Tag Archives: Cloud

NTT To Build 5th Data Centre In Cyberjaya, Malaysia!

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NTT Limited just announced that they will construct their 5th data centre at the NTT Cyberjaya Campus in Malaysia!

Here are the details…

 

NTT To Build 5th Data Centre In Cyberjaya, Malaysia

As part of their expansion plans, NTT will build their fifth data centre at their Cyberjaya campus in Malaysia. This Tier-4 ready, compact and modular data centre, called CBJ5, is scheduled to be complete in 2020.

Once it comes online, NTT says that it will provide their clients with “a flexible and scalable power and cooling solution coupled with an industry leading Service Level Agreement (SLA) that is the first of its kind in Malaysia.”

This announcement comes after Malaysia’s Budget 2020 was tabled, with a focus on driving economic growth through digital transformation. There will be additional grants and incentives for organisations to digitally transform their businesses.

As such, NTT believes there will be increased demand for their services, which CBJ5 will be ready to fulfil.

“CBJ5 is designed to meet the requirements of hyperscalers and high-end enterprises, especially those that require solid power management capabilities. CBJ5 is able to accommodate progressive power increments and cooling of up to 10kW/rack. This is revolutionary as it will allow our clients to maximize the power resources in their chosen data center,” said Henrick Choo, CEO, Malaysia for NTT Ltd.

 

NTT Data Centre Capabilities

With CBJ5, NTT aims to become the leading Digital Infrastructure Provider in Malaysia, attracting both domestic and global traffic into its carrier-neutral data centre campus that also includes NTT’s global Tier-1 IP network, Multi-Cloud Connect platform and domestic Internet Exchange.

The NTT Cyberjaya Campus  features a high-density fibre network facilitating inter-connection among our clients to create a digital supply chain ecosystem.

Bank Negara Malaysia recently announced a set of guidelines defining Risk Management in Technology (RMiT) for financial institutions, meaning security becomes a crucial consideration as they are now responsible for the safety of the bank’s information infrastructure, systems and data.

NTT will address these new requirements by working together with financial institutions, so they are able to comply to BNM’s guideline. Henrick also stated that security will be heightened as the company grows.

“NTT’s physical data center access control will be increased to safeguard all data center blocks within the NTT Cyberjaya Campus. We will also be introducing smart security technology integrating Visitor Management Systems with facial recognition technology. Essentially, we will double our security cover with the two combined,” he added.

NTT clients are able to choose from multiple architectures from on-premise, to cloud and even multi-cloud. All solutions will come with managed security solutions to offer data protection while minimising business disruptions.

 

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DiDi Adopts NVIDIA AI + GPUs For Self-Driving Cars!

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At GTC China 2019, DiDi announced that they will adopt NVIDIA GPUs and AI technologies to develop self-driving cars, as well as their cloud computing solutions.

 

DiDi Adopts NVIDIA AI + GPUs For Self-Driving Cars!

This announcement comes after DiDi spliced out their autonomous driving unit as an independent company in August 2019.

In their announcement, DiDi confirmed that they will use NVIDIA technologies in both their data centres and onboard their self-driving cars :

  • NVIDIA GPUs will be used to train machine learning algorithms in the data center
  • NVIDIA DRIVE will be used for inference in their Level 4 self-driving cars

NVIDIA DRIVE will fuse data from all types of sensors – cameras, LIDAR, radar, etc – and use numerous deep neural networks (DNNs) to understand the surrounding area, so the self-driving car can plan a safe way forward.

Those DNNs (deep neural networks) will require prior training using NVIDIA GPU data centre servers, and machine learning algorithms.

Recommended : NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin for Autonomous Vehicles Revealed!

 

DiDi Cloud Computing Will Use NVIDIA Tech Too

DiDi also announced that DiDi Cloud will adopt and launch new vGPU (virtual GPU) cloud servers based on NVIDIA GPUs.

The new vGPU licence mode will offer more affordable and flexible GPU cloud computing services for remote computing, rendering and gaming.

 

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Intel oneAPI Unified Programming Model Overview!

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At Supercomputing 2019, Intel unveiled their oneAPI initiative for heterogenous computing, promising to deliver a unified programming experience for developers.

Here is an overview of the Intel oneAPI unified programming model, and what it means for programmers!

 

The Need For Intel oneAPI

The modern computing environment is now a lot less CPU-centric, with the greater adoption of GPUs, FGPAs and custom-built accelerators (like the Alibaba Hanguang 800).

Their different scalar, vector, matrix and spatial architectures require different APIs and code bases, which complicates attempts to utilise a mix of those capabilities.

 

Intel oneAPI For Heterogenous Computing

Intel oneAPI promises to change all that, offering a unified programming model for those different architectures.

It allows developers to create workloads and applications for multiple architectures on their platform of choice, without the need to develop and maintain separate code bases, tools and workflow.

Intel oneAPI comprises of two components – the open industry initiative, and the Intel oneAPI beta toolkit :

oneAPI Initiative

This is a cross-architecture development model based on industry standards, and an open specification, to encourage broader adoption.

Intel oneAPI Beta Toolkit

This beta toolkit offers the Intel oneAPI specification components with direct programming (Data Parallel C++), API-based programming with performance libraries, advanced analysis and debug tools.

Developers can test code and workloads in the Intel DevCloud for oneAPI on multiple Intel architectures.

 

What Processors + Accelerators Are Supported By Intel oneAPI?

The beta Intel oneAPI reference implementation currently supports these Intel platforms :

  • Intel Xeon Scalable processors
  • Intel Core and Atom processors
  • Intel processor graphics (as a proxy for future Intel discrete data centre GPUs)
  • Intel FPGAs (Intel Arria, Stratix)

The oneAPI specification is designed to support a broad range of CPUs and accelerators from multiple vendors. However, it is up to those vendors to create their own oneAPI implementations and optimise them for their own hardware.

 

Are oneAPI Elements Open-Sourced?

Many oneAPI libraries and components are already, or will soon be open sourced.

 

What Companies Are Participating In The oneAPI Initiative?

According to Intel, more than 30 vendors and research organisations support the oneAPI initiative, including CERN openlab, SAP and the University of Cambridge.

Companies that create their own implementation of oneAPI and complete a self-certification process will be allowed to use the oneAPI initiative brand and logo.

 

Available Intel oneAPI Toolkits

At the time of its launch (17 November 2019), here are the toolkits that Intel has made available for developers to download and use :

Intel oneAPI Base Toolkit (Beta)

This foundational kit enables developers of all types to build, test, and deploy performance-driven, data-centric applications across CPUs, GPUs, and FPGAs. Comes with :

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  • Intel oneAPI Data Parallel C++ Compiler
  • Intel Distribution for Python
  • Multiple optimized libraries
  • Advanced analysis and debugging tools

Domain Specific oneAPI Toolkits for Specialised Workloads :

  • oneAPI HPC Toolkit (beta) : Deliver fast C++, Fortran, OpenMP, and MPI applications that scale.
  • oneAPI DL Framework Developer Toolkit (beta) : Build deep learning frameworks or customize existing ones.
  • oneAPI IoT Toolkit (beta) : Build high-performing, efficient, reliable solutions that run at the network’s edge.
  • oneAPI Rendering Toolkit (beta) : Create high-performance, high-fidelity visualization applications.

Additional Toolkits, Powered by oneAPI

  • Intel AI Analytics Toolkit (beta) : Speed AI development with tools for DL training, inference, and data analytics.
  • Intel Distribution of OpenVINO Toolkit : Deploy high-performance inference applications from device to cloud.
  • Intel System Bring-Up Toolkit (beta) : Debug and tune systems for power and performance.

You can download all of those toolkits here.

 

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Facebook Introduces New Multi-Colour Brand Logo!

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Hounded by criticism over fake news and misleading political ads, Facebook is responding with a new multi-colour brand logo to highlight their “clarity”, “empathy” and “support for people and their stories”.

This is really the best thing since sliced bread. Don’t believe us? Look at how much effort they put into it!

 

The New Facebook Multi-Colour Brand Logo

The new Facebook multi-colour brand logo was designed with custom typography and capitalisation to create a visual distinction between Facebook the company, and Facebook the app.

Facebook really spent A LOT of time, money and effort to design that new multi-colour brand logo.

  • Conducting listening tours with their employees as well as people and businesses using their products
  • Bringing together people from across Facebook to design and work together on that logo
  • Refining the design with designers across Facebook to ensure it works in product, hardware, marketing and physical phases

Facebook is spending so much time, money and effort on the rebranding effort, because they want the new brand logo to convey three clear messages :

  • Clarity : Facebook is a brand that simplifies and builds understanding
  • Empathy : Facebook is a system that is respectful of context and environment
  • Creating Space : Facebook supports people and their stories

It is easy to read between the lines, to see how criticism over their refusal to tackle fake news, or even promising not to accept misleading or political ads is a factor.

However, we seriously doubt a rebrand will change anyone’s minds about how Facebook is facilitating the spread of fake news and misleading political ads.

 

The New Facebook Logo In Instagram + WhatsApp

Facebook will be using the new logo to rebrand their other services – Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, etc. Beginning in June 2020, they will include “from Facebook” to all of those services and apps.

