Daily Archives: May 3, 2014

Technology

XebiaLabs Survey Shows Automation and Continuous Delivery are Top IT Projects

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More than 50% of respondents say lack of integration between tools and teams is main challenge.

Boston, MA (USA), May 02, 2014 — XebiaLabs today released the results of its major annual survey that explores trends in software delivery and what is most urgently needed to accelerate and improve these processes. Respondents comprised more than a thousand Dev and Ops managers and C-level executives from banking, energy, manufacturing and other industries.

“From this extensive survey we’ve found that Continuous Delivery is a valid and major initiative for IT organizations in 2014. So if you’re looking to automate that process, you’re in good company,” said Coert Baart, XebiaLabs CEO. “Survey respondents believe there’s plenty of room for improvement in terms of reliability and speed in the application delivery process.”

The majority of respondents indicated that their release process is still largely manual and filled with errors. Participants also see a significant challenge in the lack of internal knowledge and expertise around DevOps and Continuous Delivery, and are looking not just for tooling, but knowledgeable partners to provide guidance and vision.

The results reveal that most companies want to implement more automation and move to Continuous Delivery in 2014. One motivation stands out: once development of a feature or fix is complete, about a third of people said it still takes their organization between a week (32%) and a month (36%) to get it live.

High on the list of challenges cited: “Releasing features is too expensive to carry out as frequently as would be desirable.”

The survey found that while companies are investing more in automating the process of application delivery, they’re increasingly realizing that deployment is only one piece of the puzzle. Most companies now see the rest of the puzzle — the need to embrace the practices and tools that will enable them to improve their software delivery.

Key Findings:
* Automation and Continuous Delivery will be the top two projects planned for 2014. Companies want to deliver higher quality software. Current release processes (largely manual) are filled with error and delaying software delivery.

* While cost and time to market are always important factors, the quality of software delivery will be the key priority for IT organizations.

* There is a clear market drive toward automation in the software delivery process. Lack of automated deployment and testing — and the existence of too many manual-based actions along with misconfigured environments — are big concerns for most companies.

* More than 50% of respondents cited lack of integration between tools and teams, while almost 40% said, “Too many errors/too much rework.”

* Companies expect to deliver up to 20% more applications in 2014 but don’t expect they will be able to hire extra people to support the increase.

* Organizations are looking for guidance and thought leadership alongside new tooling

To view the complete survey, please click here.

About XebiaLabs:
XebiaLabs is the leading provider of delivery automation software that helps enterprises deliver higher quality software faster and more efficiently. XL Platform combines deployment automation, on-demand environment provisioning, Agile test management and enterprise release management for DevOps and Continuous Delivery. Using XL Platform, organizations reduce development applications costs, accelerate application time to market and bridge the gap between Development and Operations. Headquartered in the U.S., XebiaLabs has a world-wide network of sales offices and partners.

Press & Media Contact:
Victor Cruz, Principal
MediaPR.net, Inc
Essex, MA – USA
+1 (978) 768-6888
vcruz@mediapr.net
http://www.xebialabs.com

Technology

threatTRANSFORM Open Source App Jumpstarts STIX-Based Threat Data Classification

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The creators of threatTRANSFORM today announced the release of their open source application designed to streamline the creation, compiling, and publishing of STIX datasets.

San Jose, CA (USA), May 02, 2014 — The creators of threatTRANSFORM (http://www.threattransform.com) today announced the release of their open source application designed to streamline the creation, compiling, and publishing of STIX datasets. Anyone struggling to manage security event classification can utilize the free open source threatTRANSFORM application to improve their MSSP, SIEM, and other big data cyber threat intelligence, management and response programs with the industry standard framework – Structured Threat Information eXpression (STIX™).

STIX is designed for cyber defenders, cyber threat analysts, malware analysts, security vendors, and information security practitioners in defending their networks and systems against cyber threats. STIX provides a common language for describing cyber threat information so it can be shared, stored, and otherwise used in a consistent manner that facilitates automation. threatTRANSFORM allows organizations to begin classifying threat data in an industry-standard way for consistent reporting, analysis and sharing.

“We’ve been working with the open source version of threatTRANSFORM from the very beginning and totally support their commitment to opening it up to everyone – we’re using threatTRANSFORM to integrate our real-time cyber attack intelligence into threat platforms,” said Maurits Lucas, InTELL Business Director at FOX-IT. “For us it was more than the ground-breaking work in using STIX in web platforms and the excellent framework they provide; the threatTRANSFORM guys have provided great support and advice which has helped us to scale our own unique InTELL portal content across multiple continents.”

threatTRANSFORM was created in 2014 by Brad Lindow, Timothy Plocinski, and Demetrios Lazarikos (Laz). Based on the MIT Open Source License, threatTRANSFORM was created out of the need for streamlining the creation of STIX datasets. Everything from analyzing complex information to sifting through machine data, the threatTRANSFORM application provides a powerful template engine. threatTRANSFORM is open source, free and works in nearly any web server. It’s the quickest way to get going with STIX today.

“We’d previously been using a proprietary mechanism of data exchange,” said Rich Reybok, SVP of Engineering for Vorstack. “threatTRANSFORM has really helped us to quickly transition to a preferred STIX standards based method of describing cyber threat information between customers, aiding product adoption.”

threatTRANSFORM has been built from the ground up for ease-of-use, both for the end user and the developer extending the cyber intelligence application code. To begin integrating threatTRANSFORM and take control of your STIX data, please visit http://www.threattransform.com.

