According to Reuters, AWS is looking to either expand its existing facilities in Milan or build on a new site. The investment will help support the company’s cloud presence in Europe.

Much of AWS’ increased investments in Europe are being driven by the company’s commitment to data sovereignty, promising to store data for EU organizations and companies within the bloc. The issue has been a growing source of concern in recent years, as EU lawmakers have grown wary of data being sent to the US where it could be vulnerable to US intelligence agencies.

The company recently announced a major expansion in Spain as well, although Reuters reports that an expansion in Italy may not be as large as that 15.7 euros deal.

The EU’s strict privacy laws set limits on how and when companies can transfer data to the US. As a result, US-based cloud companies must provide a way to handle EU customer data within the bloc. AWS has made clear its long-term commitment to its AWS European Sovereign Cloud.

From day one, AWS has believed it is essential that our customers have control over their data, and choices for how they secure and manage that data in the cloud. AWS gives customers the flexibility to choose how and where they want to run their workloads, including a proven track record of innovation to support specialised workloads around the world. We help customers meet stringent security, sovereignty, and privacy requirements in our existing sovereign-by-design AWS Regions.

The company says its investment will also help launch its first AWS Region in Brandenburg, Germany by the end of 2025. The investment is expected to contribute €17.2 billion to Germany’s economy through 2040, and support roughly 2,800 jobs in German businesses per year.

“This investment reinforces our commitment to offer customers the most advanced set of sovereignty controls, privacy safeguards, and security features available in the cloud. We’re investing heavily in new local talent and infrastructure, which will help provide the operational sovereignty our customers require,” said Max Peterson, Vice President of Sovereign Cloud at AWS. “This is an exciting milestone, and we’re looking forward to the ways that our customers and partners across Europe will drive further innovation with the AWS European Sovereign Cloud.”

“High performing, reliable, and secure infrastructure is the most important prerequisite for an increasingly digitalised economy and society. Brandenburg is making progress here. In recent years, we have set on a course to invest in modern and sustainable data centre infrastructure in our state, strengthening Brandenburg as a business location,” said Prof. Dr. Jörg Steinbach, Brandenburg’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy. “State-of-the-art data centres for secure cloud computing are the basis for a strong digital economy. I am pleased Amazon Web Services (AWS) has chosen Brandenburg for a long-term investment in its cloud computing infrastructure for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud.”

After almost 15 combined years at AWS, I am going to be moving on. It has been a true privilege to help lead this business from pre-revenue to $100B annualized revenue. I’m humbled by the many customers who have said they wouldn’t be what they are without AWS, thankful to our…

— Adam Selipsky (@aselipsky) May 14, 2024

A Legacy of Leadership and Innovation

Adam Selipsky, who rejoined AWS as CEO after a successful stint at Tableau, has been instrumental in driving the growth and innovation of the cloud unit. Under his leadership, AWS achieved a remarkable $100 billion revenue run rate, solidifying its position as the mainstay of Amazon’s cash flow. In a heartfelt letter to staff and shareholders, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy praised Selipsky’s contributions. “Adam leaves AWS in a strong position, having reached a $100 billion annual revenue run rate this past quarter, with YoY revenue accelerating again,” Jassy wrote. “I’m deeply appreciative of Adam’s leadership during this time, and for the entire team’s dedication to deliver for customers and the business.”

Selipsky’s departure follows a dynamic three-year tenure during which AWS navigated the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, the division thrived, making strategic decisions to help customers optimize their spending and launching several impactful generative AI services, such as Amazon Bedrock and Amazon Q. “Leading this amazing team and the AWS business has been a privilege,” Selipsky noted in his farewell message. “I am proud of all we’ve accomplished, going from a start-up to where we are today.”

The Rise of Matt Garman

Matt Garman, who will succeed Selipsky, brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of AWS’s operations. Having joined Amazon as an MBA intern in 2005, Garman has held numerous positions across the company, from product management to leading worldwide sales, marketing, support, and professional services for AWS. His journey within Amazon is a testament to his adaptability and leadership skills.

“Matt has an unusually strong set of skills and experiences for his new role,” Jassy wrote. “He’s very customer-focused, a terrific product leader, inventive, a clever problem-solver, and has high standards and a meaningful bias for action.” Garman’s ascent to CEO reflects Amazon’s commitment to internal development and continuity. His appointment ensures that the cloud unit remains at the forefront of innovation and customer service.

Strategic Vision and Future Prospects

Garman’s appointment comes at a critical juncture for AWS. The cloud unit not only supports Amazon’s other ventures in e-commerce, healthcare, and logistics but also serves as a leader in providing infrastructure for large language models and AI. As Amazon continues to expand its footprint in the generative AI market, Garman’s experience in both product development and sales will be invaluable.

In his message to the AWS team, Garman expressed optimism about the future. “I am more optimistic than I have ever been for the potential for innovation and growth ahead of us, and I look forward to helping us move faster, invent more, and operate as one team to help our customers,” he said. “For me, AWS is much more than just a business. We are a team of missionaries working passionately to help make our customers’ lives and businesses better every day.”

Navigating the Pandemic and Beyond

Selipsky took over AWS in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by unprecedented challenges and rapid changes. Under his direction, AWS made strategic long-term decisions to help customers become more efficient in their spend, even if it meant less short-term revenue for AWS. This customer-centric approach has been a hallmark of AWS’s strategy, reinforcing its reputation as a reliable partner for businesses navigating digital transformation.

