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Iranian chess referee frightened to return home after headscarf controversary – The Women Journal

An Iranian chess referee Shohreh Bayat is scared to return home after an online controversary over headscarf. She is the chief referee at the Womens World Chess Championship held in Russia and China.

Shohrehs picture during the event was floating on the internet in Iran. She is scared that if she returned Iran they might arrest her.

In the picture, she is not wearing a headscarf which is mandatory in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Many women in Iran stage protest against this headscarf-wearing rule.

Bayat said: They are very sensitive about the hijab when we are representing Iran in international events and even sometimes they send a person with the team to control our hijab.

She said that she was wearing a hijab during the tournament but certain camera angles had made it look like she was not.

Bayat said: If I come back to Iran, I think there are a few possibilities. It is highly possible that they arrest me or it is possible that they invalidate my passport. I think they want to make an example of me.

The picture was captured at the first stage of the chess championship in Shanghai, China. But Bayat has since traveled to Vladivostok, Russia, for the second leg between Ju Wenjun and Aleksandra Goryachkina.

When she found her picture online she was shocked. Everyone criticized her for not wearing the hijab. Bayat said she is not wearing it anymore. Shohreh doesnt believe in hijab than what is the point in wearing it.

Bayat added: People must be free to choose to wear what they want, and I was only wearing the hijab because I live in Iran and I had to wear it. I had no other choice.

She asked for help from the chess federation and they asked her to write an apology. She agreed on the condition after they assured her that the federation protected her but they refused.

Bayat said that all of her family members are in Iran. She said that she didnt know what to say in this situation as it is a very difficult time for her.

FIDE, international federation for chess announced that they will support Bayat in whatever decision she made.

In FIDE we respect all cultures, but above everything, we respect the individuals freedom of choice, FIDE said in a statement.

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SLU Chess Looks Ahead to Final Four – The University News

The SLU chess team finished 2019 with a string of high finishes in recent tournaments. They now look forward to the Presidents Cup, or Final Four, the collegiate national championship of chess in early April.

After taking the Midwest Collegiate Chess and Blitz Championships in October, the team travelled to China in November and took third place at the World Prestigious University Chess Invitational, placing ahead of prestigious universities such as Harvard and Oxford. The team also defeated its host, Nankai University.

SLU chess team coach and grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez, the first grandmaster from Central America, stated that this was the teams first time competing internationally as a team, although most of the teams members have competed extensively as individuals in the past.

Then, SLU finished again in third place at the competitive Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Tournament, which determines which teams compete in the Presidents Cup in New York. The Pan-American Tournament is different from most collegiate chess tournaments in its structure.

Ramirez explained, Its a very unforgiving tournament, simply because its a very short event. Tournaments of this strength are usually nine rounds long, which gives a little more wiggle room for mistakes In this case we had it really rough. We got defeated by Texas Tech, which is one of the best universities in the country, and the fact that we got matched in the last round with number one by rating, which is Webster University.

SLU went on to defeat Webster, which has won five of the last seven national championships, in the last round of the Pan-American Tournament. SLU Chess Team grandmaster Alex Ipatov, currently ranked 142nd amongst active players in the world by the International Chess Federation, defeated Aleksander Lenderman, ranked 131st, of Webster, which Ramirez said was the highlight of the tournament. Ipatov commented, [Beating Webster] felt very good. They are our arch-rivals and the highest ranked collegiate team in the nation. We are second.

In 2018, SLU placed fourth at the Presidents Cup. Fellow St. Louisian Webster University also qualified, whose team has won the Presidents Cup five times in the last seven years. SLU will again face off against Webster and Texas Tech, as well as the University of Texas at Dallas in New York this April. In contrast to other tournaments, the Presidents Cup features only classical chess, in which matches can last for hours as opposed to minutes in blitz or other formats. In addition, teams aggregate scores are as important to winning the tournament as victory in individual matches.

Founded in 2015, the team has expanded from five to thirteen members, which allows them to field multiple sets of players within a single tournament. The SLU Chess Team features six male and two female grandmasters. Ramirez commented that the team has also grown closer and developed more chemistry in a relative short period of time since its founding.

