AI is here and now, and enterprise leaders are expected to act on it, but the dilemma is controlling the AI cost curve. Whether the goal is to improve operations, support customer-facing innovation, or explore new revenue channels, the financial realities of AI infrastructure can’t be ignored.

GPU-heavy workloads required for training and inference are some of the most resource-intensive systems IT teams will ever run. Many organizations start their AI initiatives in the public cloud because it’s accessible and quick to get started. However, convenience often comes at the cost of control. Unpredictable billing, performance variability, and strict data compliance requirements force many companies to rethink their approach. In many cases, they are bringing workloads back on-prem.

There is a more innovative way forward. Private Cloud AI (PCAI) from HPE delivers the flexibility AI teams want with the predictability and control that enterprise IT leaders need. Powered by HPE GreenLake and backed by NVIDIA, PCAI allows organizations to run demanding AI workloads in-house without sacrificing speed or scale.

Let’s explore how PCAI helps IT leaders make AI work on their terms, within their budget.

PCAI: Built to Bring AI Back Home

Public cloud GPU instances are among the priciest SKUs in any CSP catalog. Training large language models or running inference at scale can lead to runaway costs that are hard to predict or contain. This is especially problematic in AI, where teams often don’t know upfront how much compute they’ll need.

As one of our experts shared during a recent , customers regularly discover that their cloud AI bills become unsustainable before they’ve even proven their model. Despite fully committing to a cloud-first strategy, some organizations are shifting AI workloads back in-house due to the high cost of public cloud GPU consumption.

HPE Private Cloud AI was purpose-built to address these pain points. It offers a pre-configured private cloud platform optimized for enterprise AI workloads delivered with the same consumption-based model that IT teams appreciate in public cloud, but with clear boundaries and cost control.

With HPE PCAI, organizations can:

• Predict and control AI infrastructure spend. With HPE GreenLake metering and capacity planning tools, IT leaders gain full transparency into resource consumption with no surprise bills and no overprovisioned environments.
  
• Stop runaway GPU costs at the source. Unlike the cloud, where you can spin up GPU instances indefinitely, PCAI imposes a physical limit based on your deployed infrastructure. This introduces a natural hard stop that prevents uncontrolled spending.
  
• Bring compute to the data. Whether for data governance reasons (HIPAA, GDPR, PCI) or to enable real-time edge use cases, PCAI keeps sensitive data within your organization’s four walls while still supporting advanced AI processing.
  
• Speed time to value. With set sized deployments (small, medium, large, XL) aligned to common use cases, from inferencing and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to model training, PCAI helps teams get started fast with an architecture that’s production-ready out of the box.

GreenLake and OpsRamp: Built-in Cost Control and Monitoring

Private cloud AI’s significant strength lies in its integration with HPE GreenLake and OpsRamp  They give IT leaders the tools to manage AI workloads with greater financial and operational precision.

HPE GreenLake provides a cloud-style consumption model for on-premises infrastructure. Instead of significant capital investments, you pay based on actual usage. What sets HPE GreenLake apart is the transparency it delivers. Metering allows you to track usage in real time, forecast future spend, and plan capacity based on actual trends rather than assumptions.

OpsRamp, which is a software-as-a-service that provides an IT operations management platform (ITOM) for modern IT environments), complements this by offering intelligent monitoring across your AI infrastructure. IT teams gain the ability to monitor system health, detect idle GPU instances, and reallocate resources to where they are needed most. This level of insight helps avoid the budget waste often seen in cloud environments, where unused instances can quietly run in the background for months.

Cost governance is essential for enterprise leaders trying to justify enterprise AI investment. Success is not just about building powerful models. It is also about deploying and managing them in a way that aligns with financial and operational goals.

Making AI Accessible for More Enterprises

There is a common misconception that meaningful AI adoption requires hyperscale infrastructure or hyperscale budgets. That is no longer true.

Private cloud AI makes enterprise-level innovation more accessible by removing the complexity of building and maintaining custom AI infrastructure. It combines validated hardware, software, and services into a modular platform that is ready for production. Organizations do not need to source and integrate separate tools. Private cloud AI delivers a curated solution backed by trusted vendors.

Included in the PCAI stack are:

• HPE AI Essentials, offering tools for data engineering, automation, and model lifecycle management
• NVIDIA AI Enterprise and NIMs, delivering pre-optimized microservices and foundational models
• EsML Data Fabric, supporting distributed data pipelines and analytics
  

As a Platinum HPE partner, WEI ensures that your AI infrastructure is implemented with best practices and long-term support in mind. Infrastructure teams benefit from a manageable platform while data science teams gain access to tools they already know and use.

Even better, PCAI deployments can be fully operational in just a few days. A fast start matters when organizations must prove enterprise AI’s value in a compressed timeline.

Edge to Cloud AI: Power Where It’s Needed Most

AI adoption is increasingly driven by use cases that extend beyond the data center. Real-time analysis, decision-making at the point of data creation, and compliance with data residency requirements all point to a shift toward edge-to-cloud strategies.

Private cloud AI platforms like HPE PCAI make these architectures feasible. For healthcare providers, this means analyzing patient data at the bedside. For manufacturers, it enables intelligent automation on the factory floor. In both cases, inference must happen quickly, locally, and securely.

By processing data where it originates, edge-to-cloud AI reduces latency and helps meet data privacy requirements. It also keeps sensitive workloads off the public cloud when regulations or cost control demand it.

HPE GreenLake extends these capabilities by delivering consistent infrastructure and governance across locations. Whether your AI infrastructure runs in the core, the cloud, or at the edge, the platform provides a single pane of management. With WEI as your HPE partner, you have support every step of the way.

Watch: Moving From Concept to Outcomes With WEI & HPE PCAI

Designed for the Speed of AI

PCAI was built with adaptability in mind. From development to deployment, it supports modern AI infrastructure and MLOps workflows. Updates and new capabilities are delivered through HPE GreenLake, making it easy to stay aligned with the latest advancements without burdening internal IT.

This approach allows organizations to scale from basic inference to more advanced workloads without reinvesting in a completely new platform. Whether the goal is to explore retrieval-augmented generation or fine-tune a large model, PCAI provides the foundation.

