Cloud computing is as simple as it sounds: it’s computing based remotely, by utilizing the internet. Traditionally, a small business owner would have made use of a number of different applications on a desktop. The apps or programs would be downloaded directly onto a computer or a server. Nowadays, there is no need for this as cloud computing allows for the same applications directly from the internet. It’s not just businesses that make use of this system. Facebook, for example, uses cloud computing as does your mobile banking service. Even the Government of Canada makes use of cloud computing. It allows you, as a business owner, to view, edit, and access all your important information from anywhere in the world. You’re no longer tied to the office or forced to work using a specific computer. As long as you’ve got an internet connection you can run your business from China to Timbuctoo. 

NAFCU Services has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, as the Preferred Partner for their Cloud Computing Platform. Amazon Web Services joins the distinguished group of NAFCU Services Preferred Partners, carefully selected by three panels of leading credit union CEOs.

AWS offers over 125 services for computing, storage, networks, and more to help credit unions run critical applications and workloads in the cloud. With over one million monthly active customers across every industry, AWS enables credit unions to accelerate innovation, enhance member service, operate more efficiently, and strengthen security: https://aws.amazon.com/financial-services/.

Article Written by Avery Phillips

What is happening with your business? What is going to happen with your customers?

We’ve been able to spidey-sense changes in the marketplace with predictive analytics that have been made available through the computing power of the cloud.

And it’s amazing.

With the added capability of pulling in additional computing power seemingly from thin air, cloud computing has allowed us to use algorithms and data in ways we never could before. Now that we are able to make informed decisions with huge data sets and access to information and predictive behavior via cloud computing, the future of business and its interaction with clients will never be the same. "Separately, predictive analytics and cloud solutions are changing the way organiza­tions do business … Together, they open up a wealth of opportunities."

Here are a few reasons the ability to use predictive analytics, by taking advantage of cloud computing, is vital to your business success.

Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company, announced that Formula One Group (Formula 1) is moving the vast majority of its infrastructure from on-premises data centers to AWS, and standardizing on AWS’s machine learning and data analytics services to accelerate its cloud transformation. Formula 1 will work with AWS to enhance its race strategies, data tracking systems, and digital broadcasts through a wide variety of AWS services-including Amazon SageMaker, a fully managed machine learning service that enables everyday developers and scientists to easily build and deploy machine learning models, AWS Lambda, AWS’s pioneering event-driven serverless computing service, and AWS analytics services-to uncover never-before-seen metrics that will change the way fans and teams enjoy, experience, and participate in racing. Formula 1 has also selected AWS Elemental Media Services to power its video asset workflows, enhancing the viewing experience for its 500 million plus fans worldwide.

Threat Stack announced the publication of the 451 Research Pathfinder Report: Refocusing Security Operations in the Cloud Era. The Pathfinder Report, commissioned by Threat Stack, provides specific and actionable guidance for IT, DevOps, and security teams as they adapt to the increased adoption of public cloud, DevOps practices, and modern infrastructure like containers.

As organizations continue to adopt public cloud and drive towards digital transformation initiatives, many will shift towards a DevOps culture that values agility and flexibility in the development process. The 451 Research Pathfinder Report cautions that it can be easy to overlook security during this transition and provides security guidance for organizations with an IT infrastructure in transition.

SolarWinds MSP, a global leader in delivering comprehensive, scalable IT service management solutions to IT solution providers and MSPs, has today launched MSP Pulse, a benchmarking tool that is designed to enable managed service providers to effectively understand the health of their business, with deep insight into opportunity areas for new investment, and an understanding of how they rank against their peers.

MSP Pulse was developed in partnership with The 2112 Group, a leading business-strategy firm focused on improving the performance of technology companies’ direct and indirect channels. With the new tool, MSPs answer a few questions that drive a customized, comprehensive report. It details:

Pooling your money into places of investment can seem daunting, especially if you’re not able to gain a guarantee that your venture will be fruitful. This is often the very nature of investment, and you cannot always be sure. If you’re keen to continue ahead, then you will need to decide where you’re going to invest, and thoroughly research which areas are the safest. These areas include mutual funds, individual stocks and bonds, real estate and land, to name just a few. You can no longer just go by what your gut tells you when there are large sums of money at stake, so it’s imperative that you learn as much as you can on financial theories, active terminology, the risks, and good starting points.

Datera, Inc. announced the immediate availability of its Datera 3.2 Platform, enabling customers to intelligently automate their data operations and capitalize on the transition to server-based architectures to solve their data challenges. With this latest release, Datera further extends its market leadership in data automation and orchestration for tier one applications with heightened integration into container-based applications, new levels of performance through collaboration with flash and persistent memory technology leaders Intel and Samsung, and expanded global reach with active-active stretch clusters that transcend legacy data silos. As part of this release, Datera also expands the list of deployment configurations and certifications with the industry’s top three server providers (HPE, Dell and Cisco), making it easier for customers to attain the benefits of Datera with their hardware vendor of choice.

"The design of Datera’s Data Services Platform simplifies and automates IT storage architectures for tier one applications by creating a single, enterprise-ready design that spans workloads, locations and uses cases," said George Crump, Lead Analyst at Storage Switzerland. "With its expanded support for container-based workloads and expanded server-based deployment options in 3.2, Datera makes a strong case to organizations looking to cure the headaches associated with legacy data architectures."

Most enterprises have separate campus and data center networks, leveraging entirely different architectures to provide connectivity across the two domains. This leads to divergent operations, which inhibits enterprises’ attempts to unify their infrastructure under a common operational umbrella. With Juniper’s new EVPN-VXLAN campus architecture, enterprises can build campus networks using the same protocols that are popular in the most stable and efficient data centers that exist today.

After months of submissions and voting, VMware has created the content catalog for the upcoming VMworld US 2018 event.

Are you attending the event this year?  If so, this is your chance to start planning.  The content catalog contains a complete listing of all the sessions, including abstracts, speaker information, and (when available) details on session times and locations.  There are 600+ breakout sessions, panels, labs, quick talks and group discussions, and this is your opportunity to map out your conference experience to maximize your learning!