June 10, 2023

Vetting an Open Source Database? 5 Green Flags to Look for

There’s an important difference between offerings that are legitimate open source versus open source-compatible. “Captive” open source solutions pose as the original open source solution from which they originated, but in reality, they are merely branches of the original code. This can result in compromised functionality or the inability to access features introduced in newer versions of the true open source solution, as the branching occurred prior to the introduction of those features. “Fake” open source can feature restrictive licensing, a lack of source code availability and a non-transparent development process. Despite this, these solutions are sometimes still marketed as open source because, technically, the code is open to inspection and contributions are possible. But when it comes down to it, the license is held by a single company, so the degree of freedom is minute compared to that of actual open source. The key is to minimize the gap between the core database and its open source origins.

Zero trust and cloud capabilities essential for data management in enterprises

The challenge, however, lies in implementing a complete solution guided by the seven pillars of Zero Trust. No company can do this alone. To help private and public sector organizations simplify adoption, Dell is building a Zero Trust ecosystem. It brings together more than thirty leading technology and security companies to create a unified solution across infrastructure platforms, applications, clouds, and services. PowerStore has always had a strong “security DNA,” safeguarding data with advanced capabilities like hardware root of trust, data-at-rest encryption and AIOps security analytics. As with everything about the platform, the focus is simplicity and automation – delivering “always on” protection without increasing management complexity or relying on human vigilance to be effective. In 2023, the newest PowerStoreOS release adds even more cybersecurity features to meet the stringent requirements, while also enabling an authentic Zero Trust experience for business solutions.

Expecting Too Much From CISOs Can Drive Them Out The Door

“The CISO is there to raise the risk, to shine light on it, to offer solutions, to differentiate and prioritize what needs to be fixed,” he explained. “You can’t ask the CISO to do everything and everything; you need to give them the support — and give them a team that can really make sure the cybersecurity and risk management program is well-functioning.” Expecting too much from CISOs — as so many company boards still do — continues to drive attrition from the security function at a brisk pace, with burnout and the desire for greener pastures pushing 24 percent of Fortune 500 CISOs to switch roles within a year of starting. ... The increasing complexity of the modern cybersecurity defense has dovetailed with the rapid expansion of managed service providers like eSentire, whose ability to offer the full breadth of security capabilities — and to do so confidently enough to offer guarantees like four-hour response times for remote threat suppression — puts them well ahead of anything the average corporate information security department can provide.

SRE Brings Modern Enterprise Architectures into Focus

If the business commitment is that users will reliably have enough light to see what they are doing (service level), an SLO could be that one brightly lit lamp (availability) is maintained for every 10 square feet of space. ... In application delivery systems these could look like CPU utilization, API call and database query time, etc. It’s up to the site reliability engineers to define the SLI measures that impact the business SLOs and what responses will be taken when they fall below specific thresholds by adjusting operating policies and configuration. ... The measures, thresholds, and responses are the intersection of SRE with the other domains of a modern enterprise architecture designed for the application delivery of a digital business. Operational data—telemetry—feeds the observability of the defined measures and thresholds set by SRE. Automation is the combined application of tools, technologies, and practices to enable site reliability engineers to scale defined responses with less toil, thus enabling the efficient satisfaction of the SLOs of a digital service.?

What LOB leaders really think about IT: IDC study

For many IT leaders, turning that tide may require a new approach. CIOs can demonstrate their value to the business and earn that seat at the table by tying what they do to business goals, Thomson suggested. “One of the biggest challenges that IT people have is being able to communicate their business value in a language that the business understands,” she said. “Talking in business outcomes is the currency that enables IT to gain trust and show the value that they’re delivering.” In addition to mastering business concepts and taking steps to prove the value of IT, CIOs who are succeeding at this are putting in place seamless teams where there’s no wall between IT and the business, she said. “It’s just seen as one cross-functional team where everybody understands the common goal that is driving all the business decisions.” Such strategic maneuvers are essential to becoming a digital business, one where value creation is based on and dependent on the use of digital technologies, from how processes are run to the products, services, and experiences it provides, Thomson said.

Microsoft commits to supporting customers on their responsible AI journeys

The commitments include sharing Microsoft's expertise while teaching others to develop AI safely, establishing a program to ensure AI applications are created to follow legal regulations, and pledging to support the company's customers in implementing Microsoft's AI systems responsibly within its partner ecosystem. "Ultimately, we know that these commitments are only the start, and we will have to build on them as both the technology and regulatory conditions evolve," Cook wrote in the statement shared by Microsoft. Though the company only recently developed its Bing Chat generative AI tool, Microsoft will start by sharing key documents and methods that detail the company's expertise and knowledge gained since beginning its journey into AI years ago. The company will also share training curriculums and invest in resources to teach others how to create a culture of responsible AI use within organizations working with the technology. Microsoft will establish an "AI Assurance Program" to leverage its own experiences and apply the financial services concept called "Know your customer" to AI development.

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