Volume LV, Issue 1

Posted on by dciadminwp

In This Issue

Sky’s the Limit with Verizon’s Collaboration Portfolio

Excerpted from Press Announcement

With Verizon’s new global Collaboration portfolio capabilities, enterprises can take workforce productivity to the next level by providing a seamless and instant collaboration experience for clients, partners, suppliers, and employees.

This introduction of additional rich conferencing and mobile collaboration tools leverages Cisco’s WebEx Cloud Connected Audio, Collaboration Meeting Room and Verizon’s UCCaaS Mobile First service.

Each of Verizon’s new leading capabilities brings simplicity and convenience to enterprise users, essentially providing an office- in-the-cloud solution that can be customized to meet the work and lifestyle habits of the user.

All solutions are immediately available.

“The rise of the mobile enterprise and necessity for voice, video, and collaboration anywhere, at any time, requires solutions which can provide a seamless high-quality experience that doesn’t distinguish between working in an office, from home or on the road,” said Tony Recine, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Verizon Enterprise Solutions.

“With Verizon’s cloud-based Collaboration Suite, Verizon is putting all the right tools in place to provide a simple, secure and reliable experience for corporate workers when meeting and collaborating with colleagues, partners and customers… Read More

Telefonica Tests ZTE vIMS & vSBC Performance in NFV Lab

Excerpted from TeleAnalysis Report

Telefonica has jointly tested ZTE vIMS & vSBC VNFs, part of ZTE’s Cloud UniCore portfolio, in Telefonica’s NFV Reference Lab in Madrid, Spain.

OpenMANO stack, the ground-breaking module for the easy creation and deployment of complex network scenarios of Telefonica’s NFV Reference Lab, was used to test ZTE’s solutions.

The objective of the tests was to benchmark the deployment and performance of network functions virtualization (NFV) solutions.

The resulting data has provided clear evidence of the performance range service providers can expect from virtualized, software-based networking infrastructure.

The establishment of NFV benchmarks is part of a joint effort by both companies within the Telefonica NFV Reference Lab framework. ZTE’s virtualized evolved packet core (vEPC) was previously tested in Telefonica’s Reference Lab as part of this effort.

The vIMS & vSBC Cloud UniCore solutions were deployed on a set of virtual machines (VM)… Read More

NetApp Set to Grow with New CEO, Flash, Cloud Offerings

Excerpted from CRN Report by Michael Novlinson

New NetApp CEO George Kurian is squeezing out efficiencies in declining legacy product lines so the vendor can double down on the surging cloud and flash storage markets.

“George is laser-focused on execution and accountability,” Val Bercovici, Senior Director of NetApp’s office of the CTO, said Tuesday at the Raymond James Technology Investors Conference.

“Having a fresh perspective at the top is clearly what the board wanted to see when they appointed George as CEO in June.”

“We’re clearly taking share again in the flash marketplace, and very much addressing realities in the industry right now,” Bercovici said.

But Bercovici views the shift to flash as mere table stakes when compared with the transformational opportunities around cloud and hyper-converged infrastructure.

“The cloud marketplace in general is a much more profound transition in the industry.”

Cloud finally took off in 2014, according to Bercovici, and accelerated further in 2015 with consolidated billing… Read More

Report from DCIA CEO Marty Lafferty

Click Here for Video.

Following this year’s highly successful co-sponsored events, The DCIA is pleased to expand our partnership with BroadGroup for 2016.

BroadGroup is an international consulting firm that tracks cloud computing, data center, and information technology (IT) markets and investments.

Based in London, England, the company provides business intelligence, publishes research, and produces global events that inspire information communities.

The community of interest being fostered by BroadGroup and the DCIA is diverse but united — in its focus on innovation in cloud computing and data center operations.

Our 2016 events will reflect that perspective.

Outstanding business and networking opportunities, coupled with powerful new ideas, will make them inspiring occasions where deals are done in the cloud economy.

DataCloud Europe will take place on June 8th and 9th at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo.

This is the successor event to DataCenters Europe and the Enterprise Cloud Forum.

DataCenters Europe was first held in London in 2005, and rapidly became recognized as the premier European networking conference.

The combined event now makes its home in Monaco, the new Mediterranean locale for anyone engaged in cloud services, data centers, or IT.

The 2016 conference will focus on cloud computing advances and changes in data management, with a stellar line-up of speakers including global infrastructure leaders and subject matter experts.

DataCloud Europe 2016 will attract more CEOs and dealmakers engaged in IT transactions than any other event in Europe.

