The author of this Pathfinder report is Mike Fratto, a Senior Research Analyst on the Applied Infrastructure & DevOps team at 451 Research, a part of S&P Global Market Intelligence. Pathfinder reports navigate decision-makers through the issues surrounding a specific technology or business case, explore the business value of adoption, and recommend the range of considerations and concrete next steps in the decision-making process.

This report explores the following topics:

• the growth of already commonplace cloud usage for mission-critical applications
• the importance of cloud governance
• the top cloud security concerns for enterprises
• the adoption of third-party tools for cloud management
• the steps IT teams should take to make their cloud environments more secure and reliable

Since 2016, many users have turned to Apache Guacamole, a community-driven open-source remote desktop platform that is free for anyone to use and if your organization is technically savvy. The source code is publicly available to compile and build.

However, if you’d like software that’s ready to deploy for the enterprise and comes with responsive, professional support, Keeper Connection Manager (KCM) can provide an affordable way to get all the benefits of Apache Guacamole.

KCM provides users with a secure and reliable way to remotely connect to their machines using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), Secure Shell (SSH) and other common protocols. Moreover, KCM is backed by a responsive team, including the original creators of Apache Guacamole, ensuring expert assistance is always available.

Let’s dive into the importance and challenges of remote access below.

Discover the Essential Guide to VMware Migration

Transitioning from VMware to VergeOS requires careful planning to minimize disruption. Our guide provides a structured process for a smooth migration:

Key Sections of the Guide

1. Evaluation of Alternatives
   - Research and Trial: Identify and test virtualization solutions for performance, compatibility, features, and support.
   - Cost-Benefit Analysis: Compare costs and calculate ROI to evaluate benefits over VMware.

2. Planning the Migration
   - Detailed Plan: Outline timelines, resource allocation, and risk management.
   - Infrastructure Preparation: Ensure hardware and network compatibility

3. Execution and Post-Migration
   - Pilot Migration: Start with non-critical systems to test the process.
   - Full-Scale Migration: Schedule during low-usage periods, back up data, and execute the migration.
   - Post-Migration Testing: Verify functional and performance standards in the new environment.

4. Phased Migration Process
- Backup/DR: Use VergeOS for cost-effective backup and disaster recovery of the VMware environment.
- NAS Replacement: Replace Network Attached Storage with VergeOS.
- Testing: Test workloads for compatibility and performance.
- Conversion: Incrementally convert virtual machines, starting with low-priority workloads.

Download the full guide now to optimize your virtualization strategy.

Cyberattacks and ransomware target backup data in 93% of incidents. Despite being primary targets for ransomware and data exfiltration, existing Zero Trust frameworks often overlook the security of data backup and recovery systems.
 
Zero Trust Data Resilience (ZTDR) is an innovative model that extends Zero Trust principles to data backup and recovery. Developed through a collaboration between Numberline Security and Veeam, ZTDR builds on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM).  
 
This framework provides a practical guide for IT and security teams to improve data protection, reduce security risk, and enhance an organization's cyber resilience.
 
The primary principles of ZTDR include:

• Segmentation — Separation of Backup Software and Backup Storage to enforce least-privilege access, as well as to minimize the attack surface and blast radius.
• Multiple data resilience zones or security domains to comply with the 3-2-1 Backup Rule and to ensure multi-layered security.
• Immutable Backup Storage to protect backup data from modifications and deletions. Zero Access to Root and OS, protecting against external attackers and compromised administrators, is a must-have as part of true immutability. 
  

The white paper "Zero Trust and Enterprise Data Backup" details these principles and offers practical steps for implementation. 
 
What You'll Learn:

• Security Enhancement: Core Zero Trust principles applied to data backup.
• Implementation: Best practices for infrastructure segmentation and resilience zones.
• Applications: Case studies on mitigating ransomware and cyber threats. 
  

Download the white paper and start your journey towards Zero Trust Data Resilience.

The shift to SaaS and cloud computing allows enterprises to lower infrastructure costs and maintenance while improving efficiency and capabilities through scalable cloud data platforms. This move can also enhance productivity and workflow flexibility, enabling remote access to SaaS applications and data. However, it often leads to diversified endpoint operating systems, emphasizing the need for web browser access to SaaS applications. The adoption of IGEL's Secure Endpoint OS and Island's Enterprise Browser presents a modern solution for enterprises to optimize their digital workspaces and fully embrace this transformation.

• Why on-premises data centers still relevant, and how can they be more cost-effective
• How VergeOS integrates server virtualization, networking, and storage into a single unified code base, surpassing traditional HCI while supporting external storage.
• The three pillars of UCI are a unified code base, three-dimensional scaling, and virtual data centers.
• How VergeOS’s common sense, per server, licensing model saves you money.
• How VergeIO’s multi-layered approach to ransomware resiliency and data protection provides the fastest recovery options with the least data loss.

A defense contractor with whom Coretek has had a long-standing relationship spanning nearly two decades had attempted to migrate to a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment twice with another technology services provider without success. Impressed by Coretek’s success with VDI implementations in healthcare and other industries, the defense contractor turned to the solution provider for help.

Coretek's VDI offering has evolved significantly over the years to better support today's power users. Due to its industry leadership, IGEL OS is currently the standard for new customer VDI rollouts at Coretek. One of the things that the Coretek team appreciates most about IGEL OS is its high level of configurability, as well as IGEL’s commitment to staying current with trends in the EUC space by aligning IGEL OS with a broad ecosystem of leading vendors, including those providing unified communications and collaboration (UCC) applications and tools. In this particular case, IGEL OS, in combination with new Dell endpoint hardware, enabled Coretek to restore performance following a significant shift in the customer’s usage of its UCC tools.

The customer is currently utilizing high-performance VDI desktops, leveraging IGEL OS at the endpoint, to design defense equipment and support connectivity and collaboration through video conferencing. IGEL’s Preventative Security Model™ supports Zero Trust security approaches and partners with leading Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) vendors to complement and reinforce these solutions from a security standpoint.