Daily Tech Digest - June 10, 2023

Vetting an Open Source Database? 5 Green Flags to Look for

There’s an important difference between offerings that are legitimate open source versus open source-compatible. “Captive” open source solutions pose as the original open source solution from which they originated, but in reality, they are merely branches of the original code. This can result in compromised functionality or the inability to access features introduced in newer versions of the true open source solution, as the branching occurred prior to the introduction of those features. “Fake” open source can feature restrictive licensing, a lack of source code availability and a non-transparent development process. Despite this, these solutions are sometimes still marketed as open source because, technically, the code is open to inspection and contributions are possible. But when it comes down to it, the license is held by a single company, so the degree of freedom is minute compared to that of actual open source. The key is to minimize the gap between the core database and its open source origins.


Zero trust and cloud capabilities essential for data management in enterprises

The challenge, however, lies in implementing a complete solution guided by the seven pillars of Zero Trust. No company can do this alone. To help private and public sector organizations simplify adoption, Dell is building a Zero Trust ecosystem. It brings together more than thirty leading technology and security companies to create a unified solution across infrastructure platforms, applications, clouds, and services. PowerStore has always had a strong “security DNA,” safeguarding data with advanced capabilities like hardware root of trust, data-at-rest encryption and AIOps security analytics. As with everything about the platform, the focus is simplicity and automation – delivering “always on” protection without increasing management complexity or relying on human vigilance to be effective. In 2023, the newest PowerStoreOS release adds even more cybersecurity features to meet the stringent requirements, while also enabling an authentic Zero Trust experience for business solutions.


Expecting Too Much From CISOs Can Drive Them Out The Door

“The CISO is there to raise the risk, to shine light on it, to offer solutions, to differentiate and prioritize what needs to be fixed,” he explained. “You can’t ask the CISO to do everything and everything; you need to give them the support — and give them a team that can really make sure the cybersecurity and risk management program is well-functioning.” Expecting too much from CISOs — as so many company boards still do — continues to drive attrition from the security function at a brisk pace, with burnout and the desire for greener pastures pushing 24 percent of Fortune 500 CISOs to switch roles within a year of starting. ... The increasing complexity of the modern cybersecurity defense has dovetailed with the rapid expansion of managed service providers like eSentire, whose ability to offer the full breadth of security capabilities — and to do so confidently enough to offer guarantees like four-hour response times for remote threat suppression — puts them well ahead of anything the average corporate information security department can provide.


SRE Brings Modern Enterprise Architectures into Focus

If the business commitment is that users will reliably have enough light to see what they are doing (service level), an SLO could be that one brightly lit lamp (availability) is maintained for every 10 square feet of space. ... In application delivery systems these could look like CPU utilization, API call and database query time, etc. It’s up to the site reliability engineers to define the SLI measures that impact the business SLOs and what responses will be taken when they fall below specific thresholds by adjusting operating policies and configuration. ... The measures, thresholds, and responses are the intersection of SRE with the other domains of a modern enterprise architecture designed for the application delivery of a digital business. Operational data—telemetry—feeds the observability of the defined measures and thresholds set by SRE. Automation is the combined application of tools, technologies, and practices to enable site reliability engineers to scale defined responses with less toil, thus enabling the efficient satisfaction of the SLOs of a digital service. 


What LOB leaders really think about IT: IDC study

For many IT leaders, turning that tide may require a new approach. CIOs can demonstrate their value to the business and earn that seat at the table by tying what they do to business goals, Thomson suggested. “One of the biggest challenges that IT people have is being able to communicate their business value in a language that the business understands,” she said. “Talking in business outcomes is the currency that enables IT to gain trust and show the value that they’re delivering.” In addition to mastering business concepts and taking steps to prove the value of IT, CIOs who are succeeding at this are putting in place seamless teams where there’s no wall between IT and the business, she said. “It’s just seen as one cross-functional team where everybody understands the common goal that is driving all the business decisions.” Such strategic maneuvers are essential to becoming a digital business, one where value creation is based on and dependent on the use of digital technologies, from how processes are run to the products, services, and experiences it provides, Thomson said.


