10 on Tech

You don't need to be told by now about the dangers of ransomware. But despite the huge interest in the topic, it can be surprising to find out how little companies know about protecting themselves from ransomware. Jon Toor, CMO of Cloudian, says that among the many things you can do, there's one thing more important than the rest: making sure your data is immutable. Immutable data is data that can't be changed, so if ransomware strikes, you simply restore from your immutable backup, and you're back in business. Toor discusses data immutability and other ransomware topics in this episode of “10 on Tech” with ActualTech Media Partner James Green. Having the proper understanding of the threat is your first best weapon against the bad guys, so listen in and learn. Highlights of the show include: The three key attack vectors for ransomware What companies are missing when calculating potential damage from a ransomware attack The true costs of a ransomware breach—it's not just the ransom “After-the-attack” costs The single most important thing to protect Resource links from the show: Cloudian's ransomware solution -- https://cloudian.com/ransom HyperStore® S3-compatible object storage -- https://cloudian.com/products/hyperstore/ Free trial of Cloudian -- https://cloudian.com/free-trial/ The most comprehensive ransomware education site on the Internet – https://ransomware.org We hope you enjoy this episode; and don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

PDI Software CTO Chris Berry says that it's a matter of “when,” not “if,” your organization will be hit by a ransomware attack. And she's right. On this episode of “10 on Tech,” Berry and ActualTech Media Partner James Green dive into the hottest topic in IT: the growing scourge of ransomware, which is affecting every corner of the industry. It's a plague that will only expand, since it has now become big business, operating in fact like any other business with a profit motive. PDI focuses on markets with a highly distributed IT infrastructure, like convenience retail and wholesale petroleum. With so many edge locations and endpoints to secure, PDI has a vested interest in stopping ransomware, and understands better than most the vulnerabilities faced by these types of businesses. Learn how they're protecting their customers, and more, in this discussion. Highlights of the show include: Why PDI customers' biggest security concern is ransomware Why ransomware is a special problem for distributed environments The top three ways ransomware gets into your organization The reasons it can make sense to outsource your ransomware protection to a third party Resource links from the show: PDI Software homepage -- https://www.pdisoftware.com/ What really happens during a ransomware attack? -- https://www.pdisoftware.com/news/what-really-happens-during-a-ransomware-attack/ PDI Case Studies -- https://www.pdisoftware.com/case-studies/ PDI Blog -- https://www.pdisoftware.com/blog/ A new website for ransomware education – https://ransomware.org We hope you enjoy this episode; and don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Here's a fact you probably didn't know: it's not uncommon at all for a ransomware payment to be only a small portion of the overall financial impact of an attack. The bigger part, quite often, is the income lost by the business downtime. Mihir Shah, CEO/Co-Founder, StorCentric, believes that recovery should happen in a matter of hours, minimizing losses. He discussed the ransomware epidemic on this episode of “10 on Tech” with ActualTech Media Partner James Green. Do you have a comprehensive strategy for getting your company back on its feet after an attack? Are you sure? Do you think that ransomware insurance is enough to protect you? If so, this is a must-listen episode. Highlights of the show include: How to protect edge data The crucial ability to recover quickly from a ransomware attack The difficulty of protecting data that can be anywhere The cost difference between paying a ransom and business downtime Why one successful ransomware attack can quickly lead to others The drawbacks of ransomware insurance policies Resource links from the show: StorCentric homepage -- https://storcentric.com/ Blog: Advanced Ransomware Protection Against the Threat of Ransomware -- https://storcentric.com/advanced-ransomware-protection-against-the-threat-of-ransomware/ StorCentric case studies -- https://storcentric.com/resources/resource-center/case-studies/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

We are now in the era of cloud-native application development. And while this new paradigm has incredible benefits in terms of time to market, efficiency, and more, it ramps up the complexity factor significantly. With dozens, hundreds, or thousands of microservices comprising an application, observability is harder than ever, while at the same time being more crucial than ever. There are a lot of moving parts to track. That problem is the subject of this “10 on Tech” episode with Chronosphere. CEO/Co-Founder Martin Mao joins ActualTech Media Partner James Green for a fascinating discussion on this emerging topic. They chat about the challenges of observability in cloud-native environments, and why the “3 Pillars” of observability are starting points, not the end of the game of proper outcomes. Highlights of the show include: What Chronosphere learned about app observability from Uber Why it's imperative that developers monitor their own cloud-native apps Advantages of observability in cloud-native production environments How cloud-native infrastructure complexity hampers observability The “3 Pillars” of observability How Chronosphere addresses the “3 Phases” of observability Resource links from the show: Chronosphere homepage -- https://chronosphere.io/ Cloud-native monitoring -- https://chronosphere.io/product/#cloud-native-monitoring It's all about scale: Why a delivery app company needed true cloud-native monitoring -- https://chronosphere.io/learn/delivery-app-case-study/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Believe it or not, there was a time when virtualizing servers was hard. Not so much anymore. In a way, that's where we are with databases in the public cloud. It's hard, and it can be intimidating to make the switch. When we look back in a few years, though, we may wonder why it seemed so hard to move data from strictly on-premises to off-premises environments. That's the subject of this episode of “10 on Tech,” featuring a conversation with Chris Buckel, VP of Business Development for Silk. Silk calls itself the “database supercharger,” and helps migrate databases safely to the cloud. Chris chats with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about the current state of cloud-based data, and what the future holds. (Hint: it's not as scary as you think). Highlights of the show include: What “Cloud, Chapter 2” means Why “anchor workloads” could be holding your databases back The challenges of moving databases into the public cloud The top pain points organizations have when moving data to the cloud Primary drivers for choosing a public cloud provider How Silk helps companies move their databases to the cloud Resource links from the show: Silk Data homepage -- https://silk.us/ 3-month free trial of Silk -- https://silk.us/request-a-demo Silk data sheet -- https://silk.us/static/3e64f556fb3b07e82877a60bc4ce87bd/Silk-Data-Sheet-Sept4-1.pdf Silk Case Studies -- https://silk.us/success-stories We hope you enjoy this episode; and don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

“The computing edge” is a sexy buzzword right now. But is that really what you want as an IT admin? No—what you want, what you need, is infrastructure that just works, whether it's on-premises or at the edge. That means your edge infrastructure needs to be reliable, especially in areas where it can be notoriously unreliable, and it needs to be run with as little administrative overhead as possible. Even if that means almost no overhead at all. In other words, the edge needs to be so boring that you don't stay up nights worrying about whether it'll suddenly go down. Scale Computing understands that, and CEO/Co-Founder Jeff Ready discusses how to make edge computing boring with ActualTech Media Partner James Green on this episode of “10 on Tech.” They chat about how computing is changing, and what you can do to stay on top of those changes, keeping your company competitive in the new computing era. Highlights of the show include: Scale Computing history What exactly is “edge computing” anyway? The importance of “blue collar” IT Identifying the most unreliable part of the infrastructure Top considerations for doing edge computing right Why hyperconverged infrastructure and edge computing are a natural fit Security concerns for edge deployments Extreme edge use cases and how to minimize (or eliminate) downtime Scale's No. 1 lesson for doing edge computing right Resource links from the show: Scale computing homepage -- https://www.scalecomputing.com/ Get a free trial -- https://www.scalecomputing.com/landing-pages/hc3-edge-computing-trial Contact Scale for more information -- https://www.scalecomputing.com/contact Scale's Edge Computing solutions -- https://www.scalecomputing.com/hc3-edge We hope you enjoy this episode; and don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

