infrastructure is of utmost importance because it enables organizations to manage and deliver data & services to their employees, customers, and partners.
The events mentioned in the following paragraphs cover a range of topics related to cloud infrastructure, including cloud security, hybrid cloud, multi-cloud, cloud automation, and cloud-native applications. These events are taking place in United States, Denmark, China, and Rome among others from May 2023 to December 2023.
Let's take a closer look at each of these events and know what attendees can expect to gain from them.
1. Data Center World
May 8-11, 2023 | Austin (Texas)
Data Center World is an important virtual event focusing on digital infrastructure aimed at professionals working in data centers, technology leaders, and innovators driving the digital industry forward. It is the longest-running data center conference and expo, blending decades of experience with insight into today's and tomorrow's strategic issues. The conference will provide attendees valuable knowledge and strategies on various technologies and concepts necessary for planning, managing, and optimizing data centers. The event will feature multiple themes as edge computing, colocation, hyperscale and more. The conference will offer a platform for experts to share their insights on the latest developments and trends shaping the future of digital infrastructure.
2. Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations and Cloud Strategies Conference 2023
November 20-21, 2023 | London (England)
Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations and Cloud Strategies Conference 2023 is a two-day event that will cover various topics related to IT infrastructure, operations, and cloud strategies. These topics include the cloud cookbook, disruptive practices, trends, technologies, and more. The conference is designed for attendees who are responsible for servers, storage & backup/recovery among others. It will provide a platform for IT professionals to share knowledge, learn from experts in the field, and discuss best practices as well as emerging trends in IT infrastructure, operations, and cloud strategies. It is an excellent opportunity to stay up-to-date with the latest industry developments and gain valuable insights that can help drive their organizations forward.
3. Stackconf: The Open Source Infrastructure Conference
September 13-14, 2023 | Berlin (Germany)
Stackconf is an event that will focus on open-source infrastructure solutions in continuous integration, containers, hybrid, and cloud technologies. It will provide a platform for international experts to present their ideas on bridging the gap between development, testing, and operations. The event will offer lectures on various infrastructure topics throughout the entire DevOps lifecycle, including building, CI/CD, running, and monitoring. Participants can learn about innovative technology mixes and future-oriented designs for large infrastructures. The event promises to be an exciting opportunity to explore the latest advancements in open-source infrastructure solutions.
4. 2023 5th International Conference on Hardware Security and Trust (ICHST 2023)
July 8-10, 2023 | Wuxi (China)
This fifth international conference is a workshop for ICSIP 2023. With the increasing use of computing and communication systems in various aspects of modern life, the importance of system security has grown significantly. This is true for the internet-of-things, which has created new attack surfaces and requirements for secure system operation. Furthermore, the design, manufacturing, and distribution of microchips, PCBs, and other electronic components have become more complex, which has led to potential security vulnerabilities. ICHST will promote the growth of hardware-based security research and development, highlighting new hardware and system security results. The conference will cover topics such as techniques, design/test methods, and more.
5. Capacity Caucasus and Central Asia 2023
June 21-22, 2023 |Baku (Azerbaijan)
Capacity Media is pleased to announce the launch of a new digital infrastructure event for the Caucasus and Central Asian markets. This event is the only kind in the region and is being introduced when virgin markets open up. In addition, significant investments are being made into digital infrastructure, such as the Digital Silk Way project. This presents boundless opportunities for IP transit and content, with a growing demand for digital services ranging from e-commerce to e-learning, telemedicine, and telecommuting. The event aims to bring together infrastructure professionals and digital service providers in this emerging digital hub to explore the latest trends, technologies, and opportunities in the field of digital infrastructure.
