computersystemsdesign

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Healthcare IT Policy – Considering Data at Rest and Data in Motion

Hey everybody! It’s me again! In my last post, "Introducing Considerations for How Policy Impacts Healthcare IT," we started our journey discussing healthcare IT from the perspective of the business, as well as the IT support organization. We briefly touched on HIPAA regulations, EMR systems, and had a general conversation about where I wanted to take this series of posts. The feedback and participation from the community was AMAZING, and I hope we can continue that In this post. Let's start by digging a bit deeper into two key topics (and maybe a tangent or two): Protecting data at rest and in motion.

 Data at Rest

When I talk about data at rest, what exactly am I referring to? Well, quite frankly, it could be anything. We could be talking about a Microsoft Word document on the hard drive of your laptop that contains a healthcare pre-authorization for a patient. We could be talking about medical test results from a patient that resides in a SQL database in your data center. We could even be talking about the network passwords document on the USB thumb drive strapped to your key chain. (Cringe, right?!) Data at rest is just that: it’s data that’s sitting somewhere. So how do you protect data at rest? Let us open that can of worms and talk about that, shall we?

 By now you’ve heard of disk encryption, and hopefully you’re using it everywhere. It’s probably obvious to you that you should be using disk encryption on your laptop, because what if you leave it in the back seat of your car over lunch and it gets stolen? You can’t have all that PHI getting out into the public, now can you? Of course not! But did you take a minute to think about the data stored on the servers in your data center? While it might not be as likely that somebody swipes a drive out of your RAID array, it CAN happen. Are you prepared for that? What about your SAN? Are those disks encrypted? You’d better find out.

 Have you considered the USB ports on your desktop computers? How hard would it be for somebody to walk in with a nice 500gb thumb drive, plug it into a workstation, and grab major chunks of sensitive information in a very short period of time, and simply walk out the front door? Not very hard if you’re not doing something to prevent that. There are a bunch of scenarios we haven’t talked about, but at least I've made you think about data at rest a little bit now.

 Data in Motion

Not only do we need to protect our data at rest, we also need to protect it in motion. This means we need to talk about our networks, particularly the segments of those networks that cross public infrastructure. Yes, even "private lines" are subject to being tapped. Do you have VPN connectivity, either remote-access (dynamic) or static to remote sites and users? Are you using an encryption scheme that’s not susceptible to man-in-the-middle or other security attacks? What about remote access connections for contractors and employees? Can they just "touch the whole network" once their VPN connection comes up, or do you have processes and procedures in place to limit what resources they can connect to and how?

 These are all things you need to think about in healthcare IT, and they’re all directly related to policy. (They are either implemented because of it, or they drive the creation of it.) I could go on for hours and talk about other associated risks for data at rest and data in motion, but I think we’ve skimmed the surface rather well for a start. What are you doing in your IT environments to address the issues I’ve mentioned today? Are there other data at rest or data in motion considerations you think I’ve omitted? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

 Until next time!

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SolarWinds at VMworld 2017

The SolarWinds virtualization monitoring with discipline VMworld tour is about to start and we are bringing solutions, SMEs, and swag.

VMworld US

At VMworld US in Las Vegas, the SolarWinds family is bringing a new shirt, new stickers & buttons, new socks, and a new morning event. And that’s not all we’re bringing to VMworld.

Join us on Tuesday morning for the inaugural Monitoring Morning as KMSigma and I talk about monitoring at scale and troubleshooting respectively.

Next, don’t forget to join sqlrockstar in his two speaking sessions covering monster database VMs and a panel session on best practices when virtualizing data. Moreover, check out chrispaap's talk on mastering the virtual universe using foundational skills such as monitoring with discipline.

Solutions Exchange Monday, August 28     2:50 – 3:10 p.m. Chris Paap

Monitoring With Discipline To Master your Virtualized Universe

Tuesday, August 29     11:30am – 12:30 p.m. Thomas LaRock

Performance Tuning and Monitoring for Virtualized Database Servers

Wednesday, August 30     4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Thomas LaRock

SQL Server on vSphere: A Panel with Some of the World’s Most Renowned Experts

Lastly, visit us in booth number 224 to talk to our SMEs, get your questions answered, and pick up your swag.

VMworld Europe

Another first is that SolarWinds will be on the Solutions Expo floor at VMworld Europe in Barcelona. In the lead up to the event, we’ll be hosting a pre-VMworld Europe webcast to talk shop about Virtualization Manager and its virtue for empowering troubleshooting in the highly virtualized domain of hybrid IT.

sqlrockstar will again be speaking in the following session.

