Tag Archive for Business Continuity

| April 9, 2020
Comments Off on WFH Was Growing Before COVID

WFH Was Growing Before COVID

Updated 05/17/2020 – Statista published this chart which shows the top reasons for WFH in 2019, as cited by U.S. remote workers.

Top reasons Americans wanted to work remotely

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WFH Was Growing Before COVIDWork from home (WFH) – the practice of working remotely – has exploded with the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing in place, millions of more workers around the world started working from home in March 2020. But WFM is not a new trend. Computer Economics reports that over the past 11 years work from home has grown for many reasons.

Working remotely

Despite the pandemic, the trend toward telecommuting was already well underway according to Computer Economics. To measure how much telecommuting is occurring, they polled IT managers and asked them to estimate the percentage of their total staff that works from home at one of three levels.

In the 2019 report Trends in Telecommuting in the IT Workforce, Computer Economics found that 92% of IT shops allowed some form of remote work:

  • 37% “only a specified amount of time”
  • 35% “only under special circumstances”
  • 20% allow personnel to work from home as they choose
  • 8% did not allow any telecommuting in 2019.

Trends in Telecommuting in the IT Workforce, Computer Economics

When Computer Economics conducted the same research in 2008, 64% of IT organizations did not allow their personnel to work from home – at all.

Computer Economics concludes that even before the pandemic, the growth of WFM was enabled by a number of technologies. They cite the growth of high-speed internet, mobile devices, remote access, low-cost web conferencing, VoIP, and cloud computing.

three business demandsWFM growth has been driven by three business demands. The research firm identified concerns about work/life balance, workforce retention, and business continuity. in the face of a pandemic is just one more benefit of the trend.

Tom Dunlap, research director for Computer Economics, wrote in the presser:

Many business leaders are learning a hard lesson … Having robust, companywide telecommuting capabilities in place—even if only used one or two days a week—should be deployed as a contingency measure during pandemics or other natural disasters.

rb-

I work for one of the 35% “special circumstances” firms. At the beginning of the month, I submitted a proposal to start to allow “specified amount” telecommuting. But with the onset of COVID – they started to allow WFH – we will see if it sticks  around in the “new normal.“

Stay safe out there!

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| September 25, 2014
Comments Off on Internet of Things Full of Holes

Internet of Things Full of Holes

Internet of Things Full of HolesThe Internet of Things, is big and heading towards huge. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system where unique identifiers are assigned to objects, animals, or people. These “Things” then transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Whatis.com says IoT evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and the Internet.

Business Insider believes that the IoT will be the biggest thing since sliced bread. They claim there are 1.9 billion IoT devices today, and 9 billion by 2018, which roughly equal to the number of smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, wearable computers, and PCs combined. Gartner (IT) predicts that there will be 26 billion IoT devices by 2020. Based on a recent article in InfoSecurity Magazine is a very scary thing.

BI Global IOT Installed Devie projectionsThe InfoSecurity article says HP (HPQ) found 70% of the most common IoT devices have security vulnerabilities. HP used its Fortify On Demand testing service to uncover security flaws. HP detected flaws in IoT devices like TVs, webcams, home thermostats, remote power outlets, sprinkler controllers, hubs for controlling multiple devices, door locks, home alarms, scales, and garage door openers as well as their cloud and mobile app elements according to the new study.

HP tested IoT devicesHP then tested them with manual and automated tools and assessed their security rating according to the vendor neutral OWASP Internet of Things Top 10 list of vulnerability areas. The author concludes that the results raised significant concerns about user privacy and the potential for attackers to exploit the devices and their cloud and app elements. Some of the results are:

  • A total of 250 security concerns were uncovered across all tested devices, which boils down to 25 on average per device,
  • 90% of devices collected at least one piece of personal information via the device, the cloud, or its mobile application,
  • 80% of devices studied allowed weak passwords like 1234 opening the door for WiFi-sniffing hackers,
  • 80% raised privacy concerns about the sheer amount of personal data being collected,
  • 70% of the devices analyzed failed to use encryption for communicating with the Internet and local network,
  • 60% had cross-site scripting or other flaws in their web interface vulnerable to a range of issues such as the Heartbleed SSL vulnerability, persistent XSS (cross-site scripting), poor session management and weak default credentials,
  • 60% didn’t use encryption when downloading software updates.

