Month: December 2019

Infoblox Announces Acquisition of SnapRoute to Accelerate Delivery of Cloud-Native Network Services

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SnapRoute’s cloud-native network OS together with Infoblox’s cloud-native network services platform promise to deliver a next level network experience

Infoblox Inc., the leader in Secure Cloud-Managed Network Services, announced the acquisition of SnapRoute, the creator of the industry’s first Cloud-Native Network Operating System (CN-NOS). SnapRoute’s talent and technology add significant depth to Infoblox’s suite of offerings and will help the company to radically simplify networking and deliver groundbreaking services more quickly and efficiently.

As business environments continue to evolve as part of digitalization efforts, they become more decentralized, and operate across multiple platforms and devices in a hybrid cloud architecture, technology and service providers will need a new platform/architecture to deliver and manage network and security services at scale. Infoblox’s BloxOneTM platform is built around cloud-native architectural principles, enabling the delivery of cloud-managed secure network services at scale. With SnapRoute’s cloud-native OS, Infoblox will now be able to accelerate the development and delivery of additional network services on its platform.

This July, Gartner released a report predicting that the WAN edge and network security markets will converge into a new market, built on the secure access service edge (SASE) model. The report also asserts that the ideal platform for SASE will be built around a cloud-native architecture and will support the delivery of edge services via a SaaS based deployment model.

With its BloxOneTM Threat Defense solution and recently released BloxOneTM DDI solution, Infoblox has already delivered DDI and security centric services built on the SASE architecture. SnapRoute’s technology, IP and exceptional talent will accelerate Infoblox’s ability to expand the suite of SASE services offered on this cloud-native architecture.

“We recognize that the future is in the cloud, and to meet customer demands for flexibility, scalability, adaptability, enhanced security and speed, it will become increasingly important for network and security services to be cloud-native,” said Jesper Andersen, President and CEO of Infoblox. “We are thrilled to welcome the SnapRoute team as we work together to leverage their innovative technology and IP to rapidly expand the services we offer on our BloxOne platform.”

“Building from a cloud-native foundation is essential to providing the scalable and flexible services that businesses demand today,” said Dom Wilde, CEO of SnapRoute. “Infoblox is the only company that has invested in building a truly cloud-native platform for networking and security services complementary to what we built at SnapRoute, and we couldn’t be more pleased to join the Infoblox team to help expand their services and capabilities.”

Buyers Lab Recognizes Kodak Alaris for Outstanding Achievement in Innovation

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Alaris INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution hailed as a ‘groundbreaking’ solution 

Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab (BLI), the world’s leading independent evaluator of document imaging software, hardware and services, has recognized the Alaris INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution with its Outstanding Achievement in Innovation awardin the Document Imaging Software category. The coveted honour acknowledges products or capabilities that stand out for a particular innovation that moves the product category forward.

“Capture and workflow solutions are nothing new. But delivering a truly customized, automated solution typically entails server- and workstation-based software at the client site, training of end users on how to use the solution, and hours of on-site setup and ongoing maintenance for the integrator placing the system. Alaris has changed all that,” said Jamie Bsales, Director of Solutions/Security Analysis at Keypoint Intelligence. “The INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solutionlets Alaris partners deploy turnkey business process solutions to their customers that turn complex tasks into, essentially, a press of a button on the INfuse AX scanner. And even the scanner setup is automated.”

To create this unique solution, Alaris combined several key technologies into a groundbreaking distributed scanning ecosystem. At the customer site (or sites), INfuse AX Scanners are the touchpoint for end users. These smart network scanners require no PC or software/drivers, and securely transfer data, metadata and finished image files directly into a cloud-based business process created and hosted by the Alaris channel partner or solution provider (typically an ISV or integrator). The scanner employs Alaris’ exclusive EasySetup technology, so configuring device settings is as easy as scanning in a cover sheet. The system also includes INfuse Management Software, which provides Alaris partners with easy end-user set-up, remote configuration, and fleet management.

“The inspiration for INfuse comes directly from channel partner and end user feedback,” said Don Lofstrom, President & General Manager, Alaris, a Kodak Alaris business. “Kodak Alaris is pleased to be recognized by Buyers Lab and our customers for our leading-edge technology and innovation.”

