Flux7 Blog

In this week’s DevOps news, new research by VMware shows how enterprises benefit from modern applications during COVID-19. The study, conducted in March and April 2020, reveals that modern applications have multiple benefits including enabling remote workforces (54%); pushing quick updates in response to changing landscape (42%); and, maintaining reliable uptime (41%). Importantly, only 2% reported unsuccessful digital transformation efforts.

Conversely, 97% reported some level of success with their digital transformation efforts, achieving a few key priorities like increasing business efficiency (48%); improving the customer experience (42%); and, upgrading existing technology platforms (39%). Key to achieving these results according to VMware researchers at modern tools. Indeed, 80% of the app dev and ITDMs surveyed said that teams, “must modernize the technologies they use to develop and deploy apps and software for development projects to be more successful.” And, 79% noted that enterprises must successfully modernize their SDLC processes to bring best-in-class end-user experience to market.

DevOps News

• In a new report released by AT&T Cybersecurity in conjunction with the Telco Security Alliance, COVID-19 Insight, researchers found a 2,000% increase in COVID-19 related threats in March compared to April.  Almost 80% of the COVID-related spam emails originated from the US.
  
• VMware announces its intent to acquire Datrium. According to a press release, the acquisition will “expand the current VMware Site Recovery disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) offering with Datrium’s world-class cost-optimized DRaaS solution.” 
• Microsoft launches an initiative to close the skills gap created by COVID-19 related economic changes. Its global skills initiative seeks to educate 25 million people worldwide by the end of the year in key digital skills. 
  

AWS News 

• AWS launches AWS App2Container. The new command-line tool helps containerize existing applications — whether on-premises, in Amazon EC2, or in other clouds — without changing code. In a blog, AWS describes the tool as discovering applications running on a server, identifies their dependencies, and generates relevant artifacts to deployment to Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS. 
  
• Amazon CodeGuru is now generally available. Announced at re:Invent last fall, CodeGuru automates code reviews for developers, helping them troubleshoot issues with ML. With GA, AWS brings BitBucket repo support and a capability that allows developers to start the profiling agent using a command line switch, avoiding the need to modify app code to run the agent.
  
• AWS announces the Porting Assistant for .NET. The tool helps operators port their .NET Framework applications to .NET Core running on Linux. 
  
• AWS makes two engines generally available: Amazon RDS Proxy, a database proxy for Amazon RDS, and Amazon RDS Proxy with PostgreSQL compatibility.
• Amazon QuickSight has several additions this week, including histograms as a new chart type and the ability to transfer data sources templates across different regions.  The service now also supports Lake Formation–protected Athena data sources and QuickSight accounts can now use AWS Lake Formation column-level authorization to enforce granular-level access control for their users.
  
• Amazon updates Amazon Connect allowing administrators to design a contact flow after an agent disconnects from a customer, transferring them to an automated flow where they can answer a post-call survey, be placed in a queue, or be scheduled for a call back.  

Flux7 News

• How do you measure where you are, where you could improve and how you benchmark against others? This article by Flux7’s Elysia Lock, shares through the case study of a Fortune real estate firm how you can build a roadmap for greater maturity with a Cloud Maturity Assessment.
• Traditionally, organizations find it more difficult to facilitate work-at-home environments for call center employees as they have been tied to legacy on-premises telecommunications infrastructure and applications. Amazon Connect seeks to upend this paradigm. Read how Grow Flexibility, Agility with Amazon Connect

Written by Flux7 Labs

Flux7, an NTT DATA Company, is the only Sherpa on the DevOps journey that assesses, designs, and teaches while implementing a holistic solution for its enterprise customers, thus giving its clients the skills needed to manage and expand on the technology moving forward. Not a reseller or an MSP, Flux7 recommendations are 100% focused on customer requirements and creating the most efficient infrastructure possible that automates operations, streamlines and enhances development, and supports specific business goals.