Daily Archives: February 5, 2022

Best Buy Co. Inc. is collaborating with a well-known cloud services platform to further apply cloud technology across its retail operations.

The consumer electronics giant is selecting Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS) as its preferred cloud provider for cloud infrastructure services, as well as its strategic partner for developing cloud engineering talent. Through this collaboration, Best Buy intends to support the rapid innovation of its customer experiences.

Best Buy has already been utilizing AWS cloud technology in its enterprise. For example, using advanced cloud technologies, part of which were already supported by AWS, Best Buy was able to deploy a curbside pickup service in two days at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The service is still in use.

Best Buy intends to apply AWS compute, storage, database, and security services to create new experiences for its customers, including the ability to interact virtually with experts to receive live demos of physical products. The retailer will also leverage AWS cloud capabilities to support digital initiatives, such as its existing 24/7 AWS-powered chatbot that offers tech expertise to members of its Totaltech program.

Through this strategic collaboration with AWS, Best Buy will also accelerate the pace of its cloud migration and implementation of its cloud-first strategy, beginning with moving additional retail operations workloads from on-premises data centers to AWS. Moving forward, Best Buy will expand its use of AWS capabilities and AWS Marketplace, a digital catalog with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors.

In addition, the collaboration will give Best Buys technologists access to AWS Training and Certifications comprehensive cloud training curriculum and resources. Best Buy has committed to hiring 1,000 new employees to its technology teamwith 30% of them being diverse, specifically Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and women and has growing tech and data science hubs in Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, and Minneapolis.

Our purpose to enrich lives through technology has never been more important, and this new partnership with AWS is another step in our commitment to deliver outstanding experiences for our customers, said Brian Tilzer, chief digital and technology officer of Best Buy Co. Inc. Not only will AWSs cloud technologies help us in this work, but in combination with our culture of innovation and reinvention, they will give our teams invaluable development opportunities as we continue to grow our skilled teams and remain one of the best places for amazing technology talent to thrive.

Best Buy is transforming the way people buy technology and is using AWSs comprehensive set of cloud services to accelerate its innovation. Thousands of retailers like Best Buy continue to trust AWS as their cloud provider of choice because of our ability to help them remain agile and innovate faster to meet the demands of the constantly evolving retail landscape, said Werner Vogels, VP and CTO of Amazon. Our shared culture of customer obsession and innovation will help us work together to ensure that the cloud will benefit every customer across every aspect of their business.

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Best Buy in new partnership with Amazon's cloud computing division - Chain Store Age

Hays Christine Wright gives her top tips for tech professionals looking to sell themselves in a cloud computing interview.

Cloud computing is a very well-paid industry, with professionals potentially earning more than 60,000 per year in the UK and around $100,000 in the US according to the Hays salary guide and with demand for such roles increasing greatly in recent years.

The pandemic is also accelerating the number of cloud migrations, further increasing demand for a host of IT cloud jobs. This trend shows no signs of stopping.

With this level of demand, now is the perfect time for many tech professionals to start applying for cloud computing jobs. But if you do not have much experience in the cloud, how can you stand out from the crowd during a job interview?

Every company has a reason to migrate to the cloud. But if you can position yourself as a candidate who understandswhya cloud migration is important to an organisation, this exhibits your wider knowledge.

Remember, every company is at a different stage of its cloud migration. While81pc of companieshave at least one application running on the cloud, most are still developing their cloud migration strategies. However, the majority of businesses will also know what they want to get out of the cloud even if they are still not sure how to get there.

Thats where you come in. If you can link your previous tech roles to the wider enterprise, you are clearly demonstrating that you understand the big picture. It also shows that youre a well-rounded candidate who is willing to adapt to the business, which is another important skill to emphasise.

During any interview, you are usually asked about your qualifications and career development plans. This is your opportunity to not just reel off a list of exam results and past projects, but to also demonstrate your knowledge of the latest cloud computing advancements.

So, before your job interview, ensure youve researched the industry thoroughly. You can then use this research to structure your responses to any questions about your continuous education and professional development.

If youre moving from a role as a solutions architect to a cloud solutions architect, for example, try to demonstrate and explain how you have prepared for this shift. You may have taken on additional responsibilities in your current role or completed a continuous education course, for example.

This prep would certainly be worth your while. An AWS/Azure cloud architect earnsmore than 100,000on average per year in the UK. And in the US, a cloud solutions architect could earn around$150,000. Whereas an infrastructure architect earns around 83,000 in the UK.

Cloud-based applications development is a growing field and one that is attracting a lot of talented software developers. During an interview, it is important to highlight your understanding of developing applications specifically for the cloud.

To start, you must be familiar with a range of cloud platforms and understand the implications of designing a tool with scalability in mind. Also, while a cloud-based app can technically be unlimited in size, remember cloud hosting is not free. So, data size optimisation and condensed user requests could help, for example. And dont forget to brush up on your cloud security knowledge, too.

Cloud-native development also covers emerging development areas such as containers, continuous delivery, orchestration and microservices. Even if you are still developing your skills in this space, it is important to show your awareness and understanding as much as possible.

If you are unsure on the technical details, focus instead on how such areas can help the business and show your willingness to learn.

Cloud DevOpsis an emerging area where cloud computing and DevOps are both essential for any digitisation initiative. Now, cloud professionals often find themselves working under a DevOps methodology.

DevOps essentially empowers developers to respond to the business in near real time. In other words, your development efforts are highly accelerated. The centralised nature of the cloud provides DevOps efforts with a standard platform for development, testing and production. As such, the cloud and DevOps are often intrinsically linked.

During your interview, it is important to have an understanding of DevOps and demonstrate your familiarity with some best practices in this space. You may want to ask questions about how the organisation embraces DevOps practices, for example, to further showcase your knowledge.

Multi-cloud initiatives are growing in popularity and, as a result, there is now demand for tech professionals that can work across multiple vendors, developing cloud-agnostic tools.

If you want to demonstrate your expertise in this area, you could work towards a certification in AWS, Google Cloud, Azure or another popular cloud platform. Then, learn how other organisations manage their workloads across multiple clouds.

The world has changed a lot in recent times, massively accelerating many organisations digital transformation efforts. This has provided tech professionals with the perfect opportunity to explore new skillsets and careers.

