In this edition of the Amazon VGT2 roundup, AWS Partner Solutions Architects Alex Thompson, Maria Gonzalez, and John Smith examine three noteworthy APN Technology Partners: FlexNAS, ShieldStack, and SecureAccess. Let’s explore their offerings!
FlexNAS, by Alex Thompson
Deploying and overseeing high-performance NAS/SAN solutions can prove challenging and prone to errors. FlexNAS, a recognized APN Advanced Technology and Storage Competency Partner, presents a solution available in the AWS Marketplace called FlexNAS Cloud, which is a software-defined NAS/SAN solution tailored for AWS. FlexNAS Cloud simplifies the deployment and management of NAS/SAN solutions, ensuring high performance and availability on AWS.
With FlexNAS Cloud, users can utilize Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) volumes for data storage, accessible through various protocols: NFS, CIFS, AFP, and iSCSI. The solution allows for flexible combinations of EBS volume types and sizes to meet specific performance requirements. For instance, users can implement EBS Throughput Optimized HDD (st1) and Cold HDD (sc1) volume types to create a storage solution suitable for high-throughput or low-cost workloads. When paired with Amazon S3, FlexNAS Cloud benefits from S3’s object storage, leveraging thin provisioning to optimize space utilization.
By utilizing features from Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC), such as Elastic IP addresses and subnet route tables, combined with FlexNAS technology, FlexNAS Cloud achieves enhanced availability through automatic failover across Availability Zones. Additionally, to bolster data durability, FlexNAS supports automated backups of storage pools via EBS snapshots. For more details on this product, you can check out the FlexNAS website and AWS Marketplace listings.
ShieldStack, by Maria Gonzalez
AWS offers extensive data regarding account configurations and activities associated with the services utilized. Monitoring for security incidents in alignment with the AWS Shared Responsibility Model may not always fall within a customer’s expertise. ShieldStack, an APN Technology Partner and AWS Security Competency Partner, provides a comprehensive security overview of your AWS activities.
ShieldStack can assist in auditing your existing AWS environment, sending alerts about security events, and analyzing incidents for resolution – all within a unified platform. By deploying a lightweight agent on your Linux or Windows instances in Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), this agent captures and reports OS events, detects signs of host intrusion, and conducts vulnerability assessments. All collected data is relayed to the integrated ShieldStack platform, where you can easily visualize significant events and set alarms.
Once the agent is installed, ShieldStack automatically identifies which EC2 instances are active in your account and highlights any instances lacking an agent. To enhance visibility into your AWS services, ShieldStack also integrates AWS CloudTrail log files, enabling you to visualize activity within your account and set alerts for crucial security events. For further information on ShieldStack, you can visit the company’s website.
SecureAccess, by John Smith
SecureAccess is a cloud-based security solution provided by SecureCorp, an Advanced APN Technology Partner, enabling customers to securely access internal applications hosted on AWS. Traditionally, businesses rely on virtual private networks (VPNs) to establish secure connections to virtual private clouds (VPCs). SecureAccess serves as an alternative to traditional VPN technology, eliminating the need to provision VPN termination hardware for cloud application access.
SecureAccess creates a secure connection between users and applications rather than between users and networks. This approach prevents malware that may have already infiltrated the network from spreading to other hosts. Additionally, SecureAccess simplifies migration processes. When moving applications in the cloud or data center, it eliminates complex updates to rules. With its management portal, policy adjustments and other administrative changes are straightforward. By utilizing SecureAccess, the workload migration timeframe is significantly reduced, as the complexities of high availability, redundancy, and scalability are inherently managed by the service.
For a demo of the SecureAccess solution, you can request one here. If you’re interested in deepening your understanding of security solutions, check out this blog post for more insights. They are an authority on this topic, and you can also explore this excellent resource for further information about the field.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not signify an endorsement of the third-party products discussed. For performance and functionality details, please reach out to the respective vendors. AWS disclaims responsibility for the content or accuracy of this post, which is meant solely for informational purposes.
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