Author: Veronica Haggar

  • Global Survey Finds Testing as the Most Valuable AI Investment Across the Software Development Lifecycle

    Global Survey Finds Testing as the Most Valuable AI Investment Across the Software Development Lifecycle

    Tricentis report reveals AI-augmented DevOps tools will save teams over an estimated 40 hours per month—equivalent to an entire workweek

    AUSTIN, TEXAS – August 6th, 2024 – Tricentis, a global leader in continuous testing and quality engineering, today released the findings of its most recent AI report, “AI-augmented DevOps: Trends Shaping the Future.” This year’s research aims to understand to what extent the anticipated benefits of AI in DevOps have been realized today, and how a lack of trust, skills, or other challenges could affect its adoption.

    When asked to evaluate the most impactful areas for AI investments across the delivery cycle – such as planning, coding, deploying and releasing – DevOps practitioners ranked testing as the most valuable (60%). This result was foreshadowed in the Tricentis’ 2022 study, which found that testing is where organizations expected the greatest value from AI-augmented DevOps, with nearly 70% of respondents having rated the potential of AI-augmented testing as extremely or very valuable.

    The research finds that DevOps teams are realizing the benefits of AI, with mature DevOps teams who have adopted AI significantly more likely (30%) to rate their teams as either extremely or very effective. The biggest challenges DevOps teams are using AI to address are developer team efficiency (60%), reducing the skills gap (54%), cost reduction (47%), and software quality (42%). In fact, almost one third (32%) of respondents estimate AI-augmented DevOps tools will save teams over 40 hours per month—equivalent to an entire workweek.

    The 2024 results show that teams use AI to augment a wide range of testing tasks, including test planning/deciding what to test (47.5%), test case generation (44%), and analyzing test results (32%). Additionally, nearly half (42%) of respondents expect AI to perform a risk analysis of code changes, helping QA teams focus on code areas with the greatest risk of errors to quality.

    The report surveys 500+ DevOps practitioners, managers, and executives from small, mid-size, and enterprise organizations across the globe and in several industries, including financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing.

    Other 2024 findings reveal:

    • Regulation is expected to help build trust, but others worry it will stifle innovation and outcomes. Nearly two thirds (63%) of those surveyed view increased regulation as a way to build confidence in AI across their organization, while a smaller—but not insignificant—number of DevOps practitioners (16%) feel increased regulation will hinder or stifle the potential impact of AI in organizations.
    • Humans remain vital to ensure software quality, but there’s a shortfall in AI skills. Data shows that humans are still very much “in the loop,” with over two thirds (71%) of respondents checking outputs at least half of the time, and almost one in five (19%) claiming to check AI outputs all of the time. However, a lack of AI skills (28%) is seen as the greatest hurdle to AI adoption in DevOps.
    • Generative AI (Gen AI) and AI copilots are key drivers of AI adoption: GenAI (45%) is now the most widely adopted type of AI used by DevOps practitioners. In particular, AI copilots are also on the rise, with use cases in planning, code development, and software testing.

    “AI is an exciting technology and growing at a pace unlike anything we’ve seen in our industry,” said Mav Turner, Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Tricentis. “As AI technology is further developed, however, training software development and quality engineering teams with the necessary skills to effectively work with AI will be absolutely critical.”

    “DevOps teams looking to get started with AI should look no further than their testing processes. AI in testing helps to detect, auto-heal and predict defects during development, as well as identify which tests need to be run based on high risk. When coupled with low-code/no-code technology, this means that, regardless of a team’s technical expertise, AI can significantly contribute to overall software quality. As DevOps teams continue to mature, testing will be pivotal to realizing their investment in AI-augmented DevOps tools and practices.”

    To view the full findings of the report, download the complete “AI-augmented DevOps: Trends Shaping the Future” report here and register for the upcoming webinar on Thursday, August 29th here.

    Additional resources:

    Survey Methodology

    The findings are based on a global study conducted by Techstrong Research on AI augmentation in DevOps environments. The survey was fielded from April 19 to June 30, 2024, and yielded responses from 500+ DevOps practitioners, managers, and executives in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific from small, mid-size, and enterprise organizations.

