Desarrollo Crossplatform usando Tecnologías Microsoft

Hola a todos,

Esta semana fui invitada a dar una conferencia virtual en el Congreso Internacional EAPIIYS USP de Perú, comparto con ustedes el video de la misma y espero les resulte de utilidad.

Nations with highest Mobile App downloads: US leads in terms of Numbers, Asian nations for 80% of downloads

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Which nations lead on terms of leading mobil Apps While USA continues to lead the world of mobile app downloads, 80%  or four of the top 5 app downloading destinations are in Asia. Not only do they account for a substantial share of downloads, they are also some of the fastest growing nations.

Tags : # mobile app,# mobile usage,#holiday shopping

Online Retail Path to Purchase : Device comparison chart

RETAIL BUYING INSIGHTS: PURCHASE DEVICE COMPARISON

While consumers  by and large  use both Smartphones, tablets and PC for buying, There are some difference in buying patters .Retail consumers who research on their smartphones tend to purchase almost equally across smartphones (23%), tablets (20%) and laptops (21%), 

whereas consumers who research via laptops and tablets tend to purchase on the same device (46% and 58%, respectively). 

While the majority of retail consumers (63%) who research in-store also purchase in-store, 20% rely on mobile devices (smartphones and laptops) to make their final purchases.

source : Ninthdecimal

How Mobile affects Consumer Behavior in Retail Purchase

Mobile Audience Insights Report  How consumers purchase gets affected by Mobile Influence

Retail consumers use their mobile device to research (37%) and purchase (43%) entertainment-related products more  than any other retail product.

Retail consumers are less inclined to use their mobile to purchase specialty items (beauty, jewelry, children’s items) than generic items (entertainment, electronics, clothing).

Retail mobile ads drove 51% more store traffic than non-retail mobile ads in 2014

Smartphones have replaced tablets as the leading mobile device that consumers use to research retail items, with a 110% growth in usage from 2013 

While in-store, 61% of consumers would prefer to receive mobile ads with discounts or sales information, but only 49% are actually receiving these ads,

The 5 best CCNA books for exam revision in 2015

By Sarah Morgan

The CCNA is hard but the rewards are great – a Cisco Certified Network Associate certification can net you a £40,000 salary (average advertised) and get you into network engineer roles.

This certification also opens up progression towards the renowned CCNP certifications which in turn yield higher salaries and the prospect of senior positions in the IT industry.

To pass your ICND1 and ICDN2 exams and become a certified network associate in 2015, you’re going to need the best books for CCNA revision available on the market today.

Grab several of these books as early in your revision as you can and study them as much as possible.  Don’t waste time searching online - take a look at your best picks for 2015, in no particular order…

1. Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 Official Cert Guide Library

ISBN: 978-1587143878

Covering both ICND1 100-101 and ICND2 200-101 (both CCENT and CCNA), this package contains two entire books fully up-to-date with the latest CCNA exam topics.

Includes:

• Exercises based on key CCNA concepts
• Pearson IT Certification Practice Test software – including 100’s of exam questions
• 150 minutes of personal video mentoring from the author: Wendell Otom
• Study plan suggestions and templates
• 26 CCNA Network simulator labs

How good is it?

This book comes highly recommended - Amazon reviewers rate it 4.6 out of 5 stars rating (28 ratings). As a comprehensive base of knowledge it serves it’s a solid resource.

2. Cisco CCNA in 60 Days 

ISBN: 0956989292

This book was written by two guys who really know their stuff: co-authors Paul W. Browning and Farai Tafa are both CCIE and CCNP certified as well as being seasoned creators of CCNA revision material.

This book stands out because it approaches the CCNA in an opposite way to offerings like the Official Cert Guide Library.

Cisco CCNA in 60 days provides a dedicated study guide for each day for an entire month. After 30 days, the book proposes, you’ll be ready to take your CCENT exam and a month after this you’ll be prepared to take on the CCNA ICND2.

You’ll be checking in with your copy every day to read your daily dose, review yesterday’s lesson and track your progress.

It’s the ideal book for those of us who need a defined structure for their revision. However, if this isn’t your style of revising, it’s probably not the book for you.

