Best Practices for Ensuring DevOps Security

Best practices for ensuring DevOps security

It is often the case that there is no intersection between security modules and DevOps in a manner that is convenient. Naturally, security is an integral part of an organization, but the way we introduce its tenets at every crucial part of the DevOps process has been difficult to achieve since its inception. Usually, due to a general lack of expertise in the matter, the implementation of security becomes unbalanced, which hampers the speed and agility of the environment. The solution lies in partnering with the right team to lay out the security measures intelligently. Here’s how you can achieve this:

1. Implement latest policies
Your governance policies must be updated throughout the evolution of your company. While most codes of conduct remain omnipresent and intact within every company, some behavior control is specific to each company’s unique set of IT protocols. These codes of conduct must be properly followed throughout the entire pipeline to ensure there is zero leakage of data. Creating a transparent governance system also provides the engineers with the opportunity to openly share their concerns over anything that may seem fishy within the company. Many people overlook this aspect of security for being non-technical and moralistic, but enforcing and fostering such an environment in DevOps leads to long-term benefits.

2. Integrate DevSecOps
Optimally-secured DevOps requires collaboration from multiple paradigm internal functions to ensure that the security measures are implemented at all stages of the development cycle. Development, design, operation, delivery and support all require equal care and maintenance, and DevSecOps ensure you that you achieve this balance. DevSecOps is embedded throughout the DevOps workflow for balanced governance, and it renders cybersecurity functions such as IAM, privilege management, unified threat management, code review, configuration review and vulnerability testing. In such an environment where security is properly aligned with DevOps, you are able to attain a higher profit margin while minimizing costly recalls and post-release fixes.

3. Ensure vulnerability management
Systems should be thoroughly scanned and assessed to ensure there is security adherence at developmental and integration levels in a DevOps environment. The task of such an assessment is to inform the team of all the possible loopholes in the processes before production begins. Penetration testing is a great tool that helps track down weaknesses at these levels so that a prompt response can patch these issues.

4. Implement Automation
Human intervention increases the chances of errors in intricate tasks such as IAM, privilege management, unified threat management, code review, configuration review and vulnerability testing. It is best that you automate these processes in order to get more time to run security tests on your already refined product, while also minimizing system downtime and reducing vulnerabilities. Automating security protocols helps by not only increasing the speed of your testing and management, but also by improving your profits significantly.

5. Perform device testing
We often forget that the machine on which systems are working also need to be constantly checked for their performance, both in terms of efficiency and security. You cannot perform securely even if you have a software with top-tier security features if the machine on which it is loaded is malfunctioning. Ensure that these devices throughout the entire DevOps cycle are constantly being validated in accordance with your security policies.

6. Segment the networks
A continuous network flow might keep things easy and straightforward, but going this route will also make it easier for cybercriminals to access your servers. This problem is easily addressed by ensuring there is limited access on your application resource server. You can segment the networks so that no one error is spread throughout the DevOps environment, while also ensuring that no hacker has full access to all the data spread on the network.

7. Improve privileged access management
Admin controls provide a window in taking control of the data. The higher number of people have control over it, the more anarchy there is at handling the systems. Therefore, in an agile DevOps environment, try to minimize administrative privileges on various machines wherever possible because the more accessed a data point is, the more prone it is to security threats. Instead, you can store private and sensitive data on only a few local machines because apart from improving your security, doing so also makes it easier to manage. From this point on, you can monitor the legitimacy of your security in the aforementioned environment.

Conclusion
When paired smartly, Security and DevOps culminate in a productive intersystem. The tenets for reducing errors includes the identification of errors and scope of errors, limiting access to the network, ensuring there is minimal access, as well vulnerability management. The focus in DevOps must be more on the prevention of error rather than rectification of it. The tips outlined above help you achieve exactly that.

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Six Secrets to Big Data Success

Six Secrets to Big Data Success

Big Data has played a role in helping a number of industries immeasurably, as its role in the business world is becoming more important with each passing day. However, even though the utility of Big Data in a professional setting is immense, there are very few organizations capable to utilizing the technology at an optimal level to boost their operations.