The audience profile includes senior management of data centers, cloud services and hosting providers; system integrators; managed services companies; cloud brokers; broadband network operators; and critical infrastructure equipment vendors.

As an added attraction, on June 8th, the eve of the conference, the DataCloud 2016 Awards Ceremony & Gala will take place.

This is truly an industry event that is not to be missed.

Please contact me for speaking, exhibiting, and sponsoring opportunities; or if you’d like to attend on a complimentary basis as a guest of the DCIA. Share wisely, and take care.

House Panel Approves Data Security Act

Excerpted from BankInfoSecurity Report by Eric Chabrow

The US House of Representative Financial Services Committee, by a 46-9 vote, approved on December 9th the Data Security Act of 2015, which would establish minimum security protections at businesses as well as create a national requirement for data breach notification.

HR 2205 would supplant 47 state laws with a single, national breach notification statute.

Businesses generally support a single law because they contend it’s burdensome to comply with various state laws.

During the panel’s December 8th debate on the legislation, Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), pointed out that the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved in April a similar bill, the Data Security and Breach Notification Act, so both panels would need to negotiate a final measure to present to the full House.

“This is really the beginning of the process,” Hensarling said.

The legislation would establish a security regime its sponsors contend would secure sensitive financial account information and nonpublic personally identifiable information (PII).

The measure specifically identifies security controls organizations should adopt, including those involving access controls and restrictions… Read More

Obama Wants Help from Tech Firms to Fight Terrorism

Excerpted from CIO Report by John Ribeiro

US President Barack Obama is seeking the help of tech companies to combat terror threats, which he described as entering a new phase.

Obama’s remarks could put into sharp focus again the demand by law enforcement agencies for tech companies to provide ways for the government to be able to access encrypted communications.

In an Address from the Oval Office late Sunday, Obama said he “would urge hi-tech and law enforcement leaders to make it harder for terrorists to use technology to escape from justice.”

The address comes after two attackers, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and injured another 21 in a gun attack in a social service center in San Bernardino, CA.

The government has come around to the view that it was a fundamentalist attack after Malik reportedly put up a post on Facebook claiming allegiance to the Islamic State.

As the Internet erases the distance between countries, “We see growing efforts by terrorists to poison the minds of people,” Obama said. The President did not, however, provide details of how the administration planned to work with the tech industry… Read More

DDoS Attacks Increase, Endanger Small Organizations

Excerpted from CSO Report by Lucian Constantin

While the power of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks has decreased in recent months, their number has spiked, a trend that could signal trouble for smaller companies and websites.

DDoS attacks recorded in the third quarter of this year have grown by 180 percent compared to Q3 2014, exceeding 1,500, Akamai said in the latest edition of its State of the Internet report published Tuesday.

Despite their large number, the attacks were shorter in duration, had lower bandwidth and smaller volumes compared to both the same period last year and the previous quarter.

Smaller companies’ websites are increasingly at risk due to the rising popularity of DDoS-for-hire services and are also a prime target for attackers that use DDoS as an extortion tool.

At least two separate gangs of attackers, known as DD4BC and Armada Collective, are specializing in this type of extortion and have been very active in recent months, according to both Akamai and Web security firm Sucuri which observed such attacks against its customers.

Bandwidth is calculated in megabits or gigabits per second (Mbps or Gbps), while volume is calculated in packets per second (pps)… Read More

Industry Wary of Power Grab by Feds on Cybersecurity

Excerpted from Federal Examiner Report by Charlie Mitchell

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is launching a new initiative designed to energize industry-led efforts on cybersecurity amid concerns that federal and state regulators are increasingly eager to put their stamp on the issue.

NIST, the highly esteemed agency headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD., is releasing a request for information (RFI) about next steps for its framework of cybersecurity standards.

It would be a voluntary, industry-driven tool that has been at the heart of the Obama administration’s cyber-strategy since Congress failed to advance a more regulatory approach in 2012.

The agency wants industry to provide use cases that can offer a road map for other companies to employ the framework, as well as insight on what is and isn’t working as businesses try adapting the framework to real-world conditions.

NIST wants to know where to go next and how to ensure the framework is a vital, living document that can help entities of all sizes improve their cyber-posture.

That goal is broadly supported in the private sector. The problem is administration failure to create a support system… Read More

Why Cloud Security Gets Top Priority by IT Experts

Excerpted from Mobile Computing Today Report by Lazlo Creates

There is little uncertainty among IT experts that distributed computing will be the principle driver of future development and advancement in IT.