6. DATACENTER FORUM HELSINKI 2023
June 1, 2023 | Helsinki (Finland)
This eighth annual Datacenter Forum Helsinki is a highly-anticipated event that will bring together over 400 professionals from the data center sector in Finland and the Baltics. The conference is free-of-charge for those involved in managing and operating IT infrastructure, making it accessible to a wide range of professionals. Attendees can expect to network with peers, learn about the latest trends as well as technologies in the field of data centers, and participate in informative sessions and discussions led by industry experts. The event promises to be an exciting opportunity for professionals in the region to connect, collaborate, and gain valuable insights into the future of data center infrastructure.
7. DICE East
May 24-25, 2023 |Virginia (US)
DICE East is a highly-anticipated two-day national event focused on data centers. This premium event will allow attendees to explore the latest opportunities, challenges, and innovations in the digital infrastructure industry. Attendees expect to gain valuable insights into the future of data center technology and connect with industry experts and peers. It promises to be a must-attend event for anyone involved in the digital infrastructure industry. Some key themes that will be discussed include cloud computing, artificial intelligence, edge computing, and more. The event will also include an exhibit hall where attendees can see the latest products and solutions from leading vendors in the digital infrastructure space.
8. International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC-CIE 2023)
August 20-23, 2023 | Massachusetts (United States)
The International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC-CIE 2023) is a significant event in the field of design and related manufacturing. It will comprise a series of sub-conferences, providing an opportunity for researchers, academicians and professionals from around the world to present and discuss the latest advancements, trends, and challenges in the field of design and related manufacturing. The conference will feature keynote speeches, paper presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, providing attendees with a comprehensive view of the latest developments in the industry. The IDETC-CIE 2023 conference is a must-attend event for professionals, researchers, and students involved in the design and related manufacturing industries.
9. International Intelligent Building and Green Technology Expo (IBG 2023)
November 15-17, 2023 | Shanghai (China)
The International Intelligent Building and Green Technology Expo (IBG 2023) is a specialized event dedicated to creating an intelligent and energy-efficient building ecosystem. The expo will focus on presenting the latest products & services related to fire and safety systems, intelligent building equipment and management, intelligent building management systems, building information systems, and information application systems. The IBG 2023 expo will attract attendees from various industries, where participants can gain insights into the latest trends & technologies related to intelligent building as well as green technology and learn about industry developments and advancements. This is a must-attend event for professionals and businesses looking to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the intelligent building.
10. ConnecTechAsia
June 06, 2023 | Singapore EXPO (Singapore)
ConnecTechAsia is a leading conference that will focus on the latest advancements in communication, enterprise, and broadcast technologies. The event will comprise three separate conferences, namely BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia, and NXTAsia, covering a wide range of topics related to the respective fields. It will provide attendees with the opportunity to explore the latest trends and innovations in communication, enterprise, and broadcast technologies, and to connect with industry experts, thought leaders, and peers from around the world. The conference will also feature keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, and exhibitions that showcase the latest products and services in the industry.
11. Data Summit 2023
May 10-11, 2023 | Boston (United States)
The Data Summit 2023 is a leading conference that will focus on data management and analytics. The event will feature a wide range of topics related to data and analytics, including What’s Next in data and analytics architecture, modern data strategy essentials, AI & machine learning, and data mesh and data fabric, among others. The event will also include keynotes, panel discussions as well as workshops that showcase the latest products and services in the industry. One of the main highlights of the Data Summit 2023 is the Data Solutions Showcase, which offers attendees the opportunity to explore and get demonstration on the latest data management and analytics solutions from leading vendors in the industry.
12. Advancing Data Center Construction: West 2023
July 17-19, 2023 | Washington (United States)
The Advancing Data Center Construction: West 2023 conference is a three-day event that will bring together professionals from the data center construction industry to discuss the latest trends and strategies. It will focus on the latest trends and strategies in data center construction. The event will feature keynote speeches from industry leaders, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. Covering a variety of topics, such as optimizing prefabrication strategies, managing supply chain disruption, enhancing collaborative project delivery, looking into the future of data center projects, and more, the event will also cover sustainable construction approaches, including strategies for reducing energy consumption and minimizing environmental impact.
