Amazon Web Services (AWS) is considered the worlds most comprehensive and in-depth cloud platform.

As a subsidiary of Amazon, AWS provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, organisations and governments on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Officially launched in 2002, AWS today offers more than 175 fully featured services from data centres worldwide. The organisation serves hundreds of thousands of customers across 190 different countries globally. Recognised as a leader in the field, no other cloud provider offers as many regions with multiple Availability Zones connected by low latency, high throughput, and highly redundant networking.

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It has several different solutions, such as: application hosting, websites, backup and storage, enterprise IT, content delivery and databases.

Why is it considered the leading cloud platform?

Most functionality - AWS has considerably more services and features within those services than any other cloud provider. This ranges from infrastructure technology like compute storage and databases to the latest technologies such as machine learning, AI and the Internet of Things. This allows it to be easier, faster and more cost effective to move existing applications to the cloud and create almost anything.

Largest community of customers and partners - AWS has a large and dynamic community, with millions of active customers and tens of thousands of partners globally. Customers from every industry and of all sizes are running every imaginable use case on AWS.

Most secure - AWS is designed to be the most flexible and secure cloud computing environment today. Its core infrastructure is designed to meet the requirements for the military, global banks and other high-sensitive organisations. AWS supports 90 security standards and compliance certifications, as well as 117 AWS services that store customer data and provide the ability to encrypt that data.

Fastest pace of innovation - Through AWS, it can allow the latest state-of-the-art technologies to experiment and innovate more efficiently. AWS is continuously increasing its pace of innovation to invent new technologies to empower businesses to transform their operations. In 2014, AWS created the serverless computing space with the launch of AWS Lambda, which enables developers to run their code without managing servers.

Most proven operational expertise - AWS has unrivalled experience, know-how, reliability, security and performance. AWS has been providing cloud services to millions of customers worldwide through a variety of use cases.

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AWS: the worlds most comprehensive cloud platform - Gigabit Magazine - Technology News, Magazine and Website

Flexible customization options and security is one reason why non-profits need to opt for small hosting companies for their day-to-day operations. However, as more and more organizations are moving their operations to the public cloud, they need to be made aware of the fact that they usually lack the knowledge to implement and maintain the proper security for their cloud infrastructure.

This can have devastating consequences for them because non-profits face a greater risk of security breaches. As a result, a breach may go undetected and they lack the expertise required to respond to one, even if it were detected.

Suggested resource: Concourse offers free migration services to organizations who use Blackbaud CRM

Now that the focus of the whole planet is concentrated on how to fight the coronavirus pandemic, non-profits are likely to see a slowdown in the amount of people willing to donate. They can now take advantage of the time on their hands to reevaluate their internal infrastructure so that they can ensure that it is secured for when donations start to pick up again.

One of the preferred CRM systems used by non-profits is Blackbaud CRM and migrating it to a more secure hosting solution now will allow their systems to function more efficiently and to accommodate future demands and specific customizations once the turmoil of COVID-19 subsides.

Besides offering more control with flexible customization options, Concourse Hosting also offers secure integrations and the expertise in hosting Blackbaud CRM software.

The centrally located data center in Dallas, Texas offers fast connectivity across seven tier-one carrier backbones. The Blackbaud CRM user data is replicated to a secondary data center in Seattle for DR recovery at 4-hr RPO and 24-hr RTO.

Every organization has custom built Blackbaud CRM virtual servers that are dedicated to them alone. Concourses private cloud platform features VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus with High Availability. They keep pace with all the newest technology and these currently are running vSphere ESXi version 6.7.

Concourse works with Dell and they have created a custom powerhouse using a PowerEdge R640 stocked with dual Intel Xeon Gold 6244 3.6GHz processors. With 8 cores each, they have a total of 16 cores that either have 768GB or 1.5TB. Backed by ProSupport Plus, they have three 10Gb dual port network cards and redundant power.

Pure Storage provides the flash storage arrays where your Blackbaud CRM environments reside. These feature NVMe flash with 40 Gb uplink to their Cisco networking fabric. This system offers the latest and fastest storage and has sub-millisecond latency.

In March 2020, Concourse Hosting completed its annual security audit and is a PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider. The security auditors also rated them as a HIPAA/HITECH compliant provider. This is a crucial security component for all organizations that provide services to the healthcare industry. Concourse is committed to security and Blackbaud CRM infrastructure benefits from the multiple layers provided. Regular penetration tests are run and annual audits are a must. AOC is provided upon request.

