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Articles by Howard Holton
SAP Sapphire 2025
I just returned from SAP Sapphire 2025 in Orlando, and while SAP painted a compelling vision of an AI-powered future, I couldn’t help but think about the gap between their shiny new announcements and where most SAP customers actually are today. Let me cut through the marketing hype and give you the analyst perspective on what really matters.
When Patching Isn’t Enough
What Happened: A stealthy, persistent backdoor was discovered in over 16,000 Fortinet firewalls. This wasn’t a new vulnerability – it was a case of attackers exploiting a subtle part of the system (language folders) to maintain unauthorized access even after the original vulnerabilities had been patched. What It Means: Devices that were considered “safe” may still be compromised.
CxO Decision Brief: Windows Server Datacenter: Azure Edition
1. Solution Value This GigaOm CxO Decision Brief was commissioned by Microsoft. Provided alongside traditional IaaS server options, Windows Server Datacenter: Azure Edition is an offering unique to the Microsoft Azure cloud, with no additional charge for these included feature enhancements.
CxO Decision Brief: Windows Server Datacenter: Azure Edition
1. Solution Value This GigaOm CxO Decision Brief was commissioned by Microsoft. Windows Server Datacenter: Azure Edition offers unique capabilities in the Microsoft Azure cloud. It brings some of the value of a platform as a service (PaaS) to infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) deployments without the additional training or workforce overhead that a new PaaS or SaaS application would require.
CxO Decision Brief: SAP Build
1. Solution Value Today’s enterprises struggle to deliver business-critical applications amid scarce senior developer resources and mounting technical debt. Traditional development approaches require extensive coordination between business units and development teams, creating bottlenecks that delay digital transformation initiatives and slow market responsiveness. SAP Build transforms this landscape by combining the Cloud Application Programming Model (CAP) with AI-powered development tools.
Blog
Have you ever been in a group project where one person decided to take a shortcut, and suddenly, everyone ended up under The term “data fabric” is used across the tech industry, yet its definition and implementation can vary. I have seen this across At Black Hat Europe last year, I sat down with one of our senior security analysts, Paul Stringfellow. In this section of At the Black Hat Europe conference in December, I sat down with one of our senior security analysts, Paul Stringfellow.
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - with Quentin Packard of Conduktor
Key Criteria VP/Arch Cloud workload security (CWS) is a critical component of modern cybersecurity strategies, focusing on protecting the dynamic and ever-expanding workloads in… Read More
The Case for Security.txt
In today’s cybersecurity landscape, it’s not just about having robust defenses—it’s also about building trust and partnerships with the wider security community. One simple but effective way to demonstrate this openness is by implementing a security.txt file. This small addition provides a clear, standardized pathway for security researchers to report vulnerabilities, reducing friction for those who want to help protect your organization.
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - with TRob of Domino Data Labs
Radar Eng Data catalogs house the operational, technical, and business metadata used to describe, contextualize, and understand an organization’s data assets. These centralized… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - With Rajesh Khazanchi of ColorTokens
Radar Eng Application programming interfaces (APIs) serve as the vital connection between applications, services, and systems. API security solutions are specialized technologies designed… Read More
Unleashing Transformation Original
AI isn’t just another tool in the technology toolkit; it’s a revolution waiting to be led. As tech leaders, this is your moment—not merely to optimize but to revolutionize. This isn’t about minor efficiency gains; it’s about redefining what’s possible. AI has the potential to transform your specialists into versatile, strategic thinkers and to amplify your generalists into powerhouses of productivity. As the leader, you’re at the helm of this revolution, so lean into it.
Preparing for a Billion Developers
With the vision of a billion developers, AI is evolving from a specialized tool to a platform that democratizes coding. As AI’s potential grows, so does the role of the CTO. No longer solely managing infrastructure, today’s CTO must architect a secure, adaptive, and data-driven environment ready to leverage AI responsibly and at scale. Here’s how CTOs can lead this transformation. 1. Define Roles: Professional Developers vs.
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - With Brian Reed pf Proofpoint at Blackhat
Blog With a macrotrend/backdrop of platformization and convergence, the industry is exploring places where identity security, endpoint security, and network security naturally… Read More
Driving AI Transformation
As we head into 2025, CEOs are focused on a clear set of priorities—AI-enabled growth, dynamic capacity, risk management, and human-machine integration. Yet, many CIOs are still too focused on managing IT infrastructure and not stepping into their rightful role as strategic advisors. To meet the needs of today’s CEO, the CIO must transform from a technology manager into a leader who drives digital business transformation.
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - with Doron Peri of Scribe Security at Blackhat
Blog With a macrotrend/backdrop of platformization and convergence, the industry is exploring places where identity security, endpoint security, and network security naturally… Read More
The Modern CIO: Moving from Technology Steward to Transformation Agent
At the recent Gartner Symposium, there was no shortage of data and insights on the evolving role of the CIO. While the information presented was valuable, I couldn’t help but feel that something was missing—the real conversation about how CIOs can step into their role as true agents of transformation. We’ve moved beyond the days of simply managing technology; today, CIOs must be enablers of business growth and innovation.