    About Tricentis

    Tricentis is a global leader in continuous testing and quality engineering. The Tricentis AI-based, continuous testing portfolio of products provide a new and fundamentally different way to perform software testing. An approach that’s totally automated, fully codeless, and intelligently driven by AI. It addresses both agile development and complex enterprise apps, enabling enterprises to accelerate their digital transformation by dramatically increasing software release speed, reducing costs, and improving software quality. Widely credited for reinventing software testing for DevOps, cloud, and enterprise applications, Tricentis has been recognized as a leader by all major industry analysts, including Forrester, Gartner, and IDC. Tricentis has more than 3,000 customers, including the largest brands in the world, such as McKesson, Allianz, Telstra, Dolby, and Vodafone. To learn more, visit https://www.tricentis.com.

  • The Futurum Group Announces Speaker Lineup for Fifth Annual Six Five Summit 2024

    The Futurum Group Announces Speaker Lineup for Fifth Annual Six Five Summit 2024

    • Show opening keynote delivered by ServiceNow Chairman & CEO Bill McDermott
    • The free virtual event, themed AI Unleashed, explores how to harness the power of AI across more than 10 practice areas and will begin daily at 10 am Eastern over a three-day period from June 11 – 13
    • This year’s summit inaugurates a partnership with Techstrong Group, enabling expanded distribution over multiple OTT and distribution channels

    AUSTIN, Texas, June 4, 2024 – Six Five Media, a joint venture of The Futurum Group and Moor Insights & Strategy providing B2B technology analysis and thought leadership content, today announced its speaker lineup for the 2024 Six Five Summit. The fifth annual highly-anticipated event, themed ‘AI Unleashed’ will air June 11-13, 2024, taking place exclusively online.

    The Summit is a unique three-day virtual event that brings together the biggest names in tech to share insight and innovation across 10+ practice areas. Enhancing the viewer and sponsor experience in 2024, The Six Five Summit has partnered with Techstrong Group to deliver content on both Six Five Media and Techstrong distribution properties. Viewer registration is free and attendees may watch as it drops, or choose select sessions to watch on demand following the original airing.

    The summit opening will feature a special keynote delivered by Bill McDermott, Chairman and CEO of enterprise software giant ServiceNow.

    Day opening keynotes will be delivered by Ericsson N.A. CEO Yossi Cohen, Lenovo Executive Vice President, Lenovo and President, Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group Kirk Skaugen, and Slack CEO Denise Dresser.

    With the global proliferation of market-ready AI solutions across verticals and economic sectors, this year’s event features leaders of the world’s most impactful technology companies. They’ll share their insights and vision in a unique format of an intimate sit-down with expert analysts from Moor Insights & Strategy and The Futurum Group. Over 50 speakers from 48 global companies comprise the impressive lineup, which features over 20 CEOs.

    “We are absolutely thrilled as we head into the 5th year of The Six Five Summit. An event that was born out of necessity during a challenging time when the world could not connect face to face, it has become evident that our unique hybrid event serves as a platform for the most influential tech companies and executives,” said Daniel Newman, CEO of The Futurum Group. “Over the past five years, the summit has addressed the most critical and influential tech trends from future of work to AI, allowing a global audience to access a first-hand, front-row experience that informs, educates and inspires. We’re proud of what we have built with the support of our partners, many of whom join the event year after year, proving their commitment to the continuous advancement of the tech community as a whole.”

    This year’s ‘AI Unleashed’ theme covers the following topics, with each session focusing on the role AI plays in the evolution of:

    • Automotive
    • Cloud Infrastructure
    • Connected Intelligent Edge
    • Collaboration
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data, DevOps, & Observability
    • Enterprise AI Platforms
    • Enterprise Apps
    • Modern Work
    • Semiconductors
    • Sustainability
    • Quantum

    Featured program speakers include the CEOs and Presidents of companies ServiceNow, Ericsson, Lenovo, Slack, Microsoft Azure, Cohesity, HP Inc., IBM, Samsung, Smartsheet, T-Mobile for Business, and many more. A full list of speakers and a detailed program can be found here.

    To learn more about The Six Five Summit and register as an attendee, go to: www.thesixfivesummit.com

    About Six Five Media

    Six Five Media is a leading producer of professional video content, specifically crafted to elevate leading tech companies, their products, and their executives among enterprise customers and industry peers. As a joint venture between The Futurum Group and Moor Insights & Strategy, Six Five Media harnesses the expertise of top-ranked industry analysts and influential hosts to ensure its clients’ messages resonate effectively in the market. Learn more at sixfivemedia.com.