This is what Instagram will look like eventually :

And this is what WhatsApp will look like :

And they will start using the new brand logo in their products and marketing materials, including a new company website.

 

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Samsung – IBM AI IoT Cloud Platform For 5G Mobile Solutions!

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At the Samsung Developer Conference 2019, Samsung and IBM announced a joint platform that leverages Samsung Galaxy devices and IBM cloud technologies to introduce new 5G, AI-powered mobile solutions!

Here is what you need to know about this new Samsung-IBM AI IoT cloud platform, and the 5G AI-powered mobile solutions it’s powering for governments and enterprises.

 

Samsung – IBM AI IoT Cloud Platform For 5G Mobile Solutions!

Built using IBM Cloud technologies and Samsung Galaxy mobile devices, the new platform will help improve the work environment for employees in high-stress or high-risk occupations.

This will help reduce the risks to these public employees who work in dangerous and high-stress situations. This is critical because nearly 3 million deaths occur each year due to occupational accidents.

This new, unnamed Samsung-IBM platform will help governments and enterprises track their employee’s vitals, including heart rate and physical activity. This will allow them to determine if that employee is in distress and requires help.

 

The Samsung – IBM AI IoT Cloud Platform In Use

5G mobile solutions based on the new Samsung-IBM AI IoT platform is being piloted by multiple police forces to monitor their health in real-time, and provide situational awareness insights to first responders and their managers.

The platform can track in real time, the safety and wellness indicators of first responders equipped with Samsung Galaxy Watches and Galaxy smartphones with 5G connectivity.

It can instantly alert emergency managers if there is a significant change in the safety parameters, which may indicate the first responder is in danger of a heart attack, heat exhaustion or other life-threatening events.

This allows them to anticipate potential dangers, and quickly send assistance. This should greatly reduce the risk of death and injuries to their employees.

 

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Yahoo Groups To Delete All User Content! Download ‘Em Now!

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Yahoo Groups is planning to take a massive dump of all user content, so make sure you download all of your content ASAP!

Here is EVERYTHING you need to know about the shocking decision by Yahoo Groups, and what it means for Yahoo Groups users!

 

Yahoo Groups To Delete All User Content

No, it’s not a joke or a hoax.

On Wednesday, 16 October 2019 – a day that will live in infamy (for Yahoo Groups users at least), Yahoo Groups announced their decision to eventually delete all user content.

Beginning 28 October 2019, users will be no longer be allow to upload new content. You can only share information with your group using email.

And on 14 December 2019, Yahoo Groups will permanently remove and delete all user content.

 

No, Yahoo Groups Is Not Shutting Down

Unlike what some major news websites have stated, Yahoo Groups isn’t really shutting down. At least not yet.

Yahoo Groups will continue to exist. However, there will be significant changes on how things will work :

  • There will no longer be any public groups.
  • All public groups will be made private or restricted
  • You will be allowed to search for private groups.
  • However, new group members will need to request an invite, or be invited by a group administrator.
  • Group administrators will still be able to manage group settings.
  • However, some admin functionality will be limited or eliminated.

Recommended : Yes, Yahoo Mail Is Still Alive… And They Have A New App!

 

What User Content Are They Deleting?

Basically, EVERYTHING you ever posted or uploaded to Yahoo Groups :

  • Files
  • Polls
  • Links
  • Photos
  • Folders
  • Calendar
  • Databases
  • Attachments
  • Conversations
  • Email Updates
  • Message Digest
  • Message History

 

How Can I Download My Yahoo Groups Content?

Yahoo Groups is giving you until 13 December 2019 to download your content.

A. Downloading Photos From Yahoo Groups

  1. On your group’s main page, click Photos.
  2. Mouse over the image you want.
  3. Click the Download icon (Down arrow) to download it.

B. Downloading Files From Yahoo Groups

  1. On your group’s main page, click Files.
  2. Click a file you want to download.
  3. Select Save File and click OK.

C. Download Your Yahoo Groups Data

  1. Go to the Privacy Dashboard page of your Yahoo Groups
  2. Scroll down to “Download a summary of your data“.
  3. Click Request a download.

  1. Click Next.
  2. Enter an email address to receive the notification when the download is ready. It can take up to 30 days for a request to process.
  3. Click Request Download.
  4. Once you receive the notification email, go to the Privacy Dashboard page of your Yahoo Groups.
  5. Scroll down to “Download a summary of your data“.
  6. Click Your download requests.

  1. Click the Download link next to your download request.

 

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Dell EMC PowerProtect DD for Multi-Cloud Data Protection

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At Dell Technologies Forum 2019, Dell Technologies announced their next-generation Data Domain protection storage appliances – the Dell EMC PowerProtect DD Appliance.

They also announced changes and improvements to Dell EMC Cyber Recovery and PowerProtect Software.

Here is everything you need to know about the new Dell EMC PowerProtect DD Appliances, as well as Cyber Recovery and PowerProtect software updates.

 

The Need For Dell EMC PowerProtect DD

As businesses become more data-driven, there is a corresponding increase in the amount of data they create and retain.

According to Dell EMC, organisations in Asia Pacific and Japan manage an average of 8.13 petabytes of data in 2018 – a 384% increase over 2016.

All that data is vulnerable, even if they are stored in the cloud. That’s where Dell EMC comes in with their PowerProtect DD Series Appliances.

They are designed to protect a business’ data storage, with the ability to quickly restore their systems in times of disruption to ensure business continuity.

 

Dell EMC PowerProtect DD for Multi-Cloud Data Protection

The new PowerProtect DD appliances are the latest addition to the Dell EMC PowerProtect portfolio. Designed to offer data protection for multi-cloud workloads, PowerProtect DD offers :

Faster Performance

The PowerProtect DD appliances offer up to 38% faster backups, and up to 36% faster restores.

They can provide instant access and instant restores of up to 60,000 IOPS for up to 64 virtual machines, with support for 25 GbE and 100 GbE network speeds.

Greater Efficiency

PowerProtect DD can provide up to 1.25 PB of usable capacity in a single rack, with hardware-assisted compression to increase logical capacity by up to 30%.

Its small footprint also saves power and cooling requirements by up to 35%, increasing ROI for organisations.

Scalability

PowerProtect DD is scalable, with grow-in-place capacity expansion from 1 terabyte all the way to 1.25 petabytes.

Data Protection For Multi-Cloud Workloads

PowerProtect DD supports multiple public clouds, and can natively tier deduplicated data. It can also scale across on-premise and hybrid cloud environments.

Single Pane of Glass Management

Its PowerProtect DD Management Center allows for the aggregated management for multiple systems. Customers can monitor the health and status of all their appliances on-premise and in the cloud, as well as manage capacity and replications.

 

Improved Cyber Recovery + PowerProtect Software

Dell EMC also announced improvements to Cyber Recovery and PowerProtect Software :

  • Cyber Recovery now supports workloads protected with PowerProtect Software and stored on the new PowerProtect DD Series Appliances
  • Cyber Recovery can now automate restores from a secure and isolated vault, giving customers an additional layer of data protection
  • PowerProtect Software adds more integrated with VMware vSphere, offering simplified data protection management and self-service recovery
  • PowerProtect Software also now supports Dell EMC Cloud Disaster Recovery, allowing the automated disaster recovery of VMware workloads in the public cloud

 

Dell EMC PowerProtect DD Availability

The three new PowerProtect DD Series Appliances – PowerProtect DD6900, PowerProtect DD9400 and PowerProtect DD9900 – will be available globally 30 September 2019 onwards through Dell Technologies channel partners

Dell EMC Data Domain Virtual Edition and Dell EMC Data Domain DD3300, now branded Dell EMC PowerProtect DD Virtual Edition and Dell EMC PowerProtect DD3300, are available now

Enhancements to Dell EMC PowerProtect Cyber Recovery and PowerProtect Software are available globally, with immediate effect.

 

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Red Hat Partners Are Driving APAC Hybrid Cloud Adoption!

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Red Hat just announced that their partners are driving a rising interest for hybrid cloud in the Asia Pacific region.

Here is everything you know about their update on the Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Providers program!

 

Red Hat Partners Are Driving APAC Hybrid Cloud Adoption

At Red Hat Forum 2019, Red Hat revealed that there is a rising interest for hybrid cloud in Asia Pacific, driven by an increasing number of cloud and managed service providers joining the Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Providers program.

The Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Providers program currently have over 300 cloud, system integrators and managed service providers in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam.

Red Hat shared a list of some APAC cloud and managed service providers that have recently enrolled in the program :

  • Australia : Bulletproof
  • China : Shanghai DaoCloud Network, Shanghai Yungoal Infotech
  • India : Cyfuture India Pvt. Ltd, Netlabs Global IT Services Pvt. Ltd, GAVS Technologies, Kaar Technologies, Sensiple Software Solutions
  • Japan : BBC Co Ltd, i2ts Inc.
  • Korea : Codefarm
  • Singapore : Fujitsu Singapore
  • Thailand : Internet Thailand Public Company Limited
  • The Philippines : Micro-D International
  • Vietnam : Sao Bac Dau Telecom JS

These Red Hat Certified Cloud and Service Providers can gain access and leverage Red Hat solutions like Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform and Red Hat OpenStack Platform, to improve operational efficiency and flexibility, as well as expand their hybrid cloud and ISV solutions.

