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Microsoft brings Azure Backup to UK data centres – Cloud Pro

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

Azure customers can now backup and restore files from Microsoft's UK data centres.

Azure Backup and Site Recovery will now feature as part of Microsoft's cloud offering from its London, Durham and Cardiff facilities, allowing UK companies to securely host their data in the the same region.

The services, which have been widely available in US data centres, represent the latest additions in a gradual rollout of features for the new UK cloud region. Azure Backup will protect customer data both on-premise and in the cloud, while Site Recovery allows for physical servers to be replicated in the cloud, which can be used in the event of an on-premise failure.

"With Azure Backup and Site Recovery, Microsoft customers can be confident that their information is safe, secure and available whenever and wherever they need it," said Mark Smith, senior director of cloud and enterprise at Microsoft. "These features add to the fantastic services already being offered from Microsoft's UK data centres, which are being utilised by the government and other major organisations in this country because of the transparency, security and compliance they offer."

Since opening last September, Microsoft's UK data centres have attracted a number of high profile customers, including the Met police, and parts of the NHS and MoD. The features join already available services such as the Azure Security Centre and the Azure Marketplace platform.

UK customers signing up for Azure Backup will only pay for the storage they use, and are able to choose between two backup storage options. The first creates three copies of stored data, which are then relocated to a paired datacentre in the same region, while the second allows companies to create a backup at a site hundreds of miles away from the original.

Microsoft has also announced price cuts to its virtual machines (VMs) and storage options, with the aim to lower barriers to entry for the many companies still wishing to migrate to the cloud. Microsoft's F-series VM cloud servers are down by 23% for Linux and 18% for Windows, while its A1 Basic series is down by 42% and 51% respectively.

Customers on Azure Blob storage accounts will also see a 31% price cut on Hot Block Blob storage, while Cold Block Blob storage is down 38%. However, Redmond hiked UK cloud prices by 22% in response to Brexit at the start of 2017, as the pound's value plummets against the US dollar.

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Microsoft brings Azure Backup to UK data centres - Cloud Pro

Congressional tech forecast: Clouds with a chance of freedom – Conservative Review

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

After years of trying, Congress may, finally be set to update the laws surrounding the privacy of emails to the 21st Century. For the second consecutive Congress, the House has passed the Email Privacy Act by an overwhelming bi-partisan majority. After constant and inexplicable delays, perhaps this can be the year that basic due process protections for our online emails and files can make it into law.

The Email Privacy Act addresses a basic flaw in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA). Ironically, ECPA was designed, as its name indicates, to strengthen legal due process with respect to electronic data and communications. The goal, of course, was to bring legal protections up to date with modern technology at the time. But the law was more protective of communications in transit than of data at rest, especially with respect to third-party data storage.

The actual text of ECPA (18 U.S. Code 2703) provides the means for government agencies to demand that any remote computing service cough up the contents of a wire or electronic communication that has been in electronic storage in an electronic communications system for more than one hundred and eighty days via administrative subpoena. In English, this means that your communications and data stored external to your computer, like in Gmail, Dropbox, or any other cloud service, can be demanded by the feds without a warrant (and without you being notified), so long as the requested files are over 180 days old.

In 1986, this provision wasnt a huge deal because the modern web didnt exist. Data storage was expensive, so most computer users stored their email and other files on their own hard drives. In the present day, tens of millions of people routinely store years worth of their communications and personal files alike on third-party cloud servers. The lack of a basic warrant requirement to access these is an insane breach of privacy.

The need to reform ECPA is so completely self-evident, in fact, that the House of Representatives passed the Email Privacy Act by a vote of 412-0 in 2016. Yet it went nowhere in a Senate preoccupied by the upcoming election, despite bi-partisan support for ECPA reform in that chamber.

Part of the hesitancy in passing ECPA reform has been protests from executive agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission that they need the ability to quickly grab documents as part of their investigations into various regulatory and criminal offenses. But there is a simple reply: Get a warrant. Court orders dont take a ton of time to get if there is probable cause. Outside of emergency situations, the system isnt supposed to make violating the privacy of peoples files and communications easy or convenient.

