SAS: AI and advanced analytics drive sustainability and efficiency - Back End News

Analytics service provider SAS believes that leveraging analytics enables companies to transform data into actionable insights for better decision-making, driving greener business strategies and bolstering their sustainability efforts. SAS offers SAS Viya, a cloud-native, massively parallel AI and analytics platform that can help companies develop smarter and more efficient operations, leading them to reduce emissions. By optimizing energy consumption and reducing CO2 emissions through AI and IoT analytics, companies such as Wienerberger are turning brick plants into data-driven factories. #AnalyticsForSustainability #DataDrivenDecisions #SASViya #softcorpremium

Globe corporate data revenues up by 15% in Q1 - Back End News

Globe, a telecommunications and digital solutions provider owned by Ayala Group, reported a 15% increase in corporate data segment revenues during Q1 2023, generating P4.5 billion. Growth was attributed to strong momentum in information and communications technology (ICT) services, which experienced year-on-year growth of 52%, driven by increasing digitalization efforts among enterprises. This growth was primarily fueled by demand for cybersecurity services, business application solutions, cloud solutions, and data center services, aligning with trends observed in previous years. Globe's investment in ICT infrastructure and digital transformation initiatives has allowed them to maintain a competitive edge in the industry. #GlobeICTgrowth #DigitalTransformation #ICTsolutions #softcorpremium

Forrester: Software is key driver of tech spending in Asia in 2023 - Back End News

According to a report by Forrester, software will be the key driver of technology spending in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region in 2023, with organizations modernizing their IT infrastructure as part of their digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report predicts that tech spending in the APAC region will grow by 5.8% in 2023 to reach $732 billion, with 74% of growth coming from software and services as cloud adoption increases. The software industry is expected to post a compound annual growth rate of 10.3% by 2027, making it the largest tech category in the region. Other notable areas of growth include artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. #APACtechspending #digitaltransformation #softwaregrowth #softcorpremium

Understanding Document Hierarchical Structure with Azure Form Recognizer and XML Format Converter - Microsoft Community Hub

Azure Form Recognizer is a cloud-based AI service that extracts key-value pairs, text, and tables from documents to enhance data-driven strategies and document search capabilities. It can extract documents' hierarchical structure information and return structured JSON output, which can be transformed into XML format for downstream integration. A sample script is provided to convert JSON to XML using the Form Recognizer python SDK. The XML output correctly presents the document's hierarchical structure information for use in various applications. #AzureFormRecognizer #AI #DataDrivenStrategies #softcorpremium

Expose your data from Azure Cosmos DB or Azure SQL through a GraphQL API with Azure API Management - Microsoft Community Hub

Azure API Management has announced the public preview of two GraphQL resolver types for Synthetic GraphQL, Azure Cosmos DB and Azure SQL resolvers. This allows users to easily and seamlessly expose their databases through GraphQL without the need for extensive coding and resolver work. Users can upload their GraphQL schema and expose desired data using familiar database concepts. The process of adding a resolver for a Cosmos DB backend is demonstrated in the blog post, along with a sample to-do list application. Users can create a GraphQL API within the Azure API Management service, and can create a resolver for a specific query or mutation by selecting a data source type and creating a policy to query the database. The API can then be tested in the built-in GraphQL test console. Azure Cosmos DB and Azure SQL resolvers are currently in public preview. #AzureAPIManagement #GraphQLResolver #AzureCosmosDB #softcorpremium

Training and Inference of LLMs with PyTorch Fully Sharded Data Parallel and Better Transformer - Microsoft Community Hub

The blog discusses how to perform efficient and optimized distributed training and inference of large language models using PyTorch's Fully Sharded Data Parallel and Better Transformer implementations, on the Spark platform. It demonstrates how to train models using Microsoft Fabric for data preparation and model inference, and Azure Databricks for model training, having all data under Microsoft Fabric's OneLake. The workflow can be implemented by splitting the work between Microsoft Fabric and Azure Databricks. The blog outlines a use case for fine-tuning a pre-trained Transformer model from Hugging Face for text classification and inference. The goal is to show how the technologies presented work, what benefits can be obtained from using them, and make the code easily reproducible. #PyTorch #DistributedTraining #AzureDatabricks #softcorpremium

Announcing multicloud assessments in Compliance Manager

Microsoft has announced new multi-cloud capabilities for its Purview Compliance Manager to help enterprises manage their regulatory and customer commitments across multiple cloud infrastructures and services. The tool supports over 350 regulations and standards and provides recommended actions and detailed guidance to remediate issues across clouds. It also includes resource-level evidence for configuration changes and simplifies posture management and maintenance. The Purview Compliance Manager is part of Microsoft's suite of solutions designed to help enterprises manage, govern and protect their data. #cloudcompliance #multicloudmanagement #enterprisedatasecurity #softcorpremium

Optimized Kubernetes cluster architecture: considerations and best practices | Cloud Native Computing Foundation