 

Red Hat Innovation Awards For HLB + Alliance Bank!

Red Hat also announced that the two winners for the Red Hat Innovation Awards 2019 :

  • Digital Transformation and IT Optimisation : Hong Leong Bank
  • Digital Transformation and Agile Integration : Alliance Bank

 

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3rd Gen X-Dragon Architecture by Alibaba Cloud Explained!

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At the Apsara Conference 2019, Alibaba Cloud announced that they will be introducing the 3rd Gen X-Dragon Architecture for their cloud servers!

Here is a quick PRIMER on the new 3rd Gen X-Dragon Architecture!

 

What Is X-Dragon?

X-Dragon – Shenlong in Chinese – is a proprietary bare metal server architecture developed by Alibaba Cloud for their cloud computing requirements.

Built around a custom X-Dragon MOC card, it delivers what Alibaba Cloud calls Elastic Compute Service (ECS) capability in a bare metal server.

The ECS bare metal instances it offers combine the benefits of bare metal servers, and virtual machines.

For example, it offers direct access to CPU and RAM resources without virtualisation overheads that bare metal servers offer, with the instant deployment and image migration capabilities of virtual machines.

The downsides? ECS bare metal instances, once deployed, cannot be upgraded or downgraded. In addition, if there is a hardware failure, a failover occurs and the data remains stored in the instance’s storage drives.

 

What’s New In The 3rd Gen X-Dragon Architecture?

Basically – SPEED.

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According to Alibaba Cloud, the 3rd Gen X-Dragon architecture is able to increase Queries Per Second (QPS) by 30% and decrease latency by 60% in e-commerce scenarios.

In tandem, they also announced the 6th Gen ECS instance, which delivers a 20% boost in computing power, a 30% reduction in memory latency, and a 70% reduction in storage IO latency.

Not new, but also important is the fact that because it is cloud-native by design, it eliminates power wastage from idle bare metal servers. Alibaba Cloud claims that alone reduces the unit computing cost by 50%.

 

3rd Gen X-Dragon Architecture Availability

Alibaba Cloud will start rolling out the 3rd Gen X-Dragon architecture upgrade to millions of their cloud servers around the world from 2020 onwards.

 

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Kambyan ManUsIA + AleX Laser Cutting Drone Technology!

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Kambyan Network recently invited us to a demonstration of their AleX laser cutting drone, which is designed to harvest oil palm fruits.

They also invited David Cirulli from the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and Associate Professor Sagaya Amalathas from Taylors University, to talk about the ManUsIA digital agriculture technology and the future jobs available to young teens today.

 

Kambyan ManUsIA Digital Agriculture

Kambyan Network has been working with David Cirulli of the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Singapore to develop what they call the ManUsIA digital agriculture technology.

Manusia is actually a Malay word for human, and it is an apt moniker because according to David Cirulli, ManUsIA stands for Man Using Intelligent Applications.

ManUsIA is a digital agriculture platform that Kambyan is developing as a SPaaS (Solution Platform as a Service) offering to improve yield and reduce manpower in agriculture.

It combines the use of drones with artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities on the cloud to make use of surveillance data and weather information to maximise yield and reduce manpower requirements for dirty, difficult and dangerous jobs.

ManUsIA will start with drones that are remotely controlled using mobile device integration, and eventually hope to integrate intelligent drones that work independently.

 

Future Jobs For Teens Today

Kambyan also invited Associate Professor Dr. Sagaya Amalathas, a Programme Director at Taylors University to talk about future jobs that teens today should consider.

She points out that the future will be highly dependent on new digital skills in the areas of Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, as well as Blockchain technology, and the Internet of Things.

She also shared some really useful information on what careers will remain stable in the fast-changing times, and what jobs will be lost and what new opportunities will arise.

 

The reason why Kambyan invited her was because their training arm, Adroit College offers a Drone Operator & Robotics course.

The Professional Certificate in Robotic Process Automation – Field Operations (RPA-FO) course combines a 5-week intensive workshop with an apprenticeship and internship program at Kambyan, allowing the student to graduate with a Professional Certificate in 11 months.

 

Kambyan AleX Laser Cutting Drone Demonstration

The star of the event was the Kambyan AleX laser cutting drone – the Airborne Laser Cutter Mark 1.

Designed to be a laser harvesting drone for the oil palm industry, it weighs 3 kilograms and is approximately 70 cm in diameter.

Powered by a 150 watt pulsed laser in the operational model, it is capable of cutting through 6 inches of plant material.

Piloted remotely by a drone operator in the current iteration, it will be used to trim the fronds of the oil palm trees and cut through the stem of oil palm fruit bunches to harvest them.

Using drones will not only reduce manpower, it will allow plantations to let their oil palm trees grow much higher, reducing the need to cut them down so often.

This will increase profit over the long term, while reducing the oil palm industry’s impact on the environment… in particular their contribution to the slash and burn activity that results in terrible haze in Southeast Asia.

In the demo, they used a less powerful laser for safety reasons. But as this video shows, that itself is a danger!

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Fortunately, the operational drone uses a much more powerful laser to cut at a safer distance. This would prevent the drone from getting hit by falling oil palm fruits or flying debris.

 

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Acronis True Image 2020 – Everything You Need To Know!

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Acronis True Image 2020 was just released, and it is the first personal data protection solution to automate the 3-2-1 backup rule!

Here is EVERYTHING you need to know about Acronis True Image 2020!

 

Acronis True Image 2020

Acronis True Image 2020 is the first major update since True Image 2018 was released two years ago.

With this release, Acronis believes it has successfully addresses all Five Vectors of Cyber Protection – ensuring the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity and security of the user’s data (SAPAS).

Like its predecessor, it combines data backup and recovery capabilities, with anti-malware technology. The new release though boasts more than 100 enhancements. Let’s take a look at some of them…

Dual Protection In True Image 2020

Acronis True Image 2020 is the first personal data protection solution to automate the 3-2-1 backup rule.

It will automatically replicate local backups into the cloud, so you will always have an off-site copy for recovery.

After you completed the first backup, the backup and replication process will henceforth occur simultaneously.

True Image 2020 Tray Notifications Center

Acronis True Image 2020 now pushes messages about your data to your desktop tray, so you can easily monitor the status of your backups.

In addition to alerting you to urgent issues that require your response, it will also send you tips on how to enhance your computer’s protection.

Back Up Only On Selected Wi-Fi Networks

You will now have greater control, including the ability to select which Wi-Fi network to transfer your back-ups.

This allows you to avoid costly metered connections, and insecure public networks that could put your data at risk.

Custom Power Management

You will also have control on when your backups will run while you are on battery power. You can :

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  • completely prevent backups whenever you are on battery power,
  • set a minimum power level for backups to run

Mac Power Nap Backups!

Acronis True Image 2020 will support Power Nap backups. Enable it, and your Mac will backup its data during its Power Nap.

In addition, any changes to your Mac’s data during its Power Nap will be captured in those backups too!

 

Acronis True Image 2020 Price + Availability

Acronis True Image 2020 is available in three versions, with immediate effect :

Standard Edition

This is a perpetual license designed for customers who store their data on local drives only.

It does not come with cloud storage or cloud-based features. However, you can make local backups of an unlimited number of mobile devices.

Pricing starts at $49.99 for one computer.

Advanced Edition

This is a one-year subscription that includes 250 GB of Acronis Cloud Storage, and access to all cloud-based features.

You will be able to make both local and cloud backups of an unlimited number of mobile devices.

Pricing starts at $49.99 per year for one computer.

Premium Edition

This is a one-year subscription that includes blockchain-based data certification and electronic signature capabilities, as well as 1 TB of Acronis Cloud Storage.

Pricing starts at $99.99 per year for one computer.

All versions include Acronis Active Protection – an AI-powered anti-malware protection, and covers an unlimited number of mobile devices.

 

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SingEx Selects SAP S/4HANA Cloud For Global Finance System!

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SAP today announced that SingEx Holdings Pte Ltd (SingEx) has selected S/4HANA Cloud to power their Global Finance System. Here are the details…

 

SingEx Digital Transformation With SAP

The global Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) market is projected to reach US$1,439.3 billion in 2025.

In the Asia Pacific region alone, the MICE industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% to reach US$441.1 billion by 2025.

SingEx aims to capitalise on their expertise in trade conferences and exhibitions by building a Global Finance System to support its expansion into China, the United Kingdom, India and Southeast Asia.

As part of that digital transformation journey, SingEx is working with SAP to build a scalable Global Finance System that can adapt to support the diverse requirements of the different markets.

 

SingEx Selects SAP S/4HANA Cloud For Global Finance System!

Powered by SAP’s S/4HANA solution with SAP Cloud Platform, SAP Analytics Cloud and Opentext Cloud, it will offer swift development on more comprehensive planning models, with better insights that can improve decision making.

