eLxr is an open source, enterprise-grade Linux distribution designed to address the specific challenges of near-edge networks and workloads.

For years, modern workloads have shifted to the cloud, with AWS beingthe most popular. And although this shift has cut downoperating costs significantly, millions, if not billions, of dollars stillare wasted to maintainall those virtual instances—even when they are not in use.

The cloud has become synonymous with all things data storage. It additionally equates to the many web-centric services accessing that same back-end data storage, but the term also has evolved to mean so much more.This weekend join us as we explore the cloud.CloudWatch Is of the Devil, but I Must Use Itby Corey QuinnLet's talk about Amazon CloudWatch.

Let's talk about Amazon CloudWatch.For those fortunate enough to not be stuck in the weeds of Amazon WebServices (AWS), CloudWatch is, and I quote from the officialAWS description, "a monitoring andmanagement service built for developers, system operators, site reliabilityengineers (SRE), and IT managers." This is all well and good, except for thepart where there isn't a single named constituency who enjoys working withthe product. Allow me to dispense some monitoring heresy.

AI: open source's next big win.

Could the world's idle computers make the $200 billion cloudcomputing industry obsolete?In the final years of the Obama administration, it seemed that the worldwas witnessing the emergence of an odd alliance between the largestestablishment tech companies and the traditionally anti-establishmentcommunity of independent techies. The highest profile case involved Appleand other major corporations siding with civil rights organizations toadvocate against weakening device encryption on behalf of law enforcement,and it it led to a hope that these companies were finally seeing theprofit potential in having secure, satisfied customers. That hope hasnow evaporated in the face of continuous betrayals of user trust, andrather than take it lying down, tech users are looking into alternativesolutions that put them in control.

Nextcloud could be the first step toward replacing proprietary services like Dropbox and Skype.In its simplest form, the Nextcloud server is"just" a personal, free software alternative to services like Dropboxor iCloud. You can set it up so your files are always accessiblevia the internet, from wherever you are, and share them with yourfriends. However, Nextcloud can do so much more.

How to get started with AWS, install Apache, create an EFS volume andmuch more.The cloud is here to stay, regardless of how you access data day today. Whether you are uploading and sharing new photos with friendsin your social-media account or updating documents and spreadsheetsalongside your peers in your office or school, chances areyou're connecting to the cloud in some form or another.

An in-depth breakdown of the technologies involved in making upthe cloud and a survey of cloud-service providers.The cloud has become synonymous with all things data storage. Itadditionallyequates to the many web-centric services accessing that same back-enddata storage. But the term also has evolved to mean so much more.

Cloud billing is inherently complex; it's not just you.

Apply a few basic hardening principles to secure your cloud environment.I've written about simple server-hardeningtechniques in the past. Those articles were inspired in part by the Linux Hardening inHostile Networks book I was writing at the time, and the idea was todistill the many different hardening steps you might want to performon a server into a few simple steps that everyone should do. In thisarticle, I take the same approach only with a specific focuson hardening cloud infrastructure. I'm most familiar with AWS, so myhardening steps are geared toward that platform and use AWS terminology(such as Security Groups and VPC), but as I'm not a fan of vendor lock-in,I try to include steps that are general enough that you shouldbe able to adapt them to other providers.

Linux Journal's April issue takes a Deep Dive Into the Cloud. Articles in this issue include: 

Vendor lock-in has moved from corporate infrastructure into the cloud, only this time many are all too happy to embrace it.

Duo Security has released CloudMapper, an open-source tool for visualizing Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environments.When working with AWS, it's common to have a number of separate accounts run by different teams for different projects. Gaining an understanding of how those accounts are configured is best accomplished by visually displaying the resources of the account and how these resources can communicate. This complements a traditional asset inventory.

Where do IT fundamentals fit in our modern, cloud- and abstraction-drivenengineering culture?

On the heels of being crowned "Cool Vendor in Cloud Security" byGartner, Zentera Systems, Inc., announced an upgrade to its flagshipCoIP Security Enclave solution.

DivvyCloud's unique niche in the IT ecosystem is helping organizationsautomate and manage their multi-cloud infrastructure at scale.

The new Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Standard Ad Unit Portfolio'ssupport for flexible ads is intended to improve the ad experience for users andboost revenue potential for advertisers.

The Big Data market is in a period of remarkable transition. If keeping tabs onthis dynamic sector is in your wheelhouse, Datamation has made your homeworkeasier by developing "Leading Big Data Companies", a report that provides "asnapshot of a market sector in transition".

SUSE and SAP have been collaborating for 18 years now. SAP is ubiquitous in theenterprise environment, and SUSE is now powering its robust SAP Cloud Platform.