Ironies of automation

Ironies of automation, Bainbridge, Automatica, Vol. 19, No. 6, 1983

With thanks to Thomas Depierre for the paper recommendation.

Making predictions is a dangerous game, but as we look forward to the next decade a few things seem certain: increasing automation, increasing system complexity, faster processing, more inter-connectivity, and an even greater human and societal dependence on technology. What could possibly go wrong? Automation is supposed to make our lives easier, but ~~if~~ when it goes wrong it can put us in a very tight spot indeed. Today’s paper choice, ‘Ironies of Automation’ explores these issues. Originally published in this form in 1983, its lessons are just as relevant today as they were then.

The central irony (‘combination of circumstances, the result of which is the direct opposite of what might be expected’) referred to in this paper is that the more we automate, and the more sophisticated we make that automation, the more we become dependent on a highly skilled human operator.

Automated systems need highly skilled operators

Why do we automate?

The designer’s view of the human operator may be that the operator is unreliable and inefficient, so should be eliminated from the system.

An automated system Continue reading

Price of NAND memory chips projected to rise up to 40%

Sources in Asian memory chipmakers are projecting that NAND flash contract prices will rise by 40% in 2020 due to product ramps and increased demand, according to the Taiwanese publication DigiTimes.The article, now locked behind a subscription wall, cited sources at Taiwanese memory makers. However, the biggest makers of NAND flash are not Taiwanese, like Samsung, Toshiba, and Micron. This would impact memory cards, USB flash drives, and solid-state drives. It noted the contract price of SSDs had been falling for a few years and only started to rise after production issues reduced NAND output in the second quarter of 2019.To read this article in full, please click here

Price of NAND memory chips projected to rise up to 40%

Sources in Asian memory chipmakers are projecting that NAND flash contract prices will rise by 40% in 2020 due to product ramps and increased demand, according to the Taiwanese publication DigiTimes.The article, now locked behind a subscription wall, cited sources at Taiwanese memory makers. However, the biggest makers of NAND flash are not Taiwanese, like Samsung, Toshiba, and Micron. This would impact memory cards, USB flash drives, and solid-state drives. It noted the contract price of SSDs had been falling for a few years and only started to rise after production issues reduced NAND output in the second quarter of 2019.To read this article in full, please click here

FCC Chair Sets Ambitious 5G Goals for 2020

flexiWAN Open Source SD-WAN Platform Hits GA

Decentralized Calico Network Security Policy Deployment for GitOps – Part 2

In part 1 of the GitOps blog series, we discussed the value of using GitOps for Calico policies, and how to roll out such a framework. In this second part of the series, we will expand the scope to include decentralized deployment and GitOps.

We see different personas among our customers deploying three types of controls:

1. Cluster hardening policies are enforced and controlled by the platform admin
2. Organizational security controls are enforced and controlled by the security admin
3. Each application team may have their own unique requirements. This is controlled by the DevOps admin for the specific application.

This is different from the traditional firewall world, where the security admin is responsible for managing security policies, and the change management window could be several weeks in duration. Adopting that model in Kubernetes is simply counter to the very principles of enabling the developers. So how can we make policy creation and enforcement simple, yet adhere to organizational processes? The answer lies in simple tooling, GitOps and governance.

Policies have business logic that must be implemented in YAML. The business logic (allow access for service A to service B, open port 443 inbound on service B, permit access to slack webhook Continue reading

Decentralized Calico Network Security Policy Deployment for GitOps – Part 2

In part 1 of the GitOps blog series, we discussed the value of using GitOps for Calico policies, and how to roll out such a framework. In this second part of the series, we will expand the scope to include decentralized deployment and GitOps.

We see different personas among our customers deploying three types of controls:

1. Cluster hardening policies are enforced and controlled by the platform admin
2. Organizational security controls are enforced and controlled by the security admin
3. Each application team may have their own unique requirements. This is controlled by the DevOps admin for the specific application.