“Adam took over at a time of great uncertainty,” noted Jassy. “Under his leadership, the team made the right long-term decisions to help customers become more efficient in their spend, even if it meant less short-term revenue for AWS. Throughout, the team continued to invent and release new services at a rapid clip.”

Innovation at the Core

During Selipsky’s tenure, AWS continued to innovate at a breakneck pace, introducing several impactful services that have set new standards in the industry. One of the notable achievements was the launch of Amazon Bedrock, a platform designed to help businesses build and deploy AI models efficiently. Another significant introduction was Amazon Q, a service aimed at simplifying the integration of AI into everyday business operations.

“We’ve always focused on helping our customers be more successful,” Selipsky remarked in an internal memo. “By continually innovating and launching new services, we’ve enabled businesses of all sizes to leverage the power of the cloud and AI to drive their own success.”

Preparing for the Future

As AWS looks to the future, Garman’s leadership is expected to bring a renewed focus on customer experience and product innovation. His extensive background in product management and his recent experience leading global sales and marketing efforts position him uniquely to drive AWS forward.

“Matt knows our customers and business as well as anybody in the world,” Jassy emphasized. “His senior leadership experience on both the product and demand generation sides will be invaluable as we continue to invent our future.”

Garman, in his message to the team, highlighted his commitment to maintaining AWS’s trajectory of growth and innovation. “Over the last 18 years, I have been fortunate enough to get to work on many different aspects of the AWS business,” Garman stated. “But one constant has been the world-class talent and the unwavering customer obsession of the people I have gotten to work with. I’m excited to get started and help us move faster, invent more, and operate as one team to help our customers.”

Wow! Quite the change coming for @awscloud. I thought @aselipsky brought what AWS needed for the next phase. Matt Garman will bring a different vibe more toward @ajassy's style.

Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky to step down https://t.co/3zBA5nhJXX#CIO #cloud $AMZN

— Tim Crawford (@tcrawford) May 14, 2024

Broader Implications for Amazon

The leadership transition at AWS is not just a significant event for the cloud unit; it has broader implications for Amazon as a whole. AWS is a crucial component of Amazon’s overall strategy, contributing significantly to the company’s revenue and profitability. As the primary driver of Amazon’s cash flow, the continued success of AWS is vital to funding Amazon’s diverse ventures and innovations across various sectors.

Amazon’s investment in cloud technology has positioned it as a leader in the industry, with AWS providing the backbone for many of the world’s most prominent digital services. The division’s continued growth and innovation under Garman will be closely watched by competitors and customers alike. As AWS continues to push the boundaries of what cloud technology can achieve, it will play a critical role in shaping the future of digital infrastructure and AI development.

The Future of Cloud Computing

The future of AWS, under Garman’s leadership, promises to be exciting. With a strong foundation built by Selipsky and a visionary leader in Garman, AWS is well-positioned to continue leading the cloud computing market. The division is expected to further its advancements in AI, machine learning, and other cutting-edge technologies.

“AWS has always been about pushing the envelope,” Garman said. “From our early days as a start-up to becoming a key player in the tech industry, we’ve always strived to be at the forefront of innovation. I look forward to continuing this tradition and helping our customers achieve their goals.”

As AWS continues to evolve, its impact on the tech industry and the broader economy will be profound. The division’s strategic investments, such as the recent $11 billion commitment in Indiana, underscore its long-term vision and commitment to growth. These investments are expected to create at least 1,000 jobs and support new workforce development training programs, highlighting AWS’s role in driving economic development alongside technological innovation.

Conclusion

As Adam Selipsky steps down and Matt Garman steps up, AWS is poised for a new chapter of growth and innovation. With a strong foundation built by Selipsky and a visionary leader in Garman, AWS is well-positioned to continue leading the cloud computing market and driving forward the next wave of technological advancements. The seamless transition in leadership ensures that AWS will maintain its momentum and continue to deliver exceptional value to its customers and stakeholders.

The cloud computing giant’s next steps will be closely watched, as Garman takes the helm with a blend of deep institutional knowledge and a forward-thinking vision. The world will be eager to see how AWS continues to shape the future of technology and what new heights it can achieve under its new leadership.

UniSuper began experiencing issues on Thursday, May 2, with members unable to access many of the company’s services. The outage continued for several days, and is still causing problems as of the time of writing. The cause of the outage is the most interesting fact, however, with Google Cloud admitting that “an isolated, one-of-a-kind occurrence’ caused UniSuper’s entire private cloud subscription to be canceled.

“This is an isolated, ‘one-of-a-kind occurrence’ that has never before occurred with any of Google Cloud’s clients globally,” said a joint statement from UniSuper CEO Peter Chun and Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian. “This should not have happened. Google Cloud has identified the events that led to this disruption and taken measures to ensure this does not happen again.”

UniSuper maintained its data in two geographies, specifically to protect against outages. Unfortunately, when Google Cloud canceled the company’s subscription, it deleted UniSuper’s data in both locations.