Another factor conducive to the teams success and in attracting new talent is St. Louiss chess environment. Ramirez said, Theres no other city that has the current chess ambiance in the U.S. or maybe in the world. I think for chess players its kind of a mecca. Theres always top level chess, lectures, opportunities we have the resources to be one of the best.

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What is the difference between SaaS and Cloud Computing – WhaTech

SaaS is the short form for Software as a service and it is commonly used now along with cloud computing often interchangeably.

These both are becoming the norm of many businesses now. Before we go deep down to the definition of both, lets understand the basic difference between both. Cloud is the basic platform or the hosting space, on which the SaaS service is used. For pointing out the difference between both SaaS and Cloud computing it is important to know what these two are.

Cloud Computing and Saas - Explained Cloud computing

Cloud computing is quite different but has some common benefits as well. First of all, what is the cloud? To put it in simple terms, the cloud can be thought of as the internet. If you are using cloud-based software, you can use the internet to access it wherever and whenever you want. You have to have a proper internet connection of course.

You should also have the skill to log into the system via a web browser. Cloud computing can be done via PC, phone or desktop from your home or office quite comfortably.

No wonder many companies who are providing varies level of services and launching their products over different variants, opt forcloud computing services. There are many benefits of cloud computing such as you do not need to have a host, maintain, upgrade or worry about data security of the servers. The hosting company maintains the working of the servers and the operating system. For those companies who deal with cloud hosting are all professionals in these fields and can easily handle cloud integration services. Some of the major cloud service providers include- Amazon Web Browser, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure among many.

Considering the various advantages that cloud computing offers to associations, a reasonable case can be made that cloud computing is progressively turning into the new typical. Cloud computing is helping the general public to adapt to future issues, for example, overseeing huge information, digital security, and quality control.

SaaS

Software as a Service is a software licensing and delivery model in which the software is properly licensed to the user. SaaS can help find the right cloud integration services based on your needs. Generally, SaaS applications can be licensed on a subscription basis. The application is accessed through the internet and a web browser. Needless to say, you should have an adequate internet connection for this as well.

SaaS application development can be achieved with the help of a professional developer or by hiring a company. The application runs on the SaaS providers server. With SaaS, you dont have to worry about your server maintenance. Like cloud computing, SaaS is a cost-effective way to access your data anywhere and everywhere. Due to the increasing demand for software as a service method, many experienced companies have started providing SaaS development services. Some of SaaS applications include- Salesforce, Quickbooks Online, Citrix GoToMeeting. Hence to conclude in simple ways SaaS is a simple licensed way to a software application through the internet. Software as a Service has a great deal to offer. On being utilized appropriately, it can enable your business to set aside funds, time and HR. By disposing of issues like programming support and contradiction, SaaS can give streamlined concentration and more noteworthy efficiency. In any case, just like others, SaaS has a few downsides as well.

From the above explanations, we have got some idea of what SaaS and Cloud computing is and why are they gaining worldwide application in many businesses nowadays. This will, however, grow with the years to come for sure. Now lets dig into the difference between these two.

Cloud Computing and SaaS: Major differences

By now we have understood the fact that cloud computing services and Software as a Service are closely related terms but are still a bit different.

On the other hand,

Conclusion

Hence from the above description, the differences, similarities, and benefits of the two closely related terms- Software as a Service and Cloud computing are quite clear. After this thorough discussion, it must be understood how both are different ideas but work together complementing each other to bring about easy to access, cost-friendly software applications to its worldwide users.

By not basing themselves on the users computer or device or even for that matter on the companys server, bothSaaS development servicesand Cloud computing removes the need for complicated installations and regular maintenance. One does not need to worry about updating their software that responsibility lies with the vendor. Hence this makes your company free of the extra workload and helps you in focusing on more important areas that require your immediate attention. It offers an alternative that maintains and updates the software of your users and makes things a bit more efficient and simpler.