In addition to the Outstanding Achievement in Innovation award, in the past year, Buyers Lab has also recognized the Alaris E1000 Series Scanneras winner of its Summer Pick award for Outstanding Scanner for SMBs and the Alaris S2040 Scanneras winner of its Winter Pick award for Outstanding Departmental Scanner.

To learn more about the Alaris INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution, please visit alarisworld.com.

2020: THE YEAR FOR BUSINESS AVIATION

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MEBAA Show 2020 to Lead Regional Industry Promotion

2020 will be a good year for business aviation in the MENA region, according to Ali Alnaqbi, Founding & Executive Chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA). With the MEBAA Show 2020 taking place in December, the event is perfectly timed to lead the industry in this year of opportunity.

Alnaqbi stated that the business aviation sector in the MENA region is achieving a positive growth rate of around eight to nine percent, higher than the global growth estimate of four to six percent, pointing out that the UAE has become the sector leader in the region.

“2020 will be a milestone in the history of business aviation and private aviation in the Middle East region in general, and in the UAE in particular, as a result of Expo 2020,” Alnaqbi said. He added, “The air traffic in Dubai is currently around 15,000 movements, and this is expected to double to at least 30,000 due to the event.”

There are two main driving factors for this growth, according to Alnaqbi: the official delegations travelling to the country for the expo, and the companies and business leaders attending the event.

The number of aircraft registered in the UAE market is almost 25% of the 600 aircraft registered in the Middle East. Investments in the sector are difficult to quantify as they are distributed among airlines, operators and buildings as well as airports. However Alnaqbi says the volume in the UAE is estimated at between $800 million and $900 million annually, with a contribution to GDP of around two to three percent.

In addition, the industry will benefit from government support for growth.The aviation sector is one of the main strategic sectors, targeted by government plans. It seeks to build a strong and sustainable economy, based on the diversification of sources of national income, and build a post-oil economy.

The MEBAA Show will take place 8-10 December 2020 at DWC, Dubai Airshow Site, and is expecting 500 exhibitors and 10000 trade attendees throughout the three days.

Among the companies already exhibiting at the MEBAA Show 2020 are Airbus Corporate Jets, Dassault Aviation, Gulfstream and Embraer, in addition to many other industry leaders. The event attracts key decision makers and VVIPs along with the whole supply chain of the business aviation industry.

“It’s very important to be close to our customers and to be part of the MEBAA Show,” Benoit Defforge, President of Airbus Corporate Jets, said at the last MEBAA Show. He added, “The Middle East is the number one market for ACJ and MEBAA Show is a very interesting venue because we have the proximity of the booths, the chalets and the aircaft.”

“2020 will be the year of business aviation in the Middle East and North Africa,” says Alnaqbi. He continues, “The MEBAA Show 2020 is the ideal platform for the entire industry to be part of it. I look forward to welcoming the key players in business aviation to Dubai in December 2020.”

Veeam Launches New AWS-Native Backup and Recovery Solution in AWS Marketplace

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NEW Veeam Backup for AWS makes it easy for customers and cloud service providers to natively protect, manage and recover AWS workloads;

Industry-first built-in Cloud Backup Cost Estimator tool enhances greater cost controls and savings

Veeam® Software, the leader in Backup solutions that deliver Cloud Data Management™, today announced NEW Veeam Backup for Amazon Web Services (AWS), cost-effective and secure cloud-native Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) protection,will be available exclusively through AWS Marketplace. Veeam Backup for AWS, a point solution to backup AWS to AWS with powerful Veeam recovery capabilities, is available in both free and paid versions in AWS Marketplace. The product is also now integrated with Veeam’s flagship product, Veeam Backup & Replication™,allowing Veeam users to manage all of their data, be it cloud, virtual or physical, within the same platform. As part of their Diamond sponsorship of the event, Veeam will demonstrate the new solution for the first time at AWS re:Invent 2019 in Las Vegas, NV, showcasing the easy, powerful, and cost-effective backup and recovery solution for AWS-native workloads.

Data loss can happen whether it is stored on-prem or in the cloud. A recent Veeam customer survey found that 53 percent of customers cite user error or accidental deletion as a leading cause of data loss[1]. Ultimately, it is the customer’s responsibility to make sure their data is protected.

