The Future of DevSecOps

Posted on June 15, 2018January 20, 2021 by Idexcel Technologies

2015 was the year of predictions; Gartner predicted the rise of DevOps and how it would go mainstream, only to be adopted by a series of companies. By the beginning of 2017, DevOps had indeed become the talk of the town, as more and more companies began to realize the benefits of adopting DevOps within their processes.

The adoption of new technologies is a boon for companies since they get to enhance their productivity using the procedures of DevOps. However, where do the considerations of security stand in between all of this? With a total of 64, 000 incidents and 2,300 breaches in the year 2016 (and still counting), protecting personal data has become a priority and a necessity rather than just an option.

By 2019, close to 70% of companies who are using DevOps will realize the importance of security within their development procedures and will start incorporating the practices within their DevOps foundation itself. For this very reason, even the “normal” DevOps would need to be tuned to security procedures to protect the data from being stolen or misused.

To infuse security at every step, and to remain faithful to the spirit of DevOps, security needs to be inbuilt right from the beginning of the delivery process; this would mean that companies need to embrace the very culture and philosophy of teamwork and coordination while keeping agility and shared responsibility in mind.

The Need of Security Within DevOps Procedures

Simply put, if you want to save time and money at the same time, you should employ security measures within your DevOps procedures. If the appropriate security procedures are tuned in from the beginning itself, teams can provide the necessary feedback at the initial stage, instead of waiting for the lifecycle to end.

In large organizations, last level security checks often take endless stretches of time, which causes not only a delay in rollout time but also a delay in the feedback and the resolution time; this would mean that the company would need to spend an additional amount of time waiting for the final launch of the products and services, which in turn can mean losses for the company.

Building Security Into DevOps Foundations

Understand the consequences of not having security within DevOps: Answering simple questions can go a long way in helping one understand the implications of not having the right security measures within the DevOps cycle. While cost is one major influencer, time and money come just close enough. Add reputational damage to the list, and everything will get impacted on an immediate basis.

Focus the efforts in the pain areas to make them useful: Resources should be channelized into areas which need the most attention. Consider the worst case scenarios, to understand the extent of the damages, so that the appropriate tools of remediation can be devised. This way, if you are prepared for the worst scenario, every simple yet complex security breach can be handled with utmost ease.

Provide a free hand, but don’t stop monitoring: The progress of the inclusion of security should be of utmost importance. During the inclusion process, freedom of operation should be of utmost priority. Teams should be given a free hand to perform as they please. However, this does not mean that everything goes unsupervised. Keep a strict vigil on what is right and what is not; provide feedback for rectification, wherever necessary. This way, everything goes as per plan; the teams will be happy, and security will also not be compromised.

Automating will help estimate vulnerabilities: Automation is an essential tool within the very fabric of DevOps. Not only can businesses rapidly change, but they can work more efficiently and effectively. Security should be infused within the very structure of DevOps, which means it should be effectively included within Development, QA, Operations, and infrastructure. Automate as much as possible; the lesser the human intervention, the more secure your operations would become. Consider every manual process as a security hazard and consider opportunities for automation as a pain area.

Main Obstacles During the DevOps Procedure

A difference in priorities: Security teams often don’t count as one of the DevOps stakeholders; this means that there will always be a difference in opinions, which can cause a slowdown in deployment procedures.

Setting the pace: Going at a breakneck pace during the deployment stage can upset the very essence of DevOps. While automation is an essential factor during the deployment stage, high speed should not bring the whole process down to its knees.

Maintaining a protocol: More often than not, to implement security, specific protocols would need to be changed during the building process; this might mean ruffling up a few feathers to get the required approvals. However, obtaining the needed approvals can be a challenge, especially since higher management is actively involved in the DevOps development and implementation.

Security has slowly but steadily become a keyword within the DevOps world. It has become a significant segment, which is often considered to be a substantial part of the DevOps lifecycle, and should be followed to the tee.

