The hottest Cloud Computing Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

Monitor Azure Open AI Deployments with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 79 implied HN points • 20 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Defender for Cloud Apps can now monitor Azure Open AI activity, making it easier to track and locate activity using Microsoft Sentinel.
  2. Utilize KQL queries to identify Azure Open AI deployments and create a maintained Watchlist in Microsoft Sentinel for easy monitoring.
  3. Automate the updating of the Watchlist with Logic Apps to ensure it always contains the most up-to-date information on Azure Open AI instances.

The Tech Buffet #19: How To Build and Deploy an LLM-Powered App To Chat with PapersWithCode

The Tech Buffet • 39 implied HN points • 03 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. You can build a personal assistant to easily find and understand the latest machine learning research. This assistant will let you ask questions in simple language.
  2. The app uses a system that retrieves and generates information, utilizing a database and machine learning models. It processes data from a site called 'Papers With Code'.
  3. The guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to create, index, and deploy this assistant as a web application, including ready-to-use source code.

GroupBy #32: Canva - Scaling to Count Billions, Ensuring Precision and Integrity: A Deep Dive into Uber’s Accounting Data Testing Strategies

VuTrinh. • 19 implied HN points • 23 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Canva's usage of creator content has skyrocketed, with data showing its growth doubling every 18 months. Managing the architecture to track this data is a significant challenge.
  2. Uber has developed strong testing and monitoring processes for its financial accounting data. This ensures accuracy and presents reliable external financial reports.
  3. With the rise of data lakehouses, utilizing tools like Apache Hudi and Paimon can enhance data storage and performance. These tools help build efficient and scalable data solutions.

Cloud Compliance - At the Speed of Government

Resilient Cyber • 119 implied HN points • 05 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Federal cloud compliance processes take a long time, as seen with FedRAMP taking almost three years to update its security baselines to align with NIST 800-53 revisions.
  2. Cloud service providers have a very short timeframe to adapt to these updates, which creates a confusing double standard where industry has to move faster than the government.
  3. While there's a growing focus on securing the software supply chain, cloud service providers were unregulated in this area for years, despite their crucial role in cybersecurity.
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How to Monitor the Microsoft Sentinel Trial Period

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. For Microsoft Sentinel customers, a 31-day trial period is available by enabling Microsoft Sentinel on a Log Analytics workspace.
  2. To monitor the trial period, look under the 'News & Guides' blade and access the 'Free Trial' tab to see how many days are left.
  3. In the past, the 31-day trial could be enabled unlimited times on new workspaces, but now it's limited to 20 times per Azure subscription.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate Rare Domains Seen in Cloud Logs with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 06 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Rare or malicious domains in cloud logs can be used by attackers for phishing, malware delivery, data exfiltration, and command and control.
  2. Detection and analysis of rare domains in cloud logs can help identify threats like phishing attacks, malware delivery, data exfiltration, and command and control activities.
  3. Microsoft Sentinel offers features like built-in hunting queries, automation rules, and playbooks to help detect, enrich, validate, and respond to rare domains in cloud logs.

The Era of the Cloud Czars

Dana Blankenhorn: Facing the Future • 39 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. The era of the Cloud Czars is defined by five key companies: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Meta.
  2. Building clouds and investing in the Cloud game was a key risk that many companies failed to take on, leading to their decline.
  3. In the tech industry, failure to take risks can be fatal, as highlighted by the success of the Cloud Czars who embraced the challenge.

Qualcomm’s Cloud AI 100 PCIe: Now For All

More Than Moore • 93 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Qualcomm's Cloud AI 100 PCIe card is now available for the wider embedded market, making it easier to use for edge AI applications. This means businesses can run AI locally without relying heavily on cloud services.
  2. There are different models of the Cloud AI 100, offering various compute powers and memory capacities to suit different business needs. This flexibility helps businesses select the right fit based on how much AI processing they require.
  3. Qualcomm is keen to support partnerships with OEMs to build appliances that use their AI technology, but they are not actively marketing it widely. Interested users are encouraged to reach out directly for collaboration opportunities.