Cloud computing is an area that is predicted to grow and grow in the years ahead. And if you can market yourself effectively, you could secure one of these highly lucrative and in-demand cloud jobs.

By Christine Wright

Christine Wright is senior vice-president of Hays US. A version of this article previously appeared on the Hays Technology blog.

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5 tips to help you in your next cloud computing job interview - Siliconrepublic.com

Feb. 2, 2022 Ansysannounced a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), identifying the CSP as the preferred and recommended partner for Ansys Gateway powered by AWS. The collaboration will enable deployment of Ansys products on AWS making simulation workloads more user-friendly, while offering scalability and flexibility with easy access to software and storage solutions from anywhere with a web browser. By leveraging connected ecosystem applications in a cloud environment, Ansys customers will reduce time to market, reduce costs, and innovate faster.

Highlights

Building on a longstanding relationship, the newly formed collaboration will provide a browser-based, location-independent solution for Ansys customers particularly product developers, designers, and engineers that have traditionally utilized on-prem HPC resources. Customers will manage and advance their complete CAE, EDA, and Computer-aided design (CAD) product development in the cloud by leveraging scale, flexibility, elasticity, and global reach of AWS.

AWS offers an extensive framework, including products ranging from compute, storage, internet of things (IoT), Digital Twin, analytics and machine learning that Ansys can integrate.

With Ansys Gateway powered by AWS customers will be able to access Ansys applications, enabling faster, flexible, and highly-scalable engineering simulations. In addition to reducing time to market, customers will be able to reduce costs by paying for cloud resources only when they are being used. Ansys Gateway powered by AWS will be available in the AWS Marketplace, allowing customers to access their existing Ansys software applications and will be able to create, customize, and connect Ansys software with 3rdparty applications using minimal technical skills via a user-friendly interface.

This is an exciting opportunity to combine the forces of Ansys and AWS to help customers innovate faster. This work will make it easier for customers to use Ansyss comprehensive portfolio of engineering simulation products leveraging a secure, reliable and agile cloud. It will remove barriers to scale globally for customers and they can perform more simulations and they can do so earlier in the design process, saidBill Vass, Vice President of Engineering at AWS.

The benefits of cloud computing are far reaching with the ability to deploy globally in minutes to all target platforms. As an added benefit, customers maintain full control of their data throughout all projects, ensuring security.

Cloud computing accelerates and expands simulation by removing hardware barriers and computer restrictions, streamlining all processes and workflows, saidShane Emswiler, Senior Vice President of Products at Ansys. By leveraging Ansys Gateway powered by AWS customers will have a stronger, three-layered approach to boost their innovation and efficiency by doing more simulations, faster, and with more flexibility on AWS.

About Ansys

If youve ever seen a rocket launch, flown on an airplane, driven a car, used a computer, touched a mobile device, crossed a bridge, or put on wearable technology, chances are youve used a product where Ansys software played a critical role in its creation. Ansys is the global leader in engineering simulation. Through our strategy of Pervasive Engineering Simulation, we help the worlds most innovative companies deliver radically better products to their customers. By offering the best and broadest portfolio of engineering simulation software, we help them solve the most complex design challenges and create products limited only by imagination. Founded in 1970, Ansys is headquartered south ofPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Visitwww.ansys.comfor more information.

Source: Ansys

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Ansys Announces Strategic Collaboration with AWS to Transform Cloud-Based Engineering Simulations - HPCwire

Global Cloud Computing in Healthcare Market Development Strategy Pre and Post COVID-19, by Corporate Strategy Analysis, Landscape, Type, Application, and Leading 20 Countries , Covid 19 Outbreak Impact research report added by Report Ocean, is an in-depth analysis of market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the markets historic and forecast market growth by geography. It places the market within the context of the wider Cloud Computing in Healthcare market, and compares it with other markets., market definition, regional market opportunity, sales and revenue by region, manufacturing cost analysis, Industrial Chain, market effect factors analysis, Cloud Computing in Healthcare market size forecast, market data & Graphs and Statistics, Tables, Bar &Pie Charts, and many more for business intelligence. Get complete Report (Including Full TOC, 100+ Tables & Figures, and Chart). In-depth Analysis Pre & Post COVID-19 Market Outbreak Impact Analysis

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The Cloud Computing in Healthcare market revenue was xx Million USD in 2016, grew to xx Million USD in 2020, and will reach xx Million USD in 2026, with a CAGR of xx during 2020-2026.

Global Cloud Computing in Healthcare Market Development Strategy Pre and Post COVID-19, by Corporate Strategy Analysis, Landscape, Type, Application, and Leading 20 Countries covers and analyzes the potential of the global Cloud Computing in Healthcare industry, providing statistical information about market dynamics, growth factors, major challenges, PEST analysis and market entry strategy Analysis, opportunities and forecasts. The biggest highlight of the report is to provide companies in the industry with a strategic analysis of the impact of COVID-19. At the same time, this report analyzed the market of leading 20 countries and introduce the market potential of these countries.

Major Players in Cloud Computing in Healthcare market are:

Siemens HealthineersClearData Networks Inc.CareCloud CorporationCerner CorporationAgfa HealthCareAthenahealthMerge Healthcare, Inc.Epic Systems CorporationSectra ABNextGen Healthcare

Most important types of Cloud Computing in Healthcare products covered in this report are:

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

Most widely used downstream fields of Cloud Computing in Healthcare market covered in this report are:

Healthcare ProvidersHealthcare Payers

Years considered for this report:

Historical Years: 2016-2020

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2021

Forecast Period: 2021-2026

A combination of factors, including COVID-19 containment situation, end-use market recovery & Recovery Timeline of 2020/ 2021

covid-19 scenarioMarket Behavior/ Level of Risk and OpportunityEnd Industry Behavior/ Opportunity AssessmentExpected Industry Recovery TimelineBusiness Impact Horizon

Opening of Economy by Q3 2020xxxxxxxx

Recovery Opening of Economy extended till Q4 2020 / Q1 2021xxxxxxxx

Under COVID-19 Outbreak Impact Analysis:We analyzed industry trends in the context of COVID-19. We analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on the product industry chain based on the upstream and downstream markets. We analyze the impact of COVID-19 on various regions and major countries.The impact of COVID-19 on the future development of the industry is pointed out.