With the right HPE partner, it is also easier to integrate new tools and strategies into your roadmap. WEI helps organizations future-proof their investments and align their AI initiatives with broader business goals.

Final Thoughts

AI is already on the roadmap for most enterprise organizations. The question is how to execute in a way that makes sense for both the business and the IT team. The wrong infrastructure or deployment model can lead to delays, cost overruns, and performance limitations.

HPE Private cloud AI offers an alternative to the unpredictable nature of cloud-first approaches. With a consumption model, built-in observability, and full control over your AI infrastructure, PCAI allows organizations to innovate with confidence.

WEI helps enterprise teams evaluate, deploy, and optimize PCAI based on their goals. Whether you want to implement an edge-to-cloud strategy, repatriate cloud workloads, or start your AI journey with a reliable foundation, our team can help.

Let’s talk about how to make your AI roadmap actionable and sustainable, starting with the right platform, the right partners, and the right approach.

Next Steps: Accelerate your AI roadmap. Get the full WEI tech brief: . Learn how WEI and HPE can help you go from stalled to scaled.  

The post How Private Cloud AI Helps Enterprises Take Control of Unpredictable GPU Costs appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

If you’re responsible for IT strategy in a healthcare organization, you’re already managing a high-stakes balancing act: sensitive patient data needs to be protected, clinical operations must run without disruption, and compliance with regulations like HIPAA is non-negotiable. On top of this, your users expect fast and secure access to systems, whether they’re in a hospital wing or working remotely.

This is where unified SASE proves essential. It offers a cloud-delivered solution that integrates network access, data protection, and identity controls, thus replacing the fragmented security tools commonly used. For large, distributed healthcare networks, this represents a strategic enhancement over traditional security models.

Let’s explore how unified SASE addresses the realities of current healthcare security and why it offers a practical, scalable model for organizations of all sizes.

The Fragmentation Problem In Healthcare IT

Healthcare IT environments are among the most demanding in any industry. The increasing number of electronic medical records, connected medical devices, telehealth platforms, and external partners expands the digital attack surface annually. Add in multi-site operations and thousands of endpoints, and maintaining control becomes difficult without the right architecture.

Unfortunately, many organizations still rely on a patchwork of security vendors and perimeter-based defenses. These legacy setups are increasingly difficult to manage. According to Gartner, are deploying innovations faster than they can secure them. For healthcare, where patient safety and trust are highly valuable, that gap carries a serious risk.

More organizations are simplifying their security stack to address this. Gartner projects that will actively pursue vendor consolidation strategies. A unified approach reduces complexity and costs, and improves the consistency of protection across the enterprise. This is precisely why implementing SASE in healthcare organizations is becoming a top priority.

Listen: Reviewing Fortinet Security Fabric, FortiGate Firewall

Why Unified SASE Matters

Unified SASE delivers network connectivity and advanced security services through a single cloud-delivered platform. It combines secure web gateways, cloud access security brokers, firewalls, and ZTNA into one system that is easier to manage and deploy.

For healthcare leaders, this brings several key advantages:

1. Secure remote access: Clinicians and staff can securely access patient data and systems from any device, whether on-site or off-site.
2. Built-in threat protection: Ransomware, phishing, and other threats are identified and mitigated in real time.
3. Centralized management: Administrators can define and enforce policies across the entire network from a single console.
4. Improved compliance: Standardized controls and reporting support compliance with HIPAA and other regulations.

When used to support SASE for hospital network security, this architecture eliminates the inconsistencies and blind spots often found in legacy environments.

Zero Trust: Applying Clinical Discipline To Cybersecurity

Zero Trust is a familiar concept in healthcare. In physical settings like surgical suites and hospitals, access is strictly limited to those with the right credentials and training. No one walks into an operating room without being identified, verified, and cleared. The same principle should apply to your network.

ZTNA, which is a foundational component of unified SASE platforms, operates on the same principle. This reduces the risk of lateral movement and ensures only verified users reach sensitive data and applications.

In practice, SASE architecture for healthcare networks using Zero Trust enforces policies such as:

• Role-based access controls
• Multi-factor authentication
• Endpoint posture checks
• Micro-segmentation around high-value data

For example, Fortinet’s ZTNA solution offers identity-aware access across locations, helping protect data regardless of where users are connecting from. These safeguards mirror the precision healthcare environment’s demand in clinical workflows.

Simplifying Security

Today’s healthcare systems span hospitals, clinics, labs, and telehealth services. Providing secure access across all these sites while maintaining consistent user experiences is difficult without a unified solution.

Unified SASE helps by consolidating all security and networking functions into one solution. Healthcare IT teams benefit from:

• A single platform for security policy enforcement
• Reliable performance for cloud and on-prem applications
• Modern secure access that replaces outdated VPNs
• Simplified operations with fewer tools to maintain

Take Fortinet’s FortiSASE as an example. It includes a unified agent and FortiManager console that allow administrators to enforce policies, monitor endpoints, and respond to threats across all locations. This model fits perfectly with the growing demand for secure access to cloud-based services in healthcare.

For organizations implementing SASE in healthcare environments, this approach reduces friction and helps maintain trust across every level of care delivery.

Addressing Key Security Challenges

Unified SASE directly tackles some of the most persistent issues facing healthcare IT leaders. Below are real-world challenges many organizations face, and how a unified solution helps resolve them:

• Challenge: Disconnected security tools increase complexity and risk.
• Solution: Unified SASE brings networking and security together under a single platform. This reduces operational overhead, eliminates silos, and simplifies policy enforcement across all sites and users.
  
• Challenge: Remote and mobile staff need reliable, secure access.
• Solution: With integrated ZTNA, Unified SASE ensures clinicians, administrators, and contractors connect securely from any location. Access is based on identity and device posture, limiting exposure while supporting continuity of care.
  
• Challenge: Meeting ongoing compliance and audit demands.
• Solution: Centralized policy management and consistent access controls help ensure alignment with HIPAA and other regulatory requirements. Detailed logging and reporting make audit preparation more manageable.
  
• Challenge: Limited in-house security expertise.
• Solution: Unified SASE reduces the number of tools IT teams must manage. A centralized interface makes it easier to monitor, respond, and adapt thus freeing staff to focus on mission-critical initiatives without compromising security.

