COVID-19 Daily Update 7-28-2020 – 10 AM – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

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TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of 10:00 a.m., on July 28,2020, there have been 268,039 totalconfirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 6,119 totalcases and 108 deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an 87-yearold female from Wood County and a 47-year old female from Berkeley County. Wejoin with these families as they grieve the loss of their loved ones, saidBill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.

In alignment with updated definitions fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard includes probablecases which are individuals that have symptoms and either serologic (antibody)or epidemiologic (e.g., a link to a confirmed case) evidence of disease, but noconfirmatory test.

CASESPER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case):Barbour (28/0), Berkeley (600/22), Boone (68/0), Braxton (8/0), Brooke(51/1), Cabell (281/9), Calhoun (6/0), Clay (17/0), Doddridge (2/0), Fayette(121/0), Gilmer (14/0), Grant (42/1), Greenbrier (83/0), Hampshire (65/0),Hancock (86/5), Hardy (50/1), Harrison (165/1), Jackson (154/0), Jefferson(280/5), Kanawha (697/13), Lewis (24/1), Lincoln (51/2), Logan (93/0), Marion(155/4), Marshall (109/2), Mason (41/0), McDowell (16/1), Mercer (108/0),Mineral (96/2), Mingo (104/2), Monongalia (824/16), Monroe (18/1), Morgan(24/1), Nicholas (26/1), Ohio (241/0), Pendleton (27/1), Pleasants (6/1),Pocahontas (40/1), Preston (98/22), Putnam (152/1), Raleigh (134/4), Randolph(203/3), Ritchie (3/0), Roane (14/0), Summers (5/0), Taylor (38/1), Tucker(8/0), Tyler (11/0), Upshur (34/2), Wayne (174/2), Webster (3/0), Wetzel (40/0),Wirt (6/0), Wood (218/11), Wyoming (17/0).

As case surveillance continues at thelocal health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certaincounty may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individualin question may have crossed the state border to be tested.

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR.

Please visit thedashboard at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 7-28-2020 - 10 AM - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Face coverings an important tool to fight COVID-19 – UW News

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News releases | Video

July 30, 2020

Face coverings will continue to be an important and effective tool in combating the spread of COVID-19, public health experts say.

Individuals who wear face masks play a key role in limiting how fast the virus spreads in our communities, along with vigilant hand washing and physical distancing, saidJen Balkus,an epidemiologist and assistant professor in the UW Department of Epidemiology.

Because you can have COVID-19 and show no symptoms, even healthy people should wear masks to protect others in case they have the virus and dont know it.By covering your nose and mouth, masks limit the spread of droplets from coughing, sneezing and talking that might carry the novel coronavirus.

In instances where theres a high level of mask wearing, were seeing fewer infections compared to when masks are not being worn, Balkus said.

Learning to have masks on hand is a good practice and will eventually feel more normal, especially since we may be doing it for a while, she added. It might feel a little bit unfamiliar or uncomfortable or just plain awkward to be doing, but its such an important prevention tool.

The Washington State Department of Health guidelines and statewide mask directive say that people should wear a face covering at any indoor or outdoor public space where they may be within 6 feet of someone who does not live with them. The UW also has a COVID-19 face covering policy.

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Face coverings an important tool to fight COVID-19 - UW News

Multnomah, Marion and Hood River counties added to Oregons COVID-19 watch list – KPTV.com

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Multnomah, Marion and Hood River counties added to Oregons COVID-19 watch list - KPTV.com

Barron County Sees 162-Percent Increase In Positive Cases Of COVID-19 In 2 Weeks – Wisconsin Public Radio News

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The Barron County Health Department is urging residents to stop unnecessary travel and avoid all gatherings following a dramatic surge of new cases of COVID-19. More than 150 new cases have been reported since mid-July, nearly half of which occurred at a food processing plant.

In the past two weeks, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 has increased by more than 162 percent according to data from the Barron County Department of Health and Human Services. A press release issued by the department Wednesday reported 150 new cases across the county includinga cluster at a processing facility in the city of Cumberland owned by Seneca Foods, though it did not specify how many employees had gotten sick. DHS data for Barron County showed79 total positives on July 16. On Thursday, the agency reported 207 cases in the county.

Matt Henschler, Seneca Foods senior vice president of technical services, was quoted in the county announcement as saying the company is taking a "united approach"in identifying people who have tested positive or are symptomatic.

"Individuals are being isolated and monitored until cleared to resume activity,"said Henschler. "CDC guidelines regarding the preparation and management for COVID-19 are being followed."

Henschler did not respond to an interview request for this story.

Laura Sauve, thecounty health officer, also noted in the press release that the cases at the Seneca food processing facility "is not the only cause for the increase in cases."She also said the company did a good job of following CDC recommendations in hopes of preventing cases.

"This situation shows just how quickly the virus can spread,"said Sauve.

In an interview with WPR, Barron County Public Health specialist Sarah Turner said preliminary numbers show that just less than half of the 150 new county COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks could be traced to Seneca Foods. She said the health department did not know if masks had been required at the plant prior to the outbreak. Much of the other new cases in Barron County were reported in the city of Rice Lake, she said.

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"A lot of the cases outside of the outbreak (at the Cumberland facility) can be traced back to travel gatherings, crowded spaces, things like that,"Turner said.

During a Wednesday discussion with the Milwaukee Press Club, Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin touted a bill she co-introduced that would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue an emergency standard establishing a legal obligation for all workplaces to implement control plans to limit worker exposure to COVID-19.

"We're in the end of July," Baldwin said. "And we don't have a federal agency who's issued standards. All we have is voluntary guidelines. Sothat to me is an essential piece of it."

As of Wednesday, there had been three deaths in Barron County. Data from the DHS shows two of those deaths happened within the last week. Barron County Health's Turner said six people were hospitalized as of Thursday afternoon, with "several of them"in the intensive care unit.

Another press release from the county health department issued Wednesday urged residents to practice steps recommended in the now defunct "Safer-at-Home"executive order issued by Gov. Tony Evers and DHS Secretary Andrea Palm in March. Those include avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people indoors, stopping all unnecessary travel, not eating in restaurants or going to bars and frequent hand washing.

Turner said the county is encouraging everyone in the community to "please stay home"and isolate if they show flu-like symptoms.

"You know, one thing in our area of the world in the Midwest we have an awesome work ethic, which is a great thing,"said Turner. "But unfortunately, in times of COVID-19, it can also be not such a great thing because, you know, even outside of this Seneca outbreak, we've seen people who have gone to work symptomatic because we always go to work."

The statewide stay-at-home order was struck down by the state Supreme Court May 13. That day there were a total of 10,902 positive cases of COVID-19 reported by DHS. That number has swelled to 51,409 as of Wednesday.

On Thursday, Evers announced a statewide mask mandate aimed at slowing the spread of the disease. The order goes into effect Aug.1 and is set to expire Sept. 28 and requires individuals5 years and older to wear masks in indoor or "enclosed public places"when non-family members are present. Indoor public places, under the order, include indoor and outdoor bars, restaurants, stores, outdoor park structures and public transit. Those who don't follow the mandate could be fined up to $200.

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Barron County Sees 162-Percent Increase In Positive Cases Of COVID-19 In 2 Weeks - Wisconsin Public Radio News

COVID-19 Daily Update 7-26-20 – 10 AM – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

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TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of 10:00 a.m., on July 26,2020, there have been 259,669 total confirmatory laboratory results receivedfor COVID-19, with 5,887 total cases and 103 deaths.

In alignment with updated definitions fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard includes probablecases which are individuals that have symptoms and either serologic (antibody)or epidemiologic (e.g., a link to a confirmed case) evidence of disease, but noconfirmatory test.