Each clients Blackbaud CRM resides within its own firewall security zone and has a dedicated firewall interface and custom access. Furthermore, the Development and Production environments are isolated from each other to eliminate any impact from user activity on either zone.

Non-profits want to have more control and often struggle to manage and secure everything because they lack the expertise. Therefore, they opt for Concourse and their most recent acquisitions were two new large non-profits. Concourse was recently chosen over competitor hosting options by the University of Arizona Foundation and the Texas Childrens Hospital. These organizations gave the hosting company a vote of confidence to host their Blackbaud CRM fundraising systems, the core system for the day-to-day running of their operations.

COVID-19 and lockdown has brought many of the fundraising activities for non-profits to a standstill and sponsors to these are concentrating their efforts to the race in finding a cure or vaccine. For now, organizations can concentrate on moving to a better hosting company over the cloud and experience the friendly support that their teams deserve.

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Why large non-profits opt for small hosting companies over the cloud - BestTechie

Plenty of technology and life science events and deadlines are on tap for May.

If youre interested in events coming up in the immediate future, check out our two-part list of:

Also, check out our list of 145 meetups in the Triangle.

These columns accompany our interactive calendar, along with a comprehensive resource package for startups in the Triangle.

Keeping up with WRAL TechWires continued initiative to track events happening across North Carolina, heres a look at whats to come in May:

This free monthly interactive webinar provides participants with an overview of NC TECHs activities, resources and member offerings.

ProductCampRTP is back with another unconference style program. This seasons event will focus on the role of data in solving problems.

This weekly meetup brings together developers, IT professionals and tech enthusiasts who are interested in the Google Cloud Platform.

The Council for Entrepreneurial Development is bringing its flagship Venture Connect Summit onlinetech and life science companies can join to network and connect with other entrepreneurs and investors virtually. More TechWire coverage here.

The City of Winston-Salems Office of Business Inclusion and Advancement is hosting its sixth Business Plan Competition, in which winners can receive grants and micro-loans for starting up their business.

Presented by Flywheel Coworking and hosted by Benekiva CEO Bobbie Shrivastav, this event will feature live technology demos from Triad-area startups.

In this virtual session, IT leaders at NC TECH member companies will discuss relevant topics and best practices in their field.

Join the Code for Chapel Hill meetup to network with like-minded individuals and work on civic hacking projects. Meetings are held every two weeks on Tuesdays.

Every Wednesday morning, entrepreneurs in the Lake Norman area join to present their companies to mentors, advisers and other startups. Join to meet new people and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs.

This online meeting will convene CISOs, VPs and director-level security leaders from NC TECH member companies.

Held every month, 1 Million Cups Charlotte features a presentation from a local startup followed by a Q&A from the community. Free coffee is included.

1 Million Cups, presented by Kauffman, is a weekly informal pitch event for the startup community. Join for free coffee and entrepreneurial support as local startups deliver their presentations.

This weekly event brings together entrepreneurs in the Wilmington and Cape Fear community to gather for coffee, casual startup pitches and conversation.

Ashevilles startup community meets weekly to hear presentations and support one another in continuing to grow.

Every Wednesday, Packard Place is hosting a virtual gathering with Charlottes tech community. Join for networking and conversations over drinks.

The Charlotte chapter of the Ellevate network is hosting a casual social for both members and non-members in Matthews.

Held on a weekly basis, this Venture Caf event series provides all sorts of programming for Piedmont Triad entrepreneurs and innovators. Every Thursday evening, the community gathers for networking, panel talks, workshops, presentations, product demos, interviews, and more.

In this nine-month program, participants will develop the skills and knowledge needed to be a community leader.

This free bi-monthly event offers a space for local tech professionals to build connections and find potential job opportunities.

This weekly meetup brings together developers, IT professionals and tech enthusiasts who are interested in the Google Cloud Platform.

Code for Durham brings together technologists, designers, developers, data scientists, map makers and activists to collaborate on civic technology projects. Meetings are held every two weeks on Tuesdays. Pizza will be provided.

Every Wednesday morning, entrepreneurs in the Lake Norman area join to present their companies to mentors, advisers and other startups. Join to meet new people and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs.

1 Million Cups, presented by Kauffman, is a weekly informal pitch event for the startup community. Join for free coffee and entrepreneurial support as local startups deliver their presentations.

