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Europe and West targeted by further Russian disinformation efforts, Facebook says – EURACTIV

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

A fresh spate of coordinated disinformation campaigns emanating from Russias Internet Research Agency (IRA) has sought to target Western and European targets, Facebook has said.

As part of the social media firms August report on coordinated inauthentic behaviour, analysing efforts to manipulate public debate for a strategic goal, a small network of 13 Facebook accounts and two pages linked to users connected with Russias IRA were identified.

The accounts were purportedly associated with the political news website Peace Data which has published a range of spurious stories on the UK migrant crisis, NATO and EU politics, and French influence in Africa, among wider issues such as US military policy, tensions between Israel and Palestine and President Donald Trump.

The people behind this activity relied on fake accounts some of which had already been detected and disabled by our automated systems to create elaborate fictitious personas, manage Pages, post in Groups and drive people to their off-platform site masquerading as an independent news outlet, Facebook noted in their August report.

These personas operated across a number of internet services and used fake names and profile photos generated likely using machine learning techniques like generative adversarial networks (GAN), and posed as news editors, the report adds, also finding that the company, Peace Data, had recruited unwitting freelance journalists to cover the stories.

NBC News reports that Facebook had received a tip-off from the FBI and it appears that Facebook was able to remove the accounts before they were able to develop a wider presence on the platform, with the English-language page only having around 200 followers.

The IRA leads online influence campaigns on behalf of clients, some of which are believed to represent the interests of the Russian government, and the efforts in this field have previously provoked concerns from policymakers in Brussels.

EU efforts to counter disinformation

In 2015, the European External Action Services (EEAS) Strategic Communications and Information Analysis Division was established as part of the East Stratcom Task Force, aiming to counter fake news emanating from Russia.

Nonetheless, the East StratCom Task Forces capacity to deal with fake news coming from Russia has previously been a concern highlighted by the European Commission, whose former vice-president, Andrus Ansip, saidthat the budget for the body, currently at 5 million, is far from enough when compared to the resources the Russians have at their disposal.

Combating disinformation efforts has been high on the EU agenda for some time. The Commissions voluntary code of practice against disinformation was introduced in October 2018, in a bid to combat fake news ahead of the 2019 European Parliament elections.

Arecent study on the code, however, commissioned by the EU executive, hit out at the self-regulatory nature of the framework, suggesting that sanctions should be put into place for platforms that fail to abide by the guidelines.

An evaluation of the code will be published later this year, as the bloc looks into further measures it can implement as part of new rules featured in the Digital Services Act and the Democracy Action Plan, the latter of which will hone in on disinformation in the context of external interference and manipulation in elections.

[Edited by Sam Morgan]

Alan Kurdi: Five years on from boy’s tragic death, ‘refugee and migrant children worse off’ – Euronews

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Five years on from the death of three-year-old boy Alan Kurdi, refugee and migrant children in Europe "are often worse off", Save the Children said on Wednesday.

Kurdi was photographed dead on a Turkish beach on September 2, 2015, and the harrowing image shocked the world and sparked a European debate on the refugee crisis. He drowned as his family made for Europe in a small dinghy that capsized off the Turkish coast.

"His drowning was expected to inspire new measures to protect migrant and refugee children. Instead, as this report shows, five years later refugee and migrant children are often worse off," Save the Children said in a report.

The NGO estimates that more than 210,000 unaccompanied children arrived in Europe over the past five years and that at least 700 have died in their attempts to do so.

It stressed that they continue to be most at risk on Europe's external border, where Kurdi lost his life.

The European Union struck a deal with Turkey in 2016 aimed at curbing the inflow of people into the bloc and which planned for rapid return to Turkey for migrants not in need of international protection. In exchange, the EU pledge billions of euros in aid.

According to the children's welfare charity, the deal with Turkey, coupled with the EU's funding of Libyan coastguards and a crackdown on search and rescue operations, has led to children being stranded in transit countries including Morocco, Libya, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey where "access to international protection is either limited or non-existent".

At least 10,000 more children are also stranded on Greek islands in what the charity described as "inhumane conditions". Sixty per cent of them are under the age of 12.

But even the children who manage to access asylum systems in Europe face hurdles, with few being granted refugee status.

"Finland, Sweden, Norway and Germany introduced new restrictions making it harder for children to access asylum or renew their permits. Many receive temporary or tolerated permits, but the length of time they are allowed to stay has been significantly reduced and recognition rates have dropped," Save the Children said in its report.

Additionally, several countries have introduced measures allowing for the detention of children.

"At the European level, proposed border procedures risk facilitating long-term detention of children and families. On the Greek islands and in police stations in Greece, children can be detained as a temporary protective custody measure," it argued.

"In Spain, new detention facilities allow for the de facto detention of children for 72 hours or more at disembarkation points. In Norway and Sweden, children are being detained in pre-removal proceedings. The AnkER-Zentren in Germany (centres for reception, decision and return) are severely limiting childrens freedom of movement," it added.

Another "worrying trend" flagged by the charity is the increasing use of pushbacks.

Testimonies it gathered in 2018 from 860 children who were travelling alone or had been separated from their families found that nearly half said that force had been used by police or border guards to push them back.

"Most of these violent pushbacks occurred at the border between Croatia and Serbia. In 2019, more than a third of children travelling the Western Balkans route were reportedly pushed back. Almost half of these cases involved violence inflicted by police or guards at the borders," it said.

For the NGO, "the sharp increase in anti-migrant sentiments and radical right-wing populism has had a profound effect on laws and policies, leading to measures of control and security that disproportionally affect children, whether they are travelling alone or with their families."

The report, released on the anniversary of Aylan Kurdi's death, comes as the EU Commission is preparing to unveil new proposals on migration and asylum reform.

The NGO called for member states to end child immigration detention and to fast-track asylum and family reunification procedures for children.

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Alan Kurdi: Five years on from boy's tragic death, 'refugee and migrant children worse off' - Euronews

Not the Booker: Hashim & Family by Shahnaz Ahsan review an important tale of migration – The Guardian

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Immigration takes guts. Its hard to leave your home and everything you know, never mind the physical and bureaucratic obstacles, or having to learn a different language; never mind facing racism, hostility and violence. Never mind how difficult it must have been for the people described in Shahnaz Ahsans debut novel, Hashim & Family, people who left behind the Indian subcontinent in the 1950s and 1960s for the rain and cold of Britain.

The people who showed so much bravery and initiative in the mid-20th century went on to contribute an incalculable amount to British society. But during the past few weeks, while some media and Nigel Farage have been promoting the ongoing myth that there is a migrant crisis, it has been moving to read this important novel, one that gently and affectionately shows the reality of migration and the humanity of migrants.

That is reason enough to recommend Hashim & Family although unless youve only been reading the Daily Mail for the last 30 years, there wont be much here to surprise you. It tells a familiar story.

We first meet the titular Hashim in 1960, wearing his cheap suit as he arrives in Manchester Central railway station, where his cousin Rofikul picks him up. Rofikul has warned Hashim that There are three phrases you need to know to get by in England. These are thank you and sorry, closely followed by please in order of importance. There follows plenty more commonplaces about the weather and rickety terraced houses, as Hashim gets used to life under the grey Manchester skies. He brings his wife, Munira, over, while Rofikul marries Helen, who is from Liverpool. They have children. Hashim runs a shop. Time moves on. By the 70s, Rofikul is a journalist covering the Bangladesh war of independence, while, back in Manchester, Hashim is subjected to Paki bashing and the National Front. More generally, this is a story of quiet striving and determination, of love and friendship.

Theres nothing ground-breaking about Hashim & Family, but there is resonance beyond its politics. Most of Ahsans characters feel real enough to touch the heart. We understand why Munira adores sweet-natured Hashim and why his nephew Adam, on receiving a typewriter for his 10th birthday, types out that he has the best fam ily in the uni verse. Their home feels as warm as the beef curry and biryani Munira cooks on special occasions.

Its not all so convincing. Ahsan struggles to get inside the character of Rofikul, especially partly because he is supposed to be enigmatic and his motivations can be a mystery even to himself. But when Ahsan does try to show us his inner thoughts, it can veer on banal: Rofikul was taken aback by the sense of freedom he gained from roaming the streets cloaked in his long-sought anonymity. And section after section starts with variations on all that had been three long years ago, several months later, in the days that followed. If a house is terraced well be told several times. Harmless enough in isolation, but tiresome in repetition.

