Cloud-Native

The cloud computing landscape has undergone a remarkable evolution, revolutionising the way businesses operate and innovate. However, this digital transformation has also brought about an escalation in cyber threats targeting cloud environments. The 2023 Global Cloud Threat Report, a comprehensive analysis by Sysdig, provides invaluable insights into the evolving threat landscape within the cloud ecosystem. In this blog post, we will explore the key findings from the report, combine them with strategic recommendations, and provide a comprehensive approach to fortifying your cloud security defences. Automated Reconnaissance: The Prelude to Cloud Attacks The rapid pace of cloud attacks is underscored by the concept of automated reconnaissance. This technique empowers attackers to act swiftly upon identifying vulnerabilities within target systems. As the report suggests, reconnaissance alerts are the initial indicators of potential security breaches, necessitating proactive measures to address emerging threats before they escalate into full-fledged attacks. A Race Against Time: Cloud Attacks in Minutes The agility of cloud attackers is highlighted by the staggering statistic that adversaries can stage an attack within a mere 10 minutes. In contrast to traditional on-premises attacks, cloud adversaries exploit the inherent programmability of cloud environments to expedite their assault. This demands a shift in security strategy, emphasising the importance of real-time threat detection and rapid incident response. A Wake-Up Call for Supply Chain Security The report casts a spotlight on the fallacy of relying solely on static analysis for supply chain security. It reveals that 10% of advanced supply chain threats remain undetectable by traditional preventive tools. Evasive techniques enable malicious code to evade scrutiny until deployment. To counter this, the report advocates for runtime cloud threat detection, enabling the identification of malicious code during execution. Infiltration Amidst Cloud Complexity Cloud-native environments offer a complexity that attackers exploit to their advantage. Source obfuscation and advanced techniques render traditional Indicators of Compromise (IoC)-based defences ineffective. The report underscores the urgency for organisations to embrace advanced cloud threat detection, equipped with runtime analysis capabilities, to confront the evolving tactics of adversaries Targeting the Cloud Sweet Spot: Telcos and FinTech The report unveils a disconcerting trend: 65% of cloud attacks target the telecommunications and financial technology (FinTech) sectors. This is attributed to the value of data these sectors harbour, coupled with the potential for lucrative gains. Cloud adversaries often capitalise on sector-specific vulnerabilities, accentuating the need for sector-focused security strategies. A Comprehensive Cloud Security Strategy: Guiding Recommendations Azure App Service provides a platform for building and hosting web apps and APIs without managing the infrastructure. It offers auto-scaling and supports multiple programming languages and frameworks. Conclusion: The 2023 Global Cloud Threat Report acts as an alarm, prompting organisations to strengthen their cloud security strategies considering the evolving threat environment. With cloud automation, rapid attacks, sector-focused targeting, and the imperative for all-encompassing threat detection, a comprehensive approach is essential. By embracing the suggested tactics, businesses can skilfully manoeuvre the complex cloud threat arena, safeguarding their digital resources and confidently embracing the cloud’s potential for transformation.

In the ever-evolving realm of application development, serverless architecture has emerged as a transformative paradigm, and Azure, Microsoft’s comprehensive cloud platform, offers an ecosystem primed for constructing and deploying serverless applications that exhibit unparalleled scalability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. In this insightful exploration, we will unravel the world of serverless architecture and illuminate the manifold advantages it bestows when seamlessly integrated into the Azure environment. Understanding Serverless Architecture The term “serverless” might be misleading, as it doesn’t negate the presence of servers; rather, it redefines the relationship developers share with server management. A serverless model empowers developers to concentrate exclusively on crafting code and outlining triggers, while the cloud provider undertakes the orchestration of infrastructure management, scaling, and resource allocation. This not only streamlines development but also nurtures an environment conducive to ingenuity and user-centric functionality. Azure Serverless Offerings Azure’s repertoire boasts an array of services tailored for implementing serverless architecture, among which are: Azure Functions Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that enables you to run event-triggered code without provisioning or managing servers. It supports various event sources, such as HTTP requests, timers, queues, and more. You only pay for the execution time of your functions. Azure Logic Apps Azure Logic Apps is a platform for automating workflows and integrating various services and systems. While not purely serverless (as you pay for execution and connector usage), Logic Apps provide a visual way to create and manage event-driven workflows. Azure Event Grid Azure Event Grid is an event routing service that simplifies the creation of reactive applications by routing events from various sources (such as Azure services or custom topics) to event handlers, including Azure Functions and Logic Apps. Azure API Management While not fully serverless, Azure API Management lets you expose, manage, and secure APIs. It can be integrated with serverless functions to provide API gateways and management features. Azure App Service Azure App Service provides a platform for building and hosting web apps and APIs without managing the infrastructure. It offers auto-scaling and supports multiple programming languages and frameworks. Benefits of Serverless Architecture on Azure Conclusion: Azure’s serverless architecture offers unlimited possibilities for modernized application development, marked by efficiency, scalability, and responsiveness while liberating developers from infrastructure management intricacies. Azure’s serverless computing will definitely unlock the potential of your cloud-native applications. The future of innovation beckons, and it is resolutely serverless.