About STIX:
The Structured Threat Information eXpression (STIX™) is a language for describing cyber threat information in a standardized and structured manner. STIX characterizes an extensive set of cyber threat information, to include indicators of adversary activity (e.g., IP addresses and file hashes) as well as additional contextual information regarding threats (e.g., adversary Tactics, Techniques and Procedures [TTPs]; exploitation targets; Campaigns; and Courses of Action [COA]) that together more completely characterize the cyber adversary’s motivations, capabilities, and activities, and thus, how to best defend against them. For more information, please visit http://stix.mitre.org.

About Blue Lava Consulting and Blue Lava Labs:
Blue Lava Consulting, and Blue Lava Labs, are proud sponsors of the threatTRANSFORM open source project and application.

Blue Lava Consulting works in a strategic partnership with organizations to assess IT Security programs, IT risks, and build an efficient set of IT Security and Fraud solutions. Blue Lava experience in providing IT Security coaching, IT risk management, and research allows the company to tailor strategies in delivering superior results with the optimum balance of business resiliency and agility. Blue Lava is disciplined to work with organizations in providing a detailed and comprehensive knowledge transfer through engagements. For more information, please visit http://www.blue-lava.net.

threatTRANSFORM PR Contact:
Demetrios Lazarikos (Laz)
Email: press@threattransform.com
http://www.threattransform.com

Technology

Added Features: SmartTOP Convertible Top Controller for Mercedes-Benz SLK R172

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The SmartTOP add-on Convertible Top Controller module for Mercedes-Benz SLK R172 allows top operation while driving with just a touch of the button. The top can also be opened or closed from the original factory key remote. Mods4cars just added another useful feature to the product: Motorized side mirrors can now be folded in and out remotely and fully automatically.

Las Vegas, NV (USA), May 02, 2014 — The aftermarket SmartTOP module offered by Mods4cars for Mercedes-Benz SLK R172 makes it possible to open or close the hard top while driving at speeds of up to 60 km/h (~38 mph). Thanks to the one-touch operation, a quick touch is sufficient to start the operation. The top can also be controlled from the original factory remote, using long range RF signals and with full automatic one-touch mode.

Just recently aftermarket electronics specialist Mods4cars added another feature to the module: The side mirrors (factory option for motorized mirrors is required) can now be folded in or out automatically. Two different modes of operation are selectable. They can either be folded in by using a quick button sequence on the remote or they always automatically fold in when the car is locked. Upon unlocking and opening the driver’s door they automatically fold back out.

“We are happy to be able to offer our customers even more comfort and convenience by adding this new feature.” says PR-Manager Sven Tornow. “It is now possible to fold the mirrors in at any time from the remote as needed.” he continues. The full-auto mode saves time and protects the car for people always having to park in tight spaces.

Existing customers get to benefit from the new feature the same way new ones do. All SmartTOP Convertible Top Controllers come equipped with a USB port for quick and easy firmware updates and product configuration via support software available for PC and Mac. Like all other updates, this one is free of charge and available online on the outfit’s website. SmartTOP is a smart investment; owners will always benefit from added features down the road.

The SmartTOP module for the Mercedes-Benz SLK R172 offers a host of bonus features and benefits: Extended range of the remote (RF instead of IR signals), remote control commands for top and windows independently from each other, all 4 windows can be raised while the top is down and it is possible to program the module to give a quick horn chirp confirmation when locking or unlocking the car. An extended mode can be activated which allows top operation to continue while the engine is being started or stopped. Also the entire module can be temporarily disabled via the convenient clear text in-dash setup-menu while retaining all user configurable settings. The kit comes with a full plug-and-play wiring adapter that makes installing and removing possible without leaving any traces or damage.

Mods4cars offers SmartTOP Convertible Top kits for Alfa, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Infiniti, Lamborghini, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Volvo and Volkswagen: Pretty much all popular modern convertible and roadster models are covered. Kits are available for previous versions of the SLK (R170) and SLK (R171) as well. The SmartTOP kit retails for 249 Euros + tax.

A demonstration can be seen here:
http://youtu.be/5_BHUIB_6qs

Further details:
http://www.mods4cars.com

About Mods4cars:
Mods4cars was founded in 2002 with the idea to add a highly demanded feature to the otherwise almost perfect Porsche Boxster: Comfort One-Touch roof operation while driving at slow speeds. The resulting product offered not only that, but also allowed quick and easy installation by just swapping out a relay box, thus leaving no traces and no permanent changes on the vehicle. The first SmartTOP roof controller was born.

The success of their first products in Germany and Europe prompted them in late 2004 to move operations to the USA, to be able to serve the American market as well as all other English speaking countries such as Australia, UK and South Africa from one central location. Their business has grown to a full-fledged international corporation with an office in Las Vegas and a full line of innovative products as well as distributors and installation partners all over the globe.

Being highly specialized in the development and distribution of aftermarket roof- and comfort controllers since 2002 allows them to offer an unsurpassed level of competence and product quality. Their main goal is optimization of each individual product to a maximum in compatibility, usability and intuitive operation. They put greatest effort into development and quality checks of all their products to achieve this goal and meet all expectations of their customers.

The extraordinary success of their products is also based on the great communication with their customers, which usually already starts for each new product during the development and prototyping phase.

Press & Media Contact:
Anja Lehmann
Mods4cars LLC
1350 E. Flamingo Rd #3100
Las Vegas, NV 89119 – USA
+1-310-9109055
lehmann@mods4cars.com
http://www.mods4cars.com