But even if Ahsan is not a remarkable stylist, she produces smooth and readable prose that does enough to serve her story; that story, in turn, does enough to keep you reading, give or take a few loose ends and a bit of drift towards the end. Theres plenty of worth here.

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Not the Booker: Hashim & Family by Shahnaz Ahsan review an important tale of migration - The Guardian

Exhausted migrants wade to shore and collapse on beach as 409 make journey across Channel too shatter new d – The Sun

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

EXHAUSTED migrants stagger onto UK shores this morning as 409 made the perilous crossing shattering the previous daily record.

Dramatic pictures show one group collapsing on the Kent coast at Dover after coming from France.

Up to 30 boats are believed to have brought at least 409 migrants across the Channel comfortably beating the previous daily record of 235 set on August 6.

There has been unverified reports that around 500 could have made the crossing today across the world's busiest shipping lane, the Dover Strait.

Calm waters and clear skies are said to have caused "absolute mayhem" in the Channel making it easier to complete the journey.

Four dinghies evaded patrols to land at The Warren beach near Folkestone while another two migrant boats made it to Shakespeare Beach at Dover.

One group was seen walking up a hill after landing in the village of St Margaret's at Cliffe and another was spotted at the foot of the White Cliffs of Dover.

Today's rescue operation has been going since 6am.

The Coastguard said it had been "assisting Border Force with incidents off Dover" today.

A spokesman said: "HM Coastguard is committed to safeguarding life around the seas and coastal areas of this country.

"We are only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities."

Immigration minister Chris Philp told the House of Commons today that the "dangerous, illegal crossings" must be brought to an end.

Mr Philp said the best way to stop the crossings was to send migrants back to the country they first arrived in.

He said: "The countries where these migrants are arriving are manifestly safe countries with fully functioning asylum seeker systems in place.

"Those feeling persecution have had many opportunities to claim asylum in the European countries they have passed through, long before attempt (the Channel) crossing."

He added: "It serves both French and UK interests to cut off this route."

Yesterday, children were among the groups of migrants arriving in Dover today after another perilous Channel crossing.

Pictures showed young kids being wrapped up in blankets and taken to safety by Border Force officers.

So far this year, at least 5,025 migrants have arrived in small boats - including a single-month record of 1,468 in August.

The tide of young kids arriving on boats has not stopped despite Home Secretary Priti Patel's efforts to make the dangerous route across the Channel "unviable".

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Last month,a 28-year-old man died after making a desperate bid to reach the UK in a dingy -using spades as oars.

Ms Patel has been forced to dig her heels in over the fight to make it harder for migrants to travel to the UK.

The Home Office has blamed French authorities for failing to monitor people fleeing to the UK via Calais and"activist" lawyers for making it more difficult to remove asylum seekers once they get to Britain.

Exhausted migrants wade to shore and collapse on beach as 409 make journey across Channel too shatter new d - The Sun

Could the line between UK aid and defence spending become blurred? – The Guardian

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

David Cameron was long committed to spending 0.7% of GDP on overseas aid as a way of demonstrating in the early part of the decade that the Conservatives had changed, although the pledge was not always popular across the party.

It is a target that has been hit every year since 2013, enduring throughout the premiership of the first of Camerons successors.

But a recent series of briefings suggested the 12.9bn budget is coming under more severe pressure, as the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, tries to tackle the 30bn-plus cost of helping Britain through the coronavirus crisis in the run-up to the November spending round.

Over the past few days it has been suggested that any new defence spending, such as on drones or cyberwarfare, would have to be funded from the aid budget and even that the 0.7% target, enshrined in law, could be under threat.

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, was quick to defend the 0.7% target as the newly merged Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office began work on Wednesday, and dismissed rumours of a switch from aid to military spending as tittle-tattle.

Defence insiders were similarly sceptical. We are not getting money from the aid budget, said one source, who said there was no diktat from the Treasury that new defence spending would have to be paid for from aid.

Conservative commitments mean defence is particularly well funded. The partys election manifesto promised not just to hit the longstanding target of 2% of GDP but to increase spending by 0.5% above inflation, a commitment the Ministry of Defence is still working towards.

That means that while the overseas aid budget has already been cut by 2.9bn in July with a massive knock-on impact on the aid sector the defence budget is relatively stable, and is expected, if the pledge is met, to be a little over 42bn in 2021-22.

Yet for all the financial stability, the MoD is struggling financially. It has a shortfall of 13bn in its 10-year equipment budget, which officials are trying to close amid a debate about Britains post-Brexit role in the world.

A defence and foreign policy review has restarted after being stalled because of coronavirus. Last week it emerged that the military was giving consideration to mothballing the armys ageing Challenger 2 tank fleet, which is at the point of obsolescence.

Experts say ministers needs to be clear about what the definition of the UKs national security is. Britain has become embroiled in wars that it started in Iraq and Afghanistan, but its involvement in combat operations in the last of those ended in 2010, and expensive conventional wars using costly kit appear unlikely in the future.

Prof Malcolm Chalmers, the deputy director of the Royal United Services Institute, said: Its not clear the UK needs to have a division-size force on standby for deployment in three months time in a foreign war; whats needed is the ability to put a few hundred in a crisis zone in a few days.

Simply repurposing aid spending on drones or cyberwarfare to bail out the MoD would appear impossible to achieve, as the UK adheres to international definitions on aid spending that rule out spending on military equipment, services or counter-terrorism spending.

But a more subtle blending of aid and defence spending is already under way. The 1.26bn Conflict and Stability Fund, launched in 2015, runs programmes in Lebanon, Colombia and Pakistan, part of a previous attempt to placate critics of the size of the aid budget.

And there are some examples where it could make good sense: effectively tackling the migrant crisis in west Africa at source in countries such as Mali, Niger and Chad could justify additional integrated spend on aid, policing and reconnaissance capability.

Old Whitehall hands say they detect the beginnings of a familiar game. Its like a judo bout, where everybody is trying to get a grip as the negotiations with the Treasury begin, said one. Leaks are starting, partly to see what the other side will wear. Its not over yet.

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Could the line between UK aid and defence spending become blurred? - The Guardian

MIT partners with national labs on two new National Quantum Information Science Research Centers – MIT News

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Early this year, the U.S. Department of Energy sent out a call for proposals as it announced it would award up to $625 million in funding over the next five years to establish multidisciplinary National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers. These awards would support theNational Quantum Initiative Act, passed in 2018 to accelerate the development of quantum science and information technology applications.

Now, MIT is a partner institute on two QIS Research Centers that the Department of Energy has selected for funding.

One of the centers, the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA), will be led by Brookhaven National Laboratory. MIT participation in this center will be coordinated by Professor Isaac Chuang through the Center for Theoretical Physics.

The other center, the Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA), will be led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) and MIT Lincoln Laboratory are partners on this center. Professor William Oliver, a Lincoln Laboratory fellow and director of the Center for Quantum Engineering, and Eric Dauler, who leads the Quantum Information and Integrated Nanosystems Group at Lincoln Laboratory, will coordinate MIT research activities with this center.

Quantum information science and engineering research is a core strength at MIT, ranging broadly from algorithms and molecular chemistry to atomic and superconducting qubits, as well as quantum gravity and the foundations of computer science.This new funding from the Department of Energy will connectongoing vibrant MIT research in quantum information with teams seeking to harness and discover quantum technologies, says Chuang.

Devices based on the mysterious phenomena of quantum physics have begun to reshape the technology landscape. In recent years, researchers have been pursuing advanced quantum systems, like those that could lead to tamper-proof communications systems and computers that could tackle problems today's machines would need billions of years to solve.

The foundational expertise, infrastructure, and resources that MIT will bring to both QIS research centers is expected to help accelerate the development of such quantum technologies.

Much of the theoretical and algorithmic foundation for quantum information science, as well as early experimental implementations, were developed at MIT. The QIS research centers build on this experience and the broader landscape. It is fantastic that MIT is participating with two centers, and this reflects our strength and breadth, says Oliver.

Each QIS research center incorporates a collaborative research team spanning multiple scientific and engineering disciplines and multiple institutions. Both centers are focused on pushing quantum computers beyond-NISQ, the acronym referring to today's generation of noisy intermediate-scale quantum systems. The long-term goal is to develop a universal quantum computer, the kind that can perform computational tasks that would be practically impossible for traditional supercomputers to solve. To get there, researchers face enormous challenges in creating and controlling the perfect conditions for large numbers of quantum bits (qubits) to interact and store information long enough to perform calculations.