The SAP solution for SingEx will also include feature planning, business intelligence, predictive analytics and machine learning capabilities. They will help SingEx transform into an intelligent enterprise.

 

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2nd Gen EPYC – Everything You Need To Know Summarised!

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Leveraging their new Zen 2 microarchitecture and 7 nm process technology, AMD just introduced their 2nd Gen EPYC processors.

Designed to challenge Intel Xeon in the enterprise, cloud and HPC markets, the 2nd Gen EPYC processors promise to deliver “record-setting performance“, while reducing TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) by up to 50%.

Here is everything you need to know about the new 2nd Gen EPYC processors… summarised!

 

The Official 2nd Gen EPYC Product Presentation Summary

Let’s start with a quick 7.5 minute summary of the 2nd Gen EPYC product presentations by Dr. Lisa Su, Mark Papermaster and Forrest Norrod!

Now, let’s take a look at its key features and specifications!

AMD Infinity Architecture Explained

The AMD Infinity Architecture is a fancy name for their new modular chiplet-based design. It allows them to combine up to eight processor dies with a single I/O die on the same package, faster and at lower cost.

The processor dies are fabricated with the industry-leading 7 nm process technology for best performance at lowest power consumption, and thermal output.

The I/O die, on the other hand, can be fabricated on the much cheaper 14 nm process technology, with a much higher yield.

2nd Gen EPYC Is Built On 7nm

The 2nd Gen EPYC processor cores are fabricated on the 7nm process technology. This allows AMD to fit more transistors into a smaller space.

By doubling the transistor density, coupled with microarchitectural optimisations, the 2nd Gen EPYC delivers 4X the floating point performance of the 1st Gen EPYC processors.

The smaller process also increases energy efficiency, reducing both power consumption and heat output. According to AMD, 2nd Gen EPYC will use half the power consumption as the 1st Gen EPYC at the same performance level.

Industry-Leading Performance

AMD claims they will offer up to 90% better integer performance and up to 79% better floating-point performance, than the competing Intel Xeon Platinum 8280 processor.

On top of significantly better performance per socket, they also come with hardware memory encryption, and a dedicated security processor.

Baked-In Security On Multiple Levels

The 2nd Gen EPYC processors are built-in with multiple levels of security features, to harden it against cyberattacks.

  • They have a secure root of trust designed to validate the initial BIOS boot without corruption.
    In virtualised environments, you can use it to cryptographically check that your entire software stack is booted without corruption.
  • They have memory encryption engines built into their memory channels to hardware-encrypt data in the memory, preventing cold boot attacks.
  • In the 2nd Gen EPYC, every virtual machine is now encrypted with one of up to 509 unique encryption keys known only to the processor.
    This protects your data even if a malicious VM finds its way into your virtual machine memory, or if a compromised hypervisor gains access into a guest VM.

2nd Gen EPYC Is PCI Express Gen 4 Ready!

Like the 3rd Gen Ryzen processors, the 2nd Gen EPYC is PCI Express Gen 4 ready.

PCIe 4.0 doubles the bandwidth over PCIe 3.0, and every EPYC processor has 128 lanes to tie together HPC clusters, or connect to GPU accelerators and NVMe drives.

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2nd Gen EPYC Model, Specifications + Price Summary

For your convenience, we summarised the specifications and prices of the 2nd Gen EPYC models!

64-Core Models Cores /
Threads		 Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache TDP 1K Price
EPYC 7742 64 / 128 2.25 GHz 3.4 GHz 256 MB 225 W $6,950
EPYC 7702 64 / 128 2.0 GHz 3.35 GHz 256 MB 200 W $6,450
EPYC 7702P 64 / 128 2.0 GHz 3.35 GHz 256 MB 200 W $4,425
48-Core Models Cores /
Threads		 Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache TDP 1K Price
EPYC 7642 48 / 96 2.3 GHz 3.3 GHz 256 MB 225 W $4,775
EPYC 7552 48 / 96 2.2 GHz 3.3 GHz 192 MB 200 W $4,025
32-Core Models Cores /
Threads		 Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache TDP 1K Price
EPYC 7542 32 / 64 2.9 GHz 3.4 GHz 128 MB 225 W $3,400
EPYC 7502 32 / 64 2.5 GHz 3.35 GHz 128 MB 180 W $2,600
EPYC 7502P 32 / 64 2.5 GHz 3.35 GHz 128 MB 180 W $2,300
EPYC 7452 32 / 64 2.35 GHz 3.35 GHz 128 MB 155 W $2,205
24-Core Models Cores /
Threads		 Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache TDP 1K Price
EPYC 7402 24 / 48 2.8 GHz 3.35 GHz 128 MB 180 W $1,783
EPYC 7402P 24 / 48 2.8 GHz 3.35 GHz 128 MB 180 W $1,250
EPYC 7352 24 / 48 2.3 GHz 3.2 GHz 128 MB 155 W $1,350
16-Core Models Cores /
Threads		 Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache TDP 1K Price
EPYC 7302 16 / 32 3.0 GHz 3.3 GHz 128 MB 155 W $978
EPYC 7302P 16 / 32 3.0 GHz 3.3 GHz 128 MB 155 W $825
EPYC 7282 16 / 32 2.8 GHz 3.2 GHz 64 MB 120 W $650
12-Core Models Cores /
Threads		 Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache TDP 1K Price
EPYC 7272 12 / 24 2.9 GHz 3.2 GHz 64 MB 120 W $625
12-Core Models Cores /
Threads		 Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache TDP 1K Price
EPYC 7262 8 / 16 3.2 GHz 3.4 GHz 128 MB 155 W $575
EPYC 7252 8 / 16 3.1 GHz 3.2 GHz 64 MB 120 W $475
EPYC 7232P 8 / 16 3.1 GHz 3.2 GHz 32 MB 120 W $450

 

2nd Gen EPYC Is Already Changing The Industry

AMD appeared to have shipped the 2nd Gen EPYC processors early to Google, where they were deployed in production servers for their internal datacenter infrastructure.

Google also plans to use the 2nd Gen EPYC processors in new general-purpose machines that are part of the Google Cloud Compute Engine.

Twitter has also announced that they are already using the 2nd Gen EPYC processors to reduce their datacenter TCO (total cost of ownership) by 25%.

 

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Dimension Data Expert Panels On Cyberattack Mitigation + Cloud Security

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Dimension Data organised two expert panels on cyberattacks and cloud security, as part of their coverage of the 2019 NTT Security Global Threat Intelligence Report.

Find out what cybersecurity experts from Dimension Data, Cisco and more think about cloud security, cyberattacks and mitigating them.

 

Dimension Data Expert Panels On Cyberattack Mitigation + Cloud Security

Freda Liu hosted the two expert panels with Cisco, Recorded Future, F5 and Cybersecurity Malaysia and Mark Thomas, Dimension Data’s VP of Cybersecurity.

The two expert panels addressed the chief concerns of their clients, namely on cloud security, and the mitigation of cyberattacks.

 

Dimension Data Panel #1 : Top Cyberattacks + Mitigation Tips

Enterprises are continuously experiencing cyberattack survey in today’s digital world. Challenges like compliance management, coin mining, web-based attacks, and credential theft have been seen over the past year.

In this session, the Dimension Data panel of experts will provide insights about top cyberattacks and shifting threat landscape. They also discussed best practices and practical measures you can take to bolster your cybersecurity defences.

 

Dimension Data Panel #2 : Security In The Cloud

Today, cybersecurity leaders’ jobs are made more difficult as the number of areas and ‘things’ that need to be secured is constantly increasing.

Your infrastructure is no longer just physical, it’s cloud, and hybrid too.

What are the people, process and tools you need in place to help improve your organisation’s resilience and embark on the journey to world-class cybersecurity?

 

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How Dell Unified Workspace Simplifies IT Management!

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One of the first big announcements on the first day of Dell Technologies World 2019 was the introduction of the Dell Unified Workspace.

Here is a quick primer on Dell Unified Workspace, and how it will transform IT deployment and management!

 

Dell Unified Workspace – Designed To Greatly Simplify IT Management!

The goal of Dell Unified Workspace is simple – to help IT departments deliver a better end-user computing experience with less work and frustration on both sides.

IT departments have always been mired in keeping the wheels greased and the computers running, instead of actually improving the end-users’ productivity.

Dell Unified Workspace is designed to change all that, by providing a way for IT admins to automatically and intelligently assist their end-users with :

  • device selection and/or deployment
  • device security initiatives and/or maintenance
  • end-user service and support

Best of all, Dell Unified Workspace works no matter what mix of devices and operating systems are used. It even supports different cloud environments.

Greater Visibility + Reduced Workload

Dell Unified Workspace will allow IT departments to streamline time-consuming, complex and yet critical tasks with capabilities that provide visibility, insights and automation.

Cloud-Based PC Deployment + Management

Traditional PC lifecycle management (PCLM) is complex, expensive and does not scale to mobile and remote workers.

VMware Workspace ONE, which forms the backbone of Dell Unified Workspace, lets customers modernise how they deploy, manage and secure their Dell devices.