Brief: Google received cloud contract supporting U.S. Special Operations Forces

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 223 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Cloud Computing
  1. Google received a cloud contract to support U.S. Special Operations Forces as part of a $9 billion program run by the Pentagon, along with Microsoft, Oracle, and Amazon.
  2. The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with roughly 60,000 personnel works closely with elite units for direct action missions and core activities like counter-insurgency operations.
  3. The cloud computing contracts are seen as linking the CIA's cloud contract and the Pentagon's JWCC initiative, suggesting a bridge between intelligence and military operations.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 12 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are stealthy and sophisticated cyberattacks that aim to gain unauthorized access and remain undetected for prolonged periods, typically orchestrated by skilled threat actors like nation-state groups or cybercrime syndicates.
  2. Microsoft Sentinel provides a cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution that offers intelligent security analytics, threat intelligence, and the ability to collect and analyze data at scale.
  3. To combat APTs effectively, organizations can utilize Microsoft Sentinel to connect data sources, use workbooks for monitoring, analytics rules for correlating alerts into incidents, playbooks for automating common tasks, and hunting queries for proactively searching for threats.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate a DNS Spoofing Attack with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 11 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. DNS spoofing, also known as DNS cache poisoning, can lead to serious consequences like compromising credentials and exposing confidential information.
  2. Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM solution that offers benefits like intelligent security analytics, scalability, and cost reduction compared to legacy solutions.
  3. To detect and mitigate DNS spoofing attacks using Microsoft Sentinel, you can leverage features like built-in connectors, workbooks for monitoring data, analytics rules, playbooks for automated workflows, and custom logic creation.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate Session Token Stealing Attacks with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 06 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Session token stealing attacks can lead to unauthorized access, data theft, account takeover, and other malicious activities.
  2. To detect session token stealing attacks, Microsoft Sentinel offers a comprehensive solution using advanced analytics, threat intelligence, and automation.
  3. Mitigate session token stealing by using HTTPS encryption, secure cookies, short-lived session tokens, strong passwords, multifactor authentication, and other security measures.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Attacks with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 21 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. XSS attacks can be classified into three main types: Stored XSS, Reflected XSS, and DOM-based XSS, each with unique methods of execution and potential risks.
  2. To effectively detect and mitigate XSS attacks, it's crucial to understand common attack vectors like input fields, URL parameters, cookies, HTTP headers, and third-party scripts.
  3. A combination of Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Microsoft Sentinel offers robust protection against XSS attacks, providing tools for detection, investigation, and response.

Google Cloud's Core Principles of System Design [System Design sundays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 04 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. A robust system design should be secure, reliable, scalable, and independent, allowing for iterative changes without disruption.
  2. Document everything to help visualize deployments, collaborate effectively, and guide future design decisions.
  3. Simplify system design, use fully managed services, decouple architecture, and strive for a stateless architecture to improve reliability and scalability.

🕵️🗺️ Where do I deploy Llama-2? 🦙🦙

LLMs for Engineers • 59 implied HN points • 22 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. There are many options for hosting Llama-2, including big names like AWS, GCP, and Azure, as well as newer providers like Lambda Labs and CoreWeave. Each has its own pricing and GPU options.
  2. Understanding how much you plan to use Llama-2 is important. This helps you decide whether to use a cloud service provider or a function-based option like Replicate.
  3. Cost-effectiveness varies with different providers. For low usage, function providers can be cheaper, but for higher usage, CSPs might save you money in the long run.

Building Identity Resolution on Snowflake Using Snowpark

Sonal’s Newsletter • 58 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Building ML pipelines in Snowpark requires using third-party libraries like scikit-learn for machine learning.
  2. Integrating specialized functionalities like graph processing in Snowpark may require additional support or custom solutions.
  3. Adapting a codebase from Apache Spark to Snowpark requires careful consideration and potential restructuring to maintain efficiency and avoid technical debt.

