Cloud

Alkira and Check Point Software Technologies Collaborate to Bring Enterprise-Class Security to Cloud Workloads

Alkira, Check Point Software Technologies, Ltd. | September 30, 2021

Check Point CloudGuard can be rapidly provisioned into one or multiple globally distributed Alkira Cloud Exchange Points (CXP) to provide security policy enforcement for application traffic between any set of endpoints connected to the Alkira global cloud backbone

Cloud networking pioneer Alkira® and Check Point Software Technologies, a leading provider of cyber security solutions globally, today announced a technology alliance to provide Check Point Software’s CloudGuard firewalls in Alkira’s Cloud Network infrastructure as-a-Service (CNaaS). This comes as organizations deploying application workloads to the cloud are struggling with the complexity of implementing consistent enterprise-wide security controls spanning cloud, multi-cloud and on-premises environments.

The Check Point CloudGuard platform provides cloud native security with advanced threat prevention for all assets and workloads enabling customers to deploy the same robust security in the cloud that they are used to with on-premises systems. Alkira brings a high-performance cloud network-as-a-service with global virtual infrastructure, advanced routing, intelligent service insertion and dynamic auto-scale, simplifying set-up and day 2 operations for enterprise cloud networking and security deployments.

“Alkira and Check Point simplify security deployments and make it easier for enterprise customers to apply a single security posture across the entire enterprise network spanning cloud, multi-cloud and existing data center or colocation facilities. Delivering the Alkira virtual network infrastructure and Check Point security management tools as a service allows enterprises to avoid the costs and complexity of DIY solutions, and provides guaranteed performance and scalability.”

said Atif Khan, CTO and Founder of Alkira

Alkira Cloud Services Exchange® (CSX) fully automates the provisioning, licensing, service insertion, scaling and health monitoring of CloudGuard network security gateways. Alkira seamlessly inserts the CloudGuard gateways at any point in the Alkira global cloud backbone, providing stateful security controls for any on-premises, cloud, and Internet application traffic. Alkira allows customers to decouple CloudGuard from the specific cloud providers, thus providing a more efficient multi-cloud security architecture.

Cloud environments offer global presence and vast compute resources but lack the necessary routing, policy and operational controls enterprises require for a streamlined cloud firewall deployment. Even in a single cloud environment, do-it-yourself solutions result in a complex sprawl of virtual machine instances and traffic management scenarios. They also tend to make inefficient use of resources. All these problems are made worse in multi-cloud environments.

“The combination of Check Point CloudGuard and Alkira simplifies the process of provisioning and ongoing management in the cloud networking environment which is a big win for enterprise customers. The Check Point CloudGuard platform provides cloud native security with advanced threat prevention for all assets and workloads, across public, hybrid and multi-cloud environments, enabling customers to benefit from a single unified security platform.”

added TJ Gonen, Head of Cloud Security at Check Point

Check Point CloudGuard can be rapidly provisioned into one or multiple globally distributed Alkira Cloud Exchange Points (CXP) to provide security policy enforcement for application traffic between any set of endpoints connected to the Alkira global cloud backbone.

Once CloudGuard has been provisioned within an Alkira CXP it can provide:
  • Security policy to and between public clouds
  • Cloud hosted, stateful firewall services for branches and data centers
  • Regionalized Internet breakouts for secure SaaS application access
  • Cloud DMZ environment for Internet facing applications
  • Shared cloud application services for partners and M&As

Alkira’s visual policy manager simplifies policy configuration, scoping and inspection, and streamlines auditing for assurance and compliance purposes. Alkira’s intent-based approach selectively routes traffic to firewalls according to need, improving efficiency of firewall utilization and optimizing network performance. Customers have a choice of bring-your-own license (BYOL) or pay-as-you-go (PAYG) licensing models.

Check Point offers a multilevel security architecture that defends enterprises’ cloud, network and mobile device-held information, and a comprehensive and intuitive one-point-of-control security management system.

CloudGuard is available in the Alkira network services marketplace.