But a new Congress means a fresh start, and the Email Privacy Act has not only already been reintroduced by original sponsors Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan. (D, 65%) and Rep. Jared Polis, R-Colo. (F, 20%), but has already passed the House again, by an easy voice vote.

A great start. Now, in the spirit of better late than never, the Senate should take up the bill as soon as the major nomination crunch is over and send it to President Trumps desk.

Josh Withrow is an Associate Editor for Conservative Review and Director of Public Policy at Free the People. You can follow him on Twitter at @jgwithrow.

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Congressional tech forecast: Clouds with a chance of freedom - Conservative Review

Rackspace layoffs begin as it restructures as a private company – San Antonio Business Journal

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

San Antonio Business Journal

Rackspace layoffs begin as it restructures as a private company
San Antonio Business Journal
San Antonio-based cloud hosting company Rackspace Hosting Inc. is eliminating some job positions as it begins cutting the workforce to fit into its new mold as a private company, the business confirmed. Some of those job eliminations would be senior ...
Rackspace CEO confirms layoffs in blog postKENS5.com
Rackspace Holdings Inc. Outside San Antonio Rumored To Be Cutting Up To 300 JobsPatch.com

all 13 news articles »

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Rackspace layoffs begin as it restructures as a private company - San Antonio Business Journal

Alexant Provides Cloud Computing Assessments to Virginia Businesses Throughout November – Satellite PR News (press release)

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

Submit the press release

Alexant Seeking to Help Businesses Improve Mobility, Flexibility and Productivity by Adopting Cloud Computing Technology

Alexandria, VA February 7, 2017

Alexanta managed IT services provider specializing in helping companies leverage the latest technology to boost productivity and fuel innovation and growth, today announced it will be offering a complimentary cloud computing assessment to small and medium-sized businesses in Virginia. The focus of these free assessments is to identify how cloud-based solutions can help organizations achieve their goals while improving mobility, collaboration, productivity, communication and flexibility. Additionally, Alexant will show companies how adopting cloud-based services can save them money on software licenses, server maintenance, system outages and more.

According to Jim Wyatt, President at Alexant, Many businesses are conflicted about cloud services, mainly because theres a misunderstanding of what the cloud is. In general, they know the benefits, but are wary of adopting cloud services because of misinformation about things like security, billing models, reliability or ownership of their data. These assessments will help local businesses understand cloud computing and show them how it can help them be more agile and competitive.

Cloud computing is a blanket term used to describe Internet-based services that provide shared processing resources and data to computers and other devices on-demand. The advantages of adopting cloud include minimal upfront infrastructure costs, quick and easy deployment, improved manageability, less maintenance and the ability to rapidly adjust resources based on evolving needs.

Cloud services typically fall under one of three general categories:

Software as a Service (SaaS). Applications are accessible from various devices through either a Web browser or a program interface. Examples include cloud-based office or design software, email, virtual desktop and CRM services.

Platform as a Service (PaaS). Enables client-produced data or applications to be deployed to a virtual infrastructure. Examples include cloud-based database hosting, Web serving, developer tools and execution runtime.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Enables deployment of processing, storage, network connectivity and other computing resources to a cloud-based platform. Examples include virtual servers and machines, cloud storage, load balancers and off-premise network infrastructure.

The free cloud computing assessment by Alexant is available through the end of February 2017. For a small to medium-sized business or non-profit to qualify, they must be located within the Alexandria area and looking to adopt cloud services in the next 18 months. Qualifying organizations can sign up for their no-cost assessment online or call 517-366-7083.

About Alexant

Alexant is a managed IT services provider (MSP) that offers premium IT support, consulting and business solutions to small and medium-sized businesses throughout the Alexandria, Virginia, and surrounding areas. Some of the companys most popular business offerings include customized IT solutions and managed cloud services, including Office 365 management, application hosting, virtual hosting and server colocation. The company primarily serves the insurance, medical and financial services industries. For more information about Alexant and its IT solutions, visit the company online or call 571-366-7083. Also, to get the latest industry news and trends, check out the company blog.

MEDIA CONTACT

Jim Wyatt

President

571-366-7083

Press Release Service by Newswire.com

Original Source: Alexant Provides Cloud Computing Assessments to Virginia Businesses Throughout November

Creditbit May Soon Find Itself among the Top 10 Altcoins – NEWSBTC – newsBTC

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

Creditbit's rate of adoption makes it a likely contender for the top 10 altcoins spot. Read more...