This weekly event brings together entrepreneurs in the Wilmington and Cape Fear community to gather for coffee, casual startup pitches and conversation.

Ashevilles startup community meets weekly to hear presentations and support one another in continuing to grow.

Every Wednesday, Packard Place is hosting a virtual gathering with Charlottes tech community. Join for networking and conversations over drinks.

In this lunch and learn, CrossComm Senior Software Engineer Ben Berry will share the advantages and drawbacks of USB, Classic Bluetooth, BLE, NFC, UWB, WiFi and 5G.

Held on a weekly basis, this Venture Caf event series provides all sorts of programming for Piedmont Triad entrepreneurs and innovators. Every Thursday evening, the community gathers for networking, panel talks, workshops, presentations, product demos, interviews, and more.

The Charlotte chapter of the Ellevate network is hosting a casual social for both members and non-members.

The Charlotte chapter of the Ellevate network is hosting a casual social for both members and non-members in Cornelius.

In this free workshop, participants will learn how to adopt and apply the entrepreneurial mindset in their lives.

This weekly meetup brings together developers, IT professionals and tech enthusiasts who are interested in the Google Cloud Platform.

Join the Code for Chapel Hill meetup to network with like-minded individuals and work on civic hacking projects. Meetings are held every two weeks on Tuesdays.

Every Wednesday morning, entrepreneurs in the Lake Norman area join to present their companies to mentors, advisers and other startups. Join to meet new people and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs.

NC TECHs Job Fair series connects local tech talent to the companies and organizations looking to hire in the community.

1 Million Cups, presented by Kauffman, is a weekly informal pitch event for the startup community. Join for free coffee and entrepreneurial support as local startups deliver their presentations.

This weekly event brings together entrepreneurs in the Wilmington and Cape Fear community to gather for coffee, casual startup pitches and conversation.

Ashevilles startup community meets weekly to hear presentations and support one another in continuing to grow.

On the third Wednesday of every month, the Queen Citys entrepreneurial community joins together for an evening of networking and connections over drinks.

NC TECHs Government Vendor Network is a forum for member companies who are interested in doing business with state government. This months event will feature a talk from Tracy Doaks, the new secretary of the NC Department of IT and State CIO.

Held on a weekly basis, this Venture Caf event series provides all sorts of programming for Piedmont Triad entrepreneurs and innovators. Every Thursday evening, the community gathers for networking, panel talks, workshops, presentations, product demos, interviews, and more.

This free bi-monthly event offers a space for local tech professionals to build connections and find potential job opportunities.

This weekly meetup brings together developers, IT professionals and tech enthusiasts who are interested in the Google Cloud Platform.

Code for Durham brings together technologists, designers, developers, data scientists, map makers and activists to collaborate on civic technology projects. Meetings are held every two weeks on Tuesdays. Pizza will be provided.

Bring your ideas and opinions to the next Midtown Techies meetup. Events are held on the last Tuesday of every month.

Every Wednesday morning, entrepreneurs in the Lake Norman area join to present their companies to mentors, advisers and other startups. Join to meet new people and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs.

1 Million Cups, presented by Kauffman, is a weekly informal pitch event for the startup community. Join for free coffee and entrepreneurial support as local startups deliver their presentations.

This weekly event brings together entrepreneurs in the Wilmington and Cape Fear community to gather for coffee, casual startup pitches and conversation.

Ashevilles startup community meets weekly to hear presentations and support one another in continuing to grow.

Join an open tour of the Skookum office to get an introduction to the tech and ideas powering the community. The Skookum team will be available for any questions or comments participants may have. Lunch will be provided.

Held on a weekly basis, this Venture Caf event series provides all sorts of programming for Piedmont Triad entrepreneurs and innovators. Every Thursday evening, the community gathers for networking, panel talks, workshops, presentations, product demos, interviews, and more.

This weekly meetup brings together developers, IT professionals and tech enthusiasts who are interested in the Google Cloud Platform.

New Ventures is currently accepting applicants for its latest accelerator cohort. Companies accepted into the three-month program receive a residency at Flywheel Coworking, acceptance into Winston Starts Explore Program, mentorship, and access to top investors in the Triad and beyond. The accelerator culminates in a competition where an average of $50,000 in funding is awarded per startup. (NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 crisis, New Ventures has rescheduled the accelerator. The application deadline is now extended to May 31, and the accelerator will begin in August.)