Wednesday, September 13        12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Thomas LaRock

Performance Tuning and Monitoring for Virtualized Database Servers

chrispaap and I along with our Solarwinds EMEA SMEs will be in booth to answer your questions, talk shop about monitoring with discipline, and handing out swag.

I’ll update this section with details as they become available.

 Let me know in the comment section if you will be in attendance at VMworld US or VMworld Europe. If you can’t make it to event, let me know how we at SolarWinds can better meet and exceed your virtualization pain points.

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Cloud computing reversal: From ‘go away’ to ‘I can’t miss out’

Isaac Asimov once said, “I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.” That quote has stuck with me to this day. There’s no doubt that computers and computing have changed our lives. Without them, we would be slaves to processes and paper.

I was reminded of Asimov’s quote when I saw the results of a recent poll done by Comvault of 100 IT leaders. More than two thirds said that they were worried about keeping up to date with the latest products and iterations across the major cloud providers. In other words, they fear missing out.

[ What is cloud computing? Everything you need to know now. | Also: InfoWorld’s David Linthicum explains what exactly is edge computing. ]

About a quarter (24 percent) of those polled said they were a cloud-only organization, which perhaps means they are very small or very new businesses. Additionally, 32 percent said they are cloud-first, with plans to become cloud-only, so they are likely mid-sized businesses. Also, 6 percent said they did not have a specific migration plan, which means they are BDCs (big dumb companies).

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Cloud computing reversal: From ‘go away’ to ‘I can’t miss out’

Isaac Asimov once said, “I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.” That quote has stuck with me to this day. There’s no doubt that computers and computing have changed our lives. Without them, we would be slaves to processes and paper.

I was reminded of Asimov’s quote when I saw the results of a recent poll done by Comvault of 100 IT leaders. More than two thirds said that they were worried about keeping up to date with the latest products and iterations across the major cloud providers. In other words, they fear missing out.

[ What is cloud computing? Everything you need to know now. | Also: InfoWorld’s David Linthicum explains what exactly is edge computing. ]

About a quarter (24 percent) of those polled said they were a cloud-only organization, which perhaps means they are very small or very new businesses. Additionally, 32 percent said they are cloud-first, with plans to become cloud-only, so they are likely mid-sized businesses. Also, 6 percent said they did not have a specific migration plan, which means they are BDCs (big dumb companies).

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Amazon Lets Alexa Roam Free

With the launch of the Alexa Voice Service Device SDK, Amazon's AI helper can venture out beyond the Echo as companies embed the voice assistant in their own devices.

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Signal and noise of the cloud

The cloud is no longer a new thing. Now, we’re rapidly moving to an “AI-first” world. Even Satya Nadella updated the Microsoft corporate vision recently to say “Our strategic vision is to compete and grow by building best-in-class platforms and productivity services for an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge infused with AI.” Bye bye cloud first, mobile first.

 In reality, some organizations are still yet to take the plunge into cloud solutions, even if they want to. Maybe they’ve had to consolidate systems or remove legacy dependencies first. The cloud is still new to them. So, what advice would you give to someone looking at cloud for the first time? Have we learnt some lessons along the way? Has cloud matured from its initial hype, or have we just moved on to new cloud-related hype subjects (see: AI)? What are we now being told (and sold) that we are wary of, until it has had some time to mature?

 Turn off your servers Even in the SMB market, cloud hasn’t resulted in a mass graveyard of on-premises servers. Before advising the smallest of organizations on a move to the cloud, I want to know what data they generate, how much there is, how big it is, and what they do with it. That knowledge, coupled with their internet connection capability, determines if there is a case for leaving some shared data or archive data out of the cloud. That’s before we’ve looked at legacy applications, especially where aging specialist hardware is concerned (think manufacturing or medical). I’m not saying it’s impossible to go fully cloud, but the dream and the reality are a little different. Do your due diligence wisely, despite what your friendly cloud-salesperson says.

 Fire your engineers Millions of IT pros have not been made redundant because their organizations have gone to the cloud. They’ve had to learn some new skills, for sure. But even virtual servers and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) requires sizing, monitoring, and managing. The cloud vendor is not going to tell you that your instance is over-specced and you should bump it down to a cheaper plan. Having said that, I know organizations that have slowed down their hiring because of the process efficiencies they now have in place with cloud and/or automation. We don’t seem to need as many technical head count per end-user, to keep the lights on.

