Government Cloud Achilles Heel: The Network

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2018 AT&T Business Summit: Security “in” and “of” the Cloud

By G C Network | November 10, 2018

While public cloud is undoubtedly an outsized piece of the conversation, news headlines of the latest data breach can make this move a very frightening proposition. The question of how…

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My Brush with Royalty: Queen Latifah

By G C Network | November 9, 2018

Queen Latifah! Hip Hop Icon. Movie Star. Television Star. Fashion Model. Songwriter. Producer. Entrepreneurial Genius!? YES! Dana Elaine Owens, her given name, is co-owner of Flavor Unit Entertainment, a firm that includes…

What’s New in Puppet 5?

By G C Network | November 9, 2018

Puppet 5 is released and comes with several exciting enhancements and features that promise to make configuration management much more streamlined. This article will take a comprehensive look at these…

5 Reasons Why Ansible is the Best CM Tool Out There?

By G C Network | November 9, 2018

Amidst volatile markets, dynamic technology shifts, and ever-increasing customer demands, it is imperative for IT organizations to develop flexible, scalable and high-quality applications that exceed expectations and enhance productivity. A…

Machine learning APIs for Google Cloud Platform

By G C Network | November 9, 2018

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is considered to be one of the Big 3 cloud platforms among Microsoft Azure and AWS. GCP is widely used cloud solutions supporting AI capabilities to design and…

What Is The Most Important Part of Architecture?

By G C Network | November 9, 2018

I always find it interesting to hear what people view architecture as. A lot of people think it’s just about the design aspect, where you get to put pen to…

Cloud migration best practice Part 4: Executing the migration

By G C Network | September 16, 2018

This series has stepped through cloud migration best practices. After providing an overview, we discussed: Classifying business-critical data. Updating organizational IT governance policies. Application screening and cloud workload selection. How to…

Cloud Migration Best Practice Part 3: Application Portfolio Analysis

By G C Network | September 16, 2018

In part three of this series on cloud migration best practice, I will focus on migrating the application itself. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read our recommendations from part…

Why Use Immutable Storage?

By G C Network | September 11, 2018

Data has become a global currency, and its value has nowhere to go but up.  According to The Economist online, the world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but…

CLOUD ACT: What Does That Mean for Your Cloud Storage

By G C Network | August 31, 2018

When Congress names a law after you, it’s getting serious.  That is where we are now with cloud computing.  The Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act or CLOUD Act (H.R. 4943) is…

Cloud computing is rewriting the books on information technology (IT) but inter-cloud networking remains a key operational issue. Layering inherently global cloud services on top of a globally fractured networking infrastructure just doesn’t work. Incompatibilities abound and enterprise users are forced to use “duct-tape and baling wire” to keep their global operations limping along. The continuing gulf between IT professionals and business managers only exacerbates this sad state of affairs. IT professionals, however, bear a more significant amount of blame for the current state because we are the ones responsible for providing the operational platform and enabling the new information delivery models that drive modern constituent services and commerce.

The use of cloud has also driven changes in how governments and commercial enterprises approach data security. In the cloud era, organizations can no longer get away with treating all data at some arbitrarily high level of protection.  More than ever, they need to address data protection requirements and controls based on the lifecycle stage of the data. They also need to evaluate the numerous permutations of business function, data user role, location of access, legal or regulatory guidelines and user devices. This is especially important in the public sector where organizations use public funding and operate within a framework of public trust. While this type of analysis could have arguably been seen as overkill when organizations had direct control over the networks they used, taking that view today is tantamount to declaring open season on data for any hacker, identity thief or
ransomware vendor out there. A laissez-faire approach to data categorization and controls is not only full of economic and reputational dangers but it also represents a due diligence failure when it comes to meeting legal and regulatory requirements for protecting sensitive information (e.g. personally identifiable information, medical records, financial data).

In my new article for IEEE Cloud Computing Magazine, I continue addressing this topic by explaining why cloud networking is different and what new cloud networking services are needed. As the cloud computing industry advances into the enterprise space, its success will inevitably depend on our ability to address information consumer perceptions, evolving application requirements, improved management across the application/computing infrastructure/network interfaces and enhanced automated visibility and management of the foundational wide area network. Reading this article will help professionals looking for longevity in this industry to learn and understand how each of these issues affect your organization’s business or mission.

https://www.computer.org/web/computingnow/cloudcomputing

( This content is being syndicated through multiple channels. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of GovCloud Network, GovCloud Network Partners or any other corporation or organization.)

Cloud Musings

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