A large number of companies fear that they will make mistakes with the technology, which stops them from moving forward with Big Data analytics and maximizing its value. This is because, when used poorly, Big Data analytics can make false predictions for the future. However, when implemented correctly, Big Data offers a lot of upside to an organization. Combine its capabilities with a focused vision and a competent team, and there is a good chance the technology will bolster your company’s operations and profitability.

Keep reading as we will help you develop such vision with our insights on how you can be successful with Big Data.

1. Skills matter more than technology

It’s no secret that without the right technological tools, it is nearly impossible to succeed in a growingly competitive and sophisticated business world. Nevertheless, technology alone is not enough to help you attain this success—having the skills to operate the technology properly is also needed. While talking of Big Data, your team’s skills are far more important than the technology itself since technical ability has a very small role to play in Big Data analytics. The Big Data analyst must have know how to come up with right business questions, developing a clear forward path to make the best of the technology. The analyst must also be competent enough to parse and analyze the unstructured data through pattern recognition and hypothesis formation. Eventually, the analyst should know how to use the appropriate statistical tools to generate a predictive analysis. It is not necessary for the analyst to have all these qualities before joining the organization. Instead, the organization must conduct workshops every now and then to update analysts on the latest uses of Big Data to add value to your business.

2. Run necessary pilots

Big Data Is generally adopted by firms that want a predictive analysis of market trends that they can use to to plan for their future. Such predictions are not always unearthed in a manner that ends up being useful to your organization. If the predictive data cannot be applied to your business, Big Data will not yield the fruits of success that you seek. Therefore, it is highly advisable that when looking for data-based predictions, you should run a pilot to determine whether your predictions can be applied to improve your systems or not. Doing so will not only help you rectify your errors, but will also help you redefine your prediction in a manner that better suits your market needs. Furthermore, running a pilot will also reveal any weak points on your plans from their inception through the execution of them. Thus, one pilot will strengthen the quality of your operations, as well as the overall strategies of your business.

3. Formulate targeted analysis

It is imperative that the data you compile from the market is raw and unstructured. The amount of data available is expected to grow eightfold over the next five years, according to Gartner, most of which will be unstructured. Keeping this in mind, organizations must ensure they are ready to parse and analyze the data in a manner that will be beneficial to your business. Targeted analysis is key as one dataset may be used to unearth insights about multiple topics, while other pieces of information may not need to be extracted as they may not be relevant to your goals. Know what you’re hoping to achieve before extracting insights from your datasets, and then proceed to analyze the data. Having the right technological tools beforehand that you can use to store and analyze data is key. Always keep a backlog with indices for relevant interpretations of the data, so that when you need to extract information from the same dataset in future, it will be readily available for any future analysis.

4. Extract the best data possible

Even a small dataset can sometimes prove to be effective in developing predictions, while it is also equally possible for big sets of unstructured data to lead you nowhere. Aim to always narrow the focus of the data you compile for analytical purpose without compromising the robustness of the predictions. Going this route will save you plenty of time, while also helping you attain an accurate and actionable prediction. Don’t continue running massive sets of unstructured data in the hope that it will definitely lead you to a robust prediction as this is a waste of your time.

5. Keep predictions within your organization’s operational ability

Do not aim for predictions that lie outside the ability of your firm. Not all organizations are equipped with the skills and technological prowess to make the most of your predictions, so make sure your predictions are targeted within your means. Most organizations have a limited amount of wiggle room and the challenge is to come up with predictions that your organization is comfortable with. Do not exhort unnecessary operational pressure on your organization because it will only hamper the pace and confidence of your workers.

6. Be adaptive

The best results in Big Data analytics are achieved when the most actionable predictions happen to be affordable for your firm. As discussed earlier, don’t place an unnecessary burden on your firm in the hopes of achieving the best prediction possible. Instead, bring adaptive changes to your firm slowly in a way that will help it accommodate the best of ideas. When these ideas match the capabilities of your firm, great results will be only an arm’s reach away.