Study Explore :

Market Behavior/ Level of Risk and OpportunityEnd Industry Behavior/ Opportunity AssessmentExpected Industry Recovery Timeline

For more information or any query mail at [emailprotected]

Geographical Breakdown: The regional and country breakdowns section gives an analysis of the market in each geography and the size of the market by geography and compares their historic and forecast growth. It covers the impact and recovery path of Covid 19 for all regions, key developed countries and major emerging markets.

Countries:Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam

In-Depth Qualitative COVID 19 Outbreak Impact Analysis Include Identification And Investigation Of The Following Aspects:

The research includes the key strategic activities such as R&D plans, M&A completed, agreements, new launches, collaborations, partnerships & (JV) Joint ventures, and regional growth of the key competitors operating in the market at global and regional scale.

Key Market Features in COVID-19 Outbreak:

The report highlights market features, including revenue, weighted average regional price, capacity utilization rate, production rate, gross margins, consumption, import & export, supply & demand, cost bench-marking, market share, CAGR, and gross margin.

Market Highlights & ApproachThe report provides the rigorously studied and evaluated data of the top industry players and their scope in the market by means of several analytical tools. The analytical tools such as Porters five forces analysis, feasibility study, SWOT analysis, and ROI analysis have been practiced reviewing the growth of the key players operating in the market.

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The study objectives of this report are:

To study and analyze the global market size (value & volume) by company, key regions/countries, products and application, history data from 2014 to 2018, and forecast to 2025.To understand the structure of market by identifying its various subsegments.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).Focuses on the key global manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.To analyze the growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To project the value and volume of submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

The Study Explore COVID 19 Outbreak Impact Analysis

What should be entry strategies, countermeasures to economic impact, and marketing channels?What are market dynamics?What are challenges and opportunities?What is economic impact on market?What is current market status? Whats market competition in this industry, both company, and country wise? Whats market analysis by taking applications and types in consideration?

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Key Points Covered in Cloud Computing in Healthcare Market Report:

Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global Cloud Computing in Healthcare, Applications of, Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of , Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, Export & Import, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia, Segment Market Analysis (by Type);Chapter 7 and 8, to explore the Market Analysis by Application Major Manufacturers Analysis;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type, Market Trend by Application;Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of Global Cloud Computing in Healthcare by region, type and application;Chapter 12, to describe Cloud Computing in Healthcare Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Cloud Computing in Healthcare sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.

..and view more in complete table of Contents

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Cloud Computing in Healthcare Market Is Likely to Experience a Tremendous Growth in Near Future | Siemens Healthineers, ClearData Networks Inc.,...

Fugue CEO Josh Stella Explains Why You Need To Think Like a Hacker To Beat a Hacker

FREDERICK, Md., February 04, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a brief video explainer and commentary, Josh Stella, co-founder and CEO of Fugue, the cloud security and compliance SaaS company, talks to business and security leaders about what hackers are searching for when they target cloud computing infrastructures and how to thwart them.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220204005106/en/

The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu famously wrote: "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." That advice is just as relevant today as companies face a constant, never-ending war against hackers attacking their cloud computing infrastructures. Ninety percent of hacking is discovery, and 90% of defending is knowledge. Before you implement any security products or adopt new processes, you must first understand your cloud environment, and the unique threats against it.

A New Threat Landscape

The cloud infrastructure is very different from the data center. Developers and engineers build their own cloud infrastructure when they need to and have the ability to make (and change) their own infrastructure decisions, including security-critical configurations. This is significant because each change creates the risk of a misconfiguration left open to attack. And make no mistake about it the bad guys will find it.

What Is a Cloud Misconfiguration?

A misconfiguration is anything that proves ineffective at stopping a hacker. These vary from individual misconfigurations like leaving a dangerous port open or not patching a server to significant architectural problems that are easier for security teams to overlook. I guarantee that your organization has both kinds of misconfigurations in your cloud environments.

The primary driver of cloud computing is application programming interfaces (APIs) the software "middlemen" that allow different applications to interact with each other. This eliminates a fixed IT architecture requirement in a centralized data center. It also means the traditional security model for securing data centers you may be familiar with erecting an outward-facing barrier around the network perimeter to block incoming attacks is not applicable in the cloud.

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The control plane is the API surface that configures and operates the cloud. For example, you can use the control plane to build a container, modify a network route, and gain access to data in databases or snapshots of databases (which are more prevalent among hackers than breaking into live production databases). Put simply, the API control plane is the collection of APIs used to configure and operate the cloud.

Hackers are focused on finding and exploiting misconfigurations to get to the control plane APIs. Therefore, cloud security is a function of design and architecture, not monitoring and intrusion detection. By the time youve detected something, the damage has already been done.

Unfortunately, the security industry remains a step behind the hackers because many vendors do not protect their customers against attacks that target the cloud control plane. Frankly, most of them are meeting checkboxes to make senior executives and security teams feel better until theyre hacked. Its a security theater, and it remains all too prevalent in our business.

The Alphabet Soup of Cloud Security Categories

As a result, executives and security professionals are constantly bombarded by various security solution product categories and acronyms like CWPP, CNAPP and CSPM. But the hackers arent thinking about subverting vendors and analysts naming categories. They are thinking about how to get into your environment to do damage; that is all that matters to them.

You need to cut through the noise, clutter and confusion to understand where you should focus your attention. Dont think about security in terms of individual product categories; theyre meaningless.

Lesson Learned From Real Cloud Breaches

Consider the 2019 Capital One data breach, which remains one of the largest ever to hit a big financial institution. The attacker broke through a misconfigured firewall (facilitated by permissions Capital One set that were likely broader than intended) to access a server and ultimately steal more than 100 million consumer credit applications.

The hacker didnt care about getting into the server, except that doing so enabled them to surf the identity and access management (IAM) "network" using API keys to find and steal the data. Identifying that attack vector was the key to thwarting the attack, not whether Capital One had checked off that they had installed their vendors security products.

