Laura’s Insights ITIC Blog

IBM Fortifies Security with Lighthouse Security, CrossIdeas Acquisitions

Laura's Insights ITIC Blog, News / By

In a move that bolsters its already considerable portfolio of security offerings, IBM announced it acquired the business operations of Lighthouse Security Group, LLC, a Lincoln, Rhode Island-based maker of Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions.

IBM’s purchase of Lighthouse, the security division of longtime IBM Business Partner, Lighthouse Computer Services, comes two weeks after its acquisition of CrossIdeas, a privately held Italian cyber security startup that specializes in Access Governance software to help firms manage user access to applications and data across on-premise and cloud environments. Eric Maass, Chief Technology Officer, Lighthouse Security Group, along with other Lighthouse Security employees will make the transition to IBM Lighthouse Security sells a cloud-hosted IAM gateway platform, which incorporates a full suite of functionalities based on IBM’s Security Identity and Access Management capabilities. This includes: single sign-on, user provisioning, identity lifecycle governance, enterprise user registry services, federation and user self service. …

IBM Fortifies Security with Lighthouse Security, CrossIdeas AcquisitionsRead More »

IBM Fortifies Security with Lighthouse Security, CrossIdeas Acquisitions Read More »

Contemplating a Hybrid Cloud Deployment? Why Infrastructure Matters

Laura's Insights ITIC Blog / By

The forecast for 2014 and beyond is cloud, cloud and more cloud – cloud computing, that is. For a majority of organizations – irrespective of size or vertical market – it’s a matter of “when” not “if” they will initiate a cloud computing deployment.

And ITIC survey data indicates that hybrid clouds will predominate and be the cloud architecture of choice for 64% of businesses. Hybrid cloud solutions offer organizations the best elements of public and private clouds when properly architected, tested, deployed and maintained. The benefits include reduced costs based on a utility-like pay-per-use model, greater scalability, flexibility and greater efficiencies in terms of manageability and business processes.

That said, in order to ensure optimal hybrid cloud performance and maximize Return on Investment (ROI), companies must start with a strong foundation. This includes a robust, reliable, flexible, scalable, manageable and secure infrastructure that provides integration and interoperability among legacy network components and the firm’s public and private clouds. Any hybrid cloud deployment lacking in these aforementioned elements is almost certainly doomed to failure. …

Contemplating a Hybrid Cloud Deployment? Why Infrastructure MattersRead More »

Contemplating a Hybrid Cloud Deployment? Why Infrastructure Matters Read More »

IBM x-86 Server Line Sale to Lenovo is Win-Win For All

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In a deal that is a win-win for all concerned, Chinese PC maker, Lenovo Group Ltd. will purchase IBM’s low-end, commodity x 86 Server portfolios, related resources and operations for $2.3 billion, which includes $2.07 billion cash with the remainder in stocks.

The sale of the IBM x86 servers has been rumored for well over a year as Big Blue grappled with continuing pressure on its low-margin x86 servers. In its most recently completed fourth quarter, IBM’s revenue dropped 5.5% to $27.7 billion. Slumping hardware sales was the chief culprit for the revenue miss. IBM’s x86 server sales declined by 16% in the fourth fiscal quarter alone, following seven straight quarterly revenue declines.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lenovo will purchase:

  • IBM’s System x servers
  • The BladeCenter and Flex System blade servers and switches
  • The x86-based Flex integrated infrastructure systems
  • The NeXtScale and iDataPlex servers and associated software
  • IBM’s blade networking and maintenance operations

…

IBM x-86 Server Line Sale to Lenovo is Win-Win For AllRead More »

IBM x-86 Server Line Sale to Lenovo is Win-Win For All Read More »

IBM Watson Takes Cognitive Computing to the Head of the Class

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Pardon the pun, but there’s nothing elementary about IBM’s newly formed, New York City-based Watson Business Unit (BU).

IBM is committing $1 billion and 2,000 employees, as well as its considerable research and development (R&D) talents and marketing muscle to Watson, thus putting the full weight of its global technology and services brand behind the newly formed BU and initiative.

IBM CEO Virginia Rometty said that Michael Rhodin, most recently SVP of IBM’s Software Solutions Group, will take charge of the Watson Group. According to Rometty, the company established Watson as a separate BU based on the strong demand for cognitive computing. The IBM Watson Group will develop cloud-based technologies that can power services for businesses, industries and consumers.