IT professionals that stick to the ‘2 hours a day for 60 days’ requirement have found success. Though, only the determined few will be able to stick to this demanding schedule.

Includes:

You’ll be able to register your book online at www.in60days.com to access £250 of videos, exams, guides and even a forum to chat to your fellow 60 Day CCNAs.

How good is it?

Cisco CCNA in 60 Days comes highly rate for those that managed to stick to the demanding schedule. With an average amazon score of 4.8 out of 5 stars (36 reviews), it’s also very well received.

We love the focused scheduled, accessible and to-the-point writing and excellent motivational chapters to keep you going for the full 2 months. And don’t worry, it’s fully up to date with the material introduced in 2014.

3. CCNA Routing and Switching Study Guide: Exams 100-101, 200-101, and 200-120
ISBN: 978-1118749616

If you’ve been lurking around networking forums, chances are you’ve heard Todd Lammle’s name mentioned. Todd has authored over 25 books on Cisco certification subjects and can even boast that his book sales have surpassed those of Cisco Press.

The book covers ICND1 and ICND2 as well as the new topics introduced in 2014. Todd’s intuitive and knowledgeable approach is engaging and those new to the CCNA will find this especially appealing. Special attention should be drawn to topics like subnetting and route summarisation which are explained particularly clearly.

Includes:

• Companion Test Engine
• Electronic flashcards
• Network simulator
• Practice exams

If you’re the kind of learner who occasionally needs a break from reading, you’re in luck: bonus content includes access to 40+ MicroNugget videos from CBT Nuggets.

How good is it?

Lammle’s reputation speaks volumes but his book is let down by some poor accompanying materials. The downloadable practice questions miss the mark as one Amazon review states: ‘don’t rely on them…not like the actual exam at all.’

Amazon reviews are largely positive, however, with an average score of 4.2 out of 5 stars. Ultimately, Lammel’s easy-to-understand and to-the-point writing are great for those looking to get through both ICND exams. But, you can expect less content and background reading than Cisco’s official offering – so if you just want to get through the exams, this is for you.

4. CCNA Routing and Switching Portable Command Guide (3rd Edition)
ISBN: 978-1587204302

Published by Cisco press, condensed and is brimming with valuable information this book could prove invaluable for anyone studying for the CCNA.

In it you’ll find every Cisco IOS® Software command, keyword, command argument and associated prompts.

Plus, you’ll also get tips and examples of how to apply these commands in real-world scenarios. It’s been revamped to cover updated ICND 100-101 and ICND2 200-101 topics as well as CCNA 200-120 exams.

This book won’t form the basis of your revision, rather it should act as a quick reference resource to help you memorise commands and concepts. Store it on your eBook and take a few minutes out whenever you can.

How good is it?

Though not widely in circulation, this book has been received incredibly well. Despite Amazon UK only listing 3 reviews (albeit positive ones), Amazon.comactually lists 68 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 – making it the highest rated book on our list.

5. 31 Days Before Your CCENT / CCNA Certification Exam A Day-By-Day Review Guide

ISBN: 978-1587204531 (CCENT)  
ISBN: 978-1587204630 (CCNA)  

The 31 Days series is for professionals who can see the finishing line. There are two books, both published by Cisco press, covering the CCENT and CCNA exams equally.

If you’re starting to fall to pieces with a month to go until your exam this book aims to get you back on track. You’ll be using the book’s day-by-day guide and checklist to organise, prepare and review your revision in the days before your exam.

Includes:

• Visual calendar summarising each day’s topic
• Exam preparation checklist
• Mental, organisational and physical strategies for exam day

How good is it?

This book succeeds in providing a handy summary of everything you need to know for both ICND1 and ICND2 respectively. We recommend using this book alongside Wendell Odom’s comprehensive Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 Official Cert Guide Library.

The 31 Days to CCENT / CCNA doesn’t include the important practice exams and exercises found within Odom’s bulkier Official Cert Guide Library. But, when used in tandem, both books can give you a real boost during the most important month of your revision.