Hackers dont live within the constraints of an organizations security tools. Effective cloud security solutions ignore those product categories and focus instead on preventing what hackers do by analyzing all configurations and scenarios as a whole because thats what the hackers are doing.

A typical hack on the cloud spans identity, configuration (not just configuration of resources, but policy configuration of identity), the accessibility of resources, and the particular mechanisms you may use for encryption. The gaps that we see in most vendors security approaches are grounded in a false sense of security because they think they have satisfied all the items on a checklist.

The result is that a company feels confident in saying, "We have encryption turned on at rest," but it doesnt bother to examine whether it has an exposed identity, which contains credentials both to the data source and the keys for encryption, thats long-lived and resident on a device in their cloud infrastructure.

Rest assured, thats what the hackers are looking for because they dont care about the categorization or the list of things that as security practitioners we do to make ourselves feel better. Creating an effective cloud security system requires that you first understand these threats. The most effective approach is to use Policy as Code.

Policy as Code

When developers build applications in the cloud, theyre also building the infrastructure for the applications instead of buying a pile of infrastructure and adding apps into it. That is a coding process using Infrastructure as Code, and developers own that process. Therefore, the security teams role becomes that of the domain expert who imparts knowledge to the developers to ensure they work in a secure environment. The way you can do that is with Policy as Code, which enables your team to express security and compliance rules in a programming language that an application can use to check the correctness of configurations.

Policy as Code is designed to check other code and running environments for unwanted conditions. It empowers all cloud stakeholders to operate securely without ambiguity or disagreement on the rules and how to apply them at both ends of the software development life cycle (SDLC).

Leverage Automation Technology

Policy as Code also enables you to automate the continuous search for misconfigurations and, in some cases, their remediation. This relieves your security and infrastructure teams of the responsibility of spending the bulk of their time every day doing so via time-consuming, error-prone manual processes. A holistic response requires you to implement Policy as Code at the development phase, in the runtime, and the continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline. As you gain maturity, these things can then be institutionalized and built into your processes so that its all automated.

Protecting your cloud infrastructure begins with understanding how attackers think and operate and, critically, just how different their methodologies are compared to hackers targeting systems in the on-premises data center. Youll likely discover your security team has implemented a grab bag of point solutions, perhaps all acquired from one vendor with one product name, that is insufficient in solving the little pieces of what Policy as Code can solve, fundamentally and strategically.

About Josh Stella

Josh Stella, co-founder and CEO of Fugue, is a technical authority on cloud security. Bringing 25 years of expertise as a chief technology officer, principal solutions architect at Amazon Web Services, and advisor to intelligence agencies, Josh founded Fugue in 2013 to help companies proactively change the security paradigm and get ahead of the hackers. He wrote the first book on "Immutable Infrastructure," holds numerous cloud security technology patents, and hosts complimentary Cloud Security Masterclasses. Connect with Josh on LinkedIn and via Fugue at http://www.fugue.co.

About Fugue

Fugue is a cloud security and compliance SaaS company enabling regulated companies such as AT&T, Red Ventures, and SAP NS2 to ensure continuous cloud security and earn the confidence and trust of customers, business leaders, and regulators. Fugue empowers engineering and security teams to automate cloud policy enforcement and move faster than ever before without breaking the rules. Since 2013, Fugue has pioneered the use of policy-based cloud security automation and earned the patent on policy as code for cloud infrastructure. For more information, connect with Fugue at http://www.fugue.co, GitHub, LinkedIn and Twitter.

All brand names and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Tags: Fugue, cloud security, SaaS, Josh Stella, policy as code, cybersecurity, cloud, infrastructure as code, open source, cloud security automation, network configuration, cloud configuration, cloud misconfiguration, ransomware, data breach, cloud threats, application programming interface, API

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220204005106/en/

Contacts

Dottie ORourkeTECHMarket Communications(650) 344-1260Fugue@techmarket.com

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Cloud Threats: What Business Executives Need To Know Right Now - Yahoo Finance

The edge computing solution market size is expected to grow from $36.5 billion in 2021 to $87.3 billion in 2026. A majority of this growth percentage can be traced back to the enterprises. By moving from their own data centers to the cloud, enterprises have gone through a remarkable shift in their computing resources. But with the growth of powerful mobile devices and very capable cellular networks like 5G, enterprises have started thinking beyond their data center and current cloud systems and are moving towards the edge computing systems.

But what is edge computing? Lets find out.

Edge computing systems are a distributed, modern computing architecture which brings computation and data storage closer to the source of data, which in turn, saves some bandwidth and betters the response time.

By harnessing and working with the computing power that is there on remote premises like retail stores, warehouse, factory, etc. developers can build use cases like:

But how does the definition of edge computing technology translate into the real-world edge computing use cases?

The advantages of edge computing solutions can be seen as the elevated version of the capabilities of cloud computing. For enterprises this means faster delivery of information, better customer experience, and easier scalability. Let us look into the details of the benefits of edge applications now.

Edge computing solutions have been very popular in industries where high-valued assets can lead to massive losses when they go down. Edge computing through its lightning speed makes it possible for businesses to deliver reports in seconds which earlier used to take weeks.

The working enterprise computing examples around predictive maintenance can be seen in the oil and gas industry where edge computing helps with proactively managing their pipeline, identifying the defects and preventing any further failures.

The pandemic has pushed businesses into remote working while dispersing employees across the city or even around the world. This shift from in-office to work from anywhere model is a great use case for edge applications. With companies inclining towards remote workforce, they are also looking into ways to provide a system for the employees to access the corporate systems.

Here are the different ways edge computing solution can support a distributed team

By deploying the computational process near the edge devices, businesses can help lower latency to a great extent.

An example of this can be seen in how if an employee wants to deliver an urgent message to another employee sitting on the fifth floor, it would take time for the message to get routed outside the building, communicate with a server located somewhere in the world and then come back to the other employee. With the help of edge for enterprise solutions, however, a router will be in-charge of data transfers in the office, which will massively lower the delay while saving the bandwidth to a huge extent.

While this use case was around one message, imagine this. By 2022, 50% enterprise created data will get created outside the cloud. This means, with edge computing, it will be almost instantaneous to transmit this information set.