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Unlocking the Key to the Cloud – Security Boulevard

Managing keys to assets and data in cloud deployments have become a key concern for many organizations. As explained by Kenneth Hui, a Solutions Architect at Rubrik, paraphrasing Kerckhoffs Principle, poor key management is like having a state of the art anti-burglar system for your home but leaving the house keys and alarm codes under the welcome mat.

Keys provide access to countless cloud resources, from SaaS services to SSH servers. Compromised keys can be used to access encrypted data, reissue digital certificates, or even steal cars. Keys provide a great deal of security and convenience, but can become extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Well explore the risks of storing cryptographic/access keys insecurely, and how you can protect yourself with Orca. At the end of the day, an improperly saved key is usually the difference between a contained incident, should one machine be breached, to a full blown data leak which makes the morning news.

At its core, a cryptographic key is a string of bytes used to decrypt data or authorize access to a resource. They allow you to secure and restrict access to cloud assets, even if those assets are accessible from a public network. However, keys commonly leak due to accidental exposures, misconfigurations, or other means. They must be stored securely so that they can be used without becoming vulnerable to attackers.

One of the top challenges in key management is verifying that in fact keys are stored ONLY where they should be. Keys can be found in several locations, including:

Developers also tend to leave keys in semi-hidden locations such as file archives. While these might mask keys from superficial scans, a more dedicated attacker can easily extract them and use them for lateral movement. In addition, keys have a variety of forms. A private SSH key is significantly different from a GitHub personal access token, but both could be used to wreak havoc on your applications and infrastructure.

It only takes one stolen key for an attacker to cause mayhem. For example, an exposed SSH key can give attackers access to internal servers, potentially granting access to private data or the ability to move laterally to other resources. An exposed service account key for a cloud platform can allow attackers to provision new services, control infrastructure, steal data, or perform any number of malicious actions. Any proper security strategy must assume that some assets will be breached, and ensure that if this happens, the attacker will not be able to access all of the organization crown jewels.

To build a strong defense, you need to think like an attacker. Defenders tend to think in terms of checklists, while attackers think in graphs. They find an opening and leverage it to access connected insecure resources. All it takes is one small opening, a weak backdoor, and a swath of other systems are immediately at risk.

The most effective way to detect insecure keys is with a comprehensive security solution like Orca Security. Orca scans your entire environment for exposed keys and not only identifies where theyre located, but which assets are put at risk as a result. We will automatically alert you when keys that can be used to perform malicious actions are detected, but havent yet been revoked. Time is of the essence when it comes to insecure keys and our goal is to provide you with the information you need to prevent a breach.

Securing keys is not an easy task. Like any other form of private data, keys must be managed and stored securely to prevent abuse and theft. Orca reduces the potential impact of poorly managed keys by performing in-depth scans of your environment, immediately alerting you to exposed keys, and determining which resources are placed at risk.

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Helsinki-based UpCloud raises 18 million to rapidly grow its team and cloud computing services – Tech.eu

UpCloud, the Helsinki-based provider of cloud servers, has secured 18 million of equity and debt funding. The round was led by Connected Capital & Partners, a Netherlands-based B2B software growth investor, with participation from Finnish Industry Investment, a state-owned investment company, and Inventure, an existing UpCloud investor from 2016.

Founded in 2011, UpCloud serves small-to-medium size tech companies who need to run data-intensive software applications in the cloud. With its data cenres located around the world, the Finnish company aims to provide the right combination of high performance, user-friendly storage, affordable pricing, and helpful customer support.

UpClouds roots go back to 2009 when cloud infrastructure services had just been launched. The hourly pricing disrupted the market, but technically the services were poor, performance varied highly, and proper redundancy was lacking. UpCloud was founded on the principle of high performance and redundancy at the core and at a price that even an independent developer could afford the services, explained Joel Pihlajamaa, founder and CTO.

The startups cloud servers, when coupled with MaxIOPS, an in-house developed block storage service, are twice as fast as the industry standard. Currently there are eight UpCloud data centres around the world: Amsterdam, Chicago, Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, San Jose, and Singapore.

Over the next two years, the company plans to recruit over 100 new employees and launch more than 10 new data centres across key markets in Europe, Asia, and North America, as well as new markets such as Australia.

