Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October of 2023 marks the 20th year of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Our CEO and Co-Founder, Don Boxley, had the opportunity to provide some insight on this topic to several industry publications.

He and many other IT leaders around the globe recognize pursuing innovation and adopting solutions such as software-defined perimeter as the keys to overcoming today’s cyber threats.

DevPro Journal

Digital Journal

UK Tech News

Upcoming Webinar: Modernization in Minutes – Take SQL Server to K8s with DH2i and SUSE

FORT COLLINS, CO – September 18, 2023 – DH2i®, the world’s leading provider of always-secure and always-on IT infrastructure solutions, today announced an upcoming webinar titled, “Modernization in Minutes – Take SQL Server to K8s with DH2i and SUSE” taking place next week on September 28, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Eastern Time (ET).

Why Attend

In 2023, even the most heavy-duty SQL Server environments can’t escape the pressure of digital transformation. Organizations around the globe are being forced to adapt to remain competitive and provide the best experiences to their clients and customers. One way organizations are adapting is by moving from deploying SQL Server on virtual machines to containers.

Join SUSE and DH2i for a short demo and conversation on why containerizing SQL Server with Kubernetes is your organization’s best approach to digitally transform while keeping downtime prevention and peak security top-of-mind. Learn more about what to expect in the webinar below.

Attendees Will Learn:

  • Why so many organizations are migrating SQL Server to Kubernetes
  • The easiest way to get there with Rancher, DxEnterprise, and Availability Groups
  • Built-in SDP security technology that makes this solution stack perfect for the cloud

Featured Speakers:

  • Vince Matev Partner Alliance Manager, SUSE
  • OJ Ngo, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, DH2i

Can’t attend the live event? No problem! All registrants will receive on-demand access to the full webinar recording after the presentation has concluded.

Registration Link: https://dh2i.com/modernization-in-minutes-take-sql-server-to-k8s-with-dh2i-and-suse/

Additional Resources:

About DH2i

DH2i Company is the world’s leading provider of multi-platform smart high availability (HA) clustering and software-defined perimeter (SDP) software for Windows, Linux, and containers. DH2i enables users to securely connect and failover enterprise applications – from anywhere to anywhere. DH2i’s DxOdyssey® SDP software, the unVPN® networking solution for Zero Trust security, enables users to create highly available application-level Zero Trust Network Access tunnels across any mix of locations and platforms. DH2i’s DxEnterprise® smart high availability clustering software – now optimized for containers, delivers an all-in-one clustering solution for any application, any OS, any server configuration, and any cloud. DxEnterprise is the only SQL Server clustering solution to deliver fully automatic failover of SQL Server AG in Kubernetes. To learn more, please visit: www.dh2i.com, call: 800-380-5405 or +44 20 3318 9204, or email: [email protected].

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©DH2i Company 2023. DH2i, Smart Availability, DxEnterprise, DxOdyssey, DxConsole, DxHADR, DxTransfer, DxCollect and InstanceMobility are trademarks of DH2i Company. All other brand or product names contained in this press release may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

PR Contact:

Nicole Gorman
DH2i
Corporate Communications/PR
508-397-0131
[email protected]

Achieving Adequate Uptime for SQL Server in Kubernetes Means Thinking Outside the Pod

There is a reason why SQL Server isn’t exactly considered low-hanging fruit for Kubernetes containerization projects. The average SQL Server environment can be accurately described as nothing less than a “beast.” These environments can be massive in size and have a reputation for gobbling up much more than their fair share in budget dollars. Additionally, SQL Server environments:

  • Hold organizations’ most valuable data assets and require stringent security
  • Have critical uptime requirements, necessitating planned and unplanned downtime mitigation
  • Involve a high degree of management complexity with disparate OSes and infrastructure

Containers pose massive potential for significant gains in SQL Server agility, flexibility, cost-reduction, and more for organizations, but the uptime requirements of SQL Server workloads represent the critical bottleneck in the move to containerized deployments in Kubernetes.

Kubernetes Out-of-the-Box High Availability

As a standalone technology, Kubernetes does integrate some high availability functionality to help protect containerized SQL Server workloads. Built-in capabilities include pod replication, load balancing, service discovery, persistent volumes, and StatefulSets. These features allow Kubernetes to protect against things like:

  • Pod failure – Individual pods crashing due to resource contention issues or something else
  • Node failure – Anytime node becomes unavailable to cluster e.g. Hardware failure
  • Cluster failure ­– The loss of cluster communication capability e.g. Failure of control plane node

However, this is where an important distinction needs to be made—the distinction between high availability (HA) solutions that are ready to handle critical SQL Server workloads, and those that are not.