  • Techstrong Group Announces Rebranding of Security Bloggers Network to Security Creators Network

    Techstrong Group Announces Rebranding of Security Bloggers Network to Security Creators Network

    BOCA RATON, FL, April 9, 2024 — Techstrong Group, the power source for people and technology, is excited to announce the rebranding of the renowned Security Bloggers Network to the Security Creators Network. With over 350 security-focused content creators, the network has been a staple in the cybersecurity community for the past two decades. 

    The decision to rename the network reflects the evolving nature of content creation within the cybersecurity space. In today’s digital age, security professionals utilize various platforms beyond traditional blogs to share their insights and expertise. The Security Creators Network aims to embrace this diversity by providing a platform for all security content creators, including podcasters, YouTubers, social media influencers and more. 

    As part of the rebranding, the annual Security Bloggers Meetup will now be known as the Security Creators Meetup. This year’s meetup will take place during the RSA Conference and will be held at the iconic Tonga Room. More details about the meetup will be announced soon. 

    The Security Creators Meetup is being co-produced in partnership with the Cyber Marketing Professionals Society and Techstrong Group. Together, these organizations are committed to fostering collaboration and networking opportunities within the cybersecurity community. 

    “We are thrilled to unveil the new name for the network,” said Alan Shimel at Techstrong Group. “The Security Creators Network reflects our commitment to celebrating the diverse range of content creators who contribute to the cybersecurity discourse. We look forward to hosting another successful meetup during the RSA Conference and providing a platform for creators to connect and collaborate.” 

    For more information about the Security Creators Network and upcoming events, please visit https://securityboulevard.com. To sign up for the Security Creators Meetup, visit the event page.

    About Techstrong Group
    Techstrong Group is the power source for people and technology. Techstrong Group accelerates understanding of technologies that drive business. With a broad set of IT-related communities and offerings, Techstrong Group is the only media company serving the needs of IT leaders and practitioners with news, research, analysis, events, education, certifications and professional development. Our focus is DevOps, cybersecurity, AI, digital transformation, cloud and cloud native. Techstrong Group business units include: Techstrong Media (devopsy.kinsta.cloud, Security Boulevard, Cloud Native Now, Techstrong.ai, DigitalCxO, Techstrong ITSM, Techstrong TV and Techstrong Group Podcasts), Techstrong Research and Techstrong Learning. For technology providers, Techstrong business units offer many ways to share their stories, expand their audience and grow their business.

    Techstrong Group is based in Boca Raton, Florida. For more information, visit us on the web and follow us on LinkedIn.

    CONTACT
    Veronica Haggar
    Techstrong Group
    veronica@techstronggroup.com

  • Techstrong Group Launches Techstrong ITSM Community Platform to Bridge the Gap Between Agile, DevOps and ITSM

    Techstrong Group Launches Techstrong ITSM Community Platform to Bridge the Gap Between Agile, DevOps and ITSM

    Techstrong Group launches new ITSM site to empower organizations to navigate the complete IT life cycle with greater efficiency, quality and agility.

    Boca Raton, FL, February 28, 2024 — Techstrong Group, the power source for people and technology, today announced the launch of its latest community site, Techstrong ITSM. This new venture seamlessly integrates Agile, DevOps and IT service management (ITSM) methodologies into a unified resource for IT professionals, offering a holistic approach to managing the complete IT life cycle.

    “We recognized a critical gap in the current IT landscape: The need for a cohesive strategy that encompasses Agile’s adaptability, DevOps’ efficiency and ITSM’s reliability,” said Techstrong Group CEO Alan Shimel. “The mission of Techstrong ITSM is to offer a comprehensive resource that facilitates understanding, adoption and integration of these methodologies across the entire IT life cycle.”

    Techstrong ITSM offers a wealth of resources designed to empower IT professionals, managers and organizational leaders:

    • Educational Content: Articles, tutorials and case studies provide insights into best practices, challenges and solutions for integrating Agile, DevOps and ITSM.
    • Tools and Resources: Access to tools, templates and frameworks facilitate the practical application of these methodologies across the IT life cycle.
    • Community Engagement: Forums and discussion groups foster a community of continuous learning and improvement, allowing professionals to share experiences, advice and support.

    Techstrong ITSM offers a platform for organizations to enhance their IT capabilities and drive innovation in the digital era.

    For more information, read Alan Shimel’s blog or visit the Techstrong ITSM website.