A percentage of the biggest organizations on the planet, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft, Google, and IBM, are all putting billions of dollars in distributed computing.

Besides, a late study demonstrated that eight in 10 IT experts hope to contribute in any event some of their organization’s trade out the cloud in 2016.

On the other hand, another study from Netwrix, an organization that studies IT experts to track innovation patterns, demonstrates that there is still some stress over what the future will resemble.

Specifically, IT experts and chiefs stay agonized over security, notwithstanding the endeavors of administration suppliers to demonstrate that distributed computing can be no less secure that on-premises figuring assets.

With regards to cloud selection, IT experts take after a commonplace script.

As indicated by the information gathered from Netwrix, 66 percent of respondents say they’ll just move to the cloud… Read More

Hillary Clinton Urges Silicon Valley to Disrupt ISIS

Excerpted from NY Times Report by David Sanger

Hillary Clinton said on Sunday that the Islamic State had become “the most effective recruiter in the world” and that the only solution was to engage American technology companies in blocking or taking down militant websites, videos and encrypted communications.

“You are going to hear all the familiar complaints: ‘freedom of speech,’ ” Mrs. Clinton said in an hour-long speech and question-and-answer session at the Saban Forum, an annual gathering at the Brookings Institution that focuses mostly on Israel’s security issues.

In a reference to Silicon Valley’s reverence for disruptive technologies, Mrs. Clinton said, “We need to put the great disrupters at work at disrupting ISIS,” an acronym used for the militant group.

It was the second time in two weeks that Mrs. Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, had thrown herself into the brewing battle between Silicon Valley and the government over what steps should be taken to block the use of Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and a range of encrypted apps that are adopted by terrorist groups.

Mrs. Clinton’s comments echo recent White House calls for what would amount to a cease-fire with technology firms… Read More

Terrorists Mock Bids to End Use of Social Media

Excerpted from NY Times Report by Nicole Perlroth and Mike Isaac

In the hours after 14 people were killed in San Bernardino, CA., a familiar voice celebrated the attacks on Twitter: “California, we have already arrived with our soldiers. Decide how to be your end, with knife or bomb.”

That comment was posted from the 335th Twitter account of a pro-Islamic State group that calls itself Asawitiri Media.

Twitter has repeatedly tried to cut off the authors of the account, most recently known to its thousands of followers as @TurMedia335, @TurMedia334 and @TurMedia333.

Politicians and even some technologists say that account, and hundreds just like it, show how Silicon Valley’s efforts to crack down on the use by terrorists of social media have been toothless.

As soon as Twitter suspends one account, a new one is created. After the group’s 99th account was suspended, it taunted Twitter by creating @IslamicState100, posting images of birthday candles, cake, trophies and fireworks.

And Washington is using the latest terrorist attacks to renew its calls for Silicon Valley to roll back the encryption in their products.

On Sunday, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, called on tech companies to become more aggressive… Read More

North American Cyber-Criminal Underground

Excerpted from Trend Micro Report

Compared to other underground communities in other regions, the cyber-criminal underground in North America isn’t as hidden or exclusive.

Cyber-criminal operations are treated like regular businesses, and its sites, forums, and marketplaces are easily accessed.

In effect, the North American underground is more like a glass tank where business goes on in full view of both cyber-criminals and law enforcement.

This makes it unique compared to the dark mazes and solid walls put up to hide cyber-criminal communities in other regions.

The North American underground has been in business for years now, and like other underground scenes, its marketplaces are known for banking on the sale of drugs and other illicit products and services, as well as crime-ware and stolen data.

The markets here are very competitive, with vendors that sell very similar products — a practice that has driven down market prices over time.

Unlike other underground scenes, a lot of North American cyber-crime operations don’t shy away from peddling their goods in the open… Read More

Why There’s No Simple Fix to Container Security

Excerpted from CIO Insight Report by Erik Blas

There’s been much ado about the uncertainty around securing containers, even as excitement around containerization platforms grows.

As organizations begin to adopt containers more broadly, to include hosting applications that are business-critical, understanding the limitations of containers and security workarounds is a must.

A useful way to look at security risks with containers is to compare them to a traditional virtualization platform such as VMware.

In VMware, each virtualized computing environment is completely isolated from any other virtual server, making it as secure as the physical machine.

If a specific VM instance is attacked, you can wall it off and prevent widespread damage to other VMs on that same server.

Containers utilize a slightly different approach to virtualization, providing additional performance and scale by sharing the Linux kernel across multiple container nodes.