Unlike most previous efforts, contributors from the algorithm, quantum computing, and quantum engineering areas will all need to work together to achieve the community's acceleration toward this ambitious goal, says John Chiaverini, a principal investigator in the Quantum Information and Integrated Nanosystems Group.

In their partnership with the QSA, RLE and Lincoln Laboratory researchers will focus their efforts on co-designing fundamental engineering approaches, with the goal of enabling larger programmable quantum systems built from neutral atoms, trapped ions, and superconducting qubits. Advancing all three hardware approaches to quantum computation within a coordinated, center-scale effort will enable uniquely collaborative development efforts and a deeper understanding of the fundamental quantum engineering constraints, says Dauler. As larger systems are realized, they will be used by researchers throughout the center to feed quantum science research.

We look forward to further strengthening our research collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and the partner universities to create many advances in quantum information science through the Quantum Systems Accelerator, says Lincoln Laboratory Director Eric Evans.

At the C2QA, experts in QIS, materials science, computer science, and theory will focus on the superconducting qubit modality and work together to resolve performance issues with quantum computers by simultaneously co-designing software and hardware. Through these parallel efforts, the team will understand and control material properties to extend coherence time, or how long the qubits can function; design devices to generate more robust qubits; optimize algorithms to target specific scientific applications; and develop error-correction solutions.

MIT's cutting-edge facilities will bolster these collaborations. Lincoln Laboratory has the Microelectronics Laboratory, an ISO-9001-certified facility for fabricating advanced circuits for superconducting and trapped-ion quantum bit applications, and MIT.nano offers more than 20,000 square feet of clean-room space for making and testing quantum devices.

I'm excited by the opportunity the research centers offer to collaborate, and to better advance the state of knowledge and technology in the quantum area.Specifically, the collaboration offers a new avenue for the U.S. quantum information science community to access the unique design, fabrication, and testing capabilities at MIT and Lincoln Laboratory, including the Microelectronics Laboratory and numerous laboratories specializing in advanced packaging and testing, says Robert Atkins, who leads the Advanced Technology Division overseeing quantum computing research at Lincoln Laboratory.

Participation in both centers will complement other major programs that MIT has initiated in recent years, including the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, which aims to advance artificial intelligence hardware, software, and algorithms; the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing, which spans all five of MIT's schools; and the most-recently established Center for Quantum Engineering out of RLE and Lincoln Laboratory.

In addition to selecting these two MIT-affiliated centers, the Department of Energy announced funding for three additional QIS research centers. These investments, according to the department, represent a long-term, large-scale commitment of U.S. scientific and technological resources to a highly competitive and promising new area of investigation, with enormous potential to transform science and technology.

The QIS research centers will assure that advances in fundamental research in quantum science will progress to practical applications to benefit national security and many other segments of society, says MIT Vice President for Research Maria Zuber. The pace of discovery in this field is rapid, and the combined strengths of campus and Lincoln Laboratory are very well-aligned to lead in this area.

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MIT partners with national labs on two new National Quantum Information Science Research Centers - MIT News

A new platform for controlled delivery of key nanoscale drugs and more – MIT News

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

In work that could have a major impact on several industries from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics and even food MIT engineers have developed a novel platform for the controlled delivery of certain important drugs, nutrients, and other substances to human cells.

The researchers believe that their simple approach, which creates small capsules containing thousands of nanosized droplets loaded with a drug or other active ingredient, will be easy to transition from the lab to industry.

The active ingredients in many consumer products intended for use in or on the human body do not easily dissolve in water. As a result, they are hard for the body to absorb, and it is difficult to control their delivery to cells.

In the pharmaceutical industry alone, 40 percent of currently marketed drugs and 90 percent of drugs in development are hydrophobic wherein [their] low water solubility greatly limits their bioavailability and absorption efficiency, the MIT team writes in a paper on the work in the August 28 issue of the journal Advanced Science.

Nanoemulsions to the Rescue

Those drugs and other hydrophobic active ingredients do, however, dissolve in oil. Hence the growing interest in nanoemulsions, the nanoscale equivalent of an oil-and-vinegar salad dressing that consists of miniscule droplets of oil dispersed in water. Dissolved in each oil droplet is the active ingredient of interest.

Among other advantages, the ingredient-loaded droplets can easily pass through cell walls. Each droplet is so small that between 1,000 to 5,000 could fit across the width of a human hair. (Their macroscale counterparts are too big to get through.) Once the droplets are inside the cell, their payload can exert an effect. The droplets are also exceptionally stable, resulting in a long shelf life, and can carry a large amount of active ingredient for their size.

But theres a problem: How do you encapsulate a nanoemulsion into a dosage form like a pill? The technologies for doing so are still nascent.

In one of the most promising approaches, the nanoemulsion is encapsulated in a 3D network of a polymer gel to form small beads. Currently, however, when ingested those beads release their payload the ingredient-loaded oil droplets all at once. There is no control over the process.

The MIT team solved this by adding a shell, or capsule, around large individual droplets of nanoemulsion, each containing thousands of nano oil droplets. That shell not only protects the nano droplets inside from harmful physiological conditions in the body, but also could be used to mask the often unpalatable taste of the active ingredients they contain.

The result is a pill about 5 millimeters in diameter with a biodegradable shell that in turn can be tuned to release its contents at specific times. This is done by changing the thickness of the shell. To date they have successfully tested the system with both ibuprofen and Vitamin E.

Our new delivery platform can be applied to a broad range of nanoemulsions, which themselves contain active ingredients ranging from drugs to nutraceuticals and sunscreens. Having this new control over how you deliver them opens up many new avenues in terms of future applications, says Patrick Doyle, the Robert T. Haslam Professor of Chemical Engineering and senior author of the paper.

His colleagues on the work are Liang-Hsun Chen, a graduate student in chemical engineering and first author of the paper, and Li-Chiun Cheng SM 18, PhD 20, who received his PhD in chemical engineering earlier this year and is now at LiquiGlide.

Many Advantages

The MIT platform has a number of advantages in addition to its simplicity and scalability to industry. For example, the shell itself is derived from the cell walls of brown algae, so its very natural and biocompatible with human bodies, says Chen.

Further, the process for making the nanoemulsion containing its payload is economical because the simple stirring involved requires little energy. The process is also really gentle, which protects the [active] molecule of interest, like a drug, says Doyle. Harsher techniques can damage them.

The team also demonstrated the ability to turn the liquid nanoemulsion inside each shell into a solid core, which could allow a variety of other applications. They did so by adding a material that when activated by ultraviolet light cross-links the nano oil droplets together.

For Chen, the most exciting part of the work was preparing the capsules and then watching them burst to release their contents at the target times I engineered them for.

Doyle notes that from a pedagogical point of view, the work combined all of the core elements of chemical engineering, from fluid dynamics to reaction engineering and mass transfer. And to me its pretty cool to have them all in one project.

This work was supported by the Singapore National Research Foundation, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the Think Global Education Trust (Taiwan).

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A new platform for controlled delivery of key nanoscale drugs and more - MIT News

Flexible Micro LEDs May Reshape Wearable Technology – Manufacturing Business Technology

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Flexible micro LEDs can be twisted (left) or folded (right).

University of Texas at Dallas

University of Texas at Dallas researchers and their international colleagues have developed a method to create micro LEDs that can be folded, twisted, cut and stuck to different surfaces.

The research, published online in June in the journalScience Advances, helps pave the way for the next generation of flexible, wearable technology.

Used in products ranging from brake lights to billboards, LEDs are ideal components for backlighting and displays in electronic devices because they are lightweight, thin, energy efficient and visible in different types of lighting. Micro LEDs, which can be as small as 2 micrometers and bundled to be any size, provide higher resolution than other LEDs. Their size makes them a good fit for small devices such as smart watches, but they can be bundled to work in flat-screen TVs and other larger displays. LEDs of all sizes, however, are brittle and typically can only be used on flat surfaces.

The researchers' new micro LEDs aim to fill a demand for bendable, wearable electronics.

"The biggest benefit of this research is that we have created a detachable LED that can be attached to almost anything," said Dr. Moon Kim, Louis Beecherl Jr. Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering at UT Dallas and a corresponding author of the study. "You can transfer it onto your clothing or even rubber -- that was the main idea. It can survive even if you wrinkle it. If you cut it, you can use half of the LED."