About Alkira
Alkira delivers Cloud Networking as-a-Service (CNaaS) and developed the first Network Cloud which enables enterprises to build and deploy a secure global unified multi-cloud network infrastructure as-a-service that delivers network connectivity, advanced network and security services, and end-to-end visibility and governance. Alkira Cloud Services Exchange® (CSX) seamlessly and securely connects branches, data centers, remote users and clouds. Alkira CSX is available on the AWS and Azure Marketplaces. Alkira was founded by CEO Amir Khan, founder and former CEO of Viptela, and Atif Khan, CTO, former VP and founding team member at Viptela. Alkira has raised $76M from Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Koch Disruptive Technologies, LLC, and GV Capital (formerly Google Ventures)

Spotlight

According to Counterpoint Research, the 5G+Wi-Fi 7 market will see cumulative shipments of over 7 billion devices through 2027 and grow at more than 100% annually between now and 2027 driven by leading applications including smartphones, gateways and routers, and the automotive sector.


Other News
Virtual Desktop Strategies, Virtual Server Management

StackPath Introduces Larger Edge Compute Instances

prnewswire | August 16, 2023

StackPath, the industry-leading edge computing platform, today announced new, larger StackPath Edge Compute Virtual Machine and Container instances featuring higher virtual CPU (vCPU) core counts and included RAM. These larger instances give businesses the computing power that data-intensive workloads require, deployed at the edge of the internet for the lowest latency between processing and data sources and destinations. "Enterprises increasingly need to leverage real-time data for a myriad of reasons, from improving end-user experiences to gaining deeper business insights. But real-time data applications require high processing power, and getting cloud computing with that level of power has historically come with the cost of latency, centralization, and excessive bandwidth charges," said Tom Reyes, Chief Product Officer for StackPath. "These new, larger compute instances deliver the best of both worlds, pairing cloud computing power with the speed, scalability, and control that makes edge computing an essential facet of any latency-sensitive, distributed workload's deployment strategy." StackPath provides virtual machines and computing containers on demand, with full orchestration for rapidly provisioning distributed resources. Unlike most hyper-scale cloud computing providers, StackPath deploys its facilities within the metropolitan areas of major markets around the world, placing its instances physically closer to businesses' premises and their end users. This reduces latency by minimizing the distance data has to travel. Private network connections between StackPath locations provide even more speed advantages for workload data commuting between geographic regions. The new virtual machine instances sizes are: 16 vCPUs x 64GiB RAM x 25GiB Root Disk 32 vCPUs x 128GiB RAM x 25GiB Root Disk 48 vCPUs x 256GiB RAM x 25GiB Root Disk The new container instances sizes are: 16 vCPUs x 64GiB RAM x 40GiB Root Disk 32 vCPUs x 128GiB RAM x 40GiB Root Disk 48 vCPUs x 256GiB RAM x 40GiB Root Disk StackPath Edge Compute instances are provisioned on demand through the StackPath Customer Portal or API. Instances are billed by the hour and by the volume of data transferred. Additional options include forming virtual private clouds and leveraging built-in L3-L4 DDoS protection, persistent storage, image capture and deployment, private IP addresses, and more. To learn more or get started, visit http://www.stackpath.com. About StackPath StackPath is a cloud platform built at the internet's edge, providing infrastructure and services physically closer to the source or destination of data than hyperscale cloud service providers. StackPath Edge Compute (including virtual machines and containers), Edge Delivery (including CDN and serverless scripting), and Edge Security (including WAF and L3-L4, L7 DDoS Protection) solutions run in edge locations strategically deployed in high-density markets and united by a secure global network and a single management system. Customers ranging from Fortune 50 enterprises to one-person startups trust StackPath to give their latency-sensitive workloads and real-time applications the speed, security, and efficiency they require.