The Journey from Traditional Ops to NoOps In the fast-changing software development landscape, organisations strive to improve their operational processes. Market studies project a 23.95% growth in the global DevOps market, with an estimated value of USD 56.2 Billion by 2030. This blog discusses the shift from traditional ops to NoOps, emphasising automation practices that boost software delivery’s efficiency, scalability, and resiliency. NoOps, short for “no operations,” represents a paradigm shift towards complete automation, eliminating the need for an operations team to manage the environment. This section clarifies the concept of NoOps, debunking misconceptions and emphasising the role of automation, AI/ML, and various technologies in achieving fully automated operations. NoOps represents the pinnacle of the DevOps journey, driving automation to enable developers to focus more on coding. Advancements in cloud services, containerisation, and serverless technologies converge to facilitate increasing levels of automation within the software lifecycle. However, achieving true NoOps environments requires incremental implementation based on organisational maturity. Recognising the significance of stability, reliability, and human expertise is crucial, despite the growing popularity of NoOps. According to a Deloitte survey, 92% of IT executives believe that the human element is crucial for successful automation. Rather than striving for total automation, organisations can take a practical approach by automating specific segments while retaining human involvement in vital areas. This approach acknowledges the value of human skills in monitoring, troubleshooting, and maintenance, serving as a transition towards increased automation and efficiency. Key Steps in the Transition to NoOps: Understanding Traditional Ops: Before embarking on the NoOps journey, it is essential to understand the complexities of traditional operations. Take a deep dive into the practices of manual infrastructure provisioning, deployment, monitoring, and troubleshooting commonly associated with traditional ops. Additionally, explore the limitations and challenges that come with these practices. Embracing the DevOps Culture: To successfully transition to NoOps, it is crucial to adopt the DevOps culture, which places strong emphasis on collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement. This involves exploring the principles and advantages of DevOps, as it sets the foundation for a smooth and effective transition to NoOps. Infrastructure as Code (IaC): The use of declarative configuration files in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) introduces a ground breaking transformation in the management of infrastructure. It is crucial to highlight the advantages of IaC, such as scalability, reproducibility, and version control, and acknowledge its pivotal role in enabling the concept of NoOps. IaC plays a critical role in enabling the NoOps approach, granting organisations the ability to automate the provisioning and management of infrastructure, minimise manual interventions, and attain increased efficiency and agility. Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): The automation of software delivery through CI/CD pipelines reduces the need for manual work and guarantees consistent deployments. This highlights the importance of continuous integration, automated testing, and continuous deployment in ensuring smooth transitions to production environments. Containerisation and Orchestration: Containerisation offers a compact and adaptable method for bundling applications, while orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes streamline the process of deploying, scaling, and overseeing them. Take advantage of containerisation and the significance of orchestration in facilitating seamless operations without the need for extensive manual intervention, especially in large-scale environments. Monitoring and Alerting: The presence of strong monitoring and alert systems guarantees the well-being and efficiency of applications and infrastructure. This encompasses the utilisation of tools to capture and analyse metrics, distributed traces, and logs from applications which aid in the proactive detection of problems. Self-Healing Systems: The implementation of methods such as auto-scaling, load balancing, and fault tolerance mechanisms promotes resilience by creating self-healing systems. These mechanisms enable automated handling of failures and resource scaling according to demand. Serverless Architecture: Serverless architecture platforms remove the need for managing and scaling servers, streamlining the deployment process. It examines the advantages of serverless design and how it speeds up development while minimising operational burden. Continuous Learning and Improvement: The continuous learning process of the NoOps journey highlights the significance of keeping abreast of emerging technologies and optimal approaches, while encouraging a culture of experimentation, feedback loops, and knowledge exchange. Conclusion: Transitioning from traditional ops to NoOps involves embracing automation, DevOps practices, and leveraging various technologies. The market trends and statistics highlight the growing adoption of automation practices and the significant market potential. By grasping the constraints of full automation and attaining a harmony between automation and engineering, organizations can improve software delivery, reliability, and scalability. The NoOps journey is an ongoing process of improvement and optimisation, enabling organisations to deliver software faster, more reliably, and at scale.