Restoring UniSuper’s Private Cloud instance has called for an incredible amount of focus, effort, and partnership between our teams to enable an extensive recovery of all the core systems. The dedication and collaboration between UniSuper and Google Cloud has led to an extensive recovery of our Private Cloud which includes hundreds of virtual machines, databases and applications.

The incident is not a good look for Google Cloud and raises serious questions about how the issue was able to happen in the first place. Kurian’s response that it was a “one-of-a-kind occurrence” is not reassuring, since this scenario happening even once is one too many times.

While UniSuper has assured its members that their accounts and funds are safe, not being able to access those accounts for the better part of a week is a worst-case scenario for the superannuation fund, a scenario of Google’s creation.

Interestingly, and not unexpectedly, UniSuper has not committed to remaining with Google Cloud following this episode. In response to a FAQ on its site about whether it would continue using Google after the incident, UniSuper had this to say:

UniSuper takes our responsibility to provide reliable services to our members extremely seriously. Our focus is on getting systems back online swiftly, safely and securely.

We are concurrently working closely with Google Cloud on finalising a full root cause analysis. Google Cloud has confirmed that this was an unprecedented, isolated occurrence, and that measures have been taken to ensure this issue does not happen again. We will assess this incident and ensure we are best positioned to deliver services for our members.

Understanding AWS’s Market Position

AWS commands a significant portion of the cloud market, with a sustained market share of over 40%. According to Bloomberg Intelligence Technology Analyst Anurag Rana, this dominance is attributable to the breadth of AWS’s services and its deep investment in AI technologies that reshape how companies operate.

“Amazon’s infrastructure layer offers the raw materials for businesses to build sophisticated AI applications, from data storage and compute power to advanced machine learning and analytics tools,” Rana explained during a discussion on Bloomberg. This robust foundation allows AWS to cater to various business needs, from startups to global enterprises.

Capitalizing on AI Demand

The demand for AI is not just about automating routine tasks but also about leveraging complex AI algorithms to gain insights from data, enhance decision-making, and create new customer experiences. AWS has been at the forefront of offering these capabilities, making it an attractive platform for companies looking to integrate AI into their operations.

“AWS is not merely a service provider; it’s an innovation enabler. Its comprehensive AI and machine learning services allow companies to deploy sophisticated AI applications quickly and at scale,” Rana noted.

Strategic Investments and Financial Insights

Amazon has committed substantial financial resources to expand its AI capabilities to support this growing demand. This includes investments in data centers, computing hardware, and specialized AI research and development. Rana highlighted the substantial capital expenditures AWS is planning, which are expected to exceed $65 billion, underscoring the scale of Amazon’s commitment to maintaining and expanding its infrastructure.

While these investments imply lower margins in the short term, they are critical for sustaining long-term growth and staying ahead of competitors like Microsoft and Google, who are also aggressively expanding their AI offerings.

The Challenge of Maintaining Margins

One of the significant challenges facing AWS is the pressure on profit margins. High initial investments in AI technologies and infrastructure expansion are costly, and as Rana points out, maintaining the historically high margins AWS has enjoyed may not be feasible as expenses rise.

“While AWS has enjoyed high-profit margins historically, the increasing need to invest in expanding and updating their AI and cloud infrastructure will likely compress margins,” Rana stated. However, these investments are necessary to meet the rapidly growing demand for AI-driven solutions and to ensure AWS’s continued leadership in the market.

Future Outlook

AWS’s strategy appears to be firmly centered on leveraging AI to drive growth. This involves enhancing existing cloud services and developing new AI-driven products and services that can open up additional revenue streams.

As AI continues to evolve, AWS’s ability to integrate these advancements into its offerings will be crucial for attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. Moreover, AWS’s broad portfolio and deep pockets allow it to experiment with innovative AI applications, potentially leading to groundbreaking new services that could redefine the technology landscape.

AWS’s AI-driven growth strategy is a calculated response to the evolving demands of the modern digital economy. By continuing to invest heavily in AI and cloud infrastructure, Amazon reinforces its market leadership and sets the stage for the next generation of technological innovations that could transform entire industries.

Microsoft announced the the change in a blog post. The company says offline mode brings benefits even when connected.

Offline mode uses your device’s local storage to store certain file information such as file name, size, author, last date accessed, etc. This is made possible through the OneDrive Sync app, which intelligently stores a cache of your files’ metadata locally.

One of the primary benefits of this local cache is that it significantly improves load-times for OneDrive in your browser and speeds up viewing and interacting with your OneDrive files in your browser or OneDrive app in Microsoft Teams and Outlook. By accessing your content from your local cache instead of fetching it from a cloud server, data retrieval speeds are significantly improved. The result? A smooth OneDrive experience that’s insulated against slow or intermittent connections.

Furthermore, this enhancement has the added advantage of bypassing cloud service-related throttling issues. This is particularly beneficial when working with extremely large collections of files, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. You get smoother and faster access to large volumes of files without any hindrance.

The new feature is a welcome improvement for OneDrive users.

AWS has a long history of investing in Indiana, with the company investing some $21.5 billion in the state since 2010. The company’s latest round of investment of $11 billion is the largest yet, and will help create at least 1,000 new jobs. The company will also contribute up to $7 million to support local and state road infrastructure improvements.