Designed specifically for AWS, NEW Veeam Backup for AWSbrings the same simplicity, flexibility and reliability to AWS native-backup that earned Veeam recent industry recognitions. Veeam was recently positioned as a Leader in the 2019 Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions[2]. Veeam was also positioned as a Leader in the Forrester Wave. This new solutionmakes it even easier for customers and cloud service providers to natively protect, manage and recover their AWS workloads. Veeam provides the flexibility to store the data and recover data in the same cloud (cross-region or cross-account), on-premises, or in any other Veeam-supported environment – whether VMware V-Sphere, Microsoft Hyper-V or Nutanix AHV.

“Protecting data is not only essential to business continuity, but also to maintaining competitive advantage, complying with regulations, and maintaining brand reputation. While the cloud holds the promise of significant business benefits, IT decision makers must still take direct action to protect critical data and enable business continuity in the event of an outage, disaster or cyber-attack.,” said Ratmir Timashev, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Veeam. “Veeam’s latest cloud-native solution, Veeam Backup for AWS, available as a point solution in AWS Marketplace as well as now integrated into Veeam Backup & Replication, not only strengthens our commitment to be a leader in Cloud Data Management, but extends Veeam-powered data protection to AWS customers, making it easy for customers to procure and entitle the solution using the same APIs and subscription model used for other software.” 

Ease of use is built into the NEW Veeam Backupfor AWSwith turn-key deployment via AWS Marketplace, while powerful recovery capabilities are also delivered with features like file-level recovery for native snapshots and Veeam backups. An industry-first built-in tool, Cloud Backup Cost Estimator is designed to provide customers with greater cost controls and savings by simulating policy charges to avoid excessive costs before they start their backups.

For Veeam customers, integration with Veeam Backup & Replication™ will enable them to take control of their cloud data by protecting and managing AWS backups alongside their other cloud, virtual and physical data. Additional benefits include:

  • – The same trusted solution for on-premises backup now protects AWS workloads. Built for cloud-native workloads with support for native snapshots and Veeam backups. Cost-optimized for long-term data retention in Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3).
  • – Flexible with no cloud lock-in, restore or migrate any on-premises workloads directly to AWS and restore files or data from AWS back to on-premises or any other Veeam-supported environment (ex. VMware V-Sphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV).
  • – Helps customers to manage, backup, and recover all workloads from a single interface.
  • – Move workloads across cloud environments with a Veeam Universal license (VUL) that flexibly follows your workload. 

Pricing and Availability

General availability of Veeam Backup for AWS in AWS Marketplace is targeted for December 2019. Customers can get started by downloading the free edition, limited to backup of 10 instances, here: https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/B081VXF1Q9. General licensing is based on pay per use only, starting at $40/year, per instance, and includes 24/7/365 support. For more information, visit: https://www.veeam.com/aws-backup.html.

[1]Veeam customer survey, April 2019.

[2]Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions, Santhosh Rao, Chandra Mukhyala, Nik Simpson, 10 October 2019.

Nutanix Once Again (and Again) Named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure

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Nutanix(NASDAQ: NTNX), a leader in enterprise cloud computing, today announced it has been named a Leader by Gartner, Inc. in the November 2019 Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure. Nutanix has been recognised in all editions of this Magic Quadrant since Gartner started it.

“We continue to be recognised by Gartner as a Leader in hyperconverged infrastructure again and again, and we believe it is because of our relentless focus on pioneering innovative technology and customer success,” said Dheeraj Pandey, Chairman, Founder and CEO at Nutanix. 

“Our goal is to make IT and cloud infrastructure so simple that it fuels innovation and business growth. Nutanix provides flexibility, not only via our products and solutions, but also from the freedom to choose the best HCI consumption model for the business, including software subscription licenses that are portable across hardware platforms and cloud environments.”

Nutanix was also designated as a March 2019 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice vendor for hyperconverged infrastructure. Based on detailed feedback from 264 customer ratings, Nutanix has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. Additionally, 92% of respondents identified as willing to recommend Nutanix.