Also Read

Idexcel Achieves AWS DevOps Competency Status
Artificial Intelligence to Make DevOps More Effective
True Business Efficiency Combines the Power of Cloud Computing and DevOps Practices

Cloud Computing: Propagating Environmental Friendly Infrastructure

Posted on June 5, 2018October 18, 2019 by Idexcel Technologies

The rapid industrial expansion has put natural resources at risk to the level that environmental sustainability has become one of the primary concerns of companies and governments. As the entire world is also well aware of their contribution to the environmental degradation, people have started to take measures in whichever circle possible to tackle natural resource crisis. Most of their efforts include a focused reduction of carbon footprints. By going green, people are realizing that contribution of each person is necessary to overcome such a situation. From reducing paper use to efficient electricity consumption, people have found ways for significant contribution. Cloud Computing is also one such platform that provides both the firm and their consumers to follow the same path. Environmental Benefits of Cloud Computing include:

Energy Efficient
At surface it may seem that cloud server consumes a lot of electricity due to its distributed servers, however, the reality is not so. The likes of Hybrid Cloud, Integrated cloud and so on have redefined the efficiency measures in cloud computing. They use a flexible cloud stretch that takes the space according to the need of the storage. In this way, no server sits idle consuming electricity. The amount of energy needed is exactly equal to the amount of energy used. This contributes to not just saving the energy but also cuts down on business expenditure. It requires fewer machines and makes optimum use of those in executing the tasks. The cloud space does not sit idle and this results in a better allocation of resources, contributing thereby to environmental wellbeing.

Infrastructural Advancement
The deployment of energy efficient systems that use minimized resourced has a twofold advantage. Beside reducing electric consumption, the cloud system takes shape of a well-organized infrastructure. Public cloud data centers are usually established in close vicinity to the facilities which results in prevention of loss of energy during heavy data transmission. They use less wattage for smooth run of their data centers and are designed at scale and built for efficiency across infrastructure to achieve optimal utilization.

Reduction in Climate Impact
There are several other ways in which firms impact the climate. Apart from deforestation, industrialization has also led to an increased emission of carbonic particles. The climate impact is greatly reduced by the cloud deployment as a result of fewer carbon emissions. Even AWS holds that the average corporate data center has a dirtier power mix than the typical large scale cloud provider. AWS and its partnered cloud providers use 28% lesser carbon-intense power mix. For that, these cloud providers use perfect temperature for their cloud servers that lets systems run at peak performance level without further expanses. The cloud infrastructure eliminates the wasteful spending of energy because of the use of energy efficient equipment and fewer carbon emissions.

The Paperless Option for Businesses
Going paperless is one of the highly praised steps in conserving the environment. It helps in minimizing the deforestation at a significant level. Firms usually keep forms and files that contain company data. Cloud computing allows the company to deal in electronic data. Moving the data to cloud is like making the data available at a centralized location which can be accessed by the authorized personnels. By eliminating the need of paper material, cloud computing enables the firms to invest in on going environmental contribution.

According to the Guardian, companies can cut their carbon emission to half by switching their data to cloud servers. With such a massive potential for sustainability and propagation of environmental resources, cloud computing is definitely a thumbs up.

Cloud computing has played a vital role in securing and strengthening the environmental ecosystem. When embarking to cloud, numerous quantifiable benefits follow. The instances of energy reduction, increased efficiency and computing capabilities, going paper-less and so on, all closely denote these benefits.

The green and eco-friendly aspect of cloud is mostly overlooked alongside other multifaceted advantages of cloud computing. It has impacts far beyond just the conservation of energy. It, in a way, redefines the modern computing. The firms no longer have to worry about inefficient space nor should they worry about wastage of energy and money. Cloud computing also immunes the companies against carbon credits. They cannot afford to be a threat to the environment while being passionate of catering to the needs of its customers. The contradiction of natural wellbeing and environmental threats in industrial agenda is eradicated through the deployment of cloud computing.