We are thrilled to be able to accelerate our hiring dramatically and we will be looking to double our team size in just this year. Weve worked hard to build a culture that is very different from other companies, highlighted by strong internal employee metrics, showing our team is energised and committed to UpClouds long term success. Weve worked equally hard in offering a great customer experience which is shown in our NPS scores which are consistently industry leading at around 60. This is a great time to further speed up our growth, said Antti Vilpponen, CEO.

Wim Haring of Connected Capital said: We are very excited to be the lead investor in this expansion financing round for UpCloud. Connected was immediately impressed by the quality of the UpCloud team. In our view UpCloud is well positioned to further develop & expand its software services and capture a sizable part in the global market of business-critical hosting for technically savvy SMEs.

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Cloud Database and Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market Analysis on Top Key Vendors, Revenue Growth and Business Development Forecast 2017-2025 -…

Global Cloud Database and Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market: Overview

Users have a lot to gain from database as a service models, and the cloud computing variants of these are the ones that can provide users with easy access to large databases at nearly any given time and location. Accessing this database does not require the used to physically carry the database, or have to set up any additional hardware or software. The service model ensures that all tasks within the administrative and maintenance sections can be carried out by the service providers, thereby allowing a user to free up resources, physical space, as well as time. Clients may or may not be able to control administrative duties of a database, depending on the service model being used.

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DBaaS is a form of secondary service provided by cloud computing services providers and is strongly associated with XaaS. It may therefore be offered by companies under a number of options from the SaaS platforms they hold. DBaaS also provides a highly structured approach towards the collection, categorization, and maintenance of data for a user or a group of users. Most DBaaS providers offer solutions that are far cheaper than in-house database management solutions. They commonly offer their services and payment models based on either capacity of storage required, the use of features, or both.

Global Cloud Database and Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market: General Outline

The relational form of database ruled the information technology or IT sector in the last few decades. The last few years have witnessed a paradigm shift in the database management systems where dedicated servers were eventually replaced with dedicated storage server networks. With the ubiquitous usage of internet, cloud databases such as SimpleDB and Sherpa have gained popularity in the last couple of years. Storage plays an important role in data centers. In a traditional networked data storage, the data is stored in a single dedicated server whereas in cloud databases the respective data is stored within multiple dynamic servers.

Cloud database allows accessing of information at any point of time and from any place. Database as a service (DBaaS) allows the user to store data at a remote disk which is available through the internet. Cloud computing, the need for improved and efficient broadband facility, the advent of digital data, and shifting data storage requirements have led to the emergence of cloud database and DBaaS. Cloud databases aid in storing the colossally generated data by web based application. The cloud database and DBaaS market caters to many sectors such as government, healthcare, banking, hospitality, media and entertainment, e-commerce and insurance sector among others.

Global Cloud Database and Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market: Drivers and Inhibitors

The chief driver of the growth of the global cloud database and DBaaS market is the burgeoning use of cloud service for critical data storage. Driven by numerous factors such as availability, cost saving, seamless integration, upgradation, and flexibility, increasing number of companies are transferring data on cloud. Cloud database and DBaaS provide monetary advantages over conventional storage methods. Companies from heathcare, banking and insurance sector among others are located far off and are largely dependent on their websites. Hence, such companies choose cloud storage to decrease the cost of operations and thus increase productivity. Cloud databases are progressively used in non-traditional sectors such as social networking, online music stores, and online gaming among others. Moreover, due to the growing flexibility needs and increasing data traffic, numerous government departments such as finance, insurance, and defense are adopting cloud service.

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In spite of the strong growth drivers and surging trends, the major restraint for cloud database and DBaaS market is the growing criticality of data in cloud. Awareness about cloud security is comparatively low. The rising use of cloud databases have led to a rise in cloud attacks where users data is compromised, thus leading to identity theft. Moreover, the dearth of proper security standards for cloud database is also likely to act as a hindrance. At present, cloud platforms offer very little support for the purpose of database design related to virtual enhancement. With technological advances on boards, it is expected to provide opportunity for designing databases specific private clouds for large enterprises.