    About Techstrong Group
    Techstrong Group is the power source for people and technology. Techstrong Group accelerates understanding of technologies that drive business. With a broad set of IT-related communities and offerings, Techstrong Group is the only media company serving the needs of IT leaders and practitioners with news, research, analysis, events, education, certifications and professional development. Our focus is DevOps, cybersecurity, AI, digital transformation, cloud and cloud native. Techstrong Group business units include: Techstrong Media (devopsy.kinsta.cloud, Security Boulevard, Cloud Native Now, Techstrong.ai, DigitalCxO, Techstrong ITSM, Techstrong TV and Techstrong Group Podcasts), Techstrong Research and Techstrong Learning. For technology providers, Techstrong business units offer many ways to share their stories, expand their audience and grow their business.

    Techstrong Group is based in Boca Raton, Florida. For more information, visit us on the web and follow us on LinkedIn.

    Contact
    Veronica Haggar
    veronica@techstronggroup.com

  • Techstrong Group Announces the 2023 DevOps Dozen² Awards Honorees

    Techstrong Group Announces the 2023 DevOps Dozen² Awards Honorees

    Techstrong Group announces the recipients of the ninth annual DevOps Dozen2 Awards in recognition of outstanding leadership and service to the DevOps community.

    Boca Raton, FL, January 18, 2024 —  Techstrong Group, the power source for people and technology, has published the list of honorees for the 24 categories of the 2023 DevOps Dozen² Awards. The DevOps Dozen Awards highlight the most agile and distinguished individuals and companies who have demonstrated exceptional performance and commitment to the DevOps community.

    As we’ve done the last two years, the awards program has been expanded to include a tools and services section and a community section with 12 categories in each class.

    Through their exceptional efforts, the DevOps Dozen honorees have not only propelled their businesses and communities forward, but have also played a pivotal role in advancing the entire industry. In a landscape characterized by continuous innovation and evolution, these trailblazers stand out as true champions, making significant contributions to the ongoing progress and excellence within the DevOps realm.

    “It is an honor to present these awards to the individuals, projects and organizations ​​that serve as true inspirations in the DevOps landscape,” said Alan Shimel, CEO of Techstrong. “Their dedication to driving innovation and their positive impact on the community make them the epitome of DevOps excellence. Congratulations to all the honorees and to the finalists for making our community better through their leadership and service.”

    DevOps Dozen² 2023 Awards Honorees

    Here are the names of the 2023 DevOps Dozen² Awards honorees:

    DevOps Dozen Tools and Services Awards

    • Best End-to-End DevOps Tool/Service: JFrog Software Supply Chain Platform
    • Best DevOps Repo/GitOps Tool/Service: gitStream by LinearB
    • Best CI/CD Tool: CloudBees CI/CDRO
    • Best Value Stream Management Tool: ValueOps by Broadcom
    • Best Observability Solution: Grafana Cloud Free Tier
    • Best DevSecOps Solution: GitLab
    • Best Testing Tool/Service: Tricentis Mobile
    • Best Kubernetes Platform/Service: Rafay Systems
    • Best Cloud-Native Security Solution/Service: Sysdig Secure
    • Best DevOps for Mainframe Solution: BMC AMI DevX tool suite
    • Best DevOps for DataOps/Database Solution: Percona
    • Best New DevOps Tool/Service Provider: New Relic Grok (now New Relic AI)

    DevOps Dozen Community Awards

    • Best DevOps Industry Implementation: St James’s Place DevOps Implementation
    • Best DevOps Survey/Analysis/Research: Accelerate State of DevOps Report by DORA
    • Best DevOps-Related Video Series (video): DevOps Exchange YouTube Channel
    • Best DevOps-Related Audio Podcast Series: DevOps Paradox
    • Best DevOps Book/eBook of the Year: Industrial DevOps: Build Better Systems Faster by Dr. Suzette Johnson and Robin Yeman
    • Top DevOps Evangelist: Fatima Sarah Khalid, Developer Evangelist at GitLab
    • Best DevOps Transformation (non-vendor): Pera People Science B.V
    • Best DevOps Event of the Year: swampUP by JFrog
    • Most Innovative DevOps Open Source Project: Jenkins
    • DevOps Executive of the Year (non-vendor): Garima Bajpai, Founder of Canada DevOps Community of Practice
    • Best DevOps Presentation of the Year: It’s Time to Rip Off the Training Wheels and Enable End-to-End Automation (BMC Software)
    • Best devopsy.kinsta.cloud Article of the Year: DevSecOps: The Fusion of Security and DevOps for Enhanced Software Security by Muneesh Sharma, Neem Consulting Ltd.