CASESPER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case):Barbour (28/0), Berkeley (589/19), Boone (70/0), Braxton (8/0), Brooke(47/1), Cabell (272/9), Calhoun (5/0), Clay (17/0), Doddridge (2/0), Fayette(114/0), Gilmer (14/0), Grant (40/1), Greenbrier (81/0), Hampshire (56/0),Hancock (81/4), Hardy (50/1), Harrison (159/1), Jackson (153/0), Jefferson(275/5), Kanawha (671/12), Lewis (24/1), Lincoln (46/2), Logan (86/0), Marion(154/4), Marshall (97/1), Mason (41/0), McDowell (14/1), Mercer (84/0), Mineral(94/2), Mingo (91/2), Monongalia (801/16), Monroe (18/1), Morgan (24/1),Nicholas (22/1), Ohio (230/0), Pendleton (27/1), Pleasants (6/1), Pocahontas(39/1), Preston (97/22), Putnam (139/1), Raleigh (126/4), Randolph (201/4),Ritchie (3/0), Roane (14/0), Summers (4/0), Taylor (38/1), Tucker (8/0), Tyler(11/0), Upshur (33/2), Wayne (173/2), Webster (3/0), Wetzel (40/0), Wirt (6/0),Wood (212/10), Wyoming (15/0).

As case surveillance continues at thelocal health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certaincounty may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individualin question may have crossed the state border to be tested.

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR.

Please visit thedashboard at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 7-26-20 - 10 AM - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

New Presidio care site to free up hospitals, 600 COVID-19 deaths possible by year’s end warns director of health – Mission Local

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Supervisor Catherine Stefani and Dr. Grant Colfax, San Franciscos Director of Health, today announced a new care site in the Presidio for patients without COVID-19 to free up hospital space as cases mount.

The inpatient site, located at 1163 to 1167 Gorgas Ave. in the Presidio, can hold up to 93 people who no longer require acute medical care, but do need more treatment. The site will be staffed by Public Health and UCSF healthcare providers and funded by the city.

Possible ailments like sprained ankles or recovery from minor infections might be reasons hospitals refer discharged patients to the new site, Stefani said, noting the site would be in her district, District 2. There, patients can access medical supervision, physical therapy and laboratory services.

Unfortunately, other ailments are not going to stop just because of the pandemic, said Stefani. Opening this facility will allow our hospital to shore up our medical resources and bolster our hospital capacity. In doing so, we are proactively preparing for future COVID-19 surges.

The move aims to alleviate hospital capacity, which underscores the burgeoning number of cases in San Francisco in recent weeks. Stefani solemnly reported that the reported number of positive COVID-19 cases across the city this week was 6,197. Most importantly, hospitalizations have increased steadily.

The hospitals have 112 COVID-19 positive patients in acute and ICU care, as of July 27, the latest figures reported by DPH. That leaves 257 acute and ICU beds available.

We are in a major surge of COVID-19, Colfax said. If things continue at current rates, we estimate that on average we will have more than 750 San Franciscans in the hospital by mid-October and more than 600 deaths from COVID-19 in 2020.

Colfax said he hopes San Francisco doesnt reach the point where the city needs to heavily rely on the Presidio care site. The site is already prepared to address incoming patients, though Colfax said it will not open immediately.

The director also implored the public to do its part to keep cases and hospitalizations down by abiding by COVID-19 health guidelines. He referred to these several times, and the public now knows them by heart: wash hands, social distance, wear a mask, limit gatherings.

I know you want to see schools open instead of medical sites, Colfax said. That depends on you.

But despite being drilled with the proper comportment in a monthslong pandemic, recently the infections in the state and in San Francisco have grown worse than they were earlier during shelter-in-place.

The daily infection count is nearing 100 per day now, keeping San Francisco in the red zone for more than a month, and cementing it to the states watch-list, Colfax said. At the height of coronavirus infections in April, 94 San Franciscans were hospitalized, and six weeks ago there were 26. Its a stark contrast today: there are 107 hospitalized patients, 25 percent of whom are in intensive care.

Unfortunately, that number is higher than it ever has been before, and continues to climb, Colfax said. It is extremely sobering that we have reached this point. Its extremely concerning.

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New Presidio care site to free up hospitals, 600 COVID-19 deaths possible by year's end warns director of health - Mission Local

CDH reports uptick in positive COVID-19 tests – GazetteNET

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Published: 7/30/2020 6:34:44 PM

NORTHAMPTON More coronavirus tests have been coming back positive at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

The COVID-19 positive test rate the percentage of total tests that come back positive more than doubled recently. Two weeks ago, 0.7% of people tested at Cooley Dickinson were positive for COVID-19, but last week, that figure increased to 1.9%, according to the hospital.

The increase was seen in both symptomatic and asymptomatic people, the hospital said. There also has been an increase in the positive test rate statewide in recent days.

The percent of positive cases is an early indicator that infections may be rising in an area, Dr. Joanne Levin, medical director of infection prevention at Cooley Dickinson Health Care, wrote in a statement. We do not yet know if this is a trend that will continue, or a blip. This is still far less activity than we saw a few months ago, but certainly bears watching closely.

In mid-May, for example, the seven-day average positive test rate in Massachusetts was 9.6%. The rate was as high as 20% this spring at Cooley Dickinson, but it is important to note that in the spring, testing criteria were much more restrictive than they are today, and fewer people were being tested, spokeswoman Christina Trinchero said in a statement.

Currently, the hospital tests between 150 to 200 people each day, and an order from a doctor or the health department is required to obtain a test.

Its important to wear masks, stay physically distanced from others, and wash your hands, Levin said.

Despite our collective fatigue, we all need to remain vigilant, she said.

As of Wednesday, Northampton had recorded 289 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, an increase of seven over the previous 14 days.

There were no COVID-19 patients at Cooley Dickinson Hospital as of Thursday morning, according Trinchero.

At Baystate Medical Center, 36 people tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak in a non-COVID-19 clinical unit, the hospital reported Monday. Baystate declined to release any additional numbers about the outbreak or the positive test rate on Thursday, but a spokesperson said that Baystate Medical Center currently has 16 patients with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

Greta Jochem can be reached at gjochem@gazettenet.com.

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CDH reports uptick in positive COVID-19 tests - GazetteNET

Government moves from one ’emergency’ to the next – The Republic

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Leo Morris Submitted photo

Early in my stint on theFort Wayne News-Sentinels editorial board, county officials came to lobby for the newspapers support of a proposed new tax.

They knew we had a conservative editorial page, so they gave us their best sound arguments based on fiscal prudence.

The impact on individuals would be minimal a dining out tax of a mere 1 percent on food and beverages. The use of the revenue would be strictly targeted going to fund a reconstruction project of the War Memorial Coliseum, at the time the countys main entertainment complex. Best of all, the tax would not be permanent. When the coliseum project was finished, the tax would end.

After much discussion, members of the editorial board reluctantly agreed to endorse the food-and-beverage tax.

And guess what?

The project ended, but the county decided to build itself a minor league baseball stadium, and there was that shiny tax, still collecting money. Naturally, they used it for the new project. Some years later, that stadium was demolished, before it was even paid for, so the city could build a brand-new stadium with a whole new tax scheme.

And more than 30 years later, diners in our county are still paying a food-and-beverage tax, and probably will be until the revenue is tapped to fund a public transit shuttle to the Mars colony. That was the last tax I ever supported.

It brought home a lesson about government we should never forget: Inertia works both ways.

We all remember that a body at rest tends to stay at rest, but forget the part about a body in motion tending to stay in motion. The next time we complain about a gridlocked government not getting anything done, we should remind ourselves we probably wont like it if they finally do something, and the less we like it the greater the chance it will never stop.

