A virtual appliance is a pre-integrated, self-contained system that combines a software program (e.g., server software) with just enough operating system to run correctly on industry-standard hardware or a virtual machine, such as VMware. Virtual appliances offer many advantages for enterprise IT, including the ability to package a solution as a single product to quickly create ready-to-use systems in the cloud or on-premises, with little to no setup.

Ransomware is not a new concept within IT security. However, much focus is now being brought to it as the scale, number, and cost of these attacks are increasing worldwide. Though these attacks are aimed at organizations, the outcome can significantly impact consumers and individuals as well. The impact these attacks have on healthcare systems, schools, and power providers is significant and can have devastating consequences.

Kubernetes is one of the most prominent container orchestration platforms available today. As cloud-native- and container solutions gain attention, so is Kubernetes. The platform that Google open-sourced in 2014 has even become the standard for container management for private- and public cloud. With the new approach towards cloud-native application development, where microservices and containers are essential, there is a big focus on software development and how to migrate to the cloud.

Microsoft Teams is a product that already before the pandemic started to gain popularity and, during, helped employees communicate and collaborate in their new remote offices. There are precursors to Teams - in Microsoft's portfolio, Skype for Business was retired last year, and after that, the increase of Teams users have been skyrocketing. Why Teams differ from some of the other communication alternatives is the many functions of teams that allow for much more than a chat, call, or virtual meeting.

With the aim to cut down development cycles and time to market, increase the frequency of deployment and ensure high-quality software releases, it is no surprise that DevOps has come to be a popular approach to application development.

When it comes to sophisticated software like System Center Operations Manager (SCOM), where a structure is vital to maintain your environment, your naming conventions are the key to long-term success. Many different people are involved in the process of monitoring. To maintain documentation and procedures, you must define how you should name parts used in SCOM. Everything from the management group name to groups, management packs, override management packs, views, and folders.

As cloud-native solutions are gaining recognition and becoming a common approach to developing applications, more attention has been directed towards container orchestration and Kubernetes. Both concepts within the realm of IT have been around for a while. Thanks to the technologies' maturing and cloud adoption, they've recently gained significant attention. We all know that software containers are far from traditional shipping containers, yet they function similarly: they standardize and combine.