Today, more than ever before, businesses run on data. The data which revolves around both their business and their clients. Now, processing a massive amount of data sets is a lot more efficient and secure when it is done near the data source. Heres why.

Generally, when businesses use cloud computing for storing the data, all the information gets stored in a centralized location which is very open to hacks and phishing activities. But when the data is moved to an edge computing architecture, it gets an extra layer of security as it is not dependent on a single point of application or storage. It gets distributed to a wide range of devices.

Ultimately, in edge computing solutions, even if there is a phishing attack, it doesnt lead to a complete shutdown as the compromised section of the network can be disconnected before they affect the complete network.

The enterprise spending on IoT systems is on a constant rise.

Used majorly in manufacturing units and industries which work heavily through connected devices, IoT has found a place for itself in the business world. Now for businesses looking to scale up their computational abilities to bring in IoT in the processes requires a more dedicated data center.

With edge computing technology installed in the enterprise, the adoption of IoT becomes very cheap and puts next to zero pressure on the networks bandwidth. Businesses, using the edge computational capability can expand into the profitable IoT market without any significant infrastructure cost.

Globally, the enterprise spending on cloud solutions is on a rise. The pandemic has only pushed it further with employees moving to a work from home mode and more information getting stored and processed on the cloud.

Now, when you move the data closer to the networks edge, the cost of sending the data to the cloud gets saved, which in turn helps businesses save on their IT costs. In addition to cutting down the expenses, edge computing services also play a role in increasing the revenue by enabling businesses with the data transmission speed and network they require to try out new models.

So here were the many ways edge applications help enterprises scale up to their next best version. Now, as an entrepreneur reading this, you might be wondering, What are the edge computing companies I will have to get in touch with? Should I ditch cloud computing for edge? Let us get you the answers.

While both cloud computing and edge computing consist of storing the data and distributing it to the users when they request it, there lies some key differences between them.

Reading this differentiation you must be wondering if at all edge computing is right for your business. Well, heres how we help our clients decide. If your business has multiple locations or you need to lower the latency for your customers who are away from the headquarters, it can be a good move for you. Another way to decide that would be by looking into your current computing needs, if you notice any significant latency issue or you see a time loss on servers, it could be time to make the switch.

In order to deploy the edge computing capabilities quickly in the enterprise, you would need to get in touch with some of the top edge for enterprise providers. Plus, you would be needing the help of an enterprise software development services provider, like Appinventiv, to help with the integration part of it.

Now talking about the top providers of edge computing, here are the ones we recommend:

1. Amazon Web ServicesThey offer a consistent experience through a cloud-edge model and offer solutions around AI, IoT, Analytics, etc.

2. DellThey offer edge computing orchestration and management services through their OpenManage Mobile functionalities.

3. ClearBladeThey recently released an Edge Native Intelligent Asset Application which enables an edge maintainer to create seamless connectivity between the core enterprise system and the IoT device.

Now that we have reached the end of the article, I am sure you still might be having some questions around the whole concept of what is edge computing. Let me try to answer them through some of the questions that our clients ask us around the concept.

A. Edge computing is a way to bring the data and the computational capability of the cloud closer to the point of data generation. The technology gives businesses the ability to move the process of processing the data and giving back results, closer to where the data was generated from. Real world examples of edge computing can be seen in kiosk machines, face detection softwares, self-driving cars, etc.

A. There are several use cases of edge computing in the business world, as discussed in the article. Let me quickly run through them.

A. Edge computing has a very wide range of real-world application examples:

So here was everything you needed to know about the role of edge computing in an enterprise. Now that you have gathered a series of use cases for the application of the technology in your business, its time to consult an enterprise software development company to know where you can fit in the computing model and how it would impact the remaining of your business processes. We can help with that part.

Sudeep Srivastava

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What is Edge Computing and Why It Matters to Enterprises? - Appinventiv

Why Some Financial Institutions Are Still Wary of the Cloud

In the current climate, where customer behaviors and expectations are continually evolving, flexibility and adaptability are key.

In a recent blog, Google listed some of the difficulties banks face in moving to the cloud. The barriers to adoption vary, from the complexity of legacy systems, to trust and skills gaps, regulatory uncertainty, and fragmentation of compliance requirements.

At the same time, banks are grappling with the ever-increasing amount of data they collect while simultaneously pivoting to counter cyberthreats in an ever-changing threat landscape. In addition, the IBM report notes, banks face technology challenges associated with infrastructure, applications, processes, data, and customer engagement.

READ MORE: Learn how banks can decide which storage solution is right for their data.

While cloud technology may seem to present new challenges for financial institutions, it offers great promise as well. A cloud-based infrastructure can provide greater scalability and agility, which allow organizations to adjust more quickly in response to changes in the market.

According to IBM, pragmatic leaders are taking this lesson a step further with an open, hybrid multicloud approach, which integrates traditional computing platforms with private, public and managed cloud services: In essence, a hybrid cloud becomes a virtual computing environment that aligns workloads and interfaces with the most appropriate computing platform. All these services need to be managed as though they were designed to behave as a single unified environment.

A hybrid multicloud approach combines the flexibility of the public cloud with the security features of private cloud and on-premises data storage, allowing banks to optimize the best features of each platform.

This can help structurally reduce cost of operations, as well as balance ownership and flexibility with regulatory adherence. And by allowing workloads to run on multiple platforms in multiple interoperable environments, an open, hybrid multicloud architecture enables portability of workflows and data accessibility, the report states.

LEARN MORE: Find out how cloud security posture management can help banks protect their data.

The report calls open hybrid multicloud the logical configuration for financial institutions because it balances business needs with IT requirements and cost constraints. A multicloud approach also prevents an organizations dependency on a single cloud service provider or technology.

A hybrid multicloud approach also enhances security by providing access to defense tools that are powered by artificial intelligence and designed specifically for the financial sector. AI can also be used to improve customer service, workforce efficiency and regulatory compliance.

In addition, a multicloud approach can enable forms of technology that will accelerate digital transformation. Some of the technologies cited in the report include augmented reality to enhance customer engagement with bank employees, as well as 5G for the workforce to support efficient work from home without sacrificing performance.