Government is forever.

Unfair taxes dont go away. Pointless laws stay on the books. Contingency plans somehow become public policy with no debate or official notice.

And power, once it has been wielded by hall monitors turned elected officials, does not wither away and die. It turns out that hall monitors live to tell people where and when they may and may not go.

Its hard to say which was more appalling about Gov. Eric Holcombs announced mandate of a state mask policy to fight a new spike in COVID-19 cases: his plan to declare, on his own authority, that disobedience would be a misdemeanor carrying a potential penalty of $1,000 in fines and 180 days in jail, or his simultaneous announcement that, well, the penalties would not be enforced.

In one breathtaking act of hubris, he would have imposed an unconstitutional edict and added another layer of cynicism for people who already thought the law was more a whim of the privileged than a reasonable rulebook for society.

But happily for us, he apparently listened to the widespread complaints, including many from fellow Republican officeholders, and dropped the idea that an executive can create laws instead of merely enforcing them. The mandate will now be "educational," not a criminalized offense.

Or perhaps he listened to outgoing Attorney General Curtis Hill, who left us with a parting word of common sense: It is one thing for the governor to declare an emergency and take arbitrary action. Ins another to keep acting unilaterally, without calling the General Assembly into special session, long past the time when urgency was called for. Emergencies do not last for months on end.

However, he ignored the part about a special legislative session. He is still out there, a Capt. Jean-Luc Picard madly directing the United Federation Starship Indiana into unknown galaxies by flicking his wrist and commanding his underlings to Make it so.

The issue is not how deadly COVID-19 is or whether things like masks and social distancing are appropriate responses to it. The issue is whether the government can and will deal with a perceived crisis within a system designed to protect the best interests of all citizens. The need to maintain the publics fragile trust in government will remain long after the pandemic has passed.

Speaking of emergencies, it has just been reported that state government will soon face a budget crisis. It seems that crashing an economy and putting millions of Hoosiers in a financial hole will necessarily mean a drastic decrease in funding for state government.

There has been a 23 percent drop in state revenues, which has decreased the states $2.3 billion in reserves by $850 million. There is the prospect of drastic cutbacks in government spending, massive layoffs, reduction or elimination of certain services.

Cutting back on waste, fraud and abuse? Always has been and always will be a pipe dream.

So, any day now, expect hints about the need for additional revenues, and we all know what that means.

To which there is only one reasonable response from the beleaguered taxpaying public. Well, yeah, well get back to you on that.

Leo Morris, columnist for The Indiana Policy Review, is winner of the Hoosier Press Associations award for Best Editorial Writer. Morris, as opinion editor of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, was named a finalist in editorial writing by the Pulitzer Prize committee. Send comments to editorial@therepublic.com

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Government moves from one 'emergency' to the next - The Republic

Not seeing automation success? Think like a pilot – TechNative

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One of the most overused metaphors of the business world is leaders piloting their organisations: in the driving seat, coping with turbulence, and ensuring employees and customers reach their final destination

Its interesting to think of this image when businesses embark on automation projects.The pilots primary responsibility is the pre-flight checklist. It may seem tedious, but its extremely important security and medical checks, flight data analysis, aircraft system checks, and fuel checks, every step has to be completed thoroughly. A lot depends on it.

The same goes for a business launching automation projects. Every single part must be in order before take-off. In our recent research into this, we found that almost half (47%) of UK businesses who have failed on automation found it was because of a lack of understanding of the process they wanted to improve. Only 15% said they had a deep understanding of their processes before automating them.

With the world and its economies in flux, no business can afford to wait for mistakes to happen and correct them after. Thats why the right technology mix is critical.

Every business automation journey is different. Neither the goals nor the processes themselves are the same. For this reason, every business needs to figure out their own path to success.

The first step is to think about which processes you want to automate. Automation success relies on knowing your processes inside out, and understanding which work and crucially, whichdont.Not nailing your processes before you automate them means youre just making bad processes faster. Its like flying a plane with the wrong fuel in the tank.

In the current climate, this has become even more important. As staff remain furloughed and finance teams work round the clock to keep the business afloat, solid processes are absolutely vital. Its little surprise, then, that financial planning and decision-making was where over half (52%) of business leaders thought process mining technologies would be most useful. Improving customer experience (43%) came in second, and IT service management (37%) and notoriously process-heavy HR onboarding (36%) were next in line.

Figuring out what processes need to be automated is one thing. Managing them from then on is a whole new ball game and one that will require constant attention. After all, autopilot only kicks in once the plane is successfully cruising.

Process mining technologies help you analyse and discover processes using your business data, but process intelligence goes several steps further. This offers the deep understanding and real-time monitoring of your processes that many businesses are missing. Then, it can drill down into the granular details, explain why processes dont work and how to fix them, and give you the tools to solve problems you didnt even know existed. Its vital that business leaders check in on their processes often during this phase, to see where issues lie, which processes are most problematic, and which are ripe for automation.

Once this is in good shape, you can move on to intelligent automation combining process intelligence with automation like RPA. This is the switch to autopilot. Here, the technology can spot potential issues with processes like bottlenecks or delays before they happen, and update bots with corrective actions to fix the failing process.This can happen hundreds of times a day, without the human touch, to avoid problems from ever happening. For process-heavy industries like financial services or logistics and transportation it could be the key to survival in such a difficult economy.

Even with intelligent automation in full swing, there will always be turbulent times on any automation journey. Often, the most challenging processes to automate are the ones that will have the biggest impact the ones that everyone from the boardroom to the shop floor want to be perfect.

For the banking and FS industry, our research found improving financial decision-making was the most helpful use case for RPA. However, it is also proving the most challenging to automate. In insurance, improving customer experience is causing the same headache its vital that its automated well, but getting there is no mean feat.

This proves that the pressure to get automation right is huge its a major investment of time, money, and energy for everyone involved. Thats why relying on human workers to assess processes wont cut it, especially not when technology can do the job for you.

This, and the goal of automating manual labour-intensive processes, means that your human workforce can spend their time doing things that matter more to the business. Right now, this is likely to be relationship-building services, like customer care, supplier management, or simply supporting colleagues and staff. We need the human touch more than ever before.

Withmore than 1.2 millionbeing spent on automation by UK businesses in 2019 and the need for clever technological fixes more pressing than ever in 2020 ensuring youre seeing results is paramount. Getting your processes in order before you start automating them is the crucial step to avoiding failure, and ensuring that businesses reap the rewards of their investments.

It doesnt take a pilots licence to see automation success. But you will need to fuel up correctly before you fly.

Neil Murphy, Global VP, ABBYY. ABBYY is a Digital Intelligence company. We provide a Digital Intelligence platform that delivers a complete understanding of business processes and raises organizations Digital IQ. Our technologies are used by Fortune 500 companies in finance, insurance, transportation, healthcare and other industries helping them make intelligent business decisions. ABBYY is a global company with offices in 13 countries. More: http://www.abbyy.com

Featured image: Carlos-E.-Santa-Maria

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Not seeing automation success? Think like a pilot - TechNative

Automation & Development Why Its Worth Investing in This Relationship – Security Boulevard

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Good relationships will be stable whenever something goes wrong. But, if you dont invest in your relationships, they wont last long. Lets take, for example, a little crisis that could happen a bug is found in the field! by a customer!How did we miss it? will be the question asked all through the hallways. This is obviously a serious problem, but who do you think is usually held responsible for such a fault?

If you blame the other team (Development / Automation), it looks like youre in a bad relationship.

So, instead of looking at whos to blame, lets talk about:

Both sides should try hard to familiarise ourselves with the current relevant tests, and get the best out of the Dev-Automation relationship and of any other relationship.

