All news in category "Vendor and Hyperscaler Watch"

Google Cloud Adds AI Annotations and Object Contexts

🧠 Google Cloud is introducing two Cloud Storage features—auto annotate and object contexts—that apply pretrained AI to generate metadata and attach custom key-value tags to stored objects. Auto annotate (experimental) produces image annotations such as object detection, labels, and objectionable-content signals tied to an object's lifecycle. Object contexts (preview) let teams add, manage, and query contextual tags with IAM controls and Storage Insights integration. Together they enable scalable discovery, curation, and governance of previously unanalyzed unstructured “dark data.”

Amazon EC2 M7i arrives in Milan with custom Intel CPUs

🚀 Amazon EC2 M7i instances, powered by custom 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors (Sapphire Rapids), are now available in the Europe (Milan) region. M7i delivers up to 15% better performance versus comparable x86 Intel processors on other clouds and up to 15% improved price-performance compared to M6i. Instances scale to 48xlarge and include two bare-metal sizes (metal-24xl, metal-48xl) with built-in Intel accelerators for data streaming, in-memory analytics, and QuickAssist Technology, making them suited for sustained high-CPU workloads like gaming servers, CPU-based ML, and video streaming.

BigQuery Data Clean Room Query Templates — Preview

🔒 BigQuery data clean room query templates are now available in preview, enabling clean room owners to publish fixed, reusable TVF-based queries that accept table or field inputs and return only aggregated rows. Templates reduce data exfiltration risk, simplify onboarding for non-SQL users, and enforce consistent analytical and privacy controls via aggregation thresholds and approval workflows. They support single-direction and multi-party collaboration while keeping query logic hidden from subscribers.

Google Cloud Marketplace for Enterprise and AI Agents

🤖 Google Cloud Marketplace offers a vetted path for organizations to deploy, buy, or build AI agents that integrate with Gemini Enterprise, simplifying procurement and deployment. Listings are pre-validated for A2A integration and allow consolidated billing, while administrators can enforce governance using IAM and Private Marketplace controls. For partners, the Marketplace provides global reach, co-selling, and flexible monetization (subscription, usage-based, private offers, outcome-based) plus automated provisioning via Pub/Sub and the Cloud Commerce Partner Procurement API.

Google Cloud NetApp Volumes: iSCSI, FlexCache, Gemini

🚀 Google Cloud announced enhancements to NetApp Volumes, adding unified iSCSI block and file storage to support SAN migrations and NetApp FlexCache for high-performance local caching in hybrid environments. The service integrates with Gemini Enterprise as a data store for retrieval-augmented generation, and includes large-capacity volumes, SnapMirror replication, and auto-tiering to optimize performance and costs.

Amazon AppStream Adds License-Included Microsoft Apps

🧾 Amazon AppStream 2.0 now offers license-included Microsoft Office, Visio, and Project (2021/2024) in Standard and Professional editions, available in both 32‑bit and 64‑bit for On‑Demand and Always‑On fleets. Administrators can add or remove these applications from images and fleets to control availability, and end users access fully integrated Microsoft apps within AppStream sessions. Deployments require an AppStream Image Builder agent released on or after October 2, 2025, or managed image updates dated October 3, 2025 or later. Billing remains hourly for streaming and per-user per-month (non-prorated) for Microsoft apps.

Microsoft: Windows 10 Reaches End of Support Oct 14, 2025

⚠️ Microsoft says Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and will no longer receive feature or security updates. Machines will continue to run but will be at greater risk of viruses and malware without patches. Microsoft advises customers to upgrade to Windows 11, migrate to Windows 365 in the cloud, enroll in Extended Security Updates (ESU), or use LTSC editions for specialized devices. ESU pricing and limited free enrollment options for home and EEA users are noted.

AWS for Fluent Bit 3.0.0: Based on Fluent Bit 4.1.0

🚀 AWS for Fluent Bit 3.0.0, based on Fluent Bit 4.1.0 and Amazon Linux 2023, delivers faster, more secure container logging for Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS. It adds native OpenTelemetry (OTel) support for OTLP logs, metrics, and traces with SigV4 authentication and faster JSON parsing for higher throughput and lower latency. TLS minimum version and cipher controls enforce stronger output security. The image is available in the Amazon ECR Public Gallery and Amazon ECR, and source code and guidance are provided on GitHub.

Amazon EBS Volume Clones for Instant Volume Copies

⚡ Amazon Web Services has launched general availability of Amazon EBS Volume Clones, enabling instant, point-in-time copies of EBS volumes within the same Availability Zone. Cloned volumes are immediately accessible with single-digit millisecond latency and support all EBS volume types. The capability integrates with the EBS Container Storage Interface (CSI) driver and is available via Console, CLI, SDKs, and CloudFormation across AWS Commercial and GovCloud (US) Regions.

AWS for Fluent Bit 3.0.0 Released with Fluent Bit 4.1.1

🚀 AWS for Fluent Bit 3.0.0, based on Fluent Bit 4.1.1 and built on Amazon Linux 2023, is now available for Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS customers. The release introduces native OpenTelemetry (OTel) support to ingest and forward OTLP logs, metrics, and traces with AWS SigV4 authentication, removing the need for additional sidecars. It delivers faster JSON parsing and higher log throughput per vCPU with lower latency, plus configurable TLS minimum versions and cipher controls to strengthen output security. Upgrade by pulling the 3.0.0 image from the Amazon ECR Public Gallery, updating your ECS FireLens task definition, or updating the DaemonSet/Helm release on EKS.

