Scaling Data Locality

In a recent Twitter discussion, we talked about data locality. What started the conversation was a comment that if you think about data locality, you think about a specific vendor (paraphrased). My response was that when I think about data locality, I really do not think about that vendor. This led to some other comments …

Using Security for Networking

In the July 20 Virtualization and Cloud Security Podcast, we were joined by Kevin Myers. Kevin is a network architect for IP ArchiTechs. Kevin and I had an interesting conversation about the convergence of networking and security. It started out as an offhand comment about how firewalls can act as routers. They have always been …

Do We Control Our Data?

Data management is a must as we move up the stack. Data management includes data locality, integrity, confidentiality, availability, and protection. In other words, the old concepts of data security, protection, and classification still apply. However, with the advent of virtualization, our data sources changed. As we moved into the cloud, they changed once more. …

Tis All about Audit: HyTrust + DataGravity

HyTrust recently announced that it is purchasing DataGravity. While I do not know the details, the purchase is a pretty savvy one. Why? HyTrust is launching into the cloud, and DataGravity works in any cloud. A win-win, if you ask me. HyTrust has three major products, and with DataGravity, it will have a fourth, but …

There Will Not Be Just a Few Clouds!

When many think cloud, they think Amazon AWS. Some even think Microsoft Azure. However, there is a growing trend to want more out of a cloud than those clouds can deliver—well, deliver at a cost people can afford. I am not talking about “white glove” treatment, or any other approach that wins smaller clouds business, …

The Encryption Layer Cake

Encryption is returning to the forefront, with Microsoft claiming its approach is better than others. VMware counters with its approach, and clouds counter with theirs. None of these approaches make sense unless you understand the layers in which you can encrypt, the risks associated with those layers of encryption, and the inherent problems with encryption …