This form of virtualization can present security risks due to the shared kernel… Read More

Deutsche Telekom to Offer Secure Cloud out of US Reach

Excerpted from Financial Times Report by Guy Chazan

Deutsche Telekom is taking on Amazon, Google, and the other US leaders in cloud computing, armed with a unique advantage — Germany’s tough data security laws.

T-Systems, a subsidiary of Germany’s largest telecoms group, has launched a new “public cloud” run out of its data centers in Germany that will offer companies computing, storage, and networking services.

Built on the Cisco cloud platform, it will, T-Systems says, lay the foundation for a “secure European Internet of Things (IoT)”.

“Data on our system is 100 per cent out of the reach of the US authorities,” said Reinhard Clemens, who heads T-Systems.

The move comes less than a month after Microsoft announced it would shield customer information from US authorities by housing it on facilities operated by T-Systems.

Deutsche Telekom’s cloud project is a bold foray into a market that was created — and continues to be dominated — by the giants of Silicon Valley.

But its offering could prove popular in Europe, where companies are increasingly calling for their data to be kept at home… Read More

Judge Signals Comfort With FCC’s Net Neutrality Defense

Excerpted from NY Times Report by Cecilia Kang

Reading the tea leaves from a court hearing is a dangerous endeavor.

But standing out from a hearing on Friday over net neutrality regulations were comments from an influential judge who seemed to indicate more comfort with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s legal defense of the rules.

The comments came from Judge David S. Tatel of the United States Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia Circuit during a hearing where the FCC was defending its net neutrality rules against opponents who want to overturn the broadband regulations that are aimed at preventing favoritism on the Internet.

Judge Tatel is part of a three-judge panel that will decide whether the rules are upheld or struck down.

The FCC is defending the rules against a lawsuit filed by telecom, cable and wireless trade groups.

The FCC’s classification of broadband as a “common carrier” service like phones is at the heart of the suit.

Telecom and cable firms argue that broadband services are not the same as telephone services and should not be strapped with the same utility-style framework of heavy regulations… Read More

FCC’s Wheeler Connects with Facebook’s Zuckerberg

Excerpted from Broadcasting & Cable Report by John Eggerton

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has “connected” with Facebook Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder Mark Zuckerberg about the issue of social media and violence, according to an FCC source speaking on background.

The source did not characterize the conversation, but said the bottom line for the chairman remains that the FCC does not regulate edge providers — like Facebook.

A group of legislators sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler last week seeking more information following his testimony at a House oversight hearing.

At that hearing, several legislators wondered, in the wake of the Paris attacks, if the FCC could do something to shut down websites that endorsed violence.

Wheeler said at the time that the government might be able to get at the issue via its definition of a “lawful intercept,” but that was something Congress would have to define and update.

Wheeler pointed to reports the Paris attackers were using PlayStation 4 to communicate. He also said network security was an issue. Wheeler promised to work with the committee if it needed to update its laws… Read More

Coming Events of Interest

CES — January 6th-9th in Las Vegas, NV. The world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. CES has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for more than 40 years.

ADRM Working Group Meeting — January 28th via Global Videoconference. Contact the DCIA for information about joining the group and attending the meeting that will focus on interoperability among DRM platforms and simplifying DRM implementation.

Industry of Things World USA — February 25th-26th in San Diego, CA. A new international information exchange forum featuring four concurrent tracks covering business model generation, technology and infrastructure, data management, and security.

Delivery of Things World — April 25th-26th in Berlin, Germany. DevOps specialists, continuous development strategists, architect newbies, development geeks, and cloud geniuses from across the spectrum of DevOps transformation come together at this stimulating and innovative event.

DataCloud Europe 2016 — June 8th-9th in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The 2016 conference will focus on cloud computing advances and changes in data management, with a stellar line-up of speakers including global infrastructure leaders and subject matter experts.

Cloud and DevOps World Forum 2016 — June 21st-22nd in London, England. Now in its eighth year, C&DWF is firmly established as the leading content-led exhibition for the European Cloud and DevOps community and the premiere meeting place for CIOs.

Security of Things World — June 27th-28th in Berlin, Germany. Topics include securing cyber physical systems for IoT, expanding IT security with intelligence-led ops, business continuity management considerations, data privacy in an interconnected world, and security strategies.

Industry of Things World Europe — September 19th-20th in Berlin, Germany. IoT business models, new IoT markets and strategies, product lifecycle management, next generation data handling and value assessment, IoT organizational impacts, and IoT security issues.

Posted in Newsletters