Excerpt from:

The Benefits of a Multicloud Approach for Financial Institutions - BizTech Magazine

Public cloud computing was poised on the edge of the mainstream for several years before the world was locked down in early 2020. Since then, firms pandemic-driven digital transformation efforts have accelerated the uptake of these cloud services, making them widelypopular.

Global expenditure on public cloud providers is estimated to have risen from $270bn (200bn) in the first year of the pandemic to more than $330bn in 2021, according to Gartner. It notes that the Covid crisis has helped many chief information officers to overcome resistance in their organisations to removing mission-critical IT resources from their premises and entrusting a third-party provider to host and manage theminstead.

Partly because of this shift, there has been a marked increase in the amount of data thats being collected and stored. Although using a public cloud offers several benefits, there are also some potential pitfalls to avoid. Particularly when moving their data to the cloud, organisations need to take these risks intoaccount.

Before they even start down this road, a firm needs to work out whether a public cloud will be a suitable repository for all workloads its not a one-size-fits-all option.

When assessing potential providers, a business must understand how data will be generated, used and, sometimes, transferred back to its own systems from the cloud. This is because the process of repatriating material can be expensive for clients. So-called data-egress fees are arguably some of the most unexpected (and therefore unbudgeted) costs of cloud usage. The existence of these well-hidden charges means that moving to the cloud wont necessarily be cheaper than keeping everything in house. Organisations should therefore ensure that they fully understand the potential costs and complexities associated with putting their data back on the premises if they should choose to do so in thefuture.

Once a provider has been chosen and the migration is under way, the biggest risk is not having an accurate picture of what data is held, where it is held and what access and security measures the data needs to have. So says Tony Lock, director of engagement and distinguished analyst at IT research firm Freeform Dynamics.

Given the rapid growth in the volume of material being generated and stored in the cloud, organisations need the ability to efficiently discover and classify all their data. This means that they should seek to automate as many processes as possible, Lock advises. At the same time, they need to establish policies designed to ensure that this data is adequately protected with measures that conform to regulatory requirements.

When it comes to entrusting the storage of business-critical data to a third party, how should companies balance the convenience of public cloud computing with the need to maintain the integrity and security of highly sensitive material?

This is a matter for each organisation to decide independently, based on its risk profile and the extent to which it wants to feel in control, says Jaco Vermeulen, chief technology officer at IT consultancy BMLDigital.

Vermeulen, who has overseen cloud migrations for companies including the Post Office and Park Holidays UK, advises businesses dealing with such questions to define security policies and structures, and monitor and automate scalability rules. They should also select the appropriate public cloud service provider, relevant components and servicelevels.

Dont rush into the cloud because its the hot thing todo

Nick Heudecker, senior director of market strategy and competitive intelligence at data specialistCribl, stresses that organisations should not treat cloud migrations as a purely technical task totackle.

Moving applications, or reliably deploying new ones, in a public cloud environment will certainly present such challenges there are many technical hurdles to overcome, he acknowledges. But, for an organisation to gain the full advantage of on-demand, abundant scale and flexibility, it will have to rethink how it works. The challenges it faces are therefore just as much social and organisational ones.

Heudecker adds that, while business leaders may be eager to switch off their firms on-site data centres in their eagerness to get into the cloud, the migration process can potentially takeyears.

For the things you can move, think about how youll monitor and observe these systems as they migrate between environments, he advises, observing that many of Cribls clients use a technology that it calls an observability pipeline to aid their migrations.

Lock advises organisations to identify all their data, classify it and determine their options from there. You may even find that some of your on-site data requires different security and access requirements from those actually in place, especially if these havent been reviewed and/or updated in a long time, he says. This is really all about data governance an issue that can be overlooked, especially as there may be requests to bring data together from various sources for a given project. Combining data from different sources, in the cloud or on your premises, can create different protection and usage requirements, especially with regard toprivacy.

Bruce Edwards is director of technology at Stage11, a virtual entertainment platform. As an engineer whos helped companies such as the Walt Disney Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Dine Brands Global to migrate to public clouds, he is well placed to advise firms seeking to make similarmoves.

Dont rush into the cloud because its the hot thing to do, he stresses. Approach it with a plan in mind and consider what youre looking to accomplish. This is a huge undertaking. If you do it right, it can transform a company of any size for the better. If you rush it, youll end up with a cost-ineffective mess on your hands. My strongest advice is to first ask yourself one simple question: whats best for the business? Then do your research and plan for the road farahead.

Edwards continues: Explore the numerous types of cloud providers at your disposal to find the one that best suits your needs. Weigh the benefits of each for both your company as it is today and the business you want it to become. Work with cloud experts that specialise in your companys area of expertise, preferably with direct experience in your industry. Together, you can map out your journey to the cloud. Keep in mind that not everything has to be moved at once. Give yourself the freedom to be patient and learn as yougo.

Continue reading here:

What you should know about the risks of migrating to the cloud - Raconteur

Quantum computing offers the potential to harness big data, make intricate predictions and use artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize business operations. Many industries such as automotive, agriculture, finance, healthcare, energy, logistics and space will be affected from the growth in this technology. As a result, Wall Street has been paying significant attention to quantum computing stocks.

Once considered science fiction, quantum computing has made significant progress in recent years to solve complex problems at lightning speed. This advanced technology uses the power of quantum mechanics to represent complex problems. These computers can take seconds to calculate equations that normally take days for machines that use a binary framework.

International Data Corporation forecasts that the global market for quantum computing should grow from about $412 million in 2020 to more than $8.5 billion in 2027. This increase would mean a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of an eye-popping 50% between now and 2027. Given such metrics, its understandable why investors are thrilled about the future of quantum computing stocks.

While it is currently in its early days, Wall Street has already warmed up to long-term prospects of this technology. Besides several pure-play quantum computing stocks going public in 2021, well-known tech names are pouring significant research dollars to invest in this advanced segment.

With that information, here are the seven best quantum computing stocks to buy in 2022:

52-week range: $142.25 $191.95

Dividend yield: 1.7%

Semiconductor group Analog Devices manufactures integrated circuits that process analog and digital signals. ADIs chips are used in data converters, high-performance amplifiers and microwave-integrated circuits.

