In North America, banks handle only 12 percent of their tasks on the cloud, but that could double in the next two years, the consulting firm Accenture said in a survey. Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, said the bank needed to adopt new technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud technology as fast as possible.

Jan. 4, 2022, 7:23 a.m. ET

Wells Fargo plans to move to data centers owned by Microsoft and Google over several years; Morgan Stanley is also working with Microsoft. Bank of America has saved $2 billion a year in part by building its own cloud. Goldman said in November that it would team up with Amazon Web Services to give clients access to mountains of financial data and analytical tools.

Cloud services enable banks to rent data storage and processing power from providers including Amazon, Google or Microsoft, which have their own data centers dotted around the globe. After moving to the cloud, banks can access their data on the internet and use the tech companies computing capacity when needed, instead of running their own servers year-round.

Seeing a big opportunity to sell cloud-computing services to Wall Street, some tech giants have hired former bankers who can use their knowledge of the rules and constraints under which banks operate to pitch the industry.

Scott Mullins, AWSs head of business development for financial services, previously worked at JPMorgan and Nasdaq. Yolande Piazza, vice president for financial services at Google Cloud, is the former chief executive of Citi FinTech, an innovation unit at Citigroup. Bill Borden at Microsoft and Howard Boville at IBM are Bank of America alumni.

Cloud providers are moving at a much faster development pace when you think of security, compliance and control structures, compared with individual banks, said Mr. Borden, a corporate vice president for worldwide financial services at Microsoft. The cloud, Mr. Borden and the other executives said, enables companies to increase their computer processing capabilities when they need it, which is much cheaper than running servers on their own premises.

But glitches do occur. One week after Goldman teamed up with Amazon, an AWS outage halted webcasts from a conference hosted by the bank that convened chief executives from the biggest U.S. financial firms. The glitch also caused problems for Amazons Alexa voice assistant, Disneys streaming service and Ticketmaster. AWS and its competitor, Microsoft Azure, both had outages recently.

Banking regulators in the United States, including the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, have jointly underscored the need for lenders to manage risks and have backup systems in place when they outsource technology to cloud providers. The European Banking Authority warned firms about concentration risk, or becoming overly reliant on a single tech company.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which oversees broker dealers firms that engage in trading activity has already moved all its technology to the cloud. The group previously spent tens of millions of dollars a year to run its own servers but now rents space on AWS servers for a fraction of that amount, said Steven J. Randich, FINRAs chief information officer.

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Why Banks Are Slow to Embrace Cloud Computing - The New York Times

Three big trends in connectivity are set to revolutionise our roads in the next five to ten years: edge computing, 5G and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. In 2022, edge-node sensors will be installed at roadsides around the world as an initial step in bringing all three together as part of the transport infrastructure.

Edge-based computing focuses on shifting the intelligence and data processing much closer to the original data source. Edge servers, known as edge nodes, are deployed in close proximity to vehicle networks. Unlike cloud computing, they can deliver real-time information without any delay.

The movement of data from cloud-based to edge-based has started but, in 2022, edge will become more prevalent, leading to consumers experiencing the first benefits of true 5G-based communication. For motorists, this will mean instantaneous content and high-precision, location-based services. For businesses, it will mean being able to reach customers more effectively.

Practically, this will be achieved by plug-and-play edge nodes arriving at roadsides. Unlike previous technology upgrades, such as adding cell towers, this wont require disruptive roadwork the nodes will primarily be hooked up wirelessly.

These edge nodes, incorporated into roadside units, will act as location references to support real-time, precise services. They will provide drivers with information on what is happening on the road, such as temporary blocks or the closest available parking at their destination. These time savings will translate into fuel and cost savings. Uber drivers, for example, who earn money based on the number of journeys or deliveries they complete, will be able to pinpoint a specific assigned rider, even in a crowded area, orthe exact front door for a delivery.

Businesses will also no longer operate solely from the cloud, which relies on customers reaching them via an app or website. Instead, some will start on the edge and connect with consumers they know are located close to their services. A car wash, for example, will be able to send a discount code to customers driving nearby.