Once a Dell device is deployed, Workspace ONE’s unified endpoint management capabilities gives customers access to :

  • cloud policy management,
  • streamlined application delivery,
  • automated patching
  • improved device health monitoring and diagnostics

Workspace ONE also lets the user seamlessly access any native, SaaS (Software as a Service), or internal application, with a single sign-on from any device.

Data-Driven Insights In Unified Workspace

Data collected about how employees use their PCs – like battery consumption, storage utilisation, mobility requirements, and most frequently-used applications – will provide insights what each employee really needs.

This will help companies intelligently select the right PC and applications for each individual employee and ship it, preconfigured directly at a Dell factory, to the employee.

This data-driven, low-touch experience will help IT departments same time and money. It will also let users be immediately productive on powering up their new devices.

Dell estimates that this feature alone will save up to nearly a week of IT time per 1,000 devices deployed.

BIOS Security With Dell SafeBIOS

With Unified Workspace, Dell Technologies is introducing a new capability to Dell SafeBIOS – an off-host BIOS verification utility that is available as a standalone download, and also integrated with VMware Workspace ONE, Secureworks and CrowdStrike.

This new integration provides greater visibility into the integrity of the BIOS. Security operations can now proactively detect attacks against the BIOS using the CrowdStrike console, with insights from Secureworks.

If there is a security concern, IT departments can use Workspace ONE to push over-the-air (OTA) updates to secure vulnerable devices, or bring out-of-compliance devices back into compliance.

Dell Unified Workspace Offers Predictive + Proactive Support Capabilities

Dell Unified Workspace offers predictive and proactive support capabilities that becomes more insightful, actionable and personalised over time as more data is gathered.

According to Dell, Dell ProSupport Plus with SupportAssist has helped customers reduce time to resolve a failed hard disk drive up to 10X faster.

 

Dell Unified Workspace Availability

  • Dell Provisioning for VMware Workspace ONE, ProDeploy Client Suite, ProSupport Suite for PCs, and the Dell SafeBIOS downloadable verification utility are currently available.
  • The verification utility integration with VMware Workspace ONE, Secureworks and CrowdStrike will be available in Q2 CY19.
  • Dell SafeGuard and Response is generally available.

 

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Pat Gelsinger Reveals 2019 VMware Strategy + Plans!

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On the second day of Dell Technologies World 2019, VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger shared his 2019 vision for VMware. Here is a sneak peek at the 2019 VMware strategy and plans!

 

Pat Gelsinger Reveals 2019 VMware Strategy + Plans!

VMware was a major force at Dell Technologies World 2019, demonstrating VMware’s great importance in the Dell Technologies family.

They announced amongst other things, Dell Unified Workspace which is based on VMware Workspace ONE, Dell Technologies Cloud in collaboration with Dell EMC, VMware Cloud on Dell EMC, and Azure VMware Solutions in collaboration with Microsoft.

But that was not all, as Pat Gelsinger would soon reveal…

 

Pat Gelsinger Reveals 2019 VMware Strategy + Plans!

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger comes from a “hardware” background, serving as Intel’s first Chief Technology Officer before taking over as President and CEO of EMC.

A point he makes in his talk about the Superpowers of Tech – Cloud, Mobile, AI/ML and Edge/IoT.

  • VMware’s vision still focuses on enabling any cloud resource and application, from the past or the present, to work on any device, while improving intrinsic security over time.
  • The hybrid cloud is the best answer for almost every single workload, because of three “laws” – the laws of physics, the laws of economics, and the laws of the land.
  • VMware and Dell Technologies are focusing on the hybrid cloud architecture with VxRail as its building block.
  • To bind together and manage disparate cloud and on-premise solutions with greater visibility, VMware is offering CloudHealth on all VMware Cloud solutions on Amazon, Azure and Google.
  • VMware is making great investments into Kubernetes as the “middleware for the cloud“.
  • VMware is partnering with Pivotal to make VMware PKS available as VMware Enterprise PKS, VMware Essential PKS and VMware Cloud PKS.
  • VMware is also rebuilding their security architecture and products, with AppDefense and vSphere Platinum, giving virtual machines an AI capability to learn the users’ behaviour, as well as end-to-end encryption throughout the network infrastructure.
  • The newly-announced Dell Unified Workspace leverages VMware’s Workspace ONE unified endpoint management to maintain the user’s devices in good health, while allowing them to seamlessly access any native, SaaS (Software as a Service), or internal application, with a single sign-on from any device.

 

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Here Are The 2019 Virtustream Multicloud Survey Results!

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The 2019 Virtustream Multicloud Survey results was just announced with some interesting insights into the multicloud strategies being employed globally. Here is our quick primer on what the study revealed!

 

The 2019 Virtustream Multicloud Survey

Virtustream, a Dell Technologies company, commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct their latest global survey of the multicloud strategy of more than 700 companies globally.

Virtustream commissioned the survey to study the current state of enterprise IT strategies for cloud-based workloads.

 

The 2019 Virtustream Multicloud Survey Summarised

The survey report, titled Multicloud Drive Mission-Critical Benefits, found that :

  • almost all (97%) of those companies used multicloud strategies in their mission-critical applications.
  • two thirds use multiple vendors for mission-critical workloads
  • multicloud deployments will increase over the next few years, with businesses expanding their multicloud budgets for staffing, investments and training
  • nearly 90% of companies surveyed will maintain or increase their budget to boost their multicloud deployments
  • nearly 75% of companies surveyed are using multiple cloud providers for mission-critical applications
  • nearly 61% of companies surveyed were concerned about security and management of their multicloud strategies.

 

Benefits Of Multicloud Strategies For Mission-Critical Applications

A majority of business organizations shared that multicloud strategies was used in mission-critical cases that involved customers’ financial data or sales applications.

In fact, the survey found that nearly 75% of business organisations are using about 2-3 cloud providers for business-critical applications.

Among the main benefits of using multicloud strategies were quick and efficient response to business changes and challenges.

An increased performance and savings in operational costs were also counted as additional benefits.

 

Security + Management Concerns In The 2019 Virtustream Multicloud Survey

Management and deployment of multicloud strategies are complex, which is why many business organisations face issues with its implementation.

Although nearly 61% respondents admit that multicloud strategies complements their own business objectives, there were still concerns of security and management.

Thus, many companies are planning to increase qualified and skilled staff to support their multicloud strategies, and work with cloud vendors with proper expertise and experience.

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Microsoft Build 2019 : New Azure Technologies Unveiled!

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A host of new Microsoft Azure technologies for developers have been announced at the Microsoft Build 2019 conference, which took place in Seattle. Here is a primer on what they announced!

 

Microsoft Build 2019 : New Azure Technologies Unveiled!

With nearly 6,000 developers and content creators attending Microsoft Build 2019 in Seattle, Microsoft announced a series of new Azure services like hybrid loud and edge computing to support them. They include advanced technologies such as,

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Mixed reality
  • IoT (Internet of Things)
  • Blockchain

 

Microsoft Build 2019 : New Azure AI Technologies

First of all, they unveiled a new set of Microsoft Azure AI technologies to help developers and data scientists utilize AI as a solution :

  • Azure Cognitive Services, which iwll enable applications to see, hear, respond, translate, reason and more.
  • Microsoft will add the “Decision” function to Cognitive Services to help users make decisions through highly specific and customized recommendations.
  • Azure Search will also be further enhanced with an AI feature.

 

Microsoft Build 2019 : New Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Innovations

Microsoft Azure Machine Learning has been enhanced with new machine learning innovations designed to simplify the building, training and deployment of machine learning models. They include :

  • MLOps capabilities with Azure DevOps
  • Automated ML advancements
  • Visual machine learning interface

Microsoft Build 2019 : New Edge Computing Solutions

Microsoft also aims to boost edge computing by introducing these new solutions:

  • Azure SQL Database Edge
  • IoT Plug and Play
  • HoloLens 2 Developer Bundle
  • Unreal Engine 4

Microsoft Build 2019 : Azure Blockchain Service

The Azure Blockchain Workbench, which Microsoft released last year to support development of blockchain applications, has been further enhanced this year with the Azure Blockchain Service.

Azure Blockchain Service is a tool that simplifies the formation and management of consortium blockchain networks so companies only need to focus on app development.

J.P Morgan’s Ethereum platform was introduced by Microsoft as the first ledger available in the Azure Blockchain Service.

 

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The 2019 Microsoft – Dell Partnership : All You Need To Know!

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One of the biggest stories from Dell Technologies World 2019 was the new Microsoft – Dell partnership. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella himself joined Michael Dell to talk about it!

 

The 2019 Microsoft – Dell Partnership

Dell Technologies and Microsoft have been partners for a long time now, but at Dell Technologies World 2019, they announced that they were expanding their partnership in a number of digital transformation solutions.

Let’s take a look at what the components of the 2019 Microsoft – Dell partnership…

 

Azure VMware Solutions – VMware On Azure!

For the first time ever, Microsoft will offer VMware on Azure! The new Azure VMware Solutions are built on VMware Cloud Foundation, and deployed in Azure.

This would allow companies to capitalise on VMware’s trusted cloud infrastructure and the mission-critical performance of Microsoft Azure.