Nutanix customers said:

“In order to build for the future, you MUST implement the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Platform.” — Vice President Infrastructure Services in the Services Industry

“Great product, most importantly, great support.” — IT Manager in the Government Industry

Nutanix believes that enterprises continue to choose its products over competitors for its simplicity and flexibility, as well as the company’s exceptional customer service. Specifically:

  • Simplicity:Nutanix’s products allow enterprises to deliver all applications, at any scale, with simple one-click deployment, upgrades, scaling, troubleshooting and more.
  • Choice: By offering customers flexible licensing and consumption models, as well as the ability to choose among many hardware and virtualisation vendors, Nutanix provides customers the flexibility needed to grow, scale and achieve their business goals. 
  • Customer Focus:Nutanix’s obsession on ensuring the success of its customers has resulted in the company achieving an average Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 90 for the past five years.

This news comes on the heels of impressive momentum Nutanix has seen over the last year, including surpassing 14,000 customers globally and $1.2 billion in revenue for its latest fiscal year. Additionally, the company announced deepened collaborations with Hewlett Packard Enterpriseand ServiceNowthat enable increased choice for customers seeking hybrid cloud solutions that fit their unique needs.

More information on Nutanix and a complimentary copy of the report are available at:www.nutanix.com/gartner

Source: 

Gartner, Inc, Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure, Jeffrey Hewitt, Philip Dawson, Julia Palmer, John McArthur, November 25, 2019

Disclaimer:

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-user reviews, ratings, and data applied against a documented methodology; they neither represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Gartner or its affiliates.

NetApp Appoints Matt Watts as Chief Technology Officer, EMEA, and Promotes Johannes Wagmueller to Lead Solutions Engineering in the Geo

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NetApp, the data authority for hybrid cloud, today appointed Matt Watts to the newly created role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO), EMEA, and promoted Johannes Wagmueller to lead solutions engineering, EMEA. Watts and Wagmueller report to Alexander Wallner, Senior Vice President & General Manager for NetApp in EMEA, and join his executive leadership council. 

As EMEA CTO, Matt Watts will be the key interpreter of the company’s global technology strategy, advising executive teams internally as well as partners and customers on how to integrate transformative solutions, processes, and business models, and drive productive digital transformation. His key responsibilities include working with new buyers and their content needs, developing education and messaging inside and outside of the company, and helping to build and demonstrate the company’s strategic vision. Watts joined NetApp in 2004. Previously, he was global Director of Technology & Strategy for the company and helped teams on both sides of the Atlantic turn strategic messaging into quantifiable business success.

Johannes Wagmueller, previously acting as interim leader for the function, will lead the solutions engineering teams in the company’s EMEA markets. Wagmueller joined NetApp in 2002, eventually heading solutions engineering in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH). With the latest promotion, he extends his multi-country responsibility to oversee a large team of integrated technology experts. The team designs and manages NetApp’s hybrid cloud portfolio solutions for a wide range of cutting-edge applications such as hybrid multicloud deployments, artificial intelligence and cloud data services. The move underlines the importance of helping customers navigate a rapidly evolving technology landscape built on and around digital data.

Matt Watts says: “In a time of fast-paced digitally driven transformation it becomes crucially important to understand the hybrid cloud world and educate others about the value of our portfolio. I am happy to re-join the EMEA team and work with them and our partners and customers, discussing data innovation and the implications for enterprises large and small.”

Johannes Wagmueller adds: “NetApp is unique in the market in offering the only truly and fully fabric-connected hybrid cloud portfolio. With my team, we are in a prime position to bring its critical value to our customers, leveraging broad solutions, a vibrant partner network, and strong expertise at the technology and business level.”

A10 Networks Announces Dhrupad Trivedi as New CEO

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Founder Lee Chen Will Assist in Smooth Transition of Leadership

Strategy Committee of the Board of Directors Continues to Review Strategic Alternatives Directed at Maximizing Shareholder Value

A10 Networks (NYSE: ATEN), a leading provider of intelligent and automated cybersecurity solutions, today announced that Dhrupad Trivedi has agreed to join the company as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 2, 2019.  Lee Chen, who founded A10 Networks in 2004 and has served as CEO since inception, will continue to be actively involved with the company to ensure a smooth leadership transition, and will continue as chairman of the A10 Networks Board of Directors. 

Dr. Trivedi joins A10 Networks from Belden, where he most recently was Executive Vice President running Tripwire, a cybersecurity software business and CTO of Belden. Prior to this, he held other executive roles at Belden, including President of Belden’s Network Solutions Division; Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development, leading the company’s M&A activities; and starting in Belden as President of Trapeze Networks. Prior to joining Belden, Trivedi held executive roles at JDS Uniphase Corporation from 1998 through 2010. 