If there's one word that describes the modern IT era, that word is “complexity.” Applications, data, and its associated infrastructure has broken through its on-premises boundaries and moved to the cloud and the edge. This has massive implications for things like software development and storage. Apps are increasingly born in the cloud and housed in containers, using microservices and APIs. This ramps up complexity in a big way. These apps are consuming huge amounts of data, and the storage needs to keep up. Since object storage is incredibly scalable, it's more important than ever. And making sure that object storage is fast and efficient enough to be used by these apps is the core of what Scality does. In this episode of “10 on Tech,” Scality Chief Product Officer Paul Speciale joins ActualTech Media Partners Scott Lowe and James Green to talk about the past, present, and future of object storage. If you're using containers and Kubernetes in production, or are considering a move into cloud-native development in the near future, this is an episode you don't want to miss. Highlights of the show include: The emergence of “big data” applications The shift toward cloud native computing and how it impacts storage How storage is evolving in the direction of DevOps The unique storage needs of containerized apps The necessity of API-driven access and provisioning for storage in the cloud The changing consumption patterns of storage What's behind the rise of object storage in the last decade Looking ahead to the future of storage Scality's new object storage offering Resource links from the show: Scality homepage -- https://www.scality.com/ Schedule a Scality demo -- https://www.scality.com/contact Why object storage is the new primary data storage -- https://www.scality.com/solved/object-storage-is-the-new-primary-data-storage/ Webinar: How to build a scalable and versatile data platform to unlock your data's potential -- https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/12517/443123 We hope you enjoy this episode; and don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

IT infrastructure has broken through. It’s no longer in an on-premises walled garden—data, applications, and hardware can live anywhere. That means new opportunities for business, but it also brings new challenges, especially when it comes to tying all these newly-disparate pieces together. That’s where edge networking comes in, and that’s the topic of this “10 on Tech” episode with ZPE Systems. John Paul Kang, ZPE Solutions Architect, joins ActualTech Media Partner James Green for an eye-opening discussion of how edge networking can transform your IT operations. Edge networking ensures that all your various systems can quickly and reliably communicate with each other, even if they’re thousands of miles away. It also allows you to update, manage, and maintain your network with minimal or even no staff onsite. It’s an episode you don’t want to miss. Highlights of the show include: Edge computing vs. edge networking Why businesses are moving to edge networking Challenges in building and maintaining edge networks Defining zero-touch provisioning, and its importance Real-world examples of customers who have saved time and money by implementing ZPE edge networking solutions Resource links from the show: ZPE Systems homepage -- https://www.zpesystems.com/ What is zero-touch provisioning? -- https://www.zpesystems.com/what-is-zero-touch-provisioning/ ROI calculator -- https://www.zpesystems.com/roi-calculator/ Enterprise networking survival guide -- https://www.zpesystems.com/resources/media-library/ebooks-whitepapers/enterprise-networking-survival-guide/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Ionir CEO Jacob Cherian calls his company a “container-native, enterprise software-defined storage and data management platform for Kubernetes.” That’s a mouthful! And it might be hard to even grasp what all that means. That’s why Cherian had a talk with ActualTech Media Partner James Green. In this episode of “10 on Tech,” they discuss how Ionir’s product overcomes the traditional limitation of running stateful applications across containerized/Kubernetes environments. Stateless apps have always been easier to use with containers, but the necessity of persistent data for some apps has made architecture much more complicated. Using Ionir, that’s no longer the case. Listen in to find out more. Highlights of the show include: The changing nature of data The problems of data portability and persistent volumes How Data Teleport handles Reads and Writes The importance of minimizing Reads on demand Improving the Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) development model The breakthrough of converting a storage stack into a microservices architecture Resource links from the show: Ionir homepage -- https://ionir.com/ Get early access to Ionir -- https://ionir.com/early-access-program/ About Data Teleport -- https://ionir.com/blog/introducing-data-teleport-instant-data-mobility/ Why tightly-coupled containers and microservices are a must in achieving cloud-native storage -- https://ionir.com/blog/why-tightly-coupled-containers-and-microservices-are-a-must-in-achieving-cloud-native-storage/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

You’re an IT admin. You’ve been tasked with expanding your storage infrastructure. You know that the cloud is the way to go. But there’s a big question facing you: what data do you have, and how do you sort out the most important data from the less important data? And then, how do you move it into (and out of) the cloud without breaking the bank? These are critical questions for data management, and they’re the focus of this episode of ActualTech Media’s “10 on Tech” podcast. Joining ActualTech Media Partner James Green is Krishna Subramanian, President & COO of data management vendor Komprise. They discuss the best ways to get a handle on the data explosion happening in most companies, and the best ways to increase efficiency and save money when migrating data to, and managing that data in, the cloud. If you’re looking to do this now, it’s an episode you don’t want to miss. Highlights of the show include: Why companies are moving to a cloud-first strategy for data storage Structured vs. unstructured data How to properly migrate data to the cloud Why manual processes for data migration are doomed to fail The Komprise solution for data management Resource links from the show: Komprise homepage -- https://www.komprise.com/ Try Komprise for free -- https://www.komprise.com/free-trial/ Data management TCO calculator -- https://www.komprise.com/resources/tco-calculator/ Komprise FAQs -- https://www.komprise.com/resources/faqs/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Phishing is evolving. The bad guys are getting better at tricking end users and getting their information, and they’re starting to use more sophisticated techniques, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), to find and exploit more targets. The way to fight back, according to Patrick Harr, CEO of SlashNext, is to employ the same techniques to defeat them. Harr talks with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about how to do that on this episode of “10 on Tech.” They take a deep dive into the next wave of phishing, and how to protect yourself and your company against the newly emerging threats. Highlights of the show include: How phishing is moving beyond simple email attacks The dramatic increase in phishing attacks since the start of the pandemic The reason ransomware often starts out as phishing How SlashNext uses big data to spot new attack vectors Resource links from the show: SlashNext homepage -- https://www.slashnext.com/ Try SlashNext for free -- https://www.slashnext.com/free-trial-request/ Request a SlashNext demo -- https://www.slashnext.com/request-a-demo/ Phishing 2.0 is Here: Make Sure You’re Prepared -- https://www.slashnext.com/blog/phishing-2-0-is-here-make-sure-youre-prepared/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­  

It’s becoming an increasingly common story: a company moves some operations and data to the cloud, figuring all its problems will be solved. Then the bill comes. Heart attacks ensue. And just as swiftly, the company pulls back from the cloud. It doesn’t have to be that way, according to Dave Birmingham, Senior Technical Evangelist, SIOS Technology Corp. He chats with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about the proper way to move to the cloud on this episode of “10 on Tech.” They discuss how to not get burned financially, as well as advice on choosing the right cloud deployment and management options. Highlights of the show include: The reasons companies fail in cloud deployments Reserved and spot instances in the cloud, and how they can save you money Cloud Availability Zones, what they are, and how they impact your operations The hidden danger of cloud egress fees and how to avoid them Backup and recovery in the cloud Resource links from the show: SIOS homepage -- https://us.sios.com/ Try SIOS for free -- https://us.sios.com/san-sanless-clusters/free-trial-evaluation-san-sanless-clusters/ Schedule a SIOS demo -- https://us.sios.com/demo-request/ SIOS DataKeeper -- https://us.sios.com/products/windows/datakeeper-standard/ SIOS Case Studies -- https://us.sios.com/sios-resources/?_sfm_item_category=Case%20Study We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­  