Read More

Server Virtualization, Virtual Server Infrastructure

Impero Software Adds AI, Machine Learning to Holistic Classroom Tool for Student Safety

globenewswire | June 27, 2023

Impero Software, a leading provider of online student safety, classroom management and secure remote access software, today announced during ISTELive 2023 that it has incorporated AI and machine learning into its newly debuted “Impero Wellbeing” student safety software, dramatically elevating its capabilities of safeguarding learners. When installed on student devices, Impero Wellbeing actively and automatically monitors for harmful keywords – such as those having to do with self-harm, bullying, violence, drugs, weapons, pornography or radicalization. If the software detects a student typing potentially dangerous keywords, it then records the incident by snapping a series of screenshots and flagging them in real-time for teacher and administrator review. The AI component is able to sort through the potentially thousands of flags and intelligently cut through false positives to give teachers immediate visibility to any concerning student behavior. “The launch of machine learning for Impero Wellbeing is taking our goal of ensuring the safety of every learner to the next level,” said Justin Reilly, CEO of Impero Software. “Even the most intricate, nuanced filtering solution can have potentially thousands of false positives. We recently had a great example - perhaps a student is typing to their friend that they’re excited to go to the theater and see the new ‘Suicide Squad’ movie. That’s obviously a very different situation than looking up information on suicide. Our AI-powered solution is able to achieve a dramatic reduction in these false positives that would take up valuable staff time and alert teachers to only the truly dangerous phrases and searches – saving precious time that can make all the difference for a student in crisis.” In addition to this active online monitoring, Impero Wellbeing can be paired with Impero Safeguard, a digital toolbox allowing teachers to record observed, “offline” events. If a student comes in without a jacket during a harsh winter or has visible bruises, teachers can log these concerns into a student profile for further investigation. Impero Wellbeing & Safeguard are unique in that they combine the “offline” and “online” flags into a single holistic view that gives teachers and school staff a full picture of a student’s physical and mental wellbeing. “It’s impossible to overstate how much of a difference having this technology at their back makes for teachers in today’s classrooms,” said Impero’s Product Engagement Manager Channing Anderson, who has previous experience as a teacher and school IT director. “Teachers today are being asked to fight against a mental health crisis while half their students are only visible through a screen. They can’t always see what’s happening, and these software solutions are transformative in catching red flags and taking proactive action well before any real danger presents itself.” Other key features of Impero Wellbeing include: Granular permission levels for school staff to protect confidential student information. A constantly reviewed database of over 7,000 concerning keywords and phrases covering mental health, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and more. Integration with Impero Safeguard, enabling the online captures to be included in student-specific chronologies. These chronologies can be securely shared, making it easier than ever to support referrals and aid specialist intervention. Intuitive reporting that paints a picture of individual student behavior, as well as trends across a class, year group and whole school - giving you valuable context to plan appropriate intervention tactics. Full GDPR compliance with a firm commitment to student data privacy and security. Full compatibility with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and ChromeOS. About Impero Software Impero is a global leader in digital solutions for safe and efficient studying and working environments, keeping students on-task and safe, and providing secure and efficient platforms for employees working remote. In 2022, Impero acquired ContentKeeper, considered one of K-12's best web filtering solutions. Today we work directly with technical teams, schools, MATs, and Fortune 500 companies in more than 90 countries.

Read More

Virtual Desktop Tools, Virtual Server Infrastructure

European Commission Approves Broadcom's Acquisition of VMware

prnewswire | July 17, 2023

Broadcom Inc. a global technology leader that designs, develops and supplies semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions, received conditional approval today from the European Commission to complete its acquisition of VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW). With this decision, the Commission recognizes the importance of this combination in enabling enterprises to accelerate growth and momentum in the multi-cloud ecosystem, and in expanding customer choice and creating more potential for increased innovation and competition. Broadcom has also received legal merger clearance in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and Taiwan, and foreign investment control clearance in all necessary jurisdictions. While Broadcom believes that its proposed acquisition of VMware will only increase competition and innovation in cloud computing, Broadcom provided the European Commission with a technology access remedy that preserves interoperability, a core principle that would not have changed as a result of this transaction. Broadcom did this to fully address the concerns expressed by the European Commission, and Broadcom welcomes the Commission's decision to accept this access remedy. Broadcom looks forward to continuing to work constructively with regulators around the world. Broadcom is confident that when regulators conclude their review, they too will see that the combination of Broadcom and VMware will enhance competition in the cloud and benefit enterprise customers by giving them more choice and control over where they locate their workloads. Broadcom continues to expect that the transaction will close in its fiscal year 2023. About Broadcom Inc. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), a Delaware corporation headquartered in San Jose, CA, is a global technology leader that designs, develops and supplies a broad range of semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions. Broadcom's category-leading product portfolio serves critical markets including data center, networking, enterprise software, broadband, wireless, storage and industrial. Our solutions include data center networking and storage, enterprise, mainframe and cyber security software focused on automation, monitoring and security, smartphone components, telecoms and factory automation.