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What You Need to Know Before Migrating Your Business to the Cloud

What You Need to Know Before Migrating Your Business to the Cloud

Moving to the Cloud might be on every organization’s agenda, but the constant question to ask is, “Are these organizations ready to make a move to the Cloud?” The benefits of the Cloud might be numerous, but every organization needs to be prepped before the move can be successfully made. To get the most out of the move to the Cloud, here are a few necessary steps which need to be performed before moving to the Cloud.

Does the Cloud Have all the Resources to Sustain Your Needs?

The first step is to understand what resources you would need to post your move into the Cloud. During the investigation stage, check what hardware your business already has, and all you would need to move to the Cloud successfully. You need to take into consideration all your applications, web servers, storage possibilities, databases, along with the other necessary components. These days, most businesses are relying heavily on AWS services, along with databases like RDS and NoSQL to do their bidding.

An organization can make use of AWS services like EC2, S3, Glacier, and RDS amongst many other things. This way, one can understand the Cloud and its service options, while there are other ways to understand the different resources available within the Cloud. The idea is to know if these resources are enough for you to manage your deliverables.

Which Applications Go First?

This concept is a crucial factor since an organization can have a series of applications, which need to be migrated to the Cloud. During the migration stage, an organization has an option to push everything in one single instance or migrate slowly and steadily over some time. If you are doing the latter, you might want to identify the most critical applications to be relocated, which might be followed by the rest of the applications. On the contrary, you can try and push those applications which have minimum complexity, and dependencies, so that post-migration, there is minimum impact on production and operations.

How do You Use Scalability and Automation?

The Cloud is well known for its scalability and automation options, amongst other benefits. If you are using AWS, then you will soon understand that you have the opportunity to design a scalable infrastructure, right at the initial stage, which can help support increased traffic, while allowing you to retain your efficiency model. You have the liberty and flexibility to scale horizontally and vertically, depending on the resource availability. These are some excellent discussions which can be looked at, right during the planning stage, as these are primary factors worth considering in the long run.

How does Software Licensing Work?

Software licensing might look like a cake walk, but the reality is far from it. After moving into the Cloud, your software might need some additional licensing, which might not be available as and when you need it; this can be discussed with the Cloud vendor, at the time of negotiations. Licensing might seem like a big step, involving heavy financial budgeting; make sure you speak to your legal and business teams, before finalizing the list of software to be moved to the Cloud.

How Can We Make the Transition?

One has to understand that moving to the Cloud is no simple task. Having said this, it is essential to decide the migration plan, and what all it will entail. There is a lot of critical planning which goes into determining the type of Cloud service to undertake; an organization needs to weigh the pros and cons of each kind of Cloud model, and accordingly make a move. There are three types of Cloud services which are currently prominent: private, public, and hybrid. As per the cost, security needs, and other factors, an organization can narrow down the options and choose the one with the best fit.

What About Training Staff to Work in the Cloud?

While this might seem to be a bit overrated, it’s nonetheless essential to train your staff to work on the Cloud more seamlessly and efficiently. Rest assured, your team would face a few teething issues, considering the exposure to an altogether new environment, which might not seem as conducive in the beginning, as you might want it to be. Identify the teams which will be on-boarded to the Cloud first, and create elaborate training manuals to help the teams move forward and adopt the Cloud to the best possible extent.

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Infographic: Cloud Migration Overview and Benefits

Cloud Migration Overview and Benefits: Know more about cloud migration facts and figures, business benefits of cloud migration, how to calculate migration cost and cloud migration investments. See the below infographic for more details.

Infographic: Cloud Migration Overview and Benefits

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The 5 Best Practices for DevOps Transformation

The 5 Best Practices for DevOps Transformation

DevOps is all about creating a culture where both IT and operations teams can work together. Deriving its roots from the Agile methodology, DevOps involves the use of automated processes to increase the rate of application deployment within organizations. The essential idea behind DevOps is to allow IT teams to work in a more coordinated manner with operational teams.

So how does an organization employ these DevOps principles in a streamlined and organized manner? Here are the five best practices for DevOps transformation, which can help organizations implement DevOps and gain maximum benefits out of its implementation.