Rometty also said the new IBM Watson Group notably integrates design, services, core functions, technologies, and a fully formed ecosystem which includes a design lab as well as hundreds of outside external partner applicants, foundations and advisors. All of these elements are crucial if Watson is to succeed. …

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IBM Watson Takes Cognitive Computing to the Head of the Class Read More »

IBM Platform Resource Scheduler Automates, Accelerates Cloud Deployments

Laura's Insights ITIC Blog / By

One of the most daunting and off-putting challenges for any enterprise IT department is how to efficiently plan and effectively manage cloud deployments or upgrades while still maintaining the reliability and availability of the existing infrastructure during the rollout.

IBM solves this issue with its newly released Platform Resource Scheduler which is part of the company’s Platform Computing portfolio and an offering within the IBM Software Defined Environment (SDE) vision for next generation cloud automation. The Platform Resource Scheduler is a prescriptive set of services designed to ensure that enterprise IT departments get a trouble-free transition to a private, public or private cloud environment by automating the most common placement and policy procedures of their virtual machines (VMs). It also helps guarantee quality of service while greatly reducing the most typical human errors that occur when IT administrators manually perform tasks like load balancing and memory balancing. The Platform Resource Scheduler is sold with IBM’s SmartCloud Orchestrator and PowerVC and is available as an add-on with IBM SmartCloud Open Stack Entry products. It also features full compatibility with Nova APIs and fits into all IBM OpenStack environments. It is built on open APIs, tools and technologies to maximize client value, skills availability and easy reuse across hybrid cloud environments. It supports heterogeneous (both IBM and non-IBM) infrastructures and runs on Linux, UNIX and Windows as well as IBM’s zOS operating systems. …

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IBM Platform Resource Scheduler Automates, Accelerates Cloud Deployments Read More »

2013 Cyber Shopping Sales Surge 20%; Mobile Traffic Up 45% Over 2012

Laura's Insights ITIC Blog / By

The 2013 five-day cyber holiday shopping sale from Black Friday through Cyber Monday drove the highest sales totals in U.S. history. This year’s sales surged over 20% and mobile traffic increased by 45% compared with 2012 revenues, according to data from IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark Hub, which tracked data from over 800 U.S retailers in real-time.

Apple, Amazon, Best Buy and Wal-Mart were the big winners. Apple especially has reason to be pleased: IBM’s Digital Analytics statistics indicated that Apple iOS devices rang up 450% more online commerce than rival Android devices and Apple customers outspent their Android counterparts by over $13 on individual sales as well.

Additionally, IBM’s cloud-based analytics findings indicated that U.S. shoppers made Cyber Monday the biggest single online shopping day in history with a nearly 21% increase in online sales. Mobile sales exceeded 17% of all online sales, representing an increase of 55% year-over-year, according to IBM Digital Analytics statistics. And the average online order was $128.77.

Retail analysts got a bit of a shock when this year’s Cyber Monday online sales outpaced Black Friday sales by a solid 31.5 %. However, the consumers who shopped on Black Friday spent an average five percent more on each order — $135.27 versus those who spent $128.77 on Cyber Monday purchases. …

2013 Cyber Shopping Sales Surge 20%; Mobile Traffic Up 45% Over 2012Read More »

2013 Cyber Shopping Sales Surge 20%; Mobile Traffic Up 45% Over 2012 Read More »

IBM Wins $150M EU Contract for 6,100 System x and Flex System Servers

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IBM and Business Partner Bechtle AG just won a $150 million contract to supply the European Commission with 6,100 System x and Flex Systems for office and application servers and supporting services.
This is the largest contract ever awarded by the EC, which is the executive body of the European Union institutions and agencies in the EC’s 27 member states.

The contract is significant for both the size of the award and the fact that IBM and Bechtle AG beat out tough competitors including rivals Bull, Dell, Fujitsu and Hewlett-Packard for the multi-tier/year contract. That they did so is a testament to the EC’s confidence in the performance, reliability and scalability of IBM System x and Flex Systems server line and IBM and Bechtle AG’s ability to deliver top notch technical service and support.

The $150 million contract also underscores IBM’s continued commitment to and investment in the Intel Corp. based x86 platform. Rumors have been swirling for some time that IBM might sell off the System x server line. Given the EC contract win, coupled with several other recent big System x wins and potential System x server deals in the offing, a sale seems unlikely.