Analog Devices issuedQ4 2021 metricson Nov. 23. Revenue increased 53% year-over-year (YOY) to $2.34 billion. Adjusted earnings soared from $1.44 per share to $1.73 per share. The company generated a free cash flow of $810 million. Cash and equivalents ended the period at $1.98 billion.

Factory automation has fueled demand for sensors and machine connectivity, which increasingly rely on Analogs chips. In addition, the automotive industry has also become a key growth driver due to the rising use of advanced electronics in electric vehicles (EVs).

In late August, the chipmaker completed theacquisition of Maxim Integrated. The billion transaction should increase ADIs market share in automotive and 5G chipmaking.

ADI currently trades just under $160, up 7% over the past 12 months. Shares are trading at 21.5 times forward earnings and 8.9 times trailing sales. The 12-month median price forecast for Analog Devices stock stands at $210.

52-Week Range:$42.96 $57.15

Expense Ratio:0.40% per year

QTUM is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that focuses on the next generation of computing. It offers exposure to names leading the way in quantum computing, machine learning and cloud computing. The fund tracks the BlueStar Quantum Computing and Machine Learning Index.

QTUM, which started trading in September 2018, has 71 holdings. The top 10 holdings account for less than 20% of net assets of $161.5 million. Put another way, fund managers are not taking major bets on any company.

Among the leading holdings on the roster are the security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin(NYSE:LMT), French telecommunications operator Orange(NYSE:ORAN) and IBM.

For most retail investors, QTUM could potentially be a safe and diversified place to start investing in quantum computing. As portfolio companies come from a wide range of technology segments, wide swings in the price of one stock will not affect the ETF significantly.

The fund has gained 8.7% over the past year and saw an all-time high in November 2021. However, the recent selloff in tech stocks led to a 10.7% decline year-to-date (YTD). Interested readers could regard this decline as a good entry point into QTUM.

52-week range: $113.17 $146.12

Dividend Yield: 4.8%

Technology giant International Business Machines (IBM) needs little introduction. The legacy tech name offers integrated solutions and services, including infrastructure, software, information technology (IT) and hardware.

IBM announcedQ4 2021 financials on Jan. 24. The company generated revenues of $16.7 billion, up 6.5% YOY. Net income stood at $2.33 billion, or $2.57 per diluted share, up from $1.36 billion, or $1.51 per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Cash and equivalents ended the period at $6.65 billion.

After the announcement, CEO Arvind Krishna said, We increased revenue in the fourth quarter with hybrid cloud adoption driving growth insoftware and consulting.

The company launched its Quantum System One quantum computer in 2019. Around 150 research groups and partner companies currently use IBMs quantum computing services. These names come from financial services businesses, automakers and energy suppliers.

In June 2021, IBMunveiledEuropes most powerful quantum computer in Germany. Moreover, the tech giant recentlyannounced a deal with Raytheon Technologies(NYSE:RTX) to provide quantum computing and AI services for the aerospace, defense and intelligence industries.

IBM currently changes hands around $137, up 20% over the past 12 months. Shares are trading at 13.5 times forward earnings and 2.2 times trailing sales. The 12-month median price forecast for IBM stock is $144.50. Interested readers could consider buying IBM shares around these levels.

52-week range: $7.07 $35.90

IonQ is one of the first publicly traded pure-play quantum computing stocks. It went public via a merger with the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) dMY Technology Group III in late 2021.

The quantum name released Q3 2021 results on Nov. 15. Its net loss was $14.8 million, or 12 cents loss per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $3.6 million a year ago. Cash and equivalents ended the quarter at $587 million. Wall Street was pleased that at the time, YTD contract bookings came in at $15.1 million.

IonQ is currently developing a network of quantum computers accessible from various cloud services. The technology uses ionized atoms that allow IonQs machines to perform complex calculations with fewer errors than any other quantum computer available.

The start-up has the financial backing of prominent investors, including Bill Gates and the Japanese telecommunications companySoftbank Group(OTCMKTS:SFTBF). In addition, IonQ has been developing strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Amazons (NASDAQ:AMZN) Amazon Web Services and Alphabets(NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) GoogleCloud.

While IonQ is taking steps to become a commercialization-stage name, it is still a speculative investment. With its potential for explosive growth, it could be an attractive quantum computing stock for investors looking to take a risk.

IONQ stock hovers around $12. The recent selloff in tech stocks has led to a 26.7% decline YTD. Yet, the 12-month median price forecast for IONQ stock stands at $23.

52-week range: $224.26 $349.67

Dividend Yield: 0.8%

Microsoft is one the largest and most prominent technology firms worldwide. It offers software products and services, including Azure cloud service, the Office 365 productivity suite and the customer relationship management (CRM) platform Dynamics 365.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft Quantum is the worlds first full-stack, open cloud quantum computing ecosystem that allows developers to create quantum applications and run them on multiple platforms. The software giant provides quantum computing services via the cloud on Azure.

Management announced robust Q2 FY22 metricson Jan. 25. Revenue increased 20% YOY to $51.7 billion. Net income surged 21% YOY to $18.8 billion, or $2.48 per diluted share, compared to $15.5 billion, or $2.03 per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Cash and equivalents ended the period at $20.6 billion.

On Jan. 18, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard(NASDAQ:ATVI), a leading player in game and interactive entertainment development. It will be an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion. Wall Street expects this deal to provide tailwinds for Microsofts gaming business and building blocks for the metaverse.

MSFT stock currently trades just under $310, up 27% over the past 12 months. Shares support a valuation of 32.6 times forward earnings and 12.3 times trailing sales. And the 12-month median price forecast for Microsoft stock stands at $370.

52-week range: $115.67 $346.47

Dividend Yield: 0.06%

Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia has become an important name in advanced semiconductor design and software for next-generation computing development. InvestorPlace readers likely know the chipmaker is a market leader in the gaming and data center markets.

Nvidia announced impressive Q3 FY 2022 numbers on Nov. 17. Revenue soared 50% YOY to a record $7.1 billion, fueled by record sales in the gaming and data center businesses. Net income increased 62% YOY to $2.97 billion, or $1.17 per diluted share. Cash and equivalents ended the period at $1.29 billion.