This article explores key considerations and best practices for optimizing a Kubernetes cluster, including cluster, node, and tenancy configurations. It also covers network policies, sandboxing solutions, and best practices for operations and deployment. The article emphasizes careful planning and decision-making to improve security, efficiency, and ease of management in Kubernetes environments. The article concludes that organizations must weigh the benefits and drawbacks of different configurations and choose the approach that best meets their needs to achieve their goals for modern, cloud-native infrastructure. #KubernetesOptimization #CloudNativeInfrastructure #BestPractices #softcorpremium

Resource hierarchies make your IAM management easier | Google Cloud Blog

The use of resource hierarchies in IAM management can simplify the organization and protection of cloud resources. By creating a hierarchy that mirrors an organization's structure, access control can be made simpler and more secure. Resource hierarchies also allow for the delegation of access without assigning rights to individual principals or roles. Google Cloud's Landing Zones can provide guidance for the implementation of secure resource hierarchies. Overall, the use of resource hierarchies can improve the security of cloud infrastructure through strong identity-based access control. #IAMManagement #ResourceHierarchies #CloudSecurity #softcorpremium

Using Azure Export for Terraform to import existing Azure resources into Terraform

Microsoft Azure Export for Terraform( Terrafy ) is a tool that allows users to import existing Azure resources into Terraform modules. The tool can be installed using various methods and can import single resources or entire resource groups. #MicrosoftAzure #Terraform #ResourceManagement #softcorpremium

How to Run Batch Data Jobs with GCP Batch and Cloud Workflows | by Samet Karadag | Google Cloud - Community | Jun, 2023 | Medium

This article discusses using Google Cloud Platform's GCP Batch and Cloud Workflows to run long-running batch data jobs. It provides code snippets and instructions for containerizing batch jobs, ingesting data into BigQuery, and creating a Cloud Workflows YAML file for submitting batch jobs with automatic retries. The article also covers deploying and monitoring the workflow and offers recommendations for additional articles on related topics. #GoogleCloudPlatform #batchdatajobs #CloudWorkflows #softcorpremium

Multicloud deployments don't have to be so complicated | InfoWorld

A report sponsored by SAS reveals that enterprises in the UK and Ireland face challenges due to data in multiple clouds, with poor accuracy, high costs and slow speeds being the most common complaints. The report surveyed over 200 decision-makers in data, analytics and cloud services from companies with over 3,000 employees. The report indicates that organizations operate across three private clouds on average, and nearly half rely on at least two public cloud providers. Solutions to these problems include scrapping complex cloud deployment, creating a solid plan for storing, securing, accessing, managing and using all business data no matter where it resides. #CloudChallenges #DataManagement #EnterpriseSolutions #softcorpremium

6 finops best practices to reduce cloud costs | InfoWorld

To reduce cloud costs, devops teams should centralize cloud costs, benchmark cloud infrastructure, build observability into application modernization, forecast and measure each application's peak usage periods, review data integration and data stream costs, and choose proprietary features that deliver real value. #CloudCostOptimization #FinOps #DevOpsOptimization #softcorpremium

OpenTitan RTL freeze | Google Open Source Blog

The OpenTitan project, led by Google, has reached a milestone by releasing its first open source silicon root of trust hardware implementation. The project aims to provide open source, trustworthy, and secure silicon designs. The release of the code is a major step towards achieving this goal, with engineering sample chips expected to be available for evaluation by the end of 2023. The project has seen significant contributions from commercial and academic partners, with over 140 contributors and 13,000 merged pull requests. The project offers accurate documentation, a comprehensive getting started guide, and a playbook for local simulations. #OpenTitan #opensource #security #softcorpremium

AI startup founders share business advice | Google Cloud Blog

Three AI startup founders shared insights for building successful businesses at the center of technology and business transformation during the Google Cloud Startup Summit. The founders emphasized staying close to customers and positioning AI as an enabling technology rather than a product. They also stressed the importance of perfecting the art of self-disruption and enjoying the journey. The event was part of Google Cloud's efforts to support startups building AI technology into practical, production-ready business solutions. #AIstartupinsights #CustomercentricAI #SelfdisruptioninAI #softcorpremium

Why large engineering teams are testing on Kubernetes | Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Large engineering teams are moving towards cloud-based developer environments to increase development velocity and avoid problems caused by inconsistent environments. Many teams have tried different solutions, including using Kubernetes to create a shared cluster for testing code. While this approach can add dev time and maintenance costs, it can also improve consistency and help identify unknown issues earlier. Some teams have developed their own tools to minimize rebuilds and re-downloads, while others have used a lightweight CLI and libraries to interact with a shared cluster. There are also SaaS solutions, like Signadot, that can help teams share a Kubernetes cluster for development. #clouddevelopment #Kubernetes #sharedcluster #softcorpremium

Build a real-time AI pipeline with Pulsar Functions | InfoWorld

InfoWorld suggests using Apache Pulsar Functions to build a real-time AI pipeline for efficient data processing and analysis. The article provides a step-by-step guide on using Python and Pulsar to train a machine learning model to classify Iris data and deploy it for real-time predictions of flower species based on measurements. The article also discusses the potential of Pulsar Functions in implementing a real-time AI pipeline using Apache Pulsar and processing large amounts of real-time data. DataStax's software engineer Eric Hare explains how Apache Pulsar can be used to process complex pub/sub systems with large amounts of real-time data for real-time AI. InfoWorld has announced the Technology of the Year Awards 2023 and is accepting entries. #ApachePulsar #RealTimeAI #DataProcessing #softcorpremium