Researchers in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics helped develop the flexible LED through a technique called remote epitaxy, which involves growing a thin layer of LED crystals on the surface of a sapphire crystal wafer, or substrate.

Typically, the LED would remain on the wafer. To make it detachable, researchers added a nonstick layer to the substrate, which acts similarly to the way parchment paper protects a baking sheet and allows for the easy removal of cookies, for instance. The added layer, made of a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon called graphene, prevents the new layer of LED crystals from sticking to the wafer.

"The graphene does not form chemical bonds with the LED material, so it adds a layer that allows us to peel the LEDs from the wafer and stick them to any surface," said Kim, who oversaw the physical analysis of the LEDs using an atomic resolution scanning/transmission electron microscope at UT Dallas' Nano Characterization Facility.

Colleagues in South Korea carried out laboratory tests of LEDs by adhering them to curved surfaces, as well as to materials that were subsequently twisted, bent and crumpled. In another demonstration, they adhered an LED to the legs of a Lego minifigure with different leg positions.

Bending and cutting do not affect the quality or electronic properties of the LED, Kim said.

The bendy LEDs have a variety of possible uses, including flexible lighting, clothing and wearable biomedical devices. From a manufacturing perspective, the fabrication technique offers another advantage: Because the LED can be removed without breaking the underlying wafer substrate, the wafer can be used repeatedly.

"You can use one substrate many times, and it will have the same functionality," Kim said.

In ongoing studies, the researchers also are applying the fabrication technique to other types of materials.

"It's very exciting; this method is not limited to one type of material," Kim said. "It's open to all kinds of materials."

Flexible Micro LEDs May Reshape Wearable Technology - Manufacturing Business Technology

Carleton Faculty Receive CFI Funding to Support Research Benefiting All Canadians – Carleton Newsroom

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Carleton University researchers Mohammad Reza Kholghy, Roslyn Dakin and the teams of Banu rmeci, Ravi Prakash and Jesse Vermaire, as well as Kumiko Murasugi, Erik Anonby and David Mould, have received approximately $1 million in funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovations (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) for their work on manufacturing nanoparticles, understanding how animals fly, monitoring water pollution and strengthening endangered languages.

Carleton is leading the way in innovative and important fields that will directly improve the lives of Canadians, said Rafik Goubran, vice-president (Research and International). These projects reflect the support of early-career researchers recruited to Carleton, as well as the equipping of multidisciplinary research groups brought together through Carletons Multidisciplinary Research Catalyst Fund (MRCF) last year.

MRCF provides resources and support to research teams so they can achieve a demonstrable increase in impact that goes beyond individual researchers.

Mohammad Reza Kholghy, Canada Research Chair in Particle Technology and Combustion Engineering,is focused onnanoparticle engineeringwith applications in energy storage, creating advanced materials, sensing and measuring the impact of emissions on the environment. Particles are omnipresent. For example, people inhale millions of particles in the air they breathe.Dental fillings and medications are created combining several particles together.Car tires rely on carbon nanoparticles for their strength and functionality. New types of particles are increasingly finding applications in every aspect of peoples lives.

Kholghy is developing combustion engineering technology that enables large-scale production of nanoparticles with the desired properties, while limiting emission of polluting nanoparticles such as soot. Nanoparticle synthesis with flames offers a scalable alternative to conventional manufacturing methods, which often do not go beyond lab scale demonstrations. Understanding nanoparticle formation in flames also helps engineers design combustion systems with minimal, if not zero, soot emissions.

Banu rmeci, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ravi Prakash, professor in the Department of Electronics, and Jesse Vermaire, professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, are leveraging CFI funding to better understand the fate of pollutants in the environment, their impact on ecosystems and human health, and create new micro-and nano-sensors to detect pollutants. To gather important information, the team will also develop next-generation sensors to assist in this monitoring.

Flight is a remarkable adaptation that has allowed birds, bats and insects to diversify and spread throughout the globe. Many flying animals can achieve maneuverability that far surpasses what can be achieved with current technology. Roslyn Dakin, professor in the Department of Biology, will use these CFI funds to establish the Interactive Animal Flight and Dynamic Behaviour Laboratory, which will discover how animals, in particular hummingbirds, achieve remarkable agility and flexibility in performance and perhaps aid in the development of technology that can mimic these attributes.

Language endangerment is a global issue affecting almost every nation in the world. Scholars estimate that by the end of this century, more than 40 per cent of the worlds 7,000 languages will have vanished. Most Indigenous languages in Canada face significant challenges. Kumiko Murasugi and Erik Anonby, professors in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, and David Mould, professor in the School of Computer Science, lead the interdisciplinaryEndangered Language Knowledge and Technology(ELK-Tech) research team at Carleton. The team will be using CFI funds to set up the ELK Centre, a space that brings together language communities, researchers and technologists working to adapt and develop relevant, accessible and collaborative digital tools that help strengthen and renew endangered languages.

Media ContactSteven ReidMedia Relations OfficerCarleton University613-265-6613Steven.Reid3@carleton.ca

Follow us on Twitter:www.twitter.com/CunewsroomCOVID 19 Updates:https://newsroom.carleton.ca/coronavirus-covid-19/messages/

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Carleton Faculty Receive CFI Funding to Support Research Benefiting All Canadians - Carleton Newsroom

Huawei shifting focus to cloud computing business – The Burn-In

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Huawei is working on building up its cloud segment amid increasing challenges to its smartphone business, reports the Financial Times.

In May, the U.S. Commerce Department issued new export controls forbidding vendors from selling specific American developed technology to the conglomerate. However, the government agency provided Intel with a license to supply to the brand electronic components, including server processors.

The Shenzhen-based telecom is also looking to expand its footprint in Russia to bolster its revenues.

In 2019, Huawei generated $122 billion in gross revenue, half of which came from its consumer products division. However, the long-term survival of the companys mobile device business became questionable after the Commerce Department announced its new rules. Now, the firms cloud computing business has become increasingly important to its overall financial picture.

Although Huaweis HiSilicon chip-making department designs well-regarded handset processors, it cannot manufacture them. Until May, the brand depended on the Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to make its chips. However, the industry-leading fabricator cut ties with its old client after Washington issued its new regulations.

Huawei wisely amassed a backlog of smartphone central processing units (CPUs) in anticipation of the new U.S. export policies being enacted. However, the conglomerate admitted last month that it is running out of handset chipsets.

According to the Financial Times, the telecoms cloud computing and storage offerings are not as robust as the services provided by domestic market leaders Alibaba and Tencent. But, the Chinese government is currently interested in financially supporting local online data service providers.

For that reason, Huawei elevated its cloud unit to the same level as its smartphone and wireless gear groups.

The South China Morning Post reports Huawei wants to increase its presence in Russia because of its recent struggles.

The publication notes Huawei founder, Ren Zhengfei, said his firm would move the money it used to invest in the United States to the Eastern European country. The brand is working to hire more employees from the region and increasing the pay of its existing Russian workers.

The news agencys article did not state if the Huawei executive mentioned any particular market interests.

However, the company worked with Russian wireless carrier MTS to bring 5G service to Moscow last September. The brand also teamed with Sberbank, Russias largest financial institution, to offer cloud services to the area in March.

Given the uncertain status of its mobile device business, Huawei is in desperate need of a figurative life raft.

As the worlds largest provider of telecom gear, it still has another robust revenue stream to sustain its operations. However, recent developments have put that segment of its business at risk. India recently banned the company from participating in its 5G build-out. The British government also revealed it would not let the firm construct its fifth-generation mobile data infrastructure.

With rivals like Ericsson snapping up 5G contracts across the world, Huawei could lose relevance within the sector.

On the other hand, Huawei has a lot of room to grow in Russia. At present, the Eastern European nation lacks the resources to build its own 5G networks. If the firm becomes a leading wireless gear and cloud service provider in the region, it could generate billions of dollars in foreign revenue annually.

Russian and China also have a healthy relationship, which means Huawei is unlikely to encounter the problems it faced in the U.S. And since the federation is a world superpower, its officials could help the telecom secure contracts in countries where it has influence.

Right now, Huawei is on course to experience a massive global contraction. But its renewed focus on providing cloud services could prove extremely lucrative in the long-term.

