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Don't Let Technical Debt Be Your Company's Subprime Loan: Mapping Your Way to Better Software
I was in the pub recently for the local quiz and afterwards, I got talking to someone I hadn’t seen for a while. After a few minutes, we started discussing a certain app he loves on his new phone, but he wished the creators would fix a problem with the way it displayed information, so it looks like it does when he logs in…
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Why Investing in Software Security Is Worth It
Building IT software isn’t always the most secure process. The reason for this is simple economics. Companies can’t always afford to build in the security features software needs to be secure. Let’s walk through a typical IT software project. As the IT software project is planned out, the security of the software and the…
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What is Software-Defined Storage Anyway?
It seems like you can't talk to anyone in IT without hearing about "software-defined" something these days. Ever since Software-Defined Networking (SDN) burst on the scene, it's the hot trend. My world of storage is just as bad: It seems as if every vendor is claiming to sell "Software-Defined Storage" without much clarity…
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Is Software as a Service (SaaS) Really for You?
Software as a Service (SaaS) sounds like a terrific deal, because it requires relatively little money up front. You only pay for what you use each month. And then there’s no worry about upgrades, support, or maintenance. All you have to do is pay and play, right? Well, it’s not necessarily that simple. For example, with…
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Suggested Cloud Monitoring Strategies for IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
From the Cloud First policy established in 2010 to last year’s Cloud Smart update, it’s clear the government is driving federal agencies toward cloud computing. The strategy makes sense, but for agencies migrating, however, the decision is less clear cut, because there are several options agencies can choose based on…
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Federal Technology Trends: Hybrid IT is the New Black
By Joe Kim, SolarWinds EVP, Engineering and Global CTO Last year, hybrid IT was the new black, at least according to the SolarWinds 2016 Public Sector IT Trends Report. In surveying 116 public sector IT professionals, we found that agencies are actively moving much of their infrastructure to the cloud, while still keeping…
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Firewall Security Management – An Integral Part of Cyber Security
Cyber-attacks have become very common in today’s technology world. According to Akamai's Q2 2013 State of the Internet Report, the number of cyber-attacks that occurred during the second quarter of 2013 fluctuated across the globe. However, places like Indonesia and China experienced a significant increase in attack…
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Writing Challenge Day 8: My New Hobby: Lessons Learned
This year has thrown us through a loop and being stuck within our four walls eventually catches up with us all. Some of my hobbies are no longer safe and a new one needed to take its place. For me, accentuating the positive meant learning a new hobby. Finding the tools, information, time, and raw materials for making…
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"IT" Portrayed in Hollywood
If you are like me, you watch your fair share of movies and TV. And being a seasoned IT pro, I always watch with a discerning eye when IT plays a critical role in advancing plot. One of my particular not-so-favorite clichés is when the cynical computer whiz (baseball cap worn usually askew) sits down in front of a…
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Does Compliance Start with Software, or with People and Processes?
All too often, federal IT personnel misconstrue software as being able to make their agency compliant with various regulations. It can’t – at least not by itself. Certainly, software can help you achieve compliance, but it should only be viewed as a component of your efforts. True and complete compliance involves defining,…