In addition, IBM is readying a new line of System x servers for release in early 2014 based on Intel’s forthcoming “Ivy Bridge” EX processor. Sources within IBM said that Big Blue will bolster the considerable performance and reliability features of the upcoming Intel EX processor with significant add-on capabilities that go beyond Intel’s own server specifications. …

IBM Wins $150M EU Contract for 6,100 System x and Flex System ServersRead More »

IBM Wins $150M EU Contract for 6,100 System x and Flex System Servers Read More »

Rise in Security Threats Increases Risk, Pressures on IT and Business

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An overwhelming 80% of companies say that “end user carelessness” constitutes the biggest security threat to their organizations, surpassing the ever-present peril posed by malware or organized hacker attacks .

Additionally, 65% of businesses do not calculate the cost or business impact of security-related downtime and over 30% of firms are unable to detect or defend against a security breach in a timely manner when one does occur.

Those are among the top findings of the ITIC/KnowBe4 “2013 – 2014 Security Deployment Trends Survey.” The joint independent Web-based survey polled 500 organizations during October/November 2013 on the leading security threats and challenges facing their firms and their top priorities over the next 12 to 18 months. In order to maintain objectivity, ITIC and KnowBe4 accepted NO vendor sponsorship and none of the respondents received any remuneration for participating.

The data indicates that IT departments are hard pressed to stay abreast of myriad security issues which represent just one portion of their overall job responsibilities. Some 44% of survey respondents said their IT departments and security professionals spend less than 20% of their time on daily operational security. Another 32% said they devote 20% to 40% of their time on security. Only 20% of participants dedicate a significant portion of their daily and weekly administrative activities to securing their systems and networks. …

Rise in Security Threats Increases Risk, Pressures on IT and BusinessRead More »

Rise in Security Threats Increases Risk, Pressures on IT and Business Read More »

Does Infrastructure Really Matter When it Comes to IT Security?

Laura's Insights ITIC Blog, News / By

Yes, infrastructure absolutely does matter and has a profound and immediate impact on enterprise security.

Server hardware (and the server operating systems and applications that run on them) form the bedrock upon which the performance, reliability and functionality of the entire infrastructure rests. Just as you wouldn’t want to build a house on quicksand, you don’t want your infrastructure to be shaky or suspect: it will undermine security, network operations, negatively impact revenue, raise the risk of litigation and potentially cause your firm to lose business.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. These days, many if not most corporate enterprises have extranets to facilitate commerce and communications amongst their customers, business partners and suppliers. Any weak link in infrastructure security has the potential to become a gaping hole, allowing a security breach to extend beyond the confines of the corporate network and extranet. Security breaches can infect and invade other networks with astounding rapidity.

Increasingly, aging and inadequate infrastructure adversely impacts enterprise security. …

Does Infrastructure Really Matter When it Comes to IT Security?Read More »

Does Infrastructure Really Matter When it Comes to IT Security? Read More »

National Advertising Division Strikes Oracle Out Over Misleading IBM Ads; Refers Case to FTC

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It’s Strike Three for Oracle in its ongoing argument with the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division (NAD) and IBM over a series of 2012 ads in which Oracle claimed its servers were much less expensive and outperformed Big Blue’s machines.

NAD, the investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation, has now forwarded the complaints onto the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC is a government regulatory agency and it wields much more authority than the BBB or NAD.

At this point, Oracle would do well to give up gracefully. But given the history between these two long standing rivals, that is unlikely to happen.

The dispute revolves around three separate Oracle advertising campaigns in 2012, which ran in major publications including The Wall Street Journal. According to the NAD’s latest press release each of Oracle’s ads featured “an overbroad and unsupported comparison between one Oracle product and one IBM product.” Each campaign was reviewed by NAD following complaints lodged by IBM, which alleged Oracle’s claims were specious and hyperbolic. The NAD reviewed all of the complaints and agreed with IBM and recommended that Oracle discontinue making misleading claims in its advertisements. …

National Advertising Division Strikes Oracle Out Over Misleading IBM Ads; Refers Case to FTCRead More »

National Advertising Division Strikes Oracle Out Over Misleading IBM Ads; Refers Case to FTC Read More »

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