These developments have already begun, with a number of edge-node infrastructure projects due to be deployed or further scaled in 2022. New York is piloting roadside units to improve safety, using them to deliver two-way alerts via an app that pings to keep vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians, protected in high-traffic areas. In Austin, Texas, 5G roadside equipment will be deployed to provide real-time traffic updates and lane guidance. This will support safety and mobility applications, including signal controllers that grant traffic priority for emergency vehicles, and apps that issue alerts warning of incidents or road works.

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New Connectivity Is Bringing Roads Up to Speed - Wired.co.uk

[Disclaimer: The views expressed in opinion pieces on the PrescotteNews website are solely those of the authors. These opinions do not necessarily represent those of the staff of Prescott eNews or its publisher.]

The White Renegade of the Year is the man who could have done the most good for his people, but instead did the most harm. This years renegade isnt a single man but an entire industry.

If one were to identify the Democrat Renegade of the Year, the answer would be simple Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. He tore the heart out of the Biden Administrations legislative agenda. We should thank him (and SenateparliamentarianElizabeth MacDonough) for sparing the country another amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Who is the White Renegade, the one who did the most damage when he could have done the most good? Its hard to identify a single person. Most opposition to the progressives cultural revolution is pure reaction. While some may say they are against wokeness, no one with power is outlining ways it could be rolled back or abolished. Theres no agenda, no Contract with America, no plan.

There is little reason to think a Republican congressional majority in 2022 will make things better, and there are reasons to think it might make things worse. At the time of the greatest potential opportunity, conservatives could completely blow it and thats why Conservatism Inc. is this years White Renegade of the Year.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel calls the Republican National Convention to order at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., Monday August, 24, 2020. (Credit Image: David T. Foster III / POOL via ZUMA Wire)

This is frustrating because now is a time foroptimism. The conditions have never been so favorable. The conservative base, and whites generally, are more energetic, organized, andracially awarethan in recent memory. The movement is far more serious and dedicated than during the eruptions of 20152016.

Crowds chant Lets Go Brandon (or more direct insults) at a president who isunderwaterin polls and unlikely to surface. Almost three-quarters of Republicansthinkthe President is illegitimate. Most Republicans think January 6 rioters (or protesters, as most Republicans describe them) shouldnotbe prosecuted. Despite the media focus on the Capitol riot and a congressionalprobeof the former president, most RepublicanswantDonald Trump to run again in 2024. Considering the Regime Medias campaign against all this, these are stunning figures.

Even if you dont think theres an electoral solution to our racial problems, elections reflect the social situation. At least some elected Democrats are afraid of the midterms and areretiringinstead of running for re-election.Theyshouldbeafraid of losing. In 2021, the GOP scored a crushing upset in the Virginia governors election and almost flipped New Jersey. Parents around the country are spontaneously organizing against Critical Race Theory in schools. Democrats are having a hard time holding on to theHispanic vote. Most importantly, Americans are increasingly willing to violate media taboos, even in the face of official persecution.

This is really whats been the story of this entire year, almost since the beginning. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (with CNNs help) is currentlytryingto turn January 6 into a weird anti-holiday. A year since the riots, the militant support for Donald Trump is astonishing more than he deserves. Tens of thousands of people traveled to Washington DC to try to keep him in office. Some broke into the Capitol. One person, in my opinion,died for him.Millionsbelieve we are ruled by a usurper. Whether you think January 6 was a riot, a protest, a crime, a righteous uprising,an FBI operation,or all of that, everything that happened that day and since shows remarkable loyalty to the 45th president. It also shows a willingness to gobeyondDonald Trump.

Credit Image:Ivan Radic via Wikimedia

This is a crisis of legitimacy for the regime, and the courtier media are acting accordingly. The sinister term Our Democracy and warnings of a coup are reaching the level of hysteria. The supposed Republican coup consists of tightening voter laws or allowing states to appoint their own electors. Thats not a shocking departure from the way the Constitution was supposed to work.

Both progressives and conservatives make the stakes seem higher than they are. Donald Trump, a man who didnt stand up to Paul Ryan on immigrationeven when the President was at his most powerful,is a Boulanger, not a Bonaparte. If he was plotting a coup, he would have used the military or whatever forces were loyal to him. He didnt. He didnt pardon those arrested or march to the Capitol. He told people to go home. The militancy came from the grassroots. They were willing to go farther than the would-be Emperor.

