News

VPN vs. SDP vs. ZTNA: Who Won 2020?

Posted in: Infrastructure, SDP, VPN, ZTNA - May 14, 2021

The headline sounds like we might be discussing three competing political groups. Instead of the RNC and the DNC, it’s the VPN vs. SDP vs. ZTNA. Only this time, it’s all about competing remote networking architectures.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have been with us for some time. Of late, though, Software-defined perimeter (SDP—aka zero trust network access or ZTNA) vendors have been proclaiming the VPN to be dead, urging organizations to switch to this newer approach.

Read More: Why You Should Implement Zero-Trust Security in 2021

VPNs dominated 2020.

But a recent survey by NetMotion of 750 IT leaders found that VPNs continued to be the dominant cloud access security tool used by businesses. 54% relied on VPNs to provide secure remote access in 2020 compared to 15% utilizing ZTNA/SDP solutions.

Another survey done by the company found that 45% of organizations intend to continue to harness VPNs at least three more years.

ZTNA, SDP are on the rise; vendor count triples.

But the overall trend is away from VPNs. Matt Chisholm, Content Marketing Manager at NetMotion Software, expects that SDPs will eventually take over. But there are many factors that inhibit the instant switch to the newer technology.

“The transition will not occur overnight as most organizations have on-premise applications,” he said.

Meanwhile, the excitement over SDPs and their market potential is highlighted in the number of startups entering this space. The vendor count in SDP has grown from 10 to more than 30 in the past two years. And now, we see the big boys taking note. Some are developing their own SDP technology. Others are gobbling up the best and brightest among the SDP startups. Over the past year or two, Verizon has acquired Vidder SDP, OPSWAT has acquired Impulse, Symantec gained Luminate, and Proofpoint has acquired Meta Networks.

COVID accelerates the trend.

Having pushed many organizations further into the cloud than they anticipated, COVID-19 may have accelerated the trend from VPN to SDP. NetMotion numbers show that 70% of organizations are at least considering SDP adoption over the next year. The delaying factor is the extent of cloud adoption. Most have deployed more cloud resources of late, but few have gone all in. Only 4% of enterprises globally have fully migrated to the cloud, according to the survey.

While SDP is the latest and greatest, sluggish transition to the cloud is causing many enterprises to consider modernization of VPNs, firewalls, and secure web gateways (SWG) as a more viable approach than changing over to SDP. An interim alternative under consideration by some is to migrate their VPNs to the cloud. By doing so, they make it easier to both implement an enterprise cloud strategy, as well as open the door to eventual implementation of SDP.

Zero-trust technologies and policies are another potential driver of SDP adoption. Zero trust has become something of a security buzzword in recent months. With the topic under discussion in board rooms, ZTNA/SDP projects could find themselves more likely to receive a green light.

Nevertheless, VPN will persist.

The VPN vs. SDP vs. ZTNA battle is just beginning. But for the time being, the VPN is expected to stick around for another few years.

“When times got tough in 2020, IT leaders across the globe overwhelmingly turned to enterprise VPNs to provide secure remote access for thousands of employees,” said Chisholm. “This fact is so indisputable that it can be objectively argued that VPNs did more to ensure business continuity last year than any other technology did, or even could have done.”

The post VPN vs. SDP vs. ZTNA: Who Won 2020? appeared first on CIO Insight.

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6 Insightful CIO Interview Questions

Posted in: Hiring, HR, IT Management - May 14, 2021

“Are you currently in the process of looking for or hiring a CIO?” We asked CIOs and business leaders this question for their best CIO interview questions. From questions about innovation to questions about virtual connections, there are several different directions that you can take your questions to find your next CIO.

How Do You Stay Current on Innovations and Trends? 

A CIO is a senior executive who advises organizational strategy through their understanding of technology. This has been a new position that has developed and evolved over the last 20 years as technology has become more prevalent in business practices. A great question to ask someone interviewing for this position is, “How do you stay current on innovations and trends?”

This person should be a visionary and someone who is strategically planning for the future. They should be in the know of the newest trends and latest technological innovations. Knowing how they can keep your company one step ahead is vital to be successful in this position.

Ryan Nouis, TruPath

How Can Our Company Better Leverage AI? 

CIOs need to be strategic thinkers that bridge the gap between technology and business. Interview questions should explore the ideas that a CIO candidate has in bringing and building new technologies into an organization. For example, what are some thoughts you have on how our company can better leverage AI? How would you measure success? A good CIO candidate should be able to identify opportunities for advancements and have a finite way of measuring the impact of implementation.

Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

Can You Describe a Time When You Used Data to Create Change?

The key to long-term business success always relies on accurate data tracking. But it isn’t enough to just track the numbers. You also need to get meaningful insights that lead to change in the organization. This is actually one of the most challenging aspects of data science and AI. You can rely on data to tell you that some actions lead to specific outcomes, but understanding why is different. It’s important for a CIO to not only come up with data and reports but also to explain how they should be used.

Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner

How Long Have You Worked for Us? 

This should be the first question that is asked of any executive-level hire. All organizations should be getting away from hiring outsiders to come into their company and run major parts of their organization. Your CIO should know your company inside and out, so they should be someone that has been working for the organization for some time. This person needs to know what you have, how it works, and why it is like that right now. The only way you can find someone like this is to hire them from inside the organization.

Mark Smith, University of Advancing Technology

How Are You Planning to Disrupt My Industry? 

It will help me understand if they are knowledgeable of the industry they will be targeting while handling our operation, alongside their awareness related to IT trends. A CIO must prepare well and should be able to answer innovatively during the hiring interview. Besides this, I would like to know their preferred IT metrics they would like to use for my business and industry.

Caroline Lee, CocoSign

How Would You Create Virtual Connections With the Team?

It can be difficult to integrate new employees into a remote team while building the sense of community that your company culture is based on. You will want to hire people who can overcome these virtual boundaries, make connections with their peers, management, and those on their team. The right candidate should go the extra mile when communicating virtually with people at work. Having video conferences is a big key to staying connected with others because you can still see their face and read their body language, which is an important part of human interaction. This can also help employees feel less isolated, which in turn can promote a healthier work environment.

Melissa Haws, The Furnace Outlet

The post 6 Insightful CIO Interview Questions appeared first on CIO Insight.

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6 Insightful CIO Interview Questions

Posted in: Hiring, HR, IT Management, management - May 14, 2021

“Are you currently in the process of looking for or hiring a CIO?” We asked CIOs and business leaders this question for their best CIO interview questions. From questions about innovation to questions about virtual connections, there are several different directions that you can take your questions to find your next CIO.

How Do You Stay Current on Innovations and Trends? 

A CIO is a senior executive who advises organizational strategy through their understanding of technology. This has been a new position that has developed and evolved over the last 20 years as technology has become more prevalent in business practices. A great question to ask someone interviewing for this position is, “How do you stay current on innovations and trends?”

This person should be a visionary and someone who is strategically planning for the future. They should be in the know of the newest trends and latest technological innovations. Knowing how they can keep your company one step ahead is vital to be successful in this position.

Ryan Nouis, TruPath

How Can Our Company Better Leverage AI? 

CIOs need to be strategic thinkers that bridge the gap between technology and business. Interview questions should explore the ideas that a CIO candidate has in bringing and building new technologies into an organization. For example, what are some thoughts you have on how our company can better leverage AI? How would you measure success? A good CIO candidate should be able to identify opportunities for advancements and have a finite way of measuring the impact of implementation.

Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

Can You Describe a Time When You Used Data to Create Change?

The key to long-term business success always relies on accurate data tracking. But it isn’t enough to just track the numbers. You also need to get meaningful insights that lead to change in the organization. This is actually one of the most challenging aspects of data science and AI. You can rely on data to tell you that some actions lead to specific outcomes, but understanding why is different. It’s important for a CIO to not only come up with data and reports but also to explain how they should be used.

Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner

How Long Have You Worked for Us? 

This should be the first question that is asked of any executive-level hire. All organizations should be getting away from hiring outsiders to come into their company and run major parts of their organization. Your CIO should know your company inside and out, so they should be someone that has been working for the organization for some time. This person needs to know what you have, how it works, and why it is like that right now. The only way you can find someone like this is to hire them from inside the organization.

Mark Smith, University of Advancing Technology

How Are You Planning to Disrupt My Industry? 

It will help me understand if they are knowledgeable of the industry they will be targeting while handling our operation, alongside their awareness related to IT trends. A CIO must prepare well and should be able to answer innovatively during the hiring interview. Besides this, I would like to know their preferred IT metrics they would like to use for my business and industry.

Caroline Lee, CocoSign

How Would You Create Virtual Connections With the Team?

It can be difficult to integrate new employees into a remote team while building the sense of community that your company culture is based on. You will want to hire people who can overcome these virtual boundaries, make connections with their peers, management, and those on their team. The right candidate should go the extra mile when communicating virtually with people at work. Having video conferences is a big key to staying connected with others because you can still see their face and read their body language, which is an important part of human interaction. This can also help employees feel less isolated, which in turn can promote a healthier work environment.

Melissa Haws, The Furnace Outlet

The post 6 Insightful CIO Interview Questions appeared first on CIO Insight.

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COVID-19 Driving Desktop-as-a-Service Adoption

Posted in: daas, desktop as a service, IT Management - May 06, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organizations to embrace work-from-home (WFH) programs. But how to go about it? Some have favored a bring your own device (BYOD) policy. Others found the wiser course was to adopt a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) approach, where virtualized desktops with user profiles, applications, and data follow users them regardless of the device.

Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) in particular made it easy to switch to virtual desktops. After all, the limited IT resources present in most organizations were already working overtime to manage the change from the cubicle to the living room. The last thing they needed on their plates was having to procure more hardware and software, along with supporting the deployment and management of remote technology.

“For IT organizations with the right experience, strong security knowledge, and sufficient time, the implementation of DaaS might not be a major challenge,” said Chris Pierdominici, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Cox Business Cloud Solutions. “Otherwise, an experienced MSP can make the task less daunting.”

DaaS made everything simple – sign up with a provider and let them manage the underlying infrastructure and even the support. But with restrictions ended in some states and being phased out in others, will DaaS go away? Not according to a Gartner survey. It found that 74% of CFOs expect telecommuting and remote work to continue long after COVID-19 has faded away like a bad dream.

Choosing the Right DaaS Flavor

Desktop-as-a-Service works whether the company is using BYOD or has employees working with corporate laptops. It eliminates the need to beef up the IT department with people possessing the requisite skills to cope with the demands of remote desktop management and support. Additionally, it enables mobility at a scale that most organizations find hard to match. Delivered over the cloud, CAPEX spend is changed to OPEX. Cloud-hosted desktops are easier to move, secure, patch, upgrade, and restore in the case of failure.

There are a number of DaaS flavors out there depending on the needs of the organization. These includes Citrix, Amazon, Microsoft, VMware, Cox Business Solutions, and many others. Those with the IT resource bandwidth may prefer to only acquire the basics. They get the desktop software delivered to users with the provider managing the back end.

“DaaS offerings increasingly include a host of services that allow organizations to equip employees with their devices and apps of choice on day one,” said Andrew Hewitt, an analyst at Forrester Research.

For those needing a greater level of support, or that need to tailor the desktop environment to specific needs, full-service DaaS offerings are recommended. The providers offering these services take care of the underlying architecture, desktop customization, implementation, provisioning, load balancing, networking, and support.

Prioritize Support

Support is available in a number of tiers. These range from basic working hours call center staffing to 24/7 expert support. As the differences between desktop environments are becoming relatively minor as time goes on, it is the support aspect that often differentiates providers. Those operating in an AWS or Azure environment, for example, would be best served by those specific vendors, or a partner skilled in those platforms.

Industry vertical also plays a part. Those requiring telephony services, for example, would find an advantage in obtaining DaaS services from a telephony provider who can often bundle multiple complementary services together. The key is experience in DaaS rollouts in your industry and platform.

Background Reading: Cloud Spending Expected to Grow 23% through 2021.

The post COVID-19 Driving Desktop-as-a-Service Adoption appeared first on CIO Insight.

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Essential Features in Foodservice ERP

Posted in: ERP, foodservice ERP, IT Management, supply chain - May 06, 2021

On May 1, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of nearly 1,000 pounds of Hempstead Foodservice pork due to the products containing “hydrolyzed soy protein, a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label”. The USDA recalls dozens of products a year, but sometimes, companies notice issues with their products and issue their own announcements proactively. How can these foodservice companies catch product problems and issue recalls before they’re mandated? Foodservice ERP software is one solution that alerts them to contamination issues.

Foodservice manufacturers have several balls to juggle to keep regulatory committees and consumers happy and healthy. How can you make sure that your foodservice processes are supported with a robust systems backbone? Start with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform that is purpose-built for the foodservice industry.

Christian Winzeler, consulting principal at RSM US, thinks that the integration of functionality and data is what makes a foodservice ERP more advantageous than individual platforms:

“The big advantage of an integrated ERP system is that all parts connect and work together. One set of master data (e.g. products) is used across the organization in procurement, production, warehousing, and order fulfillment. Master planning takes a sales forecast and actual sales orders to generate needed purchase and production orders. Connected in one system, generating end-to-end visibility.”

In your search for the right foodservice ERP tool, look for these three key features that will help optimize your efficiency and increase accountability, helping your products move from the farmer’s field to your customers, then on to the dinner table:

More Like This: Essential Features in Retail ERP

Foodservice ERP: Features to Consider

• Consideration 1: The software provides production visibility for your customer base.

• Consideration 2: The software unites quality control features across manufacturing and supply chain management.

• Consideration 3: The software streamlines sophisticated distribution and process manufacturing features.

Consideration 1: The software provides production visibility for your customer base.

The food and beverage industry has entered into an era where your customers demand greater visibility and accountability from their suppliers than ever before. Specialized foodservice ERP tools help foodservice manufacturers provide detailed product information to their customers, giving them the ability to track where and how food products are processed at every step before they hit the shelves or table. Here are just a few consumer and vendor concerns that your foodservice ERP helps you to track through the product lifecycle:

• Allergens: Does your product contain a common allergen? Is it possible that it came into contact with an allergen during production? Allergen visibility matters to many vendors and consumers, most frequently with gluten, dairy, seafood, and nut allergies.