How to get CCNA certified in less than a week

Books are incredible revision tools but many of us can’t commit to the dedication and distraction-free environment needed. If this sounds like you, there is an alternative to a month of studying – take a look at our CCNA course and do it all in 6 days.

If you recently passed your CCNA, what books would you recommend? And for those studying – good luck! 

About the Author:        
Sarah writes for Firebrand Training on a number of IT related topics. This includes exams, training, certification trends, project management, certification, careers advice and the industry itself. Sarah has 11 years of experience in the IT industry. 

15.2% of global online ad spend will be spent on Mobile

statistics at Statista

"Mobile is Getting Bigger  every day, every week, every month and year.. Since  2007 ( post iphone lauch )The Mobile Industry  has become  a gigantic   industry where  than 100 brands  fighting  for the survival of the fittest By  2016 ..15.2% of global online ad spend  will be spent on Mobile  The e number of mobile-connected devices will exceed the number of people on earth, and by 

eMarketer estimates that 1.7 billion people around the world will access the

1. internet via a mobile device in 2013. By 2016, there will be a staggering 2.5 billion
   mobile internet users worldwid
2. 91% of all smartphone users have their phone within arm’s reach 24/7 –(Morgan Stanley, 2012)
3. Mobile marketing will account for 15.2% of global online ad spend by 2016.
4. According to Gartner, Global mobile ad expenditure is forecast to be US$11.4b  rising to $24.6b in 2016. 
5. Asia will continue to be the largest mobile market, 

How the new Sony hack proves security isn’t taken seriously

By Sarah Morgan

Sony Pictures was crippled this week when cybercriminals forced the shutdown of their internal systems.

Imagine getting into work on Monday morning, booting-up your PC and being greeted with this:

It feels like something out of a cheesy 90’s spy-thriller but this is the reality that Sony Pictures employees had to deal with on Monday…and are still dealing with 4 days later.

Yes, Sony’s internal network had become the next victim of cybercrime in this recent spate of hacking. It’s a clear message for organisations: invest in your cybersecurity or this could happen to you.

Warning messages threatening to release data ‘secrets’, if undisclosed demands were not met, appeared on all internal computers, preventing login. The message also displayed ‘#GOP’ – pointing to a group named Guardians of Peace.

As of Thursday morning, the network remains down on many Sony offices and according to information reportedly shared by employees, it could be down for weeks.

Hackers also targeted Twitter accounts associated with Sony Pictures, leaving the same message and calling out Sony Pictures CEO:

“You, the criminals including Michael Lynton will surely go to hell. Nobody can help you.”

If that wasn’t enough, the digital image also showed Michael Lynton’s head, edited into some form of Night Of The Living Dead landscape. These hackers clearly want to capitalise on the fear they can strike into the world’s biggest businesses.

One reddit user, posted a copy of a message allegedly displayed on the hacked network. The redditor explained, “I used to work for Sony Pictures. My friend still works there and sent me this. It's on every computer all over Sony Pictures nationwide.”

The post explained how the public could gain access to the 217.6mb .ZIP file, allegedly containing lists pulled from the organisations internal network.: “These two files are the lists of secret data we have acquired from SPE,” and that “Anyone who needs the data, send an email titled To the Guardians of Peace to the following email addresses.” A list of e-mail addresses attached to anonymous email services like Yopmail and Disgard.email followed.

Reddit users jumped at the opportunity to scour the allegedly leaked filed. A thread on the breach claims that the .ZIP file contains passwords of Sony employees, copies of passports of actors associated with Sony films and masses of Outlook archival data.

How Sony responded

In the typical damage-mitigating style of big companies experiencing big problems, Sony issued a statement saying the firm is investigating the ‘IT matter.’

Well that’s a relief.

Hack me once, shame on you

Sony is no stranger to being hacked. The infamous PlayStation Network hack of 2011, in which 77 million personal details were stolen, resulted in complete outage of the service for 24 days.

At the time it was one of the largest data breaches in history and remains a black mark on the Japanese company’s reputation.

As recently as August 2014 we watched as another major attack, once again, befell the PlayStation network. The service was forced offline once more, though this time for a single day.