First, Automation and Developers, as with any other couple, should live together under the same roof. Working together in the same team, such as R&D, for example, will lead to them sharing the same goals and interests.

Secondly, we should understand what the responsibilities of each team are regarding feature testing.

Next, lets focus on the collaboration between Development and Automation with regard to creating the best possible preventative measures. This will require a process that starts at the feature-design stage.

Whenever a new design is produced, a member of the Automation team should be invited to review it. Having reviewed the design, the Automation engineer will:

At this point, Automation and Development should sit together and go over the planned flows.

Collaboration process between the teams

If you ask managers from our Development team about their experience of working together with Automation, youll regularly hear the following main points:

Here at Imperva, weve productized our automation environment so Dev teams have another option to build, test, and run their components.

I learned the hard way, and am here to tell the story, that its all about transparency. This is the magic word that should always be guiding us both through Automation with Development and through Development with Automation. Either way, its a win-win relationship.

The post Automation & Development Why Its Worth Investing in This Relationship appeared first on Blog.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Blog authored by Neta Palombo Grupi. Read the original post at: https://www.imperva.com/blog/automation-development-why-its-worth-investing-in-this-relationship/

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Automation & Development Why Its Worth Investing in This Relationship - Security Boulevard

VMware Ranked No. 1 in Worldwide IT Automation and Configuration for Third Consecutive Year by Global Analyst Firm – Business Wire

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PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced that leading analyst firm IDC ranked VMware No. 1 in the worldwide IT automation and configuration management (ITACM) software market (1) for 2019. The industry is transitioning from traditional workload management solutions to automated infrastructure and application configuration and provisioning, DevOps life-cycle operations, and self-service automation of hybrid cloud infrastructure, and VMware is dedicated to supporting its customers as they modernize.

For the third year in a row, customers have helped VMware to the top spot in the Worldwide IT Automation and Configuration category, said Ajay Singh, senior vice president and general manager, Cloud Management Business Unit, VMware. Organizations want solutions that help them streamline operations, modernize infrastructure automation, reduce human error, and more rapidly respond to the needs of their business. That is why VMware is investing in solutions that help customers navigate both the opportunities and challenges of todays fast-changing automation-first environment.

Sustaining Leadership in IT Automation and Configuration Management

The IDC report, Worldwide IT Automation and Configuration Management Software Market Shares, 2019: Market Expands Ahead of Coronavirus Impact, analyzes revenue and growth rate for the total market in 2019, as well as revenues, market shares and growth rates of the leading vendors. According to IDC, VMware led in worldwide IT automation and configuration management software revenue for the third consecutive yearmore than eight percentage points ahead of the No. 2 ranked vendorbased on IDC calculations of 2019 calendar year revenues.

The report notes that IT executives continue to invest in automation across infrastructure and operations and development teams. Private, hybrid, public, and multicloud investments, when combined with automation investments, are driving higher ROIs and faster business outcomes. The report also states, VMware continues to take a strategic focus on its management portfolio, spreading R&D investments across core management suites (vRealize Suite and vCloud Suite) that can enable a lower TCO for its franchise products across datacenter, desktop, networking, security, telecom, and storage products.

Read the complete IDC report (registration required) at:

Additional Resources

About VMware

VMware software powers the worlds complex digital infrastructure. The companys cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html.

VMware, vRealize and vCloud are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites.

(1) IDC, Worldwide IT Automation and Configuration Management Software Market Shares, 2019: Market Expands Ahead of Coronavirus Impact, doc #US46397520, June 2020

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VMware Ranked No. 1 in Worldwide IT Automation and Configuration for Third Consecutive Year by Global Analyst Firm - Business Wire

Process Automation & Instrumentation Market worth $76.8 billion by 2025 – Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets – PRNewswire

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CHICAGO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report,"Process Automation & Instrumentation Marketby Instrument (Field Instrument, Control Valve, Analytical Instrument), Solution (APC, DCS, HMI, MES, PLC, Functional Safety, SCADA), Industry, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025",published by MarketsandMarkets, the Process Automation And Instrumentation Market is expected to be valued at USD 67.4 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 76.8 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 2.6%. The factors that are driving the growth of the market include the increasing importance of optimized operating costs and production efficiency, adoption of digital technologies such as IIoT, increased adoption of industrial automation and process control, and optimum utilization of resources to eliminate human intervention.

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"MES segment to grow at highest CAGR in global process automation and instrumentation market"

The manufacturing execution system (MES) helps improve productivity, reduce cycle time, and eliminate human dependency for processing data. MES applications provide cost savings and opportunities in operations and help deliver high performance of production assets across the supply chain. MES provides information that helps manufacturers understand about the current conditions of a plant floor, which can be optimized to improve production output. MES works in real time to enable the control of multiple elements of the complex production process, e.g., personnel, inputs, machines, and support services.

"Control valves segment to grow at highest CAGR in global process automation and instrumentation market"

The requirement of control valves by the industries for ensuring precise flow control, enabling automatic operation, reduced wastage of resources are the factors driving the control valves segment. The increased use of control valves in oil & gas and growing government initiatives pertaining to flow control projects such as gas pipelines and water distribution is positively impacting the growth of control valves.

"Oil & gas and energy & power continued to be the major markets from 2020 to 2025"

Huge demand for electricity, changing requirements of customers to overcome power generation and distribution losses, increasing need for cleaner and smarter energy are the factors driving the market players of energy & power to adopt process automation and instrumentation solutions. On the other hand, huge development across the value chain of the oil & gas industry in past decade due to growing energy requirement helps oil & gas industry to become major industry for process automation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the oil & gas industry has been tremendously hit. The price plunge is due to the excessive supply and the low demand that is being faced by the industry. This has impacted the production of the industry. For the first time in history, the value of a barrel of crude oil has fallen below USD 1. Most of the companies have reduced production to the bare minimum.

Browsein-depth TOC on"Process Automation & Instrumentation Market"241 Tables 57 Figures 300 Pages

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"APAC to be the fastest-growing market for process automation and instrumentation from 2020 to 2025"

The market in APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of the market during the forecast period is expected due to rising infrastructural investments in energy & power owing to the increase in the demand for electricity and policy makers' pushing for better power reliability; increasing demand for oil & gas and food & beverages to satisfy the growing needs of the large population, rapid industrialization, and consistent growth in industrial activities in the Pacific region, along with favorable government policies. The process automation and instrumentation market for the pharmaceuticals industry in APAC is growing due to low-cost factors and changing regulatory environment. The process automation and instrumentation market in APAC has been studied for China, Japan, India, and the Rest of APAC, however, in the section below, the detailed analysis of the market in China, Japan, and India has been provided. Rapid industrialization in APAC has boosted the manufacturing sector in APAC. The countries of APAC considered in this study have the presence of a large number of small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the outbreak of COVID-19 has significantly affected the manufacturing sector of APAC. As the neighbouring countries are linked to one another through trade relations and supply chain, the entire region is affected by the outbreak of COVID-19.

Major players included in the process automation and instrumentation market are ABB (Switzerland), Siemens (Germany), Emerson Electric (US), Schneider Electric (France), and Honeywell International (US). The other key players in this market include companies such as General Electric (US), Mitsubishi Electric (Japan), Rockwell Automation (US), Endress+Hauser (Switzerland), Yokogawa Electric (Japan), and HollySys (China).

