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The cloud offers tremendous opportunities for better agility, performance, cost savings, accelerated time to market all driving better outcomes and experiences. The first wave of cloud migrations often generated these types of results. But the adoption of multiple clouds and the rise of increasingly complex hybrid networks means these goals are harder to achieve.

Today, many cloud implementations are characterised by non-integrated, disparate technologies, deployed across multiple facilities and clouds lacking visibility and control.

Complexity is increasing as infrastructures diversify and new technologies and tools arrive on the network, expanding the attack surface and the number of edges from the LAN, across WAN and into multiple clouds. However, cloud adoption doesnt mean everything should move to the cloud. The cloud comes with its own set of security and networking challenges, and this is where the convergence of security and networking is becoming increasingly essential.

Organisations can avoid vendor lock-in and choose the best cloud services that meet the requirements of a particular application or workload by implementing a multi-cloud strategy. This also allows organisations to choose cost-optimised services and use geographically dispersed clouds to meet data sovereignty requirements, for disaster recovery, or to improve overall user experience. In addition, a multi-cloud model also provides redundancy to lower the risk of downtime.

However, though this model offers many advantages, multi-cloud adoption also adds additional layers of management complexityparticularly if adding cloud services happens in an ad hoc manner rather than being planned from the ground up. The difficulty is that each cloud environment is unique; tools that span multiple cloud environments need to be able to connect seamlessly, function consistently and work between different cloud environments without losing functionalities, fragmenting policies or lowering enforcement standards. These tools need to achieve all that while bridging protocols and standards on the fly between environments.

From deployment to network performance to operational costs, this complexity creates management and operational challenges. Few IT teams have the expertise to manage a mixed deployment of multiple public cloud, private cloud and on-premises environments. The ongoing lack of skilled talent, especially cloud and security architects, alone makes this scenario unlikely. Resource-constrained organisations, especially mid-size companies, will have difficulty keeping up.

Integrated security and networking technologies must be in place to maximise the benefits and flexibility of a multi-cloud strategy. The compute element cannot be considered in isolation. How users access cloud resources from multiple remote locations and branch offices must be considered. And both the business outcome and end user experience are dependent on optimised network performance. Without the need to back haul traffic back to a data center and then out to the internet, SD-WAN is now critical to the success of any multi-cloud strategy.

But as with all offerings, not all SD-WAN solutions are interchangeable or equal. They vary widely in terms of capabilities, and not all are able to adequately support a multi-cloud deployment. Integrated security and SD-WAN is critically important in ensuring security and network performance, which is foundational to hybrid cloud solutions. Enterprises should carefully consider how well the cloud, network and security components are integrated from the outset to ensure that functionality, management, performance, and especially, security requirements, as well as capital expenses (CapEx) and operating expenses (OpEx) requirements are met.

Reports of the demise of hardware are greatly exaggerated. The practical limitations of multi-cloud management and cost-savings is leading many organisations, especially large enterprises to maintain a hybrid infrastructure. Indeed, some applications and large data lakes will always be better supported and secured in private clouds. In addition, hyperscale operations requires equipment that can support huge payloads and compute requirements. Thus, even with the cloud, hardware still matters.

While organisations are migrating to the cloud, theres still data and sensitive information that they will keep on-prem. As a result, organisations need security that spans anywhere and everywhere on-prem, data centers, multi-cloud, public cloud, etc. This is where the convergence of security and networking is key.

The core idea behind security-driven networking is that security and networking must be two sides of the same coin. That way, whenever the networking infrastructure evolves or expands, security automatically adapts as an integrated part of that environment.

In SD-WAN environments, security is woven together with connectivity functions such as application steering, bandwidth management and dynamic failover to ensure that when connections adjust to maintain quality of experience, security is an integrated part of that process. This integrated approach can then be extended to secure access points, switches and even 5G connectivity.

Cloud adoption was already increasing rapidly; the massive shift to remote work kicked it into high gear. The cloud has a great deal to offer, and organisations would be foolish to eschew its advantages whole cloth. That doesnt mean it comes without caveats. The cloud adds management complexity, requiring special tools and the expertise of IT pros who are hard to come by. In this way we clearly see that success in the cloud is dependent on networking and security operating in a converged manner to ensure users can securely and seamlessly access cloud resources. Maximising the benefits and flexibility of a multi-cloud strategy requires integrated security and networking technologies, and SD-WAN fills this bill nicely.

But all this talk of cloud doesnt mean enterprise data centers will disappear. There will always be sensitive data that organisations want to keep close to home. This multiplicity of data environments necessitates the convergence of security and networking. Organisations need to take stock of their own needs and devise a security and networking strategy that covers all the bases, whatever combination of cloud and on-prem that may look like.

Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and sharing their experiences and use-cases? Attend theCyber Security & Cloud Expo World Serieswith upcoming events in Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam to learn more.

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The networking-security approach to cloud adoption: Complexity and convergence - Cloud Tech

Today, most organizations think of the cloud as merely a technology platform. This perspective will shift markedly by 2025. Cloud will not only be a technological approach for delivering applications but will also serve as the key driver of business innovation.