Global Cloud Database and Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market: Regional Overview

Geographically, North America is the chief revenue generator for this market closely followed by Western European countries such as Germany, France and the U.K. The dominance of North America can be attributed to the presence of large enterprises. Asia Pacific is anticipated to aggressively adopt cloud database and DBaaS solutions in the near future. This is basically due to the increasing focus by small, medium, and large scale enterprises for the purpose of improving efficiency and productivity via investment in technology.

Global Cloud Database and Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market: Companies Covered in the Report

The key players in the cloud database and DBaaS market are Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, IBM, Amazon, Google Inc, Century Link Inc, Rackspace, SAP AG and Salesforce.com among others.

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Nextcloud Hub takes on Google Docs and Office 365 – ZDNet

For years, Nextcloud has set the standard for run-your-own Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) private clouds. Now with the open-source Nextcloud Hub, it's taking on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) office programs such as Google Docs and Office 365.

Nextcloud has long offered Collabora Online Office, a SaaS version of the open-source LibreOffice office suite to its customers. Hub, though, is a new product. It combines Nextcloud's outstanding cloud file system, Nextcloud Files, with Ascensio System's ONLYOFFICE. Together they are a complete productivity office suite with word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software document management, project management, customer relationship management (CRM), calendar, and mail.

Also: 8 ways you can (maybe) get Microsoft Office 365 for free or cheap

This office suite is compatible with both MS Office and Open Document formats. This removes one of the major obstacles of moving from one office suite to another.

It also comes with Nextcloud Talk. This program provides IM, screen-sharing, video-conferencing, and Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) callings. Nextcloud claims Talk provides better security than Microsoft Teams or Slack, since your data stays on your servers instead of a third-party's cloud and it's encrypted for further protection. It also supports General Data Protection Regulation (GFPR) privacy restrictions.

In addition, it includes Nextcloud Groupware. This is an email, calendar and contact package, which runs and stores your communications data on your own servers. You can use it with either a web interface or with native iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Outlook, and Thunderbird integration.

All three fundamental Nextcloud services come with improvements. Files now comes with Workspaces. This enables you to add context to folders with notes and to-do lists. It also now comes with Flow, which makes it easier to automate repetitive tasks. For example, when a file is added to a specific folder, you can create a shared link to it, which would be sent through Nextcloud Talk to the appropriate users.

Nextcloud Talk now comes with an improved user interface. It includes message delivery notifications and better custom group management. Nextcloud Groupware has improved advanced recurrence, busy-view, and resource booking with Talk integration. For instance, you can easily book virtual meeting rooms when planning a meeting. Mail 1.0 introduces the ability to extract travel information from emailed itineraries. This lets you automatically add travel data to a user's Calendar.

Why go into competition with the giants of online office SaaS like Google and Microsoft? Nextcloud's founder and CEO, Frank Karlitschek, explained, "The market has been asking for an on-premise alternative to foreign cloud services that protects the digital sovereignty of its users. Nextcloud Hub is the first, complete and well integrated collaboration platform that can be hosted on internal enterprise infrastructure."

In addition, Karlitschek said, "Data sovereignty is an essential requirement for many customers when using cloud services to protect trade secrets. This applies to customers from the public sector as well as the private sector." Achim Weiss, CEO of IONOS, Europe's largest web hosting firm, which offers Nextcloud Hub hosting, added: "As German providers, IONOS and Nextcloud guarantee their users the sovereignty over their data -- we rule out access by third parties as permitted by the US CLOUD Act. Our cooperation therefore gives Nextcloud customers the legal security they need."

Lev Bannov, ONLYOFFICE's founder and CEO, added, "We are excited to bring our innovative office technology to more Nextcloud users. The closer integration with Nextcloud platform gives a complete solution for home use, and allows enterprise users to easily get started and sample the benefits of efficient document collaboration."

"There is growing demand for an on-premises cloud collaboration solution which puts the IT department in control," concluded Nextcloud's head of marketing Jos Poortvliet. "Being forced on the rolling release schedule of a SaaS vendor and lacking real infrastructure integration is causing headaches in many organizations."