Read More

Virtual Desktop Tools, Virtual Server Infrastructure

MacStadium Secures Two Patents to Further Expand Innovation Across Apple Enterprise Cloud Deployments

businesswire | July 13, 2023

MacStadium, the industry-leading Mac private cloud and software-as-a-service provider enabling macOS workloads, today announced it has secured two patents: one for injection molded “helmets” providing keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) and precise power button control remotely, and one for a new rack shelving design with optimizing server density along with the KVM system. MacStadium’s helmets, which sit atop a Mac mini or Mac Studio, are specifically designed to retrofit the company’s current shelving offering. Leveraging 3D printing technology to rapidly prototype and refine the design, this innovation dramatically reduces time-to-market and yields very low cost per unit. While the helmets remain compatible with former shelving solutions, the new shelf design offers six times the server density of older Mac Pro racks and 50% more server density than existing Mac mini racks. Additionally, each Mac server is provisioned with an Apple-focused KVM device providing significant capabilities and advantages while slashing rack shelving costs by 50% or more. “These patents offer an exciting glimpse into how much we have grown and evolved our technology to better service our customers with scalability on-demand and faster deployment made possible via our enterprise hardware program,” said Paul Benati, MacStadium’s senior vice president and COO. “MacStadium has been and remains at the forefront of Apple enterprise innovation. As the first to market with new Apple servers, we continue to innovate, prioritizing reduced system friction, increased customer ease and satisfaction and decreased costs.” MacStadium’s proprietary helmet - which is currently in production - houses a temperature probe, LED light, OLED display and a servo, which allows for granular remote control of Apple devices’ power button. These KVM devices can remotely control the Apple devices to which they are connected, eliminating the need for customers to request server control and for IT teams to physically go to data centers to correct issues. With these remote control and self-service features, customers unlock new capabilities, including the ability to dynamically define the purpose of the Apple device, access to network storage and the long-awaited ability to run FileVault. The KVM system is securely accessed via SSL, SSO integration and authentication and authorization via lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP). The shelving system, which will soon begin production, is designed to hold 24 Mac minis and 24 Apple-focused KVM devices, increasing the capacity of a standard rack to 144 Mac minis. In addition to increased operational efficiencies and secure server access from anywhere in the world, the shelving design offers tremendous cost savings due to its injection molded manufacturing. Not only is this manufacturing offered globally by a multitude of vendors, but it also allows for reduced shipping costs and more server density per square foot due to the product’s reduced bulk and weight. These innovations provide a clear competitive advantage for customers and are just some of the foundational elements of MacStadium's offering, aimed at driving Mac compute to customers via self-service. The patents come after MacStadium announced Orka Workspace with Pulse, designed to enable high-definition audio and visual streaming on virtual Mac desktops via any HTML5-supported browser. In addition, the company recently made public its Orka Small Teams edition, a self-service purchase option, giving MacDevOps teams immediate access to the industry’s leading enterprise-grade macOS virtualization and orchestration tool. As tech companies look to streamline operations and maximize their resources, this automation is critical to remain competitive. About MacStadium Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Atlanta, MacStadium is a private Mac cloud provider delivering scalable and secure enterprise cloud solutions exclusively for macOS. The company’s suite of advanced software-enabled infrastructure, combined with its innovative technology, delivers the security, performance, reliability and flexibility its MacDevOps customers require for successful app development on Apple devices. Powered by MacStadium, Orka® (Orchestration with Kubernetes on Apple) Platform is the only virtualization layer available for Mac build infrastructure based on popular Docker and Kubernetes technology. MacStadium is a Summit Partners portfolio company with multi-site operations in the U.S. and EU.

Read More