ByteDance and Alibaba Place Massive GPU Orders with NVIDIA, Fueling the AI Race - Pandaily

Chinese internet companies ByteDance and Alibaba have placed large orders for GPUs with NVIDIA, with ByteDance alone ordering over $1 billion in GPUs this year. The orders indicate the companies' continued investment in artificial intelligence and cloud computing. ByteDance has already received 100,000 A100 and H800 accelerator cards, and the total number of GPUs ordered by the company this year may approach the total number of commercial GPUs NVIDIA sold in China last year. Alibaba has also been actively purchasing GPUs, negotiating purchases directly with NVIDIA. #AIinvestment #cloudcomputing #GPUpurchases #softcorpremium

Rust most admired language, Stack Overflow survey says | InfoWorld

According to the Stack Overflow annual developer survey, Rust was the most admired programming language among developers, with 85% of Rust users saying they want to continue using it in the future. JavaScript was the most commonly used programming language for the 11th consecutive year, followed by HTML/CSS and Python. PostgreSQL surpassed MySQL as the most commonly used database, while Amazon Web Services remained the most-used cloud platform. The survey also found that nearly 70% of respondents were already using or planning to use AI tools in their development processes this year. #ProgrammingLanguages #DatabaseUsage #AIinDevelopment #softcorpremium

Google Cloud Skills Boost — Part 1 — Introduction to Generative AI | by Allan Alfonso | Google Cloud - Community | Jun, 2023 | Medium

Google Cloud released a free Generative AI training course, which is a subset of deep learning that uses an artificial neural network to process both labeled and unlabeled data. Generative AI can take many data types and generate new content such as text, code, images, audio, and video. The course covers the formal definition of Generative AI, types of machine learning, large language models, prompting, foundational models, and Generative AI tools. #GenerativeAI #GoogleCloudTraining #DeepLearning #softcorpremium

DataStax adds Schema GPT Translator to Apache Pulsar-based Astra Streaming | InfoWorld

DataStax has added a Schema GPT Translator to its Astra Streaming service, which frees up developers from manually creating schema mappings when building real-time data pipelines. The AI-powered feature captures the contextual relationships and dependencies in a schema and generates mappings to other schema representations and data types. The feature is available as part of Astra Streaming and can generate mappings for schemas in JSON or Avro to schemas in Contextual Query Language. The translator can quickly update schema mappings as schemas evolve to support changes in streaming pipelines due to new data sources or changes in business requirements. #DataStaxAstra #SchemaGPTTranslator #RealTimeDataPipelines #softcorpremium

How Tenable Built A Reliable Data Platform At Terabyte Scale With Monte Carlo

Tenable, a cybersecurity company, has built a new data stack using Snowflake's cloud-based data warehousing solution to meet the complex data needs of its customers. The company uses Monte Carlo's data observability platform to solve data quality issues and enforce data contracts at scale. The AI-powered monitors detect anomalies and offer easy coverage for freshness, volume, and schema checks across customer tables. Swimply, a marketplace, uses Snowflake, Fivetran, and Monte Carlo to deliver reliable and trustworthy data for their hyper growth data stack. #cybersecurity #dataobservability #datagovernance #softcorpremium

Public Preview: Azure Data Explorer bindings for Azure Functions | Azure updates | Microsoft Azure

Azure functions can now be integrated with ADX through declarative connections, allowing for seamless reading and writing of data with minimal code using Azure Data Explorer bindings. More information can be found on the Azure Functions features page. #AzureFunctions #AzureDataExplorer #DeclarativeConnections #softcorpremium

Falcon 40B foundation model from TII available on SageMaker JumpStart

The Falcon 40B foundation model from Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is now available on Amazon SageMaker JumpStart, a machine learning hub that offers pre-trained models and solution templates. The Falcon 40B is a 40-billion-parameter large language model (LLM) that ranked #1 in the Hugging Face Open LLM leaderboard and has shown exceptional performance without specialized fine-tuning. Customers can deploy their own Falcon 40B model and customize it for applications such as translation and summarizing information. The model is available in multiple AWS Regions and can be accessed through SageMaker Studio or programmatically through the SageMaker Python SDK. #machinelearning #NLP #AWSsagemaker #softcorpremium

Announcing changes to Windows Containers Image Composition to undock Microsoft Edge - Microsoft Community Hub

Microsoft has undocked Microsoft Edge from the base container images in order to reduce the size of the images and improve performance and security. However, customers who rely on Microsoft Edge in their containerized workloads can add it back using new images available in the Microsoft Artifact Registry. The instructions on how to add Microsoft Edge back to the Windows Container Images are provided. Microsoft hopes to offer the smallest Windows container images by undocking components wherever possible and improve the Windows container experience. #MicrosoftEdge #WindowsContainer #ContainerizedWorkloads #softcorpremium