• Dietary restrictions: Many consumers follow strict dietary plans, so it’s important that you track and clearly label all ingredients in your products even before they make it to the grocery store. Grocers and other food distributors often divide their products so that consumers who are immunocompromised, voluntarily following a vegan or vegetarian diet, or upholding religious or personal beliefs can easily find and identify products that work for them. Production visibility gives your customers detailed ingredient and preparation knowledge, so you can provide them with the information to appropriately label, advertise, and sell their products to consumers who observe strict dietary guidelines.

• Environmental concerns: Are all of the ingredients in your product USDA organic certified or following some other sustainability guidelines? Is your production facility or packaging following green best practices? Production visibility lets you know how your products affect the environment from farm to table, which gives you the data to share with distributors who directly sell your products to consumers.

This level of visibility in specialized foodservice ERP platforms is called end-to-end traceability and is one of the most important features of a foodservice ERP tool. Regardless of where your product falls in the manufacturing process, end-to-end traceability features give you the data to catch deviations from established food quality processes. Part of why end-to-end traceability works is because every phase of the production process is integrated into your ERP platform, meaning that all of your visibility statistics are pulled from the same master data set.

End-to-end traceability helps your internal teams understand how to optimize production, but more importantly, it holds your team accountable through data sources that accurately verify production quality for your customers.

Vendor Communication and Customer Relationship Management

Foodservice ERP systems improve your customer communication when they integrate with your customer relationship management (CRM) tools. In the age of digital transformation, vendors, much like consumers, prefer to communicate via digital applications that they already use. When these communication platforms integrate with your foodservice ERP, you can easily start conversations and respond with accurate sales and supply data that nurtures customer relationships by easing communication methods.

Consideration 2: The software unites quality control features across manufacturing and supply chain management.

Foodservice ERP platforms need to track and manage compliance and safety measures in order to protect the end user’s health. This means that quality controls need to be established, monitored, and reported at every stage of the manufacturing and supply chain process, giving you the real-time visibility to monitor, assess, and adjust your distributed products based on predetermined shelf life and recipe control metrics.

Production visibility is key to quality control in the ERP. Unfortunately, it seems that detailed visibility is one of the biggest weaknesses across the food industry.

This is what Winzeler had to say about the top struggles he sees his foodservice clients facing:

“The biggest pain point can be described as ‘lack of visibility’. A lot of companies in the F&B space still operate in different disconnected environments and getting a full picture of where they stand is a huge challenge.”

With all of your systems united under one ERP platform, you can achieve higher visibility and quality control levels in production, labor, order fulfillment, and many other steps in your supply chain management protocols.

Product Recalls and Audits

Quality control features are crucial when you’re faced with a product recall or a supply chain audit. Disparate systems and processes make it difficult to track down and communicate any issues in your production pipeline. When you have a wholly integrated foodservice ERP platform, you’ll see where every product and/or contamination comes into your supply chain and can adjust processes and remove affected products from distribution accordingly.

Consideration 3: The software streamlines sophisticated distribution and process manufacturing features.

You can only guarantee the quality of your products if you fully control their distribution through process manufacturing and other sophisticated ERP features. Process manufacturing sometimes involves chemical transformations of your ingredients and materials, but it can also involve physical adjustments to modes of production that improve your processes. The best foodservice ERP platforms incorporate a few key features to optimize materials and subsequent experiences for both your employees and your vendor customers:

Process manufacturing at the storefront level

When you are a foodservice manufacturer, tracking product quality becomes even more complex once it reaches a vendor’s storefront. Your foodservice ERP tool needs strong process manufacturing features like distribution scheduling, quality analysis, and production control to ensure the quality of your products at all consumer fronts. Process manufacturing features protect both you and the vendor from product and supply inconsistencies.

E-commerce and user data

Do you directly sell your products to businesses and/or consumers? Your foodservice ERP platform should incorporate strong e-commerce features, such as user-friendly website portals and real-time data analytics delivery, either natively or through interoperable applications. A solid e-commerce platform makes the user experience run smoothly while providing you with the purchasing data you need to forecast future production needs.

Choosing Your ERP Solution

Are you a food and beverage manufacturer with production needs that aren’t met by a baseline ERP system? There are multiple foodservice software options on the market, with custom ERP tools and specialized consulting firms like RSM US, so it’s difficult to choose the best fit for your business.

Plenty of tools exist to walk you through big software selections like a foodservice ERP. Check out this ERP Software Product Selection Tool from TechnologyAdvice, and find the ERP platform that gives you custom-tailored, real-time data at every step of the food production cycle.

Read Next: Three Key Advances in ERP for 2021

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