The acceptance of cryptocurrencies as an alternative payment option is increasing across the world. The movement has gained momentum following increased adoption of Bitcoin among the masses.

As digital currencies become prevalent, Bitcoin is not going to be the only one benefitting from it. The circulation of other cryptocurrencies will also witness a proportional increase in transaction volumes.

Bitcoin leads the cryptocurrency market at this time, but it may not be the case for long. The scalability issues plaguing the digital currency has already led to an increased mining fee, making transactions costlier. Also, the increasing transaction backlogs in the mempool has considerably affected the confirmation times as well. The current situation of Bitcoin network makes it unsuitable for handling high transaction volumes.

The increasing dependency on cryptocurrencies will soon result in people exploring for alternatives to Bitcoin. The trend will result in significant increase in the adoption of altcoins. Creditbit is among the altcoins that have gained the crypto-communitys attention. Even though Creditbit is a relatively new altcoin compared to other players, it has managed to gain a strong following. In addition, the faster confirmation and block times has placed Creditbit in a comfortable position among other altcoins.

The Creditbit team is also actively working on improving the existing offering while adding new features. The platform has recently rebranded itself and also introduced an extended roadmap detailing further development.

These constant improvements and the unique distribution mechanism currently in the process of adoption is expected to strengthen Creditbits position in the community further. The cryptocurrencys growth is already being reflected in Creditbits recent price trends. The cryptocurrency has registered a twenty-fold increase in price within a span of one month.

Also, with the growing merchant network and the extension of support by few leading cryptocurrency payment services, Creditbit stands a greater chance of adoption in the coming months. If Creditbit manages to maintain the current rate of growth, it will be among the top ten altcoins in no time.

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Creditbit May Soon Find Itself among the Top 10 Altcoins - NEWSBTC - newsBTC

Qtum Mixing Bitcoin & Ethereum Launching ‘Proof-Of-Stake’ Smart … – Forbes

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

Forbes

Qtum Mixing Bitcoin & Ethereum Launching 'Proof-Of-Stake' Smart ...
Forbes
In an ambitious goal to become the 'Blockchain of China', the Qtum Project based out of Singapore have announced they are launching the first 'Proof-of-Stake' ...

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Qtum Mixing Bitcoin & Ethereum Launching 'Proof-Of-Stake' Smart ... - Forbes

Bitcoin Exempt from UAE Central Bank’s Ban on Virtual Currencies … – Bitcoin Magazine

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

On January 1, 2017, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) published a new framework covering digital payments in the country. According to the new Regulatory Framework For Stored Values and Electronic Payment Systems, which is applicable to all electronic payment services providers, all Virtual Currencies (and any transactions thereof) are prohibited.

In the new framework, the definition for virtual currencies that the central bank has identified is any type of digital unit used as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, or a form of stored value. This would suggest that bitcoin and other digital currencies have been officially banned by the UAE central bank as of January 1.

However, on February 1, Mubarak Rashed Khamis Al Mansouri, governor of the UAE central bank, informed Gulf News in a statement saying that these regulations do not cover virtual currency, which is defined as any type of digital unit used as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, or a form of stored value. In this context, these regulations do not apply to bitcoin or other digital currencies, currency exchanges, or underlying technology such as blockchain.

He added that digital currencies are currently under review by the Central Bank and new regulations will be issued as appropriate.

In the statement, Governor Al Mansouri further highlighted that fintech development will play an integral role in the future of the UAEs financial industry, which is the reason why the new framework was introduced at the beginning of the year.

While the new framework for e-payments and the confusion surrounding bitcoin regulations may sound worrying to some, the reality is that the UAE aims to become a leading center for blockchain innovation by 2020 and intends to become the first government to execute all of its transactions using the distributed ledger technology.

To achieve this goal, Dubais Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, launched the Dubai blockchain strategy to improve inefficiencies in governmental departments by eliminating paper transactions and by reducing the work hours involved in handling paper transactions. Furthermore, the blockchain strategy also aims to facilitate company incorporations for Emiratis, expats and foreign investors by creating a blockchain-based incorporation system.

