Quote for the day:
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” -- Ronald Reagan
Rethinking Network Operations For Cloud Repatriation
Repatriation introduces significant network challenges, further amplified by
the adoption of disruptive technologies like SDN, SD-WAN, SASE and the rapid
integration of AI/ML, especially at the edge. While beneficial, these
technologies add complexity to network management, particularly in areas such
as traffic routing, policy enforcement, and handling the unpredictable
workloads generated by AI. ... Managing a hybrid environment spanning
on-premises and public cloud resources introduces inherent complexity. Network
teams must navigate diverse technologies, integrate disparate tools and
maintain visibility across a distributed infrastructure. On-premises networks
often lack the dynamic scalability and flexibility of cloud environments.
Absorbing repatriated workloads further complicates existing infrastructure,
making monitoring and troubleshooting more challenging. ... Repatriated
workloads introduce potential security vulnerabilities if not seamlessly
integrated into existing security frameworks. On-premises security stacks not
designed for the increased traffic volume previously handled by SASE services
can introduce latency and performance bottlenecks. Adjustments to SD-WAN
routing and policy enforcement may be necessary to redirect traffic to
on-premises security resources.
For the AI era, it’s time for BYOE: Bring Your Own Ecosystem
We can no longer limit user access to one or two devices — we must address the
entire ecosystem. Instead of forcing users down a single, constrained path,
security teams need to acknowledge that users will inevitably venture into
unsafe territory, and focus on strengthening the security of the broader
environment. In 2015, we as security practitioners could get by with placing
“do not walk on the grass” signs and ushering users down manicured pathways.
In 2025, we need to create more resilient grass. ... The risk extends beyond
basic access. Forty-percent of employees download customer data to personal
devices, while 33% alter sensitive data, and 31% approve large financial
transactions. And, most alarming, 63% use personal accounts on their work
laptops — most commonly Google — to share work files and create documents,
effectively bypassing email filtering and data loss prevention (DLP) systems.
... Browser-based access exposes users to risks from malicious plugins,
extensions and post authentication compromise, while the increasing reliance
on SaaS applications creates opportunities for supply chain attacks. Personal
accounts serve as particularly vulnerable entry points, allowing threat actors
to leverage compromised credentials or stolen authentication tokens to
infiltrate corporate networks.
DARPA continues work on technology to combat deepfakes
The rapid evolution of generative AI presents a formidable challenge in the
arms race between deepfake creators and detection technologies. As AI-driven
content generation becomes more sophisticated, traditional detection
mechanisms are at a fast risk of becoming obsolete. Deepfake detection relies
on training machine learning models on large datasets of genuine and
manipulated media, but the scarcity of diverse and high-quality datasets can
impede progress. Limited access to comprehensive datasets has made it
difficult to develop robust detection systems that generalize across various
media formats and manipulation techniques. To address this challenge, DARPA
puts a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. By partnering with
institutions such as SRI International and PAR Technology, DARPA leverages
cutting-edge expertise to enhance the capabilities of its deepfake detection
ecosystem. These partnerships facilitate the exchange of knowledge and
technical resources that accelerate the refinement of forensic tools. DARPA’s
open research model also allows diverse perspectives to converge, fostering
rapid innovation and adaptation in response to emerging threats. Deepfake
detection also faces significant computational challenges. Training deep
neural networks to recognize manipulated media requires extensive processing
power and large-scale data storage.
AI Agents: Future of Automation or Overhyped Buzzword?
AI agents are not just an evolution of AI; they are a fundamental shift in IT
operations and decision-making. These agents are being increasingly integrated
into Predictive AIOps, where they autonomously manage, optimize, and
troubleshoot systems without human intervention. Unlike traditional
automation, which follows pre-defined scripts, AI agents dynamically predict,
adapt, and respond to system conditions in real time. ... AI agents are
transforming IT management and operational resilience. Instead of just
replacing workflows, they now optimize and predict system health,
automatically mitigating risks and reducing downtime. Whether it's
self-repairing IT infrastructure, real-time cybersecurity monitoring, or
orchestrating distributed cloud environments, AI Agents are pushing technology
toward self-governing, intelligent automation. ... The future of AI agents is
both thrilling and terrifying. Companies are investing in large action models
— next-gen AI that doesn’t just generate text but actually does things. We’re
talking about AI that can manage entire business processes or run a company’s
operations without human intervention. ... AI agents aren’t just another
tech buzzword — they represent a fundamental shift in how AI interacts with
the world. Sure, we’re still in the early days, and there’s a lot of fluff in
the market, but make no mistake: AI agents will change the way we work, live,
and do business.
Optimizing Cloud Security: Managing Sprawl, Technical Debt, and Right-Sizing Challenges
Technical debt is the implied cost of future IT infrastructure rework caused
by choosing expedient IT solutions like shortcuts, software patches or
deferred IT upgrades over long-term, sustainable designs. It’s easily accrued
when under pressure to innovate quickly but leads to waste and security gaps
and vulnerabilities that compromise an organization’s integrity, making
systems more susceptible to cyber threats. Technical debt can also be costly
to eradicate, with companies spending an average of 20-40% of their IT budgets
on addressing it. ... Cloud sprawl refers to the uncontrolled proliferation of
cloud services, instances, and resources within an organization. It often
results from rapid growth, lack of visibility, and decentralized
decision-making. At Surveil, we have over 2.5 billion data points to lean on
to identify trends and we know that organizations with unmanaged cloud
environments can see up to 30% higher cloud costs due to redundant and idle
resources.Unchecked cloud sprawl can lead to increased security
vulnerabilities due to unmanaged and unmonitored resources. ... Right-sizing
involves aligning IT resources precisely with the demands of applications or
workloads to optimize performance and cost. Our data shows that organizations
that effectively right-size their IT estate can reduce cloud costs by up to
40%, unlocking business value to invest in other business priorities.