The chipmaker provides the necessary processing power that drives the development of quantum computing. Additionally, Nvidia recently released cuQuantum, a software development kit designed for building quantum computing workflows. It has partnered with Google, IBM and other quantum computing players that rely on cuQuantum to accelerate their quantum computing work.

Given its growing addressable market in cloud computing, gaming, AI, and more recently the metaverse, NVDA stock deserves your attention. Share are changing hands around $245, up nearly 80% over the past year. However, despite an 18% decline YTD, shares are trading at 46.5 times forward earnings and 25 times trailing sales.

Finally, the 12-month median price forecast for Nvidia stock is $350. As the company gets ready to report earnings soon, investors should expect increased choppiness in price.

52-week range: $9.62 $12.75

Our final stock is Supernova Partners Acquisition II, a SPAC. It is merging with Rigetti Computing, a start-up focused on quantum computer development. As a result of the merger, Rigetti Computing was valued at about $1.5 billion and received $458 million in gross cash proceeds.

Rigetti designs quantum chips and then integrates those chips with a controlling architecture. It also develops software used to build algorithms for these chips.

Rigetti recently announced business highlightsfor the nine months ended Oct. 31, 2021. Revenue came in at $6.9 million. Net operating loss declined 3% YOY to $26.2 million.

We believe the time for quantum computing has arrived, said founder and CEO Chad Rigetti. Customer demand is increasing as Rigetti quantum computers begin to address high-impact computational problems.

The start-up launched the worlds first scalable multi-chip quantum processor in June 2021. This processor boasts a proprietary modular architecture. Now Wall Street expects the company to move toward commercialization.

Rigetti collaborates with government entities and technology to advance its quantum processors. For instance, it boasts strategic partnerships with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Energy. It also works with data analytics firm Palantir Technologies (NYSE:PLTR) and electronics manufacturer Keysight Technologies(NYSE:KEYS).

SNII stock is currently shy of $10, down about 4% YTD. As investors interest in quantum computing names grow, shares are likely to become hot.

On the date of publication, Tezcan Gecgil holds both long and short positions in NVDA stock. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines.

TezcanGecgil has worked in investment management for over two decades in the U.S. and U.K. In addition to formal higher education in the field, she has also completed all 3 levels of the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) examination. Her passion is for options trading based on technical analysis of fundamentally strong companies. She especially enjoys setting up weekly covered calls for income generation.

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7 Best Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy in 2022 - InvestorPlace

Worldwide spending on cloud infrastructure has been on a sharp annual increase for the past decade. Investment in storage, hardware, virtualization and other cloud-enabling resources is expected to hit $74 billionby the end of 2021, and reach at least $110 billion by 2024. Its perhaps the clearest metric yet that cloud computing is not only here to stay but will soon become one of the most viable ways to run a successful organization. If your business doesnt utilize cloud technology, it may as well not exist as far as the competition is concerned. If the necessity of the cloud was ever in doubt, the pandemic laid those doubts to rest.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and thats certainly true looking back over the past two years. Businesses that were already flirting with cloud computing, exploring technologies like SD-WAN and SASE to optimize the remote working experience, have suddenly found themselves on a fast track to wholesale cloud adoption. According to McKinsey, a significant number of businesses are suffering a kind of technology whiplash after fitting a decades worth of digital transformation into the space of just three months. That kind of rapid innovation is necessary if you want to keep employees connected from their kitchen tables without skipping a beat, and it doesnt look like that innovation is going to slow down any time soon.

Were now two years into the pandemic and while theres certainly light at the end of the tunnel, the immediate future remains shrouded in mystery. In the UK, for instance, where vaccine rollouts have been a relative success, new work-from-home orders have just been announcedas we see out the year, spurring IT teams around the country back into action as they once again facilitate remote working. Is it any wonder that more than a third of businesseshave increased their spend on cloud technology since the beginning of the pandemic?

As we alluded to in the first paragraph, cloud adoption has been growing pretty consistently since around 2012. Businesses around the world were already seeing the benefits of cloud technology; the pandemic merely acted as a catalyst for those that were on the fence. One of the technologies underpinning this rapid shift to the cloud appears to be the use of an internet underlay to facilitate business as usual in a hybrid working world.

Traditional MPLS and WANs that are centralized in big data centers are all well and good when everybody is office-based and sharing the same access points, but their benefits are immediately lost the minute someone decides to log on from home. With a large amount (42%) of staff keen to carry on working from home, and business leaders downsizing their offices to accommodate hybrid working, the challenge is beginning to crystalize. Businesses need a way to offer the same levels of service, security, speed and capacity via the public internet, as they do on their own office-based networks. Thats where SD-WAN, SASE and internet underlay technologies have come to age in a post-pandemic landscape.

Lets reflect on the potential benefits of SD-WAN and SASE. If a business with more than 50 sites worldwide, each operating on multiple MPLS-based networks, is suddenly told that their staff must work from home, they have a problem. The online security environments at the different sites are likely to vary, making processes much harder to shift from one network to the other. Using a basic VPN solution to allow staff to log in from home can also lead to a massive knock in performance as traffic flows between data sources and applications becomes harder to track and define. In other words, the employee experience degrades the minute they switch to remote working, leading to increased frustration and lower productivity.

But what if that wasnt the case? What if security could be standardized across all 50 sites, including employees' homes and other remote work locations? What if traffic flows and app usage could be monitored in real-time, allowing for a more streamlined allocation of resources, regardless of where a team member is logging on from? This is what SD-WAN and SASE deliver, and its likely to be the future of cloud.

Take the art of cloud acceleration, for instance. There was a time when packet loss was seen as a huge problem leading to performance loss, an obstacle to overcome. Cloud acceleration as part of an internet underlay, however, would view this packet loss as nothing more than useful information and turn it to an organizations advantage. Those packet losses can be traced to their sources and remedied while traffic is re-routed - sometimes via less obvious paths - to maintain a seamless user experience.

This real-time optimization of the web experience is likely to be the next generational leap as we move forward into a hybrid working environment. The future might be uncertain, but at least itll be fast, secure and offer employees a consistent experience, whether theyre dialing in from their home broadband or sitting around the boardroom table.

See the article here:

Future of Cloud: Digital Transformation in a Post-Pandemic World - The Fast Mode