GPMS Newsletter

Integrating Web3 technologies with DevOps

Although the various technologies that make up what’s been dubbed “Web3” are unlikely to replace the massive infrastructure and software investments we’ve made during the past three decades, there’s still something interesting here. The first question we need to ask is, what problems can they solve?

Web3 proponents suggest that at heart, it’s a massive set of consumer technologies that can replace the web’s transactional foundations. I think of it as a more limited tool, one that’s able to build on blockchain technologies to support a subset of enterprise applications with a focus on electronic data interchange (EDI). That’s because once you strip back the blockchain to its essence, it’s an immutable data structure that can be shared between untrusted partners in a trusted manner. That makes it useful in supply chains where electronic documents have a contractual and legal basis that’s enshrined in international treaties and where one end of the supply chain has only an indirect relationship with the other.

Microsoft’s work on proof-of-membership consensus blockchains, run by consortia of untrusted organizations is an interesting option here, offering a fast and low-impact alternative to proof-of-work and proof-of-stake systems. At the same time, recent releases of SQL Server now provide an immutable ledger for applications that don’t need to be distributed between different entities.

You can think of these blockchain-based services as something like the electronic equivalent of the bills of lading used to describe a ship’s cargo, something that travels through several different business systems without alteration and where you may not know all the different entities that interact with documents and contracts. Those entities could be any of the original manufacturers, shippers, warehouses, cargo ships, customs agents, customs offices, and many more. All need access to the documents, and many need to add their own signatures as part of a complex multiparty approval process.

Why developers hold the key to cloud security

In the days of the on-premises data center and early cloud adoption, the roles of application developers, infrastructure operations, and security were largely siloed. In the cloud, this division of labor increases the time-to-market for innovation, reduces productivity, and invites unnecessary risk.

In a data center environment, developers build software applications, IT teams build the infrastructure needed to run those applications, and security teams are responsible for ensuring that applications and infrastructure are secure. Developers must build software within the constraints of the underlying infrastructure and operating systems, and security processes dictate how fast everyone can go. When security discovers a vulnerability in production, the remediation process typically involves all stakeholders—and considerable rework.

By freeing teams of the physical constraints of the data center, the cloud is bringing the biggest shift in the IT industry in decades. But it’s taken years for organizations to start unlocking the true potential of the cloud as a platform for building and running applications, as opposed to using it as a platform for hosting third-party applications or those migrated from the data center. When the cloud is used simply as a “remote data center,” the classic division of labor is carried over, and much of the potential of the cloud goes unrealized.

We could build these into an enterprise blockchain, but we need to start thinking about how we use them within a modern development environment.

But the shift to using the cloud as a platform for building and running applications is disrupting security in profound ways. From the perspective of the cloud customer, platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are 100% software, and developers are now programming the creation and management of their cloud infrastructure as an integral part of their applications. That means developers are designing their cloud architecture and setting security-critical configurations—and then changing them constantly.

This shift represents a massive opportunity for organizations operating in highly competitive industries, because application and cloud teams can innovate much faster than they could in a data center. But it presents a serious challenge for those teams that need to ensure the security of increasingly complex and highly dynamic cloud environments.

Providing more Cybersecurity Solutions and Resources for our Clients?

GPMS provides cybersecurity services and tools for organizations that need help with their security and compliance needs. GPMS is proud to provide the latest cybersecurity services and tools for our clients.?Our program is a cybersecurity service and toolset that provides everything from security scanning, patch management, and threat detection to incident response and remediation. We are dedicated to helping you protect your data against all kinds of threats, whether they're inside or outside your network.?GPMS has been providing the most up-to-date security tools and resources, to help protect our clients’ servers and network from cyberattacks, phishing and malware. ?

Our mission is to help companies get up and running quickly by providing them with a suite of solutions and certified resources that help them avoid downtime as well as reduce costs by automating processes and streamlining workflow.?The cybersecurity services and tools provided by GPMS are always changing, but one thing is certain: they're getting better. We're proud to be a part of the team that makes it happen—and we can't wait to see what's next!

Integrating DevSecOps has always been part of the solution!

So how did we get into cybersecurity? It's simple: every time we deploy DevOps solutions, we adhere to the security practices and infrastructure rules of our clients. But that's usually where it stops. The minute we request a specific type of network or configuration, we hear “we don't have this type of knowledge in house, you will have to be able to provide this for your own project”.?Since our solutions include dockers and Kubernetes, utilizing Load Balancing, Oversight, Overlay, etc... is always our responsibility. From those points, we then usually get a request if we can help the core operation team with networking and engineering activities because they have a supply issue on the SDN side.?This made us have a core focus for DevSecOps which led to a focus on Cybersecurity as practice.

Helping organizations manage their software development lifecycle (SDLC) in a unified manner across multiple platforms, applications, teams, and departments is a challenge for any organization. The goal of continuous automation and continuous integration to improve the quality of products by bringing together all aspects of the SDLC into one single platform where all stakeholders interact with each other on an equal footing is a lot easier said then done. But when implemented correctly, DevOps can have a dramatic effect on your organization's productivity and efficiency—which is why it's so important for every organization to implement this methodology as soon as possible!

2023 looks promising but looks can be deceiving!

GPMS has also set goals for the year 2023 that will help us achieve even more success than 2022. We want to make sure we're doing everything possible to stay ahead of any potential challenges we may face by working together with our customers on the issues that we can solve leveraging technologies that help advance the organization.

Finally, we wanted to let you know about some of our goals for the year 2023: We will continue to focus on providing high-quality cybersecurity services as well as helping organizations adopt DevOps practices. We hope these goals will give you some insight into what we're thinking about next year!?We've been thinking about what it means to be a forward-thinking organization—one that has a vision for the future and is committed to making it happen. One way that GPMS is putting this vision into action is by setting goals for the year 2023—and one of them is called "Global DevSecOps." The goal is simple: to transform all industries into digital enterprises by providing advanced security, automation and deployments."?It's something we are very excited about!?

Finally, we would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday and send a blessing to you and your family for a wonderful and fulfilling new year!