    Winners have been chosen from among the finalists, with public voting weighted for 40% of the final total and our judges’ selections for 60% of the weighted total.

    The DevOps Dozen Awards winners will receive digital and physical trophies and badges to celebrate their achievements.

    For more information regarding the entry process, awards, timing or any technical issues regarding the website, please contact us at DD@devops.com.

    About Techstrong Group

    Techstrong Group is the power source for people and technology. Techstrong Group accelerates understanding of technologies that drive business. With a broad set of IT-related communities and offerings, Techstrong Group is the only media company serving the needs of IT leaders and practitioners with news, research, analysis, events, education, certifications and professional development. Our focus is DevOps, cybersecurity, AI, digital transformation, cloud and cloud native. Techstrong Group business units include: Techstrong Media, Techstrong Associations, Techstrong Research and Techstrong Learning. For technology providers, Techstrong business units offer many ways to reach IT professionals and tell their stories.

    Techstrong Group is based in Boca Raton, Florida. For more information, visit us on the web and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.

    ###

    Veronica Haggar
    Techstrong Group
    veronica@techstronggroup.com

  • DevOpsDays Ukraine: Disaster Recovery

    DevOpsDays Ukraine: Disaster Recovery

    DevOpsDays Ukraine is a part of the global DevOpsDays family, focused on the DevOps Culture. This September, we will have two evenings of online talks and discussions on hottest DevOps topics. And we’re happy to invite you to DevOpsDays Ukraine: Disaster Recovery on September 14-15th.

    Get ready for a two-day journey with Ignites & Tech Talks, from top speakers. Furthermore, during the live fireside chat, you can ask questions to the founder of DevOpsDays, Patrick Debois, and learn more about his ideas.

    And finally online networking on Open-Spaces with like-minded experts from around the world. 

    Check out the agenda:

    • Live Fireside Chat with Patrick Debois, founder of DevOpsDays and vice president of engineering at Showpad
    • Beyond Engineering: The Future of Platforms — Manuel Pais, IT organizational consultant and trainer at Team Topologies
    • How to Deliver Despite Wartime. Manager’s view — Iaroslav Molochko, director of engineering at SQUAD
    • Keeping Your Engineers Happy: The Case for Self-Service Tooling” — Adriana Villela, senior developer advocate at Lightstep, and Ana Margarita Medina, staff developer advocate at Lightstep
    • DevOps in GameDev — Valeriia Ivanova, DevOps team lead at Plarium
    • Level 7 Egress Control: Just Now Emerging in Kubernetes — Joshua Fox, senior cloud architect II at DoiT International
    • Socio-Technical Engineering: Let’s Treat Socio-Technical Systems as … Systems — Yevgen Nebesov, requirements engineer/software architect at Deutsche Bahn
    • How to Start Estimating the Cost of Disaster Recovery Process of the Cloud Resources — Natalie Serebryakova, staff cloud engineer at Altruist
    • Oleksiy Zayets from National Bank of Ukraine, PrivatBank will share the experience of Migrating to the Cloud during the first months of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine
    • Techtalk from Charity Majors, CTO at honeycomb.io

    Joining us once again as our host is Daniel Maher, developer relations at Scaleway.

    Stay tuned for more!

    When: September 14-15
    Where: Online at the DevOpsDay website

    Click here to save your spot. Can’t wait to see y’all!

  • Cybersixgill Significantly Streamlines Cyber Threat Reporting with Investigation Report Builder

    Tel Aviv, ISRAEL, September 13, 2023 – Cybersixgill, the global cyber threat intelligence data provider, introduced today its new Investigation Report Builder, an enhancement to its cyber threat intelligence (CTI) Investigative Portal designed to significantly ease the burden of reporting for threat and SOC analysts, threat hunters, and MSSPs.

    Available immediately, the Investigation Report Builder accelerates custom report creation, enabling users to generate, edit, duplicate, or delete reports quickly. The new feature enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of cybersecurity professionals through streamlined communication of investigation findings, insights, and recommendations to clients and stakeholders. It also helps MSSPs easily communicate risk and ROI to customers.