The Future of Tech: Less-Hyped AI & Vibe Coding Out of Critical Systems?

ppdispatch • 8 implied HN points • 25 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Linus Torvalds thinks vibe coding can be useful for learning but shouldn't be used for important software projects. It's a fun way for beginners to experiment, but it can lead to maintenance problems later.
  2. Cloudflare experienced a major outage that affected many popular services like X and OpenAI due to a faulty feature file. This highlights the fragility of web infrastructure and the need for robust systems.
  3. Google is tightening security for Android developers due to rising scams. They're making it easier for students and hobbyists to experiment while also ensuring that bad actors can't easily distribute harmful apps.

Cloud Shared Responsibility Model: Time for an (R)Evolution?

Resilient Cyber • 119 implied HN points • 27 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. The Shared Responsibility Model (SRM) explains that cloud customers and service providers each have their own security duties. Customers need to understand their roles to prevent most data breaches, which are often due to customer mistakes.
  2. Google Cloud introduced the idea of 'Shared Fate,' encouraging cloud providers to take an active role in helping customers secure their environments. This shift acknowledges that both sides must work together for better security outcomes.
  3. There are growing concerns about the risks of relying on a few major cloud providers. If one suffers a security issue, it can affect everyone, highlighting the need for a community approach to cloud security and trust.

GroupBy #12: AWS re:Invent 2023, Druid and ClickHouse at Lyft, Apache Hudi History

VuTrinh. • 39 implied HN points • 05 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. AWS re:Invent 2023 announced new features focused on improving data storage and processing. This includes faster storage options and AI capabilities for better data insights.
  2. Lyft switched from using Druid to ClickHouse for their analytics needs. This change was driven by a need for faster data query responses.
  3. Apache Hudi was created to help manage data in a more efficient way. It enables incremental data processing, making it easier to work with large amounts of information.

Big-Tech Silicon War Begins

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 39 implied HN points • 03 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Big tech companies are competing to create their own specialized chips for AI tasks. This is happening because they want to improve their services and performance.
  2. AWS has launched new AI chips, claiming to lead the market with over 50,000 customers already using their technology.
  3. Other tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Apple are also developing their chips, but AWS believes they are significantly ahead of the competition.

Scaling Distributed Systems with the Scatter-Gather Pattern

Engineering At Scale • 60 implied HN points • 15 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. The Scatter-Gather pattern helps speed up data retrieval by splitting requests to multiple servers at once, rather than one after the other. This makes systems respond faster, especially when lots of data is needed.
  2. Using this pattern can improve system efficiency by preventing wasted time waiting for responses from each service. This means the system can handle more requests at once.
  3. However, implementing Scatter-Gather can be tricky. It requires careful handling of errors and managing different data sources to ensure the information is accurate and reliable.

Introducing Orchestra: rapidly Build and Monitor Data and AI Products

The Orchestra Data Leadership Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Launching a free tier for Orchestra, a tool to build and monitor data and AI products, offering a lightweight approach to improving business value and AI integration.
  2. Addressing the challenges faced by data teams in balancing business value and software engineering best practices through tools like Nessie, dbt, and emerging 'as-code' BI platforms.
  3. Providing an end-to-end platform with features like declarative pipelines, data quality monitoring, granular alert control, and asset-based data lineage to empower data teams in accelerating their initiatives.

Don't wait until it's not messy

Sunday Letters • 99 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Don't wait for things to be perfect before starting something new. It's better to jump in while things are a bit messy.
  2. As an engineer or creator, focusing on solutions is key. Look for interesting problems to solve instead of getting stuck on why things are hard.
  3. If everyone only started when it was easy, no one would ever innovate. Embrace the challenges and start building!

sqlmesh init duckdb

davidj.substack • 71 implied HN points • 03 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. There's a new public repository called bluesky-data where people can collaborate and follow along with its development. It's easy to get started by setting it up on your local machine.
  2. Using sqlmesh with the Bluesky data can provide real-time data availability, while also allowing for a more complete view of the data in a batch processing style. This means you can get both immediate updates and historical data.
  3. It's better to start with dlt and then initialize sqlmesh within that project. This way, you can efficiently manage large datasets without needing to compute everything each time.