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - with Nathan Sportsman of Praetorian
Radar Eng Data catalogs house the operational, technical, and business metadata used to describe, contextualize, and understand an organization’s data assets. These centralized… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - with Ronen Korman of Datorios
Radar Eng Intelligent document processing (IDP) solutions enable the transformation of documents (both paper and electronic) containing unstructured, semistructured, and structured data into… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech, at Black Hat with Gaurav Kulkarni of Sprocket Security
Blog With a macrotrend/backdrop of platformization and convergence, the industry is exploring places where identity security, endpoint security, and network security naturally… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech at Blackhat with Scott Hogrefe of Netscope
Blog With a macrotrend/backdrop of platformization and convergence, the industry is exploring places where identity security, endpoint security, and network security naturally… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - Semantic Layers with David Jayatillake of Cube
Blog With a macrotrend/backdrop of platformization and convergence, the industry is exploring places where identity security, endpoint security, and network security naturally… Read More
CxO Decision Brief: Navigating the SIEM Market Transition
1. Solution Value This GigaOm CxO Decision Brief was commissioned by Graylog. The Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) market is transforming, driven by evolving cyber threats, increasing IT complexity, and vendor consolidations reshaping the landscape. As attacks against organizations become more frequent and sophisticated, the need for agile and responsive security solutions is growing.
CxO Decision Brief: Enhancing Observability and Workforce Efficiency
1. Solution Value This GigaOm CxO Decision Brief commissioned by NetApp. Block storage and storage area networks (SANs) continue to be prevalent for mission-critical workloads due to their proven reliability and performance. Despite the emergence of alternative storage technologies, organizations still rely heavily on Fibre Channel (FC) and block (FC/block) storage for the predictable, high-performance demands of critical applications.
GigaOm Solution Profile: Cogility TacitRed
Table of Contents Executive Summary Solution Overview Common Security and Operational Challenges Key Benefits Additional Capabilities and Licensing Conclusion About GigaOm Copyright 1. Executive Summary This GigaOm Solution Profile commissioned by Cogility. Cogility TacitRed provides security analysts with continuous external threat intelligence, offering evidence-based, prioritized insights into cyber exposures and imminent threats.
Discovering Disruptions in Tech with Rob McNutt of Forescout
Blog In the ever-evolving cyberthreat landscape, cybercriminals are deploying sophisticated methods to exploit network vulnerabilities while organizations constantly seek new ways to… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech with Matt Hum of DEFCON at Blackhat
Blog In the ever-evolving cyberthreat landscape, cybercriminals are deploying sophisticated methods to exploit network vulnerabilities while organizations constantly seek new ways to… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - At Blackhat with Ziv Dines of Armis
Blog In the ever-evolving cyberthreat landscape, cybercriminals are deploying sophisticated methods to exploit network vulnerabilities while organizations constantly seek new ways to… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech at Blackhat with Chandra Sekar of AppOmni
Blog In the ever-evolving cyberthreat landscape, cybercriminals are deploying sophisticated methods to exploit network vulnerabilities while organizations constantly seek new ways to… Read More
The Good The Bad & The Techy - Identity Security with Tyler Reese
Blog In the ever-evolving cyberthreat landscape, cybercriminals are deploying sophisticated methods to exploit network vulnerabilities while organizations constantly seek new ways to… Read More
CxO Decision Brief: Offensive Security Testing and Pentest as a Service
1. Solution Value This GigaOm CxO Decision Brief commissioned by Cobalt. Offensive Security Testing (OST) is a proactive approach to cybersecurity that encompasses traditional penetration testing but extends beyond to testing approaches that use the adversarial mindset. It includes simulating real-world attacks to identify and validate vulnerabilities in an organization’s defenses.
5G for Connected Workers: Transforming Remote Work
Table of Contents Introduction 5G-Connected Laptops: Enabling Remote Work Network and Security Considerations Conclusion About GigaOm Copyright 1. Introduction This GigaOm report was commissioned by T-Mobile. The advent of 5G technology is revolutionizing a wide range of industries, especially for the remote worker. Sales people, field technicians, maintenance staff, engineers, and others can now link remote locations with central offices more effectively than ever.
CxO Decision Brief: Secure Mobility with T-Mobile 5G
1. Solution Value This GigaOm CxO Decision Brief commissioned by T-Mobile. T-Mobile Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) with T-SIMsecure addresses the critical need for secure remote connectivity in the modern workplace. With remote work now an integral part of business operations, T-Mobile leverages its nationwide 5G network to provide robust security capabilities and seamless internet access.