The community version of Nextcloud Hub is free. If you need support, you need to talk to Nextcloud or a web hosting company, such as IONOS, which supports Hub. Nextcloud Enterprise pricing starts at 3,400 Euros for 50 users a year. Premium support, which includes 24/7 phone support, begins at 4,900 Euros for 50 users a year.

The real bottom line for Nextcloud Hub is it returns control of the online office to you and your staff from the big cloud powers. Yes, that means more work for your IT staff too, but which would you rather have? Control of your IT destiny or ease of use and hope that your data is safe? It's your choice.

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Google Cloud Run: What every IT Ops team should know – TechBeacon

You might think of Google Cloud Run, launched last November,as serverless for containers.That's true, but it's also much more.

So what does Cloud Run bringto the table that other serverless solutions, such as AWS Lambda and Microsoft Cloud Functions,don't? Whats different?What are the use cases?Andwhen should you use Cloud Run over "traditional" serverless platforms?

Here's what you need to know about Google Cloud Run.

[ Enterprise Service Managementbrings innovation to the enterprise. Learn more in TechBeacon's new ESM guide. Plus: Get the 2019 Forrester Wave for ESM. ]

Cloud Run can produce a container image with an encapsulated web server inside. Itcan also determine a set of resources, including compute, memory, and storageall with concurrency in mind.The whole thing must leverage stateless logic.

Cloud Run is serverless, whichmeans you don't have to fiddle with back-end resources to run applications.

As with other serverless platforms, Cloud Run can scale up or down, offeringjust the right amount of resources.No more over-provisioning services just to be sure you won't run out of memory, storage, or compute.Even better, no more under-provisioning, where falling short ofresources can cause your application to fail.

Indeed, the serverless value proposition is much the same as with Lambda and Functions.

Cloud Run can create HTTP endpoints after you push a container.These can receive requests and route them to containers.AndCloud Run can scale by assuring that the proper number of containers needed to handle the load isrunning.

Sothe real differences amongthe Amazon, Microsoft, and Google products are around how serverless applications are deployed.Both AWS Lambda and Microsoft Cloud Function are "source-based,"while Cloud Run is not.

Source-based means that you can deploy sourcecode to a serverless platform, where that code is compiled.There are two advantages to doing this:ease of use and speed.However, those who promote Cloud Runpoint to some drawbacks with this system.

Cloud Run is intendedfor those who focus on container-based development versus using source-based systems.The idea is that containers provide separation of duties between the developer and the platform where the container executes.

The developer has the duty to create and start an executable that opens a port for HTTP requests. Containers runon this platform as well, and the "runtime contract"is considered stable, meaning it's not likely to change.From there, developers needto create a Dockerfile and launch the HTTP server.

If that seems a bit complex, just think of Cloud Run as leveraging a container architecture that's core to the service.

AWS and Microsoft support containers, including Kubernetes, but use a source-based approach that some developers find limiting. Container fans will find Cloud Run compelling.

Indeed, one of the core differences is found in continous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) around the deployment of services.If your organization leverages continuous delivery, it's imperative that you separate the build and deployment stages.

When you useCloud Run services, the first step is to build the container, which then moves to testing on a staging platform.From there it getspushed to a production platform.

Compare this with AWS and Microsoft, which are both source-based, and it's difficult to determine what ends up on the production server because you can see the output of the build process only after it's deployed.

[ Learn how to transform your IT with AIOps in TechBeacon's guide. Plus: Download the analyst paper on how AI is changing the role of IT. ]

Putting the platdform religious warsaside, what Cloud Run offers is a sound serverless platform, delivered as a managed service, that supportscontainers and many different programming languages.

While the number of programming languages supported by traditional serverless platforms is limited, all major managed services expand their language support with each new release.Since Cloud Run is not source-based, that'san advantage if youhave applications already built using a specific language.

The growth of the serverless market in the last few years has resulted in a more explosive growth of containers and Kubernetes.Enterprises consider Kubernetes as the platform of choice due to the portability of container-based applications from platform to platform, cloud to cloud.