Mike Armistead, VP & General Manager, HP Fortify, explained that IoT opens avenues for attackers.

IoT opens avenues for the attackers.While the Internet of Things will connect and unify countless objects and systems, it also presents a significant challenge in fending off the adversary given the expanded attack surface … With the continued adoption of connected devices, it is more important than ever to build security into these products from the beginning to disrupt the adversary and avoid exposing consumers to serious threats.

HP urged device manufacturers to eliminate the “lower hanging fruit” of common vulnerabilities. They recommend manufacturers, “Implement security … so that security is automatically baked in to your product … Updates to your product’s software are extremely important.”

Antti Tikkanen, director of security response at F-Secure, told InfoSecurity said the problems HP uncovered in this report were just the tip of the iceberg for IoT security risks.

One problem that I see is that while people may be used to taking care of the security of their computers, they are used to having their toaster ‘just work’ and would not think of making sure the software is up-to-date and the firewall is configured correctly … At the same time, the criminals will definitely find ways to monetize the vulnerabilities. Your television may be mining for Bitcoins sooner than you think, and ransomware in your home automation system sounds surprisingly efficient for the bad guys.

rb-

I covered the threats that IoT or “smart” devices presented back in 2012. I don’t know where HP (or the rest of the security community) has been.

The current generation of “smart” devices does not seem to have any security. Most likely the manufacturer did not consider basic security or worse calculated it was better to ignore the secure design in their rush to gain market share.

It is also annoying that HP did not reveal the details on the products they tested.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| October 4, 2012
One comment

Microsoft Eliminating Backup Generators

MSFT Eliminating Backup GeneratorsThe venerable diesel backup generator has long been a symbol of reliability for mission-critical installations. Backup generators provide the emergency power required to keep servers online during utility power outages. Data Center Knowledge reports that the growing focus on using clean energy to power large data centers is prompting Microsoft (MSFT) and other tech titans to ditch their generators, along with their diesel fuel emissions.

backup energy options Microsoft is the latest company to announce its intention to cut its use of diesel generators. The move is part of a broader initiative to make Microsoft’s server farms more sustainable and less reliant on the utility grid according to DCK. Microsoft Utility Architect Brian Janous wrote in a recent blog post.

We are currently exploring alternative backup energy options that would allow us to provide emergency power without the need for diesel generators, which in some cases will mean transitioning to cleaner-burning natural gas and in other cases, eliminating the need for backup generation altogether.

Bloom Energy, fuel cellsDKC speculates that the reference to natural gas suggests that Microsoft is preparing to add fuel cells to replace its generators. That could be good news for Bloom Energy,  which recently scored wins to replace generators and UPS units at new data centers of eBay (EBAY) in Utah and supplement power Apple‘s (AAPL) data center in North Carolina.

DCK explains the Bloom Energy Server is a solid oxide fuel cell technology that converts fuel to electricity through an electrochemical reaction, without any combustion. The Bloom box can continue to run during grid outages because they are housed at the customer premises. Bloom boxes can run on natural gas or a range of other biofuels, including methane gas from landfills.

Diesel engine exhaust is a regulated pollutantAnother reason MSFT may be replacing generators according to DCK is that they have caused Redmond several headaches in recent years, including an Azure cloud outage in Europe (when multiple generators didn’t start during a utility outage) and public controversy about whether the diesel emissions from Microsoft’s generators in Quincy, WA could cause health problems for local residents. Diesel engine exhaust is a regulated pollutant and can be toxic in high concentrations.

Or Microsoft’s motivation could be to become less dependent on the utility grid and use renewable energy to power its servers the blog says. The company says its “data plants” will break new ground in integrating electricity and computing, bring together data centers and renewable power generation.