As the UAE aims to become a leader in blockchain technology, it would be extremely surprising if its regulators would then stunt innovation in this area by restricting or prohibiting the use of digital currencies. Hence, any future bitcoin regulations in the UAE will most likely favor blockchain startups and the bitcoin economy.

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Bitcoin Exempt from UAE Central Bank's Ban on Virtual Currencies ... - Bitcoin Magazine

This Dark Market Wants to Pay You Bitcoin to Find Security Bugs … – CoinDesk

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

Bug bounty hunters could make as much as 10 bitcoins identifying security problems at the popular dark marketplace Hansa.

Taking a page from leading tech companies which offer cash rewards to developers that spot code issues, administrators for the market announced last week that it would pay 10 BTC for "vulnerabilities that could severely disrupt HANSA's integrity".The program was first reported by CyberScoop.

For bugs that arent as critical, admins said they would offer 1 BTC, with 0.05 BTC being put up for display issues and other minor problems.

There are rules for the program, however. Prospective bounty hunters are asked not to make the exploits public prior to disclosing them to the markets operators, or undertake any attacks that might harm Hansa users. The more details that are provided, the admins wrote, "the higher the chance a payout will be awarded".

The admins went on to explain:

"To be eligible, you must demonstrate a security compromise on our market using a reproducible exploit. Should you encounter a bug please open a ticket and inform us about your findings."

In a way, the bug bounty program further highlights the dark market ecosystems continued use of bitcoin as a financial tool. Years before, it was the now-defunct Silk Road that relied on bitcoin as a payment tool, though today markets have begun looking to other digital currencies like monero.

Social media posts suggest that at least one site-critical bug has been identified, with CyberScoop reporting that others had been found since the programs launch.

Image via Shutterstock

CrimeHansa

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This Dark Market Wants to Pay You Bitcoin to Find Security Bugs ... - CoinDesk

Bitcoin Short-Term Trend Seems to Be Down – CryptoCoinsNews

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

Bitcoin managed to touch the 5th arc pair of resistance on the 2-hour chart setup. This generated a sell signal.Since then it managed to re-test the arc and was rejected.

The long-term trend is still up. But the short-term trend is likely going to be down. Looking at this bull setup, a reasonable target is the 12 Gann angle at ~ 940. Lets look at a bear setup from the swing high of $1050 (Kraken):I have overlaid the bear setup on top of the bull setup and have labelled the intersection of the 5th arc pair of each setup. There are arrows at each point that stand out as likely targets in the event that a correction gathers force here.

However, while we were issued a sell signal at the touching of the 5th arc at $1050, we have not had another sell signal since then. When/if we see a close below the 1st arc (blue) and/or a close below the 1st square ($1002), we will have another sell signal.

Conversely, when/if price gets through the 5th arc on the bull setup (labelled), we will have a buy signal.

As I continue to believe that a 3rd wave of the correction that began Jan 4th must complete before the next leg of the great rally of 2017 can begin in earnest, I harbor a suspicion that prices will get to the lower end of the range before a buy signal is generated.

However, I am not one to argue with the markets. If price clears the 5th arc pair shown above, and a buy signal is generated sooner rather than later, I will happily give up my bearish thinking

Happy trading!

Remember: The author is a trader who is subject to all manner of error in judgement. Do your own research, and be prepared to take full responsibility for your own trades.

Image from Shutterstock.

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Bitcoin Short-Term Trend Seems to Be Down - CryptoCoinsNews

Chandler Guo to Open a New Bitcoin Unlimited Pool – CryptoCoinsNews

February 7, 2017 | Author: admin

Momentum for Bitcoin Unlimited continues to increase as a new pool is to enter the network. Chandler Guo, a well-known and liked bitcoiner in China, is to take his current hashrate of around 50P, or 1.5% of the network, out of BW.com and into a new Xpool which will mine with Bitcoin Unlimited.

Guo has further revealed a plan to raise 12 million ETC in an ICO to increase the pools hashrate to around 100 to 120 petahash, which would translate to around 3.5-4 percent of the network. In combination, this would send Bitcoin Unlimited to nearly 30%, a significant psychological threshold which may increase even further BUs momentum.