Also Read

Hybrid Cloud: Defining The Face of Futuristic Cloud Architecture
Cloud Computing in the Healthcare Industry
Four Key Steps That Can Enhance and Endure Cloud Migration

Idexcel Achieves AWS Financial Services Competency Status

Posted on June 5, 2018October 18, 2019 by Idexcel Technologies

Herndon, VA– June 04, 2018– Idexcel, a professional services and technology solutions provider, announced today that it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Financial Services Competency status. This designation recognizes Idexcel for providing deep expertise to help organizations manage critical issues pertaining to the industry, such as risk management, core systems implementations, data management, navigating compliance requirements, and establishing governance models.

Achieving the AWS Financial Services Competency differentiates Idexcel as an AWS Partner Network (APN) member that has demonstrated relevant technical proficiency and proven customer success, delivering solutions seamlessly on AWS. To receive the designation, APN Partners must possess deep AWS expertise and undergo an assessment of the security, performance, and reliability of their solutions.

AWS is enabling scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solutions from startups to global enterprises. To support the seamless integration and deployment of these solutions, AWS established the AWS Competency Program to help customers identify Consulting and Technology APN Partners with deep industry experience and expertise.

Idexcel helps financial organizations transform business processes, rationalize product portfolios, strategize business assets, comply with regulations, manage risks and maximize customer satisfaction by adopting and implementing Digital transformation, Cloud computing and other emerging Data science technologies like AI and ML to modernize their existing IT infrastructure. Know more about our financial services offerings.

“Our goal is to become a full-featured core banking application available in the cloud. With AWS and technology partner Idexcel, we’re on our way.” – Jennifer Ballard – Director of Client Services, Cync Software/NDS Systems LC

About Idexcel
Idexcel is a Professional Services and Technology Solutions provider specializing in Cloud Services, Application Modernization, and Data Analytics. Idexcel is proud that for more than 20 years it has provided services that implement complex technologies that are innovative, agile and successful and have provided our customers with lasting value.

Our name, “idexcel” is a representation of our core principle “Ideas to Excellence” We are relentlessly driven by results and take pride in our customer-centric engagement models. We blend our clients’ needs with proven delivery models and highly talented execution teams to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, Idexcel has offices and delivery locations in the US, Europe and Asia supporting global clients.

Learn more about us at http://www.idexcel.com

Big-data Analytics for Raising Data-Driven Enterprise

Posted on June 1, 2018June 1, 2018 by Idexcel Technologies

Big data can indeed unveil paths for unprecedented growth, for they provide a clear view of the current scenario; it sets a base for how organizations can build upon that data to make better plans and execute them accordingly. One of the numerous benefits of a data-driven organization is utilizing a digital record to store customer behavior and then using that information to develop better strategies. Although the process is a bit challenging, those who learn to tackle the hurdle take their organizations toward a market-ready and competitively secure setup.

While it is extremely beneficial to make decisions based on data-driven insights, many organizations still struggle to understand the optimum use of their big data; as a result, they overlook the potential big data has in transforming their organization. Investments put in data analytics has indeed increased over the past years which indicates the growing awareness of big-data (or DataOps) benefits; however, churning out of all the benefits that DataOps can provide is a feat mostly unachieved by many organizations. They face difficulties when leveraging big-data and end up underestimating big data’s potential. Organizations require orientation and planning for execution of big-data to achieve the best outcomes possible.

Understanding DataOps
DataOps, is a revolutionary way of managing data that promotes high-efficiency communication between data, teams, and systems. DataOps runs parallel to the benefits that DevOps provides. DataOps garners the data of organizational process change, realignment, and available technology to facilitate a professionally well-cultured relationship between everyone who handles data – data scientists, engineers, developers, business users, etc. – allowing all users to have swift access to the target data.

Because of creating data-driven enterprise, three essential properties are associated with DataOps:

Volume: Big data takes systematic record of massive scale business transactions, social media exchange, and information flow from machine-to-machine or sensor data.

Velocity: DataOps or Big-data analytics proposes timely data stream at high speed.

Variety: The Data collected forms totality in the form of a spectrum representing the full Data register. The data often comes in various formats such as structured, numeric in the traditional database or the unstructured text documents, video, audio, email, or stock ticker data.

