AWS said a significant number of EC2 instances and EBS volumes within its Sydney region were impacted by connectivity issues.

While many cloud outages fly under the radar, because of the size and scope of AWS and its high-profile clients, AWS outages – regardless of length – can have a big impact. Last year, an AWS outage in North Virginia impacted the services of Heroku and Netflix.

A number of businesses in Australia were impacted by the AWS outage, including Domino’s Pizza, and TV streaming services Foxtel Play and Stan.

All AWS services in Australia were operating as normal on Monday, including Amazon CloudSearch, Amazon CloudWatch, and Amazon EC2 Container Service.

Source: TheWHIR

“For five years now we’ve helped our customers manage and optimize their clouds at an insane pace. Collectively, our customers have spent nearly $4B on cloud services,” Ellis said. “Early adopters such as GE, Uber and Atlassian have demonstrated conclusively that new tools and processes are needed to optimize cloud spending and avoid waste. And an agile and decentralized approach to cloud management raises the speed limit for innovation inside their organizations.”

Earlier this year, Cloudability acquired self-service cloud business intelligence platform DataHero, gaining a San Francisco office in the process. Cloudability is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, where it was recently named one of Oregon’s top 100 best companies to work for in 2016.

Last August, Cloudability acquired RipFog to bring big data analytics capabilities into its portfolio.

Source: TheWHIR

Discrimination and Big Data

The White House has actually been exploring this side of big data through the Obama Administration’s Big Data Working Group in hopes of creating dialogue around some of these issues. The group has released a series of reports on big data; the most recent report, released last month, looks at the assumption that big data techniques are unbiased.

“The algorithmic systems that turn data into information are not infallible—they rely on the imperfect inputs, logic, probability, and people who design them. Predictors of success can become barriers to entry; careful marketing can be rooted in stereotype. Without deliberate care, these innovations can easily hardwire discrimination, reinforce bias, and mask opportunity,” according to a blog post.

Some examples of these biases could leave underserved and low-income families out of credit and employment opportunities. The Federal Trade Commission said that to maximize the benefits and limit the harms of big data, companies should consider how representative their data set is, if their data model accounts for biases, the accuracy of their predictions based on big data, and whether their reliance on big data raises concerns around fairness.

“Ideally, data systems will contribute to removing inappropriate human bias where it has previously existed. We must pay ongoing and careful attention to ensure that the use of big data does not contribute to systematically disadvantaging certain groups,” the report said. “To avoid exacerbating biases by encoding them into technological systems, we need to develop a principle of ‘equal opportunity by design’—designing data systems that promote fairness and safeguard against discrimination from the first step of the engineering process and continuing throughout their lifespan.”

The White House report goes through several case studies and recommends that “public and private sectors continue to have collaborative conversations about how to achieve the most out of big data technologies while deliberately applying these tools to avoid—and when appropriate, address—discrimination.” The report offers 5 recommendations:

1. Support research into mitigating algorithmic discrimination, building systems that support fairness and accountability, and developing strong data ethics frameworks.
2. Encourage market participants to design the best algorithmic systems, including transparency and accountability mechanisms such as the ability for subjects to correct inaccurate data and appeal algorithmic-based decisions.
3. Promote academic research and industry development of algorithmic auditing and external testing of big data systems to ensure that people are being treated fairly.
4. Broaden participation in computer science and data science, including opportunities to improve basic fluencies and capabilities of all Americans.
5. Consider the roles of the government and private sector in setting the rules of the road for how data is used.

Big Data Algorithms Can Learn Discrimination

Algorithms learn from the external process of bias or discriminatory behavior, according to a blog post by The Ford Foundation.

“The origin of the prejudice is not necessarily embedded in the algorithm itself: Rather, it is in the models used to process massive amounts of available data and the adaptive nature of the algorithm. As an adaptive algorithm is used, it can learn societal biases it observes.”

In order to address this, policymakers must learn more about big data, and algorithms that underpin “critical systems like public education and criminal justice” must be transparent. There also needs to be updated regulation around the use of personal data, according to the report.

Data as a Liability

A report by our sister site Windows IT Pro looks at the amount of responsibility companies take on when they store big data, referencing a report by Quartz which states data companies will not own data, “they will just manage the flows of data between those that have data and those that need it.”

The conversation around discrimination and big data challenges the idea that big data will replace human decision-making. Big data algorithms can assess, sort, and analyze all sorts of data, but without a human ensuring that the data is being used properly, there could be major consequences.

