"Single Version of TRUTH" - Blockchain?

The year 2017 is marked as the year of most talked technology called Blockchain. It is called by world wide companies like IBM as "Tomorrow's Value Chain". Companies are talking about "how blockchain technology will impact value chain for retailers and consumer goods manufacturers". They say Blockchain "drives visibility, trust and efficiency". They say Blockchain technology "as a shared ledger allows the retailer, supplier and transport companies to work off the same data - a single version of truth as each partner updates the block, the trusted, real time data can be used to optimise forecasting and transportation planning". They say "by creating a chain of data that can not be altered, blockchain is well suited for tracking high-value luxury goods and other items where buyers want full insight into the origins and ownership trail of the goods". They say "by 2018, we expect substantial momentum in blockchain implementations for consumer products and retail companies globally. By 2020, we expect that nearly two-thirds of the retail and consumer goods industries will have blockchains in full production". IBM Whitepaper The article in Forbes gives a bit of insight as to what Blockchain is: "Everyone’s talking about blockchain, but you’re still not entirely sure what it is, don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s something that Jack Dorsey, the CEO and chairman of Square and CEO of Twitter,  described this week  as the 'next big unlock,' and something that, according to Dorsey, is normally applied to accounting terms but has the potential to 'be applied to so much more.' ” Recommended reading on Blockchain

Companies should get ready for GDPR!

"With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becoming effective May 25, 2018, organizations (or rather, organisations) seem to be stressing a bit. Most we speak with are asking, 'where do we even start?' or 'what is included as personal data under the GDPR?' It is safe to say that these are exactly the questions organizations should be asking, but to know where to start, organizations first need to understand how the GDPR applies to their organization within this new definition for personal data. Without first understanding what to look for, an organization cannot begin to perform data discovery and data mapping exercises, review data management practices and prepare the organization for compliance with the GDPR... "With the GDPR’s becoming effective next year, it’s clear that this new definition of personal data expands on the preexisting EU definition of personal data contained in the Data Protection Directive. Additionally, it adds more specificity to the data that can be used to identify an individual in comparison with leading US personal data definitions. "Why is this so important and relevant to organizations? This new definition of personal data is the most comprehensive definition to date, bringing into scope more information to be considered than any previous definitions in industry regulations or standards. Now, organizations will need to take another look at their previous determination of personal data and reevaluate their data management practices to ensure that the information they hold has been labeled and handled correctly. In fact, information deemed not applicable to past privacy regulations and standards may now become relevant when taking the new definition of personal data into consideration..." Read more on >> The GDPR and Personal Data

Serverless Computing "as a Service" offering

Serverless Computing | @CloudExpo #DevOps #Kubernetes #AI #Serverless — We'd all like to fulfill that "find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life" cliché. But in reality, every job (even if it's our dream job) comes with its downsides. For you, the constant fight against shadow IT might get on your last nerves. For your developer coworkers, infrastructure management is the roadblock that stands in the way of focusing on coding. As you watch more and more applications and processes move to the cloud, technology is coming to developers' rescue-most recently, in the form of serverless computing. What Is Serverless Computing? We recently talked about how containers are making life easier for application developers. However, serverless computing (also known as Function as a Service) is poised to take development simplification to another level... If developers can eliminate the need for hardware maintenance through serverless computing and business leaders can enjoy widespread cost savings at the same time, where does your IT department fit into the picture?

Centrify Wins 2016 Cloud Computing Security Excellence Award

November 07, 2016 Santa Clara, CA — Centrify, the leader in securing enterprise identities against cyberthreats, announced today that TMC, a global, integrated media company, has named Centrify Identity Service (CIS) as a 2016 Cloud Computing Security Excellence Award winner in the category of Cloud Security. The Cloud Computing Security Excellence Award, presented by Cloud Computing magazine, recognizes companies  that have most effectively leveraged cloud computing in their efforts to bring new, differentiated offerings to market. “We are honored to receive this recognition,” said Bill Mann, chief product officer of Centrify. “CIS secures and manages access to cloud apps, on-premises apps and mobile devices via single sign-on, user provisioning and multi-factor authentication. It protects against the leading point of attack used in data breaches ― compromised credentials – which is critical as companies continue to adopt cloud and mobile technology, and embrace BYOD initiatives.” CIS brings security and peace of mind that is indispensable for IT managers. With CIS, IT provisions new accounts across applications, provides single sign-on to them, securing and managing devices used to access those apps. CIS combines user identity with device context to provide security that scales as needed: allowing/blocking access or challenging for multi-factor authentication based on a comprehensive and flexible set of parameters. “Recognizing leaders in the advancement of cloud computing, TMC and Cloud Computing magazine are proud to announce Centrify Identity Service as a recipient of the Cloud Computing Security Excellence Award,” said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. “Centrify is being honored for their achievement in bringing innovation and excellence to the market, while leveraging the latest technology trends.” About Centrify - Centrify is the leader in securing enterprise identities against cyberthreats that target today’s hybrid IT environment of cloud, mobile and on-premises. The Centrify Identity Platform protects against the leading point of attack used in data breaches ― compromised credentials — by securing an enterprise’s internal and external users as well as its privileged accounts. Centrify delivers stronger security, continuous compliance and enhanced user productivity through single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, mobile and Mac management, privileged access security and session monitoring. Centrify is trusted by over 5000 customers, including more than half of the Fortune 50.   Source >>