Measuring DevSecOps Success: Metrics that Matter In today’s fast-paced digital world, security threats are constantly evolving, and organisations are struggling to keep up with the pace of change. According to a recent Cost of a Data Breach Report by IBM, the average total cost of a data breach reached a record high of $4.35 million, with the average time to identify and contain a data breach taking 287 days. To mitigate these risks, enterprises are turning to DevSecOps, an approach that integrates security into the software development process. However, just adopting DevSecOps is not enough. Organisations must continually evaluate the effectiveness of their DevSecOps practices to ensure that they are adequately protecting their systems and data. As more businesses embrace DevSecOps, measuring DevSecOps success has become a critical component of security strategy. DevSecOps KPIs enable you to monitor and assess the advancement and effectiveness of DevSecOps practices within your software development pipeline, offering comprehensive insights into the determinants that impact success. These critical indicators facilitate the evaluation and measurement of collaborative workflows by development, security, and operations teams. By utilising these metrics, you can monitor the progress of your business objectives, such as expedited software-delivery lifecycles, enhanced security, and improved quality. Moreover, these key metrics furnish vital data for transparency and control throughout the development pipeline, facilitating the streamlining of development and enhancement of software security and infrastructure. Additionally, you can identify software defects and track the average time required to rectify those flaws. Number of Security Incidents One critical metric to track is the number of security incidents. Tracking the number of security incidents can help organisations identify the most common types of incidents and assess the frequency of incidents. By doing so, they can prioritise their efforts to address the most common issues and improve their overall security posture. Organisations can track the number of security incidents through various tools such as security incident and event management (SIEM) systems or logging and monitoring tools. By analysing the data from these tools, one can identify patterns and trends in the types of security incidents occurring and use this information to prioritise their security efforts. For instance, if an organisation finds that phishing attacks are the most common type of security incident, they can focus on training employees to be more vigilant against phishing attempts. Time to Remediate Security Issues Another essential metric to track is the time it takes to remediate security issues. This metric can help organisations identify bottlenecks in their security processes and improve their incident response time. By reducing the time, it takes to remediate security issues, organisations can minimise the impact of security incidents and ensure that their products remain secure. This metric can be tracked by setting up a process to monitor security vulnerabilities and track the time it takes to fix them. This process can include automated vulnerability scanning and testing tools, as well as manual code reviews and penetration testing. By tracking the time it takes to remediate security issues, organisations can identify areas where their security processes may be slowing down and work to improve those processes. Code Quality Metrics Code quality is another important aspect of DevSecOps, and tracking code quality metrics can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of DevSecOps practices. Code quality metrics such as code complexity, maintainability, and test coverage can be tracked using code analysis tools such as SonarQube or CheckMarx. These tools can provide insights into the quality of the code being produced and identify areas where improvements can be made. For example, if a business finds that their code has high complexity, they can work to simplify the code to make it more maintainable and easier to secure. Compliance Metrics Compliance is another essential aspect of security, and measuring compliance metrics can help organisations ensure that they are meeting the necessary regulatory and industry standards. Tracking compliance metrics such as the number of compliance violations and the time to remediate them can help organisations identify compliance gaps and address them. Additionally, to ensure security, monitoring, vulnerability scanning, and vulnerability fixes are regularly conducted on all workstations and servers. Compliance metrics such as the number of compliance violations can be tracked through regular compliance audits and assessments. By monitoring compliance metrics, organisations can identify areas where they may be falling short of regulatory or industry standards and work to address those gaps. User Satisfaction Finally, tracking user satisfaction is an essential metric to ensure that security is not hindering user experience and that security is not compromising the overall quality of the product. Measuring user satisfaction can help organisations ensure that their security practices are not negatively impacting their users’ experience and that they are delivering a high-quality product. User satisfaction can be measured through surveys or feedback mechanisms built into software applications. By gathering feedback from users, businesses can identify areas where security may be impacting the user experience and work to improve those areas. For example, if users are finding security measures such as multi-factor authentication too cumbersome, organisations can look for ways to streamline the process while still maintaining security. In conclusion, measuring DevSecOps success is crucial for organisations that want to ensure that their software products remain secure. By tracking relevant metrics such as the number of security incidents, time to remediate security issues, code quality, compliance, and user satisfaction, organisations can evaluate the effectiveness of their DevSecOps practices continually. Measuring DevSecOps success can help organisations identify areas that need improvement, prioritise security-related tasks, and make informed decisions about resource allocation. To read more on DevSecOps security and compliance, please visit our DevSecOps services page.