Related Reports:

Smart Factory Marketby Technology (DCS, PLC, MES, ERP, SCADA, PAM, HMI, PLM), Component (Sensors, Industrial Robots, Machine Vision Systems, Industrial 3D Printing), Industry, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2024

Industrial Control and Factory Automation Marketby Solution (SCADA, PLC, DCS, MES, PLM, PAM, Functional Safety), Component (Industrial Robots, Industrial 3D Printing, Control Valves, Machine Vision, HMI), Industry, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025

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MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:Mr. Aashish MehraMarketsandMarkets INC.630 Dundee RoadSuite 430Northbrook, IL 60062USA: +1-888-600-6441Email: [emailprotected] Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight : https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/process-automation-market.asp Content Source : https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/process-automation.asp

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The Covid-19 Effect: Why Automation in the Margin Call Process is More Important than Ever – Traders Magazine

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By John Straley, Executive Director, Institutional Trade Processing, DTCC

Over the past several months, the entire financial industry, and the world, has had to radically adjust how we work together. This is especially true with crucial functions like managing margin calls. This topic has received greater attention than usual, in the same way that we often notice something when there is trouble and when market volatility has created a perfect storm of asset sales and margin calls. The increased activity has highlighted that, in our age of digitalization, manystill rely on faxes, emails, and phone calls to manage their margin call process, creating inefficiencies in the best of times, and now potentially higher error rates and financial losses.

The experience of dealing with the spike in margin calls at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced that this critical process should be fully automated. In response, firms should now adjust to the virtual new normal, while staying ahead of regulations and creating lasting efficiencies. Here we explore each of those areas.

The current margin call management processstill relies heavily on manual processes such as emails, phone calls and faxes. While most firms can still manage these activities in a remote environment, some are hindered by manual checks that require two levels of review. Any process that mandates employees and clients to be physically present may no longer be possible, and there is an immediate need for firms to adjust their processes accordingly. Further, simply replacing in-person checks with digital but still manual versions of those processes, like shifting documents that request ink signatures to documents that require digital signatures, do not necessarily bring increased security to the system or make it more efficient.

It is notable that there are some firms that have been leading the charge in automation in this area. But the efficiencies and robust practices of these firms are undone when automation is not industry standard. If one party is automated but their counterparty is manual, it prevents true efficiency from being achieved, and can discourage further investment into automation for the whole industry as laggards slow innovators down.

Before 2020, the track towards margin call automation was clearly paved due to upcoming regulatory mandates.For example, firms were working towards being compliant for deadlines including Securities Financing Transactions Regulation (SFTR) and the final two phases of uncleared margin rules (UMR) for derivatives. As a result of the pandemic, these deadlines have been deferred to allow firms the bandwidth to focus on daily operations.While these delays are clearly crucial, there is concern in the industry that this shift back in regulatory timelines may further delay important technology and processing upgrades. To avoid this stagnation, firms need to balance the resources they devote to daily operations with investing in automation and ensuring compliance with regulations that loom on the horizon.

Asa start, firms should be looking at current manual processes and review how they performed under the recent spoke of volumes, assessing strengths and weaknesses. Then, firms should analyze the steps needed to improve current weaknesses, with an eye towards compliance with future regulatory requirements. After this groundwork is complete, firmscan work with the broader industry, including technology providers and utilities, to develop a path towards automation.

Crisis eventsare often the push the industry needs to make true operational improvements that prepare us for the next crisis, whatever it may be. For example, 9/11 propelled firms to improve their business continuity procedures and disperse operations across multiple sites, improving the resilience of a site-specific crisis. Similarly, the 2008-2009 crisis prompted regulation to bring transparency to the financial industry and the flash crash brought in circuit breakers to halt trading during massive volatility.

Todays moment has highlighted the current inefficiencies in the margin call process, and the clear need for targeted and lasting changes. The increase in volatility that created a spike in margin calls appeared during the financial crisis, repeated during this pandemic, and is sure to happen again . As we create a new normal for the industry, bringing automation and innovation to margin calls can help create a process that is more efficient and secure, and positions us well for future regulatory compliance and high volatility events. We have seen some firms start on this path, and we should leverage this crisis as a call to action to make the automation of margin call processes the industry standard.

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The Covid-19 Effect: Why Automation in the Margin Call Process is More Important than Ever - Traders Magazine

SaltStack to Stream SecOps and Security Automation Sessions during Black Hat 2020 – Yahoo Finance

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IT Automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Pioneer, Thomas Hatch, to Host Cybersecurity Breakout Series on August 5 and 6

LEHI, Utah, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SaltStack, the creators of intelligent automation for security operations and IT teams, today announced that Thomas Hatch, CTO and technical founder, will live stream a multi-part breakout series on SecOps, security automation and the latest trends impacting infrastructure security during Black Hat 2020.

On August 5 and 6, Hatch will present eight mini sessions hosted from SaltStack's virtual booth at Black Hat 2020 at the top of the hour from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PT each day. The topics will range from issues related to infrastructure security and SecOps to cybersecurity team dynamics and best practices to address known vulnerabilities lurking in IT systems. The full schedule is as follows:

August 5

August 6

Full session descriptions are available here.

In conjunction with Black Hat 2020, SaltStack is also making available "The State of XOps Report: Redux," which provides an even more in-depth look at data from the first-ever "The State of XOps Report, Q2 2020 - SecOps Teams Must Automate and Align" to better understand the complexities of organizational dynamics and how they impact the operationalization of IT and security. This report is available directly from SaltStack and includes insights into:

For more information on SaltStack's live Black Hat sessions and to download a copy of "The State of XOps Report: Redux," please visit SaltStack's Black Hat 2020 page.

About SaltStack SaltStack intelligent IT automation software is used to help the largest businesses in the world manage and secure their digital infrastructure. Recognized for its powerful event-driven approach to hybrid cloud infrastructure configuration and control, SaltStack software delivers continuous compliance and vulnerability remediation while providing collaborative solutions for IT and SecOps teams. https://www.saltstack.com.

Press Contact Dex Polizzi Lumina Communications 646-741-8358 saltstack@luminapr.com

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SMB Accounting Automation Leader CANDIS Raises 12M Series B in Bid to Become the European Market Leader in Automated Financial Processes for SMBs -…

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BERLIN, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CANDIS, the platform for automated accounting and payment processes, raised 12M in a financing round led by Viola Ventures and Rabo Frontier Ventures, the investment arm of Rabobank. Existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Point Nine Capital, Speedinvest, the main incubator of Commerzbank and 42CAP also participated.

CANDIS intends to use the capital to continue the development of its machine learning engine and to fuel growth and expansion within Europe. The company is executing on its goal of becoming the European market leader for automated financial processes for SMBs. As of today, the company's software automates more than 80% of all classic accounting processes and facilitates efficient collaboration with tax accounting firms across Europe.

CANDIS automates manual bookkeeping, accounting processes and B2B payments for mid-market companies with machine learning. The software automatically collects bookkeeping documents from various sources, classifies and authenticates the data, generates approval processes and real-time-insights and payments for accounts payables. Thousands of companies and their tax advisors already benefit from CANDIS' unique technology in Germany.

"SMBs in Central Europe have a void when it comes to efficient and effective accounting and financial processes," says Omry Ben David, Partner at Viola Ventures. "CANDIS is well positioned to become the go-to platform in Europe for the automation of bookkeeping, accounting and payment processes, as well as for the provision of financial insights and benchmarks. This comprehensive suite will undoubtedly deliver better SMB compliance, decision making and growth."

Since the last financing round at the end of 2018, CANDIS' business has grown by 500%. Christian Ritosek, co-founder and managing director of CANDIS, says: "Our machine-learning based technology disrupts a whole industry, in which the majority of tasks are still very manual. The pattern recognition engine automates accounting workflows and empowers companies with real-time data and insights to make better financial decisions."

