Musato Technologies Blog

Network Segmentation for Security

Published April 27, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Best Practices in Network Segmentation for Security

Implementing better network segmentation to improve security is a significant project for network operations, data center ops, and security teams. From dividing IoT from IT using micro-segmentation to avoiding over-segmentation, we call out best practices for maximizing success in this task.

Key Challenges

• The segmentation requirements for an enterprise call for a highly customized design.
• Avoiding either over-segmenting or under-segmenting the network is achievable but requires a formal project.
• Outsourcing segmentation project planning tends to result in poor outcomes. Too often, trust is placed in less trusted components, often resulting in segmentation projects being delayed or restarted, or with results that place the enterprise at undue risk.

Recommendations

• Segment based on data sensitivity, location, and criticality.
• For virtualized environments, change the technology, but not the security principles.
• Create a segmentation architecture that will accommodate short-term technology changes, and will best allow for housing new resources, applications and data within the existing framework.
• Create zones to proactively house Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT). Continue reading →

Posted in 5G Network, cyber-security, cyberattack, Fibre Optics, ICT Services, Information Technologies, IT, IT Services, Musato Technologies, Network Services, Network-Attached Storage, Networks, Servers, Services | Tagged Computer Security, Musato Technologies, Network Firewalls, Network Security, Network Segmentation

IT managed services

Published April 25, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Cloud computing and IT managed services

IT managed services based on cloud computing are catching on with many small and medium-sized businesses as a way to offload the burdens of buying and maintaining software and hardware.

The idea is simple: instead of buying and managing your own IT assets, your company pays to use a system owned by a third party. A simple free version of the idea is Google Drive, which allows users

anywhere to work and collaborate on word processing, spreadsheet and other applications hosted on Google’s servers.

The cloud’s key benefit is that it saves companies money because they don’t have to purchase, implement, maintain and update hardware or software. For example, some experts estimate a company can save about 65% on an ERP system by implementing it through the cloud rather than buying the software.

Cloud computing vendors offer two main types of services – IT managed services

Infrastructures-a-service: Servers and network equipment that clients access via the web.
Software-as-a-service : On-demand software that clients access online. For example, businesses can use such a service to run an ERP system or accounting software without needing to buy it.

Continue reading →

Posted in Cloud Computing, ERP packages, ICT Services, IT, IT Services, Musato Technologies, Services, Software As A Service, Web applications, Web Hosting, Website | Tagged Cloud computing and managed services, Cloud Services, ICT services, IT managed services, IT Services, Musato Technologies, Web Services

Digital transformation

Published April 20, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Digital transformation will lead 60% of enterprises to move IT off-premises by 2019

The top three IT initiatives for 2018 include business intelligence, artificial intelligence, and big data, according to 451 Research. Digital transformation

60% of enterprises plan to shift… Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Transformation, Emerging Technologies, Enterprise Computing, ICT Services, Information Technologies, IT outsourcing services, IT Services, Musato Technologies, Software Development, Technology | Tagged cloud computing, Digital Transformation, Entreprise Computing, IT Services, Musato Technologies

Big data analytics

Published April 17, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

The cloud-fueled shift now underway

Public clouds are the future of enterprise big data analytics, and their use is creating the unified platform needed to fully gain its value.

Today’s big data analytics market is quite different from the industry or even a few years ago. The coming decade will see change, innovation, and disruption ripple through at every segment of this global industry.

In the recently published annual update to its market study, Wikibon, the analyst group of SiliconAngle Media, found that the worldwide big data analytics market grew at 24.5 percent in 2017 from the year before. (I work for Wikibon.)

This was faster than forecast in the previous year’s report, owing largely to stronger-than-expected public cloud deployment and utilization as well as accelerating the convergence of platforms, tools, and other solutions. Also, enterprises are moving more rapidly out of the experimentation and proof-of-concept phases with big data analytics and are achieving higher levels of business value from their deployments.

Going forward, Wikibon forecasts that the overall big data analytics market will grow at an 11 percent annual growth rate by 2027, reaching reach $103 billion globally. Much of the market growth in later years will be sustained by the adoption of big data analytics in the internet of things (IoT), mobility, and other edge-computing use cases. Continue reading →

Posted in Big data, Big Data Systems, Business Processes, Cloud Computing, cloud network services, Cloud Storage, Computer Storage, Data, Data Analytics, Database, Database Management, ICT Services, Information Technologies, IT Innovation, IT Services, Virtualization | Tagged Big data, Big data analytics, cloud computing, Cloud computing solutions, Data analytics, Enterprise big data analytics, Public clouds

Machine Learning Apps

Published April 15, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

How to write machine learning apps for Windows 10

Machine learning isn’t only in the cloud. Microsoft is bringing it to PCs in the next Windows 10 release. Here’s how to get started now.