It’s the age-old IT tradeoff: the speed of memory, with its lack of persistence, vs. storage, which is slower but persistent. More and more, however, this tradeoff is being minimized, with new technologies offering the promise of both speed and persistence. MemVerge is one of the companies at the leading edge of this revolution, and they join ActualTech Media Partner James Green to discuss this growing trend on “10 on Tech.” MemVerge CEO Charles Fan and James pick apart the concept of “persistent memory,” what it looks like today, and where it’s going in the future. Highlights of the show include: Distinguishing between storage, memory, and persistent memory Why persistent memory is such a breakthrough for application performance Intel Optane’s three “modes” of operation, and why they all have shortcomings Top MemVerge use cases, including financial services and entertainment Resource links from the show: MemVerge homepage -- https://www.memverge.com/ MemVerge Introduces Big Memory Computing -- https://www.memverge.com/press-releases/memverge-introduces-big-memory-computing/ MemVerge blog -- https://www.memverge.com/blog/ Try a MemVerge demo -- https://www.memverge.com/#beta We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Coronavirus has taken a terrible toll on the world, and changed everything. On the IT side, one of the most obvious ways things have changed is the “new normal” of cloud computing moving to the center of operations. Even when business starts to return, there will be more remote work than ever being done, and it’s likely to be a permanent situation. That means a need for cloud solutions that foster remote collaboration. That’s the topic under discussion on this episode of “10 on Tech” with ActualTech Media Partner James Green. Joining James are two Panzura executives: Jill Stelfox, Executive Chairwoman & CEO, and Rich Weber, President & Chief Product Officer. They chat about what this new world will look like, and how to make sure that your users can effectively work together, no matter where they are. Highlights of the show include: How the novel coronavirus has upended traditional ways of doing IT Why things will never completely return to the way they were Common myths about workloads that can’t be moved to the cloud The necessity of making sure remote workers can be just as efficient and productive as those at headquarters The solutions Panzura offers to get remote work done better Resource links from the show: Panzura homepage -- https://panzura.com/ Schedule a Panzura demo -- https://panzura.com/demo/ Panzura industry solutions and use cases -- https://panzura.com/solutions-now/ Panzura resource page -- https://panzura.com/resources/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Moore’s Law, which held that processor speeds would double every 18 months to 2 years, is dead, according to Pliops President/CBO Steve Fingerhut. Because of that, the burden now falls on storage to provide the kind of performance that the current IT environment demands. Fingerhut discusses these issues on this episode of “10 on Tech” with ActualTech Media Partner James Green. What’s needed, Fingerhut argues, is a way to speed up storage and make it more efficient. He believes the answer is storage acceleration, which offloads the burden from the processor. Highlights of the show include: How the cloud has changed computing and application development Why processors can’t keep up anymore Where the bottlenecks really are now Why storage hardware acceleration is the answer to current challenges An overview of Pliops, and how its product works Resource links from the show: Pliops homepage -- https://pliops.com/ Blog -- https://pliops.com/unlock-the-full-potential-of-ssds/ Redis solution brief -- https://pliops.com/redis/ Pliops storage processor solution brief -- https://pliops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pliops-Storage-Processor-%E2%80%93-Solution-Brief.pdf Pliops storage accelerator overview -- https://pliops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/PLIOPS-Infographics-Overview.pdf Pliops whitepaper -- https://pliops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pliops-Storage-Processor-Overview-2.pdf We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

COVID-19 has changed everything, and hit every area of life. That’s also true for the tech industry, and no part of our industry has been hit harder than tech conferences. What’s their future? That’s what ActualTech Media Partner James Green and HashiCorp Head of Global Events & Experiential Marketing Jana Boruta tackle on this episode of “10 on Tech.” The reality is that no one knows when things will return to normal—or even if that “normal” will ever return at all. Here’s how one company is adjusting its focus to online conferences, and some of their innovative solutions to helping attendees enjoy the shows almost as much as being there in person. Highlights of the show include: The impact of the pandemic on the trade show industry How online conferences have to change The differences between in-person and digital conferences Why HashiCorp is building a custom conference platform How do companies re-create the community aspect of conferences? Resource links from the show: HashiCorp -- https://www.hashicorp.com/ HashiConf Digital in June -- https://hashiconf.com/digital-june/ HashiConf Digital in October -- https://hashiconf.com/digital-october/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

How is Kubernetes like the virtualization industry? They both got their start as niche technologies, but as their usefulness became evident, they started to get more mainstream adoption. That led to more development of the technology, extending it further, which led to more adoption, and so on. Kubernetes today experiencing a similar growth curve, argues Rancher CMO Peter Smails in this episode of “10 on Tech.” He discusses Kubernetes’ past, present, and future with ActualTech Media Partner James Green. Kubernetes, although it’s still a nascent technology, is rapidly gaining footholds in the enterprise as it’s the best way to orchestrate containers. With that growth comes the need to manage Kubernetes. You have options there, and Peter and James go into detail on what they are. Highlights of the show include: An overview of the container and Kubernetes landscape Why Kubernetes needs to be managed The top contenders in the Kubernetes management space Why Rancher’s solution is 100% open source and cloud native How Kubernetes is growing organically in the enterprise Resource links from the show: Rancher home -- https://rancher.com/ Rancher learning paths -- https://rancher.com/learning-paths/ Rancher tutorials -- https://rancher.com/tutorials/ Rancher architecture -- https://rancher.com/tutorials/ How to build an enterprise Kubernetes strategy -- https://info.rancher.com/how-to-build-enterprise-kubernetes-strategy We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

There are many things to be worried about these days when it comes to IT security. There’s so much to know that it can be difficult to even know how to get started. As ActualTech Media Partner James Green says in this edition of “10 on Tech” with Devolutions, doing nothing means possibly leaving an attack vector left open. But the risk of doing something, and doing it wrong, can also leave you vulnerable. That’s why security can be terrifying. Maurice Côté, VP Business Solutions, Devolutions, and James talk over some basic strategies companies can apply to build a solid foundation of security. They wade into topics like user access, passwords, remote access, and more. If you’re experiencing “paralysis by security analysis,” this episode is for you. Highlights of the show include: Applying the “least privilege” principle to user accounts Protecting against “spear-phishing” that targets specific privileged accounts Benefits of a centralized logging system What “account brokering” is, and how it can help keep passwords safe The crucial importance of secure remote access Resource links from the show: Devolutions -- https://devolutions.net/ Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager -- https://remotedesktopmanager.com/ Devolutions Password Hub -- https://password.devolutions.net/ Top 6 Features SMBs Should Look for in a Privileged Access Management Solution -- https://blog.devolutions.net/2019/09/top-6-features-smbs-should-look-for-in-a-privileged-access-management-solution 10 Password Management Best Practices -- https://blog.devolutions.net/2020/04/update-10-password-management-best-practices 7 Kinds of Privileged Accounts that Organizations Must Secure and Monitor -- https://blog.devolutions.net/2020/01/7-kinds-of-privileged-accounts-that-organizations-must-secure-and-monitor Privileged Access Requirements for Small and Mid-Size Businesses -- https://blog.devolutions.net/2019/12/privileged-access-requirements-for-small-and-mid-size-businesses We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

It may seem odd at first glance for a traditional storage company like StorMagic to branch out into the area of security—specifically, key management. But as StorMagic Chief Marketing and Product Officer Bruce Kornfeld explains, it’s actually a natural progression. After all, in this day of data being everywhere—on-premises, off-premises, in the cloud, at the edge—it’s more important than ever to encrypt that data, since there are so many more ways to get at it. And encryption, of course, requires keys. Kornfeld discusses the field of key management with ActualTech Media Partner James Green on this episode of “10 on Tech.” They also go in-depth on StorMagic’s key management product, SvKMS, and why it’s worth taking a look at as you improve your security posture. Highlights of the show include: What prompted StorMagic to add security, and specifically key management, to its offerings How to properly manage keys, including concepts like “rotating” keys and centralization The danger of management silos, and how it can impact your key management The drawbacks of hardware security modules (HSMs), and how SvKMS can help overcome those Resource links from the show: StorMagic -- https://stormagic.com/ StorMagic SvKMS Encryption Key Management -- https://stormagic.com/encryption-key-management/ StorMagic Free Trial -- https://stormagic.com/trial/ StorMagic Case Studies -- https://stormagic.com/resources/case-studies/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