The real selling point for Cloud Run is its container-focused architecture, development, and deployment.That, combined with the valueserverless brings, could equal a home run for Google.

Then again, other cloud providers are good with containers and container orchestration, including Kubernetes, which is already on the serverless container bandwagon.While you can get into an argument about source-based versus container-based approaches, the end resultof deployed, container-based serverless applications will be much the same when placed into production.

Onthe positive side, Cloud Run makes it much easier for developers who build container-based and stateless web servers to quickly move to elastic serverless technology.Because you don't have toguesshow to size container servers, Cloud Run will ultimately provide a better ROI.

The serverless benefits are also compelling.While some people can accurately size resources, and even leverage reserved instances at a discount, most enterprises struggle to manage cloud operationswithin cost parameters.Serverless provides more fine-grained billing.

Like all public cloud providers, the pricing for Cloud Run is a bit confusing.Fully managed Cloud Run charges only for the resources you use, rounded up to the nearest 100thof a millisecond. However, each of these resources include a free quota that you can take advantage of. Your total bill will be the sum of the resources you use in the pricing table.

Another advantage if you do DevOps and CI/CD is the ability to integrate better with continuous deployment, since Cloud Run iseasier to track to production.Testing is easier as well, considering that the Cloud Run container is a full-blown web server, which simplifies bothremote and local testing.

However, what is a positive can also bea negative.A forced full-blown web server exists inside the container.This may be limiting for organizations withdifferent application requirements.

The mistake that many people make when comparing Cloud Run to Lambda and Functions lies in how theyanalyze the internal features and functions of each.That's not a fair way to compare theseproducts.Most of whatdifferentiates one serverless platform fromanother are your application requirements.Considering that we're moving into a multicloud world, Cloud Run may not be a bad approach.

The dirty little secret about traditional serverless is that itplaces guardrails on what you can do.This affects application development and includes programming code and architecture.Thus, moving code from one serverless platform to another serverless platform is not a direct lift-and-shift port.

Lock-in may be too stronga term, but be aware of its potential impact on your project.

Cloud Run is perhaps more portable considering the container-oriented approach to development and deploymentand the open nature of the programming languages in use.At the very least, the concept makes Cloud Run applications more portable than those running in traditional serverless systems.

Cloud Run is best forshops that are all-in with containers and want a purer container deployment using the advantages of serverless.Those who are not sold on containers won't find Cloud Run as compelling,unless your projects are based on Google Cloud Platform.

It's safe to say that the best Cloud Run use-case patterns would consist of:

Of course, there are security, governance, and management capabilities that need to be considered as well.And many organizations need to consider the cloud-native features of the cloud provider that hosts the serverless managed service.

In other words, you need to consider the holistic picture of cloud, cloud services, infrastructure, and then the serverless systems.

The good news for cloud computing is that we now have one more serverless system.This time serverless converges to meet containers, which is hype squared. That alone may make this a compelling choice for many enterprises. And I'mcertain that we'll see more evolution of Cloud Run in the near future.

[ Learn how robotic process automation (RPA) can pay offif you first tackle underlying problems. See TechBeacon's guide. Plus: Get the white paper on enterprise requirements. ]

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Microsoft’s Nadella On Why The Future Is All About Cloud; Buyers Are Into TikTok’s Self-Serve Ad Platform – AdExchanger

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The Not-So-New Microsoft

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, speaking at a private media event last week, explained how the trillion-dollar company plans to keep up with the evolution of enterprise and consumer tech and why that doesnt mean giving up on legacy businesses. What do you think is the biggest hardware business at Microsoft? Nadella asked, turning the mic on the reporters. Xbox? Surface tablets? No, its our cloud, he said. The distinctions between Microsofts business lines are more important for outside observers than for Microsoft itself, writes The Verge. The same engineering teams might handle Surface hardware lines, the Edge browser tech and Azure cloud products. Microsofts new products will be built around existing scaled customer bases, such as Windows, but wont necessarily supplant them, Nadella said. If anything, what people have come to realize is that Windows is there with a billion users, iOS is there with a billion users and Android is there with 2 billion users. Its not like one killed the other. More.