And with little support. Big Tech censored President Trumps supporters (and even the President himself) during his term, while those who opposed the President became celebrities. Now that Mr. Trump is out of office, ratings havecollapsed; not even journalists can turn COVID into the moral drama they thought they had with a president they hated. When people who benefitted from race preferences under the Trump Administration claim fascism is nigh, its hard to take them seriously. They have platforms the former president himself doesnt have. A recentWashington Postcolumnfrom retired military officers claiming that a Trump insurgency is a real threat is such a string of fantasies it helps explains why the military cant win a war.

January 6, and perhaps the Trump movement itself, was a confused signal from millions of people who sense correctly that they are losing their country. They rallied around the only leader they had. Still, forget the overheated rhetoric about coups, fascism, and insurrections. If President Trump were still in office,what would be different? Since 2017, its been tempting to name President Trump himself as White Renegade of the Year. I didnt because on balance he was positive, in his bumbling way. He gave something momentum that is bigger than he is, but he has had his chance.

Attorney General Merrick Garland looks at still images of a video from the January 6 attack on the Capitol during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing of the Department of Justice on Thursday, October 21, 2021 at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C (Credit Image: Greg Nash Pool Via Cnp / CNP via ZUMA Press Wire)

If we still had President Trump, some legislation would be different and immigration would be down, but we wouldnt be living in the vastly different situation many hoped for in November 2016. Instead, President Trump would be suffering from the same problems President Joe Biden does today, problems that the Chief Executive cant control.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which Vice President Kamala Harrissaidwould be the first thing the new Administration would handle, has more cases than ever. President Biden himself now says there is no federal solution. President Trump once boasted he could shoot someone without losing support, but some have turned on himbecausehe wont denounce vaccines.

COVID-19 this black hole that is swallowing so much political energy would still be there no matter who was in office. The main difference is that President Trump would not have ordered a national vaccine mandate, but a federal judge halted President Bidensorderanyway. Those who got a vaccine they didnt want largely did so because their jobs were at stake. Though white advocates have good reason to distrust theso-called experts, theres no identitarian line on the virus except to say that it has shown the dangers ofopen borders. Blacks are less likely to be vaccinated than whites, though whether mandates will be enforced againstthem is a separate question.

Still, theres a huge political opening for Republicans to defend their voters, who are far more likely than Democratsto resistvaccine requirements. This brings us to what could be done now with President Trump out of office. Republicans could protect their voters not just by fighting vaccine requirements, but by banning employees from being fired for ideological reasons. Blatant censorship is an opening for conservatives to push for more stringent regulation of social media companies, particularly by forcing ones that get public money to honor First Amendment standards on lawful speech.

Instead, figures associated with President Trump have promoted various alternate platforms such as GETTR, Parler, and reportedlyRumble. Even after everything that has happened, conservatives will not directly take on social-media monopolies. With few exceptions, they wont even use Gab.

App icon of Gettr, a social media platform, and its support account is displayed on a smartphone. (Credit Image: Andre M. Chang / ZUMA Wire)

Rep. Jim Jordan hasproposeda three-step plan for Big Tech that includes removing Section 230 protections, having the Supreme Court deal with the antitrust issue, and a private right of action you can bring when you know Big Tech is censoring your posts. None of this will help. Eliminating Section 230 protection could make things worse, imposing requirements alt-tech companies cant meet.Our own experienceshows lawsuits against multibillion dollar companies dont work. This is the same empty talk weve had since President Trumps Social Media Summit in 2019.

Likewise,there is no actionto stop the denial of financial services for ideological reasons. Christopher CaldwellarguesinThe Age of Entitlementthat the Civil Rights Act has replaced the American Constitution. Conservatives arent trying to abolish the Civil Rights Act or (more plausibly) extend its protections to their own (white) voters; theyre doing nothing.

This is especially ominous because President Bidens National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism is a clearblueprintfor expanding the national security state against whites. Its a campaigncheered onby USA Today, even though aWashington Postarticle from the author ofSpreading Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist Terrorismidentifiedzero acts of politically motivated right-wing terrorism this past year. The federal government isnt doing much about normal violent crime, but both it and countless journalists on the far right beat are busy hunting for thoughtcrime.