Could your business survive a hacking attack?

Clearly, Sony has failed to invest sufficiently in their cybersecurity and organisations must learn from their costly mistakes.

Organisations need to begin investing in professionals with the skills necessary to prevent intrusions like Sony’s from ever happening.

Qualifications like EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker(CEH) are valuable to keep organisations secure. By employing or training professionals and helping them to achieve certifications like the CEH, businesses can proactively defend and prevent these crippling attacks.

Ethical hackers can conduct staged penetration tests against your business – will your defences hold up against a real hacker? Either way, you’ll get real insight into how you can improve your security and protect your organisations valuable data. After all, the techniques that Ethical hackers use are identical to those employed by cybercriminals.

The need for certified ethical hackers is realand with every data breach this point is hammered home.

20% of small and medium sized businesses have been targeted by cybercriminals in the past year, costing the global economy $500 billion annually. And it’s getting worse: reports already predict an increase in cybercrime next year.

In fact, with more advanced hacking tools, we can expect more targeted attacks on businesses small and large.

Sony’s latest breach is a strong message to businesses: invest in cybersecurity or face the consequences.  

About the Author:        
Sarah writes for Firebrand Training on a number of IT related topics. This includes exams, training, certification trends, project management, certification, careers advice and the industry itself. Sarah has 11 years of experience in the IT industry. 

Mobile now rules over Print and Radio

"The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked."

GLOBAL MEDIA CONSUMPTION:

Mobile is now without doubt the most used media universally.Mobile  usage surpasses TV even Television, with users spending 108 minutes out of 7 hours of media that are consumed daily.Going online and watching Television  are almost equally consumed by users, followed by  radio and Tablets  ( mins and minutes respectively.

200 million US consumers buy online, Apple and Zappos Tops Online and Social media revenues

The state of digital shopping in US has undergone a vast chance since 2010 onwards 2010, there about 172 million digital shoppers in the United States and this is expected to reach 200 million in 2015.

Surprisinglythe good old PC and Desktops are very much in use, contrary to what most of research reports suggesting that the PC is dead. In fact Desktop / PC  is used for  about  91% online transactions , with tablets and smartphone making the other 9%

The key global brands with the highest revenue from mobile commerce  include  Apple and Amazon both of which online sales exceeded $8000 million .Walmart comes a distant third with online sales revenue of $600 million .In terms of social commerce online sales, Zappos  with a revenue of $55 million was the no 1 in terms of social commence revenue


Tags :#online sales,#digital shoppers,#holiday spends ,#mobile spends,#online retail, # Black Friday Sales

Online Retailers are Betting Big on Facebook Video Ads this Holidays

• Online retailers are set to increase their Budget " for Facebook spends during  the holidays.. Retail chain Macy’s plans to use the social network’s video ad unit to reach all U.S. female Facebook users
• However videos are just a part of the Marketing Mix which Macy plans to engage

nce the videos are shown ( from  21 years and older during  Thanksgiving) Post that It plans to taget  to those shoppers who interacted with the initial video by commenting on it, sharing it or Liking it

• 
  
• Facebooks Video ads, which officially launched in March has been received extremely well with both advertisers and consumers . withing a very short time, Facebook videos have become big business for  Facebook. 
• 
  
• The social network registers roughly 1 billion video views a day (not all are ads)—65% of them on mobile devices. Video is growing quickly—the number of video views grew 50% between May and July—says Nicolas Franchet, the social network’s head of retail, e-commerce, global vertical marketing.
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• #online retail,# Facebook spends,#Holidays,#thanksgiving,# Video Ads,
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Online Gaming Across the world : Which nations spent most time in online gaming

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Asia Pacific Has Largest Daily Online Gaming Audience - comScore, Inc

: "Worldwide, nearly 671 million people are into online gaming  using desktop PC or laptop in with 145 million gamers playing on a daily basis. The number of daily gamers differs across the continents with an average of 47.9 million internet users in Asia Pacific accessing an online gaming site daily, followed by Europe with 45.6 million daily players. North America was third with 30.3 million internet users playing games on a daily basis whilst Latin America and Middle East – Africa complete the rankings with 14.9 million and 6.2 million respectively.