In order to break it down for you, Penton Technology’s Channel brands The VAR Guy, MSPmentor, Talkin’ Cloud and The WHIR have focused this month on big data and the data deluge.

On Talkin’ Cloud, we share the 7 big data jobs that you must know about. Demand for these jobs is going to continue to grow, so gaining skills in big data is a great way to future-proof your tech career.

On The VAR Guy, Editor in Chief Kris Blackmon shares her thoughts on the coolest data tools of 2016 so far. Definitely worth scoping out if you’re in the market for some new ways to wrangle all of that data.

We’re breaking it down even further with a gallery on 7 open source big data analytics and storage tools by Christopher Tozzi, our resident open source expert.

Also on The VAR Guy, we test your knowledge of big data with an interactive quiz. (We’re sure that by the time you’ve read our entire editorial package on big data, you’ll be on your way to expert status.)

On the WHIR, Clarity Channel Advisors Chief Advisor and HostingCon Evangelist Jim Lippie describes how business analytics, business intelligence and big data intersect to bring you real business insights – regardless of the size of your business.

By 2020, the total amount of data around the world will reach 44 zettabytes. That’s a lot of data to go around. Our hope is that with this editorial package, you will walk away with the knowledge to use big data to bring success to your organization.

Source: TheWHIR

DigitalOcean has hired a local team and partnered with NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startups initiative in order to support the Indian startup ecosystem. The NASSCOM program brings corporations and early stage Indian tech companies together.

“India is poised to unleash a tremendous amount of innovation in the next decade,” Ben Uretsky, CEO and co-founder of DigitalOcean said in a statement. “We want to empower the next generation of software companies by providing them robust and easy to use cloud infrastructure they need to grow.”

Bangalore is DigitalOcean’s second data center in Asia. The facility will feature DigitalOcean’s latest servers and network architecture.

Source: TheWHIR

On May 12, Tumblr told users that it “recently learned that a third party had obtained access to a set of Tumblr user email addresses…from early 2013, prior to the acquisition of Tumblr by Yahoo” — perhaps an important clarification as Yahoo undergoes a strategic review to sell off its core business.

“Our analysis gives us no reason to believe that this information was used to access Tumblr accounts,” Tumblr said. “As a precaution, however, we will be requiring affected Tumblr users to set a new password.”

Hunt said that the Tumblr security breach is part of a pattern of massive breaches recently that have come to light years after they happened, referring to the LinkedIn breach that happened in 2012; “[t]his data has been lying dormant (or at least out of public sight) for long periods of time,” he said.

According to the report, because the passwords were hashed and salted, they are “very hard for hackers to crack.” The hacker selling the dataset on the dark web was only able to get $150 for it because the data was “essentially just a list of emails.”

Source: TheWHIR

The Most Popular Messaging App in Every Country

What are the apps you use to communicate? The most popular messaging apps vary country by country, according to a survey by SimilarWeb. WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in 109 countries, or 55.6 percent of the world.

Google Beats Oracle on Copyright, Defeating $9 Billion Claim

Google vs. Oracle has come to a conclusion with jurors arguing in Google’s favor that it made fair use of the code under copyright law. The outcome saved the search giant around $9 billion.

Services, Not Price, Move the Needle on Cloud Vendor Market Share

Remember a few years ago when it seemed there were cloud price drops everywhere you looked? Well, it turns out this may not have been the best move as it had little impact on cloud market share, a new report by 451 Research finds.

Microsoft, Facebook Build Undersea Cable for Faster Internet

Water takes up about 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, so it only makes sense that Internet companies would make use of the space to expand their reach. Microsoft and Facebook are building an undersea cable in the Atlantic Ocean will be operated by Telixus.

Source: TheWHIR

While the courses offer the basics around security, only 38 percent of respondents said that the course includes mobile device security and 29 percent said the course includes training on the secure use of cloud services. Less than half (45 percent) of respondents said that the training is mandatory for employees.

In order to create a culture of security, the study recommends providing interactive games that illustrate threats for employees which can make the content easier to retain. Employees should also be given incentives around reporting security issues and protecting confidential information.

[LEARN MORE AT HostingCon with Trey Guinn on The New Encryption Landscape: Trends and How To]

The change in culture starts at the top as only 35 percent of respondents said senior management believes privacy and security training is a priority.

A minority of companies (19 percent) said their organizations actually demote employees or reduce salary, bonuses or incentives (16 percent) in the event that an employee is found responsible for a data breach.