13. International Data Center and Cloud Computing Expo (CDCE 2023)
November 15-17, 2023 | Shanghai (China)
The International Data Center and Cloud Computing Expo (CDCE 2023) is a trade show that will offer a platform for exhibitors to showcase their latest products & services in the field of data centers and cloud computing. Featuring a wide range of products, such as data center management software, monitoring systems, power generators, air conditioning and cooling systems, security systems, and more, the event will attract attendees from various industries, such as internet service providers, financial institutions, energy companies, research institutions, hospitals, and manufacturers. The exhibition will showcase products & services in different categories, such as data center management, infrastructure solutions, cloud computing services, system integration and development, and advanced construction materials.
14. Datacenter Forum Copenhagen 2023
September 21, 2023 | Copenhagen (Denmark)
This ninth edition of Datacenter Forum is an annual event that will focus on the latest trends and developments in the data center industry. The one-day event will bring together over 300 professionals from the data center sector in Denmark, including IT infrastructure managers and operators. Nordics Events, a company that specializes in putting on industry-specific events in the Nordic region, is in charge of organizing the event. Topics covered at the event will include data center design, energy efficiency, security, and more. Attendees can also visit the exhibition area, where they can meet with vendors and learn about the latest products and services in the industry. Attendance at the event is free for those who are involved in managing and operating IT infrastructure.
15. Telco Infrastructure Summit (TIS) 2023:
September 21-22, 2023 | Rome (Italy)
CC (Carrier Community) is a global telecom club organizing its fourth specialized annual event called CC-TIS 2023 Rome. The event is a hybrid gathering, bringing together leading industry telco and ICT players to learn, share, network, and shape industry trends related to digital transformation and telecom infrastructure development. During the two-day event, attendees will discuss market-relevant topics related to digital transformation, such as submarine and connectivity, as well as other emerging trends in the industry. Attendees can expect to engage in lively discussions and gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the telecom industry.
Conclusion:
These events will help organizations stay ahead of the curve in today's rapidly evolving landscape and capitalize on the opportunities presented. The events mentioned above aim to facilitate collaboration, knowledge exchange, and discussions toward finding novel solutions for the computing systems of tomorrow.
Read More
Application Infrastructure, Application Storage
Article | July 19, 2023
Stay ahead of the curve and navigate the complex landscape of regulatory obligations to safeguard data in cloud. Explores the challenges of maintaining compliance and strategies for risk mitigation.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. 3 Essential Regulatory Requirements
2.1 Before migration
2.2. During migration
2.3. After migration
3. Challenges in Ensuring Compliance in Infrastructure as a Service in Cloud Computing
3.1. Shared Responsibility Model
3.2. Data Breach
3.3. Access Mismanagement
3.4. Audit and Monitoring Challenges
4. Strategies for Addressing Compliance Challenges in IaaS
4.1. Risk Management and Assessment
4.2. Encryption and Collaboration with Cloud Service Providers
4.3. Contractual Agreements
4.4. Compliance Monitoring and Reporting
5. Conclusion
1. Introduction
Ensuring Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) compliance in security is crucial for organizations to meet regulatory requirements and avoid potential legal and financial consequences. However, several challenges must be addressed before and after migration to the cloud. This article provides an overview of the regulatory requirements in cloud computing, explores the challenges faced in ensuring compliance in IaaS, a cloud implementation service and provides strategies for addressing these challenges to ensure a successful cloud migration.
2. 3 Essential Regulatory Requirements
When adopting cloud infrastructure as a service, organizations must comply with regulatory requirements before, during, and after migration to the cloud. This ensures avoiding the challenges, firms may face later and suggest solutions if they do so.
2.1 Before migration:
Organizations must identify the relevant regulations that apply to their industry and geographic location. This includes: Data Protection Laws, Industry-Specific Regulations, and International Laws.
2.2. During migration:
Organizations must ensure that they meet regulatory requirements while transferring data and applications to the cloud. This involves: Ensuring proper access management, data encryption, and data residency requirements.
