Ransomware mitigation sees focus from AWS, Azure, Google Cloud

Ransomware mitigation strategies have become an increasingly important aspect of major cloud providers’ offering following the pandemic.

In recent weeks, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud have all published articles recommending mitigation tactics and best practice in the event of a ransomware attack.

A ransomware attack occurs when company files are encrypted and money is demanded in exchange for the decryption key and the maintained privacy...

16 September 2021 | AWS

Five leading trends of database innovation: Cloud-native, self-driving, and more

In the wake of the pandemic, one trend that emerged is the need for digitalisation, and this will continue – and even grow – in the future. And, while it’s still not clear exactly what that actual economic impact of Covid-19 will be, IDC predicts that the digital economy will accelerate to counter this. The firm predicts that over 65% of APAC GDP is expected to be digitalised between 2020 and 2023 and spending will hit US$ 1.2 trillion.

As businesses – and even economies...

30 April 2021 | Alibaba Cloud

AWS makes Ethereum generally available on Amazon Managed Blockchain

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the general availability (GA) of Ethereum on its managed blockchain service.

The open source blockchain joins Hyperledger Fabric as compatible with Amazon Managed Blockchain - in a move which will add power to Ethereum's offering, but also showcases AWS' latent ambitions in the space. A preview had been showcased in December.

In a blog post confirming the GA, AWS cited decentralised finance (DeFi) as a key use case going forward....

11 March 2021 | AWS

HSBC moves Corda enterprise blockchain technology to Google Cloud

HSBC has become the first financial institution to move Corda Enterprise onto Google Cloud, promising reduced client onboarding times and costs.

The bank uses Corda, from R3, for its custody blockchain platform, Digital Vault. The service, launched in November 2019, digitises the transaction records of private placement assets, from equity, to debt, and real estate.

Moving to Google Cloud, HSBC noted, will enable the company to move more of the 'transaction lifecycle'...

1 March 2021 | Blockchain

Google Cloud advertises for blockchain sales manager in China

Google Cloud is looking for a business development manager based in China focused on blockchain technologies.

According to a LinkedIn job advert posted a week ago, the ideal candidate is expected to have a decade of experience selling infrastructure software, databases, analytic tools or applications software, and knowledge of C-suite dealings, among other qualifications.

The word 'blockchain' itself, perhaps wisely, does not appear in the posting itself, only noting...

7 January 2021 | Blockchain

Google Cloud teams up with Theta Labs for blockchain-based video delivery

Google Cloud has brokered another partnership in its exploration of blockchain technologies, with the company joining the enterprise program of blockchain-based video delivery network Theta Labs.

Google has joined the grandly-named Enterprise Validator Program, alongside Binance, Blockchain Ventures, and Gumi, which 'allows enterprises to validate transactions in accordance with Theta's underlying consensus protocol', in its own words.

Theta's business case is to broadly...

28 May 2020 | Blockchain

How financial services can stay secure in the cloud: A guide

It was only a few years ago that an air of trepidation surrounded the cloud. However, in the present day, there is no question that having got through what Gartner termed a 'phase of disillusionment’, retail financial services firms see the immense value that cloud can bring. What’s more, with the implementation of the second Payment Services Directive (PSD2), the rise of fintech competitors and the emergence of blockchain...

18 February 2020 | Blockchain

Hedera Hashgraph selects Google Cloud as preferred cloud provider

Hedera Hashgraph, a provider of a decentralised network and distributed ledger technology (DLT), has selected Google Cloud as its preferred cloud provider to push through enterprise-grade DLTs.

Hedera’s hashgraph consensus mechanism advocated by the company is touted as faster and more secure than other blockchain consensus offerings. The company sees itself as part of the third generation of...

12 February 2020 | Blockchain

Exploring the commercial advantages of blockchain technologies – and what CIOs need to do about it

The initial commercial interest in cryptocurrency IT infrastructure was the potential to enable an alternative to government-backed fiat currencies. However, now most of the forward-looking focus is on blockchain, the distributed ledger technology that underpins the new applications.

Although deployments are still very much in the realm of the early adopter, blockchain has proven advantages across several vertical industries: it is safe, decentralised, transparent and can reduce...

11 November 2019 | Blockchain

Enterprise blockchain firm Cypherium secures Google Cloud partnership, adding to AWS deal

Meet Cypherium. The New York-based blockchain startup is partnering with Google Cloud – making it the third major cloud provider to secure a deal with the company.

The company’s goal is to provide an enterprise-ready blockchain platform which promises up to 5,000 transactions per second. Scalability continues to be a concern for organisations looking to utilise blockchain technologies, and is...

16 August 2019 | Blockchain