Kubernetes is a feature-rich container orchestration technology that has unlocked amazing possibilities for container-use in the IT industry, but when leveraged as a standalone HA solution, it cannot be considered a viable option for SQL Server workloads. This is predominantly due to the inherent latency associated with failover. By default, it takes Kubernetes five minutes to reschedule workloads from unreachable nodes. In 2023, this is not an acceptable failover baseline for SQL Server by any stretch of the mind. For the largest corporations, SQL Server downtime expense can reach well into the thousands of dollars per second, and settling for a 5-minute minimum downtime window for any failover is totally unacceptable.

So, while Kubernetes is the perfect technology for many container implementations, it does not have the chops to take on SQL Server high availability by itself. Fortunately, the surrounding technology ecosystem has evolved to bring integrated solutions to eliminate excessive downtime from SQL Server Kubernetes deployments.

High Availability Tailormade for SQL Server Containers

DxEnterprise (DxE) Smart High Availability Clustering software has been around for over a decade helping customers throughout the world ensure high availability for their mission-critical SQL Server environments. Now, what started as a solution for native SQL Server instances has been enhanced with industry-leading capabilities to unlock virtually zero downtime for SQL Server Kubernetes environments.

DxEnterprise takes Kubernetes cluster control to an even finer level of granularity—integrating health monitoring and failover automation at the database-level rather than the pod-level. In fact, DxEnterprise has been officially endorsed by Microsoft as the best approach to facilitating high availability for SQL Server in Kubernetes due to the powerful functionality it provides like:

  • Automatic failover for SQL Server Availability Groups in Kubernetes
  • Cross-site, cross-region, and cross-cloud Availability Group deployments
  • Boosted network performance through proprietary UDP tunnelling
  • Significantly reduced failover time from minutes to seconds
  • Ease of deployment using Rancher and/or Helm charts

This swath of DxEnterprise-derived enhancements helps add the secret sauce to Kubernetes to optimize high availability for even the most heavy-duty SQL Server environments. And the best part; it’s easier than ever to modernize your SQL Server with containers and unlock unparalleled cost-control, agility, and portability.

Reach out at [email protected] or get signed up for a personalized demo to learn how you can migrate your SQL Server to containers in literal minutes.

Ensuring AI Workload HA: SQL Server in K8s Made Reliable

Leveraging containerized stateful workloads such as Microsoft SQL Server to support AI applications is a practice that’s growing increasingly common. However, one of the primary conundrums in this scenario is enabling an adequate level of high availability (HA).

Container management solutions such as Kubernetes do a fantastic job letting you manage your containerized environments with increased agility and scalability, but out-of-the-box pod-level failover is grossly inadequate for the needs of enterprises and their SQL Server workloads. DH2i’s Don Boxley tells you about how software-defined perimeter technology and Smart HA software can solve this issue for good.

Spiceworks

Strengthening Healthcare’s Future: Advancing Network Security, Performance, and Business Continuity

Check out this article written by our CEO and Co-Founder, Don Boxley, to learn about the unique challenges faced by the healthcare industry that have necessitated innovation surrounding data security.

Boxley talks about the associated issues of using virtual private network (VPN) to protect healthcare environments, and makes a strong case for more secure, software-defined perimeter technology.

Continuity Central

Breaking Barriers in Government IT – DH2i’s Solutions for Resilient Data and Fortified Security

In the ever-evolving landscape of the digital age, the role of government is undergoing a profound transformation. The traditional methods of governance are being reshaped by the power of digital technologies, giving rise to a new era of government modernization. In this blog, we delve into the importance of government modernization in the digital age and explore how embracing digital transformation can revolutionize public services, enhance citizen experiences, and drive societal progress. From improved efficiency and transparency to data-driven decision-making and cybersecurity, the benefits of government modernization are far-reaching and have the potential to reshape the way we govern and interact with public institutions.

The Complexities of Managing and Maintaining IT Infrastructure for Government Organizations

In today’s digital age, government organizations at various levels, ranging from local government to homeland security and remotely deployed branches of the military, heavily rely on robust and secure IT infrastructure to carry out their essential functions. However, the management and maintenance of this infrastructure come with a host of complexities, with data availability and security standing at the forefront.

Data Availability Challenges

Government organizations handle vast amounts of data critical to their operations, ranging from citizen records and public services information to classified intelligence and military operations data. Ensuring the availability of this data at all times is of utmost importance. However, it poses significant challenges due to factors such as system failures, natural disasters, cyber-attacks, and human errors. A single disruption in data availability can have severe consequences, leading to operational inefficiencies, compromised decision-making, and potential risks to public safety and national security.