We’re not far away from a new release of Windows 10, and with it plenty of new APIs for your applications. One big change is support for running trained machine learning models as part of Windows applications, taking advantage of local GPUs to accelerate machine learning applications.

Building a machine learning application can be a complex process. Training a model can require a lot of data, and a considerable amount of processing power. That’s fine if you’ve got access to a cloud platform and lots of bandwidth, but what if you want to take an existing model from GitHub and run it on a PC?

Trained machine learning models are an ideal tool for bringing the benefits of neural networks and deep learning to your applications. All you should need to do is hook up the appropriate interfaces, and they should run as part of your code. But with many machine learning frameworks and platforms, there’s a need for a common runtime that can use any of the models out there. That’s where the new Windows machine learning tools come into play, offering Windows developers a platform to run existing machine learning models in their applications, taking advantage of a developing open standard for exchanging machine learning models. Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Application Development, Applications, Apps, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation, IT, IT Services, Machine learning apps, Software, Software Development | Tagged AI, application design, Application Development, Apps, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Machine learning apps, Musato Technologies

Cloud Software Development

Published April 13, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Cross-cloud software development comes to Azure

Cloud-native apps built on Kubernetes can run anywhere. Now, with Open Service Broker, they can also use services hosted in public clouds such as Azure. – Cloud Software Development

Back in the early 2000s, while working as an architect in an IT consulting company, I became fascinated by the promise of service-oriented architectures. Taking an API-first approach to application development made a lot of sense to me, as did the idea of using a message- and event-driven approach to application integration.

But that dream was lost in a maze of ever-more complex standards. The relatively simple SOAP’s take on remote procedure calls vanished as a growing family of WS- protocols added more and more features.

It’s not surprising, then, that I find much of what’s happening in the world of cloud-native platforms familiar. Today, we’re using many of the same concepts as part of building microservice architectures, on top of platforms like Kubernetes.

Like SOAP, the underlying concept is an open set of tools that can connect applications and services, working in one public cloud, from on-premises systems to a public cloud, and from cloud to cloud. It’s that cross-cloud option that’s most interesting: Each of the three big public cloud providers does different things well, so why not build your applications around the best of Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud Platform? Continue reading →

Posted in Application Development, Applications, Cloud Computing, cloud network services, Cloud Storage, Creating App, ICT Services, Information Technologies, IT Services, Microsoft Azure, Musato Technologies, Software As A Service, Software Design, Software Development | Tagged Application Development, Applications, cloud computing, Cloud Storage, IT Services, Musato Technologies, Software, Software Development

Biometric Authentication

Published April 10, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Biometric Systems Overview

As users increasingly demand frictionless authentication everywhere, biometrics solutions have garnered significant attention for both authentication and fraud prevention — especially on mobile and IoT devices. Furthermore, as their
adoption increases, they will hasten the demise of the industry’s least user-friendly method — passwords.

Nontraditional Modalities Show Promise, But They Are Playing Catch-Up

Several newer modalities, such as behavioral and electrocardiogram biometrics, show potential via mobile or continuous authentication, but they face stiff competition from established modalities such as fingerprint, face, and voice biometrics that are also going mobile.

Biometrics Tuning Is Mandatory

As you strive to provide users with a frictionless registration and authentication experience, make sure the solution performs at scale with an acceptable level of false positives and negatives.

Privacy Of Samples Will Make Or Break Biometrics

To ensure user acceptance and compliance, you have to reduce the likelihood that biometric samples will suffer a compromise. To this end, use vendors that store only a subset of encrypted mathematical characteristics and parameters of biometric samples. Continue reading →

Posted in Authentication, Biometrics, ICT Services, IT Services, Password, Security | Tagged Access Control, Authentification, Biometric, Biometric Authentication, IT Services, Password-Free Authentication, Security

Technology security risks

Published April 9, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Major technology security risks for your business

Technology has spawned a dizzying array of new technology security risks with complicated names such as phishing, social engineering and pretexting. Knowing about these new technology risks is already half the battle when trying to avoid these pitfalls.