Biomass waste-powered data center.One type of renewable energy Microsoft has explored is a waste-powered data center. It could be built on the site of a water treatment plant or landfill. In his blog post, Janous indicated that Microsoft is evaluating a biomass project in Europe (rb- I wrote HP’s plan to use manure to run a data center here).

“Given the unreliability of the electric grid and the need for continuous availability of cloud services, Microsoft maintains diesel generator backup at all of our data centers…” Janous wrote. “These generators are inefficient and costly to operate. From both an environmental and a cost standpoint, it makes no sense to run our generators more than we absolutely must.”

Microsoft data centerMicrosoft is also considering “long-term purchases from larger grid-connected installations that would displace some portion of our grid purchases,” Janous wrote. Google (GOOG) has embraced a similar strategy, using power purchasing agreements to add more than 200 megawatts of wind power to the local utility grids that support its data centers.

Microsoft is taking steps to position itself to make bulk power deals according to DCK. “We have recently signed on as an advisory board member with Altenex, an operator of a network that enables member companies to more efficiently engage with developers of renewable energy projects,” Janous said. “We expect this engagement with Altenex to improve our ability to identify and evaluate cost-effective clean energy projects.”

rb-

Cummins logoI recall as a newbie techie the first time I had to be in on Sunday morning to work with the site engineer to crank up the 100 HP Cummins standby generator. The firm ran the monthly test to make sure the critical systems stayed up. The generator was enclosed in a secure room that contained the heat and noise. The exhaust was vented out. One of my regular jobs was to kick the standby 55-gallon drum of diesel with the hand pump on it to make sure there was fuel available for the generator.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| May 25, 2011
Comments Off on Michigan Disaster Recovery Test Turns Into Disaster

Michigan Disaster Recovery Test Turns Into Disaster

MichiganState of Michigan IT officials are probably happy for a new week. The State of Michigan IT infrastructure took two big hits last week. The folks in Lansing had a failure on Monday 05-16-11 were nearly 25,000 employees were unable to use the state’s IT network for about three and a half hours, Kurt Weiss, public information officer for the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB), said in a phone interview with InformationWeek. Apparently, an upgrade over the weekend to patch security holes had gone wrong somewhere, Mr. Weiss said. Access to the network was restored by 10:30 a.m.

ESCON cableOn Wednesday 05-18-11 a disaster recovery test at the Michigan DTMB turned into a disaster when a link to a mainframe computer was broken reports MiTechNews. Around noon Wednesday, a link between the test environment and production environment was severed by human error, taking out a mainframe computer. Mr. Weiss told MiTechNews

A fiber link was broken by a state employee … We were working on a disaster recovery test, performing a test on the mainframe. During the test we went from test to real life disaster. The cord between testing and real life was severed. Corrupted files got loaded on the mainframe, and we crashed the mainframe.

Mainframe computerThe “big iron” failure affected many state offices, including 131 Secretary of State branch offices, which run 80,000 daily transactions. Other state operations also were affected, including the departments of corrections, treasury, and human services. Data stored on the mainframe that was affected included the bulk of information about driver’s license and motor vehicle registration in the state,  the ability for police officers to look up driver’s license information (LEIN), or for automobile dealerships to transfer license plates for vehicles that they sold, Mr. Weiss said.

The mainframe was up and running by Wednesday night, but computer applications were still inoperable due to file corruption. The system was finally restored after 5:00 PM on Thursday according to Government Technology. The delay was caused by the data-recovery operations that were necessary as the result of file corruption during the outage.  “We have had outages before, but not to this length or scale or duration,” Mr. Weiss said, “and actually not to this level of complexity. This one has been a much more difficult one to fix compared to the other outages.”

The mainframe that went down last week also is part of an old system that is in need of modernization, Weiss said, but Michigan’s budget woes have so far prevented the state from doing the upgrades it needs. “We do need to modernize all of those applications for the secretary of state,” he told InformationWeek.

Former Gateway Computers CEO and current republican governor Snyder, when asked about the outage, told MiTechNews it is another reason the state has to get the budget approved so the state can focus on upgrading the old computer equipment used by the Michigan government. Some of this equipment is more than 30 years old.