You know you need to implement proper cybersecurity in your environment. But how do you do that? Where do you even start? That’s the topic of this episode of “10 on Tech,” featuring Liam Downward and Michael Hogue of Data Spotlite. They discuss these issues and more with ActualTech Media Partner James Green. One of their central points is that you have to understand your own environment before going forward with cybersecurity solutions. That means, for instance, knowing where your vulnerabilities are, and then patching them. It also means knowing where your data is and reducing that footprint. Hogue and Downward stress that data owners need to take responsibility for their security, rather than relying on cybersecurity applications alone to do everything for them. It’s the combination of solutions and people that make your operations secure—not just an application. Highlights of the show include: The current state of cybersecurity for small and medium businesses How much more complicated cybersecurity has become, with dispersed data How the “new normal” of work-from-home has affected cybersecurity An overview of the Data Spotlite product, and how it can help you stay secure Resource links from the show: Data Spotlite -- http://www.dataspotlite.com/ Company profile -- https://www.linkedin.com/company/data-spotlite-llc “Zero Trust” security -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Trust We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

It’s the nightmare scenario for every admin: the CEO has deleted an email related to a multi-million dollar project, and needs it back. The hitch: he deleted it 34 days ago, and your Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider only provides 30 days’ worth of backups. Uh oh. This is an issue that organizations using SaaS applications need to consider, and far too few of them do. That’s why Dan Timko, Chief Strategy Officer, J2 Global, is chatting with ActualTech Media Partner James Green on this edition of “10 on Tech.” They dive into the hidden issues with SaaS backup, and why it’s imperative that you understand what your provider is responsible for, and what you’re responsible for. It may open your eyes. Highlights of the show include: How backup has changed in the SaaS era Why companies often pay less attention to backups for SaaS applications The options you have for SaaS backup The things you must find out from your SaaS backup provider Expense vs. company impact of SaaS backup  Resource links from the show:  J2 Global -- https://www.j2global.com/ Jim Cramer on J2 Global -- https://www.j2global.com/about/news/jim-cramer-on-j2-global-a-4-8b-digital-powerhouse/ More about J2 Global -- https://www.j2global.com/about We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­  

Thanks to regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), organizations are more aware than ever of the need to protect the privacy of customer data. And the GDPR is just the beginning: the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020. The problem is that knowing where your customer data even exists is becoming harder in the cloud era. XMedius, which specializes in helping keep communications safe (and compliant), talks about this burgeoning field on this edition of “10 on Tech.” XMedius’s Sébastien Boire-Lavigne, executive vice president and general manager, data solutions, dishes on the regulatory wave with ActualTech Media Partner James Green. They discuss the enormous complexities involved in tracking this data and keeping it secure, which helps ensure that you don’t end up on the wrong side of the regulations. Highlights of the show include: Why the cloud became the big game-changer for data sovereignty A breakdown of CCPA requirements How CCPA differs from GDPR What companies each regulation applies to—e.g., governmental organizations vs. private enterprises What rights the consumer has under these regulations Why understanding and controlling your supplier chain is crucial to compliance Resource links from the show: XMedius homepage -- https://www.xmedius.com/en/ Data Sovereignty: Do You Know Where Your Files Are? -- https://www.xmedius.com/en/blog/data-sovereignty-do-you-know-where-your-files-are/ Data Sovereignty: The XMedius Solution and Future Predictions -- https://www.xmedius.com/en/blog/data-sovereignty-the-xmedius-solution-and-future-predictions/ 5 Big Reasons Why Comparing CCPA to GDPR is a Bad Idea -- https://www.xmedius.com/en/blog/5-big-reasons-why-comparing-ccpa-to-gdpr-is-a-bad-idea/ California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) -- https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa GDPR -- https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection_en We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­  

Data center storage is evolving constantly, and one of the most crucial areas is in lower latency. Latency, after all, impacts everything in your operations. And cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) demand the lowest latency possible. Delivering that low latency can’t happen until system bottlenecks are removed, whether they’re existing, older storage, the CPU or some other reason. And Excelero specializes in that removal. In this episode of “10 on Tech,” Sven Breuner, Field CTO at Excelero, speaks with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about how Excelero takes advantage of super low-latency Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) drives to provide the minimal latency needed for the most demanding applications and uses you have. Highlights of the show include: The move toward using GPUs instead of CPUs for low-latency scenarios Why CPUs don’t scale properly NVMe devices provide more performance and parallelism The difficulty of scaling AI workloads to production levels A discussion of GPU Direct, a new technology from NVIDIA A look at NVMesh, from Excelero Comparing and contrasting local storage with shared storage, and its suitability for demanding workloads Resource links from the show: Excelero homepage -- https://www.excelero.com/ NVMesh -- https://www.excelero.com/product/nvmesh NVMesh Rack Configurator -- https://www.excelero.com/rack-configurator/ Contact Excelero -- https://www.excelero.com/contact/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

If you’re like most companies, you’re leaving the wrong data on the wrong storage. Data that isn’t touched often—like Joe’s cat pictures—doesn't need to be stored on expensive primary storage. But moving that data to much less costly secondary storage is a huge challenge: for both admins who have to move it, and end users who face confusing interfaces. Answering that challenge with a brand-new product is the focus of this episode of “10 on Tech,” featuring Spectra Logic’s David Feller, VP of Product Management and Solutions Engineering. He provides an overview of Spectra Logic’s StorCycle storage management software to ActualTech Media Partner James Green. Feller breaks down how StorCycle automatically identifies inactive data that takes up valuable space on primary storage, and moves it to a cheaper level called the Perpetual Storage Tier, keeping it accessible to users all the while. It's an episode you won't want to miss. Highlights of the show include: The explosive growth of data, that shows no signs of slowing The extreme expense of primary storage, and why it’s too valuable for all a company’s data to reside on How to determine when data should be moved from tier to tier The importance of ensuring a good user experience when accessing secondary storage The potential cost savings of adding a Perpetual Storage Tier to your infrastructure Resource links from the show:  Spectra Logic homepage -- https://spectralogic.com/ Spectra StorCycle (including video) -- https://spectralogic.com/products/storcycle/ The Perpetual Storage Tier -- https://spectralogic.com/products/storcycle/perpetual-storage-tier/ Spectra Logic video resources -- https://spectralogic.com/products/storcycle/resources/#videos We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

You may think of the public cloud as an “easy” button, something that takes the pain out of application development, for example. The reality is that it can make things harder—much harder. That was the experience of Anurag Goel, Founder/CEO of Render, a unified cloud platform for building and running applications and websites. Goel found that it took so many steps to get anything done on Amazon Web Services (AWS) that he was wasting time learning things like Kubernetes and Terraform and building continuous integration/continuous delivery pipelines, instead of building stuff. Goel chats with the idea behind Render with ActualTech Media Partner James Green on this episode of “10 on Tech.” He sums up his company’s mission like this: “We automate all of the stuff you have to do manually on AWS.” It’s a fascinating look into the power of automation in a way you may not have thought of. Highlights of the show include: How Render got its start The challenges developers and DevOps teams face with keeping infrastructure running The hoops a typical developer has to jump through to build apps on AWS The reality that many developers build insecure, unstable apps because they don’t have a functional, easy-to-use platform Resource links from the show: Render homepage -- https://render.com/ Documentation -- https://render.com/docs Render examples on GitHub -- https://github.com/render-examples Pricing -- https://render.com/pricing We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Enterprise-level, fully-managed Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS): Is it a thing? Should it be a thing? And why would you outsource something as important as storage? Zadara says there are good reasons to do just that, leveraging the power of cloud computing without losing the speed and latency benefits of on-premises storage. That’s the subject of this episode of “10 on Tech.” Zadara’s Gregory Newman, VP Marketing, and Marc Leavitt, Senior Director of Product Marketing, talk with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about the growing use of STaaS on an enterprise scale, including NVMe. Highlights of the show include: How Zadara got its start Traditional limitations of public cloud environments NVMe as a service The major concerns about storage-as-a-service (STaaS) Zadara’s hybrid offering Storage in multi-cloud environments Resource links from the show: Zadara homepage -- https://www.zadara.com/ Zadara free trial -- https://www.zadara.com/freetrial/ Zadara case studies -- https://www.zadara.com/resources_casestudies.php Zadara webinars -- https://www.zadara.com/resources_webinars.php We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

