Sophos managed risk expands capabilities with IASM - ITREALMS

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Global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyber-attacks, Sophos, has announced the expansion of its managed risk capabilities with the introduction of Internal Attack Surface Management (IASM) powered by Tenable, reports ITREALMS.

Many organizations face critical blind spots in their cyber defenses. In fact, the Sophos State of Ransomware 2025 report found 40% of organizations impacted by ransomware in the last year reported falling victim due to an exposure they were unaware of.

Africa: Cairo to host 2nd ICANN managed root server - ITREALMS

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Cairo, the capital of Egypt is to host the second location for the deployment of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) managed root server on the continent, reports ITREALMS.

This latest installation, ITREALMS gathered will be deployed in next month, September and was made possible following the understanding between the Coalition for Digital Africa (C4DA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

This deployment of ICANN Managed Root Server (IMRS) installation in Africa, ITREALMS also gathered was part of the C4DA initiative launched in 2022.

ITREALMS recalled that the first IMRS deployment was made operational in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2022, resulting in most Africa-based Internet Domain Name System (DNS) root queries now being resolved on the continent.

In addition, ITREALMS gathered that the IMRS in Nairobi, Kenya handles some 40 per cent of all IMRS DNS root queries for the continent, whereas prior to the installation, 35 to 40 percent of the DNS query traffic was traveling outside of Africa for resolution.

Experts informed ITREALMS that the two IMRS installations increase the resiliency of the global Root Server System for Internet users across the continent. IMRS installations add root server capacity to support an expected exponential increase in Internet adoption across Africa. The IMRS installations assist in keeping Africa-sourced root Domain Name System (DNS) queries answered within the region and reduce dependence on networks and servers in other parts of the world. This resiliency improves the Internet experience for users across Africa.

The root servers also boost national and regional Internet resiliency by helping root server traffic stay local. Egypt's National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority is collaborating with ICANN in the installation of the IMRS in Cairo, Egypt.

The IMRS installations will reduce the impact of potential cyberattacks on Africa, should the global Root Server System be attacked. Distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) cyberattacks work by overwhelming servers with a flood of queries. With two separate IMRS deployment locations in Africa, and higher bandwidth and data processing capacity, the risk of the Internet being impacted because of a DDOS cyberattack is significantly reduced.

Further, ITREALMS recollected that C4DA was conceived by ICANN, as an alliance of like-minded organizations committed to building a robust and secure Internet infrastructure to bring more Africans online.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

SDNbucks picks Nokia's Nuage for fully-managed SciSports - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Nokia’s Nuage Networks SD-WAN 2.0 solution has been chosen by managed service provider, SDNbucks, to provide fully managed connectivity for SciSports, reports ITREALMS.

SciSports, ITREALMS gathered is a professional sports data intelligence company focused on using advanced deep learning and computer vision technologies to improve professional sports and enrich the fan experience.

The SD-WAN 2.0 solution interconnects sports stadiums, research and data centers, and the cloud-based application engine hosted on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

The SciSports real-time sports data intelligence engine, BallJames, gathers, analyzes and presents accurate on-the-pitch data. Using video feeds from live games, BallJames leverages computer vision technologies and advanced deep learning algorithms to evaluate and report the performance of the players in real-time and enrich applications used by professional clubs, the media and sports fans.

As part of its service to professional soccer organizations, BallJames captures live high-definition video footage using multiple cameras situated around a stadium, tracking movement of all players, the ball and the referees. The video streams are carried by SDNbucks' SD-WAN 2.0 network to SciSports' offices, research and data centers, and to Google Cloud Platform (GCP), where an analytics engine processes the data in real-time. The analyzed data is available to the coaching staff during the game to assess tactics, while web and TV fans can view next-generation stats as they enjoy the game. In addition, SciSports offers the sophisticated Insight platform, a fully automated data intelligence solution. The platform provides direct access to machine learning algorithms, which quantify the quality and potential of over 90,000 professional soccer players in the world. By suggesting viable transfer targets and recognizing talent at a young age, it supports football experts in expanding their scouting scope.