    “Reports of all kinds, ranging from strategic intelligence to operational intelligence reports, are invaluable to cyber threat intelligence practitioners. By harnessing the insights and analysis contained in these reports, practitioners can proactively defend their organization against cyber threats, strengthen its security posture, and safeguard critical assets from malicious actors,” said Gabi Reish, Chief Product Officer for Cybersixgill. “Our new Report Builder has transformed the process of creating CTI reports, streamlining and expediting their development while ensuring accuracy, consistency, and relevance.”

    Investigation Report Builder: A Painkiller for CTI Reporting

    Cybersixgill’s new Report Builder allows users to easily generate custom reports by collecting intelligence components from Cybersixgill’s Investigative Portal platform and organizing them in a report template without requiring manual input. Designed for greater efficiency and organization, the feature simplifies how threat analysts and MSSPs communicate investigation findings, insights, and recommendations and enables a broader understanding of the organization’s risk posture for multiple internal and external stakeholders.

    The Investigation Report Builder enables generation of a wide variety of CTI reports, including incident response reports, risk and compliance reports, executive-level communications, and third-party risk reports, among others.

    A video walk-through of Cybersixgill’s new Report Builder is available here.

    Key Takeaways:

    • New Report Builder solves the challenge of arduous and time-consuming threat intelligence report creation by providing drag-and-drop usability to quickly generate, edit, and duplicate reports.
    • New feature allows threat and SOC analysts to quickly share detailed reports of findings, insights, and recommendations to stakeholders, and gives MSSPs an easy way to share ROI and risk data with customers.
    • The Investigation Report Builder is immediately available for new and existing customers. More information is available here.

    About Cybersixgill
    Cybersixgill continuously collects and exposes the earliest indications of risk by threat actors moments after they surface on the clear, deep, and dark web. The company’s vast intelligence data lake, derived from millions of underground sources, is processed, correlated, and enriched using automation and advanced AI. Cybersixgill captures, processes, and alerts teams to emerging threats, TTPs, IOCs, and their exposure to risk based on each organization’s complete attack surface and internal context. Its expert intelligence and insights, available through a range of seamlessly integrated options, enable customers to pre-empt threats before they materialize into attacks. The company serves and partners with global enterprises, financial institutions, MSSPs, and government and law enforcement agencies. For more information, visit https://www.cybersixgill.com/ and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. To schedule a demo, please visit https://cybersixgill.com/book-a-demo.

  • Techstrong Adds Two Industry Luminaries

    DevOps pioneer and author John Willis and cybersecurity leader Shira Rubinoff join the team at Techstrong Group

    Boca Raton, FL, June 21, 2023 — Techstrong, the power source for people and technology, that empowers people and technology, today announced the addition of two industry luminaries to its team.  Shira Rubinoff, a well known leader in the cybersecurity space, and a finalist for this year’s Cybersecurity Women of the Year award, joins Techstrong as chief cybersecurity officer. John Willis, renowned cloud and DevOps pioneer, multiple book author and speaker joins the team as distinguished analyst with a focus on DevOps, DevSecOps, governance engineering and AI.

    Willis and Rubinoff join existing Techstrong industry leaders such as Mike Rothman, Mike Vizard, Mitch Ashley and Alan Shimel, in Techstrong’s mission of not only reporting on the leading stories in technology, but also lending their considerable experience, expertise and analytical skills to keeping the Techstrong community empowered with what they need to stay in the know in today’s fast-changing technology landscape.

    “You can never have enough smart people. John and Shira are two of the smartest people I know. We are very fortunate to have them join the team here at Techstrong,” said Techstrong Group CEO and Founder Alan Shimel. “Especially in uncertain times such as the present, you want a wide variety of talent on the team. Given the chance we could not pass up adding their talents to our team to enhance our offerings not only to our audience, but to benefit our sponsor/customers as well. We are very excited by the possibilities they bring.”

    Rubinoff and Willis will be contributing to Techstrong TV, leading sites such as devopsy.kinsta.cloud, Security Boulevard, Cloud Native Now, DigitalCXO and Techstrong.ai, as well as advising end user organizations and technology vendors on go to market and technology adoption strategies.

    “I have been working with Alan and the Techstrong team informally for a number of years and am very comfortable expanding my presence here. I think the rise of generative AI, LLM and other new technologies is once again a watershed moment in the technology industry,” said John Willis. “That along with governance engineering are two areas where I am keen on adding my voice and views to discussion.”

    “I have built a very successful brand by delivering value to my sponsors and my audience in the cyber world. I am excited by the possibility of expanding that via the Techstrong Network, as well as exploring new technology developments,” said Shira Rubinoff. “Working as part of the Techstrong team with a group of peers is also something I am very much looking forward to.”