The Good, The Bad, & The Techy: The Cloudstrike Outage
Key Criteria VP/Arch Security information and event management (SIEM) solutions consolidate multiple security data streams under one roof. Initially, SIEM solutions supported early detection… Read More
Navigating the CrowdStrike Outage: Insights from a Tech Industry Veteran
As a seasoned CIO/CISO and tech industry analyst with 35 years of experience, I’ve seen my fair share of cybersecurity incidents. However, the recent CrowdStrike outage stands out due to its extensive impact across multiple sectors. Here’s a deep dive into what happened, the repercussions, and the lessons we can all learn from this incident. Background and Initial Reaction I started my journey in IT in the late ’80s when I wrote a piece of software called PleadPerfect.
The Good the Bad and the Techy - AI & RAG
Key Criteria VP/Arch Streaming data platforms ingest, process, transform, analyze, and render action from streaming data in real time. The best tools can do… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - Demystifying Data Catalogs
Key Criteria VP/Arch Streaming data platforms ingest, process, transform, analyze, and render action from streaming data in real time. The best tools can do… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - Is Cybersecurity Broken?
Key Criteria VP/Arch In the ever-evolving landscape of information technology, the ability to effectively manage and enforce security policies has become paramount. Policy-as-code solutions… Read More
CxO Decision Brief: Real-Time Data Processing and Analytics
1. This GigaOm CxO Decision Brief commissioned by Cogility. Cogility’s Cogynt is a continuous intelligence software platform for real-time data stream processing and behavioral analytics. The integrated platform approach addresses the inefficiencies and high costs associated with conventional, ad hoc tooling to build in-house real-time situational awareness and decision support applications.
Putting It All Together: Getting Started with Your Zero Trust Journey Original
Welcome to the final post in our zero trust blog series! Throughout this series, we’ve explored the key components, best practices, and strategies for building a comprehensive zero trust architecture. We’ve covered everything from the fundamentals of zero trust to the critical roles of data security, identity and access management, network segmentation, device security, application security, monitoring and analytics, automation and orchestration, and governance and compliance.
Discovering Disruptions in Technology - Mohan Atreya
Key Criteria VP/Arch Streaming data platforms ingest, process, transform, analyze, and render action from streaming data in real time. The best tools can do… Read More
Governance and Compliance: Aligning Zero Trust with Business Requirements
Welcome back to our zero trust blog series! In our previous post, we explored the critical role of automation and orchestration in a zero trust model and shared best practices for building a comprehensive automation and orchestration strategy. Today, we’re turning our attention to another essential aspect of zero trust: governance and compliance. In a zero trust model, security is not just a technical concern, but a business imperative.
The Good, The Bad, & The Techy - With Special Guest, Ryan Litwin
Key Criteria VP/Arch Streaming data platforms ingest, process, transform, analyze, and render action from streaming data in real time. The best tools can do… Read More
Automation and Orchestration: The Backbone of Zero Trust
Welcome to the next installment of our zero trust blog series! In our previous post, we explored the critical role of monitoring and analytics in a zero trust model and shared best practices for building a comprehensive monitoring and analytics strategy. Today, we’re shifting our focus to another key enabler of zero trust: automation and orchestration. In a zero trust model, security must be dynamic, adaptive, and continuous.
Discovering Disruptions in Technology with Tyler Shields of Traceable
Blog In today’s fast-paced, highly competitive market, technology vendors often struggle to connect with their customers on a meaningful level. Traditional marketing… Read More
Monitoring and Analytics: The Eyes and Ears of Zero Trust
Welcome back to our zero trust blog series! In our previous post, we took a deep dive into API security and explored best practices for securing this critical component of modern application architectures. Today, we’re turning our attention to another essential aspect of zero trust: monitoring and analytics. In a zero trust model, visibility is everything.
Securing APIs: The Cornerstone of Zero Trust Application Security
Welcome to the latest installment of our zero trust blog series! In our previous post, we explored the importance of application security in a zero trust model and shared best practices for securing cloud-native and on-premises applications. Today, we’re diving deeper into a critical aspect of application security: API security. In the modern application landscape, APIs have become the backbone of digital communication and data exchange.
Securing Applications: Zero Trust for Cloud and On-Premises Environments
Welcome back to our zero trust blog series! In our previous post, we discussed the importance of device security and explored best practices for securing endpoints and IoT devices. Today, we’re shifting our focus to another critical component of zero trust: application security. In a world where applications are increasingly distributed, diverse, and dynamic, securing them has never been more challenging – or more critical.
Discovering Disruptions in Technology - Jeremy Rossbach of Broadcom
Key Criteria VP/Arch Edge orchestration platforms represent a pivotal technology in the landscape of modern computing, orchestrating computing resources at the very brink of… Read More
The Good, The Bad, & The Techy - Webservers with Liam Crilly of NGINX
Key Criteria VP/Arch Edge orchestration platforms represent a pivotal technology in the landscape of modern computing, orchestrating computing resources at the very brink of… Read More
Discovering Disruptions in Tech - Cradlepoint
Key Criteria VP/Arch Secure remote access provides numerous benefits to organizations, making it an essential component of their business operations. One of the primary… Read More
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