“AWS’s unwavering commitment to supporting our customers and helping drive digital transformation has been evident through our infrastructure investments across the United States,” said Roger Wehner, AWS director of economic development. “Building upon this, we are thrilled to be expanding our operations in Indiana through this planned $11 billion investment, which will create numerous well-paying job opportunities and tap into the state’s burgeoning tech sector, while contributing significantly to the state’s growing economy. This investment will include our continuing commitment to fostering workforce development and educational initiatives in areas where we operate, and we look forward to helping nurture the next generation of talent in the Hoosier State. We are excited to partner with Governor Holcomb, IEDC, and other state and local leaders to forge a path toward a brighter future for Indiana’s tech landscape.”

AWS is also launching the AWS InCommunities St. Joseph County Community Fund grant fund. The fund will support initiatives in “science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education; sustainability and environment; economic development; future workforce development; inclusion, diversity, and equity; and homelessness, hunger, health, and well-being.”

The company says it is committing $100,000 to the fund, which will be managed by ChangeX. Applicants aligned with one of the above themes can apply for grants of up to $10,000 to use on such a project.

Indiana officials welcomes the company’s investment.

“Indiana’s long-term economic strategy is paying dividends for Hoosiers as we cultivate the growth of critical sectors like technology infrastructure,” said Governor Holcomb. “Amazon has long been an important economic partner in Indiana, and we are excited to welcome AWS. This significant investment solidifies Indiana’s leadership position in the economy of the future, and will undoubtedly have a positive ripple effect on the town of New Carlisle, the north central region and the state of Indiana for years to come.”

“The AWS announcement today will be a generational boost to our local and regional economy, and we are excited for the opportunity to welcome the AWS team and workforce into our community,” said Carl Baxmeyer, president, St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. “This new data center campus to be built in the Indiana Enterprise Center (IEC) over the next decade will be a major employment center for all of northern Indiana. This project announcement also shows our alignment with the state’s goal to create next level jobs that benefit all Hoosiers.”

The issue appeared to begin late Friday evening or early Saturday morning. Users reported being logged out of their iCloud/Apple accounts, including any devices that were checking iCloud email with app-specific passwords.

In the case, I can attest to the widespread nature of the issue. Although I don’t use Apple devices, I do have an old iCloud account that I still use for email. Both of my personal computers, and my phone, started throwing authentication errors early Saturday morning.

A trip to https://appleid.apple.com/ revealed that my account was locked, requiring me to go through the steps to unlock it, choose an entirely new password, and set up app-specific passwords so the email clients on my devices could once again access my email account.

There has been no word from Apple regarding what happened, why the reset was forced on so many users, or if this is going to be a common occurrence.

As one of the most popular cloud storage features, security and encryption are paramount concerns. While Dropbox has always offered good security, the company has not always provided true E2EE, a noticeable disadvantage when compared with some rivals.

Encryption

According to founder and CEO Drew Houston, the company’s latest update brings seamless E2EE.

So today, we’re adding even more advanced data protection features, designed to be easy to use for all business teams. In addition to existing layers of security for all Dropbox accounts, business teams will now have access to:

• Seamless end-to-end encryption: Safeguards data so only the sender and recipient can access content, which means no one—not even Dropbox—can get into those files. Seamless end-to-end encryption is now natively integrated into team folders and eliminates the need for additional software subscriptions.
• Advanced key management: Add an extra layer of security by setting up a unique encryption key managed by FIPS 140-2 Level 3 key management services, providing more protection and easier management of all team Dropbox files.

In addition to E2EE, Dropbox is adding improved admin tools that also improve security.

We’re also introducing new tools to make it easier for admins to get vital information and visibility into team activity in one place:

• Improved Admin Experience: Manage team membership and invites from a central dashboard. Stay up-to-date on pending invites and license usage.
• Updated Trust Center: Simplify risk assessments of Dropbox products. Get self-serve, anytime access to information about security, reliability, privacy, and compliance, and complete internal reviews, audits, and risk assessments faster than ever.

DocSend Advanced Data Rooms

On the security front, Dropbox is adding an interesting new feature called DocSend Advanced Data Rooms. The feature is designed to be a one-stop virtual place where an entire deal can be conducted, “from initial pitch to final signature.”

With features like advanced permissioning and built-in NDAs, you have precise control over your most sensitive information. You can grant viewing, downloading, or uploading privileges to visitors and groups, or set granular permissions down to the file level.

Microsoft Integration

The update also brings improved integration with Microsoft teams, as well as real-time co-authoring for Microsoft 365, although this feature is still in beta.

Real-Time Co-Authoring (beta): One of Dropbox’s most-requested features ever, Co-Authoring allows multiple team members to collaboratively edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files from desktop, web, and mobile, natively within Dropbox. You can also see who’s in the document and where they’re editing in real-time, so everyone is working off the latest version. Now teams can finally put an end to conflicting copies.

The update also adds OneDrive support for Dropbox Replay.

Additional Features

In addition to the above headlining features, the update includes a slew of features designed to improve the web experience and give users faster access to their files. Users can now preview files as they navigate folders, pin favorite files for quick access, and use suggested quick actions that are based on a user’s workflow.

Paid users will also be able to use dynamic filters to access content faster, and search for files using smart suggestions.

Dropbox Replay has received a number of improvements, including rich media support, Avid Pro Tools integration, dynamic watermarking, and custom branding.