    In addition to the Techstrong team members mentioned above, other Techstrong contributors such as Bonnie Schneider, Jennifer Minella, Tracy Ragan, George Hulme, Mark Rasch and others will continue to produce compelling editorial content and provide valuable insights to educate, inform and inspire the Techstrong Group community.

    Both Rubinoff and Willis have already joined Techstrong Group, and their contributions can be found across various Techstrong Group channels, including articles, videos and podcasts.

    About Techstrong Group

    Techstrong Group is the power source for people and technology. Techstrong Group accelerates understanding of technologies that drive business. With a broad set of IT-related communities and offerings, Techstrong Group is the only media company serving the needs of IT leaders and practitioners with news, research, analysis, events, education, certifications and professional development. Our focus is digital transformation, DevOps, cybersecurity, cloud and cloud-native. Techstrong Group business units include: Techstrong Media, Techstrong Associations, Techstrong Research, Techstrong Learning and Techstrong Live!. For technology providers, Techstrong business units offer many ways to reach IT professionals and tell their stories.

    Techstrong Group is based in Boca Raton, Florida. For more information, visit us on the web and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.

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    Techstrong Group
    Veronica Haggar
    veronica@techstronggroup.com

     

  • Open Mainframe Summit Call for Papers Now Open

    Open Mainframe Project announces Co-Located Events with IBM TechXchange in September and Open Source in Finance Forum in November

    San Francisco, CA, June 7, 2023 – The Open Mainframe Project, an open source initiative that enables collaboration across the mainframe community to develop shared tool sets and resources, today announced the launch of the Call for Proposals (CFPs) for the 4th annual Open Mainframe Summit. This year, the premier mainframe event will be co-located with two industry conferences – IBM TechXchange Conference 2023, hosted in Las Vegas on September 11-14; and Open Source in Finance Forum, hosted in New York City on November 1. 

    “As mainframe technology and events evolve and mature, it becomes a more natural evolution to align Open Mainframe Projects and activities with other industry events,” said John Mertic, Director of Program Management at the Linux Foundation and Executive Director of the Open Mainframe Project. “This year, by partnering with IBM and FINOS, we are offering attendees the opportunity to enhance their experience with unique presentations and targeted conversations with industry experts.” 

    “As open source becomes the default development model for many enterprises, mainframe customers are looking to embrace community developed code for their mainframe environments,” said Steven Dickens, Vice President and Practice Leader at the Futurum Group. “The Open Mainframe Project has established itself as the go-to community for mainframe developers, enterprises and vendors alike.  The events announced today are a key part of how the community will gather to advance code on the mainframe.” 

    Open Mainframe Summit aims to connect and inform all those interested in growing the use of mainframes and related technology in dynamic technical and educational sessions. It is open to students, developers, corporate leaders, users and contributors of projects from around the globe looking to learn, network and collaborate. It will feature content tracks that tackle both business and technical strategies for enterprise development and deployment.

    Open Mainframe Summit – Las Vegas

    IBM TechXchange Conference offers technical breakout sessions, hands-on experiences, product demonstrations, instructor-led labs, and certifications tailored to your interests and learning style. Open Mainframe Summit will be featured as part of the TechXchange Community Day on September 11. Community Day unites diverse IBM user groups and technical communities to foster collaboration, networking and learning. Learn more here. 

    Open Mainframe Summit – New York

    Open Source in Finance Forum is dedicated to driving collaboration and innovation in financial services through open source software and standards. The event brings together experts across financial services, technology, and open source to engage our community in stimulating and thought-provoking conversations about how to best (and safely) leverage open source software to solve industry challenges. Open Mainframe Summit will be featured as part of a 6-session track and a 10-minute keynote presentation. Learn more about the event here. 

    Submit a Proposal

    The Call for Proposals is now open and will be accepting submissions until Friday, June 30, 2023. Interested speakers for either event can submit proposals with options for 20 minute talks, 30-minute sessions, 60-minute panel discussions or a 60-minute workshop or lab. All topics that benefit the Open Mainframe ecosystem are welcome and can include (but not limited to) AI, machine learning, building the next workforce, cloud native, COBOL, Java, hybrid cloud, diversity and Inclusion, z/OS and Linux on Z, and security. 

    Submit a proposal: http://cfp.openmainframesummit.org/. 