“I am honored and excited to join A10 Networks as CEO to help the company pursue its mission of organic growth by delivering leading technology for our customers in terms of reliability, security and availability. I also look forward to partnering with the Strategy Committee of the Board of Directors to maximize shareholder value,” said Trivedi. “Lee and the A10 team have established a strong reputation as the high-performance leader in multiple growing markets, which will provide strong secular tailwinds for many years to come. I am excited to join the company at a pivotal time and lead it through this key inflection point to the next phase of growth. I look forward to working with our customers, employees, partners and investors.”

“I am privileged to serve marquee customers across the globe in a wide variety of industries and tremendously proud of the innovative solutions we offer. I am honored to have worked with our outstanding team at A10. I especially appreciate their commitment to customer success first and foremost in everything they do,” said Chen. “I am also deeply confident that under Dhrupad’s leadership the A10 Networks team will continue to help our customers prosper.”

The company has committed to appoint Trivedi to its board of directors within 30 days of his joining the Company. The company’s letter agreement with VIEX Capital Advisors and its affiliates, in which the company had agreed to fix the size of the Board at six, has been amended to permit increasing the board to seven members until the company’s 2020 annual meeting of shareholders. Pursuant to the amended agreement, the company has also agreed to re-nominate directors Eric Singer and Tor R. Braham for election at the 2020 annual meeting, and VIEX Capital Advisors’ right to identify, and A10 Networks agreement to appoint within 15 days thereafter, an additional director to the Board, with Phillip J. Salsbury agreeing to resign from the Board in such event, has been extended for an additional year.

The Company further announced that the Strategy Committee of the Board of Directors continues to evaluate steps to maximize shareholder value.

Khalidiyah Mall to host Lulu Hypermarket’s Paws & Tails Pet Carnival

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The Grill & Chill event will be held on 7thDecember, 4pm

Khalidiyah Mall

Khalidiyah Mall is the Abu Dhabi venue for Lulu Hypermarket’s Paw’s & Tails pet carnival which will feature a Grill & Chill event on December 7thfrom 4pm.

The event will have food stalls, Agility show & contest, online competitions, vet behaviorists, pet groomers and sitters, walkers & trainers, raffle draws, pet food & accessories, pet adoption and live music bands.

MayankM Pal, Mall Manager at Khalidiyah Mall said,“Khalidiyah Mall embraces the change of the season that is perfect for outdoor events. Our customers will be able to take part in barbecue competitions, food sampling and get attractive discounts on BBQ and outdoor products from Lulu Hypermarket.”

Khalidiyah Mall is located at the nerve centre offering patrons three levels of elegantly laid out outlets ranging from fashion to furnishing and cosmetics to consumer electronics. The mall’s multicultural food court offers an intriguing array of international cuisine, alongside a number of cafes, restaurants plus an amusement centre with arcade games, a cinema and a bowling alley.

A10 Networks Multi-Cloud Blueprint Provides Intelligent Automation of Polynimbus Secure Application Services

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Cloud Evolution Forces a New Approach to Ensure Digital Transformation Success

A10 Networks(NYSE: ATEN)outlined its blueprint to enable enterprises and web giants to meet the demands for the security, reliability and agility of applications in a multi-cloud world. With applications increasingly distributed across multiple clouds, and users more mobile, managing and securing applications has become more complex than ever. This disparate infrastructure and the increased threat surface create challenges to digital transformation. A10’s Polynimbus application services blueprint offers a way forward for enterprises and web giants to bridge the gaps created by diverse application environments that need to be managed and secured. This blueprint can enable greater simplicity, agility, consistent manageability and security for organizations as they tackle the complexities of the multi-cloud world.  

Today, there is an “application exodus” from traditional enterprise data centers, with applications now running across multiple clouds. This requires an effective Polynimbus operational model. Polynimbus is defined as the operations of an enterprise across two or more public clouds, and this has now become the de facto standard for application infrastructures. 

In fact, according to a global surveyconducted by the Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network, in partnership with A10, approximately two thirds of enterprises have deployed across two or more public clouds, with 84 percent expecting to increase their reliance on public or private clouds over the next 24 months. However, only 11 percent of companies surveyed believed they had been “highly successful” in realizing the benefits of multi-cloud infrastructures. Security, lack of IT talent, and effectively managing the complexity are understandably listed as top challenges.

