NetApp Expands Intelligent Data Infrastructure Capabilities to Power Strategic Cloud Workloads

 SAN JOSE, Calif. - Wednesday, 10. July 2024 AETOSWire 

New capabilities empower customers to run data-intensive workloads like GenAI and VMware environments more easily

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), the intelligent data infrastructure company, today announced the introduction of new capabilities designed for strategic cloud workloads including GenAI and VMware. These enhancements to NetApp data and storage services reduce the resources and risks for customers to manage these strategic workloads across increasingly complex hybrid multicloud environments.

“Strategic workloads, including GenAI and virtualized environments, are driving business innovation and have increasingly complex and resource-intensive infrastructure requirements that are pushing IT teams to the limit,” said Pravjit Tiwana, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Storage at NetApp. “NetApp is helping customers take back control of their data with intelligent data infrastructure that leverages unified data storage, integrated data services, and automated cloud operations. Even when they are up against specific and nuanced technology requirements for modern workloads, NetApp gives them the tools they need to optimize and simplify their data operations in their environments across the hybrid multicloud.”

To advance intelligent data infrastructure deployments that better support strategic workloads like GenAI and VMware environments, NetApp is announcing new capabilities, including:

NetApp BlueXP Workload Factory – for AWS: This intelligent data infrastructure service uses defined industry best-practices to automate the planning, provisioning, and management of cloud resources and services for key workloads, including GenAI, VMware cloud environments, and enterprise databases. Customers can use BlueXP workload factory to optimize deployment time, cost, performance, and protection of resources for strategic workloads as well as their associated data. To simplify workload migrations to the cloud, BlueXP workload factory allows users to profile infrastructure requirements for target workloads and compare different resource options for cost and performance needs. Then, the service can provision the selected resources, move any existing workload data to these newly provisioned cloud deployments, and continually optimize the entire environment to ensure the required cost and performance targets. AWS users can read guidance on how to deploy this capability on the AWS Solutions Library.

NetApp GenAI Toolkit – Microsoft Azure NetApp Files Version: Customers can now include private enterprise data stored in Azure NetApp Files in their retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) workflows in a secure, programmatic manner. The result is an enhanced ability to generate unique, high-quality, and ultra-relevant results from GenAI projects by combining their proprietary data with pre-trained, foundational models (FMs). The integration of the NetApp GenAI Toolkit with Azure NetApp Files represents a powerful synergy that empowers customers to harness advanced language generation capabilities.

Amazon Bedrock with Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP Reference Architecture: Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) and NetApp have released a joint reference architecture which provides guidance for customers on implementing RAG-enabled workflows that bring proprietary data stored on Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP into their GenAI data pipelines. Amazon FSx makes it easy and cost effective to launch, run, and scale feature-rich, high-performance file systems in the cloud. The reference architecture allows developers to use APIs for Amazon Bedrock to connect with Amazon FSx for ONTAP data stores, enabling the secure use of proprietary data with a choice of high-performing FMs that can be customized to unlock new insights and capabilities.

Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP Enhancements: AWS announced the next-generation Amazon FSx for ONTAP cloud storage service with enhanced capabilities to boost scalability and flexibility to provide up to 6 GB per second of throughput for a single highly-available (HA) pair from 512 TiB of SSD storage. Next-gen file systems offer virtualized workloads more room to grow with a 300 percent increase in network burst throughput and a 150 percent boost in disk burst throughput. For large-scale, high-performance workloads like GenAI, second-generation Amazon FSx for ONTAP systems support dynamic scalability by adding HA pairs as needed, up to 24 nodes. This delivers up to 72 GB per second of throughput from 1 PiB of SSD storage, providing greater flexibility and performance for evolving business needs.

NetApp BlueXP Disaster Recovery Support for VMFS: The BlueXP disaster recovery service, which provides guided workflows to design and execute automated disaster recovery plans for VMware workloads across both on-premises and cloud environments, has been expanded to support VMFS datastores for on-premises to on-premises disaster recovery.

These updates build on NetApp’s existing offerings that support storage and data operations for customers that need to implement and manage high-powered, strategic workloads such as GenAI and VMware environments. For example, NetApp recently announced that its unique BlueXP data classification capability, which automatically classifies and categorizes data for enhanced governance and secure ingest into GenAI and RAG data pipelines, has become a core control plane capability now available free of charge to all NetApp customers.