The public cloud, contrary to perception, doesn’t make management easier; in most cases, it’s just the opposite, according to Wally McDermid, VP Cloud Business Development for Scality. And when it comes to multi-cloud scenarios, things just get hairier. Wally discusses these difficulties with ActualTech Media Partner James Green in this episode of “10 on Tech.” It includes these key features needed in a proper multi-cloud management tool: Small number of APIs Data stored in an open, readable format Deployment flexibility, both on-premises and in the cloud An open source version available, to avoid lock-in Wally also details some of Scality’s success stories and how they’ve saved customers both grief and money. Highlights of the show include: Why data is the most challenging part of multi-cloud management Applications don’t change often, but data does—and quickly The growing problem of government regulations Why fewer APIs are better How customers are using Scality to manage their clouds Resource links from the show: Scality homepage -- https://www.scality.com/ The Zenko GitHub project -- https://github.com/scality/Zenko Zenko sandbox environment -- https://www.zenko.io/try-zenko/ Solved: The Scality Magazine -- https://www.scality.com/solved/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Perception and use of the major public clouds has undergone a shift as it has become more of a baseline technology for companies. As Kelly Goolsby says, businesses have come to understand that it’s no longer about the “cool” stuff cloud can do for you, but meeting business requirements. Goolsby, Director of Solution Architecture at Liquid Web, chats with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about the current state of the public cloud. They touch on multiple topics, including the feature escalation that the “big dogs” are engaging in, the importance of understanding workload needs in the cloud, and more. Highlights of the show include: The changing nature of how businesses view the public cloud The “feature war” that the public cloud leaders are engaged in The potential drawbacks of the plethora of new features The continuing issue of disaster recovery The ongoing problem of security Resource links from the show: Liquid Web -- https://www.liquidweb.com/ Liquid Web blog -- https://www.liquidweb.com/blog/ Case studies -- https://www.liquidweb.com/case-studies/ Hosting solutions -- https://www.liquidweb.com/solutions/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Most companies are great at creating data—it’s why the industry’s drowning in data lakes. But for most, they’re not nearly as good at knowing important details about that data. Without that information—being “blind” to your data’s characteristics—you’re put at a competitive disadvantage. That idea of “data blindness” is the subject of this episode of “10 on Tech.” Molly Presley, Global Product Marketing Director, Qumulo, chats with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about what it means to be blind, in the context of data. As Presley explains, although you have tons of data, you don’t know who’s created it, which data is the most useful to keep as storage fills up, which data should be tiered—and into which tier it should go—and so on. The situation has created huge challenges for IT admins to get access to the data and create value from it. Find out how Qumulo’s accepted that challenge. Show highlights include: Why “data blindness” hurts business Why Qumulo interviewed 1,000 customers before they ever started building their product How Qumulo tags data as it comes in, then provides context The challenges of scaling data The balance of storage capacity vs. application performance How Qumulo automates data flows Resource links from the show: Qumulo -- https://qumulo.com/ Free trial, either cloud-based or on-premises -- https://qumulo.com/try/ Qumulo demo -- https://qumulo.com/product/demo/contact-form/ Qumulo use cases -- https://qumulo.com/solution/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­  

So, you’ve got lots of data, and it’s stored here, there, and everywhere. How do you manage it all? And beyond that, how do you put it to use in your environment, to do business-enhancing things like artificial intelligence and machine learning? That’s what this episode of “10 on Tech” is about. ActualTech Media Partner James Green talks with Alluxio CEO Steven Mih about the growing problem of data being scattered all over, and the challenges that creates for data scientists and companies wanting to harness it. Alluxio specializes in collecting that data and acting as the go-between between between it and the apps that work on it, like Apache Spark, Presto and Tensorflow. Mih also talks about how his company simplifies your data operations. Highlights of the show include: The sources of the data explosion What extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) is, and why it’s becoming outmoded How data orchestration has improved on ETL The problem of dealing with multiple copies of data What Alluxio does How Alluxio is deployed Resource links from the show: Alluxio -- https://www.alluxio.io/ Tutorial: Amazon Machine Image (AMI) -- https://www.alluxio.io/products/aws/alluxio-presto-sandbox-aws/ Tutorial: Docker -- https://www.alluxio.io/alluxio-presto-sandbox-docker/ Alluxio free trial -- https://www.alluxio.io/download/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Many know the storage company Backblaze from their groundbreaking and justifiably famous “hard drive stats,” in which they publish data on hard drive failures within their data centers. Others know them from their consumer backup offerings. But did you know that Backblaze also offers enterprise-worthy cloud storage? It’s called “Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage,” and the company says it’s one-quarter the cost of using Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 cloud storage. Yup – a savings of 75 percent. On this episode of “10 on Tech,” Ahin Thomas, VP of Marketing at Backblaze, talks with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about B2 Cloud Storage, how they achieve such huge savings over AWS, and top use cases, among other topics. Highlights of the show include: Customer use cases for B2 The open nature of B2 The importance of egress fees, and how much they can cost you B2’s integration with partners, including backup vendors The B2 API, and how easy it is to learn and use The creation of new B2 data centers and global regions Resource links from the show: Backblaze -- https://www.backblaze.com/ Backblaze blog -- https://www.backblaze.com/blog/ Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage -- https://www.backblaze.com/b2/cloud-storage.html Austin City Limits Case Study -- https://www.backblaze.com/b2/case-studies/austin-city-limits.html We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­  

The reality is that every business knows it needs to do more with its data. The problem is that this reality bumps into another reality, especially for smaller companies—the lack of resources to implement full data infrastructure. Automation to the rescue! Offloading this chore can enable organizations of all sizes to build data structures that will help their bottom line. One of the vendors that can do that is WhereScape, and its CTO, Neil Barton, is the guest on this edition of “10 on Tech.” Neil chats with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about how to implement a strategy to build things like data warehouses and data marts by letting someone else do the heavy lifting. Even if you’re a small company, this is within your reach. Listen in to learn how. Highlights of the show include: The critical importance of automation for getting a handle on data How the cloud enables data warehousing on a small scale that wasn’t feasible before The WhereScape value proposition of automating the full lifecycle of data infrastructure Why data is the “new oil” How to start small and build your data warehouses in a slow, gradual manner Resource links from the show: WhereScape -- https://www.wherescape.com/ WhereScape Demo -- https://www.wherescape.com/request-a-demo/ Contact WhereScape -- https://www.wherescape.com/contact-us/ WhereScape Automation Software -- https://www.wherescape.com/solutions/automation-software/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Artificial intelligence (AI) as applied to helping manage your IT infrastructure may still feel like a long way off. But it isn’t. This concept, called “AIOps,” is here now and available to organizations. One leading vendor in the space, Dynatrace, is using its AI engine, called “Davis,” to help automate infrastructure, including finding problems before they impact your operations. Dave Anderson, Dynatrace’s SVP, Marketing, discusses Davis and AIOps in general with ActualTech Media Partner James Green. If you’re tired of the 3 a.m. wake-up alert that something’s gone wrong with your data center, this is a show you shouldn’t miss. Highlights of the show include: Defining AIOps Top AIOps benefits Dynatrace’s AI history Answering AI skeptics How Dynatrace’s AI engine, Davis, works Resource links from the show: Dynatrace -- https://www.dynatrace.com/ Davis Assistant -- https://www.dynatrace.com/platform/aiops/davis-assistant/ Dynatrace free trial -- https://www.dynatrace.com/trial/?vehicle_name=https://www.dynatrace.com/ AI Overview -- https://www.dynatrace.com/platform/aiops/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­  