Its therefore inspiring that ordinary Americans are organizing against Critical Race Theory. Where is the conservative movement? Missing in action.Banson Critical Race Theory may be useful, but as long as theres affirmative action, a powerful academic network will keep promoting poisonous ideas.

No one with power says we must abolish racial discrimination against whites. When Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to start an America First caucus within the GOP,her own party shut it down. Shes since owned liberals byattackingthe White Democrat President for supposedly putting illegal immigrants before Sheila Jackson Lees Reparations bill for Black Americans. Thus, a representative whom some would consider the most right-wing in Congress is supporting an idea that would have beenludicrousa few years ago.

May 22, 2021, Mesa, Arizona: Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene. (Credit Image: Christopher Brown / ZUMA Wire)

There is also little resistance to the barbaric iconoclasm that has swept the South. Republican Glenn Youngkin won in Virginia partially by campaigning against wokeness, and one progressivecalledhis election a victory for whiteness. Others made similar wild claims. However, that wont prevent Confederate statues frombeing handed overto a black history museum. What makes it even more remarkable is thatallreferendato relocate or remove Confederate memorials in Virginia failed on Election Day. Charlottesville rejected an offer to buy the Lee statue and instead gave it away to be melted down. Our rulers can be just as culturallybarbaric as the Talibanthat defeated them in Afghanistan. However, our anger should not be with the radical leftists who begin these campaigns, but with conservatives who do nothing to stop them despite profiting from the backlash.

Isnt Confederate symbolism more relevant amid talk of a National Divorce? Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenebroachedthe idea in response to the many cases of progressives fleeing states such as California and New York for Texas or Florida. However, this is also just for show, since the real political divides are between urban and rural voters and between different races. President Trump won Texas by fewer than six points in 2020. Thats not the basis for secession. Possible presidential contender Ron DeSantis won anextremelynarrow election to become governor of Florida. Hes not going to be the caudillo of some new tropical empire. (His black opponent, Andrew Gillum, was later found in a hotel with a male sex worker and suspected drugs, in GQs delicate language, though it still published apuff piececalling him a rising Democratic star.)

What alternatives are there to secession? State and local elections could mean something if residents had to live in a certain area for several years before being allowed to vote. More plausibly, state boundarieswithinthe Unioncould be redrawn. This could be done very easily in some places. Its also something Republicans will need to do if they want to keep the balance in the Senate after Democrats give statehood to the District of Columbia (assuming it is still named that) and to Puerto Rico. Of course, this is just buying time unless demographics are brought under control by halting mass immigration, repealing birthright citizenship, and deporting illegal immigrants the things Americans voted for in 2016. Gerrymandering congressional districts or having state legislatures select presidential electors means nothing if the entire country goes Third World.

There is a time limit for whites to act. About a half million illegal immigrants managed to evade the Border Patrol andmake it inthis year. Their children will be citizens. If they are black, Hispanic, or some other privileged class (or just claim to be), they will enjoy greater privileges than whites whose families have been here since the Revolution. What do Republicans or conservative organizations say about that? We are farther away from repealing birthright citizenship, building a wall to control immigration, or imposing a remittance tax than we were in 2015, even within the conservative movement.

Congressman Paul Gosar hassponsoreda bill that would impose an immigration moratorium for a decade. It haszeroco-sponsors. If Republicans win back control of Congress, we might get yet anotheramnesty billfrom Republicans pimping for the Chamber of Commerce. Though corporate America hasclearly sidedwith progressives on race, theres been little reaction from Republicans or conservatives, except to accuse them of being too soft on China. This is typical: Conservatives duck the fights that matter to their voters and instead search for monsters abroad to whom they can lose in pointless wars.

Representative Paul A. Gosar (Republican of Arizona) offers remarks during a press conference outside of the U.S. Capitol, March 17, 2021. (Credit Image: Rod Lamkey Cnp / CNP via ZUMA Wire)

President Bidens fall in the polls began with thecollapseof the Afghan puppet regime. However, while Americans were disgusted with the chaos and unnecessary deaths, they wanted to end the war. Prominent Republicans wanted more fighting. Lindsey Grahamsaidthe United States will be going back because the Taliban has a view of the world that is out of sync with modern times. Mitt Romney and colleagues including Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, and Marsha Blackburnintroducedabillthat denied recognition of the Taliban as Afghanistans government. It would also set up a State Department task force to evacuate Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) who are still stuck in Afghanistan. President Trump claimed that the United States should have never gone into Afghanistan but after the withdrawalmusedabout bombing the country. Republican leaders could take us right back into Afghanistan, with the conservative movement cheering it on so it can own the liberals.

