The ITAM Roundup: 10/20/24
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Flexera recognized as a Leader in 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Financial Management Tools
Flexera has been recognized as a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Financial Management Tools due to its innovative approach to cloud cost management and FinOps. The companyâs Flexera One FinOps solution helps businesses gain visibility into multi-cloud environments, optimize spending, automate cost management, and align cloud investments with business goals. This recognition reflects Flexeraâs commitment to addressing the complexity of managing cloud costs and delivering real business value through unified data and automation.
AT&T, Broadcom move toward settling legal feud
AT&T and Broadcom are making progress toward settling a legal dispute over VMware support services, with both companies requesting to postpone court hearings as negotiations continue. The conflict began when Broadcom sought to shift VMware's licensing model to a subscription-based service after its $61 billion acquisition of the company, leading to AT&T's legal action over increased costs and potential disruptions to its critical first-responder network. Broadcom has agreed to extend AT&T's VMware support temporarily while settlement talks proceed, and both parties aim to resolve the issue before further legal proceedings.
IBM acquires Indian SaaS startup Prescinto to shine a light on renewable energy assets
IBM has acquired Indian SaaS startup Prescinto, a provider of asset performance management software for renewable energy. Prescinto, which manages 16 gigawatts of renewable energy infrastructure across 14 countries, will enhance IBMâs Maximo Application Suite by offering real-time monitoring and maintenance for assets like solar panels. The acquisition aims to improve efficiency and address issues like dust accumulation on solar panels, enabling timely interventions to optimize energy output.
Big Tech Continues to invest in nuclear energy...đŠď¸
Google and Kairos sign nuclear reactor deal with aim to power AI
Google has partnered with Kairos Power to purchase nuclear energy from small modular reactors (SMRs) to meet the rising energy demands of AI, with plans to bring the first SMR online by 2030. The deal could provide up to 500 MW of carbon-free power, positioning nuclear energy as a potential solution to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and address climate change. However, skepticism remains about the viability of SMRs and concerns over Big Tech's increasing control of clean energy infrastructure.
Amazon joins Google in investing in small modular nuclear power
Amazon, following Google, has made significant investments in small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) technology to meet its growing energy demands for data centers, especially as AI drives up power consumption. The company is partnering with utilities like Energy Northwest and Dominion Energy to explore adding SMRs to existing facilities while also investing in X-energy, a startup developing safer, smaller reactors. These investments highlight the tech sector's interest in reliable, around-the-clock power options, as renewables struggle with intermittency and slow grid expansion, despite the high risks and costs associated with nuclear power.
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SHIELD Discover: Optimize your Microsoft 365 ecosystem
SHIELD Discover by SHI helps organizations optimize their Microsoft 365 licensing environment, providing insights for cost savings and enhanced security. The service offers value-based forecasting, feature-level transparency, and license simulations, catering to businesses at any stage of their licensing agreements. With expert guidance, SHIELD Discover aims to improve understanding of Microsoftâs technology portfolio and help organizations make informed decisions regarding their investments.
Embracing the reality of BYOD amid everywhere work
As work shifts toward a hybrid or remote model, the lines between personal and professional device usage blur, creating security risks despite in-office policies. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is widespread, with 84% of employees using personal devices for work, often unaware of or disregarding company policies. To address this, companies should adopt Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solutions, which manage and secure all devices accessing corporate networks, ensuring comprehensive security in the era of "everywhere work."
Unlocking business resilience: How Dynatrace powers AI-driven observability
Dynatrace uses AI-driven observability to help businesses maintain resilience by providing continuous insights into application performance, infrastructure, and security environments. Its platform integrates various AI models, including causal, predictive, and generative AI, to automate complex IT systems, prevent issues, and enhance security. Through strategic partnerships, product enhancements, and acquisitions like Runecast, Dynatrace continues to innovate in observability and security, empowering organizations to adopt AI and improve operational efficiency.
Anaconda Licensing Changes Explained
Anaconda's 2024 licensing changes require organizations with 200+ employees, including non-profits and government entities, to obtain a commercial license to access the full Anaconda Distribution and its default package channel. Individuals, small businesses, and educational institutions can still use Anaconda for free, while Miniconda and community-managed Conda-forge remain free alternatives to avoid licensing fees. To navigate compliance, organizations can switch to Miniconda, use Conda-forge, or consider alternative Python environment managers like Pipenv or Virtualenv.
Improving Data Center Management with Centralized Intelligence
Wesco's Alan Farrimond emphasizes the need for a platform-based approach to data center management, integrating various software tools to reduce administrative overhead and improve efficiency. Traditional data center infrastructure management (DCIM) tools, while useful, often leave gaps that specialized solutionsâlike asset management, cloud-based physical security, automated infrastructure management (AIM), and thermal management softwareâcan address. Wescoâs entroCIM platform centralizes these functions, providing real-time insights, streamlined operations, and improved energy efficiency through a unified interface.
đBugs & Exploits
Intel, AMD CPUs on Linux impacted by newly disclosed Spectre bypass
A newly disclosed speculative execution attack bypasses existing Spectre mitigations on Intel and AMD CPUs running Linux, affecting Intel's 12th to 14th generations and AMD's Zen 1 to Zen 2 processors. Researchers from ETH Zurich demonstrated attacks that exploit flaws in the Indirect Branch Predictor Barrier (IBPB), allowing sensitive data to be leaked even after IBPB defenses are applied. Both Intel and AMD were informed of the vulnerabilities earlier in 2024, and while Intel released a partial microcode fix, AMD classified it as a software issue, and further patches are being developed for Linux.