Microsoft commits to supporting customers on their responsible AI journeys

The commitments include sharing Microsoft's expertise while teaching others to develop AI safely, establishing a program to ensure AI applications are created to follow legal regulations, and pledging to support the company's customers in implementing Microsoft's AI systems responsibly within its partner ecosystem. "Ultimately, we know that these commitments are only the start, and we will have to build on them as both the technology and regulatory conditions evolve," Cook wrote in the statement shared by Microsoft. Though the company only recently developed its Bing Chat generative AI tool, Microsoft will start by sharing key documents and methods that detail the company's expertise and knowledge gained since beginning its journey into AI years ago. The company will also share training curriculums and invest in resources to teach others how to create a culture of responsible AI use within organizations working with the technology. Microsoft will establish an "AI Assurance Program" to leverage its own experiences and apply the financial services concept called "Know your customer" to AI development.


Data Privacy Standard Contractual Clauses Called Into Question After Meta Ireland Fine

Although this decision deals a particularly large blow to Meta, all entities relying upon SCCs to complete data transfers from the EU to the U.S. are now affected. Due to the continued and wide-reaching effects of the U.S.’s strategy on surveillance, we’ve now entered yet another period of uncertainty, and the ability to lawfully transfer personal data into the U.S. from the EU and United Kingdom is again in question. ... As a remedy, the DPC has given Meta five months to suspend all transfers of personal data to the U.S., bring its processing activities into compliance with EU law, and delete any EU personal data that been transferred unlawfully under this decision. The EU has long struggled with how to regulate EU personal data transfers to the U.S. After the invalidation of the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Agreement and the U.S.-EU Privacy Shield in the Schrems I & Schrems II decisions, entities including Meta have mostly relied on SCCs to lawfully transfer EU personal data into the U.S. where U.S. laws are considered to provide substantially less protection.


5 Critical Data Governance Truths Every Data Leader Should Be Aware Of

Implementing a comprehensive data governance program comes with a significant price tag. As a result, firms can easily spend over US$1 million annually just on resources to maintain data integrity. However, the risks associated with poor data governance are many, for instance, reputational damage, lost revenue, and more. Therefore, making decisions based on inaccurate data is costly, leading to poor business outcomes. ... Data governance is misunderstood to be solely about data. However, it's vital to understand data governance is about components, each playing a crucial role in ensuring data is managed effectively and efficiently. ... A good data governance program is one with KPIs. The KPIs should be specific, measurable, and understandable by everyone in the organization. By measuring these KPIs regularly and providing timely feedback, managers can determine whether their efforts are paying off or not. They can also communicate value metrics to key executives.


CDEI publishes portfolio of AI assurance techniques

The "portfolio of AI assurance techniques" was created to help anyone involved in designing, developing, deploying or otherwise procuring AI systems do so in a trustworthy way, by giving examples of real-world auditing and assurance techniques. “AI assurance is about building confidence in AI systems by measuring, evaluating and communicating whether an AI system meets relevant criteria,” said the CDEI, adding these criteria could include regulations, industry standards or ethical guidelines. “Assurance can also play an important role in identifying and managing the potential risks associated with AI. To assure AI systems effectively we need a range of assurance techniques for assessing different types of AI systems, across a wide variety of contexts, against a range of relevant criteria.” The portfolio specifically contains case studies from multiple sectors and a range of technical, procedural and educational approaches, to show how different techniques can combine to promote responsible AI.


Consolidating your cyber security strategy

From a security perspective, consolidating threat defence into one system means that all devices and endpoints can be set to one standard, minimising the opportunity for weak spots and gaps to appear. In the event of a breach, such as a member of staff clicking a malicious link, an XDR system can isolate the threat to stop it spreading and roll-back the endpoint to a safe state. Although changing cyber security tactics should not be viewed as a cost cutting solution, vendor consolidation can certainly save money. By replacing multiple products that may overlap, reducing the man hours spent monitoring different systems and avoiding the consequences of a successful breach, businesses can get a better return on their investment. Not all XDR systems are the same, and it is important to choose one that best suits the needs of a business. XDR has traditionally only been available for large enterprises. However, finding the right partnership can allow small and medium sized companies to customise the solution to fit their requirements without unnecessary extras.



Quote for the day:

"Leadership does not always wear the harness of compromise." -- Woodrow Wilson

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