Final Thoughts

Healthcare organizations need more than tools; they need strategy, support, and expertise that align with the urgency of their mission. Unified SASE provides the structure to protect your digital perimeter while empowering your teams to work securely and efficiently across every care setting.

As Fortinet’s most comprehensive partner in the Northeastern U.S., WEI is a trusted partner for healthcare providers making the transition to unified SASE. WEI offers deep experience in SASE architecture for healthcare networks and helps organizations like yours protect what matters most through solution design, deployment, and ongoing support.

Talk to our team of experts today to explore how Unified SASE can simplify your environment, reduce risk, and secure every part of your healthcare network.

Next Steps: The expansion and non-stop merging of healthcare organizations across multiple locations necessitates manageable and flexible access controls. In our free tech brief, discover why cloud-delivered SASE is ideally suited to meet the unique needs of today’s healthcare industry.

This free tech brief explores:

• Why healthcare is an ideal use case for SASE
• Importance of a universal cybersecurity experience
• Introduction to FortiSASE
• Importance of Zero Trust

your free copy!

The post SASE Architecture For Healthcare Networks: The Future Of Secure, Connected Care appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

In the modern healthcare ecosystem, data plays a critical role. From storing patient records and managing finances to facilitating research and developing treatment plans, this information forms the lifeblood of the industry. It goes beyond the common data pulls for medical histories and financial details, as it also encompasses vital research findings, drug trial results, and personalized treatment plans – all essential for individual well-being and scientific advancement. However, this treasure trove attracts attackers, threatening patient privacy and trust, hindering care, and compromising the entire healthcare system.

What can healthcare organizations do? We’ll delve into the modern challenges they face, and solutions they can take to build a more secure healthcare landscape.

Challenges In Healthcare

Healthcare institutions face an uphill battle: balancing cutting-edge technology with robust cybersecurity measures. In recent years, there have been on these organizations due to these common challenges:

1. The use of outdated VPNs. This fails to adequately protect user and patient information against ransomware, phishing, malware, and other cyber threats.
2. Relying on a patchwork of cybersecurity solutions and vendors, both on-premises and off-site. This leads to high operational costs, antiquated operations, lagging detection and response, and unnecessary complexity.
3. Maintaining a high level of cyber resiliency across different environments, such as on-site and work-from-anywhere setups. Simplifying the structure is crucial for compliance and reducing the overall attack surface. While clinical staff may be working on-site, many non-clinical staff are still working remotely, and often within departments executing critical data flows.

Fortifying the healthcare system’s digital defenses requires a multi-pronged approach involving the adoption of reliable software solutions and updates, paired with comprehensive staff education. By safeguarding patient privacy and enabling the uninterrupted delivery of high-quality care, cybersecurity is not merely an option – it’s an essential investment.

Key Impacts Of SASE

Traditional security approaches struggle to keep pace with the evolving healthcare landscape. Enter Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), a revolutionary solution promising a paradigm shift in safeguarding sensitive medical data. We’ve identified five key aspects of SASE and their impact on healthcare security. Let’s explore:

1. Unified Security Approach: SASE unifies network and security in the cloud to streamline and scale management and boost healthcare IT security. Sticking with old methods leaves organizations exposed, making SASE’s holistic and modern approach crucial for healthcare.
2. Zero Trust Principles: Healthcare institutions can minimize insider threats and boost security by adopting Zero Trust, a model rejecting inherent trust and emphasizing constant verification and monitoring. This is a topic we’ve covered plenty in recent time, and this practice is only growing more prevalent across all industries.
3. Cloud-Native Security: Cloud-native security scales dynamically, protecting healthcare data as volumes soar. This flexible approach safeguards sensitive information through the power of cloud technology.
4. Endpoint Security: In the face of devastating breaches, robust antivirus and frequent updates are vital to fortify devices against cyberattacks.
5. AI-Driven Threat Detection: AI-powered threat detection analyzes data in real-time as well as forecasts actions for future threats. This helps spot anomalies and respond to security threats as they emerge.

In the realm of , SASE addresses various challenges in the industry by providing secure access and high-performance connectivity to users in various locations. However, many SASE solutions fail to provide consistent cybersecurity or seamlessly integrate with existing network and security tools.

Considering Universal SASE In The Healthcare Sector?

Universal SASE provides consistent cybersecurity and optimal experiences, safeguarding all users, devices, and edges, including microbranches. Built on a single-vendor approach like Fortinet’s , it offers a comprehensive solution by integrating SD-WAN with cloud-delivered security services. This approach ensures optimal and secure connectivity for all.

FortiSASE employs a distinctive secure networking approach driven by a singular operating system known as FortiOS. Augmented by , this strategy enables Fortinet to seamlessly integrate security and networking with the following functionalities:

• Streamlined Management: Simplify both networking and cybersecurity policy administration through a consolidated agent, enhancing operational efficiency.
• Consistent And Flexible Security Everywhere: Fortinet solutions ensure consistent security for both on-site and remote users, minimizing security vulnerabilities and simplifying configuration tasks. Fortinet Secure SD-WAN enables organizations to secure and transform their on-premises WAN while extending security into the cloud with FortiSASE.
• Real-Time Threat Protection: and FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services provide immediate defense against cyber threats.
• User-Friendly Licensing: Fortinet offers straightforward user-based licensing and user-friendly management and monitoring tools.
• Unified Endpoint Protection: Leveraging FortiClient, FortiSASE delivers all cybersecurity services, safeguarding endpoints and providing remote access, telemetry, and visibility within the Fortinet Security Fabric.
• Secure Private Access: FortiSASE offers secure private access capabilities that seamlessly integrate with SD-WAN networks, utilizing intelligent steering and dynamic routing to ensure optimal access to corporate applications.
• Secure Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Access: Addressing the challenges of shadow IT and data exfiltration, FortiSASE provides secure SaaS access with a dual-mode CASB, offering both inline and API-based support. It delivers comprehensive visibility by identifying critical SaaS applications and identifying risky ones, thus mitigating shadow IT risks.
• Enhanced User Experience: Through SD-WAN, organizations can enhance application experience, connectivity, and operational efficiency, ultimately improving user satisfaction.