And what happened after the defeat? Areportin September from the State Department found that about 24,000 Afghans had already come to the United States. Republican governorsSpencer Coxof Utah,Doug Doceyof Arizona, Kent Stitt of Oklahoma andotherspledged their states as potentialhavens. South Dakota and Wyomingalonerefused. The main result of the Afghan war, aside from the American servicemen killed and maimed and the money wasted, is a new class of Muslim dependents who will quickly learn to claim discrimination and shout racism. Republicans will never send them back.

There is conservativehawkishnessoverUkraine,Taiwan, andIran. Just what we need: a flood of Iranian refugees into Europe and the United States. Conservative Republicans such as Senator Tom Cotton are among those who want more foreign intervention. This isnt just a case of RINOs. If President Donald Trump was supposed to mark a return to an America First defense policy, his influence has already faded.

White conservatives are reactingagainstwhatever the Biden Administration does abroad. There may also be some residual attachment to American honor, and loyalty to a country that has already turned on us. All of this conceals the brutal reality that we live under asocial credit systemmore arbitrary than Chinas and that promotes destructive values. To adopt a slogan from Vietnam-era leftists, bring the war home.

The repression we face is mostly through private companies. That doesnt excuse conservative inaction. Such arguments have been irrelevant since the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It is not radical or racist to demand equal treatment under the law. Its not extreme or big government to say that banks, which are practically inseparable from government anyway, shouldnt be able to cut you off because they dont like your views. It should be common sense that the law should deal only with illegal acts, not turn into exercises in mind-reading in whichpolitical views determinethe level of punishment.

Without endorsing the most militant troublemakers (some of whom are not in custody, raising the question of FBI involvement), its not surprising that January 6 rioters thought they would get concessions by turning violent.Corporations, politicians, and journalists almost unanimously supported BLM rioters.White conservatives who thought it worked both ways learned a harsh lesson.

Republicans, even supposed conservatives, seem comfortable with double standards. Every Republican Senator stood against President Joe Bidens Build Back Better plan. However, few arguedwhy, except for the cost. Ann Coulterfoundclose to two billion dollars in handouts for non-whites. Republicans didnt complain. Parts of the bill looked much the same as President Trumps Platinum Plan, with huge sums for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Is it too much to ask that Republicans protest government discrimination against their own base?

December 7, 2021: Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) speaking at a press conference about the Build Back Better Act. (Credit Image: Michael Brochstein / ZUMA Press Wire)

The 2016 election showed that it wasnt just the Republican party but the conservative movement that had lost touch with its base. Given something close to the fabled marketplace of ideas,we win. Movement conservatives often want to help blacks who are stuck on the Democrat plantation, but they consistently flimflam whites who expect their representatives to do more than give Jeff Bezos another tax cut. Conservatism Inc. is more reliant on censorship and deplatforming than Black Lives Matter. The resistance to the Biden Administration, the continuing support for President Trump, and Republican election victories in the teeth of Regime Media show that there is huge political potential. All we get is Conservatism Inc. functionaries reciting slogans from the Reagan Administration.

In the long run, even the most respectable conservative is doomed to defeat if current trends continue. The campaign against America didnt stop with Confederate generals, and it wont stop with the Founding Fathers, Teddy Roosevelt, orJohn Wayne. Most people dont like this, but an organized minority willtriumphover a disorganized majority. Ordinary whites require at least some political cover to be effective. That means someone who has power, a platform, and a plan to take the offensive for their side. There are tens of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, just begging for leadership, but such a leader would be savaged by mass media.

De laudace, encore de laudace, toujours de laudace et la Patrie sera sauve! cried Danton. He changed history, but we all know what happened to him. The cries for Donald Trump to be put in prison for even the modest challenge he represented is surely meant toencourager les autres. Many accept subjugation by putting self-interest and safety above whats right. This includes many in Conservatism Inc.s ranks whom I know are aware of the truth because theyve told me so.