How businesses can avoid a major software outage
Software bugs and bad code releases are common culprits behind tech outages.
These issues can arise from errors in the code, insufficient testing, or
unforeseen interactions among software components. Moreover, the complexity of
modern software systems exacerbates the risk of outages. As applications
become more interconnected, the potential for failures increases. A seemingly
minor bug in one component can have far-reaching consequences, potentially
bringing down entire systems or services. ... The impact of backup failures
can be particularly devastating as they often come to light during already
critical situations. For instance, a healthcare provider might lose access to
patient records during a primary system failure, only to find that their
backup data is incomplete or corrupted. Such scenarios underscore the
importance of not just having backup systems, but ensuring they are fully
functional, up-to-date, and capable of meeting the organization's recovery
needs. ... Human error remains one of the leading causes of tech outages. This
can include mistakes made during routine maintenance, misconfigurations, or
accidental deletions. In high-pressure environments, even experienced
professionals can make errors, especially when dealing with complex systems or
tight deadlines.
Serverless was never a cure-all
Serverless architectures were originally promoted as a way for developers to
rapidly deploy applications without the hassle of server management. The allure
was compelling: no more server patching, automatic scalability, and the ability
to focus solely on business logic while lowering costs. This promise resonated
with many organizations eager to accelerate their digital transformation
efforts. Yet many organizations adopted serverless solutions without fully
understanding the implications or trade-offs. It became evident that while
server management may have been alleviated, developers faced numerous
complexities. ... The pay-as-you-go model appears attractive for intermittent
workloads, but it can quickly spiral out of control if an application operates
under unpredictable traffic patterns or contains many small components. The
requirement for scalability, while beneficial, also necessitates careful budget
management—this is a challenge if teams are unprepared to closely monitor usage.
... Locating the root cause of issues across multiple asynchronous components
becomes more challenging than in traditional, monolithic architectures.
Developers often spent the time they saved from server management struggling to
troubleshoot these complex interactions, undermining the operational
efficiencies serverless was meant to provide.
AI Is Improving Medical Monitoring and Follow-Up
Artificial intelligence technologies have shown promise in managing some of the
worst inefficiencies in patient follow-up and monitoring. From automated
scheduling and chatbots that answer simple questions to review of imaging and
test results, a range of AI technologies promise to streamline unwieldy
processes for both patients and providers. ... Adherence to medication regimens
is essential for many health conditions, both in the wake of acute health events
and over time for chronic conditions. AI programs can both monitor whether
patients are taking their medication as prescribed and urge them to do so with
programmed notifications. Feedback gathered by these programs can indicate the
reasons for non-adherence and help practitioners to devise means of addressing
those problems. ... Using AI to monitor the vital signs of patients suffering
from chronic conditions may help to detect anomalies -- and indicate adjustments
that will stabilize them. Keeping tabs on key indicators of health such as blood
pressure, blood sugar, and respiration in a regular fashion can establish a
baseline and flag fluctuations that require follow up treatment using both
personal and demographic data related to age and sex by comparing it to
available data on similar patients.
IT infrastructure complexity hindering cyber resilience
Given the rapid evolution of cyber threats and continuous changes in corporate
IT environments, failing to update and test resilience plans can leave
businesses exposed when attacks or major outages occur. The importance of
integrating cyber resilience into a broader organizational resilience strategy
cannot be overstated. With cybersecurity now fundamental to business operations,
it must be considered alongside financial, operational, and reputational risk
planning to ensure continuity in the face of disruptions. ... Leaders also
expect to face adversity in the near future with 60% anticipating a significant
cybersecurity failure within the next six months, which reflects the sheer
volume of cyber attacks as well as a growing recognition that cloud services are
not immune to disruptions and outages. ... Eirst and most importantly, it
removes IT and cybersecurity complexity–the key impediment to enhancing cyber
resilience. Eliminating traditional security dependencies such as firewalls and
VPNs not only reduces the organization’s attack surface, but also streamlines
operations, cuts infrastructure costs, and improves IT agility. ... The second
big win is the inability of attackers to move laterally should a compromise at
an endpoint occur. Users are verified and given the lowest privileges necessary
each time they access a corporate resource, meaning ransomware and other
data-stealing threats are far less of a concern.
Is subscription-based networking the future?
There are several factors making NaaS an attractive proposition. One of the most
significant is the growing demand for flexibility. Traditional networking models
often require upfront investments and long-term commitments, which are
restrictive for organisations that need to scale their infrastructure quickly or
adapt to changing needs. In contrast, a subscription model allows businesses to
pay only for what they use, making it easier to adjust capacity and features as
needed. Cost efficiency is another big driver. With networking delivered as a
service, organisations can move away from large capital expenditures toward
predictable, operational costs. This helps IT teams manage budgets more
effectively while reducing the need to maintain and upgrade hardware. It also
enables companies to access new technologies without costly refresh cycles.
Security and compliance are becoming increasingly complex, especially for
companies handling sensitive data. NaaS solutions often come with built-in
security updates, compliance tools, and proactive monitoring, helping businesses
stay ahead of emerging threats. Instead of managing security in-house, IT teams
can rely on service providers to ensure their networks remain protected and up
to date. Additionally, the rise of cloud computing and hybrid work has
accelerated the need for more agile and scalable networking solutions.
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