The firms big pivot could end up being the crucial change that saves the entire company.

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Huawei shifting focus to cloud computing business - The Burn-In

The Launching Ceremony for XnMatrix Wrapped Up, the Next Generation of Cloud Computing Eco-System Sets Sail – PRNewswire

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

HONG KONG, Sept. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --On Aug. 27, the Launching Ceremony for XnMatrix - the Next Cloud Computing Platform and IPFS distributed Storage Eco-System, by the guidance of Hainan Provincial Industry and Information Technology Department, organized by Hainan Anmai Cloud Network Technology Co. Ltd. and co-organized by Hainan Free Trade Port Blockchain Pilot Area, was held in Haikou.

Expert Analyses and Thoughtful Insights

The ceremony was opened up by Mi Jia, COO of organizer Hainan Anmai Network Technology Co. Ltd., who gavethe keynote speech on Computing Civilization and Society Motivation.

XnMatrix-Digital Civilization Strategy Unveiled

The speech delivered by Wu Wenjie, Chairman of XnMatrix, was the highlight of the conference which unveiled the next generation of cloud computing platform XnMatrix, the digital civilization strategy and product launch.

"Computing is the energy, storage the soil. Algorithm is the laws of life to the digital society which, based on math, blockchain, smart contract, will become the rule of the society and create a digital civilized time that is more effective and orderly," Wenjie said. "The digital civilization strategy of XnMatrix is based on the blockchain system with privacy computing and automatic contract and verificationas its essentialsso as to build a world-leading decentralized cloud computing platform whose mission is to create the underlying infrastructure of the digital civilization world that can help people to embrace the data privacy and human-machine interaction secure challenge caused in the time of smart machine. XnMatrix, via the four underlying frameworks which include decentralized network, contract, infrastructure service and application service, has carried out four standardized products in use, including cloud pay, cloud GPU, cloud storage as well as IPFS cloud host. Besides, industry solutions like IPFS technology, computing power store, digital asset bank has also been put in use."

ThreeLabs, XnMatrix Driven by Technology

The three tech sources of XnMatrix-Glacier Lab, X Lab, and Oxford Digital Asset Research Institute -all showed up. The tech achievements of the three labs step up the improvement on the XnMatrix platform at a high speed.

Agreement on the Launching of the Value Standard for Next Generation of Cloud Computing

Ma Siyuan, Board Secretary of XnMatrix, delivered a speech on the gem of the thoughts of this conference, agreeing with the value of the four propositions for the decentralized cloud computing industry. These four propositions are the consensus reached by all the experts, elites in all the industries, tech talents and eco-system representatives presented at the conference. They will, from the perspective of politics, industry, academics, research, and application, examine the industry system on the basis of the four propositions. The conference presented the value of the next generation of the cloud computing platform by multi-dimension, co-witnessing a comprehensive definition of the next generation of the cloud computing value standard and lending support to the digital eco-system to make sure it goes a long way at a steady pace.

CONTACT:XnMatrix xnmatrixs.com[emailprotected]

SOURCE XnMatrix

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The Launching Ceremony for XnMatrix Wrapped Up, the Next Generation of Cloud Computing Eco-System Sets Sail - PRNewswire

Standing up cArmy, the foundation for cloud services – GCN.com

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Standing up cArmy, the foundation for cloud services

Much has happened in nine months since the Army's enterprise cloud office was established: a new secure cloud environment, a cloud solutions team, a hiring spree, and the migration of the Army's financial enterprise system that handles $1 million a day.

In a recent interview Paul Puckett III, director of the Armys Enterprise Cloud Management Office (ECMO), talked about the Army's cloud priorities and what lessons its already learned from the pandemic. Here's what he had to say:

The interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.

What have you been up to this year?

PUCKETT: Looking back over the last seven to eight months since we've existed, we've seen movement across each one of these key things: first off is starting to see ourselves, to see precisely where these 160-plus applications residing in the cloud today are deployed, who's responsible for it, what mission it's enabling. Starting to see ourselves and where we've made those investments led to a partnership between the ECMO and the Army Analytics Group to stand up, what is "cArmy," and that is our foundation of common secure cloud services that aligns to the [secure cloud computing architecture by the Defense Information Systems Agency]. This is a centrally resourced, funded and provided service for the Army.

And what we've been able to do over the last seven months is start to migrate some strategic initiatives into that secure footprint. We've been trying to train and equip the Army in the true value of what online on-demand compute and storage enables and what a secure foundation enables. Really getting after those stovepipes of data and redesigning them to enable self-service for those datasets and creating more of that dynamic, resilient architecture that can handle the ad hoc nature of how we need to access data today, leveraging cloud computing.

In addition to cArmy, we started up a cloud solutions team that gets after that refactoring and replatforming, really redesigning the Army architecture leveraging cloud computing. Now with the secure foundation, with a framework for how we optimize and modernize our applications, we've also leaned in, and we're investing in providing the common tools for modern software development. And so we've also stood up a team called CReATE, the Coding Repository and Transformation Environment. We see across the DOD, this move towards bringing together developers and security teams and operator teams into a DevSecOps model. And typically that's enabled by an ecosystem of modern software development. So we've stood up to the CReATE team within the cArmy environment.

How has COVID affected those initiatives so far?

A lot of the Army's [past] cloud adoption was driven by the data center closure and optimization effort and so we saw a lot of people just simply rehosting capabilities, lifting and shifting capabilities to the cloud. I think COVID helped the Army identify which of those systems were designed for a fixed on-premises architecture, which were designed for a more dynamic, ad hoc world that allows for secure access at home or in the building or globally.

COVID was a true realization of which systems were designed with a specific architecture in mind and then if they wanted to change them, I think, it allowed the Army to realize where we've been writing in our contracts the inability to adapt and change these architectures. I think it helped the Army realize that there's a modernization effort and the way that we write our contracts, they need to be just as flexible and as resilient as the IT technology that we field.

What is the Army doing around that to prepare for JEDI or a JEDI-like capability this year should it come out?

First what we're doing is collapsing from an infrastructure architecture perspective into cArmy -- those kinds of [SecureCloudComputing Architecture (SCCA)] components, so that's really step one. Step two is we've gotten our hooks into almost all of our cloud accounts today from a financial management perspective, and we're starting to see how we're using cloud resources effectively and see this only feeding and enabling how we consume JEDI at enterprise scale -- our ability to ensure that we're estimating and consuming precisely what we need in order to work, deliver on our mission and getting the greatest return on investment.

Do you have a list of programs that you can speak to that would be like the first to go in?

We're in the midst of a migration, modernization effort around our enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications. We were just in the midst of transitioning the General Fund Enterprise Business Systems (GFEBS) over to cArmy. That's the big-name initiative, but we've got a number of initiatives across the Army as well for modernizing Human Resources Command as well, and we anticipate more coming through.

But our primary focus this year in FY20 has been setting the conditions for this enterprise value. And then our focus in FY21 is driving on priorities where FY22 feeds into the enterprise skill of the Army and cloud adoption. And so we're really focused on ensuring that our processes are effective, that they're as streamlined as they can possibly be, and that we're applying those lessons learned quickly and improving those processes.

GFEBS is helping us tease out improvements in our operational processes that we can make as well as the hosting environment itself. Because the vision in order for us to handle the enterprise scale of the Army, we've got to be leveraging a self-service model for the actual consumption provisioning of secure Army services in the cloud. What we want to do is ensure that we're only using people where we absolutely need to for those manual touch point interactions.

What are your key goals and milestones for the rest of FY20 and the top of FY21? And particularly if it folds in at all, how is Joint All Domain Command and Control going to be a part of that?

Teasing out FY20 some of the critical near term stepping stones to collapse and consolidate investments that we've already made in the cloud. And 80% of those 160 named applications are shared across a few major commercial cloud environments. And so critical there is getting to a common baseline for those secure cloud services that need to be provided from the SCCA perspective of cArmy -- getting cArmy as a hybrid cloud ecosystem, going operational there so we can collapse those customers. The second piece there, when it comes to finishing out FY20 is starting to lay the foundation for expanding that common baseline into secret as well, so that we can get a parity of those shared services between unclass[ified] and secret across a hybrid cloud model.

Next priorities, obviously support of the software factory, getting those basic components of software development out into the hands of our soldiers, but also starting to unlock the value of our data because at the end of the day, like our data is our strategic asset.

