Building a Robust Cloud Security Posture with a Microsoft First Approach

We all operate within the information age, where data has become the most valuable commodity because there’s so much value locked within it. To take advantage of data, organisations are looking to adopt more digital tools, which involve migrating data lakes to the cloud. But the sheer size and scale of those repositories pose unnecessary risk. Join this Panel discussion to learn about the challenges faced directly from a client perspective - and the tips, tools and solutions available from Microsoft and Exonar.

- The challenges from a client perspective.
- How to gain visibility of all of your data in one, instantly searchable place.
- The obstacles involved in migration projects.
- How to de-risk your migration project.
- What to be aware of once you’ve migrated.


Moderator

· Alex Hilton, CEO, Cloud Industry Forum

Panellists:

· Adriaan Bekker - Technical Director at Softwerx

· James McCarthy - CMO at Exonar

· Chris Sanders - IT Director at XPS Pensions Group

Join Alex Hilton, CEO of Cloud Industry Forum in this webinar to discuss “Defining your remote working strategy”.

Alex will be joined by Stuart Wilson, Research Director for Channels & Alliances at IDC; Sean Roberts, GM of Public Cloud at Ensono; Rob Caldwell, Director, Application Services at Ensono; and Tom Hickling, Windows Virtual Desktop Global Black Belt at Microsoft where they will be debating how to build a long term strategy to help businesses consider a future of remote working in a structured and secure environment.

The data economy is estimated to be worth between $118bn and $164bn in Canada alone. Applying that logic to the data economy in the US and it’s predicted to be between $1.4trn-2trn - nearly 5% of America’s stock of private physical capital. In 2021, there is no denying that ‘data done right’ is hugely valuable.

In today’s digital age, it’s essential that businesses set themselves up as players in the data economy. To do this successfully, it’s worth looking at how cloud powers the data economy and unlocks its value with agility, flexibility and security.

In episode 17 of Digital Transformation in Action, we’re sharing how organisations can make the most of the data economy with cloud solutions. Join us to hear:

- Why hybrid and multi-cloud environments are key to success in the data revolution
- How to ensure your cloud-powered data strategies meet regulatory requirements and are scalable and secure
- How cloud analytics can enhance business decision making
- And more

In this newly cloud-first world - driven by the Digital Transformation necessitated by the pandemic - there’s never been a more crucial time to make sure your cloud migration is a success. But a successful cloud migration requires a clear roadmap to help mitigate risk and enable businesses to safely and securely bring their operations to the cloud - and this can be hard to find.

Join episode 16 of Digital Transformation in Action where host Alex Hilton and guest experts share the essential considerations of cloud migration, including:

- What the obstacles to cloud migration are - including a lack of skilled teams and unrealistic timelines
- Best practices for successfully overcoming these obstacles
- The benefits of successful cloud migration - including data and threat protection, flexibility and scalability
- What to be aware of once you’ve migrated: the good, the ‘bad’ and potential unknowns
- And more

Guests:
- Danny Keating - Director of Global Alliances, Data Intensity
- Arawan Gajajiva - Principal Solution Architect, Matillion
- Graham Bromham - Head of Regional Sales & Service Providers at Fujitsu UK

Beyond getting the cloud architecture for your business right, cloud cost management is a whole other ball game and a discipline in itself. Understanding the true Total Economic Impact (TEI) of your cloud strategy requires IT leaders to embrace cloud economics and commit to exploring critical business questions including return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO).

Join us for episode 14 of Digital Transformation in Action, where host Alex Hilton and guest experts show you why it’s crucial you understand the economics of cloud computing and cloud cost models so that you can ensure your assets are optimized and of greatest value to your business.

Areas of discussion will include:
- Essential considerations to include in your cloud economics model - including TCO, staff productivity, operational resilience and business agility
- The benefits of shifting from CapEx to OpEx with a cloud-first strategy
- How to measure the value of cloud and IaaS to show how business and IT benefits go beyond cost
- Costs you need to factor in despite not buying and managing underlying infrastructure: don’t get caught out!

Host:
Alex Hilton - CEO, Cloud Industry Forum

Guests:
Liam Bennett - Cloud Practice Director, Claranet
Sean McAvan - Managing Director, EMEA, Navisite
Reze Behkishe - Business Lead for GreenLake Cloud Services at HPE

Join Alex Hilton, CEO of the Cloud Industry Forum and Rob May, MD at Ramsac as they discuss the cyber security considerations of working from anywhere.