“There is also an unprecedented need for deeper visibility and real-time insights into application traffic, particularly for cloud-based applications and cloud-native environments, where dynamic and often ephemeral microservices require pervasive application-layer observability,” said Brad Casemore, IDC’s research vice president, Datacenter Networks. “Modernized Security and ADC technologies are capable of playing an integral role in helping enterprises realize the full array of multi-cloud benefits as they move to a multi-cloud (or Polynimbus) application services environment, especially in an era when applications – supported by agile and flexible application-delivery infrastructure – are more important to business success than ever before.”

A New Multi-Cloud Operational Model Required

A10 addresses the new multi-cloud operational reality with the Polynimbus application services blueprint. It covers secure operations considerations, the most impactful current and emerging multi-cloud technologies, migration from on-premises hardware and software to the cloud, and the requirements to ensure a successful pivot of operations across a multi-cloud environment. It is no longer a case of a few cloud architects simply deploying a couple of applications to the cloud in silos. It is a shift to managing the new reality securely and efficiently as a core reliable IT operation.

“A10 understands the myriad of challenges enterprises and web giants are facing as they enter a new phase in shifting to multi-cloud strategies,” said Lee Chen, founder and CEO of A10 Networks. “Organizations need to move beyond the early siloed deployments of cloud platforms, to adopt intelligent automation to handle the operational challenges of these systems. In this phase, organizations need to adjust their strategy to ensure the business is protected and applications are always reliable.”

A10 provides a comprehensive stack of Polynimbus application services to ensure a successful multi-cloud solution:

  • Full Software and Cloud Support –Availability of services in the most prevalent form factors. Delivering cloud-specific services (e.g. Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Amazon Web Services), containers, bare metal, virtual, and hardware are table stakes in the Polynimbus application services world. With the move to a true Polynimbus operational model, organizations must plan their services migration path for the next 2-5 years to meet their operational goals.
  • Full Secure Services Stack –Multiple application services are required to perform security and reliability functions across cloud infrastructure. Services on a given cloud provider may differ widely, so Polynimbus application services must be available to ensure seamless application delivery. Representative services include advanced load balancing, web application firewall, authentication access management, malicious traffic and bot mitigation, integrated DDoS protection with real-time threat intelligence, data center firewall, L7 application scripting, global server load balancing, TLS/SSL offload, and more.
  • Flexible and Portable Licensing –Flexible software licensing and consumption via a capacity pooling license is a newer concept in comparison to the traditional hardware appliance approach. In the software world, licensing requires simplification, for both procurement and ongoing operations. Portability and flexibility ensure costs do not escalate, and scalable architectures can be delivered.
  • Any-Cloud Central Management – Addressing the IT staff shortages, reducing natural human error, and ensuring compliance with streamlined centralized and consistent management is required to simplify and normalize operations across diverse environments.
  • Central Visibility and Reporting – The normalization of visibility across cloud deployments is needed for consistent operations, and granularity at the per-app and per-objectlevel is essential. Coupled with data enrichment and correlating security risks, operational issues can be pinpointed and solved, despite the complexity under the hood. Analytics for lower TCO and reduced downtime using actionable intelligence helps organizations meet user expectations and compliance objectives.   
  • Cloud Selection and Redundancy – Cloud redundancy to account for natural disasters, cloud outages, cloud subscription costs, or other reasons, is essential for a better user experience. While some cloud providers may offer a solution for their own products, some do not. In addition, the complexity of multi-cloud interoperation among providers can be solved with global server load balancing to manage site and application selection. Cloud bursting for peak traffic times is one such scenario that requires intelligence beyond a single cloud.
  • Full SecOps and DevOps Ready –Automation drives consistency and efficient operations. Organizations need to ensure all functions are programmatically available to SecOps and DevOps staff from auto-generated vendor APIs. Automation needs full API support for lifecycle management and operations, including support of industry-leading automation tools such as Ansible, Terraform, and others. 
  • Broader Ecosystem Integrations –Compatibility with other products is required, as no single vendor is ubiquitous. Thus, native or API integrations are required to ensure seamless operations, for example, meeting the current demand for the accelerated Kubernetes and container-based environment adoption with comprehensive integrations. Other infrastructure integrations include Cisco, Dell, Juniper, Microsoft, Nutanix, Oracle, Red Hat, VMware, and more.
  • Flexible Architecture and Software Scale-out – A flexible architecture is the foundation for addressing high-performance and elasticity requirements of multi-cloud. Scale-out solutions allow seamless scalability and maintain comprehensive high availability. Flexibility and scale extend to micro-service container environments, virtual or bare metal, where mechanisms need to be in place to support growing business needs in an on-demand fashion.