“When it comes to GenAI, the prime focus for organizations is to adapt their data strategies to ensure they can balance data security, cost efficiency and innovation as they leverage pre-built LLMs to surface relevant, useful insights from their proprietary, business-relevant data,” said Archana Venkatraman, Senior Research Director, Cloud Data Management at IDC. “NetApp’s intelligent data infrastructure capabilities can help customers overcome the data challenges and offer specific guidance to automate workflows that can securely feed private data directly into public cloud providers’ LLMs. In addition, NetApp’s BlueXP data classification capability has the potential to mitigate the risks in data operations for AI because it allows users to discover and categorize data so that the right data is fed into the right model without exposing confidential, personal or restricted information.”

“Organizations are now facing different economic realities with regards to virtualized environments, and we all need to move quickly to address recent industry shifts,” said Derek Elbert, Solutions Architect at WWT. “Optimizing the cost versus performance equation of VMware workloads has become a primary initiative for us, with the objective of continuing to provide scalability and performance while reducing unnecessary system and software resources. NetApp’s offerings, such as the BlueXP disaster recovery service and the optimization metrics from Cloud Insights, help us better ensure the right levels of resource allocation and protection schemes for virtual environments, allowing us to focus on putting our infrastructure to work without killing the FinOps metrics.”

Additional Resources

When You Realize It’s More About Data Than About Storage

Big News For All NetApp Customers: Classify Your Data with an Industry-Leading Solution at No Cost

Power Your Generative AI on AWS

About NetApp

NetApp is the intelligent data infrastructure company, combining unified data storage, integrated data services, and CloudOps solutions to turn a world of disruption into opportunity for every customer. NetApp creates silo-free infrastructure, harnessing observability and AI to enable the industry’s best data management. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in the world’s biggest clouds, our data storage delivers seamless flexibility. In addition, our data services create a data advantage through superior cyber resilience, governance, and application agility. Our CloudOps solutions provide continuous optimization of performance and efficiency through observability and AI. No matter the data type, workload, or environment, with NetApp you can transform your data infrastructure to realize your business possibilities. Learn more at www.netapp.com or follow us on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

NETAPP, the NETAPP logo, and the marks listed at www.netapp.com/TM are trademarks of NetApp, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

 

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Contacts

Media Contact:

Kenya Hayes

NetApp

kenya.hayes@netapp.com

Investor Contact:

Kris Newton

NetApp

kris.newton@netapp.com

KnowBe4 Completes Acquisition of Egress

 

TAMPA BAY, Fla. 

Acquisition strengthens KnowBe4’s position as largest, advanced AI-driven cybersecurity platform for managing human risk

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Egress, a leader in adaptive and integrated cloud email security. KnowBe4 plans to integrate the recently acquired Egress products and operations over the coming months and focus on providing a unified customer experience.

“Human risk management is an essential component of a comprehensive cybersecurity program,” said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. “This acquisition reinforces our ability to fortify global organizations against the ever-increasing amount of human-targeted threats. Today marks an important milestone in the evolution of cybersecurity and the next generation of KnowBe4’s human risk management capabilities.”

Customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals have been completed and the acquisition is officially closed.

For more information on KnowBe4, visit www.knowbe4.com.

About KnowBe4

KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 65,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. The late Kevin Mitnick, who was an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4’s Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as their last line of defense and trust the KnowBe4 platform to strengthen their security culture and reduce human risk.

 

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Media Contact:

Kathy Wattman

SVP Public Relations

KnowBe4

pr@knowbe4.com

KAGA FEI Develops WKR612AA1 Processor-Integrated Wireless LAN/Bluetooth Combo Module Supporting Matter Standard

 

YOKOHAMA, Japan - 

(BUSINESS WIRE)--KAGA FEI Co., Ltd., a global provider of leading short distance wireless modules, announced today the WKR612AA1 processor-integrated Wireless LAN/Bluetooth combo module to support the development of Matter standard*1 compliant devices.

A Matter-compliant module, supporting for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth Low Energy, and IEEE 802.15.4, has been developed with enabling hostless operation for smart home devices.

The WKR612AA1 has a built-in antenna and has obtained various certifications. Consequently, it reduces the development time and certification costs for home automation devices and smart appliances such as smart locks, surveillance cameras, home appliances, robot vacuum cleaners, and water heater remote controls, enabling faster time-to-market.

