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MWC19: Where Telecommunications and Cloud Meet
As a cloud solution architect, my passion is learning the details about how cloud computing uniquely supports specific business cases. This curiosity is what drove my excitement when Ericsson invited me to work with them during Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. As the largest mobile event in the world, MWC Barcelona brings together the latest…
Tulane University SoPA Selects “Architechting Cloud Computing Solutions”
Last week, Packt Publishing announced that “Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions” by Kevin L. Jackson and Scott Goessling was selected for use by the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement, Applied Computing Systems & Technology Program as the textbook for their mandatory Enterprise Architecture – Hardware course starting Spring Semester 2019. I am proud and honored to be trusted by such a prestigious institution. Being an “Amazon…
5G Wireless Technology Connecting Healthcare
Healthcare is in the middle of massive change. Called digital transformation by many, this term describes the industry’s pursuit of the many promises offered by connected patients, connected caregivers, and connected hospitals. While the goals of this transformation are many and varied, a recent HIMAA Media survey revealed the top four as: Seeking improved quality of care…
Maria Lensing: The Network Platform for Healthcare’s Future
As a girl, Maria and her family traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to get cancer treatment for her sick brother. The miracle she observed, as the healthcare providers saved her brother’s life, ignited a passion for healthcare. Unfortunately, that passion didn’t apply to blood, so she went into electrical engineering and biomedical engineering, eventually falling in…
How “Big Iron” Does “Big Regulation”
According to Verizon, there were over there were over 53,000 security incidents in 2017, with over 2,200 of those identified as confirm data breaches. A Ponemon Institute study also showed that companies experiencing a data breach took an average of 147 days to detect that breach. These statistics serve a key motivator of Stuart McIrvine, Director…
Mainframe Synergies for Digital Transformation
In July of 2018, Broadcom announced its intentions to acquire CA Technologies. In the press release, Hock Tan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Broadcom, said: “This transaction represents an important building block as we create one of the world’s leading infrastructure technology companies. With its sizeable installed base of customers, CA is uniquely positioned…
2018 AT&T Business Summit: Security “in” and “of” the Cloud
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 to balance the downside of cloud computing risks with the upside of promising cost savings is, therefore, top of mind. The dilemma becomes even more…
My Brush with Royalty: Queen Latifah
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 television and film production units, a record label and an artist management company. She has been managing herself since age 21 and within 2 years…
What’s New in Puppet 5?
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 new features and enhancements. Puppet 5 was released in 2017, and according to Eric Sorensen, director of product management at Puppet, the goal was to…
5 Reasons Why Ansible is the Best CM Tool Out There?
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 software application has numerous moving parts, which, if not effectively maintained, will definitely affect the final quality and end user experience. This is where configuration…

The cybersecurity challenge seems to be growing daily. Threats are becoming more sophisticated, and attacks are becoming more destructive while the corporate world’s response seems to resemble a deer in headlights. Recent examples of this dangerous state of affairs include[1]:
- A data breach of a US Customs and Border Protection surveillance contractor that led to the theft of traveler photos and license plates related to about 100,000 people;
- Ransomware attacks on local government that forced payments from the Jackson County, GA ($400,000), Lake City, FL (almost $500,000 in bitcoin) and Riviera Beach, FL (almost $600,000 in bitcoin);
- Severe disruption to operations of email and baggage systems at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Baltimore City and the Philadelphia Courts First Judicial District;
- A supply chain attack against computer maker Asus that compromised the company’s Live Update tool and pushed malware to almost 1 million customers;
- Data exposure of the sensitive financial records of 885 million customers of the First American real estate and title insurance firm that included Social Security numbers, driver’s license images, bank account numbers and statements, mortgage and tax documents, and wire transaction receipts.
In addition to this criminal threat, governments around the world are passing and enforcing new privacy and data protection laws that impose severe violation penalties. Examples of this are:
- British Airways fine of £183 million (just under $228 million) for a Sept 2018 data breach that compromised the data of 500,000 customers.[2]
- A fine given to Marriott Corporation for $123 million for the loss of 339 million guest records, reported in November 2018.
- A $57 million penalty from France’s GDPR regulator levied on Google for “lack of transparency” and valid consent controls for users.

