IT News: Big Data, Operations, Server, BI, Database, MFA (Sept. 27th, 2021)
Posted in Volume 282, Issue 4 - Sept 20th, 2021 — Sept 26th, 2021
Selections from the weekly newsletter, “IT News and Events.”
Big Data
Best Data Warehouse Tools & Solutions 2021
The concept of a data warehouse originated a couple decades back as an answer to the sprawl of storage arrays and NAS boxes. Organizations needed a way to corral their data in one centralized location.
"These days, data warehouses can exist on premises, heavily virtualized, in the cloud, or in some kind of hybrid arrangement. However it is done, a data warehouse is essentially a store of a large amount of data that has been gathered from a great many sources. In other words, it is a data management system that helps in the areas of storage centralization, business intelligence (BI), and analytics..." [ServerWatch, September 23rd, 2021]
How Gaming Companies Can Gain From Big Data Analytics
The Gaming industry, which is a product of technological innovation has evolved into being in the top entertainment category
"Gaming is unique because of its 'inclusive' nature, as there is a game for every individual on earth. Passionate gamers or e-sports athletes are striving to outplay their opponents in the virtual world.
According to a recent Accenture report, the value of the gaming industry currently exceeds $300 billion, more than the combined markets for movies and music. Gaming platforms are also becoming all about experience, a shift from being product-oriented. Understanding gamers' requirements and preferences is the key to generate revenues for gaming companies..." [CXOtoday.com, September 20th, 2021]
Operations
Driving Up Data Center Efficiency Through Constant Innovation
Increased data volumes are driving the construction of data center campuses and hyperscale data centers for providing large-scale as well as high-quality services
"With the growing reliance on digital connectivity on account of COVID-19 and work-from-home phenomenon, the data center industry is expected to grow exponentially to reach 1,007 MW by 2023 from its existing capacity of 447 MW, according to a JLL report. The demand is likely to ramp up due to the imminent rollout of 5G, IoT-linked devices, data localization and use of AI/ML and cloud technologies. In such a scenario, enterprises are expected to play a key role in driving up data center efficiency by cultivating continuous innovation and best practices..." [CXOtoday.com, September 20th, 2021]
Data Center Survey 2021: Outages Less Common, More Expensive
The 11th Global Data Center Survey is here with insights from international data center operators and owners on the latest trends for managing servers
"The Uptime Institute's (UI) annual survey is a critical reference point for the state of data centers, and the 2021 report is no different. The survey covers a range of topics, including PUE metrics, outage trends, sustainability efforts, and supply chain disruptions. UI researchers offered the results of this year with additional context from developing news and responses from previous years.
Here, we look at what stood out in the survey results, and what organizations need to keep in mind moving forward..." [ServerWatch, September 21st, 2021]
Server
Server Market Size To Reach $145.31 Billion By 2028
The global server market size is expected to reach $145.31 billion by 2028, according to ResearchAndMarkets. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2021 to 2028.
"The demand for servers is anticipated to grow considerably over the forecast period owing to the growing focus on the timely update of IT infrastructure worldwide. The rising adoption of data analytics among enterprises to understand consumer trends has resulted in the growing adoption of IT networking equipment.
5G and IoT fueling demand for high-performance computing servers
Furthermore, the rollout of 5G networks and technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and virtualization is expected to fuel the demand for high-performance computing servers..." [HelpNet Security, September 23rd, 2021]
Big Iron Will Always Drive Big Spending
Starting way back in the late 1980s, when Sun Microsystems was on the rise in the datacenter and Hewlett Packard was its main rival in Unix-based systems, market forces compelled IBM to finally and forcefully field its own open systems machines to combat Sun, HP, and others behind the Unix movement
"At the time IBM was the main supplier of proprietary systems - completely vertically integrated stacks, from down into the CPU all the way to the application development tools and runtimes - and the rise of Unix was having a detrimental effect on sales of these machines.
Here we are, more than three decades later, and IBM represents around half of the revenues outside of the x86 server market. That relatively big piece of the non-x86 server market is despite the rise of single-socket machines based on Arm servers at selected hyperscalers and cloud builders, which is eating into x86 server growth but which also making the non-x86 piece of the pie rise more than it has in about a decade. Sun and HP have left the RISC/Unix server battlefield long since - about a half decade ago if you want to be generous - and AMD has no interest whatsoever in building four-socket, eight-socket, or larger machines based on its Epyc architecture..." [The Next Platform, September 21st, 2021]
BI
Three Ways To Help Everyone Make Fast, Data-Driven Decisions With Modern BI
Innovative-yet approachable-data analytics is developing at the speed of light.and how your employees comfortably interact with that data is just as important as understanding its worth
"In our age of digital transformation, we are witnessing the transformational power of data to inform business decisions and drive change in real time. Tapping into organizational data can help your teams shape connected customer experiences, surface system constraints and improve operations, and align business leadership on shared metrics.
However, many organizations still struggle to increase the number of people using data in their daily routines and workflows. There are plenty of barriers between employees who rely on data and the sophisticated analysis required to make the best decisions..." [CIO, September 22nd, 2021]
Database
46% Of On-Prem Databases Globally Contain Vulnerabilities: Is Yours Safe?
Are organizations neglecting the security of their data? An unprecedented five-year study reveals that internal databases are riddled with vulnerabilities - some even years old.
"Is there a day that goes by where you don't read a news headline about a mega-breach impacting millions of people?
It's an unlikely scenario, particularly at a time when the volume of data breaches are rising by an astonishing 30 percent annually. Imperva Research Labs estimates that another 40 billion records will be compromised by the end of 2021. That's billions of pieces of data, much of it sensitive or identifiable, that will be available for cybercriminals to exploit in the future..." [threatpost, September 21st, 2021]
MFA
Security Fears & Remote Work Drive Continued 2FA Adoption
Seventy-nine percent of people used two-factor authentication at least once in 2021, with 72% regularly using the technology, as remote work, social media, and online retail spur demand
"A quarter of the population in the United States and the United Kingdom who had not encountered two-factor authentication (2FA) two years ago have now used the technology at least once in 2021, according to a biennial study conducted by Cisco System's Duo Labs.
The census-representative survey found more than three-quarters of the population (79%) used two-factor authentication in 2021, and 72% used the technology regularly. Companies have driven the gains, with 79% of employed workers regularly using 2FA technology and only 60% of unemployed people doing the same... [Dark Reading, September 21st, 2021]