Bringing on a data framework where we can start to service enable our data sets, leveraging the power of APIs to be able to modernize some of our legacy applications and being able to expose data in real time. That foundation of data where and when you need it at any classification in any domain is really the key foundation and enabler to Joint All Domain Operations. When we talk about any sensor and any shooter in any C2 node sharing data in real time, that data has to be visible, accessible, understandable, trusted, interoperable and secure, and we believe that service enabling our datasets is a critical component to enabling that vision.

A longer version of this article was first posted to FCW, a sibling site to GCN.

About the Author

Lauren C. Williams is a staff writer at FCW covering defense and cybersecurity.

Prior to joining FCW, Williams was the tech reporter for ThinkProgress, where she covered everything from internet culture to national security issues. In past positions, Williams covered health care, politics and crime for various publications, including The Seattle Times.

Williams graduated with a master's in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park and a bachelor's in dietetics from the University of Delaware. She can be contacted at [emailprotected], or follow her on Twitter @lalaurenista.

Click here for previous articles by Wiliams.

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Standing up cArmy, the foundation for cloud services - GCN.com

Healthcare Cloud Computing Industry Market Future Scope Demands and Projected Industry Growths to 2025 – The News Brok

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Market Study Report, LLC, has expanded its reports database with a new research study on Healthcare Cloud Computing Industry market which features a precise summary of the business valuation, SWOT Analysis, market size, revenue estimation and regional viewpoint of this business vertical. Moreover, the report accurately features significant opportunities and obstacles awaiting contenders of this industry and enlighten the present competitive landscape and corporate strategies adopted by Healthcare Cloud Computing Industry market players.

This Healthcare Cloud Computing Industry market study report includes a detailed extract of this industry incorporating a number of vital parameters. Some of them relate to the current scenario of this marketplace as well as the industry scenario over the forecast timeframe. Including all the key development trends characterizing the Healthcare Cloud Computing Industry market, this evaluated report also contains many other pointers like the present industry policies and topographical industry layout characteristics. Additionally, the report also contains the impact of the present market scenario of the investors.

Request a sample Report of Healthcare Cloud Computing Industry Market at:https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/2784341?utm_source=newsbrok.com&utm_medium=Ram

This report includes details about the enterprise competition trends, advantages and disadvantages of the enterprise products as well as a detailed scientific analysis of the raw material and industry downstream buyers among some of the parameters.

Categorizing the competitive landscape of the industry

Assisting prominent stakeholders with regional landscape information

Ask for Discount on Healthcare Cloud Computing Industry Market Report at:https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/2784341?utm_source=newsbrok.com&utm_medium=Ram

Additional key aspects included in the Healthcare Cloud Computing Industrymarket study:

For More Details On this Report: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/covid-19-outbreak-global-healthcare-cloud-computing-industry-market-report-development-trends-threats-opportunities-and-competitive-landscape-in-2020

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Healthcare Cloud Computing Industry Market Future Scope Demands and Projected Industry Growths to 2025 - The News Brok

Partnership to transform cloud computing education – The Star Online

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

ALIBABA Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) to enhance cloud computing education offerings for students and staff.

The collaboration will empower digital talents and tech professionals through Alibaba Clouds Elastic Compute Service (ECS) and Data Transfer courses, overhauling the current Cloud Computing curriculum at the university.

The MoU is part of the Alibaba Cloud Academic Empowerment Programme (AAEP) for local universities that aim to provide advanced cloud computing technology for students and staff.

With easy access to quality learning resources, UTAR students can pursue Alibaba Cloud certification and stand a chance to intern at the company after successful completion of the courses.

Both parties will jointly promote cloud computing by conducting collaborative seminars, guest lectures, workshops and training activities.

Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Malaysia general manager Jordy Cao said, It is pivotal that students and the teaching staff are getting the best and latest cloud computing curriculum, as well as access to experienced professionals to help them validate and clarify their theoretical knowledge.

Alibaba Cloud has been dedicated to providing the best-in-class cloud services to our customers, and well deliver these exact experiences to UTAR to help students get the best learning resources in the industry so they can better seize the opportunities provided by the digital era.

UTAR president Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat said, We are proud to be part of the AAEP. Students need to continuously acquire the latest knowledge and tap into available training and resources to be in tandem with dynamic industry changes.

We are thankful that Alibaba Cloud is collaborating with UTAR to help prepare our students for the Digital Cloud Transformation Journey.

We look forward to this collaboration for greater educational benefits for our students, as well as information and knowledge exchanges between Alibaba Cloud and UTAR.

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Partnership to transform cloud computing education - The Star Online

Why cloud computing isn’t the answer to all business problems – Verdict

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

The Covid-19 pandemic has driven the rhetoric around cloud computing into overdrive. However, there is a right size for everything, including the corporate commitment to cloud.

When public cloud computing first hit, early adopters and pundits were quick to say it was the future, full stop. Later on, as the market has continued to mature, there is now a second generation adding to the chorus of all-cloud computing.

General cloud and SaaS technologies have a lot going for them. Between simplification, ease of access for employees not on site, and the reduction of equipment and software that IT staff have to maintain, cloud technologies can do wonderful things for a business.

But the absolutist position that everything has to go into the cloud is one that most companies should avoid. Because no matter how accommodating and easy to use cloud is, it represents a loss of control. Decisions made by a third party, or even mistakes made by a third party can have detrimental effects. For a lot of functions, considering the good track record of the major cloud suppliers to date, this is a pretty easy risk/benefit calculation to make.

However, things that are core to the company, things that have a direct effect on serving the customer, such as manufacturing control for instance, require a different risk/benefit calculation. Systems that are absolutely critical to the core function of a company require a more hands-on approach, where keeping these functions in house, or at least redundant in house should be considered.

The rise of Edge Computing, systems designed to be near the end point to handle fast response and local data processing is the perfect example of the cloud model not really being one-size-fits-all. Edge Computing wouldnt exist otherwise. Locations with limited or poor connectivity are another good example of how cloud cannot do it all.

Companies can and should embrace cloud computing and in some cases even move the majority of their IT functions to the cloud. However, the core tenant of digital business is improved customer experience and engagement. Viewed in that light, cloud might be the solution for many problems, but not all problems.

GlobalData is this websites parent business intelligence company.

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Why cloud computing isn't the answer to all business problems - Verdict

The Future Of Cloud Computing: Moving At The Speed Of Business – iAfrica.com

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

By Patrick Ndegwa

Businesses now accept that the future of organising, processing and presenting their data is in the cloud

By Patrick Ndegwa, Business Sales Lead for SEACOM (https://SEACOM.com/) East Africa

Theres been a definite shift around the discussion about the cloud in Africa. Businesses now accept that the future of organising, processing and presenting their data is in the cloud.And with services like cloud-based email, many companies are already using this innovative technology whether they realise it or not.The conversation has changed from asking what is cloud technology? to looking at how it can be harnessed to achieve business success.

Organisations need to be able to adapt at the same speed as this new technology and take advantage of the opportunities it presents. This will ensure business continuity and resilience in the long term. So whats next for the cloud?

The future of cloud computing: opportunities for Africa

TheInternet of Things(https://bit.ly/2QC4iyt) is set to become even more prominent, with companies able to automate and optimise more processes as connected smart machines are used. Interconnected systems mean that business processes and actual equipment will be linked to ensure ease of access and optimisation. This has the power to significantly improve efficiency for businesses that can get it right. This could include inventory systems that automatically order more stock when levels are low; smart machines that notify you before a part needs to be replaced; or logistics tracking that optimises routes and delivery based on orders and current traffic congestion. As we progress into this digital world of work, systems will become more interlinked and intertwined, providing opportunities for companies that are ready to take advantage.

Furthermore, the cloud enables remote working and service provision, regardless of where employees or organisations are located. This opens up business opportunities as distance from customers and clients is no longer a stumbling block. African companies can offer their services to a wider market and in turn use additional services as a result of a digitally connected world. The same applies to workers; employees can search for jobs nationally and internationally, as opposed to simply searching for opportunities in their immediate area.

Business flexibility and scalability will be key to enabling growth while reducing unnecessary costs as a result of more streamlined operating systems and access to more markets and a wider range of service providers.

Ensuring the safety and security of the business

The importance of security in this new cloud-connected world cannot be stressed enough. As more data is moved to a cloud environment, businesses that dont take security seriously become more susceptible to data breaches.