2.3. After migration:
Organizations must continue to meet regulatory requirements through ongoing monitoring and reporting. This includes: Regularly reviewing and updating security measures, ensuring proper data protection, and complying with audit and reporting requirements.
3. Challenges in Ensuring Compliance in Infrastructureas a Service in Cloud Computing
3.1. Shared Responsibility Model
The lack of control over the infrastructure in IaaS cloud computing is caused by the shared responsibility model of IaaS, where the cloud service provider is responsible for the IaaS security while the customer is responsible for securing the data and applications they store and run in the cloud. According to a survey, 22.8% of respondents cited the lack of control over infrastructure as a top concern for cloud security. (Source: Cloud Security Alliance)
3.2. Data Breach
Data breaches have serious consequences for businesses, including legal and financial penalties, damage to their reputation, and the loss of customer trust. The location of data and the regulations governing its storage and processing create challenges for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions. The global average total cost of a data breach increased by USD 0.11 million to USD 4.35 million in 2022, the highest it's been in the history of this report. The increase from USD 4.24 million in the 2021 report to USD 4.35 million in the 2022 report represents a 2.6% increase. (Source: IBM)
3.3. Access Mismanagement
Insider threats, where authorized users abuse their access privileges, can be a significant challenge for access management in IaaS. This includes the intentional or accidental misuse of credentials or non-protected infrastructure and the theft or loss of devices containing sensitive data. The 2020 data breach investigations report found that over 80% of data breaches were caused by compromised credentials or human error, highlighting the importance of effective access management. (Source: Verizon)
3.4. Audit and Monitoring Challenges
Large volumes of alerts overwhelm security teams, leading to fatigue and missed alerts, which result in non-compliance or security incidents going unnoticed. Limited resources may also make it challenging to effectively monitor and audit infrastructure as a service cloud environment, including the implementation and maintenance of monitoring tools.
4. Strategies for Addressing Compliance Challenges in IaaS
4.1. Risk Management and Assessment
Risk Assessment and Management includes conducting a risk assessment, including assessing risks related to data security, access controls, and regulatory compliance. It also involves implementing risk mitigation measures to address identified risks, like additional security measures or access controls such as encryption or multi-factor authentication.
4.2. Encryption and Collaboration with Cloud Service Providers
Encryption can be implemented at the application, database, or file system level, depending on the specific needs of the business. In addition, businesses should establish clear service level agreements with their cloud service provider related to data protection. This includes requirements for data security, access controls, and backup and recovery processes.
4.3. Contractual Agreements
The agreement should also establish audit and compliance requirements, including regular assessments of access management controls and policies. Using contractual agreements, organizations help ensure that they are clearly defined and that the cloud service provider is held accountable for implementing effective access management controls and policies.
4.4. Compliance Monitoring and Reporting
Monitoring and Reporting involves setting up automated monitoring and reporting mechanisms that track compliance with relevant regulations and standards and generate reports. They should also leverage technologies such as intrusion detection and prevention systems, security information and event management (SIEM) tools, and log analysis tools to collect, analyze, and report on security events in real time.
5. Conclusion
In accordance with the increasing prevalence of data breaches and the growing complexity of regulatory requirements, maintaining a secure and compliant cloud environment will be crucial for businesses to build trust with customers and avoid legal and financial risks. Addressing these requirements, the cloud helps companies maintain data privacy, avoid legal risks, and build customer trust. Organizations create a secure and compliant cloud environment that meets their needs by overcoming challenges and implementing best practices, working closely with cloud service providers. Ultimately, by prioritizing compliance and investing in the necessary resources and expertise, businesses can navigate these challenges and unlock the full potential of the cloud with confidence.
Read More
Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Article | October 3, 2023
Revolutionize data management with HCI: Unveil the modernized storage solutions and implementation strategies for enhanced efficiency, scalability, sustainable growth and future-ready performance.
