The ITAM Roundup: 11/10/24

roundup Nov 10, 2024

📰 News

IBM, Cognizant team up to tame rising enterprise cloud bills

IBM and Cognizant have launched a FinOps Center of Excellence to help enterprises manage costs in complex hybrid and multicloud environments, combining Cognizant's cloud platforms with IBM's Apptio and Turbonomic cost and performance tools. This collaboration addresses challenges of governance and cost visibility as enterprises adopt diverse cloud services, including generative AI, aiming to control rising cloud expenses effectively. With cloud spending reaching new heights, the partnership supports companies in maximizing cloud efficiency and preventing vendor lock-in through FinOps practices and advanced automation for cost tracking and anomaly detection.

The cloud reaches its equilibrium point

The cloud and on-premises data centers have reached an equilibrium, with enterprises evenly splitting workloads between the two based on specific needs. Although cloud adoption continues to grow, challenges in cost, control, and application refactoring prevent a complete migration to cloud environments, and AI is driving increased cloud spending. Ultimately, whether workloads stay on-premises or move to the cloud depends more on the enterprise's expertise and ability to adapt than on technological factors alone.

IBM and AWS: Working together to provide pathways for VMware workloads

IBM and AWS have partnered to offer VMware enterprises customized paths for cloud migration and modernization, addressing each company's needs, challenges, and risk tolerance. Options include direct migration to AWS, containerization, SaaS solutions, and managed services, allowing businesses to leverage IBM's expertise and AWS’s extensive cloud capabilities. This partnership helps enterprises lower costs, streamline transitions, and navigate complex cloud transformations, with IBM providing specialized tools and advisory services to support VMware workloads in hybrid and multicloud environments.

Broadcom Advances Private Cloud Vision at VMware Explore 2024 Barcelona

At VMware Explore 2024 in Barcelona, Broadcom introduced new private cloud capabilities focused on optimizing AI workloads, enhancing data services, and improving security for on-premises infrastructure. Broadcom CEO Hock Tan emphasized a shift back to private cloud for enterprises, citing the “three C's” of cost, complexity, and compliance as drivers for moving workloads from public cloud to on-premises environments. A highlight was the VeloRAIN architecture, which uses AI-powered network optimization and application-based slicing to enhance performance for distributed AI workloads, tackling the challenges of siloed infrastructure.

Microsoft still not said anything about unexpected Windows Server 2025 installs

Microsoft mistakenly released Windows Server 2025 as a mislabeled security update, leading some patching software to install the new OS unexpectedly on certain servers. This error left administrators facing unplanned upgrades and potential licensing fees, as there is no straightforward rollback, creating operational and financial risks for businesses. Experts warn that this incident underscores the need for careful patch management and backup strategies, as well as the risks of mixing paid upgrades with trusted security update channels.

Amazon Still Backs Talen Nuclear Deal After Regulatory Snub

Amazon is proceeding with a $650 million data center campus next to Talen Energy's Pennsylvania nuclear plant, despite the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent rejection of a special power deal to directly supply the facility. The deal would have allowed Amazon Web Services to bypass the wider grid and avoid transmission costs, but utility owners argued it could impact grid reliability and raise rates. Amazon remains committed to collaborating with Talen on carbon-free energy solutions, as cloud providers seek nuclear power to support growing, sustainable operations.

CISPE framework aids EU Data Act compliance, cloud switching

CISPE has launched a Cloud Switching Framework to help European cloud providers and customers comply with the EU Data Act, set to take effect in September 2025. The framework simplifies data portability and switching between cloud services, empowering businesses to avoid vendor lock-in and tailor their cloud strategies. It includes guidelines, technical requirements, and machine-readable declarations to automate compliance checks, ensuring that cloud providers can clearly communicate switching processes and obligations to their customers.

Amazon reportedly mulls another multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic – but with an added twist

Amazon is considering another significant investment in the generative AI startup Anthropic, following a previous $4 billion investment in 2023. This new deal is expected to involve Amazon asking Anthropic to use its own chips instead of Nvidia's, which Anthropic reportedly prefers. Anthropic has been expanding its partnerships, including collaborating with Palantir and AWS to provide its Claude AI models to U.S. intelligence and defense agencies.

📖 Tips

How to Avoid Oracle Taking Legal Action For Java

To avoid potential legal action from Oracle for unlicensed Java usage, companies should conduct internal audits to remove any unlicensed Java versions, use alternatives like OpenJDK, and document compliance efforts. When Oracle reaches out, it’s advisable to minimize information shared and seek expert guidance to manage the audit process cautiously. By taking proactive steps and considering alternatives, companies can reduce exposure to Oracle’s licensing demands and prevent escalation to legal actions.

How to Avoid Oracle Taking Legal Action For Java

How to Avoid Oracle Taking Legal Action For Java: Identify unlicensed installations. Limit sharing Java details. Use OpenJDK. Maintain compliance records.

Redress Compliance - Just another WordPress siteFredrik Filipsson

Practical Endpoint: Restricting Admin Access to an Endpoint

To restrict admin access on Windows endpoints, organizations can use Autopilot to set users as standard accounts during device setup and employ Intune to control admin rights. Intune allows administrators to manage local administrator group membership through configuration profiles, such as RestrictedGroup CSP or Account Protection Policy, which replace or define specific group members. Combining Autopilot and Intune provides a layered approach to minimize unauthorized changes to admin rights and enables periodic audits to ensure proper access management.

Eliminate infrastructure and reduce maintenance costs by moving to the cloud

Migrating to the cloud allows businesses to reduce costs by eliminating on-premises infrastructure and maintenance expenses, enabling them to scale resources on demand with a pay-as-you-go model. This transition also improves operational efficiency, as cloud providers handle upgrades and maintenance, minimizing downtime and freeing up IT teams for strategic projects. Additionally, cloud adoption enhances data security and supports environmental sustainability by reducing energy usage and hardware waste, helping companies stay competitive while demonstrating a commitment to green practices.

🐛Bugs & Exploits

CISA warns of critical Palo Alto Networks bug exploited in attacks

CISA has warned of a critical authentication vulnerability (CVE-2024-5910) in Palo Alto Networks Expedition, which is being exploited by attackers to reset admin credentials on exposed servers. The flaw, which was patched in July, allows remote attackers to take over admin accounts and potentially access sensitive data. While a proof-of-concept exploit was released in October, CISA advises administrators to restrict network access to authorized users and rotate all credentials after applying the patch, with federal agencies required to secure vulnerable servers by November 28.