The increasingly digital enterprise depends on technology to deliver competitive services and strong customer experiences, and the cloud will be at the center of most recent and emerging technological innovations:artificial intelligence, internet of things services, and edgeand quantum computing, to name a few.

As boards, chief executives and chief information officers expect shifts to their business models to match the rapid pace of change, few mainstream organizations will be able to do so without relying on cloud services. Thus, enterprises should expect cloud to be the pervasive style of computing over the next four years.

After all, there is no business strategy without a cloud strategy. Here are some predictions on the future of cloud that information technology leaders must consider in their digital strategies:

Nearly all companies will have a cloud-first principle by 2025 and cloud spend will surpass noncloud spend. In the Gartner 2020 Cloud End User Behavior study, for instance, nearly 70% of respondents indicated they will increase cloud spend in the next year.

Although some legacy IT such as wireless access points or mainframe computers will not move to the cloud, many other applications and workloads will be delivered via cloud, for example cloud servers, storage and networking.

Cloud will become the ubiquitous style of computing and any noncloud applications or infrastructure will be considered legacy by the time we reach 2025.

Cloud is already creating new business models and revenue streams. Over time, it will contribute to transforming IT departments from cost centers to enablers of digital business.

Gartner anticipates cloud enabling business innovation in three core ways:

Leading digital pioneers share several key strategies, and cloud is one of the common denominators for their success. They leveraged cloud services and principles to expand their services, optimize customer experiences and create and monetize new services.

In essence, these organizations evolved into platform businesses a trend that will become increasingly common by 2025. To compete with the digital giants, enterprises must become platform businesses.

In the Gartner 2020 I&O Executive Leaders survey, respondents indicated that the two most common innovation-led investments they planned to make were public cloud infrastructure-as-a-service and software-as-a-service.Sixty-three percent of respondents said that they already achieved growth, efficiency, innovation and other CEO priorities as an outcome of adopting cloud. Simply put, innovation is in the cloud.

In a 2018 Gartner survey, more than 80% of respondents indicated that their organization runs workloads in multiple clouds. Gartner characterizes this approach as unintentional multicloud.

In another Gartner study conducted in 2020, respondents were asked to identify the top reasons their organization uses multiple public clouds. They included improving availability, selecting best-of-breed capabilities and satisfying compliance requirements.

To that end, by 2025, 50% of enterprises will adopt intentional multicloud where they use cloud services from multiple public cloud providers for the same purpose (up from fewer than 10% today). This approach offers several benefits to organizations, such as reducing risk of vendor lock-in, maximizing commercial leverage and addressing broader compliance requirements.

Distributed cloud, another future-looking computing mechanism, is the distribution of public cloud services to different physical locations while operation, governance and evolution of the services remain the responsibility of the public cloud provider.

The Gartner 2020 Cloud End-User Behavior study shows more than three-quarters of respondents prefer to have cloud computing in a location of their choice. Thats why Gartner anticipates half of organizations will use distributed cloud by 2025, a substantial increase from today.

Cloud is already delivering on executives priorities and will become the foundation upon which IT leaders deliver on all CEO objectives. Prepare for the shift to the cloud by first ensuring strategy, architecture, security and procurement of the cloud are retained in-house, then working with IT to transform mindsets from control to adaptive cloud governance, and finally establishing a cloud center of excellence with a living cloud strategy.

Andrew Lerner is a vice president in Gartner Research covering enterprise networking with a focus on emerging technologies. Lerner covers data center networking and wide-area networking, including software-defined networking and SD-WAN. He wrote this article for SiliconANGLE.

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By 2025, the cloud will be the key driver of business innovation - SiliconANGLE News

This report focuses on the global Cloud Computing in Government status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Cloud Computing in Government development in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America.

Get Free sample report:

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/5244390-global-oil-gas-risk-management-market-size-status-and-forecast-2020-2026

The key players covered in this studyAdobe SystemsBlackboardCiscoEllucianDell EMCInstructureMicrosoftNetAppOracleSalesforceSAP

Also read:

https://www.newsmaker.com.au/news/377923/oil-gas-risk-management-market-research-industry-analysis-growth-size-share-trends-forecast-to-2026#.XyQGgogzbIU

Market segment by Type, the product can be split intoMobileIoTMulti-access Edge Computing (MEC)Market segment by Application, split intoTraining & ConsultingIntegration & MigrationSupport & Maintenance

Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South America

Also read:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/global-digital-wound-care-management-industry-analysis-size-market-share-growth-trend-and-forecast-to-2025-2020-11-23

The study objectives of this report are:To analyze global Cloud Computing in Government status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players.To present the Cloud Computing in Government development in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, market and key regions.