What may save us is that there are forces in motion forcing millions who simply want a normal life to become dissidents, then activists, then perhaps revolutionaries. By our very nature, were not trying to overturn society, but to build something greater. Were not naturally subversives. Were held captive by our virtues. However, if we areforcedout of so-called respectable society a respectable society that looks increasingly perverse then we must organize and act.

COVID-19 is part of this. The pandemic is not directly a racial issue. However, its leading to a society in whichordinary people are losing control over their own lives. If business is done online and powerful tech companies control data in the cloud, this means those who control these economic choke points have power over us. Access to social media, financial services, cloud servers, and other tools are becoming an economic necessity. It is the difference between being able to earn a living or not.

If Our Democracy is to be anything other than a cynical joke, there must be some way for ordinary people to seek out information, debate issues, and make up their own minds. If tech companies and the government have the power to ban what they think is misinformation, that is more authoritarian than President Trump complaining that the election was stolen.Timeevensaid, In a way, Trump was right about the election. It added that an informal alliance between left-wing activists and business titans was working against him. They were not rigging the election,Timeassured us, they were fortifying it.

Censorship began with white advocates, but we now live under a vast system of control that bans dissidents, manipulates information, and uses selective law enforcement for political ends.Our rulerswill continue to inventnew justifications for repression. When political operativesopenly discussthe political benefits of bringing in foreigners to replace you, what legitimacy does an election have? An invading army could presumably outvote the natives, but that would not be democracy.

Despite colossal levels of censorship and propaganda, ordinary whites are seeing through this. They are resisting a system more insidious and degenerate than that of the Soviet Union. The Regime Media prop up the Biden Administration, but its still failing. Conservatives are poised for a historic victory next year, even though 2021 began with an event many thought would discredit them. Donald Trump could even retake the presidency in 2024.

Of course, Donald Trump will not save us. A Republican Congress will not save us. Conservative activists, who these days are essentially performance artists, wont save us either. Indeed, the fact that they get media access just gives the impression of opposition. The Eastern Bloc had elections too, which changed nothing. Millions of white Americans know something is wrong, but those whom they trust to protect them arent just failing them but helping to oppress them.

We are left withpolitics as entertainment. One might as well argue about which Marvel superhero is the strongest. Lets Go Brandon captures the phoniness of the opposition, a joke masquerading as politics. Itstartedas a vulgar chant against President Biden. A reporter told us it was Lets go, Brandon. It was just another example of what we face every day: so-called experts trying to hide the obvious. All I know is that to see, and not to speak, would be the great betrayal, said Enoch Powell. Conservative activists at least admit we are being lied to. Yet Id say that to see, to speak, and thennot to actis a greater betrayal, especially when your people are suffering.

Countless men and women are just trying to survive in a world that seems to have lost its mind. They are trying to serve and save a country that has turned on them. However, therearepeople with power, platforms, and resources who know there is something deeply wrong. They must know another world is possible. Perhaps some will step forward. Perhaps others will support us quietly. Until then, we must rely on ourselves alone. Help wont come from CPAC.

The good news is that our ranks increase daily with serious activists who know exactly what they are signing up for. After blasting the failure and cowardice of conservatives, its important to have perspective. Im not attacking those people because they are unwilling to sacrifice themselves in a doomed cause. Im begging those who have the power to pick up a crown thats already lying in the gutter. This is not a grim struggle for survival, but an opportunity for greatness. It baffles me that so many refuse to take it and are content to let this perverse comedy roll on.

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Opinion: White Renegade of the Year 2021 Gregory Hood - Prescott eNews

As we close out 2021, we at Container Journal wanted to highlight the most popular articles of the year. Following is the eighth in our series of the Best of 2021.

Technology experts have been praising Kubernetes and its enterprise benefits for some time. Kubernetes technology is open by nature and gives organizations the ability to containerize their applicationsan essential capability for the increasing number of businesses operating on cloud infrastructure.