Hybrid Cloud Connectivity

With Azure VMware Solutions, customers will be able to seamlessly migrate, extend and run existing VMware workloads from on-premises environments to Microsoft Azure without the need to re-architect applications or retool operations.

They will also be able to build, run, manage, and secure new and existing applications across VMware environments and Microsoft Azure, while extending a single model for operations based on established tools, skills and processes as part of a hybrid cloud strategy.

Tapping Into Azure Capabilities

Azure VMware Solutions enable organisations to tap into Azure’s scale, security and fast provisioning cycles to innovate and modernise applications while also improving performance.

By integrating with native Azure services, customers can easily infuse advanced capabilities like AI, Machine Learning, and IoT into their applications enabling new, intelligent experiences.

Metal-as-a-Service

Azure VMware Solutions are first-party services from Microsoft developed in collaboration with VMware Cloud Verified partners CloudSimple and Virtustream (a Dell Technologies company).

Both CloudSimple and Virtustream run the latest VMware software-defined data center technology.

This ensures that customers enjoy the same benefits of a consistent infrastructure and consistent operations in the cloud as they achieve in their own physical data center, while allowing customers to also access the capabilities of Microsoft Azure.

 

New Microsoft – Dell Workspace Solutions

The 2019 Microsoft – Dell partnership also sees a collaboration in digital workspace solutions between Microsoft and both Dell Technologies and VMware.

Microsoft 365 + VMware Workspace ONE

Customers who use both Microsoft 365 and VMware Workspace ONE will now be able to leverage both solutions to maximise their investments.

Specifically, they will be able to use Workspace ONE to manage and secure Office 365 across devices through cloud-based integration with Microsoft Intune and Azure Active Directory.

Dell Provisioning Services Integration

Through the new Dell Technologies Unified Workspace, customers can leverage the integration of Microsoft Windows Autopilot and Dell Device Provisioning and Deployment Services, like Dell ProDeploy – all enabled by the integration of Microsoft 365, Workspace ONE, and Dell Provisioning Services.

Windows Virtual Desktop

Microsoft also announced Windows Virtual Desktop, the only service that delivers a multi-session Windows 10 experience, optimisations for Office 365 ProPlus, and support for Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS) desktops and apps.

As a part of this agreement, VMware will extend the capabilities of Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop to enable customers to further accelerate their cloud initiatives, leveraging VMware Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure.

Initial capabilities are expected to be available as a tech preview by the end of calendar year 2019.

VMware + Azure Integration

Microsoft and VMware are also exploring initiatives to drive further integration between VMware infrastructure and Azure such as integration of VMware NSX with Azure Networking and integration of specific Azure services with VMware management solutions.

They will also be exploring bringing specific Azure services to the VMware on-premises customers. Through this collaboration, the companies aim to give customers a more seamless experience across VMware and Azure environments.

 

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VMware Cloud on Dell EMC – Delivered By Dell, Managed By VMware!

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At Dell Technologies World 2019, VMware and Dell Technologies jointly announced VMware Cloud on Dell EMC.

Find out how this new DCaaS platform combines the benefits of public cloud and on-premise security, control and performance, with a subscription model!

VMware Cloud on Dell EMC Unveiled At Dell Technologies World 2019

The new VMware Cloud on Dell EMC is a cloud service that combines the attributes of public cloud – economics, simplicity and agility; with on-premise security, control and performance.

This is a Data Center-as-a-Service (DCaaS) offering that lets organisations manage and maintain infrastructure like a public cloud service, in data center and edge environments.

First previewed as Project Dimension at VMworld 2018, VMware Cloud on Dell EMC combines Dell EMC VxRail hyper-converged infrastructure with VMware’s compute, storage and networking infrastructure.

It differs from Dell Technologies Cloud (also announced at the same time), by delivering and managing all of the infrastructure on-premise, or at the edge.

 

VMware Cloud On Dell EMC – Delivered By Dell, Managed By VMware!

The first thing to note is that VMware Cloud on Dell EMC is a VMware service. Dell EMC only provides and deploys the necessary hardware on-premise or at the edge, after which VMware takes over management and maintenance of the entire infrastructure.

VMware will be the single point of contact for the customer, who will have visibility to their entire system and track the steps undertaken by VMware engineers to resolve service issues.

As this is a subscription-based DCaaS model, the initial startup cost is significantly lowered. VMware is expected to offer flexible consumption and payment options.

 

VMware Cloud On Dell EMC Key Benefits

Simpler Operational Processes

End-to-end management of data and edge infrastructure will be greatly simplified, including :

  • one-click hardware ordering
  • initial deployment
  • automated patching, upgrades of software and hardware
  • monitoring and remediation
  • global view of infrastructures on all premise locations

Consistency in operations across cloud, data centre and edge

VMware Cloud on Dell EMC promises to offer a consistent compute, storage and networking infrastructure, with consistent cloud management. It will allow organisations to more affordably tackle issues like :

  • data centre and edge location modernisation
  • global and local data latencies
  • sovereignty-sensitive workloads

VMware Cloud on Dell EMC will be able to connect to, and manage, public cloud services, but will maintain applications on its own infrastructure. The organisation will own and be responsible for its own data which is available on-premise at data centres or edge locations.

Security Across Data Centre And Edge Locations

The micro-segmentation capabilities of VMware NSX provides extra security for both traditional and modern applications. Data at-rest and data in-transit are also protected by encryption.

 

VMware Cloud on Dell EMC Availability

VMware Cloud on Dell EMC is currently in beta testing.

VMware is expected to make it available in the U.S. in the second half of 2019.

 

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Secureworks Launches Red Cloak TDR Cybersecurity Service!

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Secureworks just launched Red Cloak TDR at Dell Technologies World 2019 in Las Vegas! Here is a primer on the Secureworks Red Cloak TDI cybersecurity service!

 

SecureWorks Launches Red Cloak TDR

At Dell Technologies World 2019, Secureworks, a Dell Technologies subsidiary, unveiled Red Cloak TDR, their software-as-a-service (SaaS) app that allows companies to securely manage their own cybersecurity measures.

Developed with over 20 years of field experience in cybersecurity, Red Cloak TDR offers a new way for companies to detect, investigate and respond to online threats such as malware, ransomware etc. Unlike other cybersecurity services, it is aided by deep learning, and machine learning.

The AI assistance helps it quickly detect new and unknown online threats, while reducing false alarms. It also helps cybersecurity teams focus on the real or high-risk threats.

 

How Secureworks Red Cloak TDR Will Transform Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity threats can go undetected for hundreds of days in the gaps and disconnected layers of security products. This is particularly problematic with apps and services that are not updated on a daily or even hourly basis.

Red Cloak TDR Is Cloud-Native

As a cloud-native application, it can be quickly updated after investigations revel a new threat. In addition, the service includes the following features :

  • Intuitive workflows
  • Automation
  • Chat feature
  • Access to Secureworks’ cybersecurity team and network

Software-as-a-Service

As a software-as-a-service (SaaS) app, there is no hassle of installing on-site hardware or software system version upgrades. All updates, back-ups and tuning will be covered by the Red Cloak TDR app.

The app does not charge by data consumption like some apps, so users are free to process and manage all the security data they need to protect their organisation. The app is also designed to integrate into the organisation’s own control framework.

 

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The Dell EMC PowerEdge 2019 Server Updates Revealed!

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Dell has just announced details of the Dell EMC PowerEdge 2019 server updates. Here is a quick primer on the newly-refreshed Dell EMC PowerEdge servers and OpenManage systems management.

 

The Dell EMC PowerEdge 2019 Server Updates

The Dell EMC PowerEdge 2019 servers will come with new features like Openmanage FlexSelect Manage, and OpenManage FlexSelect Secure.

Both these features will provide greater flexibility in managing and securing the PowerEdge 2019 servers.

Greater Control

FlexSelect Manage offers customers new flexibility in selecting OpenManage Enterprise capabilities to streamline management efficiency.

Enhancements to the Redfish-compliant Dell EMC RESTful API and OpenManage Mobile also gives customers greater control of their server operations and devices.

Customers can reduce time by using fewer steps to maintain server health by 28%, compared to manually retrieving server logs.

Enhanced Security

OpenManage Secure Enterprise Key Manager Scale provides data protection and streamlines the management of self-encrypting drives.

Customers can centrally manage keys for self-encrypting drives to better secure data at both the drive and server level.

Improved Performance and Scalability

The Dell EMC PowerEdge 2019 servers are powered by the 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, increasing their performance by up to 40% for core business applications.

 

Dell EMC PowerEdge 2019 Server Availability

These new Dell EMC PowerEdge 2019 servers and systems will be available beginning Q2 2019 :

  • Dell EMC OpenManage
  • Dell EMC PowerEdge R940, R740, R740xd, R740xd2, R640, and C6420 servers (with 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors)
  • Other Dell EMC PowerEdge servers like PowerEdge MX
  • Dell EMC Ready Solutions for HPC with Intel Deep Learning Boost

Also available in Q2 2019 is the Intel Optane DC persistent memory hands-on trials through a Dell EMC customer proof of concept program and Dell Technologies Customer Solution Centers.

 

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Sophos Global Report : Cyberattacks On Cloud Honeypots!