Scaling the $10 Trillion Illusion & LLMs as the Dead End?

ppdispatch • 5 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Senior engineers excel at turning vague problems into clear plans, helping teams take action and avoid confusion.
  2. Decisions about programming languages often stem from personal biases, leading to costly mistakes instead of rational choices.
  3. Rushing AI development without proper foundations can create significant technical debt and unexpected costs, showing that speed isn't everything.

Which Llama-2 Inference API should I use?

LLMs for Engineers • 39 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. TogetherAI was found to perform the best overall in terms of cost, speed, and accuracy, closely followed by MosaicML.
  2. It's important to understand your specific needs when choosing an API, like cost and speed requirements, to find the best fit.
  3. Experimenting with system prompts can lead to major improvements in performance, so don't hesitate to try different settings!

GroupBy #7: The rise of data engineer, levels of abstractions, data modeling

VuTrinh. • 39 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Data engineers are becoming more important in the tech world as they handle vast amounts of data. Their role is focused on building systems that allow for efficient data handling and analysis.
  2. Levels of abstraction in data engineering can be confusing, leading to challenges in understanding systems. It’s important to find a balance between using abstractions and being able to see the underlying processes.
  3. Good data modeling practices can help organizations make better use of their time-series data. Understanding how to structure data effectively is key to unlocking its value.

GroupBy #23: Meta loves Python, How Uber Serves Over 40 Million Reads Per Second from Online Storage Using an Integrated Cache

VuTrinh. • 19 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Meta is heavily invested in Python, and they're working on improvements to enhance its performance and usability.
  2. Uber has developed a powerful database called Docstore that can handle over 40 million reads per second, demonstrating their capability in data management.
  3. Data, while useful, doesn't capture the complete reality, and it's important to recognize its limitations in understanding complex scenarios.

Illumina Sequencers On The Internet

ASeq Newsletter • 65 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Many Illumina sequencers are publicly accessible on the internet, which is a security risk. It's important to check if your sequencer is securely configured.
  2. About 15% of the sequencers tested had no user management enabled, allowing potentially unauthorized access. This means someone could view or even modify the data without permission.
  3. Most of the exposed instruments were located in the US, including instances at UCSD. It's crucial for owners to ensure their devices are not left vulnerable online.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate Rare Domains Seen in Cloud Logs

Rod’s Blog • 39 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Rare domains in cloud logs can indicate malicious activities like command and control communication, phishing, or data exfiltration.
  2. Microsoft Sentinel offers a built-in hunting query to identify rare domains and mitigate potential security incidents.
  3. By using automation and orchestration in Microsoft Sentinel, organizations can efficiently respond to and manage incidents related to rare domains in cloud logs.

Creating a Security Posture Report for a Specific Azure Subscription

Rod’s Blog • 19 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. Creating a security posture report for a specific Azure subscription provides enhanced visibility into the security state of assets and workloads, aiding in identifying potential vulnerabilities.
  2. The report includes guidance for improvement with hardening recommendations to help efficiently enhance security posture.
  3. Azure Secure Score assists in prioritizing security recommendations for effective triage to enhance security posture and align with compliance standards.

Rain or Shine for Alibaba Cloud?

Tech Buzz China Insider • 59 implied HN points • 03 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. In the Chinese cloud computing market, Alibaba Cloud leads and is more profitable compared to Tencent and Huawei due to its robust products and market fit.
  2. Alibaba Cloud has evolved sales strategies over time, shifting from a product-driven approach to catering to traditional enterprises and government clients.
  3. The future growth of the cloud sector, including for Alibaba Cloud, is expected in areas like AI and EVs, with significant investments being made in these sectors.

Breaking Down the DoD Software Modernization Strategy

Resilient Cyber • 79 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing
  1. The Department of Defense (DoD) wants to modernize its software to keep up with technology and improve national security. They plan to deliver software that is reliable and fast to adapt to changing needs.
  2. A key part of the strategy is embracing cloud technologies and making sure software can withstand and recover from issues. This means investing in modern tech and improving processes to speed up software delivery.
  3. To achieve these goals, the DoD recognizes the importance of updating how it trains and manages its workforce. They need to make sure their team is skilled and ready to adapt to new technologies and ways of working.