The DTMB IT department is doing a root cause analysis of both incidents and plans to publish a “lessons learned” review of them once that is complete, Weiss said. No data was lost in either incident, although some data files were corrupted during the second and had to be restored through tape backup, he said.

IT officials are re-evaluating how to do such tests in the future in light of the incident, and another test will not be performed until this study is complete, he said.

rb-

snyder

Just put it back in the cow box

So now the boys and girls in Lansing know what it is like to work with ancient equipment because the Governor is cutting funding to everything to give a tax cut to businesses. I doubt that Snyder or his cronies have ever been in line for hours just to get new tabs. I have. Michigan needs to invest in its people and infrastructure not tax breaks for businesses.

What do you think?

Invest in people and infrastructure so people want to stay in Michigan?

or

Cut spending and raise taxes to give businesses more profits?

 

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
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| February 5, 2011
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LinkedIn Lacks Real-Time Backup

LinkedIn Lacks Real-Time BackupIt is always smart to have a backup plan. However, the IPO filings for social media giant LinkedIn revealed they do not have a backup plan. Mashable has a nice summary of LinkedIn’s SEC S-1 form. The business networking site does not have a backup plan. announced that it plans to raise at least $175 million in the initial public offering. According to the forms, LinkedIn earned $161.4 million in revenue from January 2010 to September 2010.

The revenue came from three products:

  • Job listings – 41%
  • Advertising – 32%
  • Premium subscriptions 27%.

Real-time backup data center

Data Center Knowledge found in the IPO was that LinkedIn does not have a real-time backup data center. The article says that a failure of the social media firms primary data center would knock its LinkedIn.com site offline.

“We recently implemented a disaster recovery program, which allows us to move production to a backup data center in the event of a catastrophe. Although this program is functional, it does not yet offer a real-time backup data center, so if our primary data center shuts down, there will be a time that the website will remain shut down while the transition to the backup data center takes place” LinkedIn said on page 14 of the SEC filing. The company has key infrastructure located in San Francisco and southern California, which are both prone to earthquakes. “Despite any precautions, we may take, the occurrence of a natural disaster or other unanticipated problems at our hosting facilities could result in lengthy interruptions in our services,” the company said.

The social media site has taken steps to protect its user data. Data Center Knowledge reported that LinkedIn was deploying a business continuity program in an Equinix (EQIX) data center in Chicago. The company said it already housed equipment in Equinix data centers in California. In December 2010, LinkedIn opened a new data center in Los Angeles, saying that the expansion would give “an additional, more robust data center that not only helps us handle the increasing traffic load on our servers, but to also provide more redundancy in case of an emergency.”

Data Center Knowledge summarizes that LinkedIn has its backup data stored in a remote data center using a “cold ” or “warm” backup configuration. These approaches don’t provide an instant rollover in the event of a major downtime event but allow a site owner to redeploy the site from the most recent backup. Servers in the backup data center are typically configured with the required software and applications, so they’re ready to be deployed as needed. LinkedIn didn’t indicate how long it might be offline in the event of a data center failure.

Multiple data centers

The Data Center Knowledge article points out that larger Internet companies like Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo (YHOO), and Facebook have multiple data centers and can use their network to quickly shift workloads between different facilities. LinkedIn’s infrastructure has not yet reached that scale. The article suggests that  LinkedIn has not arranged for a real-time backup set up because of the challenges it presents for database-driven sites.  The article uses Facebook’s experience when the social networker added its first East Coast data center in Virginia. The Facebook engineering team found that setting up a second site serving real-time data created “two main application-level challenges: cache consistency and traffic routing,” according to a blog entry by Facebook’s Jason Sobel.

rb-

I have been on LinkedIn for quite a while and never gave their DRP a second thought. Maybe because I didn’t need the job networking connections until recently. Seems to me that if LinkedIn wants to compete with social media favorite Facebook, and grow the paid portions of the site, they need to have 24x7x365 availability. Hopefully, that is in the development pipeline after they raise their $175 million in the IPO.

Is a real-time backup data center a must have for LinkedIn to continue to grow?

Have you had real success with landing your next gig with LinkedIn? Facebook?

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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