 Virtual desktops Another early cloud promise was that we could all run cheap, low-specced desktops with a virtual desktop in the cloud doing all the processing. Yes, it sounded like terminal services to me too, or even back to dumb terminal + mainframe days. Again, this is a solution that has its place (we’re seeing it in veterinary surgeries with specialist applications and Intel Compute Sticks). But it doesn’t feel like this cloud benefit has been widely adopted.

 Chatbots are your help desk It could be early days for this one. Again, we haven’t fired all of the Level 1 support roles and replaced them with machines. While they aren’t strictly a cloud-move thing (other than chatbots living in the cloud), there is still a significant amount of hype around chatbots being our customer service and ITSM saviours. Will this one fizzle out, or do we just need to give the bots some more time to improve (knowing ironically that this happens the best when we use them and feed them more data)?

 Build your own cloud After being in technical preview for a year, Microsoft has released the Azure Stack platform to its hardware partners, for certification. Azure Stack gives you access to provision and manage infrastructure resources like you’d do in Azure, but those resources are in your own data center. There’s also a pay-as-you-go subscription billing option. The technical aspects and use cases seem pretty cool, but this is a very new thing. Have you played with the Azure Stack technical preview? Do you have plans to try it or implement it?

 So, tell me the truth One thing that has become a cloud truth is automation, whether that’s PowerShell scripts, IFTTT, or Chef recipes. While much of that automation is available on-premises, too (depending on how old your systems are), many Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions are picked over on-premises for their interoperability. If you can pull yourself away from GUI habits and embrace the console (or hand your processes off to a GUI like Microsoft Flow), those skills are a worthwhile investment to get you to cloud nirvana.

 I’ve stayed vendor-agnostic on purpose, but maybe you have some vendor-specific stories to share? What cloud visions just didn’t materialize? What’s too “bleeding edge” now to trust yet?

The post Signal and noise of the cloud appeared first on Computer Systems Design.

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Docker Enterprise now runs Windows and Linux in one cluster

With the newest Docker Enterprise Edition, you can now have Docker clusters composed of nodes running different operating systems.

Three of the key OSes supported by Docker—Windows, Linux, and IBM System Z—can run applications side by side in the same cluster, all orchestrated by a common mechanism.

[ What is Docker? Linux containers explained. | Go deeper with InfoWorld’s beginner’s guide to Docker. ]

Clustering apps across multiple OSes in Docker requires that you build per-OS images for each app. But those apps, when running on both Windows and Linux, can be linked to run in concert via Docker’s overlay networking.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Make Voice Calls on Google Home

For now, calls will show up on the recipient's phone as "Unknown" or "No Caller ID" unless you have Google Voice or Project Fi.

The post Make Voice Calls on Google Home appeared first on Computer Systems Design.

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14 Tips for Public Wi-Fi Hotspot Security

Public Wi-Fi Hotspots can be a hacker's paradise. Following these basic security tips can mean the difference between safe surfing and an identity-theft or data-loss nightmare.

The post 14 Tips for Public Wi-Fi Hotspot Security appeared first on Computer Systems Design.

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14 Tips for Public Wi-Fi Hotspot Security

Public Wi-Fi Hotspots can be a hacker's paradise. Following these basic security tips can mean the difference between safe surfing and an identity-theft or data-loss nightmare.

The post 14 Tips for Public Wi-Fi Hotspot Security appeared first on Computer Systems Design.

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The Actuator – August 16th

Back from Austin and THWACKcamp filming, and now gearing up for VMworld. I've got one session and a panel discussion. If you are attending VMworld let me know, I'd love to connect with you while in Vegas. if you time it right, you may catch me on my way to a bacon snack.

 As always, here's a bunch of links I think you might enjoy.

 Don't Take Security Advice from SEO Experts or Psychics

There's a LOT of bad advice on the internet folks. Take the time to do the extra research, especially when it comes to an expert offering expert opinions for free.

 10 Things I’ve Learned About Customer Development

"What features your customers ask for is never as interesting as why they want them." Truth.

 Researchers encode malware in DNA, compromise DNA sequencing software

This is why we can't have nice things.

 An Algorithm Trained on Emoji Knows When You’re Being Sarcastic on Twitter

Like we even need such a thing.

 Password guru regrets past advice

It's not just you, we all regret this advice.

 The InfoSec Community is Wrong About AI Being Hype

There's more than one tech community that is underestimating the impact that Ai and Machine Learning will have on our industry in the next 5 to 8 years.