With these varied capacities of big data, organizations must implement DataOps on a larger scale. It’s not just monetarily beneficial but also sets a smooth foundation for a variety of allied processes. The utilization of big data is even more important than just getting a grasp of the data. An organization with proper utilization of comparably fewer data points will leave behind an organization with poor utilization in the race of optimal business solidarity and growth. A data-driven enterprise, thus, entertains various privileges that other firms don’t such as:

Cost Reduction: Big data tools such as Hadoop and Cloud-Based Analytics help in reducing costs drastically especially when the data is extensive. These tools help organizations use the big data more effectively through locating and retrieving the data efficiently.

Time-Saving: The high velocity, at which data travels in a DataOps model cuts the usual long hours into small segments and renders the organization an opportunity to use the spare time for further growth of the enterprise. Tools like Hadoop and In-Memory Analytics identify the target sources immediately and make quick decisions based on the learnings.

Product Development: Having customer data in hand the enterprise can efficiently analyze the market forces and act accordingly. Creating product that satisfies the customer’s needs is one of the most common strategies that firms embrace nowadays.

Foreseeing Market Conditions: Big data analytics renders the most accurate analysis of market conditions. By keeping a record of customer purchasing behavior and likewise data, the enterprise makes itself ready for coping with future market forces and planning accordingly.

Controlling Reputation: Big data tools can also help enterprises do sentiment analysis such as review and rating analysis. Organizations can get a clear insight of their current outlook and aim at propagating the positives while marring down the negatives.

Creating and operating in a data-driven enterprise seems to be a fundamental choice for the organizations nowadays. DataOps approaches allow businesses to manage big data in the cloud through automation; this inculcates a culture of a self-service model that unfolds a variety of benefits for both, the organization, and the customer.

Also Read

How Big Data Is Changing the Financial Industry
Big Data Empowers AI & Machine Learning

Benefits of Utilizing Enterprise Cloud Applications

Posted on May 31, 2018October 18, 2019 by Idexcel Technologies

With the cut-throat competition swarming the market these days, there is a race amongst companies to move ahead of their competitors. Enterprises are devising new solutions to understand what it takes to be on top. As the world of technology advances, there are a plethora of options available to organizations, which promise to make their day to day processes more manageable, and beneficial at the same time.

When one talks about technological advancements, it would be a sin not to address the various nuisance nuances of the Cloud. One such nuance is the introduction of enterprise Cloud services which prove to be a complete solution. IT managers are given the opportunity to benefit tremendously with the movement to the Cloud; benefits might be concerning the cost savings, revenue growth or even efficiency within the day to day work production.

Companies are quickly moving their operations to the Cloud to harness the power of innovation. Firms which refrain from moving to the Cloud face the dangers of being outdated, which can be a deal breaker for a lot of prominent organizations. By 2025, most top-notch organizations are aiming to shift 50 percent of their workload to the Cloud with an aim to adapt to the benefits of Enterprise Cloud Computing.

Cost Savings
Since this is one of the biggest reasons for companies to move to the Cloud; if this movement is giving you nightmares at night, rest assured, you are not the only one who is worrying about the initial movement cost – more than 20% of companies are worried about the move to the Cloud.

For companies who don’t have much work in the Cloud, there is a pay-as-you-go feature. This way, you only end up paying for the attributes you use and the time you spend online.

In cases where you don’t use the features you signed up for, you end up paying for your online time only; this is solely dependent on the type of service provider you have signed up with and what features they are offering you with the subscription. Most of the time, you can pay for the server space you need, and the rest can be clocked with the pay-as-you-go option for convenience sake.

Security of Data
When it comes to moving to the Cloud, security proves to be one major area of concern for organizations. Given the latest widespread data breaches, this issue does not come as a surprise. The hosting company’s primary role is not only to provide hosting services but also to maintain the Cloud’s security at all times. In the case of a breach, organizations would end up losing a lot more than just their files.