Go Simple and Start Small: Experts say that organizations should not try and do everything at the same time. Businesses have an existing set of rules and policies, which can’t be changed overnight — working to make changes in a matter of days will not only become a recipe for disaster, but also not give any results. Instead, to get the most out of DevOps, it is advised to go small. Select a project which can prove to be successful and can bring out the best possible benefits once it is implemented. Some organizations implement changes on a large scale, but this will not always mean that large scale projects are going to be successful. Such projects usually take time for implementation, which means long delays in implementation.

Have a Developed Plan of Action: Each project needs to be well planned, and needs to be implemented appropriately. This way, the mode of implementation can be well defined, realistic milestones can be set, and the tools for implementation and automation can be discussed. Different teams will be involved; each detail will be addressed during the planning stage and mentioned clearly in the plan of action, to make the project a success.

Invest in Automation Technology: DevOps is more about automation; there are a lot of vendors who offer different configuration, monitoring, and automation tools, which can help organizations deploy applications in a much quicker and efficient manner. It’s the world of technology; different technologies can enable the effective use of software, which makes the process of implementing a lot more cost effective and efficient.

Seek Regular Feedback: Feedback is the key to success, especially when DevOps projects are being implemented. When developers and operations teams work together, they need to seek feedback from all involved groups, to plug all gaps, so that implementation is seamless, and on track at all times. This way, companies can meet their deadlines, and implement the logistics of DevOps as planned.

Establish KPIs to Measure Success: Keeping KPIs is an excellent method to understand what’s been achieved, and what’s still pending. This way, organizations can realize their milestones, their progress, and what needs to be resolved. Everything will remain well within limits, as organizations meet their milestones one after another. This way, delays can be managed, and gaps can be addressed with the right feedback from the involved teams. During the KPI discussion stage, ensure that the measures of success are achievable and realistic. As an organization, you don’t want to set KPIs which will prove to be unachievable in the long run.

DevOps is a long term process, and hurrying into DevOps can create a lot of problems for organizations. It’s a philosophy, which is implemented slowly and steadily; it is a movement which can help organizations benefit from the nuances of DevOps.

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How the Internet of Things is Changing the Healthcare Industry

Internet of Things is Changing the Healthcare Industry

Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed many industries in terms of catering and management of services, especially health care industries which have shown remarkable development in treating people. From scheduling doctors appointments to advice on a diagnosis, the sector has gone a long distance in redefining the way things operate. The increasing advancements in technology are consistently applied at every stage in the development of health care industries. From big devices that monitor the health of admitted patients to microdevices that track movements of the human body, IoT has simplified the whole paradigm of health care services.

The sufficient magnitude of services required from the health care industry is also one of the reasons for inviting IoT to the rescue. Drawing facts, we see that the budget for IoT health care services has increased four times from 2017 to 2018. The large number itself is a direct representation of how largely IoT has become a trusted part of the health care industry. Let’s explore below how IoT is changing the health care industry, in more detail.

Health Data Simplified

Earlier, health care industries used to rely on first-hand data as provided by the visitor. With the help of IoT, the person is no longer constrained to produce raw, immediate data with which their prescriptions can be made. Instead, the person only has to use a device such as a wrist band, or an application which will keep track of your body behavior; this data is quantitative, transferable and first hand. Thus, doctors can look at data without the patient being present and form a better analysis of the patient’s situation due to quantifiable and transferable data. The added ease of interpreting data also reduces the gap between the doctor and the patient by connecting them through technology.

Quick Health Decisions

IoT makes it possible for a person to track his/her body behavior; this is done majorly through a wearable device which records precise data of steps, heart rate, air quality, blood flow and so on. With body behavior data, a person can be ahead of diseases by reporting them to a physician when he/she suspects an adverse change. Doing so, the person will always remain ahead of the condition and can reduce his/her chances of illness drastically. IoT devices can also bring in notice the details that are not precisely captured by other equipment. On the whole, the situations are transformed from cure to prevention.