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Sophos has just released their global report – Exposed: Cyberattacks on Cloud Honeypots with very alarming findings for servers worldwide! Get the full details and find out what this means for your business and IT operations!

 

Cyberattacks On Cloud Honeypots

A cloud honeypot is a cloud-based system set up to resemble targets of cybercriminals. When attached, they enable security experts to study the cyberattacks.

During the course of the study, Sophos had set up honeypots in 10 most popular Amazon Web Services (AWS) centers in the world like :

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  • California
  • Frankfurt
  • Ireland
  • London
  • Mumbai
  • Ohio
  • Paris
  • Sao Paolo
  • Singapore
  • Sydney

 

Cyberattacks On Cloud Honeypots Report Findings

During the 30 day period, Sophos reported:

  • A cloud honeypot that was set up in Brazil was attacked a mere 52 seconds after it went live.
  • Cloud servers were attacked an average 13 times per minute.
  • More than 5 million attacks were attempted on the network of honeypots in the 30 day period

This data sends a very chilling warning to every company worldwide of the real danger cyberattackers/cybercriminals present.

Cybercriminals are constantly scanning for weak and vulnerable open cloud buckets. They are the points of entry into servers or other networks.

“The Sophos report, Exposed: Cyberattacks on Cloud Honeypots, identifies the threats organizations migrating to hybrid and all-cloud platforms face.

The aggressive speed and scale of attacks on the honeypots shows how relentlessly persistent cybercriminals are and indicates they are using botnets to target an organization’s cloud platforms.

In some instances, it may be a human attacker, but regardless, companies need a security strategy to protect what they are putting into the cloud,” said Matthew Boddy, security specialist, Sophos.

“The issue of visibility and security in cloud platforms is a big business challenge, and with increased migration to the cloud, we see this continuing.”

 

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The 2019 Dell EMC Global Data Protection Index Summarised!

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The 2019 Dell EMC Global Data Protection Index is out! Here is a summary of its key findings!

 

The 2019 Dell EMC Global Data Protection Index

The 2019 Dell EMC Global Data Protection Index is the third survey conducted by Dell EMC in collaboration with Vanson Bourne.

The survey involved 2,200 IT decision makers from public and private organisations (of 250+ employees) across 18 countries and 11 industries. It was designed to reveal the state of data protection in the Asia Pacific and Japan region.

 

What Did The 2019 Data Protection Index Reveal?

The 2019 Dell EMC Global Data Protection Index revealed a large increase in the amount of data managed – from 1.68 petabytes in 2016 to a staggering 8.13 petabytes in 2018.

They also saw a corresponding increase in awareness about the value of data, with 90% of the respondents aware about the value of the data they manage. However, only 35% are monetising their data.

The Index also noted that despite an impressive jump in the number of data protection leaders (from 1% to 13%) and “adopters” (from 8% to 53%) since 2016, most of the survey respondents still face challenges in implementing the right data protection measures.

  • Organisations in Asia Pacific & Japan managed 8.13 PB of data in 2018 – an explosive growth of 384% compared to the 1.68 PB managed in 2016
  • 90% of businesses see the potential value of data but only 35% are monetising it
  • 94% face data protection challenges, and 43% struggle to find suitable data protection solutions for newer technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning
  • More than a third (34%) of respondents are very confident that their data protection infrastructure is compliant with regional regulations, but only 18% believe their data protection solutions will meet all future challenges

 

The State Of Data Protection In APJ

Data disruptions and data loss happen more frequently in APJ organisations, than the global average. Some 80% of the APJ respondents reported experiencing some type of disruption over the last 12 months.

This is higher than the global average of 76%. Even worse – 32% were unable to recover their data using existing data protection solutions.

Although system downtime is a problem, the loss of data is particularly expensive. On average, 20 hours of downtime cost businesses US$ 494,869. The average data loss of 2.04 terabytes, on the other hand, costs nearly twice as much at US$ 939,703.

 

Challenges To Data Protection In APJ

The vast majority of respondents (some 94%) report that they encounter at least one barrier to data protection. The top three challenges in APJ was determined to be  :

  1. The inability to keep track of and protect all data because of growth of DevOps and cloud development – 46% agree
  2. The complexity of configuring and operating data protection software/hardware – 45.6% agree
  3. The lack of data protection solutions for emerging technologies– 43.4% agree

They also struggled to find adequate data protection solutions for newer technologies :

  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning data – 54% agree
  • Cloud-native applications – 49% agree
  • Internet of Things – 40% agree

 

Cloud Is Changing The Data Protection Landscape

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According to the 2019 Dell EMC Global Data Protection Index, organisations have increase their use of public cloud services – up from 27% in 2016 to 41% in 2018.

Nearly all of those organisations (99%) using public cloud, are leveraging it as part of their data protection strategy. The top use case – backup or snapshot services to protect data and workloads.

More than 60% of the respondents also consider the scalability of data protection solutions important, in anticipation of the inevitable boom of cloud workloads.

 

Regulation Is Not A Key Concern

Compliance with data privacy regulations like the UE’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is not a key concern for most of these organisations. Only 36% listed it as a top data protection challenge.

 

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2019 ASEANDSE | ASEAN Data Science Explorers Launched!

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SAP and the ASEAN Foundation just announced that application for the 2019 ASEANDSE | ASEAN Data Science Explorers programme is now open! Here are the full details!

 

What Is ASEANDSE | ASEAN Data Science Explorers?

The ASEANDSE (ASEAN Data Science Explorers) programme is a joint collaboration between SAP and the ASEAN Foundation. It aims to promote and galvanise the use of data science amongst ASEAN tertiary students.

It aims to do this through two key activities – a series of enablement sessions, and a data analytics competition. Since its introduction in 2017, ASEANDSE has empowered over 5,000 youths from 287 higher education institutions in the ASEAN region.

 

The 2019 ASEANDSE Programme

The 2019 ASEANDSE programme will be carried out from February to October 2019. It starts with enablement sessions that are designed to improve the data analytics skills and knowledge of both students and lecturers at local institutions of higher learning across the ASEAN region.

These enablement sessions will be followed by a national, and then regional, data analytics competition. At these competitions, student teams of two will present their data-driven proposals using the SAP Analytics Cloud service.

Their ASEANDSE competition proposals must tackle issues affecting their country or ASEAN in general, according to these UN Sustainable Development Goals :

  • Good health and well-being
  • Quality education
  • Gender equality
  • Decent work and economic growth
  • Industry, innovation and infrastructure
  • Sustainable cities and communities

One team from each ASEAN member state will be crowned as the national finalist before advancing to the 2019 ASEANDSE regional finals, which will be held in Bangkok on 16 October 2019.

There, the 10 national finalists will be given the opportunity to present their winning ideas to a panel of judges made up of distinguished representatives from the ASEAN Foundation, SAP and various government officials and selected NGO organisations.

 

Where To Join The 2019 ASEANDSE Programme

The 2019 ASEANDSE programme is now open for registration, until 10 May 2019. Here are the eligibility requirements :

  1. Nationals of ASEAN member countries (ie. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam)
  2. Full-time tertiary students currently pursuing their Diploma or Undergraduate studies in one of the tertiary institutions in Southeast Asia.
  3. Above the age of 16 as at the start of the Contest Period. Participants under the age of 18 must obtain parental consent. The consent form is available upon registration.

If you meet those requirements, you can register here!

 

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Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney – A Quick Tour!

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Microsoft Ignite 2019 is here in Sydney! It was sold out, of course, but we managed to get a ticket.

So here is our quick tour for everyone else who could not make it, but wanted to see what it’s all about!

 

Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney

The Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney is a Microsoft tech conference for developers and tech professionals. For two days, it offers skill-building workshops, networking opportunities and access to top Microsoft engineers. No wonder tickets were quickly sold out!

For developers and tech professionals who want to learn how to better leverage Microsoft’s cloud services, the 2019 Microsoft Ignite is a rare opportunity to learn directly from those who build Power BI, Microsoft 365, and Azure.

  • Building your Applications for the Cloud – Learn how to architect and build your applications to take advantage of the scale that the cloud offers.
  • Deploying your Desktop & Infrastructure – Discover how to begin your journey to the cloud and what steps you need to both move your infrastructure and deploy your desktop.
  • ‘Getting the most of your Data – Learn how to use AI and Machine Learning to gain new understanding using existing data within your organisation.
  • Migrating Applications to the Cloud – Learn what it takes to modernise your applications and prepare them for successful migration to the cloud.
  • Optimise Teamwork in your Organisation – Reveal the collaborative workforce within your business and learn how to build effective teams.
  • Securing your Organisation – Build a secure organisation without compromising the productivity of your business.

 

Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney : A Quick Tour!

Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney was held in the International Convention Center Sydney (ICC Sydney) over two days – 13th and 14th February 2019. Yes, even on Valentine’s Day. These are truly dedicated professionals!

The Microsoft Ignite 2019 @ Sydney covered two halls, as well as several lecture halls. In our quick tour, we take a look at the Hub, where participants get to interact directly with Microsoft professionals and their partners.