 Researchers Find a Malicious Way to Meddle with Autonomous Tech

Then again, if we can keep fooling systems with tricks like this, maybe it will be a bit longer before the machines take over.

 I think I'm going to play this game every time I visit Austin.

The post The Actuator – August 16th appeared first on Computer Systems Design.

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Docker Enterprise now runs Windows and Linux in one cluster

With the newest Docker Enterprise Edition, you can now have Docker clusters composed of nodes running different operating systems.

Three of the key OSes supported by Docker -- Windows, Linux, and IBM System Z -- can run applications side by side in the same cluster, all orchestrated by a common mechanism.

[ What is Docker? Linux containers explained. | Go deeper with InfoWorld’s beginner’s guide to Docker. ]

Clustering apps across multiple OSes in Docker requires that you build per-OS images for each app. But those apps, when running on both Windows and Linux, can be linked to run in concert via Docker's overlay networking.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The post Docker Enterprise now runs Windows and Linux in one cluster appeared first on Computer Systems Design.

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The Actuator – August 16th

Back from Austin and THWACKcamp filming, and now gearing up for VMworld. I've got one session and a panel discussion. If you are attending VMworld let me know, I'd love to connect with you while in Vegas. if you time it right, you may catch me on my way to a bacon snack.

 As always, here's a bunch of links I think you might enjoy.

 Don't Take Security Advice from SEO Experts or Psychics

There's a LOT of bad advice on the internet folks. Take the time to do the extra research, especially when it comes to an expert offering expert opinions for free.

 10 Things I’ve Learned About Customer Development

"What features your customers ask for is never as interesting as why they want them." Truth.

 Researchers encode malware in DNA, compromise DNA sequencing software

This is why we can't have nice things.

 An Algorithm Trained on Emoji Knows When You’re Being Sarcastic on Twitter

Like we even need such a thing.

 Password guru regrets past advice

It's not just you, we all regret this advice.

 The InfoSec Community is Wrong About AI Being Hype

There's more than one tech community that is underestimating the impact that Ai and Machine Learning will have on our industry in the next 5 to 8 years.

 Researchers Find a Malicious Way to Meddle with Autonomous Tech

Then again, if we can keep fooling systems with tricks like this, maybe it will be a bit longer before the machines take over.

 I think I'm going to play this game every time I visit Austin.

The post The Actuator – August 16th appeared first on Computer Systems Design.

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[computersystemsdesign]

Docker Enterprise now runs Windows and Linux in one cluster

With the newest Docker Enterprise Edition, you can now have Docker clusters composed of nodes running different operating systems.

Three of the key OSes supported by Docker -- Windows, Linux, and IBM System Z -- can run applications side by side in the same cluster, all orchestrated by a common mechanism.

[ What is Docker? Linux containers explained. | Go deeper with InfoWorld’s beginner’s guide to Docker. ]

Clustering apps across multiple OSes in Docker requires that you build per-OS images for each app. But those apps, when running on both Windows and Linux, can be linked to run in concert via Docker's overlay networking.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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31% off WD 4TB My Passport Portable External USB 3.0 Hard Drive – Deal Alert

Safely store massive amounts of photos, videos and music with this 4TB external drive from WD. It comes equipped with WD Backup software so you can automatically back up photos, videos, music and documents on your preferred schedule. And built-in 256-bit AES hardware encryption with WD Security software helps keep your content private and safe. The 4TB My Passport model is currently priced just $10 higher than its 3TB counterpart with this 31% off deal. See it now on Amazon.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Build an app with Flask and Oracle Mobile Cloud Service

Team Synapse is Josh Cohen, Jacob Hoffman, Jordan Hank, and John Morgan, four Stanford computer science majors with a shared interest in using computer science for the social good. Are you interested in contributing? You'll find the Synapse repo on GitHub. 

At Synapse, we’ve been developing a “low data” app designed to crowdsource, verify, and redistribute information in the aftermath of a disaster. While our particular use case presented special challenges, like minimizing the size of requests and the number of round trips required to fetch new information, many of our goals were the same as for any large-scale mobile web application.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The post Build an app with Flask and Oracle Mobile Cloud Service appeared first on Computer Systems Design.

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RancherOS: A tiny Linux for Docker lovers

Like the various Linux server and desktop distributions, the container-oriented Linux distributions mix and match various projects and components to construct a complete container infrastructure. These distros generally combine a minimal OS kernel, an orchestration framework, and an ecosystem of container services. RancherOS not only fits the mold, but takes the minimal kernel and the container paradigm to extremes.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

(Insider Story)

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