The Cloud Connection
CloudBuzz | InsideScoop | TrendTracker | SectorSpotlight | NewsBites
June 2023 Edition
In each edition, I’ll bring you the latest updates to keep you informed and connected in the rapidly evolving world of technology
Cloud Buzz – Launch of VMware on iseek
Here at iseek, we recently announced the launch of a new product, VMWare on iseek. The innovative solution aims to provide a sovereign, local, and highly competitive alternative to the hyperscaler VMware offerings.
VMWare on iseek is a cutting-edge cloud solution that combines the power of VMWare, a leading virtualisation and cloud computing software provider, with the robust infrastructure of iseek, a prominent Australian data centre and cloud services company. The partnership’s primary goal is to offer our customers a reliable, secure, and scalable cloud platform that supports their digital transformation journey while ensuring data sovereignty and compliance with local regulations.
A key aspect of VMWare on iseek that sets it apart from our competitors is the focus on data sovereignty. By providing a locally hosted solution, iseek ensures that customers’ data remains within Australia, thereby safeguarding sensitive information and adhering to strict data protection laws. This data sovereignty is particularly crucial for businesses operating in regulated industries, such as finance, healthcare, and government, where data security and privacy are of paramount importance.
The launch of VMWare on iseek is a game-changer in the local markets, as it provides a local, in state offering, competitive pricing and a range of features, including disaster recovery, high availability, and seamless integration with other VMWare products. This comprehensive offering enables iseek to cater to a wide array of customer needs and provides an attractive choice for Enterprise and Government seeking a cost-effective and powerful cloud platform.
Inside Scoop – iseek nears completion of NSX-T Migration
In a significant milestone, iseek is on the verge of completing its migration to VMware NSX-T Data Centre, a cutting-edge network virtualization and security platform. The move to NSX-T promises to deliver a host of benefits our customers including:
Enhanced Network Security With NSX-T’s micro-segmentation capabilities, our Cloud customers can enjoy finer-grained control over their network traffic, reducing the risk of cyber-attacks and ensuring compliance with data protection regulations.
Improved Agility The NSX-T platform allows on the creation, modification, and deletion of virtual networks on-demand, enabling our customers to respond to changing business needs quickly and efficiently.
Multi-cloud and Multi-hypervisor Support NSX-T offers seamless integration with multiple cloud platforms and hypervisors, providing our customers with greater flexibility and choice when it comes to deploying multi-cloud solutions
Simplified Operations NSX-T’s centralised management console streamlines network configuration and monitoring, reducing the complexity of managing virtual networks in the cloud
Advanced Load Balancing NSX-T’s load balancing capabilities help to distribute network traffic evenly across resources, increasing application availability and performance of cloud hosted services.
As the migration to NSX-T Data Centre nears completion, I will be sending out further updates on how you can deploy the new era of advanced network capabilities and enhanced security.
Trend Tracker: Top Cloud Trends that shaped the Industry in FY2023
The cloud computing landscape has evolved substantially over the years, and to date 2023 is no exception. With businesses increasingly relying on cloud-based services, we’ve identified some key trends that are shaping the industry. Here are the top cloud trends of FY2023, and what I see as the predominate trend of the coming FY
Main trend of the upcoming FY – Workload Strategy
Workload Strategy will reign supreme with organisations streamlining their cloud approach to optimise efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Simply put, Workload Strategy is “Putting the workload in the right place”. This innovative approach combines on-premises infrastructure, private cloud, data centre, and Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solutions. This enables organisations to leverage the unique benefits of each component, driving agility, scalability, and improved data management, while reducing overall expenditure.
Trends of FY23
1. Multi-Cloud Adoption
As businesses continue to embrace digital transformation, the need for flexibility and agility has driven a surge in multi-cloud adoption. This approach enables organisations to harness the strengths of various cloud providers to optimise performance, cost-efficiency, and data security.
2. Cloud-Native Security
As cloud adoption continues to expand, so does the need for robust cloud-native security measures. Organisations are now implementing security policies that are specifically designed for the cloud, such as zero-trust network access and secure access service edge (SASE).
3. Edge Computing
Edge computing has quickly gained traction as a means to reduce latency and enhance real-time data processing, particularly for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. By moving data processing closer to the source, edge computing ensures a faster response time and increased efficiency.
4. Serverless Architecture
This year, we’ve seen a growing interest in serverless architecture, which allows developers to build and run applications without the need to manage servers. This model not only simplifies the development process but also offers cost savings through a pay-as-you-go pricing structure.
5. AI and Machine Learning in Cloud Services
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into cloud services has allowed businesses to harness the power of advanced data analytics and automation. This has led to improved operational efficiency, cost reductions, and the ability to make data-driven decisions at scale.
Sector Spotlight – ACSC ISM June 2023 Update
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has released an updated Information Security Manual (ISM). The purpose of the ISM is to outline a cyber security framework that an organisation can apply, using their risk management framework, to protect their systems and data from cyber threats. The summary of changes is available here
For something a bit easier to digest check out the Small Business Cloud Security Guides also produced by the ACSC
The Small Business Cloud Security Guides are an excellent resource for small to medium-sized Australian businesses that use Microsoft 365 in a service environment and have devices configured with Microsoft Intune. These guides provide example scenarios of how to implement a number of scenarios, designed to align with the ACSC’s Essential Eight strategy. These examples include
- Multi-factor authentication
- Restricting administrative privileges
- Regular Backups
- Patching Operating Systems and Applications
- Macro Restriction and Application Control
- User Application Hardening
News Bites – 10 Million scam calls and the UKs biggest anti-fraud operation
Millions of individuals receive phone calls from scammers, leaving them curious about the person behind these calls. Now, the mastermind has been revealed: instead of a distant call centre worker, it is a “bright young man” residing in a luxurious London flat who orchestrates numerous such calls. Read more here
And finally, as always, feedback is welcome. Which topic was of interest? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Or just a chat on tech? Please let me know, have a great day and enjoy!