Custom Health Services

With increased control over body behavior data, people can also control what treatment they want. Sometimes, a few conditions don’t require immediate care; in that case, they can choose what services they need immediately. Such customizability was not available in times when IoT could not provide regular data. With the help of IoT, one can decrease the financial pressure as involved in treatments. He/She can selectively opt for services that require attention and ignore that don’t.

Smart Scheduling

IoT makes things very organized when it comes to data storage. A person has to keep a record of various information if he/she wants a birds-eye view of his body behavior. However, maintaining such a tedious data requires sheer organization. With IoT, such an organization comes pre-programmed. This organization has an added benefit of managing your health schedules. You can program the device in such a way that reminds you of your medication cycle, the quantity of medicine to take, days until the next health appointment, and more.

Higher Satisfaction

Due to transparency rendered by IoT devices regarding the body behavior data, it becomes easy both for the doctor and the patient to tackle a particular disease. On the one hand, the patient knows well about his condition and can take custom treatment plans, and on the other, the doctor is better able to treat the patient due to transferable, first-hand data. As a result, both sides are better satisfied.

The importance of IoT varies from industry to industry due to the tasks that can be sanctioned. In general, IoT is needed in almost all sectors including education, municipal planning, automobiles, or even households. IoT in health care serves an altogether different purpose. In other industries, IoT serves as a tool to reach the results, in health care, IoT helps to achieve the beginning of treatments. In other words, the whole process of medication hinges on IoT devices that render actual data.

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Cloud Security Challenges for Enterprises

Why Enterprises Should Adopt a Multi-Cloud Strategy

To expand business reach owners are moving to cloud-based environments where they have the flexibility of choosing the capacity of the cloud based on their relevant requirements. Additionally, the cloud gives you the option of accessing your system files and making adjustments to them anytime, anywhere. In short, the cloud is cheaper, more efficient, and market ready.

However, security has long been a concern for cloud-based services, and this is the reason why some firms still refuse to move their application to the cloud. Some of the leading such challenges are outlined below to help you understand the matter.

Tackling DDoS Attacks

Any enterprise that collects more data becomes prone to malicious attacks. One of the most prominent of these attacks is the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks which can cripple a server for hours or even days; these are designed to overload the server with malicious commands that continue running on the server and consume exponential amounts of system ram so that the server doesn’t run smoothly. These attacks may be thwarted if we first take proper measures well in advance, such as deploying DDoS protection that is specifically designed to prevent this attack. Eliminating the possibility of these attacks will help a company restore its compromised wealth, trust, and brand authority.

Avoiding Data Breaches

Another prevalent type of security challenge is data breaches that take within the server; these breaches are mostly external, but sometimes the internal members of the service providers also become a reason for the violation. More than to the customer, a data breach is a threat to the service provider. The service provider has to meet several security compliances and policies. A failure to keep those intact policies results in direct defamation of the brand of the service provider. Therefore, the service providers take proper measures to eliminate those threats and use provider as well as customer lever encryption. Most of the time, the breach happens due to the customer’s improper conduct of sensitive information.

As a necessary security measure, sensitive data on the cloud must be encrypted and given minimal access especially when the cloud is public. Further, choosing the right vendor who gives you added securities such as firewall and software support system would also minimize the probability of a data breach.

Overcoming Data Loss

Another kind of security challenge is tackling data loss from the cloud. Data files can become corrupted in the cloud for several reasons which include improper planning, data mixing, and mishandling. Again, the service provider does not have much space to be responsible for these threats. While maintaining your data, especially the system files, make sure that you close all portals before leaving the session. As a fundamental measure, always keep at least one copy of the data with you, in your drives. The only way you can bring back your data will be that extra copy of the data. It’s very crucial, so make sure you have made the copy.

Strengthening Access Points

One of the actual advantages of the cloud is that it gives you the flexibility of accessing your data from different virtual points. That is, even though your data is primarily stored in one server, you can potentially access it from anywhere else where you have a portal. However, these portals are not always secured sufficiently. To be maintained, security measures require time and funding. Increasing the numbers of access points will invite massive budget imbalance. In such a scenario, the access points not providing sufficient security might fall prey to hackers and cause breaches or loss of data. As a solution, one might want to restrict the numbers of access points so that a proper security model for these access points can be maintained.