    Meet the Program Committee

    A program committee, which includes active community members and project leaders, will review and rate the proposals. Open Mainframe Project welcomes Alan Clark, CTO Office and Director for Industry Initiatives, Emerging Standards and Open Source at SUSE, Donna Hudi, Chief Marketing Officer at Phoenix Software International, Elizabeth K. Joseph, Global Head of the OSPO for IBM zSystems at IBM, Rose Sakach, Offering Manager, Mainframe Division at Broadcom, Inc., and Len Santalucia, CTO at Vicom Infinity, A Converge Company.  

    We encourage community leaders, creators, developers, implementers, and users to submit presentations.  Whether you are a seasoned presenter or a first-time speaker we welcome your submissions.  While we expect a key focus on work within the Open Mainframe Project’s 21 hosted projects/working groups, user experiences and tips and tricks are often some of the favorite sessions of attendees.

    For more details about Open Mainframe or to watch the videos for Open Mainframe Summit 2022, check out the Open Mainframe Project 2022 Annual Report. 

    For more about Open Mainframe Project, visit https://www.openmainframeproject.org/.  

    About the Open Mainframe Project

    The Open Mainframe Project is intended to serve as a focal point for deployment and use of Linux and Open Source in a mainframe computing environment. With a vision of Open Source on the Mainframe as the standard for enterprise class systems and applications, the project’s mission is to build community and adoption of Open Source on the mainframe by eliminating barriers to Open Source adoption on the mainframe, demonstrating value of the mainframe on technical and business levels, and strengthening collaboration points and resources for the community to thrive. Learn more about the project at https://www.openmainframeproject.org.

    About The Linux Foundation

    The Linux Foundation is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world’s infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, OpenChain, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org. 

    The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

  • Neven Dilkov: Bulgarian Regulator Must Restore the Telecom Market Balance

    Although CRC claims to take measures in the interest of consumers, the quality of services deteriorates, prices rise

    Split, CROATIA, April 5, 2023 — The Branch Association of Bulgarian Telecommunications Operators (BABTO), of which Neterra is a member, has asked the Bulgarian Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) to bind mobile operators’ licenses for new 5G frequencies with an obligation for them to open their networks for alternative operators, said Neven Dilkov, CEO of Neterra, during a conference in Split, Croatia (4-5 April 2023) organized by RIPE.

    RIPE is the organization that registers and provides global Internet resources and related services (IPv4, IPv6 and AS number resources).

    BABTO’s position, which Neven promoted, comes after a recent decision of the Bulgarian government to reduce by 40% the fees for which the three mobile operators will receive new frequencies in the 700 and 800 MHz spectrum for the development of 5G.

    Neven shared the concerns of his colleagues from Romania, Serbia, Croatia and other Southeast European countries that the consolidation in the telecommunications industry in recent years is worsening competition.

    He gave an example of the Bulgarian regulator CRC that claims to take measures in the interest of consumers, but they have the opposite effect – the quality of services deteriorates, and prices rise.

    Neven emphasized that the Bulgarian market is too small. It would not be effective for companies that want to create new mobile operators to build another telecom infrastructure parallel to three mobile operators. Instead, they may use the capacity of existing networks. This is the recommendation of the European Commission and the practice throughout Europe.

    In every European country, except for Bulgaria, there are mobile operators who do not work on their own networks but hire from other companies – so-called Virtual Mobile Operators (MVNOs).

    In Bulgaria, however, the three mobile operators do not allow other companies to access their networks. If CRC obliges them, it will improve competition in the Bulgarian telecom market and protect small and medium-sized operators from the threat of the state once again putting them at a disadvantage position compared to the three largest operators.

    In March 2023, the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) announced that CRC had illegally launched a tender for other key frequencies for 5G, those around 3.6 GHz. If this tender is restarted, it will also allow the new procedure to stipulate those mobile operators to open their networks to alternative providers.

    About Neterra

    Neterra is a global connectivity and telecom solution provider, trusted by some of the world’s largest companies, as well as small and medium-sized businesses. The company has been providing international connectivity, network management services, and security for 27 years across its network of over 200 locations in more than 65 countries. Neterra delivers a range of fast, reliable, and secure Internet access and connectivity services. It offers IT services, servers for rent, a flexible cloud platform, DDoS protection, and a platform for GPS tracking and reporting toll fees. Neterra owns and operates four data centers and represents NetIX, the Global Internet Exchange Platform, all with expert 24/7 support.