Fortinet Strengthens Global Cybercrime Collaboration

🔒 Fortinet underscores its leadership within the World Economic Forum’s Cybercrime Atlas, promoting cross-sector intelligence sharing and coordinated disruption to combat cybercriminal networks. The 2025 Impact Report, released ahead of the WEF Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity 2025, details operational support for INTERPOL-led Operations Serengeti and Serengeti 2.0 and quantifies arrests, takedowns, and recovered illicit funds. Fortinet stresses the need for accountability at scale and continued expansion of collaborative capacity-building.

Amazon Route 53 Profiles Adds AWS PrivateLink Support

🔒 Amazon Route 53 Profiles now supports AWS PrivateLink, allowing customers to access and manage their Profiles privately over the Amazon network instead of the public internet. When accessed via PrivateLink, management operations such as creating, editing, listing, and deleting Profiles occur over private connectivity between VPCs, AWS services, and on‑premises applications. This capability reduces control‑plane exposure and supports hybrid and regulated deployments.

Windows 10 End of Support: Guidance for Enterprises

🛡️ As of October 14, 2025, Microsoft has ended support for non‑LTSC releases of Windows 10, leaving installations without default security patches unless organizations purchase Extended Security Updates (ESUs). CrowdStrike advises inventorying assets, evaluating ESU costs, and prioritizing migration while ensuring continuous endpoint protection. The Falcon platform delivers cloud‑native detection, behavioral AI, and visibility across mixed Windows environments to help reduce risk during transition. Note that EDR complements but does not replace operating system updates.

AWS Expands Graviton4 M8g EC2 Instances to Regions

🚀 AWS announced that Amazon EC2 M8g instances, powered by Graviton4 processors, are now available in Europe (Paris), Asia Pacific (Osaka), Canada (Central), and the Middle East (Bahrain). The M8g family delivers up to 30% better performance versus Graviton3-based instances and offers larger sizes with up to 3× more vCPUs and memory. Built on the AWS Nitro System, these instances provide enhanced networking and EBS bandwidth for general-purpose workloads such as application servers, microservices, gaming servers, and caching fleets.

Amazon Connect Adds Configurable Schedule Adherence

📈 Amazon Connect now supports configurable thresholds for schedule adherence, enabling contact center managers to set allowable early and late windows for shift starts, shift ends, and individual activities. Administrators can apply defaults and customize thresholds at the team level—for example, allowing a 5-minute early start, a 10-minute late end, or a 3-minute late break—so minor timing differences don’t hurt adherence scores. This reduces false violations, helps managers focus on real adherence issues, and improves agent satisfaction and productivity.

AWS Transfer Family SFTP Connectors Gain VPC Support

🔒 AWS Transfer Family SFTP connectors can now route connections through your Amazon VPC, enabling secure file transfers between Amazon S3 and remote SFTP servers whether privately or publicly hosted. Connectors can present VPC CIDR IP addresses for compatibility with IP allowlists and leverage NAT Gateway bandwidth for higher-throughput internet transfers. All traffic is routed through existing VPC networking and security controls, including Transit Gateway and centralized firewalls to help meet data security mandates.

Amazon MSK Connect Expands to Ten More AWS Regions

🚀 Amazon MSK Connect is now available in ten additional AWS Regions — Jakarta, Hong Kong, Osaka, Melbourne, Milan, Zurich, Bahrain, UAE, Cape Town, and Tel Aviv. MSK Connect provides fully managed Kafka Connect clusters for deploying, monitoring, and scaling connectors to move data between Apache Kafka/Amazon MSK and external systems without provisioning infrastructure. The service supports both managed and self-managed Kafka clusters and is accessible via the MSK console and CLI.

Stopping Living-off-the-Land Abuse of Trusted Tools

🔒 CrowdStrike highlights how attackers increasingly weaponize trusted software—RMM tools, built-in Windows utilities, and admin binaries—to evade detection and operate within networks. The Falcon platform layers behavioral IOAs, custom controls, and Exposure Management and now adds APEX, a machine-learning model that analyzes command-line syntax, parameters, process lineage, timing, and context to detect LOLbin abuse. APEX is generally available for Windows and aims to raise detection while reducing false positives.

Microsoft Advances Open Standards for Frontier AI Scale

🔧 Microsoft details OCP contributions to accelerate open-source infrastructure for frontier-scale AI, focusing on power, cooling, networking, security, and sustainability. It highlights innovations such as solid-state transformers, a power-stabilization paper with OpenAI and NVIDIA, and a next-generation HXU for liquid cooling. Networking efforts include ESUN and scale-up Ethernet workstreams, while security contributions introduce Caliptra 2.1, Adams Bridge 2.0, and L.O.C.K. The post also advances fleet lifecycle management, carbon accounting, and waste-heat reuse for globally deployable AI datacenters.

Agile, Fungible Data Centers for the AI Era: Standards

🚀 Google outlines designs for agile, fungible data centers to meet explosive AI demand, advocating modular, interoperable architectures and late-binding of facility resources. It highlights Project Deschutes liquid cooling, +/-400Vdc power proposals with Mt. Diablo side-car designs, and open efforts like Caliptra 2.0 and OCP L.O.C.K.. The post calls for community standards across power, cooling, telemetry, networking, and security to improve resilience, sustainability, and operational flexibility.