Join Alex Hilton, CEO of Cloud Industry Forum and David Terrar, Chairman of Cloud Industry Forum as they share the findings in their latest report looking at cloud adoption and usage in the UK.

Please join Cloud Industry Forum’s CEO Alex Hilton on 13th October a 4pm as he hosts the next CIF Talks event.

Our speaker is Derek McAuley, Professor of Digital Economy at the University of Nottingham who will be discussing how “Cloud is a great tool - just not the only one, so make sure you understand how to use it."

As consumer behaviour changes - the desire to have a more personalized experience and expectations of quicker services and faster delivery among them - retail is experimenting with new ways to transform both the shopper experience and back-office operations. And to win in this highly competitive environment, retailers need to build agile and responsive businesses that grow loyalty and trust.

In episode 12 of Digital Transformation in Action, we look at how technologies and tools such as the Internet of Things and intelligent analytics are digitizing the retail ecosystem. Topics of discussion will include:

- How Digital Transformation can raise supply chain performance whilst decreasing cost
- How data-driven optimization can improve marketing and drive customer experience to keep consumers coming back
- Ensuring your people have the right digital skills to accelerate innovation and agility

Moderator
- Alex Hilton, CEO - Cloud Industry Forum

Guests
- Alex Haddock - Chief Technologist, HPE
- Ali Rezvan - Worldwide Retail Industry Director, Microsoft
- Danny Keating - Global Alliances & Solutions Sales Director, Data Intensity

In a continuing partnership BrightTalk and the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) are pleased to introduce a new series of discussions forums called “CIF Talks”. These will be a maximum 30 minute presentation followed by an opportunity to ask questions.

Hosted by Alex Hilton the CEO of CIF the first of the CIF Talks will be with Adam Grainger, the Chief Information Officer at Baker Tilly International.

To say Digital Transformation can be tricky for the healthcare industry is an understatement. Copious streams of data, numerous IT systems that require interoperability, hundreds of vendors and the need for better employee and patient experience has seen the healthcare sector fall short of the progress being made in banking, retail and manufacturing.

But powered by the global health crisis of Covid-19, the importance of technology in the future of healthcare has never been more in the spotlight. Join us for episode 11 of Digital Transformation in Action, where we put DX and healthcare under the lens and discuss:

- How to push forward Digital Transformation in healthcare with the right AI, RPA, data transformation and cyber security strategies
- How emerging technologies are pushing a patient-first approach
- Why the barriers to implementing a digital-first reality in healthcare are often not technological - but embracing a change of culture

Host:
Alex Hilton - CEO, Cloud Industry Forum

Guests:
Andy Winiarski - Senior Solutions Engineer, Yubico
David McLeman - CEO, Ancoris
Max Faun - Head of EMEA Consulting, Okta

Digital Transformation in Financial Services' time has arrived, says IBS Intelligence. According to Finextra, ‘COVID-19 is likely to spur a widespread and systematic revamping of high-impact digital journeys in the banking sector, such as customer onboarding and product origination, to deliver a truly outstanding digital experience to their customers.’

Join episode 10 of Digital Transformation in Action where we examine this revamping and see how Digital Transformation in banking has evolved to meet new concerns and customer needs. Alex Hilton and guests will be looking at:

- How Digital Transformation can help banks find new revenue streams, particularly in the era of Open Banking
- How emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning can control and reduce costs
- How - as the number of transactions and applications increase - Digital Transformation is helping banks and financial service companies embrace strong authentication, including passwordless
- Use cases of how DX projects have lead to significantly improved customer experience

Host:
Alex Hilton - CEO, Cloud Industry Forum

Panellists:
Jaime Dal Porto - Head of Services, Yubico
Gordon Harrison - Head of Sales, EMEA, Jumio
Chris Ibbitson - Chief Technologist, Financial Services Industry, HPE

85% of organisations are working towards, or already working with, a multi-cloud architecture. But along with the benefits of multi-cloud - including increased reliability, flexibility and reduced DDoS attacks - comes unique challenges.