A10’s Polynimbus application services address the sea change to intelligently automated multi-cloud operations that has swept across the industry. A10’s application delivery solutions address all the key criteria defined by the Polynimbus application services blueprint, meeting the multi-cloud challenge. The A10 Thunder® Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and Thunder Convergent Firewall (CFW) and Threat Protection System (TPS) deliver these security and application services across multi-cloud environments. They are fully supported by and integrated with the A10 Harmony Controller® for multi-cloud orchestration, analytics, and management.

A10’s high-performance Polynimbus application services – Thunder ADC, Thunder CFW and Thunder TPS – are available today in a variety of form factors, including hardware, virtual, bare metal and container-based. Flexible and portable licensing is available with FlexPool®. More information can be found on the A10 website. 

Fortinet and Siemens Partner to Provide Best-in-Class Protection for Operational Technology Networks

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Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, today announced a technology alliance partnership with Siemens, a global industrial powerhousespecializing in digital industries from environments such as electrical power, transportation, and oil and gas. Also announced today is the companies’ first integrated solution combining best-in-class technology and a worldwide resell agreement to address the unique security and connectivity requirements of operational technology (OT) networks. 

While OT environments have traditionally been isolated from the rest of the IT network, efforts to converge IT and OT to provide more responsive and agile business outcomes have exposed OT and industrial control systems (ICS) to increased cybersecurity risk. According to the SANS 2019 OT/ICS Survey, just over 50 percent of respondents rated the level of ICS cyber risk to their organization as “severe/critical” or “high.” However, given the nature of many OT environments, traditional security solutions can sometimes leave gaps in protection of the aging or sensitive systems in place. Additionally, deploying reliable connectivity and security in harsh and frequently remote or substation environments has traditionally not been easy. While rugged products do exist, assembling and deploying the various parts of the complete solution can create issues with connectivity, reliability, space, and even physical security.

Highlighting the growing importance of cybersecurity in OT environments and the need for solutions specifically created for OT networks, Siemens has joined the Fortinet Fabric-Ready Technology Alliance Partner Programto address the security challenges associated with the convergence of OT and IT networks. Technology ecosystem partners are a key part of the Fortinet Security Fabric, which enables Fortinet and partner products to cooperatively integrate and provide comprehensive security solutions. Fortinet’s technology ecosystem partner solutions enable customers to gain more effective security and get even more value from their security deployments.

The first Fabric-Ready solution from Fortinet and Siemens integrates Fortinet’s industry-leading FortiGate Next-Generation Firewallwith the Ruggedcom Multi-Service Platformfamily of switches and routers to improve the integration of cybersecurity into locations with harsh environments such as electrical substations, while simplifying management, space, and power issues. This solution provides a single, integrated appliance for OT networks. By simplifying deployment to a single piece of hardware, the power, space, physical security, and connectivity issues typically encountered outside of a single box deployment model are resolved. Remote management further simplifies the deployment and ongoing management. In addition to this joint solution, Siemens will bring to market Fortinet’s FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall VM bundled with the APE 1808 to further enable the availability of advanced security solutions for OT environments.

Today’s announcement and addition of Siemens to the Fabric-Ready Partner program extends the range of integrated security solutions now available to OT customers through the Fortinet Security Fabric, and is further testament to Fortinet and Siemens’ commitment to creating OT-specific solutions designed to address the unique needs and requirements of their joint customers.The Fortinet Security Fabric provides a unique integrated and automated platform approach to security through purpose-built solutions and AI threat intelligence, combined with strategic partnerships with some of the industry’s leading security specialists. Unlike most security platforms, the Fortinet Security Fabric is flexible enough to easily accommodate and integrate with a large number of partners to provide truly comprehensive security coverage.