A study last year found that inappropriate file sharing inside the organization was the most likely cause of data leakage. Eighty-four percent of companies surveyed by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) said that they planned to improve file security through investments in training.

Source: TheWHIR

The other crazy challenge that I was fascinated with is, like it or not, with our services we have to partner very closely with our customers. I’ve always had a passion towards customer service. The big business challenge that was out there is can you build a great services company through acquisitions which is sometimes challenging because you’ve got old processes. People that had their own cultures and I’m very proud to say that we’ve accomplished that. We’re very passionate about building a customer service culture.

WHIR: You worked with former HOSTING CEO Art Zeile for a long time.

Daly: Art is one of my best friends; really great guy. He made the decision to take some personal time and to pursue some other opportunities but he’s still a very large investor and is very close with the company. We’re still tied in very closely with him and do wish the best for him. If you take a look at our past we’ve been a dynamic duo and… I’m excited about the new role which he told me, it is time for me to do. We’ve got our management team who’s been with us for a while.

WHIR: You’re in an interesting position coming from the role of HOSTING founder and COO before taking over as CEO. Can you talk about that a bit?

Daly: I was very fortunate being founder, being COO, and working through all the integration stuff that was out there, getting that service culture up and going. With that, over the course of time, we have continued to refine our strategy of what stake in the ground do you want to own. Through the acquisitions and through our strategic initiatives, we really honed in on leveraging the cloud by providing managed services to companies that really at the bottom line require any type of HIPPA or PCI compliance. We wanted to be able to leverage the right tools that were out there, putting the right workload, using the right tool for the right workload. From day one we’ve always offered what’s called hybrid services. Being able to not force customers on any one specific technology, but allowing them for flexibility. As we continue to focus on those regulated markets, really what it comes down to is if you look at HIPPA and PCI they usually come down to what I call the compliant verticals. Those are healthcare, retail, financial services, and any technology companies that service them.

SEE ALSO: 5 Cloud Compliance Standards You Must Know as a Mid- to Large-Sized Business

From a role standpoint, being an entrepreneur, I’ve done almost everybody’s job. I was pretty fortunate in doing the COO role which was product engineering, operations, and then focused on sales and marketing. With the most recent announcement I’m excited about being the CEO. Really if you look at my background, I’ve been doing a lot of these things for a very long time. I’m truly excited in the new role and the team that we have.

WHIR: So obviously coming from the COO role into the CEO role you have a pretty unique perspective on your customers as well as the employees in your organization. How are you bringing that experience and how’s that going to shape your leadership at HOSTING?

Daly: The greatest thing about being an entrepreneur and when you start with a company of two people is you have to do everybody’s job. The beauty of being in a smaller company is the fact that you’ve walked in everybody’s shoes. We’re now $100 million dollar company with around 400 employees and my focus is bringing my background and experience. I am my customer. I had to figure out, what are the best technologies that are out there?

The other big shift that’s happening within the industry is that infrastructure is only one component. The decision making of that infrastructure is shifting from the folks that used to be in charge of infrastructure to the apps developers. Really being able to assist them in taking away impediments for them to deliver their software to their end users that really add value. I believe that my background, having lived that pain, having being in charge of all of our software, all of our systems engineering, I can really bring to the table, especially with all my prospect and my customer conversations, empathy because I’ve experienced their pain. I do believe that there’s great value in that, not only in the way that we deliver our services but also thinking about how we’re trying to drive our manage services and our new product development in the future.

Pages: 1 2

Source: TheWHIR

• Al Caplan of HTC USA won a Roku SE courtesy of Softlayer, an IBM Company
• Gerard Hiner of Webair won a Yoga tablet from Lenovo
• Rachel Field of PromoSuite won a Samsung VR headset from LiquidWeb
• Eric Goldman of Credit Suisse won Radware‘s prize of a $100 AMEX gift card

Also, thanks to iMiller Public Relations our guests arrived safely in Ubers!

If you missed us last night, we are stopping in Chicago next month so be sure to RSVP today if you will be in the area on June 23, 2016. And after that we will be hosting our third annual WHIR Event at HostingCon Global 2016. This one is a can’t-miss event that you will definitely want to reserve your spot at ASAP! You can do that by following this link.

I’ll be at the next couple of events so please say hi! One of my favorite parts of any event is meeting our readers face-to-face.

Source: TheWHIR