The top agenda item for just about every Board of Directors now is how to protect corporate data, flowing across the threat infested Internet, to multiple endpoint devices, that have a virtually unknown pedigree.
One company, Lenovo, has taken up the challenge with ThinkShield, a revolutionary approach to securing devices through their entire lifecycle. As a global manufacturer of smartphones (Motorola), tablets, PCs (ThinkPad, Yoga, Lenovo Legion), workstations, AR/VR devices, and data center solutions (ThinkSystem, ThinkAgile) this international technology leader is creating capabilities and computing power that changes both business and society.
Anchored by secure device design process, Lenovo builds protection into its products. Through a strategic partnership with Intel®, Lenovo has aligned with the Intel Transparent Supply Chain to provide visibility into the source components of every new system. Lenovo oversees the security of suppliers who build intelligent components, making sure they conform to rigorous, Trusted Supplier Program guidelines and best practices. The ThinkShield ecosystem’s lifecycle approach also includes:
- The industry’s first and only FIDO®-certified authenticators that use match-on-chip fingerprint technology that gives companies safer, easier ways to protect employees’ identities;
- An industry-leading level of integration with Intel Authenticate that offers higher security and flexibility through the use of up to 8 authentication factors;
- BIOS-based Smart USB protection that keeps employee PCs safer by restricting USB port response to keyboards and pointing devices only;
- WiFi Security, in partnership with Coronet, that detects threats and notifies users when they are about to connect to unsafe wireless networks;
- BUFFERZONE® technology that isolates online threats before they infect the whole organization;
- MobileIron® Endpoint Management that provides a secure, simple way to unify cloud and endpoint security across multiple devices;
- Absolute® Persistence™ technology that provides an unbreakable connection from IT admins to all corporate devices so that they can leverage enriched asset intelligence, automate endpoint hygiene, and continuous compliance monitoring;
- End of life data disposal process that keeps potentially sensitive data secure by wiping the drives and securely recycling the parts.
Over the next few months, I will be sharing the details of this exciting cybersecurity protection breakthrough by exploring how it can help organizations operate globally within a drastically enhance security environment. Subsequent posts will address:
- Part 2: The Threat – The current and evolving security threat to hardware, software, and data protection processes
- Part 3: Protecting Hardware – Organizational, IT Administrator and IT User roles and activities needed to protect IT hardware
- Part 4: Protecting Software – Organizational, IT Administrator and IT User roles and activities needed to protect IT software
- Part 5: Security Processes – Organizational, IT Administrator and IT User roles and activities needed to establish effective security processes
- Part 6: Enhancing Your Security – Effectively defending against online threats through a people-centric approach
Looking forward to engaging with you through this journey.

This post is sponsored by Lenovo.
[1] https://www.wired.com/story/biggest-cybersecurity-crises-2019-so-far/
[2] https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-protection/gdprs-big-moment-has-just-arrived-with-a-228-million-data-breach-fine/
Cloud Computing
- CPUcoin Expands CPU/GPU Power Sharing with Cudo Ventures Enterprise Network Partnership
- CPUcoin Expands CPU/GPU Power Sharing with Cudo Ventures Enterprise Network Partnership
- Route1 Announces Q2 2019 Financial Results
- CPUcoin Expands CPU/GPU Power Sharing with Cudo Ventures Enterprise Network Partnership
- ChannelAdvisor to Present at the D.A. Davidson 18th Annual Technology Conference
Cybersecurity
- Route1 Announces Q2 2019 Financial Results
- FIRST US BANCSHARES, INC. DECLARES CASH DIVIDEND
- Business Continuity Management Planning Solution Market is Expected to Grow ~ US$ 1.6 Bn by the end of 2029 - PMR
- Atos delivers Quantum-Learning-as-a-Service to Xofia to enable artificial intelligence solutions
- New Ares IoT Botnet discovered on Android OS based Set-Top Boxes