The time  spent by online gamers across Nations  varies widely '. North America had the most avid online gamers as each visitor spent an average of 107 minutes, whilst European gamers spent 97 minutes and visitors from Latin America played online games for over an hour during the month (67 minutes).

61 billion USD to be spent Online by US consumers this holiday season, 8% to come from mobile commerce

This chart illustrates the rise of holiday season e-commerce spending in the United States from 2005 through 2013 and a forecast of 2014 spending.

The above chartshows the US holiday Spends  since 2005 onwards, and predicts that the Holiday Online  Spends including ( Black Friday and Cyber Monday )  is estimated to touch  61 billion US dollars., that's a projected growth of 22% .

This number is based   according to comScore's official holiday spending forecast. Mobile commerce is expected to contribute $7.9 billion to this year's total, which would represent a 25% jump over last year's mobile sales

#mobile shopping, #mobile commerce,#cyber monday

Mobile Sales to contribute 31% of online sales during holidays,to $418 billion

It would be interesting to see the face off between Android vs iOS  this  during the holiday season  eCommerceLast November, the average order placed on a mobile Apple iOS device was $121.48, compared to just $89 for Android devices, according to a new IBM report
. 
The data also shows that while we do more web-surfing with smartphones (accounting for 24% of all website traffic, compared to 14% via tablets), consumers are more inclined to make purchases on tablets (11.5% of website sales) than smartphones (5%). 

A recent forecast  by adobe digital predicts that 31% of online sales will be generated via 
smartphones and tablets, up from 21% in  2013 with Mobile Sales touching $418 million 

The forecast from Deloitte calls for a 4% to 4.5% overall increase in consumer holiday season spending

Find out why Firebrand has been named for the fifth year running in the Top 20 IT training companies

 By Edward Jones 

For five years running Firebrand has been recognised in the Top 20 IT Training Companies according to TrainingIndustry.com. 

Firebrand's selection for the 2014 Top 20 IT Training companies list was based on the following criteria:  

• Leadership and innovation in IT training
• Breadth of IT training and delivery methods offered
• Company size and growth potential
• Strength of clients 
• Geographic reach

Commenting on the award Firebrand UK Managing Director, Emma Seaman said:

"Winning this accolade five years in a row stands as testament to Firebrand's ongoing commitment to providing high quality accelerated learning."

Emma went on to say:

"I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers, whose support helps us continue to win awards for excellence."  

Author Bio

As part of Firebrand's global marketing team, Edward actively works to serve the IT community with news, reviews and technical how to guides. Working in the Industry for almost 3 years, Edward has a wide variety of experience with Microsoft Technologies including SharePoint, Windows Server and Exchange Server. Edward is an active member of the IT community contributing to a variety of tech publications including Microsoft TechNet, Channel Pro and PC Advisor.

Holiday Shopping days with the Highest Online Spends: 2009 to 2013

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this  chart shows the Days when Online Shopping Spends was the highest during the last 5 years. All the numbers are  million  The week which saw the biggest spending online  in the United States during holiday season from 2009 to 2013, sorted by selected online shopping day. On Black Friday in 2013, 1,199 million US dollars were spent

#holiday spends,#Black Friday,#eCommerce spends,#Cyber Monday

US Ecommerce Spends Sales On Cyber Monday since 2005 Onwards

CYBER MONDAY ONLINE  SALES  SINCE 2005

"This timeline shows the U.S. online spending on Cyber Monday from 2005 to 2013.  In the last 5 years Online Shopping during Cyber Monday  grew by 96%

US consumers spent $887 million in 2009 while last year (2013)   saw eCommerce sales on  Cyber Monday  touched  $1.74 billion US dollars, up from $1.47 billion US dollars in the in 2012. Compared with 2005, Cyber Monday online shopping  sales has grown by 400%

Tags : #ecommerce, #holiday sales,#thanksgiving,#Black Friday,#online spends

Related articles

• How the US Holiday Season Online Sales Grew since 2005 to 2013

Top 3 Online Channels that contributes to the biggest eCommerce revenues

Find more statistics at Statista

his statistic the above chart shows the average  order value of online shopping orders worldwide in the second quarter of 2014, differentiated by traffic source. During that quarter, online orders which were referred through affiliate sites had an average value of 445.19 U.S. dollars.