Contents
1. Introduction to Modernized Storage Solutions and HCI
2. Software-Defined Storage in HCI
3. Benefits of Modern Storage HCI in Data Management
3.1 Data Security and Privacy in HCI Storage
3.2 Data Analytics and Business Intelligence Integration
3.3 Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Data Management
4. Implementation Strategies for Modern Storage HCI
4.1 Workload Analysis
4.2 Software-Defined Storage
4.3 Advanced Networking
4.4 Data Tiering and Caching
4.5 Continuous Monitoring and Optimization
5. Future Trends in HCI Storage and Data Management
1. Introduction to Modernized Storage Solutions and HCI
Modern businesses face escalating data volumes, necessitating efficient and scalable storage solutions. Modernized storage solutions, such as HCI, integrate computing, networking, and storage resources into a unified system, streamlining operations and simplifying data management.
By embracing modernized storage solutions and HCI, organizations can unlock numerous benefits, including enhanced agility, simplified management, improved performance, robust data protection, and optimized costs. As technology evolves, leveraging these solutions will be instrumental in achieving competitive advantages and future-proofing the organization's IT infrastructure.
2. Software-Defined Storage in HCI
By embracing software-defined storage in HCI, organizations can benefit from simplified storage management, scalability, improved performance, cost efficiency, and seamless integration with hybrid cloud environments. These advantages empower businesses to optimize their storage infrastructure, increase agility, and effectively manage growing data demands, ultimately driving success in the digital era.
Software-defined storage in HCI revolutionizes traditional, hardware-based storage arrays by replacing them with virtualized storage resources managed through software. This centralized approach simplifies data storage management, allowing IT teams to allocate and oversee storage resources efficiently. With software-defined storage, organizations can seamlessly scale their storage infrastructure as needed without the complexities associated with traditional hardware setups. By abstracting storage from physical hardware, software-defined storage brings greater agility and flexibility to the storage infrastructure, enabling organizations to adapt quickly to changing business demands.
Software-defined storage in HCI empowers organizations with seamless data mobility, allowing for the smooth movement of workloads and data across various infrastructure environments, including private and public clouds. This flexibility enables organizations to implement hybrid cloud strategies, leveraging the advantages of both on-premises and cloud environments. With software-defined storage, data migration, replication, and synchronization between different data storage locations become simplified tasks. This simplification enhances data availability and accessibility, facilitating efficient data management across other storage platforms and enabling organizations to make the most of their hybrid cloud deployments.
3. Benefits of Modern Storage HCI in Data Management
Software-defined storage HCI simplifies hybrid and multi-cloud data management. Its single platform lets enterprises easily move workloads and data between on-premises infrastructure, private clouds, and public clouds. The centralized management interface of software-defined storage HCI ensures comprehensive data governance, unifies control, ensures compliance, and improves visibility across the data management ecosystem, complementing this flexibility and scalability optimization.
3.1 Data Security and Privacy in HCI Storage
Modern software-defined storage HCI solutions provide robust data security measures, including encryption, access controls, and secure replication. By centralizing storage management through software-defined storage, organizations can implement consistent security policies across all storage resources, minimizing the risk of data breaches. HCI platforms offer built-in features such as snapshots, replication, and disaster recovery capabilities, ensuring data integrity, business continuity, and resilience against potential threats.
3.2 Data Analytics and Business Intelligence Integration
These HCI platforms seamlessly integrate with data analytics and business intelligence tools, enabling organizations to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions. By consolidating storage, compute, and analytics capabilities, HCI minimizes data movement and latency, enhancing the efficiency of data analysis processes. The scalable architecture of software-defined storage HCI supports processing large data volumes, accelerating data analytics, predictive modeling, and facilitating data-driven strategies for enhanced operational efficiency and competitiveness.