User rights need to be properly managed and the relevant software put into place to prevent cyberattacks and data leaks. In addition to this, each individual accessing a system affects the safety of the wider network, so employee training is vital. Accessing and managing data remotely will need to become a priority. The constant influx of data that is being collected and stored needs to be organised and used strategically. Regular backups are crucial in ensuring that information is safe and easily accessible should the original data be deemed at risk. This will ensure business continuity and reduce downtime.

Companies that stand to win will be those that partner with cloud providers that can help them put the right security measures in place.

Adapting to a cloud-driven world of business

Research indicates that by 2025(https://bit.ly/2ELzsRc), all of the worlds data is expected to increase by five times. This data is estimated to be worth around 123.2 billion USD. In addition to this, the mobile cloud services market will be worth an estimated 95 billion USD by 2024. This trend also applies to Africa.

AsInternet usage in Africa grows(https://bit.ly/32Kf5MJ), so does the amount of data created as well as the value of that data. Accessing these huge amounts of data wont be the biggest challenge making sense of it will be. Companies that can collect, collate and analyse the sheer volume of data generated every day by their customers, employees and other stakeholders stand to gain a lot. If you arent organising your data and using it strategically, you will be left behind.

As we look to the future, the importance of partnering with a provider that can assist your business in meeting its operational needs to remain a top priority. A forward-thinking cloud partner can help your business plan for the future, while making the most of the latest innovative technology.

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The Future Of Cloud Computing: Moving At The Speed Of Business - iAfrica.com

Five critical cloud security challenges and how to overcome them – Help Net Security

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Todays organizations desire the accessibility and flexibility of the cloud, yet these benefits ultimately mean little if youre not operating securely. One misconfigured server and your company may be looking at financial or reputational damage that takes years to overcome.

Fortunately, theres no reason why cloud computing cant be done securely. You need to recognize the most critical cloud security challenges and develop a strategy for minimizing these risks. By doing so, you can get ahead of problems before they start, and help ensure that your security posture is strong enough to keep your core assets safe in any environment.

With that in mind, lets dive into the five most pressing cloud security challenges faced by modern organizations.

According to Gartner, the shift to cloud computing will generate roughly $1.3 trillion in IT spending by 2022. The vast majority of enterprise workloads are now run on public, private or hybrid cloud environments.

Yet if organizations heedlessly race to migrate without making security a primary consideration, critical assets can be left unprotected and exposed to potential compromise. To ensure that migration does not create unnecessary risks, its important to:

Effectively managing and defining the roles, privileges and responsibilities of various network users is a critical objective for maintaining robust security. This means giving the right users the right access to the right assets in the appropriate context.

As workers come and go and roles change, this mandate can be quite a challenge, especially in the context of the cloud, where data can be accessed from anywhere. Fortunately, technology has improved our ability to track activities, adjust roles and enforce policies in a way that minimizes risk.

Todays organizations have no shortage of end-to-end solutions for identity governance and management. Yet its important to understand that these tools alone are not the answer. No governance or management product can provide perfect protection as organizations are eternally at the mercy of human error. To help support smart identity and access management, its critical to have a layered and active approach to managing and mitigating security vulnerabilities that will inevitably arise.

Taking steps like practicing the principle of least privilege by permitting only the minimal amount of access necessary to perform tasks will greatly enhance your security posture.

The explosive growth of cloud computing has highlighted new and deeper relationships between businesses and vendors, as organizations seek to maximize efficiencies through outsourcing and vendors assume more important roles in business operations. Effectively managing vendor relations within the context of the cloud is a core challenge for businesses moving forward.

Why? Because integrating third-party vendors often substantially raises cybersecurity risk. A Ponemon institute study in 2018 noted that nearly 60% of companies surveyed had encountered a breach due to a third-party. APT groups have adopted a strategy of targeting large enterprises via such smaller partners, where security is often weaker. Adversaries know youre only as strong as your weakest link and take the least path of resistance to compromise assets. Due to this, it is incumbent upon todays organizations to vigorously and securely manage third-party vendor relations in the cloud. This means developing appropriate guidance for SaaS operations (including sourcing and procurement solutions) and undertaking periodic vendor security evaluations.

APIs are the key to successful cloud integration and interoperability. Yet insecure APIs are also one of the most significant threats to cloud security. Adversaries can exploit an open line of communication and steal valuable private data by compromising APIs. How often does this really occur? Consider this: By 2022, Gartner predicts insecure APIs will be the vector most commonly used to target enterprise application data.

With APIs growing ever more critical, attackers will continue to use tactics such as exploiting inadequate authentications or planting vulnerabilities within open source code, creating the possibility of devastating supply chain attacks. To minimize the odds of this occurring, developers should design APIs with proper authentication and access control in mind and seek to maintain as much visibility as possible into the enterprise security environment. This will allow for the quick identification and remediation of such API risks.

Weve mentioned visibility on multiple occasions in this article and for good reason. It is one of the keys to operating securely in the cloud. The ability to tell friend from foe (or authorized user from unauthorized user) is a prerequisite for protecting the cloud. Unfortunately, thats a challenging task as cloud environments grow larger, busier and more complex.

Controlling shadow IT and maintaining better user visibility via behavior analytics and other tools should be a top priority for organizations. Given the lack of visibility across many contexts within cloud environments, its a smart play to develop a security posture that is dedicated to continuous improvement and supported by continuous testing and monitoring.

Cloud security is achievable as long as you understand, anticipate and address the most significant challenges posed by migration and operation. By following the ideas outlined above, your organization will be in a much stronger position to prevent and defeat even the most determined adversaries.

Five critical cloud security challenges and how to overcome them - Help Net Security

2020 Vision on the Cloud: Tech Rises to the Occasion – GovTech

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

It seems like a lifetime ago, fall 2019, when we decided to devote the September 2020 issue of this magazine to an examination of cloud technologies and their adoption in state and local government. Were fortunate in so many ways to work in print journalism, a realization we on the GT editorial staff strive never to take for granted. But one of the greatest challenges of working ahead is projecting into the future, trying to predict what issues might be salient for readers in the coming months and years.

Every aspect of modern life has been upended by the global pandemic and few could have predicted the scale of the changes it has wrought. Interestingly, though, those changes have underscored the need for creative, flexible leaders who expect the same from their technology.

Anecdotally, the tech teams that pivoted most quickly to new service delivery models had some tools in place that they could build upon when the pandemic hit. As-a-service technologies played a significant role in that, especially as security concerns that dogged cloud solutions in early years have abated. Evidence of the clouds prominence abounds in our news coverage of government response efforts over the past few months.

Many, if not most, states used cloud technologies to increase the capacity of their unemployment systems to handle massive surges in applications created by pandemic-related job loss. Rhode Island, for example, duplicated its unemployment system in the cloud, enabling new claims to then feed into its legacy mainframe system during off hours. A new cloud-based call center, a tool used by many states, also helped officials better track call volume. This new generation of cloud-based computing is really, really suited to the kind of work we do, said Scott Jensen, director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, in April.

The Maryland IT Department teamed with the Department of Commerce to meet another COVID-19-related need: distributing CARES Act grant money to struggling small businesses. The project built on a years-long effort for a robust online OneStop portal, hosted in the cloud. Built with capacity to expand and adapt to future needs, the state and its partners made quick work of adding the new functionality. Read more about their journey here.

Survey data backs up the fact that the adaptability inherent in many cloud solutions has made them essential during the pandemic. Further, it demonstrates that COVID-19 response efforts are changing minds about the cloud, inside and outside the CIOs office. A broad-based survey from The Harris Poll in May revealed that nearly two-thirds of companies are now more likely to pursue cloud solutions because of the pandemic.

But the urgency is more proof of a trajectory that was already in motion. The Center for Digital Government, owned by GovTechs parent company e.Republic, has been gathering data on cloud acceptance in cities, counties and states for a number of years. Some of this information is visualized in our cover story, 2020 Puts Cloud Computing in Government to the Test. The numbers demonstrate a growing confidence in, and commitment to, cloud technologies as an important component of overall IT infrastructure strategy.

But the cloud, now well past its initial hype cycle, is not the solution to every need. Tech leaders who voiced aggressive cloud first strategies early on, following a declaration to that effect from the federal government under then-CIO Vivek Kundra in 2010, have come around to more nuanced approaches. But even the shift in terminology to terms like cloud right and cloud smart, as outlined by Arkansas CTO Yessica Jones and California CIO Amy Tong, respectively, suggest the future is bright for cloud technologies in government.