Drobpox Dash, AI-powered universal search also sees improvements with one-click access, a redesigned start page, and new connectors that support integration with 20 tools and apps.

Overall, this update is a massive one for Dropbox users, bringing important security enhancements and quality-of-life improvements for all.

According to Microsoft Coca-Cola has committed $1.1 billion to Microsoft Cloud and its generative AI platform. Coca-Cola is looking to adopt leading-edge technology and tap into the power of AI to help transform its business. The deal will see Microsoft Cloud become the beverage company’s preferred cloud platform.

“Through our long-term partnership, we have made significant progress to accelerate system-wide AI Transformation across The Coca-Cola Company and its network of independent bottlers worldwide,” said Judson Althoff, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Microsoft. “We are proud to support Coca-Cola as it continues to embrace the era of AI and looks to solutions like Azure OpenAI Service and Copilot for Microsoft 365 to drive innovation across every area of its business.”

Microsoft says Coca-Cola has already migrated all of its application to Azure, along with many of the brand’s bottling partners. Coca-Cola has already been using the Azure OpenAI Service and wants to expand its AI deployment.

“This new agreement builds on the success of Coca-Cola’s partnership strategy with Microsoft, showing our commitment to ongoing digital transformation,” said John Murphy, president and chief financial officer of The Coca-Cola Company. “Our partnership with Microsoft has grown exponentially, from the $250 million agreement we initially announced in 2020 to $1.1 billion today.”

“Our expanded partnership with Microsoft is an important next chapter in Coca-Cola’s journey toward a digital-first enterprise powered by emerging technologies,” said Neeraj Tolmare, senior vice president and global chief information officer for The Coca-Cola Company. “Microsoft’s capabilities help accelerate our adoption of AI to create incremental enterprise value.”

The deal is a major win for the number two cloud provider, and an important vote of confidence at a time when Microsoft is facing increased scrutiny for its cloud security practices.

The WSJ reported that Salesforce was looking to acquire Informatica and that the two companies were in talks. Informatica’s says its “policy is not to comment on market rumors or media speculation,” but the company was impelled to make an exception in this case.

On April 12, 2024, The Wall Street Journal published a story that the Company was in advanced talks to be acquired, according to sources familiar with the matter. Although Informatica’s policy is not to comment on market rumors or media speculation, the Company announced that it is not currently engaged in any discussions to be acquired.

The company took the opportunity to update its outlook for the first quarter, saying its results will be within the upper half of the guidance ranges it had previously provided.

“Our business fundamentals continue to be very strong and we look forward to discussing our first quarter financial results and outlook on May 1,” said Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica.

According to Reuters, Kove accused AWS of using its tech to “store and retrieve massive amounts of data,” saying it had become “essential” to AWS. Kove says AWS’ Amazon S3 storage service and DynamoDB were among the products that infringed technology it developed “years before the advent of the cloud.”

As Reuters points out, Kove similarly sued Google last year, accusing the number three cloud provider of infringing the same patents. With a win on the books against AWS, a legal precedent has been set that should benefit Kove further.

Azure Linux is based on Microsoft’s CBL-Mariner distro, and is used as for Azure Linux Container Host workloads. The company has released an updated version of Azure Linux, incorporating a plethora of bug and security fixes.

The release notes were announced on GitHub:

• Add patch for cloud-init pkg install error
• Add patch to limit pytest-mypy-plugins version for python-attrs test
• Disabled experimental c-ares module from python-gevent (also fixes CVE-2021-22931)
• Enabled ccache and artifact suffixes for fast-track PR check
• Exclude overlayfs module from main dracut package.
• Explicitly add libgcc as a requires to distroless base
• Fix imagegen tools (toolkit) to Write fstab file in correct order.
• Fix kata-containers to use system OpenSSL
• Fix kata-containers-cc to fix macro expansion (use grub2-rpm-macros)
• Fix kata-containers-cc virtiofsd dependency
• Fix mariner_2_initrd_use_suffix kdump.conf option
• Fix moby-compose license for ASL 2.0
• Fix msft-golang to include go.env in GOROOT
• Fix python-prettytables ptest.
• Fix python-remoto ptest
• Fix toolchain rebuilds for delta builds.
• Force systemd coredump to use LZ4 compression
• Limited cascading rebuilds for the fast-track PR check to 1.
• Modify cython to skip long tests.
• Patch CVE-2023-52160 for wpa_supplicant
• Patch libtiff to fix CVE-2023-52356
• Patch PAM to fix CVE-2024-22365
• Patch azure-iot-sdk-c to address CVE-2024-25110 and CVE-2024-27099 – bran
• Patch clamav to fix CVE-2024-20328
• Patch expat to fix CVE-2023-52426
• Patch kubervirt for CVE-2022-41723
• Patch less to fix CVE-2022-48624
• Patch libvirt to fix CVE-2024-1441 and CVE-2024-2496
• Patch nodejs18 to fix CVE-2024-22025 (NOTE: nodejs[16] is end of life and will be removed from build at next monthly update)
• Patch open-vm-tools to address CVE-2023-34058 & CVE-2023-34059
• Patch to package qt5-qtbase to address CVE-2022-25643
• Patch unixODBC to fix CVE-2024-1013
• Patch xorg-x11-server to fix CVE-2023-5574, CVE-2023-5367 & CVE-2023-5380, CVE-2023-6816, CVE-2024-21885
• Removed the runOnHost flag to fix the fast-track PR check pipelines.
• Switch qemu-guest base image to kernel instead of kernel-hci
• Update expat changelog
• Update guava to 32.1.3 in Javapackages-bootstrap
• Update toolchain container bootstrap to 2.0.20240123
• Upgrade Kernel to 5.15.153.1 to address kernel CVE-2014-3185, CVE-2015-5157, CVE-2022-2585, CVE-2022-2586, CVE-2022-2588,CVE-2022-2602, CVE-2023-5090, CVE-2023-5633, CVE-2023-6040, CVE-2023-6200, CVE-2023-6560, > CVE-2023-35827, CVE-2023-46838, CVE-2023-52429, CVE-2023-50431, CVE-2023-52434, CVE-2023-52435, CVE-2024-0340, CVE-2024-0562, CVE-2024-0646, CVE-2024-0775, CVE-2024-1086, CVE-2024-23849, CVE-2024-23850, CVE-2024-23851
• Upgrade ansible to 2.14.4 fix CVE-2024-0690
• Upgrade ca-certificates Msft cert change
• Upgrade emacs to 29.3 to fix CVE-2024-30202, CVE-2024-30204, CVE-2024-30205
• Upgrade expat to 2.6.2 CVE-2023-52425 and CVE-2024-28757
• Upgrade helm to 3.14.2 CVE-2024-26147
• Upgrade libreswan to 4.14
• Upgrade msft-golang to 1.21.8 to fix CVEs
• Upgrade nmi to 1.8.17 CVE-2022-41717, CVE-2022-23551
• Upgrade node-problem-detector to version v0.8.17 and patch CVE-2024-24786
• Upgrade python to 3.9.19: address CVE-2023-6597 and other security concerns
• Upgrade zstd to 1.5.4 CVE-2022-4899
• Upgrade etcd to version 3.5.12.
• Patch gnutls to fix CVE-2024-0567
• Patch telegraf for CVE-2024-27304 and CVE-2024-28110
• Kata: Release v3.2.0.azl0 for both vanilla and CC based on aligned sources
• Kata: upgrade kernel-uvm and kata-conatainers-cc for LSG release v2402.26.1

Arm-based processors have become increasingly popular in data center and cloud operations as a result of their solid performance and superior energy efficiency. Google already has its own line of custom silicon, with its Tensor chip powering its Pixel line of smartphones and tablets.

The company has expanded its offerings, adding the Axion to its lineup.

Today, we are thrilled to announce the latest incarnation of this work: Google Axion Processors, our first custom Arm®-based CPUs designed for the data center. Axion delivers industry-leading performance and energy efficiency and will be available to Google Cloud customers later this year.

Google says Axion delivers significant performance improvements over general-purpose Arm-based chips that are commonly used in cloud applications.

Axion processors combine Google’s silicon expertise with Arm’s highest performing CPU cores to deliver instances with up to 30% better performance than the fastest general-purpose Arm-based instances available in the cloud today, up to 50% better performance and up to 60% better energy-efficiency than comparable current-generation x86-based instances1. That’s why we’ve already started deploying Google services like BigTable, Spanner, BigQuery, Blobstore, Pub/Sub, Google Earth Engine, and the YouTube Ads platform on current generation Arm-based servers and plan to deploy and scale these services and more on Axion soon.

“Google’s announcement of the new Axion CPU marks a significant milestone in delivering custom silicon that is optimized for Google’s infrastructure, and built on our high-performance Arm Neoverse V2 platform. Decades of ecosystem investment, combined with Google’s ongoing innovation and open-source software contributions ensure the best experience for the workloads that matter most to customers running on Arm everywhere.” – Rene Haas, CEO, Arm

Google says the Axiom is built on the standard Armv9 architecture, making it compatible with existing Arm-based workflows and software.

Customers will be able to use Axion in many Google Cloud services including Google Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, Dataproc, Dataflow, Cloud Batch, and more. Arm-compatible software and solutions are now available on the Google Cloud Marketplace, and we’ve recently launched preview support for Arm-based instances migration in the Migrate to Virtual Machines service.

As one of the world’s leading content delivery networks (CDNs), Cloudflare is acutely aware of the challenges involved in creating real-time applications for the web, many of which are difficult for developers to tackle.

The company sees PartyKit as a way to lower the barrier to entry, according to a company blog post. PartyKit began as a way of building on Cloudflare’s Durable Objects approach to stateful serverless capabilities. The company says PartyKit puts building with real-time components within reach of development teams of all sizes, rather than being restricted to only the largest organizations.

Unlike conventional approaches that rely on external databases to maintain state, thereby complicating scalability and increasing costs, PartyKit leverages Cloudflare’s Durable Objects to offer a seamless model where stateful serverless functions can operate as if they were running on a single machine, maintaining state across requests. This innovation not only simplifies development but also opens up a broader range of use cases, including real-time computing, collaborative editing, and multiplayer gaming, by allowing thousands of these “machines” to be spun up globally, each maintaining its own state. PartyKit aims to be a complement to traditional serverless computing, providing a more intuitive and efficient method for developing applications that require stateful behavior, thereby marking the “next evolution” of serverless computing.