Prompt Notifications and Alerts

This challenge sprouts from the multiplicity of access points. As pointed out earlier, we should aim to restrict the numbers of access points. Now, even if a threat arises, it will be easier to locate and eliminate. Additionally, the notification and alerts system will be able to function better, as it won’t seem to spam the notification system. Since the notification system is the cornerstone of your security system, it must be properly maintained—the messages should be prompt, clear, and explanatory. If not kept in such a manner, the notifications won’t make sense to everyone in the company, nor they would be informed in time.

With the right parameters, one can easily tackle these cloud security challenges for an enterprise. Just have the right service provider, technology, and planning by your shoulder to keep the environment running smoothly.

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Best Practices for Using DevOps in the Cloud

The Challenges of Multi-Cloud Environments

Companies at the frontier of technological evolution recognize how important it is to streamline development processes so that the ever changing requirements of the market can be quickly and efficiently addressed. While the cloud offers automatic scaling to make room for application changes, it is DevOps that makes optimal use of cloud resources. However, even the best practices for DevOps get compromised when the pressure of accelerating the business is heightened.

The fusion of cloud services and DevOps is relatively new; it has posed relevant obstructions in understanding core mechanics and improvising of these mechanics into practical scenarios. What is to follow is a collection of ideas that should be kept in mind while working with DevOps for its best possible implementation in a cloud-based environment.

Training is Essential

The challenges posed by operating evolving technology should be seen as opportunities to formulate generalizations on how to make the best use of the technology. Proper training before implementation works as an investment that will reward your business. Training sessions help employees tackle common obstacles and be prepared for significant events that might occur during execution. If properly mentored, the unit can become independent of future assistance, which will result in minimized errors and maximized precision.

Taking Security Measures

It’s intuitive to acknowledge that the security model in the cloud is not the same as in old data practices; this requires special attention because security is the backbone of your implementation system. When DevOps is introduced into the environment, it should be made sure that each implementation level is complying with the required security measures — automated testing should be deployed and integrated into these levels of the environment.

Choosing DevOps Tools

While choosing DevOps tools, keep in mind that you are selecting a set of tools that are not dedicated to one particular cloud (on demand, on-premise or public). When you restrict your business to a specific cloud, you forfeit the luxury of moving from one cloud to the other depending on your need — this directly interrupts the smooth and optimal deployment of DevOps.

Service and Resource Governance

Ongoing operations in the environment, if not properly governed, might result in clogging of processes. It so happens that lack of governance only comes in notice when you see a multitude of operations becoming impossible to manage. To avoid this scenario, you must build a management system that ensures a smooth and systematic workflow; this is easily achieved through the formulation of a governance infrastructure well in advance. It comprises of features and functions that help in tracking, securing, and managing in-house services.

Automated Testing

In cloud-based environments, application performance issues are often rendered after the application has gone into production. They are not caught before that period because automated performance testing is not implemented within the levels of production. Performance testing helps in preventing poor performing applications from going into production through partial checking at every level of production — this is an essential measure to be taken to ensure better performance and efficient use of resources.

Importance of Containers

Containers give you added flexibility to move the components of an application on an independent basis; you can efficiently manage and orchestrate your applications using these independent containers at intermediate levels. Integrating containers into the DevOps process will make the development processes more manageable. However, containers cannot be implemented into any application, as some applications require a unified application core in development. Know the needs of your application and the standard of this approach.

Cloud computing sees soaring development as soon as DevOps is introduced in the business; however, these soaring developments can be hindered by many unprecedented obstacles. Applying strategies such as maintaining containers, automated testing, and governance, you can cut short those obstacles; this requires expertise; therefore, it is advised that you consider taking the help of field experts whenever necessary. Once you understand the nature of commitment and knowledge needed to implement smooth functioning of DevOps, this component will become an indispensable part of your strategic model.

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