By moving to the Cloud, the problems of internal theft are put at bay. Within organizations, the chances of internal data theft are staggeringly high, which makes a move all the more lucrative for organizations. However, that does not mean that security is a concern which should be overlooked, even when all internal data is being moved to an external Cloud service. As per a recent survey conducted by RapidScale, it was calculated that close to 94% of businesses noticed an improvement in data security after moving to the Cloud. External Cloud service providers often provide encrypted data services, along with other security features, which makes the process of moving to the Cloud all the more secure and efficient.

Flexibility
If you are currently juggling between managing your core responsibilities, along with the problem of data storage, security, and maintenance then it is time to move to the Cloud. With such services in place, organizations can benefit tremendously as they obtain flexibility which only an external service provider can give.

Concentrating on core responsibilities, without having to fret about data storage, data security and IT hosting can provide additional flexibility to organizations. With an external hosting vendor, more than 65% of organizations were able to meet business demands in a more efficient, and structured manner.

Boost Productivity
The ability to access your data efficiently can go a long way in boosting the productivity of employees’. When data is remotely available, it becomes easier for employees to make real-time decisions related to business problems and organizations can perform better when it comes to meeting production targets and enhancing customer experience.

The Final Word
Cloud infrastructures lend a helping hand in environmental proactivity by providing virtual services rather than merely physical products and hardware related services. The Cloud has an extensive list of advantages, which can be harnessed by tying up with the right service provider. The organizational goals can go a long way in deciding the type of services to consider eventually. With the cut-throat competition in the market these days, there is a rat race amongst companies to move ahead of their competitors. Enterprises are devising newer solutions to understand what it takes to be on top of the other. As the world of technology advances, there are a plethora of options available to organizations, which promise to make their day to day processes more manageable, and better at the same time.

Also Read

Hybrid Cloud: Defining The Face of Futuristic Cloud Architecture
Cloud Computing in the Healthcare Industry
Four Key Steps That Can Enhance and Endure Cloud Migration

Idexcel Achieves AWS DevOps Competency Status

Posted on May 23, 2018January 20, 2021 by Idexcel Technologies

Herndon, VA– May 22, 2018 – Idexcel, a professional services and technology solutions provider, announced today that it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) DevOps Competency status. This designation recognizes that Idexcel provides proven technology and deep expertise to help customers implement continuous integration and continuous delivery practices or helping them automate infrastructure provisioning and management with configuration management tools on AWS.

Achieving the AWS DevOps Competency differentiates Idexcel as an AWS Partner Network (APN) member that provides specialized demonstrated technical proficiency and proven customer success with specific focus on Continuous Integration & Continuous Delivery, Monitoring, Logging, and Performance, Infrastructure as Code or Consulting. To receive the designation, APN Partners must possess deep AWS expertise and deliver solutions seamlessly on AWS.

Idexcel’s DevOps as a Service enables agile development teams to focus on their core strengths by delivering a ‘as a service’ environment, customized for your organization’s needs. Idexcel offers proven tools, flows, environments and expertise for large and small enterprises to quickly spin up a DevOps environment for your use. We offer capabilities for enterprises to develop, build, test and deploy software across a variety of cloud environments including Amazon AWS and on-premise environments.

Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, Idexcel has offices and delivery locations in the US, Europe and Asia supporting global clients.

Learn more about us at http://www.idexcel.com

DevOps West Conference

Posted on May 22, 2018January 20, 2021 by Idexcel Technologies

Event Details: Find out how the practice of DevOps brings cross-functional stakeholders together to deliver software with greater speed and agility. Learn from industry experts how your organization can apply DevOps concepts to improve deployment frequency and time to market, reduce lead time, and more successfully deliver stable new features.

[Know more about the Conference]

About Idexcel: Idexcel is a Professional Services and Technology Solutions provider specializing in Cloud Services, Application Modernization, and Data Analytics. Idexcel is proud that for more than 20 years it has provided services that implement complex technologies that are innovative, agile and successful and have provided our customers with lasting value.

Anand Allolankandy – (Sr. Director Technical Sales & Delivery at Idexcel) will be attending this event. For further queries, please write to anand@idexcel.com

What is Data Intelligence and Why Do You Need It?