But its not just technology experts that are starting to see the value of Kubernetes, C-suite execs also are starting to take note.Gartner predicts that 70% of global organizations will be running more than two containerized applications by 2023. With containerized applications, organizations realize the benefits of easier configuration, faster deployment and more efficient and reliable software. It is the unique ability of Kubernetes to scale and manage these containerized applications, however, that makes it a top choice over virtual machines and other provisioning software for boosting efficiencies and delivering business value.

Kubernetes has a track record for delivering on potential. A recent VMware study shows 95% of participants realized benefits from Kubernetes, including 56% who saw improved resource utilizationmeaning reduced private or public cloud compute resources costs. Another 33% of respondents said Kubernetes delivered lower public cloud costs, as they are more agile than other provisioning software alternatives.

Virtual machines, for example, consume a lot of system resources, with copies of the software it provisions and a guest operating system. And virtual machines are relatively static, so it is hard to move them between on-premises servers, private clouds or the public cloud.

But a containerized software application runs on an external operating system, eliminating the amount of compute resources necessary to run the multiple guest operating systems. A container also has central tools to manage how applications use server resources, which, along with the fact that there are no longer multiple operating systems to manage, reduces administrative overhead.

Containerized applications with Kubernetes start up faster than those on a virtual machine milliseconds rather than minutes which is significant in terms of user engagement and time efficiency.

Kubernetes also stands out in terms of software development cycles, with 53% of respondents reporting faster cycles with Kubernetes. If Kubernetes is embedded in an enterprise software platform, providers can bring new software features and capabilities to market, and into the hands of customers, faster. In turn, businesses can themselves quickly adapt to changes in the market and regulatory environment, and even turn that agility into a competitive advantage.

Its ability to rapidly scale gives Kubernetes a competitive edge, as enterprise IT experts seek agile software that can respond to unpredictable market demands.

Organizations are having to constantly change or reset processes and requirementsno more set it and forget it! Now, changing customer demands, dynamic go-to-market strategies and the introduction of disruptive technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented/virtual reality (ARVR), all mean the enterprise stack must be updated on an increasingly regular basis.

But the migration to the cloud marches on. In 2019, IFS conducted a study of 600 business decision makers to gauge cloud migration progress and strategies. Compared to a similar IFS study in 2012, the percentage of companies now relying on various forms of cloud enterprise software provisioning almost doubled, while the percentage of companies with on-premises solutions was almost halved.

On-premises deployments still have a place, though. Organizations need to be able to move back and forth between public cloud, private cloud or on-premises, or even an on-premises or private cloud to seamlessly make use of compute resources in a public cloud to handle peak or hockey stick demand. Applications built with Kubernetes just make this easier.

Kubernetes can help orchestrate containerization in a multitude of environments, including hosting software on a vendors cloud, self-hosting by a business, or in a hybrid environment, allowing businesses to offload some of the deployment complexity. This means functions that might be better held closed, due to regulatory requirements, can be run on-premises or wherever is most practical for the customer. Courtesy of Kubernetes, different parts of the application can be run from separate servers on-premises, private cloud, public cloud all depending on what makes sense to the end user.

Every CIO will understand that with every new deployment, security issues immediately make themselves known. Which external device or system is authorized to access the software? Which users are enabled to view and interact with which data? All these rules and policies must be enforced as the application changes. But with Kubernetes acting as a container orchestration tool in the software stack, this degree of management is easier, as security is addressed early in the software development process.

The most advanced enterprise software applications will increasingly own the Kubernetes container orchestration process in ways that automatically respects the security and permissions reflected in the application as a whole. Enterprise applications will deliver the software services in the form of Docker containers, orchestrated by Kubernetes. This will provide the scaling benefits of having regional Kubernetes clusters serve multiple customers, and the software vendor will ensure the application retains full separation and privacy of customers solutions through use of customer-specific Kubernetes namespaces, network separation, encryption and database instances. Enterprise software vendors not intent on selling their own proprietary technology can make use of packaged Kubernetes environments, such as Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service, for example, in their technology stack.

Business is becoming more unpredictable, and with that the need for agile enterprise software is only increasing. Kubernetes-enabled software stacks unlock true flexibility and scalability for organizations while putting security at the heart of all deployments. Decision-makers who want to future-proof their business against an uncertain future should take note of its potential.

Related

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Best of 2021 Why Kubernetes is the King of Containerized Tools - Container Journal