Note : We intentionally recorded our tour while most participants were inside the lecture halls for the workshops. Otherwise, the halls would be swarmed with people, making it difficult for us to record our tour.

 

The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Showcase

As the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia concluded a day earlier, Microsoft also took the opportunity to showcase the projects of the 12 top Asian teams.

We highly recommend you check out what these young entrepreneurs came up with this year. Be inspired by their creativity!

 

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Mbixions SD-WAN by VeloCloud Services Now Available In Malaysia!

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The Mbixions SD-WAN service is now available in Malaysia! This VMware NSXSD-WAN by VeloCloud service is targeted at all enterprise segments and government sectors. Here are the full details!

 

Mbixions SD-WAN by VeloCloud Services Now Available In Malaysia!

The VMware NSX SD-WAN is a proven solution with customers large and small across the world and is uniquely ready to solve security, compliance, cloud, and cost challenges while reducing IT complexity. Mbixions, a Malaysia telco neutral Internet Service Provider (ISP), is now able to offer users here access to VMware NSXSD-WAN by VeloCloud.

The MBixions SD-WAN service combines the high bandwidth capacity and economics of commercially available broadband or LTE with rich enterprise-grade features of cloud delivered SD-WAN. This activates resilient and hardened enterprise grade connectivity that supports applications regardless of where they reside and irrespective of the infrastructure on which they run.

Mbixions SD-WAN simplifies network provisioning, management, maintenance and support, allowing businesses to ensure sales opportunities are not lost and business operations are not disrupted due to poor-quality internet access. Whether an organisation relies on dedicated internet access, broadband or LTE, Mbixions SD-WAN is an uncompromising promise that networking affairs can only be easier, and better.

Some of the key advantages of the solution include:

Network Security

Mbixions SD-WANcovers all bases by unifying secure connectivity and providing end-to-end encryption across the entire network, including the Internet in compliance with PCI DSS strict security standards.

Cost Reduction

Mbixions SD-WAN gives subscribers the ability to mix and match network links for optimal cost efficiency. Mbixion SD-WAN employs the Bring-Your-Own-Circuit concept, where subscribers can select different ISPs of their preference for broadband or 4G/LTE to substitute or complement the more expensive circuits.

Simplifying Branch Networking

Mbixions SD-WAN simplifies deployment of new branches for businesses through automated zero-touch provisioning, simplified configuration, orchestration and real-time centralised monitoring by Mbixions 24/7 Network Operation Center.

Application Performance Optimisation

Mbixions SD-WAN provides centralised control and visibility across a multitude of WAN links and service providers, optimising application performance on hybrid or Internet links via direct and secure access to enterprise and cloud-based applications.

Branch Agility

Mbixions SD-WAN eliminates geographic boundaries. NSX SD-WAN APIs enable integration into various management and reporting systems deployed by enterprises today.

 

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How CrowdFarmX Aims To Tackle World Hunger With SAP!

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On 28 September 2018, SAP announced that CrowdFarmX will use S/4HANA Public Cloud to bring on-board 10 million Southeast Asian farmers over the next 22 years.

Let’s find out from CrowdFarmX CEO David Tan on how they intend to do that in their mission to tackle world hunger!

 

How CrowdFarmX Aims To Tackle World Hunger With SAP!

The CrowdFarmX platform connects farmers directly to the global market and equips them with the technology know-how to deliver higher-quantity and quality yields, potentially increasing their net yield by up to 10 times and contributing towards global food sufficiency.

By leveraging the SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, an intelligent ERP (enterprise resource planning) suite, CrowdFarmX will be able to accelerate the on-boarding process for farmers across Southeast Asia. Let’s find out from CrowdFarmX CEO David Tan on how they aim to accomplish that.

Currently, 80% of global food supply is provided by small farmers in a USD6 trillion-dollar industry, but these farmers receive low economic returns for their labour despite increasing consumer demand.

Through smart contracts, CrowdFarmX links them directly to wholesale distributors and retailers, helping the farmers to gain a greater cut of the selling price. Farmers can also leverage brand marketing and financing resources, as well as opportunities for exclusive partnerships with retailers to boost sales through Food Cradles that will be rolled out across the region.

The end-to-end visibility of the supply chain also increases food safety, ensuring that quality food such as pesticide-free produce gets onto tables.

 

How S/4HANA Public Cloud Helps CrowdFarmX

CrowdFarmX will leverage S/4HANA Public Cloud to drive and integrate production planning and management of associated business processes like sales & distribution, procurement, supply chain, finance control and monitoring.

The SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud reinforces predictive analytics for optimised growth, supporting integration of the supply chain with customers, and supporting the track and trace of safe produce from farmers. The SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation is expected to go live in December 2018.

CrowdFarmX aims to impact more than 1,000 Southeast Asian farmers under a pilot phase by 2020, providing access to sophisticated agriculture technologies that were not readily available before.

This includes IoT irrigation monitoring systems and data analysis on micro-climates and soil moisture, enabling them to maximise the yield per square foot of land by up to 10 times. The higher levels of crop production secures food sufficiency for a growing world population especially amidst declining farmer populations.

 

Who Is CrowdFarmX?

CrowdFarmX is part of the Netatech Group of Companies, one of Singapore’s leading integrated solutions provider for water and food sustainability technologies. The CrowdFarmX Singapore Food Cradle was established in 2014, comprising of a high-tech greenhouse, automated seeding line, post-harvest packing and cold storage facilities.

With more than 20 farm technologists, researchers, agronomists at the helm, the CrowdFarmX Food Cradle engages in agricultural research and development, farm network connection and safe food production supplying to premium supermarkets islandwide.

 

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Exclusive : Dimension Data On Living In A Multi-Cloud World!

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On 30 October 2018, Dimension Data held a forum on Living in a Multi-Cloud World with F5 Networks. We had the exclusive opportunity to interview three key Dimension Data executives. Find out what we learned!

 

Dimension Data On Living In A Multi-Cloud World!

The Living In A Multi-Cloud World forum had a tagline of Connect, Automate, Secure. Let’s find out from Andy Cocks (CTO of Dimension Data Asia Pacific), Sandy Woo (Solutions Director of Dimension Data Malaysia), and Neville Burdan, Director of Cybersecurity, Dimension Data Asia Pacific), exactly what they mean!

Here are some key excerpts from the interview :

  • A key problem for many organisations is their inability to hire and retain talent to manage their infrastructure, so it would be cheaper and more efficient to leverage multi-cloud platforms
  • Managing a company’s digital requirements is getting exponentially complex, so the choice is to either outsource the job, or automate the various tasks.
  • There is also a lack of awareness about the advantages of adopting a multi-cloud platform, coupled with a lack of hyperscalers in Malaysia
  • The Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform, which launched in July 2018, attempts to bridge the gap between demand and availability of cloud computing and storage, with multi-cloud support.

 

Multi-Cloud On Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform

The Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform, introduced in Malaysia in July 2018, is multi-cloud capable. Its Managed Services Operation Portal allows you to provision, deploy, monitor, and manage multiple instances from other cloud service providers like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.

Enterprise-Grade Security & Reliability

The Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform offers enterprise-grade security and reliability, backed by a modern data centre with robust backup and disaster recovery capabilities to ensure business continuity. This allows their clients to create a hybrid environment that is highly scalable and responsive to their business needs, without worrying about security or reliability.

Compliance & Certification

The Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform is certified to be compliant with SOC1 Type II, SOC2 Type II, ISO:22301, ISO:27001, and ISO:9001.

SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud Premium Partner

Dimension Data is one of only five global SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud Premium Partners, so it’s no surprise that the Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform supports SAP S/4HANA in addition to other business enterprise applications and business productivity suites.

 

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The Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform Revealed!

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Dimension Data just announced that they are expanding their enterprise-grade Managed Cloud Platform (MCP) across Asia Pacific. Here in Malaysia, they are introducing the Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform in partnership with the NTT Group.

 

The Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform Explained

Building on the success of their global and regional Managed Cloud Platforms, Dimension Data is introducing their MCP in Malaysia, to better serve their clients and meet local demand for enterprise-grade hybrid cloud services.

The Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform allows clients to securely deploy their applications and workloads into the cloud, while preserving data sovereignty. This platform also comes with built-in automation to help clients manage and capitalise on the benefits of multi-cloud environments.

SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud Premium Partner

Dimension Data is one of only five global SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud Premium Partners, so it’s no surprise that the Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform supports SAP S/4HANA in addition to other business enterprise applications and business productivity suites.

Compliance & Certification

The Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform is certified to be compliant with SOC1 Type II, SOC2 Type II, ISO:22301, ISO:27001, and ISO:9001.

Multi-Cloud Capable

Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform is multi-cloud capable. Its Managed Services Operation Portal allows you to provision, deploy, monitor, and manage multiple instances from other cloud service providers like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.

Enterprise-Grade Security & Reliability

Partnering with the NTT Group allows the Dimension Data Managed Cloud Platform to deliver enterprise-grade security and reliability. They tout a modern data centre with robust backup and disaster recovery capabilities to ensure business continuity. This allows their clients to create a hybrid environment that is highly scalable and responsive to their business needs, without worrying about security or reliability.

 

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