“This notion that address and port mean something is long since over.” That provocative statement about network security comes from Peter Smith, founder/CEO of Edgewise, as he spoke with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about Zero Trust on this episode of “10 on Tech.” Peter’s talking about the new software-defined era of computing that uses dynamically-assigned addresses and ports, which are constantly changing. Securing this shifting network environment almost demands a Zero Trust mindset. On this episode, James and Peter dive into the deep end of the Zero Trust pool, unpacking what it really means and how to finally get there. Highlights of the show include: The background behind the “Zero Trust” concept Why using software and identity is the best way to secure networks How to find a piece of software’s “digital fingerprint,” and what it means for security How “adaptive segments” help security The way in which Edgewise uses “auto segmentation” to help scale its solution Resource links from the show: Edgewise home -- https://www.edgewise.net/ “Will It Defend?” videos -- https://www.edgewise.net/will-it-defend Request an Edgewise demo -- https://www.edgewise.net/request-a-demo Zero Trust segmentation -- https://www.edgewise.net/zero-trust-segmentation We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­  

Dremio Founder and CEO Tomer Shiran calls his company a “cloud data lake engine.” It sounds very sophisticated—but what does that really mean? Basically, it means that his company will connect all your data, whether it’s in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or on-premises (or some combination of all of those), and add services that allow you to leverage it for maximum benefit. Sound cool? It is. Tomer discusses the increasingly-important field of Data-as-a-Service with ActualTech Media Partner James Green in this edition of “10 on Tech.” If you’ve got data scattered all over the place, but don’t know how to get to it or how to make it work to help your bottom line, this is one you can’t miss. Highlights of the show include: How the usage of data has evolved over the years Data silos and the current landscape of data fragmentation How the cloud has revolutionized the ability to manage and process data The challenges of moving data to the cloud How Dremio helped Royal Caribbean Cruises lasso their data and extract more value from it The growing issue of data explosion Importance of the ability to scale up and down according to demand Dremio’s storage innovations Resource links from the show: Dremio home -- https://www.dremio.com/ The Dremio free community edition -- https://www.dremio.com/deploy/ Dremio demo -- https://www.dremio.com/lp/weekly-live-demo/ Dremio community forum -- https://community.dremio.com/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

The concept of “zero trust” is becoming the standard security model in the industry, and that’s a great thing. But zero trust also comes with its own set of challenges; one of the biggest is scaling, especially when the environment extends beyond the on-premises boundaries of the traditional data center. Security vendor Aporeto has an answer to that challenge, and CMO Gregg Holzrichter discusses it with ActualTech Media Partners James Green and Scott Lowe on this special “Live from VMworld” edition of “10 on Tech.” Aporeto enables distributed security policies across virtual machines, containers, and more, and works in multi-cluster, multi-cloud scenarios. If you’re concerned about your application security in the cloud, this episode is for you. Highlights of the show include: How VMware’s announcements around Kubernetes and containers at VMworld 2019 will affect security How the paradigm for authentication and access control has evolved over the years, especially with the shift away from on-premises computing The huge increase in security breaches and what it means for organizations The need for automated processes in security, to allow for scale Aporeto’s application identification “fingerprint” and how it works Typical hurdles toward securing container/Kubernetes environments The ways in which Aporeto supports multi-cluster containers at scale, across multiple clouds Resource links from the show: Aporeto home -- https://www.aporeto.com/ Aporeto free trial -- https://www.aporeto.com/trial/ Get an Aporeto demo -- https://www.aporeto.com/request-a-demo/ Aporeto on the AWS Marketplace -- https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/B07JCF1K2X We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­  

There are plenty of people who believe that the public cloud somehow confers availability to applications by its very nature. But that’s a myth—and a potentially dangerous one as well, because you may find out, via a call from the boss, that the mission-critical app you’re hosting on Amazon Web Services isn’t as, uh, resilient as you thought. The reality is that app availability in the cloud, and especially high availability, has to be carefully researched and planned for. It has to be strictly implemented, too, and then monitored. Just being “in the cloud,” in other words, isn’t a silver bullet for making sure your app stays online. Jerry Melnick, President and CEO of SIOS, understands this reality. On this episode of “10 on Tech,” he chats with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about how to get true high availability for apps in the cloud via clustering. Highlights of the show include: What application “high availability” actually means How the idea of high availability has changed over the years How “availability” differs from “high availability” The complexity involved in high availability clustering Top myths about app availability in the cloud, including the myth that the cloud somehow creates availability Resources for education on application availability Resource links from the show: SIOS website -- https://us.sios.com/ Clustering for mere mortals -- https://clusteringformeremortals.com/ SIOS free trial -- https://us.sios.com/san-sanless-clusters/free-trial-evaluation-san-sanless-clusters/ SIOS product briefs -- https://us.sios.com/sios-resources/?_sfm_item_category=Product%20Brief We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

When you’re using Office 365, do you believe that Microsoft is taking care of the backups of that crucial information? If so, you’re living under a dangerous delusion. That’s because Microsoft takes care of its own infrastructure. When it comes to your data sitting on their infrastructure, you’re mostly on your own. Your email, your data in SharePoint or Microsoft Teams or other Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings may be at risk. So how do you protect those assets? That’s the subject of this episode of “10 on Tech.” ActualTech Media Partner James Green interviews Dave LeClair, Sr. Director, Product Management at Continuum, about the importance of properly protecting that precious data. Highlights of the show include: Why the things you think are being backed up probably aren’t The range of things that need to be backed up vs. what actually is backed up What types of data Office 365 doesn’t back up The importance of streamlining the SaaS backup management process What Continuum does, and how it works Details on the upcoming Continuum user conference Resource links from the show: Continuum -- https://www.continuum.net/ Keepit (Continuum partner) -- https://www.keepit.com/ Continuum Navigate conference -- https://www.continuum.net/navigate/north-america Continuum demos and trials -- https://www.continuum.net/platform/solutions/get-started Continuum platform overview -- https://www.continuum.net/platform We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

In the Internet age, an old saying goes that it’s best to be there first. And there’s truth in that, too. When it comes to public cloud computing, Amazon was first, and they’re a clear No. 1 in the space. Sometimes it’s hard to be in third place, like Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is, behind Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. On the other hand, Google is a huge company with lots of resources, and they’re committed to challenging those two cloud titans. Can Google win? It depends on what they have to offer, and that’s the subject of this episode of “10 on Tech.” ActualTech Media Partner James Green interviews author and technologist Dan Sullivan, and they discuss GCP’s past, present, and future possibilities. Highlights of the show include: Why GCP holds third place among public cloud platforms The advantages GCP has as a platform What Google Anthos is, and why it’s important Whether or not GCP is the best fit for Kubernetes, since Google created it Great resources to learn more about GCP Resource links from the show: YouTube Google Cloud Platform Channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/googlecloudplatform YouTube TensorFlow Channel -- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0rqucBdTuFTjJiefW5t-IQ Google Anthos -- https://cloud.google.com/anthos/ Cloud Next 19 Opening Keynote -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGrlWVWlpgE Google Cloud Platform training on Coursera -- https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=google We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