Self-Serve TikTok

Advertisers are pleased with the progress TikTok is making on its self-serve ad platform, but theres still more work to be done. While buyers say the platform is easy to use and helps raise brand awareness, it lacks targeting capabilities, APIs and the reporting mechanisms available on more mature platforms, Digiday reports. Agencies and brands gripe that its difficult to drive performance and track conversions without these capabilities. As with most social platforms, native and influencer-driven content drives the most engagement on TikTok, but bounce rates are high. There will be a lot of brands that will hesitate because they dont know how to use it and its not as trackable, said Asher Chester, Agency Withins director of performance marketing. More.

The Double-Edged Sabre

Google Cloud has signed a 10-year deal with Sabre, a travel industry software provider. All eyes are on the Google Cloud business, which for the last five years has languished behind Amazon Web Services and Microsofts Azure. But Googles top brass expect to pass at least one of its main rivals by 2023 otherwise, funding for the unit will dwindle, The Information reported last month. The deal with Sabre doesnt tip the scales, but it shows how Google is making inroads with large brands on the strength of its strong consumer-facing businesses, even if advertising isnt part of the contract. Sabres deal with Google isnt just about bandwidth and server storage, though. Google will help Sabre develop and innovate on products for clients. Historically, when people look at cloud, they see it purely as about cost efficiency, Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud CEO, tells Bloomberg. Its also about giving people better insights for their business. And, sometimes, Googles ad business, and its user data, is directly tied to cloud adoption. Ads Data Hub, where Googles ad server data will be housed, is a Google Cloud product aka, not part of the marketing stack and thus requires an account seat in order to use it.

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Microsoft's Nadella On Why The Future Is All About Cloud; Buyers Are Into TikTok's Self-Serve Ad Platform - AdExchanger

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Why Many Tech Companies are Turning to the Hybrid Cloud to Tackle Today’s Business Challenges – Data Center Frontier

The Digital Realty 365 Main data center in San Francisco is one of the few data centers in the U.S. with a base isolation system for earthquake protection. (Photo: Digital Realty)

Many of todays top tech companies are increasingly turning to the cloud to address todays business needs. And anew report from Digital Realty explores the potential of the hybrid cloud, which according to the report, has emerged as a way to drive down IT costs and provide greater agility and speed when embracing new business opportunities.

With the potential stemming from new technology like machine learning, AI, big data and more, tech companies continue to make upone of the fastest growing industry segments.

According to Digital Realty, their adoption of digital technologies is a critical factor behind their growth.

But there may be a caveat. According to the report, they have a long way to go when it comes to specific digital transformation (DX) initiatives.

Digital realty continues, Furthermore, tech companies face significant headwinds such as new data privacy regulations, cyber and insider security threats and IT skill shortages.

To address these threats, many tech businesses are turning to the cloud, and often the hybrid cloud.

Again, a big factor behind the aforementioned growth in the tech sector is the increase in adoption of innovativedigital technologies, like AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud services.

The report explores the business challenges facing these high-tech companies, which include:

The report asserts that tech companies can leverage the cloud to leapfrog business challenges.

In fact, Digital Realty has this to say: In response to these business challenges, tech companies are turning to the cloud for answers. The earliest adoption of cloud technologies largely revolved around the ability to acquire inexpensive compute and storage resources, but that has changed in recent years.

Many organizationsincluding tech businessesare coming to the realization that public-only cloud models are not always the best way to meet their compute and storage infrastructure business requirements. Instead, they are embracing hybrid multi-cloud architectures that concurrently utilize private and public cloud deployments.Digital Realty

Leveraging public and private cloud services, digital innovators are turning increasingly to the cloud as the platform for enabling AI, IoT, and much more.

Download the new report, High-tech Companies Tackle Business Challenges with Hybrid Cloud, courtesy of Digital Realty, that explores how the hybrid cloud can provide tech companies with the means to address todays IT and DX challenges.

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Why Many Tech Companies are Turning to the Hybrid Cloud to Tackle Today's Business Challenges - Data Center Frontier

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