Posted on May 14, 2018January 20, 2021 by Idexcel Technologies

With the advent of available technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have been moving towards an unforeseen evolution. Smart machines are no longer operating on synthetic data, but use in-field ‘true’ data, which not only enhances their capability for better human interaction but also signals towards many more future possibilities. Data Intelligence is one such development that can contribute to these tools significantly.

Data Intelligence is the combination of AI and machine learning (ML) and is the promise of a prolific tomorrow. With cloud-based storage featuring massive sizes and speeds, data intelligence signals a coming of optimal fusion. Technology is becoming better every day, especially with regards to efficiency, and amid this stream, data intelligence does not seem to be a pick of disappointment.

The Base Foundation For Data Intelligence
With optimized data awareness, data intelligence offers a rather unconventional 360-degree view of the business environment which enfolds within both customer and organization centered data analysis. With proper knowledge of both ends, business will flourish.

Data intelligence has several components that involve a set of techniques each:
Descriptive: For reviewing and examining the data to understand and analyze business performance.
Prescriptive: For developing and analyzing alternative knowledge that can be applied in the courses of action
Diagnostic: For determining the possible causes of particulate occurrences.
Predictive: For analyzing historical data to determine future occurrences.
Decisive: For measuring the data adequacy and recommending future actions to be undertaken in an environment of multiple possibilities.

Data intelligence is moving towards becoming one of the primary facets of big data. From a quick infantile stage, data intelligence has reached a certain level which promises smart conduction of massive data. It is not going to contract its wings either; the immediate favorable results have attracted eyes of many firms. Even various entrepreneurs have been showing interest in making use of and developing Data Intelligence further.

Having stated the potential of Data Intelligence, let us elaborate upon the various benefits of data intelligence and why a firm should embrace them:

Adaptive Dynamics
The business nowadays is continuously on the verge of change. Any organization must accept and propagate newly emerging trends, failing to do so may result in a decrement in popularity. Take, for example, smartphones with selfie cameras in India. Mobile companies that don’t fan up the trend are dwelling into an utter loss. With the help of data intelligence, these organizations become immune to ignorance of change. The smart adaptive dynamics inform the firms about recurrent changes and what pattern of occurrence they are following. Based on the analysis, it enables the organization to make informed decisions.

Stronger Foundations of Data
Data intelligence (DI) works towards strengthening existing big data through restructuring the mechanism of data arrangement. AI needs to dwell on data extensively, and therefore, it becomes vital to enhance the data AI is going to use. With reliable data foundations, DI transforms big data into insights and then renders an optimized engagement capability involving the active agents; these include BI strategists, intelligent BI analysts, data intelligence warehouse architects, data scientists, implementation and development experts, whom all contribute towards making a stronger base for the data.

Data Transformation
Data intelligence also takes charge of metamorphosing raw chunks of data into a cumulative knowledge – it is akin to a “concept formation” for computer systems. Machines that usually intake data do it regardless of shunning the bad and choosing the good. With Data intelligence, information is cleansed and transformed into smart capsules of readymade information that are used within the business to measure performance, besides incorporating contextual data sources to enrich the information management. With Data intelligence, organizations need not worry about defining particular cases to the machines. Data intelligence collectively feeds the deduced “knowledge” into the operation area where final processing is carried out.

Developing Augmented Analytics
Data intelligence incorporates advanced analytic techniques to advance visualized predictive and prescriptive analytics. A scenario might be to augment instead of building a full application, beforehand. Based on the outcomes, further improvements can be proposed if necessary. With such preparation for an actual scenario, there remains a null scope of failure in business strategies. The advanced simulations enable the firms to foresee the possible outcomes and reform the prescriptions wherever necessary.

In conclusion, data intelligence is emerging to be a modern tool that will become a prerequisite to any successful business. With enhanced features such as adaptive dynamics, data transformation, and augmented analysis, data intelligence lays a foundation for the smooth and beneficial functioning of companies. If carried out aptly, it can yield extraordinary profits on investment through increased gain and simplifying business strategies.