Join episode 9 of Digital Transformation in Action, where host Alex Hilton and guests discuss how best to overcome these challenges, including:

- How to navigate increased operational complexity, including standardisation
- Understanding complicated cost models and billing
- Knowing which cloud provider is best for your workload
- Managing and implementing additional security and governance

Host:
- Alex Hilton - CEO, Cloud Industry Forum

Panellists:
- Rachel Dines, Senior Director for Product Marketing, CloudHealth by VMware
- Sean McAvan - Managing Director, EMEA - Navisite
- Graham Bromham - Head of Cloud & Managed Service Provider Sales, Fujitsu UK

Despite best efforts, 70% of Digital Transformation projects fail according to research by McKinsey. What happens when your project is one of the 70%?

Join episode 8 of Digital Transformation in Action, where host Alex Hilton and guest experts give guidance on what to do next - and what to do to ensure you don't find yourself there in the first place.

Topics of discussion will include:

- How leaders can effectively communicate their goals, strategy, purpose and outlook for failed and future DX projects to employees
- Why companies need to prioritise data transformation in their Digital Transformation initiatives
- Understanding that with Digital Transformation, it's crucial that business practices and operations receive the same focus as technological advancements

Moderator: Alex Hilton - CEO, Cloud Industry Forum
Panellists: Mike Kiersey - CTO, Dell Boomi EMEA | Jason Carolan - Chief Innovation Officer, Flexential | Rory Choudhuri - Solutions Marketing Director, VMWare EMEA

Digital Transformation has moved from being touted as the next major industrial trend to being central to business strategy success. It’s therefore crucial that Digital Transformation has the backing of the boardroom in order for it to be driven and delivered successfully.

But it’s not as straightforward as it sounds, with many obstacles to overcome. Among them is getting the board to really understand the positive impact of the technological changes, enabling board members to become fluent in its benefits and champions of a culture that fosters innovation.

Join episode 7 of Digital Transformation in Action where Alex Hilton and guests cover:

- How to encourage the board to adopt a digital approach
- How to communicate that the ROI of Digital Transformation isn’t always ‘traditional’
- Why it’s crucial that stakeholders share responsibility for success and failure
- And more

Host Alex Hilton, CEO, Cloud Industry Forum is joined by:
- Gavin Davis - Partner, Technology Advisory Services, MHA LLP
- Scott Murphy - Director Cloud UCC and Cyber Security, Ingram Micro
- Jez Back - Founder, Erebus Digital, TV Host & Head Judge UK Cloud Awards

With the advent of cloud in all its forms, we ask what's fast becoming a critical question: is Digital Transformation Changing the Role of the IT Department?

Continue the conversation in our LinkedIn Groups:
Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Cloud Group : https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1120997/
The Virtualization and Cloud Computing Group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/57400/

So far in the Digital Transformation in Action Series, we’ve defined what the term really means, covered how to build your DX team, and discussed whether Digital Transformation only works in the cloud.

Now we're looking at whether Digital Transformation is only for large enterprises, and how the term and approach changes and evolves for SMBs.

Join us for Episode 5 of Digital Transformation in Action, where our expert panel will share their advice, insights and opinions on how DX strategies can shift and amend for businesses of all sizes.

Continue the conversation in our LinkedIn Groups:
Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Cloud Group : https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1120997/
The Virtualization and Cloud Computing Group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/57400/

In Episodes 1 and 2 of Digital Transformation in Action, we’ve defined what the term really means as we head into 2020 and discussed how to build a skilled, agile Digital Transformation team.

We’re now ready to hear from those at the coal face.

How have others approached Digital Transformation in their business, what did they wish they’d known before they started, and what one piece of advice would they give to those about to embark on their own journey?

Join us for Episode 3 of Digital Transformation in Action, where our expert panel will share their stories of Digital Transformation, discuss how to overcome the inevitable challenges and share their successes.

Continue the conversation in our LinkedIn Groups:
Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Cloud Group : https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1120997/
The Virtualization and Cloud Computing Group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/57400/

How apps are deployed continues to evolve thanks to cloud hosting, Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and now Function-as-a-Service.
Join our expert panel and submit your questions as they discuss:
•What you need to know about cutting-edge technologies such as containerisation and serverless computing.
•What type of use cases are most appropriate for serverless?
•What are the main vendor offerings in Functions as a Service?
•How do you address the challenge of monitoring and controlling costs?