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2020 Vision on the Cloud: Tech Rises to the Occasion - GovTech

A year with the Army’s cloud management office – Defense Systems

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Cloud

The Army's enterprise cloud office is nine months old. A lot has happened in that time frame -- a new secure cloud environment, a cloud solutions team, a hiring spree, and the migration of the Army's financial enterprise system that handles $1 million a day.

Defense Systems virtually sat down with its director, Paul Puckett III, about how the office and the Army's cloud priorities have taken shape amid a pandemic and the split of the CIO/G-6 role. Here's what he had to say:

What have you been up to this year?

PUCKETT: Looking back over the last seven to eight months since we've existed, we've seen movement across each one of these key things: first off is starting to see ourselves, to see precisely where these 160 plus applications residing in the cloud today, currently are deployed, who's responsible for it, what mission it's enabling. Starting to see ourselves and where we've made those investments led to a partnership between the ECMO and the Army Analytics Group to stand up, what is "cArmy", and that is our foundation of common secure cloud services that aligns to the [secure cloud computing architecture by the Defense Information Systems Agency]. This is a centrally resourced, funded, and provided service for the Army.

And what we've been able to do over the last seven months is start to migrate some strategic initiatives into that secure footprint. We've been trying to train and equip the Army in the true value of what online on demand compute and storage enables and what a secure foundation enables. Really getting after those stove pipes of data and redesigning them to enable self-service for those data sets and creating more of that dynamic, resilient architecture that can handle the ad hoc nature of how we need to access data today, leveraging cloud computing.

In addition to cArmy, we started up a cloud solutions team that gets after that refactoring and replatforming, really redesigning the Army architecture, leveraging cloud computing. Now with the secure foundation, with a framework for how we optimize and modernize our applications, we've also leaned in, and we're investing in providing the common tools for modern software development. And so we've also stood up a team called CReATE, the Coding Repository and Transformation Environment. We see across the DOD, this move towards bringing together developers and security teams and operator teams into a DevSecOps model. And typically that's enabled by an ecosystem of modern software development. So we've stood up to the CReATE team within the cArmy environment.

So is the CReATE team the same as the software factory, or is it something different?

The Army Future Command's software factory is focused on the people is focused on partnering with the commands across the Army for the mission and the problem that we're trying to solve, and it's focused on the public-private partnerships, and leaning on industry to teach and enable and train our soldiers for how to put hands on keyboard to solve our own problems with software and CReATE is the ecosystem of software development tools, and cArmy is the secure cloud environment in which those tools are deployed. We own the IT infrastructure secure services for the Army cloud and the tools for software development and the software factory is bringing the people and the processes and the problems for us to solve, and we're working together to field tested, secure and accredited solutions.

How has COVID affected those initiatives so far?

A lot of the Army's [past] cloud adoption was driven by the data center closure and optimization effort and so we saw a lot of people just simply rehosting capabilities, lifting and shifting capabilities to the cloud, and really what I think COVID helped the Army identify which one of those systems were designed for a fixed on-premises architecture, which were designed for a more dynamic, ad hoc world that allows for secure access at home or in the building or globally.

You're also in the midst of reorganization at the CIO/G-6 level. Can you talk a little bit about what this changeover is looking like and what is expected to come out on the other end and how your office in particular is going to be impacted?

You're talking about the CIO and G-6 separation to be a distinct entity of the CIO and the G-6. That happening during the midst of a global pandemic is an intriguing one. It's highlighted the need to communicate and collaborate. Having capabilities like Commercial Virtual Remote environment has been absolutely instrumental especially when my team is 100% telework right now. We really anticipate that flexibility of what is the best working model for each one of the people on our team, for the ECMO to be the standard moving forward. We want that flexibility in the team, but our ability to collaborate there is crucial and that expands across the CIO/G-6, especially as we're deconstructing the roles and responsibilities and seeing where in our business processes we need to refine or optimize them, complementing the split.

We've gone through a number of drills teasing out various use cases to understand who would do what, where, and when, so when that split becomes official, we don't skip a beat when it comes to getting the mission done.

We'll be shifting underneath the oversight of the CIO side of the house but when it comes to the job that we have to do, right, I'll only see the CIO and G-6 split as providing more clarity as to who's responsible for what. I think we'll have our typical challenges of new organizational structures and new leadership, but I really don't see any limitation when it comes to us getting the job done and the mission that we have.

You mentioned before about your team being 100% telework. Are you completely staffed up or are you looking for certain positions to fill and develop certain capabilities?

Yeah, we're definitely still hiring and as part of that transition, there's been a movement towards temporary terms as we start to create the more formal, permanent structure between the CIO and the G-6 split. While I am new to the Army, I don't think that the answer to the Army is for the ECMO to go and hire a whole bunch of external, new-to-the-Army talent. Our power is really in people that have experience, understand the Army structure and also understand the new imperative to modernize.

We will be looking for some new eyes on the challenges of the Army for product management and design. The services and our processes need to be intuitive. And then of course the subject matter expertise, understanding the value of cloud technology, but also understanding how we design and field IT systems today. Because you've got to understand it in order to dismantle it, to truly leverage the value of cloud computing and what it means for the entire life cycle of software development, all the way from design and requirements into continuous improvement in a production environment.

What is the Army doing around that to prepare for JEDI or a JEDI-like capability this year should it come out?

So first what we're doing is collapsing from an infrastructure architecture perspective into cArmy -- those kinds of SCCA components, so that's really step one. Step two is we've gotten our hooks into almost all of our cloud accounts today from a financial management perspective and we're starting to see how we're using cloud resources effectively and see this only feeding and enabling how we consume JEDI at enterprise scale -- our ability to ensure that we're estimating and consuming precisely what we need in order to work, deliver on our mission and getting the greatest return on investment.

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A year with the Army's cloud management office - Defense Systems

How Pico helped get the e Cloud message across in China – Conference and Meetings World

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Danzig

Hong Kong-based global brand activation companyPico recently helped e Cloud get its message across atChina Telecoms nationwide China 5G24-hour Online Broadcast.

The brief

The nationwide Chinas 5G24-hour Online Broadcast was hosted byChina Telecom on World Telecommunication Day on 17 May 2020. For e Cloud, which serves asChina Telecoms cloud service, the broadcast was an ideal opportunity to introduce the public to the essence of cloud computing and the 5G cloud network.

e Cloud also aimed to demonstrate developments in the integration and application of cloud network in different industries. Ultimately, the broadcast was designed to help e Cloud boost brand awareness while expanding China Telecoms market share in the cloud service sector.

Insight

e Clouds involvement comprised a one-hour slot in the programme, with a target audience comprising corporate customers as well as the general public. This being the case, the Pico team considered it crucial that e Clouds content would make complex ideas easily understandable, and demonstrate how cloud computing can make everyday living more convenient. Creating interesting and interactive content and broadcasting on multiple platforms would also be vital to immersing and engaging a wide audience.

Solution

The Pico team was responsible for the overall planning, including the event programme, filming, post-production and broadcast.

Video content for broadcast was created at the core of e Clouds brand message. A series of videos respectively introduced e Clouds data centres in Guizhou and Inner Mongolia, the cloud solution supporting the Covid-19-related efforts of Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, and services to Original Force, a digital entertainment company.

Combining dynamic visuals with strategically planned content, each video delivered by the team transformed complex concepts into easy to grasp presentations by emphasising the sheer convenience 5G and cloud technologies can bring to everyday situations, and showcased the capabilities of e Cloud.

Pico also produced pre-event promo and post-event videos, intended respectively to grab the audiences attention and encourage them to revisit the entire broadcast content.

Another highlight was a live discussion of cloud computing gurus, with an industry expert and the heads ofChina Telecom and e Cloud sharing practical insights on cloud computing with the audience. The team worked closely with the video crew on-site to ensure that the live session went off without a hitch.

The broadcast was carried across a range of platforms and especially those with a strong market influence to achieve maximum audience reach. While the content originated fromChina Telecoms broadcast platform, it was also distributed to social media such as Bilibili and CCTVs platform.

Results

OnChina Telecoms platform, the project achieved:

There were also accumulated over 33m views On other media platforms.

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How Pico helped get the e Cloud message across in China - Conference and Meetings World

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