1. Phishing – a technology security risk

Phishing is the use of fraudulent emails or phone calls to get sensitive information, such as bank account numbers, credit card information or passwords. Here is how it works:

If you’ve ever gotten an email that says your account has been locked or that irregular activity was detected in your account, you may have been the target of a phishing attempt. These messages typically include a link to a legitimate-seeming website, where you’re asked to give account information or download malware (see more on that below).
A phishing email or phone call may ask you to call a number to discuss a problem with your account. You might then be asked to reveal account details over the phone.
Phishing is a type of social engineering, which is an attack that uses misrepresentation to get sensitive information.

2. Pretexting – a technology security risk

Pretexting involves the creation of a fake identity or scenario to fool a person into disclosing information.

For example, a fraudster may email or call your company claiming to be a supplier, survey firm, municipal inspector or insurance company to get sensitive data. A pretext attacker could also pose as a computer technician responding to a call for service to access your network.

“They may ask for little bits of information that don’t raise red flags,” Abdulmughnee says. “But over time, bit by bit, they’re trying to build a profile that could let them steal your identity.” Continue reading →

Posted in cyber security threats, cyber-security, cyberattack, Keylogger, Safe Software, Scams, Security, Technology risks | Tagged Computer protection, IT Services, Malicious software, Malware, Phishing, Security risk, technology security risks, virus

Windows Server 19

Published April 6, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

Windows Server 19 embraces the hybrid cloud, hyperconverged data centers, Linux

Windows Server 19 will be available in the second half of the year, and you can preview it via the Insiders program. Microsoft is set to make Windows Server 2019 generally available in the second half of the year, opening up access to its preview build through its Insiders program now and targeting data centers with new features to handle hybrid cloud setups and hyperconverged infrastructure.

The next version of Windows Server also adds new security features and enhances support for containers and Linux.

In a Monday announcement, Microsoft noted that general availability of Windows Server 19 will mark the next release in its Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC), which essentially rolls up semi-annual Windows Server releases and related tweaks for enterprises that do not want to continuously update their server software.

A semi-annual channel server update will also go out at about the same time as the Windows Server 19/LTSC release, but Microsoft urges data centers that have workloads involving SQL Server, SharePoint, and Windows-Server-defined workloads to adopt the LTSC release.

Aiming at hybrid cloud

This is the first major release of Windows Server since 2016, and Microsoft is doubling down on features for hybrid cloud deployments. Cloud computing promises operational efficiency and cost optimization, but most big companies are operating hybrid computing environments for a variety of reasons, including compliance issues. Continue reading →

Posted in IT, IT Services, Microsoft, Musato Technologies, Networks, Operating Systems, Technology, Windows Servers | Tagged cloud computing, Data Centres, IT companies, Microsoft, Server Operating Systems, Software Development, Windows Server 19, Windows Servers

Best CRM software

Published April 6, 2018 | By Gideon E. M

What is the best CRM software? Key features to look for

Many businesses undervalue the planning that must go into CRM software selection and overlook the importance of defining the capabilities and results that will matter most to their organization. Don’t be one of them. CRM software

The best CRM software is the one that has the right capabilities and features for your objectives. That selection process is harder than it sounds, however, as organizations are faced with an abundance of choices and priorities to consider when determining which customer relationship management (CRM) software can best meet their needs today and into the future.

The CRM journey often begins with a set of circumstances that make the need for better tools abundantly clear, but businesses must carefully evaluate their own requirements, ask serious questions of various vendors and identify the key features of CRM tools that will be most important to their organization before moving forward.

CRM planning

Nadine LeBlanc, research director for CRM at Gartner, says the power of CRM starts with an organization’s business strategy. “It seems simple, but a lot of organizations often think of CRM as a technology… but CRM is a business strategy that optimizes a business’ capability while promoting customer satisfaction and loyalty,” she says.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to CRM and many companies are already performing some version of CRM without recognizing it as such, according to LeBlanc. Any organization that serves its customers’ needs and wishes, or actively requests feedback from customers, has already started the CRM journey, she says. Continue reading →

Posted in Applications, Business Processes, CRM, Customer Relationship, Customer Relationships, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Computing, IT Services, Musato Technologies, Software, Software As A Service | Tagged CRM, CRM software, CRM systems, Customer Relationship Management, Musato Technologies, Software, Software Systems