More and more companies are going multicloud; that is, they’re not standardizing on one platform like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform or Microsoft Azure. They’re picking and choosing multiple providers in an a la carte fashion. While this is a good thing, it also comes with big challenges. Perhaps the biggest of all is complexity. And when it comes to backing up data on those platforms, things can really get tricky. HYCU VP of Products Subbiah Sundaram agrees, and chats with ActualTech Media Partner James Green about the issues arising from the trend toward multicloud usage. One of Sundaram’s main points is that backup should never feel like it’s bolted onto a platform; instead it should be integrated, a service provided by the platform. They also discuss the importance of a single console to simplify management in a mutlicloud setting, and other related topics. Highlights of the show include: Selecting tools that integrate with multi-cloud environments The importance of matching your tools with your cloud provider How to make sure the applications drive the infrastructure, and not the other way around The requirements you should have for every cloud platform you use Why users need a native experience for each platform, not a generic experience for all platforms The changing nature of Backup-as-a-Service Resource links from the show: HYCU -- https://www.hycu.com/ Get a free trial of HYCU -- https://www.hycu.com/free-trial/ Sign up for a HYCU demo -- https://www.hycu.com/free-demo/ Google Cloud Summit round up – Why Automation, APIs and Built-in Apps Matter -- https://www.hycu.com/blog/google-cloud-summit-round-up-why-automation-apis-and-built-in-apps-matter/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

Major research universities face a dilemma: they have tons of data that needs to be stored, and are creating more data all the time. Simultaneously, they have notoriously tight budgets that are often set in concrete. What do do? The solution may lie in public cloud storage, which can provide predictable costs and protected, yet easily-accessible, data. Beware, though, because the big dogs of the public cloud come with strings attached. In this episode, Marty Falaro, Wasabi SVP for Global Sales & Alliances, chats with ActualTech Media’s James Green about the special needs and pressures faced by research scientists at universities and elsewhere, and how Wasabi can meet those needs and ease those pressures. Show highlights include: How military and scientific research helped birth the Internet How Internet 2.0 differs from 1.0, and what it means for research scenarios The coming revolution of 5G The problems scientific researchers face with fixed budgets and massive data storage needs The hidden fees and variable costs of the major public cloud providers, and how they can quickly break a budget Why a hybrid storage model makes sense for many public universities Top education use cases for unlimited hot cloud storage Resource Links: Wasabi and Academic Genomic Research - https://s3.wasabisys.com/wsbi-media/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Academic-Genomic-Reseach-Wasabi-Packet.pdf Scientific Research and Wasabi - https://wasabi.com/scientific-research/ Wasabi - https://wasabi.com/ Free Trial - https://wasabi.com/sign-up/ Wasabi Case Studies - https://wasabi.com/resources/?case-study# We  hope  you enjoy this episode; and  don’t  forget  to  subscribe  to  the  show  on  iTunes,  Google Play,  or Stitcher.

Think you know backup? Think again. Backup isn’t what it was even five years ago. There are new technologies, including the cloud, that can unburden you from the chore of backing up your data. So if you’re doing things the old-fashioned way, this “10 on Tech” episode is for you. Dan Keldsen, Director Of Customer Innovation for Wasabi, chats with ActualTech Media’s James Green about how backup used to be done, and compares it with how backup is done by forward-thinking companies nowadays. He also goes into detail on some specific methods organizations can use to transition from undependable and slow backup systems to modern backup systems that can save you time and money. Show highlights include: The good and bad of traditional backup systems Why your current backup solution might be a “ticking time bomb” Scary examples of recent backup failures The shortcomings of tape backup A surprising tape shortage, which is starting to impact many companies’ backup strategy Tips for moving from on-premises backups to cloud backups Benefits of VTLs, or “virtual tape libraries,” and cloud gateways How to reclaim time in your day by moving to backup-as-a-service Resource Links: Tape-To-Cloud Migration Case Study – https://s3.wasabisys.com/wsbi-media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Tape_to_Cloud_Marquis_and_Wasabi_White_Paper.pdf Comparing Pricing Between Wasabi And Amazon S3 for Secondary Storage - https://s3.wasabisys.com/wsbi-media/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Tape_to_Cloud_Marquis_and_Wasabi_White_Paper.pdf What Does ‘11 Nines’ of Durability Really Mean? - https://wasabi.com/blog/11-nines-durability/ Backup and Recovery Overview - https://wasabi.com/backup-and-recovery/ Wasabi - https://wasabi.com/ Free Trial - https://wasabi.com/sign-up/ We  hope  you enjoy this episode; and  don’t  forget  to  subscribe  to  the  show  on  iTunes,  Google Play,  or Stitcher.  

In the IT world, tape has been around for almost as long as storage itself. It’s proven itself to be cheap and reliable; because of that, it still has significant market share. But is it still a viable solution for today’s enterprises? That’s the question ActualTech Media’s James Green puts to Dan Keldsen, Director Of Customer Innovation for Wasabi. Keldsen applauds tape’s past, but he believes that cloud storage is the future, and explains why. He also compares the “big guns” in public cloud with Wasabi’s offering, and how companies with open minds can save a bundle in terms of both cost and speed. Show highlights include: A brief history of tape storage How tape has evolved as a storage medium Why tape has remained a legitimate solution for decades Is tape dead now? Should it be? The rise of cloud storage Differentiating storage in Cloud 1.0 from Cloud 2.0 Comparing Amazon Web Services (AWS) storage with Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage The advantages of eliminating storage tiers What “slingshotting” means as it relates to storage Resource Links: Tape to Cloud - https://wasabi.com/tape-to-cloud/ Backup and Recovery - https://wasabi.com/backup-and-recovery/ 5 Cloud Storage Predictions for 2019 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvYD_itO2Ko&feature=youtu.be Wasabi - https://wasabi.com/ Free Trial - https://wasabi.com/sign-up/ We  hope  you enjoy this episode; and  don’t  forget  to  subscribe  to  the  show  on iTunes,  Google Play,  or Stitcher.

Securing remote IT sites is orders of magnitude more difficult than it was just a few short years ago. In addition to the traditional remote/branch office (ROBO) network, we’re now in the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing age. With the number of connected devices exploding, getting a handle on securing it all is daunting. But Cybera has come up with an innovative solution. Using their software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) technology, they break the problem down into smaller bits; rather than securing “the network,” they secure the single user; the single device; the single app; and so on. Doing it that way enables their solutions to scale in a way not previously possible, says Cybera President and Founder Cliff Duffey. He chats with ActualTech Partner James Green about how Cybera is redefining SD-WAN for the modern challenge of remote computing. Highlights of the show include: A short history of Cybera Cybera’s unique approach to securing SD-WAN How SD-WAN solutions have changed over time Fuel pumps as IoT devices How Cybera helped one of their retail gas customers reduce card fraud losses Other use cases for SD-WAN security, including health care and kiosks Resource links from the show: Cybera -- https://www.cybera.com/ What is SD-WAN? -- https://www.cybera.com/secure-sd-wan/ Cybera case studies -- https://www.cybera.com/use-cases/ Cybera solutions by vertical -- https://www.cybera.com/solutions/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

"Things that can be automated, should be automated.” That’s Sinequa’s philosophy as described by Scott Parker, director of product marketing. Sinequa specializes in “information-driven” data, as opposed to “data driven.” It’s the difference, Parker tells ActualTech Media’s James Green, behind Warren Buffet’s famous quote that he “eats like a 6-year-old” because he saw data that showed that those children have the lowest death rate. In other words, making your data useful is all about context. Information-driven data is supplied with context to make better decisions, and it’s done in an automated fashion rather than a wasteful manual fashion. What does that mean? Parker lays it all out in this edition of “10 on Tech.” Highlights of the show include: An exploration of the “cognitive burden” for companies Data-driven vs. information-driven: what’s the difference? The benefits—and limitations—of artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence’s “last mile” problem How an organization becomes information driven Case studies of successful information-driven businesses Resource links from the show: Sinequa -- https://www.sinequa.com/ The Benefits of Becoming Information-Driven Using AI & Machine Learning -- https://www.sinequa.com/become-information-driven-sinequa/ Insight Platform Overview -- https://www.sinequa.com/insight-platform-2/ Becoming Information-Driven Begins with Pragmatic AI -- https://blog.sinequa.com/2019/07/11/idc-pragmatic-ai/ Surfing the Cognitive Search Wave (as a Leader) Again -- https://blog.sinequa.com/2019/05/29/surfing-the-cognitive-search-wave/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.­