Also read:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/global-desktop-calculators-market-2020-industry-analysis-size-share-strategies-and-forecast-to-2026-2021-01-05

In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Cloud Computing in Government are as follows:History Year: 2015-2019Base Year: 2019Estimated Year: 2020Forecast Year 2020 to 2026For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2019 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.

https://neighborwebsj.com/

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Global Cloud Computing in Government Market Size, Status and Forecast 2020-2026 - NeighborWebSJ

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and the California Energy Commission (CEC) recently issued aFinal Root Cause Analysisof the August 2020 heat wave and rotating outages.

On Aug. 14 and Aug. 15, 2020, the CAISO was forced to institute rotating electricity outages in California amid a West-wide extreme heat wave. Following these emergency events, Governor Gavin Newsom requested the CAISO, the CPUC, and the CEC report on the root causes of the events leading to the August outages.

The CAISO, the CPUC, and the CEC produced a preliminary report on Oct. 6, 2020, and have since continued their analysis to confirm and supplement their preliminary findings. This report serves as the Final Root Cause Analysis and incorporates additional data analysis not available when the preliminary report was published. The Final Root Cause Analysis confirms the preliminary report's findings that the three major factors leading to the August outages were related to extreme weather conditions, resource adequacy and planning processes, and market practices.

"This Final Root Cause Analysis provides important insights and lessons learned about the factors that contributed to the rotating power outages of last summer," said Elliot Mainzer, CAISO president and CEO. "As we prepare for summer 2021 and beyond, I look forward to working closely with the CPUC, the CEC, policymakers, and regional stakeholders to bring our planning, procurement, and operational practices together into a modernized and well-integrated resource adequacy framework for California."

"The acceleration of climate change demands we enhance our planning efforts and market practices at a faster pace and with broader anticipation for what is possible," said Marybel Batjer, CPUC president. "It is our top priority to ensure we have the demand- and supply-side resources needed to maintain reliability, and this analysis demonstrates how we will do it and continue to decarbonize the grid."

"This final report confirms our initial findings and reaffirms that our agencies are taking the right actions to update processes and strengthen California's grid in the face of this crisis and worsening climate impacts," said David Hochschild, CEC chair. "We have more to do to ensure long-term reliability but despite challenges, we remain relentlessly committed to transitioning our state to a clean energy future for all."

Since August, the CAISO, the CPUC, and the CEC have taken various actions and continue focused efforts to prepare California for extreme heat waves next summer without having to resort to rotating outages. Those actions and efforts include the following:

1. The CPUC opened an Emergency Reliability rulemaking to procure additional resources to meet California's electricity demand in summer 2021. Through this proceeding, the CPUC has already directed the state's three large investor-owned utilities to seek contracts for additional supply-side capacity and has requested proposals for additional demand-side resources that can be available during the net-demand peak period (that is, the hours past the gross peak when solar production is very low or zero) for summer 2021 and summer 2022. The CPUC and parties to the proceeding, including the CAISO, will continue to evaluate proposals and procurement targets for both supply-side and demand-side resources.

2. The CAISO is continuing to perform analysis supporting an increase to the CPUC's RA program procurement targets. Based on the analysis to date, the CAISO recommends that the targets apply to both the gross peak and the critical hour of the net-demand peak period during the months of June through October 2021.

3. The CAISO is expediting a stakeholder process to consider market rule and practice changes by June 2021 that will ensure the CAISO's market mechanisms accurately reflect the actual balance of supply and demand during stressed operating conditions. This initiative will consider changes that incentivize accurate scheduling in the day-ahead market, appropriate prioritization of export schedules, and evaluate performance incentives and penalties for the resource adequacy fleet. The CAISO is also working with stakeholders to ensure the efficient and reliable operation of battery storage resources, given the significant amount of new storage that will be on the system next summer and beyond. Through a stakeholder process, the CAISO will pursue changes to its planned outage rules.

4. The CPUC is tracking progress on generation and battery storage projects that are currently under construction in California to ensure there are no CPUC-related regulatory barriers that would prevent them from being completed by their targeted online dates. The CAISO will continue to work with developers to address interconnection issues as they arise.

5. The CAISO and the CEC will coordinate with non-CPUC-jurisdictional entities to encourage additional necessary procurement by such entities.

6. The CEC is conducting probabilistic studies that evaluate the loss of load expectation on the California system to determine the amount of capacity that needs to be installed to meet the desired service reliability targets.

7. The CAISO, the CPUC, and the CEC are planning to enhance the efficacy of Flex Alerts to maximize consumer conservation and other demand-side efforts during extreme heat events.

8. Preparations by the CAISO, the CPUC, and the CEC are underway to improve advance coordination for contingencies, including communication protocols and development of a contingency plan. The contingency plan will draw from actions taken statewide under the leadership of the governor's office to mitigate the anticipated shortfall from Aug. 17 through Aug. 19, 2020.

The CAISO and the CPUC have established dedicated 2021 Summer Readiness webpages to keep stakeholders and the public informed regarding the steps the agencies are taking to avoid reliability issues next summer.

For more information, visit hereand here.

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Cloud Failures: It Happens - Transmission & Distribution World