Supporting the Matter standard allows end-users to select devices based on their preferences without being tied to a specific brand, promoting the realization of a seamlessly connected smart home. The Company will continue to respond to market needs and expand its product lineup.

Product Features

1. NXP Chip Integration

Utilizes NXP Semiconductors' IC "RW612" incorporating an Arm Cortex-M33 processor operating at 260MHz, support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

2. Large-Capacity Flash Memory

Equipped with 8MB Flash memory, it can operate completely hostless or be controlled by external processor in a hosted design.

3. Easy Design

Operates with a general 3.3V single power supply, eliminating the need to prepare multiple power voltages and adjust the power-up timing.

4. No Antenna Design Required, and Pre-Certified

Features a built-in wideband, high-efficiency antenna, eliminating the need for antenna design. It has obtained Bluetooth qualification and certifications for Radio Law MIC (Japan), FCC (USA), and ISED (Canada), reducing the time and costs.

Product Availability

Evaluation board, sample module : Q3 2024

Mass production module : Q1 2025

About Trademarks

The product names and other proper nouns mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

*1. Matter Standard: A smart home standard developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) to promote interoperability between smart home devices and IoT platforms from different manufacturers.

KAGA FEI website

https://www.kagafei.com/jp/eng/

Disclaimer

Product specifications, service content, etc. stated in the news release are as of the date of announcement and is subject to change without notice.

 

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KAGA FEI Co., Ltd.

Solution Business Headquarters

Module Products Division

Email: ml-module_contact@jp.kagafei.com

 

Tigo Energy Delivers Scalable Insights on EI Platform for High-Growth, Multi-Site Solar Installers

 To manage the escalating operations and maintenance (O&M) overhead of constantly expanding solar portfolios, Tigo introduces EI Professional, an advanced toolset for installers.

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tigo Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYGO), a leading provider of intelligent solar and energy software solutions, today unveiled a new set of powerful and customizable features of the Tigo Energy Intelligence (EI) Platform. With a newly retooled, upgraded, and tiered approach to delivering the right solar monitoring and insights, even small and mid-sized installation companies can manage their growing solar customer portfolios sustainably. These platform enhancements come online as the U.S. installed base of solar surpasses the 5 million solar installations threshold and the industry considers how it will manage the O&M work as those numbers double by 2030 and triple by 2034.

The Tigo EI Platform now offers upgrade options that deliver even more of the right information at the right time via a user-friendly interface to installers, asset managers, and down to the individual system owner. Most notably for rapidly scaling installers, EPCs, and O&M providers, the new EI Professional package provides a centralized view of critical health and performance data of all systems under management. Beyond a scalable monitoring experience and a simple, flat-price model, the EI Professional package includes:

one-click enrollment for company-wide, unlimited-seat subscription access covering all systems under management,

a portfolio-wide dashboard with a prioritized view into critical data, such as health status, production, performance, equipment status, location data, and commissioning time tracking, and

time-saving features including advanced tagging, grouping, and site filtering for improved management, maintenance, optimization, and trend analysis.

Solar installers use the Tigo EI Platform to gain improved insights into installation status, decrease O&M costs, and monitor energy generation and system performance. The standard system-by-system monitoring view, now named EI Basic, remains free of charge, and includes module-level resolution and insight into third-party hardware. More advanced monitoring and analytics tools, historical data, and minute-level monitoring resolution, among others, are available via a simple, in-platform upgrade to EI Premium.

“As we watch the number, size, and complexity of the residential and commercial systems we deploy increase, we found that the only way to scale was with a comprehensive way to monitor, diagnose, and optimize those systems,” said Garrett Brandt, owner at Radius Energy. “When you consider the cost of even a single truck roll or the opportunity cost of a one-week delay in getting an invoice out post-commissioning, a paid subscription to avoid either makes sense right away. The features now available via the Tigo EI Platform don’t just add value in terms of savings but represent new opportunities for us on the installer side.”

Installer training materials for the EI Platform are now available in the Tigo Academy. Tigo Academy offers new and existing customers and installers an efficient way to learn about Tigo software through hands-on demonstrations and tutorials on how to leverage Tigo software for optimal system performance and customer satisfaction.