3.3 Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Data Management
Software-defined storage HCI simplifies hybrid and multi-cloud data management by providing a unified platform for seamless data movement across different environments. Organizations can easily migrate workloads and data between on-premises infrastructure, private clouds, and public clouds, optimizing flexibility and scalability. The centralized management interface of software-defined storage HCI enables consistent data governance, ensuring control, compliance, and visibility across the entire data management ecosystem.
4. Implementation Strategies for Modern Storage Using HCI
4.1 Workload Analysis
A comprehensive workload analysis is essential before embarking on an HCI implementation journey. Start by thoroughly assessing the organization's workloads, delving into factors like application performance requirements, data access patterns, and peak usage times. Prioritize workloads based on their criticality to business operations, ensuring that those directly impacting revenue or customer experiences are addressed first.
4.2 Software-Defined Storage
Software-defined storage (SDS) offers flexibility and abstraction of storage resources from hardware. SDS solutions are often vendor-agnostic, enabling organizations to choose storage hardware that aligns best with their needs. Scalability is a hallmark of SDS, as it can easily adapt to accommodate growing data volumes and evolving performance requirements. Adopt SDS for a wide range of data services, including snapshots, deduplication, compression, and automated tiering, all of which enhance storage efficiency.
4.3 Advanced Networking
Leverage Software-Defined Networking technologies within the HCI environment to enhance agility, optimize network resource utilization, and support dynamic workload migrations. Implementing network segmentation allows organizations to isolate different workload types or security zones within the HCI infrastructure, bolstering security and compliance. Quality of Service (QoS) controls come into play to prioritize network traffic based on specific application requirements, ensuring optimal performance for critical workloads.
4.4 Data Tiering and Caching
Intelligent data tiering and caching strategies play a pivotal role in optimizing storage within the HCI environment. These strategies automate the movement of data between different storage tiers based on usage patterns, ensuring that frequently accessed data resides on high-performance storage while less-accessed data is placed on lower-cost storage. Caching techniques, such as read and write caching, accelerate data access by storing frequently accessed data on high-speed storage media. Consider hybrid storage configurations, combining solid-state drives (SSDs) for caching and traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) for cost-effective capacity storage.
4.5 Continuous Monitoring and Optimization
Implement real-time monitoring tools to provide visibility into the HCI environment's performance, health, and resource utilization, allowing IT teams to address potential issues proactively. Predictive analytics come into play to forecast future resource requirements and identify potential bottlenecks before they impact performance. Resource balancing mechanisms automatically allocate compute, storage, and network resources to workloads based on demand, ensuring efficient resource utilization. Continuous capacity monitoring and planning help organizations avoid resource shortages in anticipation of future growth.
5. Future Trends in HCI Storage and Data Management
Modernized storage solutions using HCI have transformed data management practices, revolutionizing how organizations store, protect, and utilize their data. HCI offers a centralized and software-defined approach to storage, simplifying management, improving scalability, and enhancing operational efficiency. The abstraction of storage from physical hardware grants organizations greater agility and flexibility in their storage infrastructure, adapting to evolving business needs. With HCI, organizations implement consistent security policies across their storage resources, reducing the risk of data breaches and ensuring data integrity. This flexibility empowers organizations to optimize resource utilization scale as needed. This drives informed decision-making, improves operational efficiency, and fosters data-driven strategies for organizational growth.
The future of Hyper-Converged Infrastructure storage and data management promises exciting advancements that will revolutionize the digital landscape. As edge computing gains momentum, HCI solutions will adapt to support edge deployments, enabling organizations to process and analyze data closer to the source. Composable infrastructure will enable organizations to build flexible and adaptive IT infrastructures, dynamically allocating compute, storage, and networking resources as needed. Data governance and compliance will be paramount, with HCI platforms providing robust data classification, encryption, and auditability features to ensure regulatory compliance. Optimized hybrid and multi-cloud integration will enable seamless data mobility, empowering organizations to leverage the benefits of different cloud environments. By embracing these, organizations can unlock the full potential of HCI storage and data management, driving innovation and achieving sustainable growth in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Read More