SDNbucks uses the Nokia Nuage Networks SD-WAN 2.0 solution to meet SciSports' stringent service-level targets by providing seamless connectivity from cameras to the cloud over a high-speed internet connection, using combinations of virtual and physical CPEs. The Nuage Networks SD-WAN 2.0 solution leverages network intelligence to identify network performance issues that will trigger the dynamic steering of video streams to alternate links. All feeds are micro-segmented and encrypted; SciSports has full visibility and control of each video and data feed using the Nuage Networks SD-WAN portal.

The SDNbucks high-availability hosting center accommodates all the essential multi-tenant elements of the Nuage Networks SD-WAN platform that are used for orchestration, management and control, with other components deployed at SciSports' sites and at the Google Cloud, such as the Nuage Networks Network Services Gateway (NSG) uCPE and vCPE deployments.

Wouter Roosenburg, CTO of SciSports, said: "SciSports hired SDNbucks to set up their network because of the company's extensive experience in the networking space and deep knowledge of the newest technologies available in the market, which are required for a state-of-the art solution like BallJames. Furthermore, the pragmatic and hands-on approach was highly valued to make things work in tight time schedules."

Niek van der Ven, CEO of SDNbucks, said: "We are very excited to work with SciSports to make their Balljames service a reality. It has the potential to change the way soccer teams manage their rosters and plan their in-game strategies and tactics. The Nokia Nuage Networks SD-WAN 2.0 solution has also been a game-changer for us, enabling us to provide a simple, secure solution that meets all of SciSports' stringent requirements with ease."

Sunil Khandekar, founder and CEO of Nuage Networks, said: "The SciSports service is part of a first wave of applications using AI and machine learning to revolutionize all aspects of human life. Paired with cloud services, this exciting application showcases how our SD-WAN 2.0 solution can provide the dynamic, highly automated and secure platform that these kinds of applications require. Partnering with SDNbucks has been critical to this win and demonstrates the importance of managed service providers to the deployment of SD-WAN in the future."

Nenye Dom/HO

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BlackBerry revenue continues to nose-dive

ITRealms:

BlackBerry has reported lower revenue for the period ending 30 November 2014, reports ITRealms, although it managed to reduce its net loss for the period.

ITRealms gathered the company reported a Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) net loss of $148 million about N27742600000.00, including a $150 million non-cash charge associated with the fair value of debentures and a pre-tax restructuring charge of $5 million.

According to MobileWorldLive, the loss was less than the prior quarter’s $207 million, and considerably lower than the $4.4 billion loss in the equivalent quarter in 2013. The company did however achieve a non-GAAP profit of $6 million.

Revenue was $793 million, which was down from $1.19 billion in Q3 FY2014 and the $916 million reported in the previous quarter.

Around 46 per cent of revenue was from hardware, 46 per cent from services and 8 per cent from software and other revenue. Revenue was recognised on two million BlackBerry smartphones.

When discussing the revenue in the company’s results call, CEO John Chen said “to us it’s not satisfying”.

As well as reducing its loss, the company reported positive cashflow ($43 million) for the first time in two years. “We achieved a key milestone in our eight quarter plan with positive cash flow,” Chen noted.

He added that the company’s focus is now on expanding distribution and driving revenue growth: “It is my belief that we can grow and stabilise the company’s revenue in 2016. Sustainable profitability can only come from revenue growth and that is certainly our intention,” he said.

Chen said the company worked to clear its inventory of old devices during the quarter, reducing it by 93 per cent year-on-year. This will help the company drive uptake of its newer devices including the Passport and recently-unveiled Classic (pictured).

“We have a pretty strong device roadmap going forwards and we will discuss this at Mobile World Congress,” Chen noted.

The company said it continues to anticipate maintaining its strong cash position while looking for opportunities to “prudently invest” in growth.

One area of investment is the Internet of Things (IoT): “I believe the investment we made in our technology portfolio, as well as investment in infrastructure, will serve to make us the most complete and integrated platform in the industry for managing IoT devices,” Chen claimed.

The company also announced it has completed the acquisition of voice and data encryption company Secusmart, a deal first announced in July.

Outside headline: story is by Tim Ferguson/MWL

 

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Pix: Chen of Blackberry displaying BB classic recently