Final Thoughts

Healthcare organizations need secure and reliable network access, especially with distributed teams and cloud-based applications. FortiSASE offers a high-performance, scalable, and globally-spanning cloud network with a single-vendor SASE approach. This means broad coverage, easy scalability, and streamlined operations, freeing your healthcare teams to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional patient care.

WEI’s team of experts is ready to support you and your organization in your cybersecurity and business goals. Contact us to get started.

Next steps: Managing and securing data, applications, and systems has become more arduous and time-consuming with the rise of cloud adoption and the expansion of the digital attack surface. To help remedy this, FortiAnalyzer offers a powerful log management, analytics, and reporting platform that features a single console to manage, orchestrate, and respond. Download our free tech brief below to read.

The post Redefining Healthcare Security With A Single-Vendor SASE Solution appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

As a business owner, you’ve finally stepped into the digital world by setting up an online store or deploying a remote workforce model. Here’s the deal: going digital means you are prioritizing end-user flexibility, but how far up is cybersecurity on your list? Just like locking up your brick-and-mortar store or office at night, safeguarding all digital assets and user information stored in the cloud is critically important.

In today’s digital-first world, data breaches and complex cyber threats are present everywhere, making headlines on a regular basis. Organizations are now faced with a challenge: improve their data protection strategies while embracing the agility of hybrid cloud environments. In this article, we delve into the current threat landscape, explore how security is adapting to the cloud era, and identify a vision for a more secure future.

Understanding Cybersecurity Challenges

Cyberattacks are no longer isolated incidents. They’ve become increasingly sophisticated and often motivated by financial gain. Because they occur frequently, organizations now grapple with these three significant challenges:

1. The Expanding Attack Surface: Cyber threats manifest in various forms, ranging from phishing emails to supply chain hacks, and it’s an ongoing battle to keep information safe. Picture this: at one of the largest tech companies’ security operations center, they prevent, detect, respond, and analyze an astounding . If this level of threat activity affects an established company , just imagine the challenges faced by others, including government organizations and local municipalities.
2. Hybrid Cloud Challenges: Security must adapt as companies embrace hybrid cloud architectures. While the cloud offers flexibility and scalability, it also introduces risks. It is the responsibility of every individual within the company, not just the IT teams, to proactively implement measures for mitigating potential cyberattacks. Employee trainings on cyber awareness and implementing automated solutions within the SOC are just some of the many strategies enterprises are utilizing to better fortify their landscape inside and out. 
3. Closing The Experience Gap: There is a pressing demand for skilled professionals. Unfortunately, the scarcity of experienced staff poses a challenge for organizations in effectively countering cyber threats. Consequently, businesses must explore strategies to leverage their existing talent pool such as through academic partnerships and .

As organizations adopt cloud technologies, having scalable and adaptable defenses that can adapt is of utmost importance. In our exploration of the convergence between security and the edge-to-cloud continuum, let’s delve into how longtime WEI partner Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) defines the future of cybersecurity through their unique strategies.

Security As An Inherent Part Of Operations

For years, cybersecurity was often perceived as a necessary but unsexy piece to what IT offered an enterprise. Now, you would be hard-pressed to find a large enterprise where IT is not at the heart of business operations, efficiency, and reliability. More stakeholders are beginning to understand that cybersecurity must be part of a business strategy, because without a fortified security strategy and mindset, there is no business to have a strategy for. HPE has long understood this perspective. Let’s explore how they are turning this vision into reality to tackle contemporary cyber challenges:

1. Developing A Shared Responsibility Model. Historically, security operated in silos: network security, application security, and data security were separate domains. However, as companies transition from edge to cloud, the traditional siloed approach is no longer sufficient. Enterprises must shift toward a shared responsibility model, where everyone – IT teams, developers, and end-users – plays a role in safeguarding data. A shared responsibility model becomes a more holistic paradigm, and HPE advocates for collaboration and transparency to build a robust security posture. Their commitment lies in ensuring a secure edge-to-cloud experience for all stakeholders.
2. Addressing The Talent Conundrum. While hiring established cybersecurity talent remains a challenge due to high demand, relying solely on external hires isn’t the solution. Instead, companies should invest in their own talent pool. The HPE Cybersecurity Career Reboot program exemplifies this approach through continuous learning, offering upskilling opportunities, and nurturing internal talent.
   1. Upskilling And Reskilling: Encourage existing employees to acquire cybersecurity certifications through training programs and workshops.
   2. Cross-Functional Training: Foster collaboration and mutual understanding between developers and security professionals about security principles.
   3. Internship Programs: Nurturing young talent through university partnerships.
   4. Hackathons And Capture the Flag (CTF) Challenges: These hands-on events not only get the competitive juices flowing, but also help hone practical skills and promote a security-conscious culture.

Navigating modern challenges requires thinking outside the box. Organizations must carefully consider non-traditional approaches, acknowledge diverse skill sets, and develop untapped potential.

Building Security Resilience

Aside from integrating security approaches within business operations, the future demands a proactive stance.

As enterprises embark on edge-to-cloud transformations, the data security controls in stand out. Powered with HPE’s Zero Trust approach, user identity, device health, and access requests undergo various levels of verification regardless of their origin. The platform also boasts over 2,200 security controls to maintain data integrity and streamline operations in real-time. This risk-based, compliance-driven strategy ensures that security becomes a fundamental part of any business’s journey.

Final Thoughts

The edge-to-cloud journey demands a security-first mindset, and HPE’s strategies and solutions pave the way in making security principles intrinsic to organizations.

If your business is ready to take that step, it is important to look for a security partner who prioritizes and empowers diverse organizations, adheres to cybersecurity best practices, and has earned recognition for their work. Following in HPE’s footsteps, WEI champions a future-ready digital landscape through university partnerships, , staff augmentation assistance, and a comprehensive suite of security offerings. Contact us, and our team of professionals are ready to support you in navigating modern security challenges.

The post Master Today’s Cybersecurity Landscape With These Best Industry Practices appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Every day, IT leaders read articles about why their organization needs to be in the cloud. In this article, we want to lay out how the journey to the cloud has unfolded and identify how HPE continues to play a key role in defining what the cloud is becoming. While many enterprises have embarked on a cloud journey, the destination may still be on-prem.

What The Cloud Actually Is

Many enterprises advocate for a cloud-first strategy, leading to the misconception that this involves migrating everything to a nebulous, digital realm located somewhere above us. While that is one way to implement the cloud, it is an incorrect concept of what the cloud actually is.

The cloud, fundamentally, is a delivery model. It is designed and developed to access computing, storage, and networking resources in a way that ensures readiness even before there’s a demand for it. This ensures immediate availability whenever required. The cloud also aligns cost with actual usage. Instead of making heavy upfront investments in infrastructure and paying for potential future capacity that is not immediately needed, IT budgets are charged based on actual usage. This transforms IT costs into a utility-like payment model, akin to how you’re billed for water or electricity.

The core value propositions of the cloud are its delivery model and corresponding cost structure. There is just one caveat – the cloud doesn’t have be tied to a distant location that miles away from the headquarters it supports.

HPE Helped Define the Cloud

Since the cloud was first introduced, HPE has helped define it. In 2001, HP introduced their Instant Capacity (iCAP) offering, which was grounded in the principle of on-demand provisioning. Looking back on it, this was a revolutionary move. The program was reminiscent of today’s cloud concept, empowering businesses to scale their resources to meet growing demands in real time without the need to constantly buy or over provision new hardware. It sounds elementary, but HPE provided select customers with additional on-site servers in a standby mode. When a customer activated these resources, HPE would be alerted, at which point the customer was billed for that server. Subsequently, HPE would supply a replacement server to stand by for future needs. Instant Capacity would later include additional storage, memory or storage resources that could be activated when needed. This is an early and successful example of the cloud consumption model.

From there, HPE introduced self-service cloud management as companies began embracing the public cloud. Through a unified web portal, HPE customers could seamlessly oversee their entire infrastructure, facilitating the management of both on-site and cloud-based services. While the allure of the public cloud resonated with many, it wasn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Certain businesses faced regulatory constraints dictating data localization that made the public cloud less viable. Others, particularly those generating significant data at the edge, found data egress fees burdensome and economically untenable. Additionally, for some, the sheer geographical distance to the cloud services meant data transfer speeds were inadequate for their operational needs.

The question then became, how do you get the benefits of the cloud without having to go the full distance of the cloud?

HPE GreenLake filled this void by building on the principles of Instant Capacity. The objective: provide a cloud experience while keeping the infrastructure on prem or co-located. This gave HPE customers the best of both worlds. Now, enterprises can have the flexibility, scalability, and consumption-based pricing models associated with the cloud while retaining control, reducing latency, and addressing data residency concerns. In other words, you dictate where the cloud resides.

A Predictable Buffer

What HPE gave its customers in the early days was a buffer, and HPE GreenLake continues that legacy today by providing a 10 – 20% buffer to ensure that customers stay ahead of the curve. IT demands always fluctuate and are never linear in nature. As a result, a 3-5 year purchasing cycle struggles to adapt to the unpredictable ebbs and flows of demand. By delivering hardware, software and expertise as-a-Service, your business can remain in that sweet spot that works best for it. Not only can you save your capital for better uses than buying equipment outright, but your internal IT staff can focus on driving your business through continued innovation rather than perpetual planning, onboarding, and maintenance. And HPE’s commitment to innovation continues as it continues to evolve to incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning operations.

WEI As A Valued Partner

WEI has been evolving along with HPE throughout this journey. As a value-added service provider, our team is equipped to manage a wide range of tasks for you, including system patching and firmware upgrades. Should you require expert assistance in design and capacity planning, our teams have extensive experience collaborating with businesses across various industries and verticals.

Reach out to us today to discover how you can leverage the benefits of the cloud without ever leaving the building.

The post Charting Responsive Shifts In The Cloud Evolution appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

With the rise of hybrid workplaces, software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WANs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their scalability, cost-efficiency, and improved user experiences. Organizations must be prepared by taking advantage of centralized SD-WAN platforms to remain resilient during times of crisis. In an earlier article, we covered the reasons why your enterprise needs a centralized SD-WAN platform. This article examines five key SD-WAN trends that organizations need to incorporate into their SD-WAN strategy to rebound from current challenges and thrive in the future.

1. Cloud Adoption And Modernization

In the face of digital transformation and a worldwide pandemic, businesses are increasingly reliant on cloud computing. This shift away from data centers has led organizations to require reliable wide area network connections for secure traffic routing directly to the cloud. This is where SD-WAN solutions come in.

SD-WAN technology is revolutionizing the way IT departments operate, enabling them to modernize their networks and keep pace with digital transformation. With SD-WAN connections, businesses can leverage more cost-effective internet or 5G/LTE options while still delivering a superior user experience compared to traditional WAN models that rely on backhauling.

SD-WAN is also altering the way businesses route their traffic, allowing for improved flexibility and optimization. Through intelligent steering of resources and SaaS techniques enabled by machine learning algorithms, organizations can take advantage of a network-as-a-service model to gain maximum benefit from SD-WAN solutions.

2. VPN Alternative

As more and more employees work remotely, traditional VPNs are falling out of favor in the corporate world. SD-WAN solutions have emerged as a viable alternative that provides an enhanced level of security for remote users trying to access enterprise networks. With these advancements, businesses can provide their staff with secure connections to vital resources no matter where they choose to work from.

However, VPNs aren’t completely a thing of the past. These days, enterprises are adopting a multifaceted approach to their networks, combining SDN, zero-trust security models, cutting-edge SD-WAN technology, and even classic VPNs. By harnessing these tools together, companies ensure secure connections for both employees working remotely and workers onsite.

3. Significant Cybersecurity Increase

In the past few years, cyberattacks have become a rapidly growing epidemic with devastating consequences. Last year alone saw an alarming spike in malicious online activity compared to the previous one – leaving businesses and individuals vulnerable to hackers exploiting insecure networks and inadequate security compliance measures.

In today’s digital landscape, the combination of SD-WAN and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) capabilities has become increasingly important for organizations looking to protect their data from cyberattacks. Advanced SD-WAN solutions can natively integrate with cloud security services such as SWG (Secure Web Gateway), CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker), and ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access). This enables businesses to create a secure fortress against malicious threats while simultaneously leveraging the advantages of cloud applications.

4. Hybrid Work Is Here To Stay

As the workplace continues to shift toward a hybrid environment, companies must adapt their security strategies accordingly. Centralized IT networks are becoming increasingly unsustainable, and organizations have come to recognize that they need distributed solutions for safeguarding remote connections in this new reality of hyper-distributed edges.

SD-WAN solutions, like HPE Aruba Networking’s SD-WAN platform, are enabling organizations to create a cybersecurity mesh strategy and secure every access point or device, regardless of its location. This distributed approach gives enterprises more control over cyber risks by protecting individual points instead of relying on an expansive perimeter with undefined boundaries. With SD-WAN capabilities in place, businesses can be sure that their data is safe no matter where it travels.

5. A Rise In IoT Devices

SD-WANs are essential for modern enterprise networking, connecting a growing number of devices ranging from surveillance cameras to POS terminals. These IoT solutions present unique security threats due to their simple architecture and lack of security agents. The manufacturing industry faces even greater challenges as IT and OT networks converge – something that had been avoided in the past. SD-WAN solutions offer an effective way to manage these risks while still providing reliable access across multiple locations with zero-trust architecture and dynamic segmentation. This ensures that all users, devices, and connections are secure from cyberattacks by preventing malicious code from infiltrating the enterprise network.

Conclusion

Enterprises wanting to stay ahead of the curve will have to look no further than HPE Aruba Networking’s SD-WAN solutions. With modern, secure edge-to-cloud architecture and flexible platforms tailored specifically for your use case, these innovative SD-WAN trends will help you create a foundation that’s ready to take on any challenge. Get in touch with WEI today to learn more about HPE Aruba Networking’s SD-WAN solutions and how they will empower your enterprise.

Next Steps: SD-WAN with EdgeConnect Enterprise creates more effective networking solutions that help accelerate the growth of any organization. This free tech brief identifies the three main components of HPE Aruba Networking’s powerful EdgeConnect Enterprise platform:

• Physical or Virtual SD-WAN Appliance
• HPE Aruba Networking Orchestrator
• HPE Aruba Networking Boost

The post The Top 5 SD-WAN Trends And How They Benefit Your Business appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Within the “CIO’s As-a-Service playbook,” it explains how the previous consumption-oriented model of the public cloud system changed everything. However, the previous consumption-oriented model required IT to buy service and resource capacities themselves, which introduced new risks for CIOs. These limitations were identified when contrasted with the scalability and cost efficiencies of the cloud. IT wants to deliver the public cloud experience their users crave, yet some workloads cannot make that transition and must remain on-premises for many reasons.

As-a-Service not only removes complexity, but it also speeds business outcomes and creates cost savings typically only seen with public cloud. The As-a-Service model enables rapid development of hardware, software, and services anywhere and anytime.

Basics Of The As-a-Service Model And How It Works

The As-a-Service model is an on-demand service available in a pay-per use format. There is no upfront capital investment; instead, CIOs utilize resources and pay for what is actually being used. Usage is determined based on metering technology, with units of measure aligned to the hardware and/or software being consumed.

The As-a-Service model mimics the public cloud experience, but in your own environment or co-location facility. In traditional environments, it’s difficult to predict how much infrastructure will be needed but with the new model it is now easier to scale up or down on-demand. Most organizations over-provision for storage capacity, according to . With the improved forecasting and use of IT resources, the As-a-Service model makes a significant difference.

With this model, companies can get the same cloud experience everywhere – in their on-premises data centers, at the edge, and in multi-cloud environments. CIOs can operate, manage, and control multiple business units and environments from one location. Companies are quickly shifting to hybrid cloud environments, where the workload placement can be determined on a best-suited basis. As a result of these changes, integrating, managing, and gaining visibility across newly complex IT infrastructures has become a challenge, making the As-a-Service model attractive to many enterprises.

Why Invest In The As-a-Service Model?

There are three value propositions for the As-a-Service model. First, in the “CIO’s As-A-Service Playbook“ Jason James, a CIO Net Health professional states, “In the next 12 to 18 months, many CIOs are going to focus as heavily on cost optimization as they are on digital transformation.” By paying only for the capacity that is actually used, CIOs can get a better handle on budgeting and forecasting and avoid the risk of over-provisioning resources.

Second, a study by found undoubtedly faster time to market among users of As-a-Service models. The ability to quickly scale on demand brought efficiencies in meeting deadlines. Additionally, it enabled business units to develop products, applications, and launch new projects even faster than before.

Finally, by optimizing costs and speeding project delivery, IT organizations can focus on more strategic tasks. In the “CIO’s As-A-Service Playbook Paige Francis, a CIO at the University of Tulsa states, “It seems by eliminating the need to manage the hardware piece and the budget piece, more time can be spent on focusing on our users, carving out exactly what they need – without having to spend time worrying about the transition period of one piece of hardware to the next piece of hardware.” Francis also explained that the beauty of the As-a-Service model is when companies can quickly deploy infrastructure and optimize their data centers for fast delivery.

How HPE GreenLake Works With As-a-Service

Many enterprise’s applications and data aren’t appropriate for the public cloud. They are still on-premises for a variety of reasons – security, compliance, governance, or legacy entanglement issues. However, this doesn’t mean these workloads can’t achieve the same cloud experience. Enterprises are switching to more hybrid cloud experiences like HPE GreenLake.

On June 18, 2021 HPE announced plans to offer by 2022. HPE GreenLake offers a wide range of cloud services delivered to your data center, co-location facility, or edge location. It provides the agility and economics of public cloud with the security and performance of on-premises IT. With HPE GreenLake, companies can centralized operations and insights across their entire hybrid IT estate using the As-a-Service platform.

works by allowing you to choose your cloud services. They offer a wide range of pre-configured services like VMs, storage, compute, data protection, or SAP HANA. Additionally, you only pay for what you consume. This allows CIOs to free up capital and gain financial flexibility for their business units to take on new ventures and operations. HPE GreenLake allows you to scale with ease with an installed buffer of capacity.

Are You Looking To Transition Into An As-a-Service Model?

HPE is a global technology leader focused on developing intelligent solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data from edge to cloud. HPE enables CIOs to provide a seamless cloud experience everywhere with its As-a-Service model. If you’re ready to make the change now, contact WEI to begin building a custom solution for your business.

NEXT STEPS: Read our blog on other new announcements at HPE.

The post How HPE’s “CIO’s As-A-Service Playbook” Improves The Business Environment appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

On September 28, 2021, HPE announced a for HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform. This platform provides customers with unmatched capabilities to power digital transformation for their applications and data.

These modernizations will further accelerate HPE’s transition to a cloud services company, and give customers greater choice and freedom for their business and IT strategy in the hybrid work environment.

This announcement represents HPE’s entry into three large, high-growth software markets – unified analytics, data protection, and Adoption Framework.

What The New Cloud Services Are

The three new offerings, which add to the growing platform of HPE GreenLake cloud services, allow customers to innovate with agility at lower costs.

The new innovations are as follows:

• : Open and unified analytics cloud services to modernize all data and applications everywhere – on-premises, at the edge, and in the cloud. HPE GreenLake for analytics will be available in the beginning of 2022.
• : Disaster recovery and backup cloud services to help customers address ransomware head-on and secure data from edge-to-cloud. HPE GreenLake for data protection will be available in the beginning of 2022.
• : A comprehensive, proven set of methodologies, expertise, and automation tools to accelerate and de-risk the path to a cloud experience everywhere. The HPE Edge-to-Cloud Adoption Framework is available now.

How HPE GreenLake Analytics Are Optimized For Hybrid Environments

This is HPE GreenLake’s first cloud-native unified analytics and data cloud services optimized for hybrid environments. The analytics enable customers to accelerate modernization initiatives. They are built to be cloud-native which avoids complex data migrations to the public cloud. Now analytics and data science teams can leverage the industry’s first cloud-native solution on premises, scale up Apache Spark lakehouses, and speed up AI and ML workflows.

Included in the new are:

• HPE Ezmeral Unified Analytics: Modernized analytics and data lakehouse platform optimized for on-premises deployment.

• HPE Ezmeral Data Fabric Object Store: Kubernetes-native object store optimized for analytics performance, providing access to all data sets within edge to cloud.
• Expanding HPE Ezmeral Partner Ecosystem: Delivers a rapidly growing set of successful solutions from ISV partners that enable customers to build their analytics engines.

How HPE GreenLake Data Protection Innovation Protects Customers’ Data

Within the September 28 , HPE entered the rapidly growing data protection As-a-Service market with HPE GreenLake for data protection. The new cloud services are designed to modernize data protection, overcome ransomware attacks, and deliver faster data recovery.

The new include:

• HPE Backup and Recovery Service: Backup as a service offering that provides policy-based automation to backup and protect customers’ virtual machines across hybrid cloud environments, eliminating the complexities of managing backup hardware
• HPE GreenLake for Disaster Recovery: HPE plans to deliver Zerto’s industry-leading disaster recovery as a service through HPE GreenLake to help customers recover in minutes from ransomware attacks.

How HPE Adoption Framework Accelerates Cloud Experience

HPE has also a proven set of methodologies and automation tools to enable enterprises to take a data-driven approach to achieve the optimal operation model across all hybrid work environments – the HPE Edge-to-Cloud Adoption Framework.

The HPE Edge-to-Cloud Adoption Framework leverages HPE’s expertise in delivering solutions on-premises to meet a broad range of business needs for customers across the globe. HPE has identified multiple critical areas that enterprises should consider and measure to accomplish an effective cloud operating system.

Are You Interested In HPE’s New Cloud Services?

HPE is a global edge-to-cloud company helping organizations accelerate outcomes by unlocking value from all of their data. Built on decades of reimagining and innovating, HPE delivers unique, open and intelligent technology solutions. HPE’s new cloud services for the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform allows customers to accelerate innovation, deliver compelling experiences, and achieve high-level business outcomes. If you’re ready to make the change now, contact WEI to begin building a custom solution for your business.

NEXT STEPS: this executive brief to learn the power of the OpEX model for IT investments and find the middle ground for future It investments.

The post HPE Announces New Comprehensive Cloud Services For the HPE GreenLake Platform appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

While 2021 hasn’t brought a definite end to pandemic-era IT challenges like many hoped, other technology predictions have held steady, largely propelled by the new remote working and hybrid workforce standard. Examples include the continued proliferation of internet of things (IoT) devices, the accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies, and an increased interest in software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technologies.

With that in mind, in the article below, we discuss five SD-WAN edge trends that will help IT leaders plan for what’s coming next and make informed decisions about their SD-WAN strategies, as shared by .

1. SASE Will Continue To Gain Steam

To fully take advantage of the benefits of digital transformation and a remote or hybrid workforce, enterprises need to make improvements to their WAN and security architectures instead of just focusing on one or the other. This is especially important as cybersecurity threats continue to multiply and remote workforces serve as tempting targets for bad actors.

Secure access service edge (SASE) offers the security needed to handle these evolving workforces while ensuring a consistent and enjoyable user experience for employees.

2. IoT Security Challenges Will Require New Solutions

In addition to remote workforces, the continued proliferation of IoT devices has created its own security challenges. Zero trust access and granular segmentation at the new WAN edge, which can enforce distinct security policies for each class of IoT endpoints, will be key in securing these devices and preventing them from being utilized by cybercriminals.

3. SD-WAN, SD-Branch, and SASE Will Be Essential To Edge Success

When it comes to security, a multi-pronged approach ensures that data will stay secure, regardless of the threat. By combining SD-WAN with cloud-first connectivity and steering, SASE, which provides a more direct way to connect users to business resources, and SD-Branch, which offers an easy way to simplify the branch even as IoT adoptions create new complications, enterprises can enhance their security posture while also improving operational efficiencies.

4. Edge Strategies Will Continue To Evolve As Circumstances Require

While many hoped that at this stage we would be in the post-pandemic era, the virus continues to impact enterprises and IT on a daily basis, delaying plans to return to the office and necessitating technologic creativity when designing and implementing infrastructure. Looking ahead, as we do eventually reach the end of the pandemic, enterprises will continue to utilize edge strategies to improve security and user experience for remote and hybrid workforces.

5. Enterprises Will Utilize Software-Defined Principles To Support Growth

As we’ve seen with SD-WAN, software-defined strategies are proving to be the most efficient and logical step forward for the modern enterprise. Beyond SD-WAN and SD-Branch, these software-defined principles are being applied to other areas of the enterprise, including the data center and campus LAN. To stay competitive in the market and ready for unexpected change, enterprises will need to adopt these strategies throughout their digital environments.

SD-WAN By Aruba And Silver Peak

In 2020, , the parent company of Aruba, acquired , a global leader in SD-WAN solutions. Through this acquisition, Aruba and Silver Peak are working together to provide customers with the very best in SD-WAN solutions, while also significantly reducing costs.

Silver Peak’s SD-WAN offerings will strengthen the by expanding Aruba’s cloud capabilities. Additionally, through a combination of Silver Peak’s SD-WAN and Aruba’s SD-Branch offerings, customers can simplify branch office and WAN deployments, benefiting remote workers and supporting cloud-connected distributed enterprises.

Are You Interested In SD-WAN From Aruba?

Regardless of your specific use case, Aruba offers the SD-WAN and edge computing solutions your enterprises need to be successful. By transforming WAN and security together, enterprises can discover increased benefit from their current and future investments in cloud-computing. Beyond the initial advantages of SD-WAN solutions, IT will experience additional benefits through reduced management complexity and overall lowered costs.

NEXT STEPS: SD-WAN is ideal for campus-based networks or distributed enterprises, or any enterprise with remote/branch offices. Explore the top three benefits of SD-WAN in our short video below.

The post 5 SD-WAN Edge Trends All IT Leaders Should Know appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

In today’s rapidly changing work environments, enterprises can no longer mix and match solutions in an attempt to provide security for on-premises and remote employees. Instead, enterprises need one solution that can provide comprehensive, holistic security from edge-to-cloud.

This is a critical time in cybersecurity. Over the last 18 months we’ve seen new security challenges arise as a direct result of the pandemic, including:

• A rise in shadow IT-related incidents fueled by the exodus to remote working.
• Increased cyberattacks, especially ransomware attacks.
• Massive growth of the attack surface as enterprises prioritized performance and productivity over security.

Mix in the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and the inherent security challenges associated with cloud computing and it seems impossible that one platform can secure your on-site users, your remote employees, and the multitude of other devices used across your enterprise every single day.

, begs to differ. Keep reading to find out how Aruba Networks’ built-in security solutions can protect against advanced threats.

1. Aruba For Device Discovery And Profiling

Regardless of the industry, enterprises have huge numbers of devices to manage, whether they’re known and are IoT devices, are utilized by employees, or are unknown and belong to vendors, customers, or other visitors. To stay ahead of the security challenge presented by these devices, enterprises need a solution that can bring visibility and control. Through Aruba ClearPass Device Insight, IT can address the risk associated with these devices and block security holes before bad actors find them.

2. Network Access Control For Wired, Wireless, And WAN

With Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager, IT can rest assured that vulnerable data is protected through centralized user and device authentication, role-based access policies, and continuous attack response.

Through this dynamic, real-time device management system, access for authorized users is simplified, improving employee productivity and reducing risk. ClearPass also supports BYOD initiatives, further improving user experience.

3. Unified Threat Management For SD-WAN

Unlike other security solutions, doesn’t sacrifice performance for security. Through built in edge- and cloud-based security controls, enterprises can reap the full benefits of their cloud and broadband investments.

Despite the attention devoted to performance, enterprises can be confident that the network is secured from edge-to-cloud. Through firewalls placed at the edge, to dynamic segmentation and advanced threat response, Aruba prevents and contains threats, regardless of how distributed your environment is.

4. Secure Remote Access VPN Solutions

These days, you can never be sure where your employees are going to be working from. While many enterprises made plans to go back to the office this fall, those plans have been put on hold due to the ongoing health crisis. Instead, many users continue to work from home, from the road, from hotels, and basically anywhere with an internet connection.

As a result, enterprises need to be ready with secure remote access virtual private network (VPN) solutions. This same technology can also be applied for micro and macro branch locations, reducing the need for multiple, often incompatible solutions or complicated integration scenarios.

5. Policy Enforcement Firewall

With Aruba Networks, enterprises can take security right to the source of data with a policy enforcement firewall (PEF), which provides automated dynamic segmentation for wireless and wired access security in any Aruba Networks environment.

By placing a firewall at the point of connectivity, Aruba Networks is giving enterprises a simple way to control access to the network without creating additional cost or complexity.

6. Integrated Protection For Aruba WLAN

Last but not least, software prevents denial-of-service and man-in-the-middle attacks, while also reducing the risk of over-the-air security threats. As a result, enterprises no longer need to install separate RF sensors or security sensors if they’re using Aruba wireless LAN.

Securing the future of ‘work’ looks different than yesterday, but WEI and Aruba can help.

The edge will only grow and become more complex if you don’t start taking an active approach to integrating security at the endpoints of your business. If you’re interested in any of the security strategies discussed above, WEI can help. offers the holistic security and architectural simplicity needed to stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. By taking advantage of Aruba’s full portfolio of security solutions and out-of-the-box integrations, enterprises can fully secure their remote, hybrid, or on-premises workforces.

To make the transition easy, talk to WEI. Our team of network security experts know Aruba’s portfolio inside and out an have implemented it for customer across several different industries. While the details of each project may be different, the goal is always the same, secure my business and the way people interact with it, at the edge.

NEXT STEPS: Just about every business we talk with has long-term remote workforce initiatives, and security has become a larger focal point of each conversation because devices are no longer protected by the traditional enterprise perimeter. Don’t leave security to chance with your remote workforce. See how Aruba is solving the challenge with Aruba Remote Access Points, and find out just how easy Aruba RAPs are to implement and manage in our tech brief below.

The post Six Ways to Achieve Edge-To-Cloud Security With Aruba appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.