01732 759725 06 BULLETIN continued... 2018 to double-digit negative in 2023, with the biggest margin reduction, from over 20% to 0%, occurring in 2019 when Microsoft changed its licensing terms to favour those licensing software on Azure. As an example of feature discrimination, CISPE referenced Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) and restrictions to the multi-session capabilities of Windows 10/11 virtual machines operating outside Azure Virtual Desktop that it says significantly increase the cost to customers that choose competing cloud infrastructures. It adds that with multi-session capabilities allowed on Azure a customer can run a typical virtual desktop implementation for 32 users using just three virtual machines, whereas licensing restrictions on multi-session use of Microsoft software outside Azure mean CISPE members must provision 32 virtual machines to support the same number of users. Even with lower cost hardware (VM cost per hour), the cost of supporting 32 users for a CISPE member is 2.5 times higher than what Microsoft charges. Francisco Mingorance, Secretary General of CISPE, said: “These figures are just the tip of the iceberg and demonstrate the stark reality of selling Microsoft software. It is clear that there is a straightforward competition case here and that if these unfair licensing practices are not immediately ended by Microsoft voluntarily, legal and regulatory action should swiftly follow.” .... ORP using AI for turtle conservation Purple Transform, a developer of AI to enhance human decision-making, is working with the Olive Ridley Project (ORP) to support sea turtle conservation in the Maldives. Five of the seven species of sea turtles worldwide are found in the Maldives, and all five are at risk of extinction. As part of Project SEUSS (Safeguarding Ecosystems Using Sustainable Solutions), ORP will use Purple Transform’s proprietary AI platform, SiYtE, to monitor sea turtles and their habitats, including nesting activity and hatchings. SiYtE, which uses AI and machine learning to analyse and visualise real-time data aggregated from CCTV cameras, IoT sensors and other sources, will be used to track nesting patterns, monitor sea turtle populations and detect potential human interference. It will also strengthen ORP’s sea turtle veterinary programme, by aiding analysis of blood samples and the monitoring of sea turtle behaviour after rehabilitation. .... Fees eat up cloud budgets More than half (53%) of EMEA organisations exceeded their budgeted spend on cloud storage in 2023, with half of all cloud storage costs in EMEA going to data access and usage fees rather than capacity, reveals the 2024 Global Cloud Storage Index from Wasabi Technologies. Nonetheless, EMEA companies still see the value of cloud storage services, with 91% planning to increase their cloud storage budget in 2024 and 92% planning to increase the amount of data they store in the public cloud. Andrew Smith, Senior Manager of Strategy and Market Intelligence at Wasabi Technologies, said: “Organisations worldwide are increasing their use and budgets for public cloud storage solutions, and Europe is no exception. Like the rest of the world, European cloud storage users continue to struggle with storage fees, but despite this the region continues to show a healthy preference towards ‘cloud-first’ decision-making when it comes to IT services adoption.” Almost half (44%) of EMEA organisations pursue a ‘cloud-first’ strategy for IT services adoption. Almost all (99%) of EMEA respondents have adopted or are planning to adopt AI/ML in 2024 and 96% believe they will face new cloud storage concerns as a result. These include the requirement to store data across a wider range of locations e.g. core data centres and edge/ remote locations (46%); new data backup, protection and recovery requirements (43%); and new or increasing storage migration/movement requirements (42%). Jon Howes, Wasabi Technologies VP & GM of EMEA, said: “Wasabi’s annual research once again shows that progress towards off-premises cloud storage solutions is a direction nearly all enterprises are taking. However, the evergrowing frustration with unnecessary fees and vendor lock-in, as highlighted by the investigation by the UK’s market watchdog, provides a navigational challenge for cloudfirst organisations in EMEA.” .... Employers see value in snooping on home workers Nearly half of enterprises (44%) are collecting data on employees’ home working hours, with an additional 33% planning to do so in future, claims Kinly, a provider of audio-visual integration and collaboration services. Its Trusted Connections 2024 study, based on a survey of 425 enterprise AV professionals in the UK, Germany, Nordics and Netherlands, suggests that this is just the tip of the iceberg. For example, 65% of enterprises are encouraging staff to install Internet of Things (IoT) devices that can be used to monitor their home working environment: 28% say they are already collecting environmental data from people’s homes, with a further 36% planning to do so in the future. In addition, 33% are investing in analytics platforms to monitor remote workers. Respondents pointed out that at-home tracking systems are not just about making sure staff are working, but also about helping businesses meet their obligations to protect employee wellbeing. One third (32%) of those surveyed say their organisations are now collecting wellbeing data such as ‘tiredness indicators’ from remote staff, with a further 37% planning to track this sort of data in future.
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