Cloudflare says existing users can expect their projects “to continue working as expected,” with more features coming in the future:

Users can expect their existing projects to continue working as expected. We will be adding more features to the platform, including the ability to create and use PartyKit projects inside existing Workers and Pages projects. There will be no extra charges to use PartyKit for commercial purposes, other than the standard usage charges for Cloudflare Workers and other services. Further, we’re going to expand the roadmap to begin working on integrations with popular frameworks and libraries, such as React, Vue, and Angular. We’re deeply committed to executing on the PartyKit vision and roadmap, and we’re excited to see what you build with it.

The company ended by welcoming the PartyKit team and promising to help ‘craft the foundation for next-gen internet apps:

The acquisition of PartyKit by Cloudflare isn’t just a milestone for our two teams; it’s a leap forward for developers everywhere. Together, we’re not just building tools; we’re crafting the foundation for the next generation of Internet applications. The future of serverless is stateful, and with PartyKit’s expertise now part of our arsenal, we’re more ready than ever to make that future a reality.

Welcome to the Cloudflare team, PartyKit. Look forward to building something remarkable together.

The compatibility and support for Linux within Azure are at the heart of the matter, especially given Microsoft’s historical focus on Windows Server workloads. Surprisingly, more than 60% of customer cores in Azure currently run Linux workloads, signaling the platform’s robust support for the open-source operating system. Azure’s service platform and hypervisor layer are optimized for Linux, ensuring peak performance, security, and compatibility.

What’s more intriguing is Azure’s seamless integration of Red Hat technologies and services. With 95% of Fortune 500 companies utilizing Azure and 90% relying on Red Hat, the synergy between the two platforms is undeniable. Azure boasts deep integration with Red Hat tools for migration, management, and modernization of RHEL workloads, cementing its status as the preferred choice for many enterprises.

The discussion highlighted three key areas that position Azure as an ideal environment for RHEL workloads: integration, efficiency, and flexibility. Azure’s robust integration capabilities enable seamless migration of on-premises Linux VMs to the cloud, with options for hybrid deployments. The platform offers many pre-configured images and automated scripting tools for provisioning RHEL virtual machines, ensuring ease of deployment and maintenance.

Efficiency emerged as another hallmark of Azure’s appeal, with a recent study commissioned by Red Hat revealing a 192% return on investment over three years for customers migrating RHEL workloads to Azure. Azure’s commitment-based discounts, license portability, and cost-saving options like Azure Spot VMs further enhance the efficiency of running RHEL workloads on the platform.

Regarding performance and scalability, Azure provides various compute options tailored to RHEL workloads, including memory-optimized and GPU-enabled VMs. Azure Confidential Computing VMs, in collaboration with Red Hat, extend encryption protections to sensitive data, ensuring robust security.

Lastly, Azure offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing users to run RHEL workloads across global regions, zones, and edge locations without any lock-in or limitations. Azure Arc enables seamless management and security of hybrid RHEL workloads, while Azure Update Manager simplifies update management using existing or preferred tools.

In conclusion, Azure’s comprehensive suite of features and deep integration with Red Hat technologies position it as the premier platform for running RHEL workloads. Whether migrating existing Linux workloads or building cloud-native applications, Azure offers unmatched support, security, and compatibility, empowering enterprises to harness the full potential of their RHEL environments in the cloud.

Gittens, known for his straight-shooting style, recently tackled the topic in one of his signature videos, offering viewers a reality check on why being an Azure solutions architect might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

“Sure, Azure solution architects are the vanguards of cutting-edge technology, crafting and implementing solutions on Microsoft’s cloud platform,” Gittens states. “But this path is fraught with its fair share of challenges.”

For starters, forget about your run-of-the-mill nine-to-five gig. “Agile solution architects are in for a wild ride, juggling rapid changes in technology and client demands that can turn their work hours into a rollercoaster of unpredictability,” Gittens asserts.

“And let’s not forget the relentless pace of innovation in the cloud tech space,” he continues. “Unless you’ve got a burning passion for continuous learning and adaptation, you might as well jump ship now.”

Perhaps the biggest shocker for some is the role’s heavy emphasis on teamwork. “Solution architects need to be master collaborators, working hand-in-hand with developers, sales reps, and project managers,” Gittens emphasizes. “If you’re more of a lone wolf, you might want to rethink your career trajectory.”

“And if you’re the type who prefers to keep things high-level, think again,” Gittens stresses. “Success in this role means diving headfirst into the nitty-gritty technical details—a prospect that might make some squirm.”

Lastly, Gittens reminds us that being an Azure solution architect means living life on the edge, where ambiguity reigns supreme and split-second decisions can make or break a project.

But fear not, aspiring techies! While Gittens doesn’t sugarcoat the role’s challenges, he also offers a glimmer of hope. “For those who find themselves daunted by the hurdles, rest assured that the tech world is vast and varied, with opportunities for those willing to explore,” he reassures.

As viewers bid farewell to Gittens’s no-nonsense video, they’re left with a newfound appreciation for the complexities of the Azure solution architect role. And armed with insights from Tech Simplified, they’re ready to tackle the digital frontier, one challenge at a time.

Azure AI Studio is very aware of the importance of providing developers with the tools and resources needed to create AI applications that perform effectively and prioritize safety and ethical considerations. With their platform, developers can confidently embark on their AI journey, knowing they have access to cutting-edge technology and robust safety measures.