Security Concerns

Data security is a paramount concern for government organizations, given the sensitive nature of the information they handle. Protecting classified data, personal citizen information, and critical infrastructure against unauthorized access, cyber-attacks, and data breaches is a constant battle in today’s increasingly interconnected world.

Likewise, compliance with regulatory frameworks, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), is essential to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government data. However, this also adds another layer of complexity.

The challenges surrounding data availability and security are further amplified by the distributed nature of government organizations. From local government offices spread across multiple jurisdictions to remote military branches operating in challenging environments, ensuring consistent data availability and maintaining stringent security protocols across disparate locations is a complex undertaking. It requires implementing standardized procedures, establishing secure communication channels, and deploying monitoring and surveillance systems to detect and respond to potential threats promptly.

How DxEnterprise Empowers Government Organizations with High Availability (HA)

DxEnterprise offers government organizations a solution to address the need for high availability in their IT infrastructure. DxEnterprise is a Smart High Availability Clustering software designed specifically for SQL Server instances and containers. By leveraging DxEnterprise, government organizations can achieve fully automatic failover for their Always-On Availability Groups (AGs) in containers, as well as unified instance failover for both Windows and Linux environments. This ensures continuous availability of critical SQL Server databases, minimizing downtime and data loss.

DxEnterprise offers several features that are particularly beneficial for government organizations. It enables sidecar container deployment, eliminating the need for custom images and reducing support complexities. The inclusion of Helm Charts allows for the quick and efficient deployment of highly available SQL Server AGs with just one line of code, streamlining the process and saving time. Additionally, DxEnterprise’s fully automatic failover capabilities ensure that AGs in containers can seamlessly transition to backup nodes without manual intervention, enhancing high availability and minimizing disruptions.

In addition, DxEnterprise supports multi-platform clusters, enabling the inclusion of a mix of containers, virtual machines, bare-metal servers, and cloud servers in the same cluster. This flexibility allows government organizations to leverage their existing infrastructure and choose the most suitable deployment options based on their specific needs. Whether it’s combining Windows and Linux servers within the same cluster or deploying clusters across multiple sites or clouds, DxEnterprise provides the necessary versatility to accommodate diverse IT environments (and strict government budgets).

How DxOdyssey Empowers Government Organizations with Zero Trust Network Access and Enhanced Security

DxOdyssey plays a crucial role in helping government organizations address the complexities of data security and connectivity. Traditional Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have long been used to establish secure connections between remote locations, but they come with their own set of vulnerabilities. DxOdyssey takes a different approach by employing Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) technology to create a direct connect environment that eliminates the need for intermediaries in the data path.

By using DxOdyssey, government organizations can establish secure application-level Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) tunnels. This means that servers, storage, applications, IoT devices, and users gain direct access to the specific data endpoints they require, ensuring that they have precisely the level of access they need and nothing more. This fine-grained control minimizes the risk of lateral network attacks, where unauthorized users attempt to move laterally within the network to gain access to sensitive information.

In addition, DxOdyssey achieves discreet invisibility by ensuring that there are no open ports that can be exploited by malicious actors. The data transmitted through DxOdyssey is also fully encrypted using Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS), ensuring that it remains confidential and uncrackable.

Additionally, DxOdyssey employs patented hybrid TCP-UDP data transport technology enhance network throughput performance by up to 40%. This enables government organizations to efficiently transmit and receive data without compromising security. The solution provides full network address translation (NAT) coverage and supports various operating systems, servers, and cloud environments. It seamlessly integrates into existing network infrastructure, eliminating the need for complex reconfigurations or additional hardware appliances.

The Bottom-Line

DH2i’s DxEnterprise and DxOdyssey solutions are at the forefront of revolutionizing government IT infrastructure, addressing the critical complexities of data availability and security. With DxEnterprise, government organizations can achieve near-zero downtime for their SQL Server Availability Group Kubernetes clusters, ensuring uninterrupted access to critical data and seamless operations. DxOdyssey takes data security to the next level by providing secure tunnels with Zero Trust Network Access capabilities, safeguarding sensitive information and enabling efficient and secure data transfer.

By harnessing the power of these cutting-edge technologies, governments can confidently embrace digital transformation, optimize their operations, and deliver superior services to their citizens with uncompromising security and near-zero downtime. Moreover, DH2i’s solutions offer a highly affordable investment with fast and significant ROI, ensuring that government organizations can achieve both technological advancement and financial efficiency simultaneously.