"It is great to add CANDIS to our portfolio as they have been able to create a leading position in a competitive market. We've been following CANDIS for a longer period of time and we consider their distribution strategy combined with their product to be a very strong proposition for both SMEs and accountants. Together with Viola, Lightspeed and the existing investors we are very keen to be working with the team and to support them in realizing their growth ambitions," says Jeroen van Doornik, Managing Partner at Rabo Frontier Ventures.

About Candis GmbH

The software company CANDIS was founded in 2015 by Christopher Becker and Christian Ritosek with the goal to automate manual bookkeeping processes with intelligent software. Eliminating manual data entry and reconciliation, bookkeeping and accounting departments of companies become up to 5 times more efficient.

https://www.candis.io/en/home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/candis_io

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CandisDeutschland/

About Viola Ventures

Viola Ventures is the early-stage arm of Viola, Israel's leading tech-focused investment group, with over $3B AUM. Founded in 2000, Viola Ventures empowers early stage start-ups to become global leaders. The fund manages over $1B and has backed some of Israel's unicorns such as Payoneer, ironSource Lightricks, Redis Labs, Pagaya. https://www.viola-group.com/

About Rabo Frontier Ventures

RFV is a 150 million investment fund of Rabobank, focusing globally on innovative Fintech and Agtech companies. RFV aims to invest directly in the early growth stage (series B) of companies that are disrupting or influencing the current business of Rabobank and indirect in leading general tech funds such as Holtzbrinck, Northzone, Speedinvest and Valar Ventures. https://rabofrontierventures.com/

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SMB Accounting Automation Leader CANDIS Raises 12M Series B in Bid to Become the European Market Leader in Automated Financial Processes for SMBs -...

5 Ways Automation Will Change the Nature of Work – Robotics Tomorrow

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Economists have worried about the demise of work since automation started transforming American factories in the mid-20th century. Now that AI is on the scene, industry and commerce are standing on the verge of perhaps the greatest rush into automation ever, and the questions have turned philosophical. What will change in the day-to-day way that work gets done, and what will be required of tomorrows workers?

For one thing, theres still no agreement among experts on just how many jobs can or will be replaced by automation. But even putting aside how many jobs we lose or gain, whats clear is that the concepts of employment and labor are now more in flux than theyve ever been. Work wont go away any time soon, but it will continue to change rapidly, and that change will often happen on a foundational levelin these five ways and more.

Most peoples jobs in todays workforce are an amalgamation of tasks, and in many positions, theres at least one manual task that could be automated. Whether its balky spreadsheets or monotonous manual barcode scanning, these tasks are going to be some of the first to be eliminated by automation. The shift will be substantial but could be a net positive. Thats because, with the more repetitive work automated, employees will likely end up taking on roles that are heavier on problem-solving and creativity.

In stores with self-checkouts, for example, cashier jobs are often shifting toward customer service and support roles, while positions in warehouses with automated inventory control can focus more on picking efficiency and accuracy. Manufacturers can now bulk-order customized parts such as electrical enclosures in just a few minutes, eliminating costly and unnecessary steps in the manufacturing process. So, while it might create some disruptions in how duties and positions are structured, the outcome will hopefully be a more engaged and creative workforce.

The U.S. economy has plenty of demand for high-skill jobs in fields such as healthcare and engineering. At the same time, there are many occupations that AI still isnt great at, and these jobs are thriving. The market for janitorial services, for example, has a solid job outlook for the next decade. The middle tier jobs, however, may become an increasingly endangered species thanks to automation of everyday office tasks.

Some economists fear that this hollowing-out of the middle skill tier will further worsen income inequality as the haves take the high-paying jobs at the top and leave the have-nots stuck at the bottom. Its not yet clear how the ramifications for income inequality will shake out, but it certainly gives extra urgency to the need for educational programs that train students for the jobs of the future.

Social skills are one of the major bottlenecks of AI. Researchers havent found a way to automate empathetic response, social cue-reading or the other subtle but critical skills of human interaction. Furthermore, these technological leaps arent considered likely to be solved any time soon. So, in the meantime, people skills are increasing considerably in importance.

The BLS projects a substantial increase in demand for jobs that delve into the human side, with strong employment potential for substance abuse counselors, social workers and psychologists. Moreover, just about every job now requires collaboration skills at some level, and employers say that the so-called soft skills are often difference-makers in the workplace. So, even as the strength of our AIs grows every day, its important to keep cultivating our social skills and our humanity.

One important fact that researchers have learned about machine learning and AI is that its absolutely critical to feed the algorithms accurate and unbiased data. Thats because AI is particularly vulnerable to the garbage in, garbage out problemif the data an AI learns from dont give it a solid grounding in reality, its likely to produce useless or even harmful results.

The incorporation of AI into hiring practices makes this a particularly urgent issue to address. High-profile examples have already shown that incorporating poorly calibrated algorithms into hiring processes can produce discrimination against women and people of color, so any effort to improve diversity will need to include practices for accurate data collection.

On the operations side, meanwhile, data accuracy is just as critical for streamlining processes and creating comfortable facilities. A business that looks at the wrong data can make big missteps in organizing its operations, paying for features that employees dont use or failing to detect when a procedure isnt working. Having data collection infrastructure is only the first step. It has to be collecting the right data.

The Internet is rapidly shifting the physical landscape of work, and its likely to continue as more jobs can be done with not much more than a computer, a phone and an Internet connection. Work no longer has to be a place, only a thing you do. And the effects of decentralized employment will be, if youll pardon the pun, all over the map.

The rise of the digital nomad means that a freelancer can write code for a company in Florida from a beach in Italy, the work-from-home revolution offers new opportunities for parents and people with disabilities and the global nature of the new economy means that teams often have to collaborate across national and even continental borders. There are also exciting new opportunities for small businesses here, as low barriers to entry allow niche specialties and innovative products to thrive.

The 21st century workplace is already a wild ride, but its possiblemaybe even probablethat the changes will only get more momentous. The best advice? Buckle up, prioritize flexibility and never stop learning and improving.

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The COVID-19 Crisiss Impact on Security Operations: Automation Comes to the Fore – Security Boulevard

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Were living through historic times. The current crisis will almost certainly serve as a catalyst for numerous long-term changes in our communities, altering the ways we work, play, socialize, use technology, and benefit from automation.

The global pandemic exposes how many of the things that make us humanour need to be in close proximity with others, our susceptibility to illness, our tendencies towards bias and inconsistent behaviormake our organizations profoundly vulnerable, a weakness that readily extends to the concept of the security operations center (SOC). With so many organizations forced to adapt to remote workregardless of whether theyre well- or ill-prepared, and whether or not it suits their business modelthe advantages of employing automation to accomplish tasks for which people arent well-suited are being revealed anew.

In the SOCs case, turning to automation to perform the most tedious, difficult, and unrewarding portions of the security operations workflow has long carried the benefits of improving analyst job satisfaction and effectiveness, but today it may also be able to reduce the health risks that security analysts face on the job.

Recent researchon COVID-19 transmission indicates that in the majority of cases, the virus spreads from host to host via respiratory dropletstiny amounts of fluid from inside the nose or mouth of an infected person that are released into the environment when they breathe, talk, yell, sing, sneeze or cough. The respiratory droplets that carry the largest number of viral particles are those that are biggest and heaviest, and thus are likely to fall to the ground within a narrow radius of the infected person. This is where the magical social distance of six feet originatedthe idea is that the heaviest of these droplets seldom make it more than six feet.

Asepidemiologists remind us, however, its not simply the case that contact with a minute amount of the virus is enough to trigger infection. Instead, you need to encounter an adequate number of viral particles. Scientists arent yet sure exactly what constitutes an infectious dose of COVID-19, but they do know that the longer you spend in the presence of someone who has the virus, the more likely you are to become infected. They also know that certain activitieslike singingseem to make transmission more likely, as do certain environmentsparticularly confined indoor spaces with poor airflow.

When considered from this perspective, the SOC is a nightmare. Most security operations centers were designed for physical security, which means limiting accessibility, not improving airflow. Most are interior spaces without windows, with ceilings made of solid material (no drop ceilings), and limited ventilation. Showcase SOCs with large-panel visual displays taking up entire walls of the facility and multiple desks amply stocked with monitors are rare outside of the worlds very largest (and most security-focused) enterprises. Instead, most real-world SOCs are in tiny, tightly enclosed spaces.

Whats more, the work performed in the SOC demands close collaboration. Analysts frequently consult their colleagues when performing research, evaluating risks, or assessing the best means of dealing with a threat. A security analysts job involves creativity, critical thinking, and decision-makingthings that can be improved when theyre discussed with peers or more senior coworkers. Shifts are long, so ordinary SOC operations involve bringing people into close proximity with one another for extended periods of time.

In ordinary circumstances, SOC operations are not readily amenable to the remote work model. In SecOps, speed is vital to success, and collaboration takes place much faster when people converse face-to-face than when theyre using video conferencing software or other collaboration tools to share their ideas.

Although security operations in general requires extensive collaboration between analysts, in no role is this more critical than that of the Tier 1 Analyst. As the most junior members of the security operations team, Tier 1 Analysts must engage in a great deal of on-the-job training, including numerous whiteboarding sessions. Theyre also encouraged to consult with more senior co-workers regularly while they learn more about the nuances of the role.

For all security analysts, there are benefits to in-person interactions; for Tier 1 Analysts, its difficult to do the job without them. More senior analysts are able to make more decisions independently and need less face-to-face contact for education and training.

When an intelligent automated decision engine like that of theRespond Analystis called in to perform cybersecurity monitoring, security operations programs are able to shift the composition of their teams, employing more Tier 2 and Tier 3 security analysts, and relying on software to perform the bulk of Tier 1 analysts functions. No matter the circumstances, this has the potential to make the security analyst role more fulfilling and rewarding, increasing job satisfaction and reducing turnover. It will also increase teamseffectiveness and efficiency, enabling them to review far more events than would ever be possible manually.

But today, in the face of a global pandemic thats far from over, introducing automation into the security operations workflow comes with one additional benefit: by reducing the number of personnel needed to staff the SOC, and particularly the number of Tier 1 analysts, it can lessen the health risks of working in security operationsand thus save lives.

Theres no way around it: SOCs cannot easily be remade so that theyre amenable to social distancing. And the activities performed within them remain critical for mitigating organizational risksrisks that may only be amplified as many companies navigate a rapid transition to remote work. Even senior security analysts are able to work more quickly and effectively in person than they can when telecommuting.

Implementing intelligent automated solutions like the Respond Analyst doesnt solve all the problems in security operations. Nor does it remove all the risks that come with working in a SOC during a global pandemic. But it does point the way forward toa new paradigm. In the future, automation can be called upon to perform many of the repetitive and mundane tasks that are done by humans today. This will not only save time, money, and frustration for workers, but it will also remove significant vulnerabilities from our operational processes and supply chains.

The post The COVID-19 Crisiss Impact on Security Operations: Automation Comes to the Fore appeared first on Respond Software.

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*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Blog Respond Software authored by Chris Triolo. Read the original post at: https://respond-software.com/covid-19-impact-on-secops-automation/

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Automation in converged infrastructure gets results for Dell and its customers – SiliconANGLE

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When Dell Technologies Inc. unveiled its autonomous infrastructure with Dell EMC PowerOne in November, the companys release described a technologythat sounded much like that of an autonomous car.

As with drivers of self-driving vehicles, system administrators need to only tell PowerOne the destination. Dells technology would calculate the best way to do everything else and ensure a safe user journey.

It was all about automation, said Trey Layton(pictured, second from left), senior vice president of converged infrastructure and software engineering and architecture at Dell. Were recognizing that we can deliver an architecture which has hyperconverged and converged attributes all in a single architecture and dial up the degrees of automation to create more adaptations for different types of application workloads.

Layton spoke with Dave Vellanteand Stu Miniman, co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Medias livestreaming studio, in a discussion on the past, present and future of converged infrastructure. He was joined by Joakim Zetterblad(pictured, second from right), director of the SAP practice for EMEA at Dell. They discussed the need for new tools to manage complex networks, why the public cloud may not be the ultimate solution, the benefits of converged infrastructure for customers, and the value of an edge to core to cloud enterprise strategy. (* Disclosure below.)

The evolution from monolithic systems with just a few components to networks comprised of many complex elements has led Dell to add significant support to its autonomous PowerOne offering. In addition to PowerMax storage and PowerProtect secondary storage, PowerOne also uses Dell PowerEdge MX servers, PowerSwitch and SmartFabric networking.

With the introduction of new internet of things technologies, there is a flow of information that requires a whole new set of infrastructure or tools to make these new processes happen, Zetterblad said. The focus at the end of the day is all on business outcome.

Although Dells converged infrastructure solution is designed to ease the burden of systems management, enterprises have other options. Why not just put infrastructure into the public cloud and let it do the heavy lifting?

Weve seen some people that have a cloud-first strategy and often those are the same companies that are quickly doing what we call repatriation, Miniman said. Automation and APIs and everything in the Ops movement are not something that are only in the public cloud, but something that we should be embracing holistically. And this is where todays and tomorrows converged infrastructure is going.

Dells investment in its PowerOne technology speaks to an important factor in the evolution of converged infrastructure in the enterprise space: customers like the results.

The underlying experience of converged infrastructure has remained relatively constant, Layton said. One of the data points that I love is 99% of our customers who buy converged infrastructure say they have virtually no downtime. Thats a great testament.

Dell has been a partner with SAP SEfor a number of years and has a portfolio of solutions to support SAP customer workloads. SAP HANA clients are relying on converged infrastructure to deal with transformational waves involving multicloud operating models and the introduction of intelligent technologies, according to Zetterblad.

What converged infrastructure did so uniquely was provide that edge to core to cloud strategy, fully certified for both HANA and non-HANA workloads, Zetterblad said. That created huge momentum for converged in our SAP accounts.

Evolution of the cloud and its accompanying complexity have driven enterprises toward automation models geared for taking away the headaches of managing a sprawling IT landscape.

In the early days we talked about how cloud was supposed to be simple, Miniman said. If you look at deploying in the cloud today, it is not simple at all. Weve seen great leaps and bounds in the last couple of generations of whats happening in converged infrastructure to take advantage of automation because we know weve gone beyond what humans can just manage themselves.

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Automation in converged infrastructure gets results for Dell and its customers - SiliconANGLE

Why automation is a ‘hard sell’ in the IT workplace – Verdict

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The history of the industrial revolution has taught us that automation equals the loss of jobs, but it doesnt have to be that way in IT.

You will rip my command line from my cold dead hands is a phrase actually heard at networking conferences from time to time. There are also comments about being a network engineer, not a coder.

Nobody likes to see change, especially when years have been spent learning and perfecting doing things in a certain way. But claims about job security are false companies dont employ people because they are adept with a command line, they employ them because they know about networking, front to back, inside and out, design, concepts and most importantly how it relates to the business. The last bit is called institutional knowledge and it cannot be automated nor can it be hired off the street for half the salary.

Further, claims of not being a coder or not understanding the arcane nature of coding are similarly bunk. Network engineers pass multiple levels of increasingly hard rigorous certifications and then are required to take periodical renewal education. The coding for automation, i.e. scripts and other templates, is not even close to the complexity required to earn network engineering certifications to begin with.

The very networking concepts that were so hard-won are the basis of what is required to even do the coding. A full time regular programmer may grasp the syntax more readily, but wont know any of the concepts behind it and essentially cant do the work, despite being a highly trained coder.

Yet there is fear around automation and coding for automation. IT, as an industry, is surprisingly resistant to change, despite being one of the most dynamic and ever changing fields out there. We need to foster the idea that IT is a career of change and learning, one that doesnt stop, ever. IT isnt alone. Good medical doctors are the ones that never stop learning new advancements and techniques. Chefs are always seeking new recipes, trying new things. Continuous change and improvement. Yet the culture of resistance is heavy in IT.

One way IT leaders can encourage engineers and administers is to ask teams to find ways to do things better. Let them be free to try things in the lab and present them to leadership and the team. Allocate budget to the project. This will lead them to automation in a way that they will not reject out of hand. It may not be the automation in the way leadership envisioned, but the benefits will be there anyway.

If the automation is initiated by the team, they will have pride of ownership and actually find ways that IT leaders or vendors likely have not thought of. Requiring adoption of automation tools may get the job done, but it will alienate some and lead to a much lower level of engagement and drastically increase the chances of project failure, or worse, acceptable, but mediocre results implemented by a reluctant team forced into it.

Encourage them to do things better and remind them, they are always looking for better, more efficient ways to do things in their own lives. So why resist it at work?

It will go over better than pithy speeches about inevitable change and motivational posters.

GlobalData is this websites parent business intelligence company.

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Why automation is a 'hard sell' in the IT workplace - Verdict

Dying coral reefs are being saved by automation – CNET

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Coral bleaching occurs when water is too warm, causing corals to expel the algae living in their tissues and turn completely white -- often killing the coral.

On a 24-hour boat trip off the coast of Western Australia, Dr. Taryn Foster was seeking out a coral reef treasure known as Scott Reef. It was a familiar place for her, as the research associate at the California Academy of Sciences had gone on dives and conducted coral surveys there as part of her postdoctoral work studying coral.

"There's no tourists out there," Foster said. "It's as untouched as you can get these days."

But Foster found the condition of Scott Reef had changed wildly from years past. She was about to dive into the coral reefs during the worlds' 2016 mass bleaching event -- one of the longest and most severe coral bleaching events on record.

"In a way, it's actually quite beautiful. The colors are really, really fluorescent -- these bright whites, pinks and blues and yellows," Foster said. "It's quite spectacular. But you know that what you're seeing is mass death."

The sight of the global mass coral bleaching event -- a phenomenon that occurs when water is too warm, causing corals to expel the algae living in their tissues and turn completely white -- led Foster and her team to start Coral Maker, a collaboration between the California Academy of Sciences and Autodesk. The group's goal is to use coral science and manufacturing technology to produce one million live corals per year by automating the coral production process, more effectively restoring the ocean's declining coral population.

The Coral Maker team works across three continents and four time zones, and, now, COVID-19-related work restrictions. With Foster as the founder, several Autodesk employees volunteered their skills and time as part of their work with the Autodesk Foundation, the company's philanthropic arm.

"Coral reef restoration programs often operate with limited means," said Shunham Goel, the Coral Maker team lead and a senior engineer manager at Autodesk. "We care deeply about simplicity and efficiency in every aspect of the design process."

Taryn Foster works with a coral skeleton prototype, made on a 3D printer.

The fiery hues of corals can be seen all over the worlds' ocean floors. While they look like plants, corals are actually animals, and have a mouth, tentacles and a calcium carbonate skeleton.

A coral gets its food from the algae living in its tissues. When thousands of corals connect they form a colony, making up a biodiverse ecosystem. "They're often compared to rain forests in the terrestrial world, in terms of biodiversity. And they provide structure and habitat and the basis for this marine ecosystem," Foster said.

Healthy coral reefs provide food and a home to about 25% of all marine creatures in the world. It's estimated that 6 million fishermen rely on harvesting fish from coral reefs. Reefs also provide coastal protection by reducing the impact of waves on shore, and support local tourist economies that can offer diving excursions.

More coral bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

But mass coral bleaching is threatening the coral ecosystem fast. The world has already lost about 50% of its coral, and by midcentury, it is projected to lose up to 90%, Foster said. The main cause of mass coral bleaching happens when there is an increase in ocean water temperature caused by climate change.

"This stress causes the relationship between the coral and the algae to break down," Foster said. "And instead of providing the coral with 80% or 90% of its nutrition, the algae is now becoming toxic to the coral."

The corals starve from malnutrition, and often never recover.

But hope isn't lost: Teams have been working on worldwide coral restoration for years. The nonprofit Coral Restoration Foundation has restored 120,000 corals since 2007. And according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 20 active nurseries are active in the Caribbean, providing more than 40,000 healthy corals for reef restoration each year.

However, these programs run into one main problem: scaling their efforts. Current restoration methods, such as coral gardening, are done manually and are very time consuming, Foster said.

Another bottleneck for scaling is the slow coral growth rate. "To get from a 10 centimeter fragment to an adult colony can take anywhere from 3 to 10 years, depending on which species you're talking about," Foster said.

To address the coral scaling issue, Foster and the Coral Maker team are combining science, manufacturing technology and traditional manufacturing techniques to offer a solution.

The Coral Maker team designs the coral skeleton at Autodesk.

The design idea begins with a premade coral skeleton. The skeleton has a dome-shaped base made from stone material, similar to corals' natural calcium carbonate skeletons. To mass produce the skeleton, Coral Maker is using dry cast molding, a traditional masonry manufacturing technique that could potentially produce 4,000 stone coral skeletons per day.

Once the skeleton is made, a robotic arm inserts seed plugs with live coral fragments into the skeleton. The seeding process previously had to be done by hand, Goel said. To produce a million corals each year, multiple domes with seed plugs need to be assembled every minute. The robotic arm uses vision sensors, and machine learning to precisely locate the position of the dome and seed plugs and to install the seeds in the right place.

A robotic arm automates the coral seeding process.

After the new corals have been deployed to the ocean, they will grow naturally and recoat the surface of the skeleton, fusing together with corals of the same genotype, eventually forming an adult-size coral colony.

By providing the coral with a premade skeleton, it doesn't have to calcify its skeleton from scratch. This will reduce the time taken to reach adult size from the current 3 to 10 years to about 6 to 18 months, Foster said.

By the end of 2020, all this hard work will be put to the test. By the end of the year, Coral Maker is planning to deploy prototypes with real coral fragments into the ocean, collect data and make improvements to the design. Though the pandemic has shut down the team's prototyping facility, researchers are using home 3D printers to keep the plan on track.

The Coral Maker team 3D prints the coral skeleton prototype.

"If action is not taken now, the corals won't be there for the next generation," Goel said.

Long term, selecting an ocean site location with higher latitudes could help these new corals stay alive, Foster said.

"We know that corals did exist at higher latitudes, as in further away from the tropics, in the last interglacial period. So they have, they have the ability to move," Foster said. The problem is that it takes 5 to 10 thousand years to move on their own.

"If we could set up a reef at a meaningful scale at a high latitude, then maybe we could create little pockets of survivors," Foster said.

While Coral Maker and scientists all over the world work on these solutions to regrow the ocean's coral reefs, anyone can take small steps to change their ecological footprint every day. If we do make strides to end climate change, the little coral survivors that Coral Maker is producing will have a better chance of making it to the next generation.

"If people have awareness of climate change -- if they're willing to change their own behavior, but also advocate for change -- then I think that's what's going to have the biggest impact," Foster said.

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Dying coral reefs are being saved by automation - CNET