ETCs price jumped on the news, reaching new highs it has not seen since it was added to Poloniex during summer 2016. It would be its first ICO with 21 million XBTC tokens to be issued tomorrow. As dividend, some of the pools profits will go towards buying back and destroying the tokens, according to a google translation. An English page detailing the plan will soon be released, Guo told CCN.

ETCs Price Jumps as an ICO is to Launch for a Bitcoin Unlimited Pool image from poloniex

After a two-years debate on scalability, the decision has now come down to the hashrates with Bitcoin Unlimited apparently the only proposal standing as segwit has fully stalled.

The new grassroots client, created by ordinary bitcoiners for bitcoiners, has attracted a number of developers including Peter Tschipper, Andrea Suisani, Andrew Stone, Tom Harding, Dagur Johannsson, Amaury Schet, Tom Zander, Jerry Chan, ftrader as well as many others.

It continues the transaction capacity increase method bitcoin used for much of its existence. Without any centralized direction, miners increased the block limit from 250kb to 500kb in March 2013 to the apparent opposition of Peter Todd and Luke-Jr. That was followed by a smooth increase to 750kb and then finally to 1MB in line with demand. With Bitcoin Unlimited, miners can increase transaction capacity in roughly the same manner to 2MB or 4MB as demand requires as well as technology progresses.

It appeared during summer last year a maxblocksize increase was unlikely as miners were almost checkmated, with just one move to make. That move was made by Jiang Zhuoer, a former employee at China Mobile and founder of a new mining pool BTC.TOP. Responding to threats of an intentional chain split if maxblocksize is increased, he told CCN three days ago that $100 million has been set aside to ensure there is no chain split after the upgrade of transaction capacity.

That statement was considered a checkmate by some. Price jumped $30, Bitcoin Unlimited surpassed segwit in hashrate share, and now a new pool is to join.

Some are wondering whether bitcoin can really break free and increase its very limited transaction capacity, ending the backlogs that have led to a huge number of user complaints and increased frustration.

We do not yet know. What we do know is that supporters of bitcoin unlimited appear to be highly passionate about the new client. They believe they are standing by Nakamoto.

They have been censored, banned, DDoS-ed, smeared, doxed. Kicked out of public discussion spaces, mailing lists, IRC even had commits removed but as some were silenced or metaphorically exiled, new advocates for Nakamotos vision kept rising.

Nakamoto was told that bitcoin cannot scale a number of time and that we need bitbanks now known as a settlement layer. He rejected the proposition each time, insisting it can reach VISA levels.

The repetition of the bitbanks argument by Daniel Larimer shortly before Nakamoto left even led him to lose his cool in a rare instance of public emotional display. If you dont believe me or dont get it, I dont have time to try to convince you, sorry. Nakamoto finally concluded.

If Bitcoin Unlimited continues to increase in momentum and gains more than 50% of the hashrate, some may see it as conclusive proof that his assumption, which relies on the honesty of 51%, is sound and can indeed protect this $16 billion market without any centralized control.

Whether it can actually do so remains to be seen, but the mood in many corners is slowly shifting from dreading a continuation of censorship and tight control, to that of celebration as it appears the wall that keeps transactions limited may indeed come down.

Image from Shutterstock.

Cloud Hosting

Microsoft brings Azure Backup to UK data centres – Cloud Pro

Congressional tech forecast: Clouds with a chance of freedom – Conservative Review

Rackspace layoffs begin as it restructures as a private company – San Antonio Business Journal

Alexant Provides Cloud Computing Assessments to Virginia Businesses Throughout November – Satellite PR News (press release)

Creditbit May Soon Find Itself among the Top 10 Altcoins – NEWSBTC – newsBTC

Qtum Mixing Bitcoin & Ethereum Launching ‘Proof-Of-Stake’ Smart … – Forbes

Bitcoin Exempt from UAE Central Bank’s Ban on Virtual Currencies … – Bitcoin Magazine

This Dark Market Wants to Pay You Bitcoin to Find Security Bugs … – CoinDesk

Bitcoin Short-Term Trend Seems to Be Down – CryptoCoinsNews

Chandler Guo to Open a New Bitcoin Unlimited Pool – CryptoCoinsNews

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