Original post:
On the tech horizon: Here's a look at what's coming across NC in May - WRAL Tech Wire

Jim Lampert

Managed service providers have been around for more than 20 years but my, how things have changed since they grew out of the original application service provider model. Until recently, MSPs have focused primarily on remote monitoring, security, network management and other routine IT tasks that CIOs would rather outsource for cheaper than they can run internally.

But as cloud adoption grew, MSPs began to expand offerings to include public and private cloud design, migration and management services. This has contributed to a new purpose for MSPs, especially as software-defined infrastructure and automation have replaced some of their traditional skill sets. The trouble is, CIOs are wrestling with the complexity costs of new technology: unmanaged cloud sprawl, integration challenges between SaaS and cloud providers, security risks from shadow IT and so on.

But where theres pain, theres opportunity. MSPs looking to grow and survive amid IT marketplace disruption can today play a bigger role than ever before in enterprise IT. In 451 Researchs Voice of the Enterprise: Cloud Hosting & Managed Services survey, organizations highlight cloud platform expertise, advanced platform functions and cloud-native application development as areas where the necessary skills are lacking in-house. As a result, enterprises are looking to service providers to fill some of these gaps over the next two years, nearly half of businesses currently using cloud plan to work with a service provider to acquire cloud platform expertise, according to the research firm.

IT leaders are under pressure to be real business partners, working directly with the C-suite on the future of the business. In turn, MSPs now have a fantastic opportunity to deliver a new suite of services:

In addition, MSPs are in an optimal position to recommend new technologies, helping enterprise IT leaders rapidly

Read the rest here:
MSPs: Time to Reinvent - Channel Futures

SALT LAKE CITY, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Health Catalyst, Inc.("Health Catalyst," Nasdaq:HCAT), aleading provider of data and analytics technology and services to healthcare organizations, today announced meaningful developments in its initial COVID-19 solutions and is launching the following: a COVID-19 Registry, Dashboard, and Capacity Planning Tool, with a new set of Financial Impact Planning Resources in development. The technology associated with all of these solutions is offered to Health Catalyst clients at no cost, with the Capacity Planning Tool also available to any healthcare organization, free of charge.

Also, in response to requests from health systems who are not Health Catalyst clients, the company is making available a modular bundle consisting of a light version of Health Catalyst's Data Operating System (DOS) bundled with the Patient Safety Application Suite, inclusive of the COVID-19-Specific Public Health Surveillance Module. This can be installed in as little as a few weeks, and the technology is being made available to any U.S. health system, at no cost in 2020, with associated 2020 cloud hosting and other implementation costs priced at the company's direct cost.

"We are grateful to continue to support our heroic health system clients in their response to COVID-19," said Dan Burton, CEO of Health Catalyst."Our first three solutions were developed in response to problems our clients described, and we're grateful to see significant early interest in and use of these solutions. We're also grateful for the next round of insights we gleaned through additional discussions with health systems, which directly informed our next wave of rapid-development COVID-19 Solutions."

Update on Three Already-Announced COVID-19 Solutions:

New COVID-19 Solutions:

Early feedback on these solutions has been encouraging, with significant customer dialogue about the value of the COVID-19 capacity planning and analysis for beds, PPE, ventilators and more.

"Despite several available epidemiology models, many hospital leaders, operators, and analysts asked Health Catalyst for additional capacity planning support.We quickly built upon the Penn Medicine Predictive Healthcare Team's outstanding work, released expanded capabilities to nearly 50 healthcare organizations and are gathering and acting on early favorable feedback," said Jason Jones, Chief Data Scientist at Health Catalyst.

"Our efforts and customer conversations are reinforcing the critical role of patient registries in the management and understanding of COVID-19 at every level of our healthcare system, from local to national," said Dale Sanders, Chief Technology Officer at Health Catalyst. "Ensuring we plan for the investment, development and implementation of these registries for future preparedness will be key in the long-term battle against novel viruses."

About Health CatalystHealth Catalyst is a leading provider of data and analytics technology and services to healthcare organizations committed to being the catalyst for massive, measurable, data-informed healthcare improvement. Its customers leverage the cloud-based data platformpowered by data from more than 100 million patient records and encompassing trillions of factsas well as its analytics software and professional services expertise to make data-informed decisions and realize measurable clinical, financial and operational improvements. Health Catalyst envisions a future in which all healthcare decisions are data informed.

Link:
Health Catalyst Launches Four Additional COVID-19 Solutions and a Modular Bundle - The Herald Journal