Building with Confidence

The journey begins with the Model Catalog, where developers can explore a curated selection of foundation models or fine-tune existing ones to suit their needs. The platform empowers developers to leverage state-of-the-art AI models as the building blocks for their applications, saving time and resources while ensuring high performance.

Safety First with Azure AI Content Safety

Safeguarding against harmful content is more important than ever in today’s digital landscape. With Azure AI Content Safety, developers can create robust safety systems to monitor text and images for potentially dangerous content, including violence, hate speech, sexual content, and self-harm. The platform allows developers to customize blocklists and adjust severity thresholds to align with their unique requirements, ensuring that AI applications maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all users.

Advanced Safety System Features

Azure AI Studio goes beyond basic safety measures with advanced features that enhance AI security and quality. Prompt Shields protect foundation models from prompt injection attacks, while Groundedness Detection identifies ungrounded or “hallucinated” materials generated by AI models. Additionally, Protected Material Detection helps identify copyrighted or owned materials within model outputs, ensuring compliance with intellectual property rights.

Testing and Evaluation

Before deploying AI applications into production, developers can utilize Azure AI Studio’s automated evaluations to assess the effectiveness of their safety systems. Our platform allows developers to test their applications’ vulnerability to threats and evaluate their potential to generate harmful or poor-quality content. Results are delivered through severity scores or natural language explanations, enabling developers to identify and mitigate risks quickly.

Continuous Monitoring and Improvement

Once applications are in production, Azure AI Studio provides developers with insights into trends and user behavior, allowing them to identify potential risks and safety concerns in real time. Developers can use these insights to fine-tune their safety settings and application design, ensuring that their AI applications meet the highest safety and reliability standards.

With Azure AI Studio, developers can confidently embark on their AI journey, knowing that they have the tools and resources needed to build and safeguard generative AI applications effectively.

Zoom has been building out its platform, going from a videoconferencing solution to a full-fledged productivity suite, competing with Microsoft and Google. Zoom Workplace leverages the company’s experience, as well as its last two years as an AWS independent software vendor (ISV).

“By making Zoom available through a private offer in AWS Marketplace, we are able to reach more customers and are better equipped to enable IT teams to consolidate their technology,” said Graeme Geddes, chief growth officer at Zoom. “At Zoom, we are excited to build upon our already strong relationship with AWS and work together further to help meet the business and technology needs of our customers.”

The company says it “incorporates over 40 different AWS services, including compute, storage, and encryption capabilities,” and leverages AWS services to help businesses improve security, productivity, and data management.

Zoom’s Customer Managed Key offering allows customers to bring their own encryption keys using AWS Key Management Service to help protect certain data. Additionally, AWS AppFabric integrates with the Zoom Developer Platform to help businesses break down data silos, improve cross-application workflows, enhance security observability, and support employee productivity. In 2023, AWS named Zoom as a NAMER finalist for its 2023 Geo and Global AWS Partner Award within the Education Partners of the Year category.

To learn more about Zoom Workplace in AWS Marketplace, visit this link.

Nikesh Arora, Chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, provides valuable insights into the company’s approach and the evolving dynamics within the cybersecurity landscape. Arora acknowledges the initial skepticism surrounding platformization but emphasizes the overwhelmingly positive customer response.

Arora explains, “There was a lot of trepidation around platformization initially. It’s fascinating how everybody else wants to talk about platforms now, which is great. I’ve been very excited about the response I’ve gotten from our customers. For the first time, I have inbound calls from customers asking how to transition from their legacy systems to a platform approach.”

Addressing the pressing issue of cybersecurity breaches impacting mainstream America, Arora underscores the urgency of fortifying critical infrastructure. Recent incidents like the Change Healthcare hack highlight the imperative for swift and effective cybersecurity measures.

Arora notes, “Since our last conversation, the hacking world has had four major developments. Firstly, an advisory from CIS urged everyone to migrate from legacy VPNs as quickly as possible. Secondly, there was the unfortunate incident involving Change Healthcare. We’ve been actively restoring their systems and facilitating their transition to more secure platforms.”

Furthermore, Arora emphasizes the importance of agility and innovation in response to emerging cybersecurity threats. Palo Alto Networks is actively collaborating with industry leaders, including Nvidia and Google, to harness the power of artificial intelligence in combating cyber threats.

“AI is going to be transformative in the cybersecurity landscape,” says Arora. “We’re working with Nvidia, Google, and other partners to embed AI capabilities into our products. This is crucial for protecting our customers from malicious actors using AI and enhancing the effectiveness of our cybersecurity solutions.”

Despite the competitive landscape in the cybersecurity sector, Arora remains steadfast in his vision for Palo Alto Networks. He emphasizes the company’s commitment to delivering value-driven solutions and driving impactful outcomes for its clients.

“Competition is inevitable in our industry, but we’re focused on delivering tangible value to our customers,” Arora states. “Our goal is to be the leading cybersecurity company globally, and we’re constantly innovating to stay ahead of emerging threats and challenges.”

As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, Palo Alto Networks stands poised to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape. Arora’s insights offer a glimpse into the strategic direction of one of the industry’s leading players, reaffirming Palo Alto Networks’ position at the forefront of cybersecurity innovation.