As the pace of technological advancement continues to soar, numerous enterprises find themselves struggling to keep up with the latest innovations. However, clinging to outdated technology can unleash a cascade of detrimental effects on productivity, employee morale, and the company’s bottom line. While postponing the upgrade of antiquated systems might appear financially prudent, the reality is that it often exacts a higher toll on businesses than the savings it promises. In this article, we will delve into the ways in which reliance on obsolete technology can inflate expenses, compelling businesses to confront the imperative of considering long-term costs. As systems grow older, they demand increasingly laborious and specialised maintenance, coupled with exorbitant fees for updates, patches, and licenses to ensure compatibility with modern counterparts. Astoundingly, studies estimate that a staggering 75% of the average IT budget is allocated solely to maintaining existing systems. Brace yourself as we uncover the hidden costs lurking behind the façade of outdated technology. Security vulnerabilities Security vulnerabilities: Outdated technology often falls behind in terms of the latest security features and patches, leaving it vulnerable to cyber threats. Hackers and malicious actors continuously adapt their tactics, while obsolete systems may lack the necessary safeguards to protect sensitive data and prevent breaches. The consequences of data breaches, compliance violations, and reputational damage can be significant. Unsupported systems are especially prone to security breaches and cyber-attacks, potentially exposing valuable data and intellectual property. In Australia, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 has skyrocketed to $5 Million, marking a substantial 13% increase from previous years. These astonishing statistics underscore the urgent necessity for businesses to prioritise the security of their technology infrastructure. Diminished Efficiency Diminished Efficiency: Outdated technology frequently lacks the latest cutting-edge features and capabilities that are essential for streamlining business processes and maximising productivity. Therefore, these obsolete systems tend to exhibit slower performance, decreased reliability, and an increased propensity for errors and downtime. This predicament forces employees to grapple with inefficient tools, resulting in the squandering of valuable time and resources. In fact, studies have revealed that maintaining outdated systems can lead to a staggering 30% decrease in productivity. This inefficiency incurs significant costs, both in terms of operational expenses and lost opportunities. The combination of sluggishness, unreliability, and a heightened vulnerability to errors or downtime culminates in a noticeable decline in overall efficiency. It is evident that clinging to obsolete systems not only hinders progress but also presents a substantial financial burden for enterprises seeking sustained success. Compatibility issues Compatibility issues: Outdated technology often faces compatibility issues when integrating with newer systems or software. For example, an older CRM system may struggle to sync data with a modern marketing automation platform, hindering information flow across departments. These issues impede data sharing, communication, and collaboration within the organisation. Workarounds and manual processes become necessary, consuming time, and increasing the risk of errors. Incompatibility with external systems or partners can result in missed opportunities and higher operational costs. Addressing these challenges is crucial to avoid inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and unnecessary expenses. Missed Innovation and Competitive Advantage Missed Innovation and Competitive Advantage: Enterprises that rely on outdated technology face challenges in keeping pace with competitors who embrace new and innovative solutions. Adopting modern technology can empower businesses to automate processes, optimise data gathering and analysis, elevate customer experiences, and stay ahead of industry trends. By neglecting to upgrade, businesses risk missing out on opportunities for growth, efficiency, and gaining a competitive edge. Embracing newer technology not only positions businesses for growth but also offers enhanced security features. Additionally, there can be tax benefits associated with operating costs. Unlike capital expenses, Software as a Service (SaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS) can be classified as operating costs, allowing for a 100% write-off instead of a smaller portion. Employee Dissatisfaction and Turnover Employee Dissatisfaction and Turnover: Outdated technology can have a detrimental impact on employee morale and job satisfaction. The frustration caused by slow and inefficient tools can significantly reduce productivity and breed discontent among employees. Over time, this dissatisfaction can contribute to higher turnover rates as employees actively seek technologically advanced workplaces that enable them to perform their duties more effectively. The challenges of dealing with sluggish programs and constant issues can generate frustration and stress for both leadership and general employees. It becomes challenging to excel in one’s role when the software fails to keep pace. Consequently, employee morale suffers, leading to an unfortunate increase in turnover. In conclusion, the hidden costs of outdated technology can have detrimental effects on businesses, including decreased productivity, security risks, missed opportunities, and employee dissatisfaction. To overcome these challenges, it is crucial for enterprises to prioritise investments in modern technology solutions. By embracing innovative systems and staying ahead of technological advancements, businesses can enhance productivity, improve security, capitalise on new opportunities, and foster a positive work environment. Investing in updated technology is an investment in the long-term success and sustainability of the business, ultimately leading to greater efficiency, profitability, and competitive advantage. Get in touch with our application modernisation experts at TL Consulting to fast forward your legacy.