“To stay competitive, installers have to become more agile while providing more post-installation services, which is why Tigo has developed increasingly sophisticated options in the EI Platform that deliver the right management tools to the variety of customers we serve,” said Archie Roboostoff, vice president of software, at Tigo Energy. “Software plays an increasingly important role in ensuring that solar deployments reach peak performance while continuously analyzing trends to see where improvements can be made. The EI Platform is designed to identify system issues before production is impacted. System owners expect quality and reliability, and the EI Platform helps to deliver both.”

To learn more about the Tigo EI Platform, including the standard capabilities of EI Basic and the features and subscription pricing for EI Premium and EI Professional, please visit the EI features page at https://www.tigoenergy.com/ei/pricing. Tigo installers are also invited to take advantage of promotional trial access to EI Professional for the month of July, which is available via web browser on the Tigo EI Platform: https://ei.tigoenergy.com/

About Tigo Energy

Founded in 2007, Tigo is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of smart hardware and software solutions that enhance safety, increase energy yield, and lower operating costs of residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar systems. Tigo combines its Flex MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics) and solar optimizer technology with intelligent, cloud-based software capabilities for advanced energy monitoring and control. Tigo MLPE products maximize performance, enable real-time energy monitoring, and provide code-required rapid shutdown at the module level. The company also develops and manufactures products such as inverters and battery storage systems for the residential solar-plus-storage market. For more information, please visit www.tigoenergy.com.

 

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Technica Communications

Cait Caviness

Email: tigoenergy@technica.inc

Flacks Group Closes on $400 Million Mining Acquisition from Imerys

 MIAMI - Monday, 08. July 2024 AETOSWire

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Flacks Group is proud to announce the acquisition of Artemyn, a division previously owned by Imerys SA (EPA: NK), a publicly listed company on the Euronext. This strategic move marks Flacks Group’s official entry into the mining industry and significantly strengthens its diversified portfolio.

Artemyn, with 1000 employees across 24 plants in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, generated $400 million in revenue and $60 million in EBITDA. This acquisition enhances Flacks Group’s portfolio, leveraging the strong performance and global reach of Artemyn. Notably, Artemyn owns the world's largest kaolin operation with unique high-quality reserves in Brazil.

Flacks Group, owned by Chairman and CEO Michael Flacks, holds over $4 billion worth of assets globally. The company operates in the mining, renewable energy, water, chemicals, oil and gas, and real estate sectors.

Among Flacks Group’s diversified portfolio is Pleuger Industries, a renowned supplier of rotating equipment with over a century of experience and facilities in Germany, France, and the USA. Pleuger Industries is a key provider of dewatering and mission-critical equipment to major mining operations worldwide. Known for their high-efficiency submersible motors and pumps, Pleuger Industries delivers premium German-engineered solutions for water applications. Pleuger Industries will collaborate with Artemyn to enhance operational efficiencies and drive R&D in mining products.

Morgan Stanley served as an investment banker on the deal, with Latham & Watkins LLP, Moncey Avocats Law Firm, and Berger Singerman LLP acting as transactional lawyers.

 

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Anton Schneerson
Managing Director of Flacks Group
aschneerson@flacksgroup.com

Boomi Bolsters API Management Offering With New API Control Plane for Centralized Discovery, Management, and Governance

 

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. - Monday, 08. July 2024

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Boomi™, the intelligent integration and automation leader, today announced the launch of the Boomi API Control Plane — providing enterprises with a centralized platform to discover, manage, and govern all APIs across their organizations for accelerated business innovation, improved developer productivity, and stronger API governance.

Utilizing the recently acquired federated API management business from APIIDA, the Boomi API Control Plane bolsters Boomi’s existing API Management solution, allowing users to discover all APIs in one place, including “shadow APIs” that may exist outside the purview of IT. By bringing these shadow APIs under control, organizations can increase API consumption throughout the enterprise, driving new efficiencies and opportunities for innovation.

"APIs are the backbone of modern digital transformation, yet managing them across various platforms remains a significant challenge for many organizations. Unlike other APIM vendors, Boomi provides a federated API management approach that is truly vendor-independent, enabling organizations to utilize existing on-premises and cloud API runtimes effectively while addressing API sprawl," said Ed Macosky, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Boomi. "With the Boomi API Control Plane, we are setting a new standard for API management by offering an integrated, holistic solution that simplifies operations, strengthens governance, and accelerates innovation."