The media and entertainment industries are one of the fields seeing the most rapid growth of data. High-resolution video is the standard now, and that resolution is getting higher and higher all the time, including 4k and 8k and even higher resolution. And all that data needs to be stored somewhere. But not only stored; it needs to be available for quick, even immediate, access. That’s one reason that tape as a storage medium is falling out of favor. What do those companies do now? In this episode of “10 on Tech,” Whit Jackson, VP Media & Entertainment for Wasabi, discusses the special challenges media and entertainment companies face with ActualTech Media’s James Green. Show highlights include: What the 5g rollout will mean to media consumption, and therefore storage systems Why traditional, on-premises storage is becoming overwhelmed How cloud competes with tape as a storage medium today Your options for moving on-premises storage to the public cloud The special challenges media and entertainment companies with their needs to store and retrieve massive amounts of data How media and entertainment companies can save huge by using Wasabi hot cloud storage Resource Links: Wasabi: Media and Entertainment -- https://wasabi.com/media-and-entertainment/ The Media Innovation Cloud Alliance -- https://wasabi.com/mica Wasabi -- https://wasabi.com/ Free Trial -- https://wasabi.com/sign-up/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.

You know the cloud isn’t going anywhere, right? And you know that your company needs to develop a cloud strategy sooner rather than later. Despite that knowledge, many, many companies are still reluctant to get started. A big reason why is that it can be intimidating to even know where to start. What’s the simplest, least risky, and most cost-effective way to kick off your cloud adventure? That’s the topic discussed on this episode of “10 on Tech”, which features Wasabi’s Jim Donovan. Jim talks with ActualTech Media’s James Green on how to grease your company’s wheels to provide a smooth onramp to the public cloud. He also shows you how to minimize classic cloud risks of cost and efficiency. Show highlights include: Why storage is a good entry point to the cloud The economics of cloud backup/disaster recovery Compatibility of object storage with the public cloud The feasibility of moving data between public clouds The hidden impact of data egress fees Concrete steps organizations can take to get into the cloud Resource Links: Wasabi -- https://wasabi.com/ Free Trial -- https://wasabi.com/sign-up/ Wasabi Product Solutions -- https://wasabi.com/resources/?solution# The Wasabi Cloud Storage Blog -- https://wasabi.com/blog/ We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.

Cloud storage is typically defined in three tiers – hot, warm, and cold. Those tiers also affect how much you pay for them, and how quickly you can retrieve your data. It’s a system that many organizations accept and use without thinking. But Wasabi believes that it doesn’t have to be that way. They’ve come up with what they believe is a far superior system of having one hot tier for all your data. Dan Keldsen, Director Of Customer Innovation for Wasabi, explains to ActualTech Media Partner James Green why the idea of separate storage tiers is old-school thinking. Show highlights include: A quick history of storage tiers A definition of the three primary tiers: hot, warm, and cold Why these tiers are a trap How the exploding number of data sources complicates tiering Why having one tier makes Wasabi much cheaper and faster than AWS The danger of clinging too tightly to “best practices” Resource Links: Wasabi - https://wasabi.com/ Wasabi Pricing - https://wasabi.com/pricing/ Free Trial - https://wasabi.com/sign-up/ Wasabi Case Studies - https://wasabi.com/resources/?case-study# We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.  

When software was decoupled from the underlying hardware – a process known as “virtualization” -- a revolution followed. Multiple applications could exist on one server; it was the first step in the transformation of the data center. Illumio has a similar idea for security in the data center. As Faraz Aladin, head of Technical Product Marketing at Illumio, discusses with ActualTech Media Partner James Green, the key to proper microsegmentation – which Illumio calls “security segmentation” – is breaking the dependency between existing security mechanisms and the network itself. Once that’s done, Aladin says, security segmentation can be implemented without network disruption. Highlights of the show include: What security segmentation is Security segmentation in practice The importance of properly defining workload labels Compelling use cases for microsegmentation, including compliance issues Resource links from the show: Illumio -- https://www.illumio.com/ Try Illumio for free -- https://www.illumio.com/test-drive-landing-page The definitive guide to microsegmentation -- https://www.illumio.com/resource-center/guide-the-definitive-guide-to-micro-segmentation The Illumio blog -- https://www.illumio.com/blog#gsc.tab=0 We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.  

Zero trust. It sounds harsh, doesn’t it? But when it comes to your network, it’s the best way to handle security. Zero trust means assuming that anyone on your network, whether inside or outside, has harmful intentions. If you think about it that way, you’re more likely to lock your network down properly. That’s what Don Boxley believes. Boxley, CEO/Co-founder of security company DH2i, discusses the idea of zero trust with ActualTech Media’s James Green. He also announces a new network security product: DxConnect. He explains what DxConnect does, and why it matters. Show highlights include: What “zero trust” means in practice How to control privileged user access The ways in which your network is like a castle with a moat (and why the moat may not be enough to protect you anymore) The advantages of DxConnect The crucial importance of securing edge communications DxConnect licensing details Resource links from the show: DH2i – http://dh2i.com DxConnect - http://dh2i.com/dxconnect Get free trial of DH2i - http://dh2i.com/free-trial-form/ More about DxConnect: DxConnect has the following features and benefits. Micro-Perimeters – Application-level micro-tunnels give network admins and developers the ability to create micro-perimeters to segment by application, not by network. Eliminates lateral network attacks Unifies HTTP, SSH and inter-microservice connectivity Users/services/devices get fast, direct access to applications and services Discreet Invisibility - Randomly generated non-standard UDP ports for dynamic on-demand micro-tunnel communications. Virtually eliminates network attack surfaces Users/services/devices are cloaked and secured with no open ports Applications and services are invisible to “bad actors” Multi-Cloud Ready - Designed to enable secure “from any host, to any host, anywhere” application data communications with application-level DTLS encrypted micro tunnels and Public Key Authentication. Scales across hybrid/multi-cloud environments Leverages native cloud platform capabilities Consistent policies and auditing across hybrid/multi-cloud No cloud vendor lock-in Smart Availability - Dynamic movement of micro-tunnel gateways and application workloads with automatic self-healing fault detection and failover. Automates and orchestrates micro-tunnel and workload creation and location Enables an “always-secure and always-on” application infrastructure Open API - Lightweight software with open API that runs on any Linux or Windows host. Enables secure interconnection to be built into a DevOps toolchain Supports Kubernetes, Docker, Chef, Puppet and more for scaling cloud-native apps Hardens existing network security infrastructure (e.g. MFA, SIEM, EMM, SSO) and paths to data and services We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.

It’s not just about keeping the lights on anymore. IT today must create value for the business, and that means changing how you see your data center, including storage. Ellen Rubin, CEO & Co-founder of ClearSky Data, expounds on those themes in this “10 on Tech” podcast with ActualTech Media’s James Green. She says that those companies that don’t make the move to digital transformation risk being left behind in this ever-more-competitive environment. Ellen also provides an overview of ClearSky and how their pay-as-you-go cloud storage model works. Highlights of the show include: The changing nature of storage through the cloud era and into the edge era The major current concerns that CIOs have about their data and storage How ClearSky upends the traditional storage paradigm How you can get low-latency and high-performance storage, even at the network edge Resource links from the show: ClearSky Data -- https://www.clearskydata.com/ Free ClearSky Data Trial -- https://www.clearskydata.com/product-trial-request Learn About Backup Independence -- https://www.clearskydata.com/declare-your-backup-independence We hope you enjoy this episode; and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher.