Monthly Archives: February 2022

As Finland Watches: From Alignment to Alliance? – War on the Rocks

Posted: February 11, 2022 at 6:05 am

It is unusual for Finlands defense policy to attract much international attention. But this is turning out to be an unusual year. As Russia surrounds Ukraine with military forces, media outlets and pundits across the transatlantic space and elsewhere have been speculating about whether Finland is considering joining NATO. Even President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have aired the possibility of Finland joining the alliance. Is Finland on the verge of making such a strategic shift? Probably not.

As opposed to the vivid international speculation, Finnish leaders have emphasized the continuity of the countrys current policy. Rejecting Russias recent demands to stop the further enlargement of NATO, Finnish President Sauli Niinist pointedly said in a speech to mark the new year that Finland, if it so chooses, could apply for NATO membership. Some commentators took this to mean that Finland would seek to join NATO should Russia invade Ukraine, coming as it did on the heels of a similar statement by the president weeks before. But these voices ignore that in the same speech Niinist also said that Finlands foreign and security policy line remains stable.

Finland has already de facto aligned its defense policy with NATO, having taken on more strategic importance since Russias 2014 assault on Ukraine. In fact, despite its non-allied status, Finland is already an integral security player in Northern Europe, with capabilities that contribute to Western deterrence efforts in the region. Observers of European security would benefit from a deeper understanding of Finlands role in Northern European security, the underpinnings of Finnish defense policy, and the significance of NATO to Finland and vice versa.

The Integral Role of Finland in Northern European Security

Finland, with its 830-mile border with Russia, straddles the Baltic Sea region and the High North right on Russias doorstep. Since Russias illegal seizure of Crimea and the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the Baltic Sea region is routinely spoken of as a NATO-Russia flashpoint. The strategic importance of the European Arctic has also grown significantly in recent years.

These developments in European security have bolstered Finlands significance. Its geographic position and the strength of its armed forces make it an essential player when considering a conflict with Russia. At a minimum, Finlands ability to defend its own territory would help NATO, and especially the United States, to carry out its collective defense mission in Northern Europe.

Unlike most European countries, when the Cold War ended Finland decided to maintain a sizeable army. The wartime strength of the Finnish Defense Forces is 280,000 personnel a striking contrast to its 23,000-personnel peacetime posture. Moreover, Finland has one of the largest and best-equipped artillery forces in Europe, with 1,500 artillery pieces and precision-strike capabilities. In December 2021, Finland decided to replace its F/A-18 fleet with 64 F-35s, which, when operational, will significantly enhance Finlands defense capability. The fact that the United States has been willing to sell the country sophisticated weaponry is seen as a signal that a capable Finland serves American security interests in Northern Europe.

While Finland is not a member of any alliance, its security policy is rooted in the understanding that it cannot isolate itself from a European conflict. Finlands main and minimal contribution to allied efforts would be the protection of southern Finland from a Russian incursion, thereby denying Moscow the use of Finnish territory or airspace to operate against its Baltic neighbors. But Finland could do more. In wartime, certain NATO allies would likely seek to use Finlands airspace to defend the Baltic countries a request that would be hard to deny given Finlands dependence on the West. Finland is reliant on the flow of trade and supplies from the West across the Baltic Sea, and would need its partners assistance in a conflict to keep these crucial lines of communication open and, if necessary, to find alternative routes through Sweden or Norway.

In the European Arctic, Finland offers NATO a buffer zone defending the northern coast of Norway a reality that Finnish defense planners readily admit. The control of northern Norway is critical to the alliance in order to guard the Norwegian Sea and passage to the northern Atlantic, which are in turn critical to Americas ability to reinforce the European theater. In a war, Russia could try to gain control of northern Norway and use it as a spring board to disrupt the flow of U.S. reinforcements to Europe. Thus, from NATOs point of view, Finlands determination to defend its territory is linked to the defense of the North Atlantic.

Understanding Finlands Alignment with NATO

Before 2014, Finnish cooperation with NATO was primarily concerned with crisis management. But Russias attack on Ukraine in 2014 changed things. Finland intensified military cooperation with Sweden and several NATO allies to encompass territorial defense and regional security. The above-mentioned security dynamics in Northern Europe rendered Finland an interesting partner from the perspective of several NATO allies, who, after years of soul searching, were returning to the alliances traditional core task: collective defense.

Finland now boasts deeper defense relationships with Sweden and Norway, as well as with the United States and the rest of NATO. Geography and shared threats make Sweden and Norway natural partners for Finland, and the United States is an indispensable partner in terms of potential wartime reinforcements. The Enhanced Opportunities Partnership with NATO also grants Finland access to the alliances demanding exercises, developing Finlands interoperability with allied forces.

Although the scope of these defense partnerships varies, Finlands defense cooperation policy has explicit aims, which were most recently outlined in the governments 2021 defense report. This document highlights that defense cooperation, inter alia, raises the threshold against aggression and creates prerequisites for providing and receiving political and military assistance. The report also clearly indicates that Finnish peacetime cooperation creates a basis for collaboration during emergency conditions.

Finnish policymakers have clarified the principles of this defense cooperation policy by highlighting the likely importance of ad hoc coalitions in a European conflict and the decisive role of shared interests in operational cooperation. In 2017, Niinist pointed out that in case conflict breaks out, coalitions can take shape without treaty applications. The following year, the then defense minister stated in a speech that Finland hopes that its strong defense forces make it an interesting partner who others want to cooperate with, and that Finlands readiness to defend itself benefits its partners. That said, Finnish decision-makers understand that NATO has no formal commitment to assist Finland in the event of a conflict. Given its extensive military cooperation and the willingness to prepare for operational collaboration in wartime, Finlands policy cannot be called neutrality or military non-alignment. But Finland is not allied either. How could its status be portrayed, then?

In one of the classics of international relations alliance literature, Glenn Snyder distinguishes an alignment from an alliance. An alignment, he argues, occur when a group of friendly states, based on mutual interest and threat perceptions, coalesce to prevent and, if necessary, to counter aggression from a shared adversary. Alliances, per Snyder, are merely formalizations of existing alignments. Finland is aligned but not allied with NATO. Finland and most NATO allies share a potential adversary Russia and the aim of their respective policies is to deter Russian aggression in Europe. Finnish policymakers increasingly see effective Western deterrence as the best way to ensure that Finland never ends up being a party to a military conflict. Moreover, and importantly, Finland and its partners are developing prerequisites for conducting joint operations in wartime. Due to decades-long efforts, Finlands interoperability with the United States, for example, is high, and the two countries currently aim to achieve genuine day-zero interoperability for operations in Northern Europe.

Deep cooperation notwithstanding, Finland has not formalized its alignment by joining NATO. This has ramifications for Finlands position. The deterrent effect of a formalized treaty is stronger than the impact of alignment. Moreover, Finland is not under the American nuclear umbrella, making it, at least in theory, more susceptible to nuclear coercion. Lastly, Finnish-NATO/American interoperability is not yet seamless, but different measures, such as more regular table-top exercises, have been envisioned to help close the gap.

NATO Is Still an Option

This all invites the question: If Finland has already aligned its defense policy with the transatlantic alliance, why is it not making things simpler and just applying for NATO membership? There are at least three reasons why Finlands unorthodox security arrangement is likely to endure.

First, Finnish public opinion remains against NATO membership. Things may be changing, though. Opposition to membership has steadily declined for several years, although the opponents still retain the upper hand in public surveys. Interestingly, a recent poll showed that although most Finns are hesitant to join NATO now, they could support joining the alliance in the future. However, only two out of 10 parties in the Finnish parliament one large, the other small currently support NATO membership, and there is no real pressure from the public to change Finlands course. Moreover, Finland is a consensus-seeking society, and strategic shifts such as joining a military alliance are not likely to take place without broad political support.

Secondly, the Finnish leadership sees the countrys current status as a useful tool for maintaining the delicate regional status quo and preventing escalation in Northern Europe. Since 2014, NATO allies and Finland have found a functional, non-escalatory way to intensify cooperation. Preserving regional stability has been a lodestar of Finlands foreign policy for decades, and Finnish politicians are hesitant to rock the boat. Moscows approach to NATO is currently outright hostile, and a decision to seek NATO membership could lead to Russian coercive countermeasures against Finland, potentially destabilizing the whole Baltic Sea region.

Moscows precise response to a Finnish NATO bid is hard to predict. It would likely use many means simultaneously, ranging from coercive diplomacy to economic pressure, such as harassing or restricting Finnish companies operating in Russia or banning certain Finnish goods. Retaliatory economic measures could be painful to the Finnish economy, as Russia is the fifth biggest destination for Finnish exports. Other measures could include the weaponization of migrant flows which Finland has already experienced. Cyber operations targeting Finlands critical infrastructure are also possible. The use of military force against Finland would nevertheless be highly unlikely. Rather, Russia would probably enhance its force posture in Finlands vicinity. Broader regional consequences could include military saber-rattling in and around the Baltic Sea something that the area witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the initial outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict.

Thirdly, there is a strong consensus in Finland on maintaining a functional relationship with Russia despite grave disagreements concerning European security. Finlands peculiar small-state realism has traditionally put a strong emphasis on reassuring Russia about Finlands friendly intentions. Moreover, regular interaction between Niinist and Russian President Vladimir Putin has given Finland a decent grasp of the Kremlins thinking, making it a useful interlocutor in the eyes of major players like the United States, Germany, and France. Furthermore, Russias force posture close to Finlands borders is limited, and Russia has not been as antagonistic with Finland as it has with Sweden and Norway. A Finnish bid for NATO membership would shake the foundations of its Russia policy, which is a genuine but not necessarily insurmountable concern for its policymakers.

Be that as it may, Finlands current policy is not set in stone. There are conceivable paths to NATO membership in the coming decade. A first avenue would be a Swedish decision to seek membership in the alliance. Swedens membership could jeopardize the future of deep bilateral defense cooperation, making Finlands position as the only non-allied Nordic-Baltic country politically untenable. Decision-makers in Helsinki and Stockholm know this, and seeking membership together would be the sensible course of action.

Secondly, persuasion from NATO, and particularly from the United States, for Finland to join the alliance could alter Helsinkis calculations. Hitherto, NATO allies have been agreeable to developing cooperation without treaty obligations. If this approach changed, or if there were a real risk of NATO closing its door for good, Finnish leaders could be ready to hand in the application. The instrumentalization of the option to join NATO is a crucial part of the Finnish security policy doctrine, and it is used as a soft deterrent against Russia like Niinist did in his new years speech. If NATO closed its door, Finland would see its options diminish.

Another possible path to getting Finland into NATO would be a change in Russias policy vis--vis Finland. Should Moscow take on a more aggressive posture, Helsinki might come to see joining the alliance as its best option. Russian leaders probably understand this, and it is likely the chief reason for their pragmatic policy towards Finland.

Ultimately, Finlands potential NATO membership boils down to a cool-headed cost-benefit analysis: Would the benefits of joining NATO outweigh the risks related to the danger of regional escalation and Russian countermeasures? From a purely defense policy point of view, NATO membership would be more credible than the status quo. It would not, however, be a silver bullet. Finns are asking legitimate questions about whether a diverse alliance can reach unanimity in a crisis or whether any NATO allies besides the United States have the capacity to reinforce Finland in a conflict. Furthermore, before making any choices Finland would have to be certain that its membership bid would enjoy unanimous backing among NATO members. The timing of the potential decision would also be of the essence in mitigating escalation risks. Presently, Western-Russian ties are extremely tense, and several allies could see NATOs enlargement closer to Russias borders as an unnecessary escalation. Indeed, the tenser the security situation gets, the more wary NATO members may be to accept new allies. This is something that stability-seeking Finnish leaders should be mindful of.

From the perspective of enhancing NATO deterrence in Europe, having Finland in the alliance would make strategic sense. Finlands membership would not bring substantial new burdens for the alliance. Its self-sufficient approach to defending its territory would likely continue, and Helsinki would take its alliance obligations, including that of assisting the Baltic States, seriously. But this would not be a big difference from what Finland is already doing. Even if it were to join NATO, the other members of the alliance would not necessarily expect Finland to provide significant reinforcements in a regional conflict. Rather, Finlands chief priority would continue to be the defense of its territory, to the benefit of its neighbors. On the other hand, if Finland and Sweden were to join NATO, this would allow the alliance to prepare operational plans for the whole Northern European strategic region. This fact should be kept in mind if the discussion on halting NATO enlargement gathers more steam in the United States and in the alliance more broadly.

Matti Pesu,Ph.D., is a senior research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. His research interests include Finnish foreign, security, and defense policy, Northern European security, and Euro-Atlantic security.

Image: U.S. Air Force (Photo by Airman 1st Class Viviam Chiu)

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Mimecast : How Secure Is the Cloud with Cloud Security Tools? – marketscreener.com

Posted: at 6:05 am

Organizations everywhere are turning to cloud computing to reduce costs and improve mobility, flexibility and collaboration. Despite rapid adoption, however, 96% of cybersecurity professionals say they are at least moderately concerned about the security of cloud computing, according to a report from ISC2.[1]

How secure is cloud computing? And what can organizations do to fortify it? Answering these questions begins with understanding common cloud computing vulnerabilities and the cloud security policies, processes and tools to reduce them.

Cloud computing enables the delivery of computing services on demand over the internet. For businesses, these services can range from databases and storage to customer intelligence, data analytics, human resources platforms and enterprise resource planning. Cloud computing is attractive to many organizations because it can provide significant cost savings - organizations typically subscribe to and pay only for the cloud services they use, which can save them time and money otherwise spent on infrastructure and IT management.

The other benefit of cloud computing is enhanced security. In most cases, the cloud is more secure than on-premises data centers. When a company operates and manages its own on-premises data center, it's responsible for procuring the expertise and resources to appropriately secure its data from end to end. Cloud-based providers, however, offer a higher level of security than many businesses can match or could afford, particularly for growing organizations or ones with limited financial resources.

While organizations can benefit from improved security by migrating to the cloud, that doesn't mean they're free from threats. Importantly, cloud security is a shared responsibility between cloud service providers and their customers. Discussed below are some of the top risks that a cloud environment poses and what organizations can do to protect against these vulnerabilities:

Misconfiguration Creates Most Cloud Vulnerabilities

While cloud service providers often offer tools to help manage cloud configuration, the misconfiguration of cloud resources remains the most prevalent cloud vulnerability, which can be exploited to access cloud data and services, says the U.S. National Security Agency.[2] Misconfiguration can impact organizations in many ways, making them more susceptible to threats like denial of service attacks and account compromise.

Poor Access Control Gives Attackers Privileges

Poor access control results when cloud resources use weak authentication methods or include vulnerabilities that bypass authentication methods. This can allow attackers to elevate privileges and compromise cloud resources.

Employees Pose Risks

Companies that have difficulty tracking how employees are using cloud computing services risk becoming vulnerable to both external attacks and insider security threats. End users can access an organization's internal data without much trouble, so they can steal valuable information or be exploited by attackers to do similar harm.

Insecure APIs Are Becoming a Major Attack Vector

Many APIs require access to sensitive business data, and some are made public to improve adoption. APIs that are implemented without adequate authentication and authorization, however, pose risks to organizations. Insecure APIs are becoming a major attack vector for malicious actors.

Since cloud security is a shared responsibility between the cloud provider and the customer, sharing arrangements need to be well understood. While a provider would typically be responsible for safeguarding the infrastructure, patching and configuring the physical network, for example, its customer's responsibilities could include managing users, their access privileges and data encryption. The following cloud security tools help organizations fortify their environment:[3]

Why Cloud Security Policies Are Important

A cloud security policy is a formal guideline developed to ensure safe and secure operations in the cloud. Without one, a company risks security breaches, financial and data loss, and other costly consequences including fines for regulatory noncompliance.

A cloud security policy should include:

Cloud computing can provide important opportunities and cost savings for organizations. While security remains a prevalent concern, understanding the most common threats and putting in place the proper policies, processes and tools can help companies protect themselves and their data.

[1] "2021 Cloud Security Report," ISC2

[2] "Mitigating Cloud Vulnerabilities," National Security Agency

[3] "What Is Cloud Security?", IBM

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On NATO’s eastern flank, Latvia contends with a migration crisis orchestrated by neighbouring Belarus – The Globe and Mail

Posted: at 6:05 am

An armed guard patrols near the temporary barbed-wire fencing set up at the Latvia-Belarus border. The European Union says Belarus is flying in thousands of people from the Middle East and pushing them to cross into EU and NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.Gints Ivuskans/The Globe and Mail

NATOs eastern flank at the Latvian-Belarus border is lined with new barbed-wire fencing that runs as far as the eye can see a stark symbol of the state of emergency Riga has declared for the 172-kilometre frontier.

Russias menacing of Ukraine has set off alarms in Eastern European countries that border Russia and close ally Belarus, a second territory where Moscow has been massing troops as fears of military action against Kyiv remain high.

Latvias border patrols and national guard say theyre ready for the worst-case scenario where a threat to the Baltics emerges from the chaos of war in Ukraine. It doesnt matter if it comes from Russia or Belarus or Kaliningrad. We are prepared for total defence, Colonel Gunars Vizulis with the Latvian National Guard said at a training camp for new recruits at Meza Mackevici, about 35 kilometres from the frontier with Belarus.

Whats the latest in Russia and NATOs standoff over Ukraine? The story so far

Russia accuses West of ramping up pressure by supplying Ukraine arms

But officials say the biggest challenge for Latvia right now and the reason for this new barbed-wire fence is the continuing migration crisis orchestrated by neighbouring Belarus.

Juris Kusins, Lieutenant colonel of State Border Guard of Latvia Border Latvia-Belarus at the Silene border point.Gints Ivuskans/The Globe and Mail

More than 1,500 people from countries such as Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East were intercepted by Latvian patrols in January trying to enter the country illegally from Belarus. Thats up from 1,400 attempts in December and 500 to 600 a month when this began last summer, said Lieutenant-Colonel Juris Kusins with Latvias State Border Guard.

Those caught tell Latvian authorities that the Belarusian army directed them to the border.

Col. Vizulis blames the illegal migration on Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, accusing him of political mischief. The European Union says Belarus is flying in thousands of people from the Middle East and pushing them to cross into EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

He speculated that the Belarusians are trying to exhaust the Baltic countrys resources by engineering these migrant crossings. Its tiring. We are strong and will do our best if needed but nevertheless we are a small country.

Around 130,000 Russian troops equipped with everything

from tanks and artillery to ammunition and air power are

now surrounding Ukraine on all sides.

Four NATO

multinational

battlegroups:

5,000 troops

POLAND

4,000 U.S.

troops

stationed

Donbas:

Territory

controlled by

pro-Russian

separatists

Craiova: NATOs

multinational

brigade 5,000

troops

Sevastopol:

Russian

Black Sea

Fleet HQ

Crimea:

Annexed by

Russia in 2014

graphic news, Sources: Janes; NATO, Reuters;

The New York Times; Rochan Consulting

Around 130,000 Russian troops equipped with everything

from tanks and artillery to ammunition and air power are

now surrounding Ukraine on all sides.

Four NATO

multinational

battlegroups:

5,000 troops

POLAND

4,000 U.S.

troops

stationed

Donbas:

Territory

controlled by

pro-Russian

separatists

Craiova: NATOs

multinational

brigade 5,000

troops

Sevastopol:

Russian

Black Sea

Fleet HQ

Crimea:

Annexed by

Russia in 2014

graphic news, Sources: Janes; NATO, Reuters;

The New York Times; Rochan Consulting

Around 130,000 Russian troops equipped with everything from tanks and artillery to ammunition and

air power are now surrounding Ukraine on all sides.

Four NATO multinational

battlegroups: 5,000 troops

Other military

or air instal-

lations

POLAND

4,000 U.S.

troops

stationed

Transnistria:

Russian-backed

breakaway region

of Moldova

Donbas:

Territory

controlled by

pro-Russian

separatists

Craiova: NATOs

multinational brigade

5,000 troops

Sevastopol:

Russian

Black Sea

Fleet HQ

Crimea:

Annexed by

Russia in 2014

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On NATO's eastern flank, Latvia contends with a migration crisis orchestrated by neighbouring Belarus - The Globe and Mail

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UCaaS and CCaaS unite as organizations embrace the cloud – TechTarget

Posted: at 6:05 am

As technology evolves, it has a way of converging or diverging over time. Looking at the past decade, unified communications and contact center platforms split when UC was migrated to the cloud by way of a cloud service model. However, now that most organizations have successfully transitioned their UC platforms to a cloud service provider, the next logical step is to repeat this migration process with the contact center in mind.

Let's examine the history of the relationship between UC and contact centers and how the cloud is driving a new convergence of UC as a service (UCaaS) and contact center as a service (CCaaS).

Contact center apps, tools and integrations have traditionally been paired with internal business voice and UC services. Sharing the same hardware, software and management tools was commonplace when both platforms were managed on premises. While UC services focused on the integration of intercompany communications, contact center features are externally focused and include integrations with CRM platforms. But, at their core, both UC and contact center services use voice, video and IM features that can be shared. The service overlaps enabled businesses to do the following:

Cloud computing service offerings that required low latency transport for time-sensitive applications started to take off in the early 2010s. Voice, video and other UC services could suddenly be deployed and managed within a public cloud, as opposed to on premises. While a UCaaS model seemed appealing to IT leaders, most were hesitant to migrate both UC and contact center services to the cloud as reliable cloud connectivity for latency-adverse applications had yet to be proven.

As such, businesses opted to test the waters by migrating their internal UC services to a third-party UCaaS provider, while simultaneously keeping contact center services in-house. Likewise, most voice and video service providers chose to focus on cloud-delivered UC services with the promise of adding contact center integrations down the line. For many enterprises, this is where they sit today -- UCaaS for internal communications and traditional on-premises contact center services for customer-facing communications.

For the most part, the migration of UC services to UCaaS has been successful. UCaaS architectures have also proven to be reliable from a low-latency network delivery perspective. Because of this success, IT decision-makers have grown comfortable with the SaaS model for UC and are now entertaining the idea of migrating their on-premises contact center platforms to the cloud through CCaaS. Thus, once again, we will see a convergence of both UC and contact centers.

The benefits of combined UCaaS and CCaaS are similar to those in the early days of UC and contact center integrations. Bringing these technologies to the cloud offers additional benefits, including the following:

In addition to growing customer sentiment, communications service providers have also been busy creating or acquiring contact center services that customers can easily integrate into their existing UCaaS platforms.

Vonage and RingCentral, for example, both made CCaaS platform acquisition announcements in 2018, while Dialpad boosted its contact center functionality with an acquisition in mid-2021. The combination of service provider cloud-focused contact center feature upgrades with the growing popularity of CCaaS and the renewed convergence between UC and contact centers will be hot topics in the UC space in 2022 and beyond.

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3D Imaging Market Size To Reach USD 107.68 Billion In 2030 | Rising Adoption Of Cloud Computing, Coupled With Continuous Technological Advancements…

Posted: at 6:05 am

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global three-dimensional (3D) imaging market size is expected to reach USD 107.68 Billion in 2030 and register a revenue CAGR of 21.5% over the forecast period, according to latest report by Reports and Data. Extensive adoption of 3D printing technology in manufacturing industries is driving 3D imaging market revenue growth.

3D imaging popularity is increasing in both, industrial and consumer applications. Machine vision systems with 3D imaging enable faster and more accurate component inspection at manufacturing sites. 3D imaging provides greater image depth for consumer media, and can be used for a variety of purposes such as part analysis, measurement, and positioning. However, it becomes critical to design system with necessary performance and keeping environmental constraints in mind to achieve betterresults. Active or passive methods can be used to create 3D images. Active systems use time-of-flight, structured light, and interferometry techniques, which require high level of control in the filming environment, whereas, passive methods include refining depth using focus and light field.

Most 3D imaging providers offer cloud-based 3D imaging solutions that can aid in optimization of operations and automation of equipment maintenance. Other benefits include easy image data maintenance, cost-effectiveness, agility, flexibility, scalability, and effective management. Rising awareness regarding these benefits among end use industries is expected to drive adoption of cloud-based 3D imaging systems, thereby boosting market revenue growth. Companies prefer cloud-based 3D imaging solutions as these enable regional, cross-regional, and cross-country data recovery, as well as enables the companies to remain resilient in the event of a disaster.

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3D Imaging Market Size To Reach USD 107.68 Billion In 2030 | Rising Adoption Of Cloud Computing, Coupled With Continuous Technological Advancements...

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Big data projects, cloud migrations, and digital transformation: why it doesnt need to be so hard – IT Brief New Zealand

Posted: at 6:05 am

Article by SnapLogic A/NZ regional manager, James Campbell.

The pandemic has sped up digital transformation is the phrase on everyones lips since the pandemic began. But the reality may be slightly different. Although its true that, in many cases, digital transformation is steaming ahead, some enterprises still find themselves hesitant to embrace the cloud despite the evident benefits, especially for moving big data projects.

When the Australian Bureau of Statistics released its annual Characteristics of Australian Business Survey in June 2021, the results revealed that barely more than half (55%) of all businesses reported using cloud computing in 2019-20. Similarly, across the pond, the European Unions statistical office surprisingly found that cloud computing has yet to go mainstream in the EU, with only 41% of enterprises using cloud computing in 2021.

So while the pandemic appears to have forced many enterprises to take a hard look at their business processes and technology infrastructure, theres still much to be done to see cloud and digital transformation progress get closer to 100%.

So, why is it really time to move data projects to the cloud, whats holding enterprises back, and how can they make it simple?

Flying to the clouds or falling to the ground?

Put simply, by migrating their big data architecture to the cloud, enterprises can reap a number of benefits: from driving business growth whilst lowering the overall cost of operations, to increasing data governance and having a fast, scalable solution.

Moving big data to the cloud sounds simple enough. Still, it does require a high level of technical knowledge and often continuous coding resources from data engineers and core IT groups. This is why some enterprises either try and fail; or continuously postpone these projects.

For example, many developers write code to integrate with each applications programming interface (API) and authentication mechanisms. While this enables the data to freely move between various applications and a cloud data warehouse or data lake, it is time-consuming and often error-prone. These pitfalls are only emphasised during the maintenance stage of cloud-based big data projects.

As with any other software project, code decays over time and must be updated. Furthermore, if the developer who wrote the code leaves the company, often the IT organisations ability to understand the pipeline that is being used at the code level also vanishes.

One of the biggest challenges enterprises have had to overcome in moving to cloud-based big data projects is this time drain on IT staff. Finding individuals with the necessary skills and experience to build big data and cloud pipelines is a challenge.

Unsurprisingly, this is further impacted by the ever-growing skills gap in the IT landscape, an issue compounded to some degree by the Great Resignation spurred on by the pandemic. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that over 600,000 Australians expect to move jobs in 2022. Thats roughly 5% of the total workforce.

These talented individuals are in ever shorter supply, and the demand is only increasing. If you do manage to get them into your IT team, having them focused solely on managing and maintaining the plumbing that supports their big data environment, both pre, during, and post-migration to the cloud is not a smart use of resources. It also has a big impact on another big issue in moving to the cloud - cost.

With a team full of highly skilled individuals, you want them to have the time to focus on projects that deliver significant and strategic benefits to the business. The cloud provides flexibility and scalability, which can fuel innovation in the enterprise. However, the proposed time-to-innovation identified at the start of the cloud migration will never be achieved if teams are too busy focusing on infrastructure management to make the big data project work.

Buy vs build

Finding a solution to this problem could seem tricky, but it is relatively simple, and it comes down to buying vs building. The chances of you needing to self-build every aspect of your IT estate is limited and, for most, cost-prohibitive, so why not look to purpose-built off-the-shelf SaaS platforms?

If enterprises want to see their big data projects flourish in the cloud sooner, they should look towards modernising their data architecture. This includes introducing data integration (iPaaS), processing (BDaaS) and storage (SaaS) to the enterprise. This should enable organisations to seamlessly deliver large data sets to and from their cloud-based data lakes, regardless of where the data is coming from.

An additional benefit of this approach is that it can also increase productivity by eliminating mundane, repetitive manual tasks involving adding information and transforming data, allowing IT teams to free up more time and focus on value-adding activities instead.

Say goodbye to complexities

Running big data projects in the cloud should be simple. All organisations, regardless of size, should be able to realise all the benefits the cloud provides as soon as they get up and running. Its only in taking a step back at the planning stage and removing the complexities surrounding cloud migration and integration that businesses will finally be able to unleash their big data projects for innovation and to deliver business value.

Article by SnapLogic A/NZ regional manager, James Campbell.

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Big data projects, cloud migrations, and digital transformation: why it doesnt need to be so hard - IT Brief New Zealand

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Global Blockchain Technology Market Report 2022-2027: Accenture will Lead the Charge for Systems Integration and Companies Like Amazon, Dell, HPE, and…

Posted: at 6:05 am

DUBLIN, Feb. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Blockchain Technology Market by Use Case, Business Model, Solutions, Services and Applications in Industry Verticals 2022 - 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report examines the technology, leading companies, and solutions in the evolving blockchain ecosystem. The report evaluates current and anticipated use cases for blockchain and assesses the market potential globally, regionally, and segmented by deployment type and industry vertical.

The report also evaluates key players, solutions, and use cases. The report also assesses the prospect of integrating blockchain with other technologies including IoT and artificial intelligence. The report includes detailed forecasts by use case, application, and industry verticals from 2022 to 2022.

Block technology provides a certain means of authentication, authorization, and accounting. Blockchain and related distributed authentication and accounting technologies are poised to transform ICT, and is so doing, causing substantial disintermediation across a wide variety of industry verticals.

Lessons learned in FinTech and traditional banking from the deployment and operation of decentralized authentication, clearing, and settlement will be applied towards many telecom and computing problems for the benefit of many industry verticals. The impact will be wide-ranging, including everything from investing/trading to the legal cannabis industry, and very deep in terms of changes to supply chains and relationships between vendors, customers, and peers.

Integration and operation of Blockchain technology will redefine how various industries operate, dramatically improving efficiencies, and reducing the cost of doing business. For example, start-up companies have been launched to provide software and microchip hardware that facilitates connected devices to operate on blockchain. Products have been designed to encrypt data, distribute information to blockchain-connected machines, and monetize these machines.

One important technology integration area is the Internet of Things (IoT), which is a very promising area as we anticipate that the use of Blockchain in IoT networks/systems will be one of the most important means for authenticating and authorizing transactions.

For example, HYPR provides solutions to reduce cybersecurity risks in IoT devices through its decentralized credential approach. Their products reduce the need for passwords in a centralized server, replacing them with biometric and other password-free solutions. This provides for IoT devices that are virtually unhackable from a social engineering perspective.

Another important area for blockchain in telecommunications is resource identity including tracking ownership and care of custody of assets such as telephone numbers. Developments in this area may be leveraged to dramatically improve enterprise identity verification for voice and non-voice communications to consumers.

We also see Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) representing a key service offering for many market segments as a means of solution introduction and scalability via a cloud services model. For example, AI in supply chain management solutions combined with blockchain technology market solutions to dramatically improve SCM.

Select Report Findings:

Blockchain Market Dynamics

Market and Technology Drivers

Challenges and Opportunities

Important Blockchain Consortia and Associations

Blockchain Solutions in Industry Verticals

Blockchain Market Case Studies

Blockchain Vendor Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/11guw1

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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Global Blockchain Technology Market Report 2022-2027: Accenture will Lead the Charge for Systems Integration and Companies Like Amazon, Dell, HPE, and...

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Aramco and VMware to collaborate on cloud computing – Arab News

Posted: at 6:05 am

RIYADH:Saudi Arabia's mega city NEOMand MBC Group,the biggest broadcaster in the Middle East and North Africa, signed an agreement to establish the first AAA games development studio in the region.

AAA is a classification within the gaming industry that label games produced and distributed by midsized or big publishers that usually have higher budgets.

Thestudio will relocate to NEOMs Media Hub in 2023 and produce high-production-value games for local, regional and international gamers, NEOM said in a tweet.

The facility is expected to create significant job opportunities across many directly linked industries, The National reported citing a joint statement by both entities, on Thursday.

We are now developing promising opportunities locally, regionally and globally by nurturing the Saudi game-development market,Neoms chief executive Nadhmi Al-Nasr said.

The gaming market across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt will be worth $3.14 billion by 2025, according to California-based market research and consulting firm Niko Partners.

Gaming consumption in the Kingdom is projected to reach $6.8 billion by 2030 and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 22 per cent through 2030 from $959 million in 2020, Boston Consulting Group reported.

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Aramco and VMware to collaborate on cloud computing - Arab News

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Which Sportsbook Wanted To Offer Betting On The Puppy Bowl? – Sports Handle

Posted: at 6:03 am

The Colorado Division of Gaming has a large online document that covers its sports betting catalog. It is essentially dozens of spreadsheets that detail exactly what kinds of events sportsbooks are allowed to offer wagers on in the state.

But the gem of the document is a tab labeled rejected wagers.

Among the rejected wagers are borderline celebrity boxing matches, eclectic Super Bowl props that have little or nothing to do with the result of the game (Gatorade color, wardrobe selections, length of the national anthem, etc.), and entertainment awards (no Oscars betting in the Centennial State, Im afraid).

One entry sticks out on close examination: the Puppy Bowl, Animal Planets subversive programing on Super Bowl Sunday (the action starts at 2 p.m. ET). I could tell you something about how popular the Puppy Bowl is, but the way the ratings are described in last years press release, it might as well be in hieroglyphics.

And yes, before you disparage the puppies, it is football. There are touchdowns, flags are thrown for penalties, there is a winning team (Team Ruff defeated Team Fluff, 73-69, last year), and there is controversy. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, there are even Puppy Bowl NFTs.

But the fact that the Puppy Bowl was listed under rejected wagers means a sportsbook in Colorado had to ask to offer it. This obviously requires the peak of journalistic seriousness and examination. Luckily, Im a super-serious journalist.

I even reached out to Puppy Bowl broadcast commentators Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, who will also serve as coaches this year for Puppy Bowl XVIII. Marthas representatives gave me hope for a while, only to pull the plug on deadline. I got so close, I could taste her homemade potato gaufrette. I went so far as to text Snoop directly, but he didnt respond. Rude.

So, I moved on to the Colorado Division of Gamings director, Dan Hartman. Why wont the state allow wagering on the Puppy Bowl?

Theyre extremely susceptible to coercion and being compromised, Hartman said. All they need is treats, so we said no.

I find it offensive to question the integrity of puppies without any evidence, but you do you, Dan.

But I wouldnt let him sidestep the tough questions with glib remarks. Who asked to offer the Puppy Bowl, Mr. Hartman?

I dont remember, but I said, Oh, hell no, Hartman said.

Likely story. Ive been stonewalled before, so facing this regulatory roadblock, I did what was necessary. I asked every single online sportsbook that operates in Colorado did you ask to offer betting on the Puppy Bowl?

Its safe to say many sportsbook directors and public-relations representatives did not find the question to be very humorous or compelling. Most poor PR souls tasked with taking this question to their superiors responded with something to the effect of, Uh, OK. Ill ask, I guess. One said, Sounds like something Barstool would do. Shot fired.

When asked if they wanted to offer Puppy Bowl betting, the big guys quickly denied. Johnny Avello at DraftKings said, No. I dont believe so. FanDuels John Sheeran said, Absolutely not. I dont even know what that is. Theres a possibility many of these people will never take me seriously again, but these are the lengths I will go to in order to uncover the truth.

Some didnt confirm or deny. Caesars PR man Jim Carr said, I have no idea. I kinda doubt it. I dont even know if its legal anywhere. Patrick Eichner, who handles communications at PointsBet, said, I have no idea. What could you even bet on? Dont play coy with me, Eichner. You would bet on the Puppy Bowl.

But since Eichner asked, lets get into what Puppy Bowl betting might look like. Offshore books have offered Puppy Bowl betting in the past, but as of early this week, I couldnt find one that had this years event up.

There was a point spread, a moneyline, and even props, including a few that are icky, to say the least. One asked if Michael Vick would tweet about the Puppy Bowl. That inspired me to search Michael Vick Puppy Bowl on Twitter, and I do not recommend it. Another offered whether the MVP would be a purebred or a mix. Imagine a prop that was related to the race of the Super Bowl MVP. Have you no shame?

But if you want to do some scouting, take a look at the video below, or check out the player profiles. One is named Odell Barkham. Adorbs.

All right. Back to the matter at hand. Some of the responses from sportsbooks in Colorado were borderline snippy.

No. That is ridiculous, shot back Nick Epstein, the sportsbook manager at Monarch Casino in Blackhawk, when asked if he was the one who asked to offer wagering on the Puppy Bowl. Monarch Blackhawk would never have anything to do with that.

Please, replied SuperBooks Jay Kornegay. Were the ones that are fighting for those ridiculous things not to be offered.

Jay must be a cat person.

Brian Bennett, the chief operating officer at Betfred USA, used ALL CAPS for emphasis in an email, but at least gave me some encouragement.

It definitely WAS NOT us. I would be equally interested in who would request that. Good luck with the sleuthing, he said.

As the days wore on, Circa, Betway, TwinSpires, and Tipico were added to the list of denials. I never got definitive responses from BetRivers, FOX Bet, SBK, theScore, PlayUp, Barstool, WynnBET, or Bally Bet.

There was also the curious case of Play Maverick, operated by Maverick Gaming, which also runs casinos in Colorado. I called their Z Casino in Blackhawk, and a customer service representative said, Nobody works in the sportsbook.

Uh, what?

Unfortunately theres nobody manning it, she said.

As tempting as it was to get distracted with that factoid, I dont have time to worry about why there is an unmanned sportsbook out there in Colorado. Were dealing with matters of utmost importance here.

Similar to Z Casino, there are online sportsbooks in Colorado that appear to be operated by no one at all or non-sentient beings. Good luck finding anyone with a pulse at SI Sportsbook or Elite Sportsbook, which has a customer service phone line that blares stock rock music, between interludes of extreme static, that is marginally better than the average Nickelback song. For what its worth, PlayUp had the best hold music. Cant go wrong with jazz standards.

Among several online chat discussions with what I assumed were bots, there was BetWildwood, which had a customer service phone line that didnt work. The BetWildwood chat has a pleasant chime when a response comes in, but I wasnt getting anywhere, so I moved on. I eventually found out ISI Race and Sports runs the BetWildwood site, so I called over there. A nice fellow named Julio Castillo, an IT customer service manager at ISI, answered the phone and told me he was the one chatting with me online, too. But alas, ISI did not ask to offer betting on the Puppy Bowl.

That would not be us, Castillo said. Thats definitely something I would know about.

I hung up. Another discouraging result. I may never find out the truth.

But then, like a dispatch of the gambling gods from Mount Olympus or in this case, Mount Elbert? that warm, welcoming chime rang into my ears. I had not closed the chat window with Castillo, so he sent another response.

Some internal information told me it was MGM who requested it, and it was declined because of integrity. Thank you very much for your questions. Have a great day!

A great day it was.

According to Elisa Richardson, who handles PR for BetMGM, the operator did not ask to offer Puppy Bowl betting.

Now I feel betrayed.

Is BetMGM embarrassed and doesnt want to admit its Puppy Bowl boondoggle? Was that pleasant, seemingly helpful man at ISI and on the chat trying to lead me off the scent? Was he pulling my leg? Was I chasing my tail? Does he have an ax to grind with MGM? Could this all be part of a grand conspiracy to hide the truth? Is he Hydra? Sorry, I just watched an Avengers movie with my kid.

We may never know.

Late in the search, I called Doug Terfehr, the vice president of brand marketing at MaximBet. He confirmed it. MaximBet was the sportsbook that asked to offer betting on the Puppy Bowl. There wasnt much drama or flair.

It was a quick no, Terfehr said of the Division of Gamings response to MaximBets request.

We regularly look for and release outside-the-box ideas that bring more fun and entertainment to any event, Terfehr added. We are a lifestyle sports betting brand, and sports fans in the U.S. really like the recreational side of these props, as evident by the annual interest in the unique props around Super Bowl.

Oh. Probably should have just asked them first.

Until we can bet on it, the whole point of the Puppy Bowl, other than dispensing unmitigated joy to the masses, is to encourage people to adopt puppies and adult dogs (and cats, if youre so inclined, Jay Kornegay).

The Puppy Bowl adopt page isnt much help right now, which is unfortunate, but local animal shelters would be happy to walk you through the process. Just do a Google search, or you can find a local spot through the ASPCA at this link.

This adopted mutt thanks you.

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Which Sportsbook Wanted To Offer Betting On The Puppy Bowl? - Sports Handle

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Fubo Sportsbook Arizona Promo: Bet $20 on the Suns, Get $150 + 1 Month of FuboTV FREE! – The Action Network

Posted: at 6:03 am

Credit:

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Feb 10, 2022, 04:26 PM EST

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Fubo Sportsbook Arizona Promo: Bet $20 on the Suns, Get $150 + 1 Month of FuboTV FREE! - The Action Network

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