Industry analysts have highlighted the growing necessity for federated API management solutions. “Organizations increasingly need federated API management to handle the complex and diverse API landscapes that span multiple environments and platforms,” said Shari Lava, Senior Research Director, AI and Automation at IDC. “A centralized, federated approach can enable consistent governance, security, and monitoring across all APIs, reducing risks and enhancing operational efficiency.”

Key Features of Boomi API Control Plane:

Centralized API Discovery: Discover all APIs within an organization from a single location, bring shadow APIs under control, and increase API consumption to drive business innovation.

Simplified API Management Across Gateways: Enhance productivity with a consistent developer experience, gain insights into API performance and usage, and extend the value of existing on-premises and cloud investments.

Strengthened API Governance: Ensure consistent policies across all platforms, reduce the risk of data breaches, and streamline security audits, making compliance simpler and more efficient.

Additional Resources

Take a free interactive API Management Maturity Assessment to better understand where your organization stands when it comes to managing APIs

Read the technical blog on Boomi API Control Plane

Follow Boomi on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube

About Boomi

Boomi powers the future of business with intelligent integration and automation. As a category-leading, global software as a service (SaaS) company, Boomi celebrates more than 20,000 global customers and a worldwide network of 800 partners. Organizations turn to Boomi’s award-winning platform to connect their applications, data, and people to accelerate digital transformation. For more information, visit boomi.com.

© 2024 Boomi, LP. Boomi, the ‘B’ logo, and Boomiverse are trademarks of Boomi, LP or its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Other names or marks may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

 

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Contacts

Kristen Walker

Global Corporate Communications

kristenwalker@boomi.com

+1-415-613-8320

 

Kolmar Korea Teams Up with Amazon to Support Global Expansion of K-beauty Companies

- Hosts "K-Beauty Seller Day" with the world's largest e-commerce company, promoting K-Beauty innovation globally

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Kolmar Korea (KRX: 161890) joins forces with Amazon, the world's leading e-commerce platform, to support the successful global market entry of K-beauty brands.

Kolmar Korea announced that it has jointly hosted the 'Amazon K-Beauty Conference Seller Day' with Amazon on June 27 at the InterContinental Hotel in Seoul.

The event was attended by about 1,500 individuals, including officials from Korean beauty brands as well as those from the distribution and manufacturing sectors, both online and offline. Key attendees included Sang-hyun Yoon, Vice President of Kolmar Group; Hyun-gyu Choi, CEO of Kolmar Korea; Jim Yang, Executive Vice President of Amazon Global Selling Asia Pacific (APAC); and Yuki Suita, Head of Consumer Beauty Business at Amazon Japan.

In his welcome speech, Sang-hyun Yoon explained the event's purpose. He said, “This event, organized by Kolmar and Amazon, is more than just a business partnership. It aims to spread the innovation and value of K-beauty globally. We hope this event will be a cornerstone in exploring global opportunities for K-beauty and sharing detailed strategies for implementation.”

The event came as K-beauty is gaining a great popularity on Amazon, and both companies want to actively support Korean beauty companies’ entry into the global market.

K-beauty is so popular that sales of K-beauty products on Amazon's global store rose more than 75% last year. Kolmar Korea is leading this trend by securing new contracts with 253 customers, predominantly indie brands, marking a 48.7% increase from the previous year. The two companies plan to keep identifying standout brands that drive global market trends with compelling concepts and innovative technologies.

At the event, Kolmar Korea established a large-scale booth showcasing skin care, makeup, sun care, and cosmetic packages. They also provided customized consultations for the global cosmetics business. Moreover, Sang-Keun Han, Vice Director of Kolmar Korea R&D Complex, delivered a lecture titled ‘Deeply Grounded Confidence: The Competitiveness of Korean Cosmetics.’

A representative from Kolmar Korea said, “This event is significant as it marks the inaugural collaboration between Kolmar Korea, a global cosmetics ODM company that has driven the growth of K-beauty, and Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce company. Kolmar and Amazon will pursue shared growth by offering the optimal pathway to support our customers’ successful entry into global markets.”

Event highlights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbqXL8fBgpM

 

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Contacts

Kolmar Holdings

Jang Woo Lee

jay.lee@kolmar.co.kr