How the US Holiday Season Online Sales Grew since 2005 to 2013

Find more statistics at Statista

The above chart shows the  U.S. holiday season retail e-commerce sales figures  for a period 2005 to 2013 . This data  compares the  last 8 years of   online shopping .

Americans spent $46.55 billion  during  their holiday shopping in 2013  . Compare this  with 20o5 when online sales during holidays  touched $19.6 billion. Thats a 100% growth in 8 years .

Meanwhile 2008 saw a dip in  holiday eCommerce   as the housing bubble and global financial markets took a heavy toll on the US economy. As compared to 2007, in which US consumers splurged  $29.2 billion on eCommerce, during 2008  holiday ecommerce sales fell to $28billion

Tags : #2014 Holidays, #eCommerce, #Holiday Ecommerce, #Cyber Monday,#Black Friday, #Online Retail

Holiday Shopping Online : 3 reasons why consumer shif their loyalties

 The above chart shows  the reasons why consumers prefer one brand over the other retail brand . In terms of  what actually impacts users during the shopping season are the above parameters

 Promotional offers and Free Shipping Tops the list in terms of what  appeals  to a consumers to select a brand online. Online Reviews  are another major  reason  which  helps decide consumers on their retail brand preference 

Microsoft Azure is down

By Sarah Morgan


Update 1: Many Azure hosted websites in Europe are still experiencing down time.
Update 2: Azure has fully recovered,

Run for the hills, Microsoft Azure is facing a temporary loss-of-service.

According to Microsoft's official Azure status page, the following issues are:

• Storage - North Europe and West Europe - Partial Service Interruption
• Websites - West Europe - Advisory (Limited Impact)
• Application Insights - Multi-Region - Advisory

Microsoft's Azure status page isn't entirely accurate...

8 hours ago, reports began to fly in regarding Microsoft's Azure cloud platform experiencing widespread outages. The issue affects all Azure customers with virtual machines in all regions other than the new Australian data center.

Both work and play have been affected by the outages, with hundreds reporting that Xbox live is also experiencing issues. Users have been unable to sign in or open the friends app.

Though the issues appear to have been fixed for 

UK based businesses took to Twitter to voice their concern over the ongoing downtime:

We do apologise however due to an issue with our suppliers Microsoft @azure our website is currently down #azuredown
— Anniversary Ideas (@anniversaryteam) November 19, 2014

Apologies our website is currently down - AZURE CLOUD ISSUES - Storage in North Europe and West Europe #AzureDown Hopefully fixed soon!!
— Contraband Events (@Contraband_Int) November 19, 2014

Azure North Europe - some of it working for us - but not the important bits! #azureoutage #azuredown #expletivedeleted
— Kevin Fairs (@technotart) November 19, 2014

About the Author:        
Sarah writes for Firebrand Training on a number of IT related topics. This includes exams, training, certification trends, project management, certification, careers advice and the industry itself. Sarah has 11 years of experience in the IT industry. 

Online Sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday predicted to reach a record high to $89 billon

1. 
   

Online retailers have started to gear up for Holiday season  as they start to splurge on marketing and advertising budgets  a for Black Friday and the Christmas holidays? | Black Friday (the fourth Friday of November) and Cyber Monday (the first Monday in December) are now witnessing a major shift in spending patterns, with the Adobe Digital Index predicting that $2.6bn – an increase of 15 per cent – will be spent on Cyber Monday alone, with Black Friday growth up by 28 per cent to $2.48bn. 

