CrowdStrike predicts their own issues, VMWare continues to confuse, the work week in Bangalore will amaze and Microsoft says the European Union is making create a situation that could lead to another CrowdStrike
All this and more on this, “Let the blames begin” edition of Hashtag Trending.
I’m your host Jim Love. Let’s get into it.
In what has to be the very definition of irony, CrowdStrike finds itself at the center of a major IT meltdown, just weeks after one of its executives warned about the risks of relying on a single vendor for IT systems.
Drew Bagley, CrowdStrike’s VP and counsel for privacy and cyber policy, spoke at a Washington Post event last month, cautioning: “A resilient digital architecture should be able to weather a storm.” He emphasized the importance of deploying software in a manner that reduces risk in digital ecosystems.
Fast forward to July 19, and CrowdStrike’s own software update caused widespread disruption, crashing Windows PCs globally. The incident left many organizations scrambling to recover their systems, with Microsoft suggesting a laborious process of rebooting affected computers up to 15 times.
Bagley had specifically warned about the dangers of IT monoculture, stating: “We can no longer tolerate solutions or architectures that risk crumbling from a single point of failure.” His words now seem prophetic as CrowdStrike itself became that very point of failure.S
Sources include: PC Magazine
In a controversial move that has sparked debate across India, the Karnataka state government has suggested extending work hours to 14 per day. This proposal comes just two years after the Indian government reduced working hours for government employees to 7 hours per day in 2022.
Karnataka is the largest state in India and it’s capital, Bangalore, is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of Indian. While it has one of the highest levels of income in India, apparently that comes at a price.
But the idea of even longer working hours has raised serious concerns among labor rights advocates and health experts. Dr. Anita Rao, a workplace health specialist, warns: “Extremely long work hours can lead to severe health issues, increased accident risks, and poor work-life balance. It’s a step backwards for worker wellbeing.”
Critics argue that this move contradicts global trends towards shorter work weeks, which have shown to improve productivity and employee satisfaction. The International Labour Organization recommends a maximum of 48 work hours per week to protect workers’ health and safety.
Labor unions across Karnataka have voiced strong opposition to the proposal, calling for immediate talks with the government. Union leader Rajesh Kumar states: “We will not stand for this exploitation of workers. It’s a violation of basic labor rights.”
Sources include: Analytics India
Broadcom’s strategy for VMware continues to evolve, leaving industry watchers puzzled. Initially accused of abandoning channel partners and raising prices, Broadcom now appears to be embracing a more nuanced approach with discounts, at least for a select few large partners.
Google Cloud has just launched a Broadcom-compliant version of its VMware offering, featuring discounts of up to 35% for long-term commitments. This aligns with Broadcom’s new “Pinnacle” partner program, which allows top-tier partners to offer significant discounts.
Oracle and Microsoft are also positioning themselves to capitalize on the situation. Oracle recently announced new instance types for its VMware Solution, while Microsoft’s chief commercial officer, Judson Althoff, reportedly called Broadcom’s VMware pricing changes “the greatest gift of all” for encouraging cloud migration.
However, rumors suggest that Broadcom may be severing ties with HPE as a reseller, adding another layer of complexity to the situation. While HPE won’t confirm that the split, it’s telling that they didn’t deny it when questioned by a reporter from the tech journal The Register.” There is speculation that HPE is developing its own virtualization products, and if that’s the case, one has to wonder how long Broadcom’s partnership with Microsoft would continue. Microsoft has been actively trying to move companies to its cloud, ostensibly on a VMWare/Asure product line, but Microsoft is also a powerful competitor with it’s own virtualization offering.
Industry analyst Jane Smith comments: “Broadcom’s strategy seems to be evolving rapidly. They’re clearly trying to balance partner relationships with their own profit margins, but the frequent changes are causing confusion in the market.”
As the dust settles, it’s clear that Broadcom’s approach to VMware’s channel partners and pricing is still in flux, leaving customers and partners alike watching closely for the next move. And if there’s one thing that customers and channel partners both hate it’s uncertaintly.
Sources include: The Register
Don’t say I didn’t warn you – there would be some blame games played about the CrowdStrike incident, but I have to say that I didn’t see this coming. It turns out,
Microsoft is pointing to a 2009 agreement with the European Commission as a key reason it can’t further lock down Windows for improved security.
This revelation comes in the wake of the recent incident where a CrowdStrike update crippled 8.5 million Windows PCs worldwide.
Talk about not wasting a good crisis. No matter that this happened all over the world, the EU regulation is the bad guy.
A Microsoft spokesman told The Wall Street Journal that the company agreed in 2009 to give third-party security software makers the same level of access to Windows that Microsoft itself has. This was in response to antitrust concerns raised by the European Commission.
The agreement, available on Microsoft’s website, requires the company to make its Windows APIs available to third-party security software vendors. While this promotes fair competition, it also opens the door to potential system-wide issues, as demonstrated by the recent CrowdStrike incident.
Interestingly, other major operating systems like Apple’s macOS and Google’s ChromeOS are not bound by similar restrictions. In fact, Apple tightened access to its kernel in 2020, a move that enhanced security but required developers to modify their software.
Tech analyst Sarah Johnson comments: “This situation highlights the complex balance between promoting competition and ensuring system security. As cyber threats evolve, regulatory frameworks may need to be reevaluated to allow for more robust security measures.”
The European Union’s ongoing efforts to tackle anti-competitive behavior in tech suggest that any changes to this agreement are unlikely in the near future, despite the potential security benefits.
Sources include: neowin.net
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I’m your host Jim Love, have a Terrific Tuesday.