This is different from the traditional firewall world, where the security admin is responsible for managing security policies, and the change management window could be several weeks in duration. Adopting that model in Kubernetes is simply counter to the very principles of enabling the developers. So how can we make policy creation and enforcement simple, yet adhere to organizational processes? The answer lies in simple tooling, GitOps and governance.

Policies have business logic that must be implemented in YAML. The business logic (allow access for service A to service B, open port 443 inbound on service B, permit access to slack webhook Continue reading

Broadcom Sells Accenture Symantec Security Services Biz

Intel Declares A Truce Before Bus Wars Flare Up

A system is more than its central processor, and perhaps at no time in history has this ever been true than right now. …

Intel Declares A Truce Before Bus Wars Flare Up was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

How HPC, AI, and IoT Drive the Future of Smarter Vehicles

When many think of the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected vehicles from a compute perspective, the first thing that springs to mind is likely the small processors that are hard at work sensing, analyzing, and feeding data to remote systems. …

How HPC, AI, and IoT Drive the Future of Smarter Vehicles was written by Nicole Hemsoth at The Next Platform.

Intel Showcases AI Strategy for 5G, Intelligent Edge

8 best practices for all-flash storage

IT Central Station offers advice from users of HPE Nimble Storage on how to work optimally with all-flash storage arrays.

8 best practices for all-flash storage

IT Central Station offers advice from users of HPE Nimble Storage on how to work optimally with all-flash storage arrays.

5 Software Development Predictions for 2020

To kick off the new year, we sat down with Docker CEO Scott Johnston and asked him what the future holds for software development. Here are his 2020 predictions and trends to keep an eye on.

Existing Code and Apps Become New Again

Developers will find new ways to reuse existing code instead of reinventing the wheel to start from scratch. Additionally, we’ll see companies extend the value to existing apps by adding more functionality via microservices.

The Changing Definition of a Modern Application

Today’s applications are more complex than those of yesterday. In 2020, modern apps will power tomorrow’s innovation and this requires a diverse set of tools, languages and frameworks for developers. Developers need even more flexibility to address this new wave of modern apps and evolve with the rest of the industry.

Containers Pave the Way to New Application Trends

Now that containers are typically considered a common deployment mechanism, the conversation will evolve from the packaging of individual containers to the packaging of the entire application (which are becoming increasingly diverse and distributed). Organizations will increasingly look for guidance and solutions that help them unify how they build and manage Continue reading

Adaptiv Absorbs LiveQoS to Accelerate SD-WAN

Iran Cyberattacks Targeting US Companies Imminent, Experts Warn

Johnsonville Sausage cuts MPLS costs with SD-WAN

About a year ago it was becoming clear to Johnsonville Sausage’s IT department that it had to modernize its wide area network to get costs down and simplify the overall enterprise network environment to effectively move the business forward. The company embarked on a two-pronged path that moved its US and global business and industrial networks toward a software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) environment -- eliminating costly MPLS links -- and a more automated, controlled system that has restored quality of life back to IT, said  Johnsonville Sausage Global Network Operations Manager Anthony Wild.To read this article in full, please click here

Johnsonville Sausage cuts MPLS costs with SD-WAN

About a year ago it was becoming clear to Johnsonville Sausage’s IT department that it had to modernize its wide area network to get costs down and simplify the overall enterprise network environment to effectively move the business forward. The company embarked on a two-pronged path that moved its US and global business and industrial networks toward a software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) environment -- eliminating costly MPLS links -- and a more automated, controlled system that has restored quality of life back to IT, said  Johnsonville Sausage Global Network Operations Manager Anthony Wild.To read this article in full, please click here

Johnsonville Sausage makes cutting-edge links with SD-WAN

About a year ago it was becoming clear to Johnsonville Sausage’s IT department that it had to modernize its wide area network to get costs down and simplify the overall enterprise network environment to effectively move the business forward. To read this article in full, please click here(Insider Story)

Johnsonville Sausage makes cutting-edge links with SD-WAN

About a year ago it was becoming clear to Johnsonville Sausage’s IT department that it had to modernize its wide area network to get costs down and simplify the overall enterprise network environment to effectively move the business forward. To read this article in full, please click here(Insider Story)