Overall, the retail holiday season in the US  is set to exceed the 2013 online sales record  . According o emarketer  e-commerce spends  during black friday and cyber monday  is likely to exceed  $72.41bn,  with a  growth of 16.6 %  this year as compared to 2013'

Forrester Research predicts online sales  during this holiday season  would post a record  high to $89bn" Meanwhile, paid for search budgets  are also expected to grow again this holiday season, with revenues growing by 23.6 per cent in 2013 for Black Friday according to Kenshoo's Global Online Retail Seasonal Shopping Report. "

Big Data: A big security challenge

By Debra Littlejohn Shinder

Big Data – the collection of large and complex sets of data that include both structure and unstructured information – is widely touted as one of the most important current trends in computing, along with Bring Your Own Device/mobility and of course, the cloud. In fact, the convergence of these technologies is seen by many as the top IT challenges of this decade. 

Much has been said and written about the security implications of BYOD, mobile devices and cloud services, but the security aspects of big data don’t seem to get quite as much attention. This is true even though companies are accumulating and analyzing huge amounts of information – not just terabytes, but petabytes – and some of it could cause big problems if it fell into the wrong hands. 

Image courtesy of Renjith Krishnan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After all, the real point of collecting such massive amounts of data is not just to be a data hoarder; the objective is to subject it to analytics that can provide the company’s decision-makers with insights into aspects of their business that can have an impact on the organization’s efficiency, reputation and bottom line. But we all know that information that can be used for good can also be used for nefarious purposes, and if those business insights became public and/or were revealed to competitors, the impact on the company could be very negative indeed.

The security challenge of big data is complicated by another of those hot trends we mentioned above; many companies don’t have the storage capacity on premises to handle the amounts of data involved, so they store all that data in the cloud. Some do so in the mistaken believe that turning their data over to a cloud storage provider means they also get to hand off all of the responsibility for securing that data. 

For some companies, this might even be a reason for the decision to store the data in the cloud in the first place. You could argue that large cloud providers have far more resources to put into securing the data than your organization does. Cloud data centers are heavily guarded fortresses that employ high dollar physical and technological security mechanisms. 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This line of reasoning makes sense – but the cloud shouldn’t be an excuse to abdicate your ultimate responsibility for the protection of your sensitive information. If there is a breach, your customers will blame you, not the cloud provider, because you are the one to whom they entrusted their information. This does double if you’re doing business in a regulated industry – financial, healthcare, a publicly traded corporation, a retail business that processes payment cards, etc. You won’t be able to pass the buck if you’re found to be out of compliance or in violation of standards. 

As with information security in general, the key to securing big data is to take a multi-layered approach. One important element in protecting the huge quantity of data that often contains bits and pieces of personal information about many individuals is de-identification – the separation of identifying information from the rest of the information pertaining to a person. Unfortunately, the counterpart to de-identification is re-identification, the art and science of putting all those pieces back together to discern identities from the de-identified data. 

In a report last summer, Gartner concluded that over 80 percent of organizations don’t have a consolidated data security policy across silos, and that in order to prevent breaches, they need to take a more data-centric approach to security. 

Of course, many of the security concerns and solutions that apply to big data are the same ones that apply to protecting any sensitive data. However, one thing that makes big data especially challenging is that it often passes through many more different systems and applications in the process of turning all that unstructured mess into useful information. 

Companies may use applications and storage methods for which security was not a design priority, so that they have to tack on security solutions after the fact. Since much of big data is unstructured, it’s often stored in non-relational databases such as NoSQL, which were not built with security in mind. Traditional firewalls and other security solutions weren’t designed to handle distributed computing that is at the heart of big data. Automated moving of data between tiers in a multi-tiered storage system can make it difficult to keep track of where the data is physically located, which poses a security issue.

Close attention to “middleware” security mechanisms, extensive and accurate logging of data tracking, and real-time monitoring are essential components of a security strategy that encompasses the challenges of big data.

You can find more information about securing data in the cloud here.  

Author Profile

Debra Littlejohn Shinder, MCSE, MVP (Security) is a technology consultant, trainer and writer who has authored a number of books on computer operating systems, networking, and security.

She is also a tech editor, developmental editor and contributor to over 20 additional books. Her articles are regularly published on TechRepublic's TechProGuild Web site and WindowSecurity.com, and has appeared in print magazines such as Windows IT Pro (formerly Windows & .NET) Magazine.